#bc they all have similarities one way or another from me putting little pieces of myself in them

[lelianaslefthand]

ive spent the majority of my day working on mirela's playlist so i can fill up all 10 spots on that quizzy template i have 2 left idk why this is difficult for me 😭

[antariies]

how to build a chair........... director's cut ∠( ᐛ 」∠)__ this is about to be a very long very self-indulgent post where i just talk about my own writing. i also doodled on all the pages i think it makes the whole thing more fun to go thru. welcome to my ted talk

SIKE before i begin. credit where credit is due, this post was the start of it all. it changed my brain chemistry my jaw was dropped i was in awe i was obsessed and before i even finished it i knew that i would eventually have to make something similar for the commander or else i would be cursed to think about it for the rest of my life. and i Was cursed for like two years every day i would just be like........ is today the day i sit down and draft the commander chair fic of my dreams....... maybe tomorrow......

and then i got accepted as a writer for the gw2 zine ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ the chair idea was actually my backup option in case my first idea didn't pan out, and thank god it didn't, bc this one worked so much better. (still working on my initial idea, just turning it into a full fic! it was wayyy too long to be a zine submission.)

this is the chair i used. i downloaded the assembly instructions and tried out a bunch of different free pdf editors until i found one i liked, which ended up being sedja. if anyone's interested in doing something like this, i recommend printing out the pdf and writing directly on it! it was a lot easier for me to just figure out everything on paper first and then digitalize it after :P here's a picture of my physical copy

okay actually getting into it for real this time !!!!!

1. yeah i could've just erased the ikea logo and left a blank space but then i realized i could turn it into an in-universe joke. and then i ran with it.

2. i ripped this straight from the product description on the website. thanks ikea

3. i'm not sure if anyone went and looked it up, but it's a real item code!

hehe :3c

4. if your commander willingly goes to therapy i'm happy for them but TO ME? you'd have to drag the commander kicking and screaming. it's not that they don't know that something is wrong with them, they know, and they know YOU know. you're just never supposed to talk about it. they don't look at their own psych eval results bc that's none of their business.

5. i normally avoid specifying the commander's race when i write them bc i enjoy the challenge, but for the zine i was assigned to write about a norn commander! as a human main i was uhhhh very ill-equipped. but that just meant i had to study up on my norn lore (•̀ᴗ•́)و i spent hours on the wiki, then went around interviewing norn mains for their opinions, which was great fun :D it all helped me narrow the focus of my piece: joining the war on commander objectification on the side of commander objectification (ㅅ´ ˘ `)♡ and no one self-aggrandizes quite like the norn commander!

and to balance that i knew my narrator had to be patronizing as shitttt. they've clearly been following the commander since the beginning and seem to know a lot of intimate details about their life, despite not thinking very highly of them. wonder who that could be :3c

6. i can't stop making references. so the original part number is actually #122620 in the manual but i've changed it here (and on the previous page!) to #082812, as in 08/28/12, the date gw2 was released! no real reason for it, @dalennaugw suggested it for funsies and i liked it. if you're my pal and i show you a wip and you have a cool idea for it, chances are i Will put that shit in. hi dale if you're reading this

7. another thing about me. i loveeee repetition. here the word "over" is repeated four times to match the picture. honestly a lot of the creative process for this piece was just staring at the pages and figuring out how to tie the pictures to the commander in ways that weren't extremely corny or trite. idk why i enjoy writing like this when i could be frolicking in the beautiful prosaic meadows of a word doc instead but. it's like i see a tiny little restrictive box and i'm like OH BOY can't wait to think inside of that thing!!! i like when the format matters just as much as the content and in some cases informs the content. am i making any sense here. well all you need to know is that i'm a virgo and my favorite book is house of leaves

7. aw fuck just realized i wrote 7 twice. whatever i'm not changing it this is 7 part two now. the theme of my piece is glory, what it means to the norn commander, and how far they're willing to go for it.

8. does norn culture place emphasis on seeking individual glory Yes are norn also very community-oriented Also Yes. i think it's common to see norn kids napping together in a big pile, usually after they've worn themselves out playing games outside. it makes sense practically (apes together warm) and socially (pack bonding good) but that's just my hc. growing up i used to share a bed with my cousins all the time so it's normal to me.

a young, naive not-yet-commander, with no real combat experience, has no point of reference to compare a "blaze of glory" to. but the way everyone talks about it, it must be a good thing. a wonderful thing. a reward fit for a life well-fought and a legend hard-earned. so they imagine it must feel like falling asleep surrounded by the people they love, who love them in turn.

9. .........i was playing a lot of ace attorney when i wrote this page. i wish i was joking 👍🏼

10. ohhh shit the truth come OUT this whole chair thing was all a ploy just so i could write about the departing. again.

will i ever stop thinking about her. reply hazy, try again later.

11. out of all the pages, this one has the most emphasis on text placement, like comparing the enlarged picture of the screw to a sword, the numbers counting the screws, and "up up up" being arranged to mimic a wisp of smoke.

i also wanted to lean into the viking/norse mythology influences with my word choice.

12. more nods to norn culture. i didn't know they referred to the six human gods as "spirits of action" until i was doing the research for this piece :O

and the domain of the lost is called a hall of ghosts....... cause valhalla.....

13.

i'm sorry this so funnyyy. SAYS the guy who literally clawed their way back to life for a rematch.

me when i'm in a sore loser competition and my opponent is the COMMANDER!!!

14. arms as in "limbs" and also arms as in "armaments" :•]

15. haha get it because the picture makes it look like there are two mirrored speech bubbles while the text paints two opposing interpretations of the norn commander. one that's selfless and humble versus one that's selfish and vainglorious.

16. and the best part is IT DOESN'T MATTER which one is true bc at the end of the day no matter what their motivation, balthazar is dead by their hand. ofc i'm of the opinion that the most compelling interpretation of the commander is both, simultaneously. contradictions are good for the soul.

17. i could've name-dropped kas, the only person present that would do something like that, but i felt it was better to leave it ambiguous.

18. low-hanging fruit. the metaphor was so obvious here but i had to do it. for the culture

19. the alternate title for this piece was "THIS COULD BE GLORY". "how to build a chair" was only supposed to be a placeholder title til i figured out a better one, but the innocuousness of it grew on me. also i came up with the other one too late and had already advertised under the chair title lol

20. my first instinct was to end it with something more reassuring, like "what you have built so far is enough" but that would've been an ooc switch-up for a narrator who has been nothing but snide and detached this whole time. gotta stick to my guns

21.

obligatory chair joke as the last line. for realsies though it’s meant to be an earnest appeal to the commander to take a break, to have a seat, but it’s also a challenge. are they willing to lean on their friends? are the bonds they’ve forged strong enough to hold their weight? are they willing to put their faith in someone else’s hands? are they brave enough to try? well. only one way to find out.

also guess what that wasn’t even the real last page of the manual. it's THIS

but no way i was letting this be the image we ended on. IT LOOKS LIKE A DICK AND BALLS!!!

and on that note, THANK YOU if you made it this far!! a very special shout-out to @hawkepockets, my lovely boyfriend and beta reader, without whom this piece would not be nearly as polished. i would bring him pages to look over and he would say Scrap half of those lines you can do better than that. kill your darlings. i would complain and argue for a few minutes then we would revise. rinse and repeat until we had honed this thing to perfection. i can't stress enough the importance of having a second pair of eyes on your work throughout your creative process, even better if it's someone who challenges you. i don't even pay him 🫶🏼

and if there was anything i didn't cover that you still have questions about, please feel free to shoot me an ask! (ㅅ´ ˘ `)♡ thanks for reading! see u later dudes ;P

[ganondoodle]

(while i am crumbling into pieces from cramp pain)

back when they announced the totk masterworks book i said i wasnt happy about it bc it would either

prove they thought all this was good from the start and everything went as planned

show us that they had unbelievable better ideas and plans but for some unknow reason scrapped it all

as it stands now with the concepts i have seen ... they somehow did both, some things seemed to have been planned fro mthe start (the whole focus on sonau/zonai stuff for example, which i personally just dont like bc i liked them better as an unkown mystery you never get to meet) and other stuff (like ganondorfs concepts, or the infinitely cooler castle in the sky esque concepts for the sky islands, instead of some nonsensical, meaningless little stone crumbs) was much, much more interesting initially (together with the interviews that said they initially planned to have the battery be a magic meter and make the sonau more magic than tech- but then decided to build their stuff around modern electrical devices just so players would immediately know what it was an what it would do -why????? thats so boring?? and unecessary ?? and they still give you tutorials for it anyway, multiple times??!!- for some ungodly reason)

it makes me more and more sure that this game, that took 6 years to make with most assets already being there (the same time that botw took to make?????????), went through a similar development hell as that one final fantasy game did where the director decided to make it an entirely different game every few weeks bc he saw something cool in another game-

its the only thing that makes sense to me, why else would it be so weirdly ... unfinished, its full of grand ideas badly executed, or like i said in a previous post, like an alpha build (weird! did someone in charge also see cool stuff every few months and decide they wanted it in there too no matter what so everyone had to scramble to try and put it in making the whole jenga tower fall over and over??), just to test how far you can push things, with placeholders everywhere, the same cutscene pasted in where another should be and a placeholder reason to get players to go soemwhere (fake zelda) and rough ideas for puzzles etc, that was never finished, jsut highly polished (in looks, sounds and presentation) in hopes of it being 'good enough' or players not noticing (like, take the underground for example, the idea itself is fantastic and cool as fuck, but its feels like an idea that was never finished and just barely fileld with some things to try and cover up the fact that it was never done, like a statue that wasnt done being carved but ran out of time so they painted it anyway- take the base map and invert it, put some easily accessible points of jumping down into it in random spots to test if the game can handle it- no time left to actually get that idea anywhere more specific and well thought out/put together, so its left like that, put the same texture everywhere, barely modified copies of the same enemies, and some little reward spots that make no sense, modelling three types of trees and an enemy camp is way quicker to do than actually making an entire new map (they didnt have to make it the same size btw, just make it big but unique caves, put the gravity effect down there in enclosed spaces! makes it less weird to have randomly happen in the sky! etc) but its there!! its in the game and if they are lucky most players wont go down there enough to notice how meaningless and unfinished it all is)

knowing they would most likely never admit to it though, probably bc of their reputation, is just addign to the frustrations i have with it :I

(i just hate to not know the reason for things, if the devs, who are usually the ones being worked to the bone for things they know arent good, where put through that bc some executive big shot threw their tables around every so often or neglected their project bc they wanted to focus on something else first ... id like to know, i dont enjoy making up these conspiracy (?) theories .......... but i cant shake this feeling, its jsut makes no sense)

[wordy-little-witch]

Dropping random One Piece ideas bc this is it now. This is how I cope.

Buggy focused bc I love this little blue haired buffoon

Buggy

• AuDHD

• BPD

• gender is a performance and he LOVES THE SPOTLIGHT BABYYYY

• Buggy is actually a year or so younger than Shanks, and they both use this as an insult point for arguments. Buggy calls him old man, Shanks calls him a teeny tiny little clown baby, Buggy punches Shanks, Shanks cries dramatically, the works.

• in my perception between them, their relationship could go either way - I love the interpretation of them seeing one another as brothers, I love the interpretation of them being lovers, I think either one fits them and it's precious and depending on the Shuggy flavor of the day. It's never both at the same time though. One or the other.

• Buggy has always been terrifyingly flexible. It was waved off when he was very little, but it was only around the time Crocus joined the crew that he noticed Buggy was much more flexible than most kids his age. Turns out baby blue has hypermobility syndrome. The Roger pirates helped him learn wrapping techniques to help stabilize his wrists and knees and hips, his biggest problem areas, but after the Devil Fruit Fiasco, he can and will just drop a limb. Floating is so much easier on bad pain days.

• Buggy still wraps and braces his body when he can, but he also hides most of them beneath his clothes. Few have seen him freely in braces. Cabaji and Mohji are the most familiar with that. Ritchie takes his role thereof as a living, furry weighted heating pad.

• kinesthetic and visual stimming Buggy my beloved.

• sometimes he's just. Touch Alvida. Not in a weird way, just... her Devil Fruit makes her skin and hair feel absolutely DIVINE and he can spend hours just. Playing with her fingers or brushing her hair. He's embarrassed by it.

• he has a very meticulous skin and hair care routine. It's one of very few routines he keeps to. Not even being in prison stopped it.

• he's actually really damn good with money and running a business. The situation with the Cross Guild was a Bad Time, Bad Place, Bad Luck situation, which is honestly just his brand at this point.

• He was a warlord for all of a few months, but in that time, he did, in fact, have to attend a few meetings, and he did, in fact, make a friend! A friend nobody ever expected.

• Boa Hancock and Buggy are the most underrated Mean Girls Squad ever and I'll die on that hill, I think they'd be so funny as friends. Ask me more on my Boa Buggy Besties ideas please I am begging I love them so much

• Cross Guild happens, and it goes fairly similar to Canon, but Buggy quite literally within that three week time frame got the entirety of his loan back AND the interest and was like "hey so like. Did you still want this or-?"

• the mercenaries at Karai Bari are all very progressive. Buggy is a lax ruler, by most standards, but he puts his foot down firmly regarding bigotry, racism, sexism, etc.

• Buggy is not actually human, but he doesn't know that. He was orphaned at a VERY early age, was adopted by Roger pretty young, and he doesn't really remember much pre-piracy. He does know his genetics are a little weird, #ThanksCrocus, but not much beyond that. This may be Important later on if anyone wants some silly little concepts

• demisexual nblm, but once he catches feelings, he becomes a harlot harlequin

• once took off a limb and forgot where he left it. Has genuinely devoted microchipping his limbs.

• some people have comfort activities like hiking or painting. He makes bombs. It's very soothing and he likes the BOOM

• has a multitude of explosives btw; everything from large range, highly damaging, lethal weapons, to flashy, mildly inconveniences. He once made a batch of mini muggy balls full of itching powder just to see if he could and now it's his favorite thing to prank people with. ((Yes, he designed those while a Warlord. Yes, he tested it on the Navy. No, he was never definitively caught.))

• when he's busy, he ties his hair in a bun and puts pens, pins, etc in his hair, ends up looking like a porcupine or sea urchin.

• he has a really bad habit of hyperfixating for hours upon hours on end. Galdino, Alvida, Mohji and Cabaji have a rotation system to check on him if he hasn't been seen for 5 or more hours. They'll drag him away from his work (some more gently than others), make him eat, drink, etc. ((Alvida huffs and puffs about it, but she's also among the first ones to wipe a grease smear from his face, look him over head to toe and determine whether she's pulling the Girls Night card. She will die before admitting that she adores this bastard.))

• Buggy is allergic to pineapples.

That's all I got rn okay ily byyyeeee

[mantequillamcwhoremick]

hah i so knew someone would have already asked for Kenny lol if you are still bored - Kevin? 🫶

Omg thanks for the ask!!! Hheheheheh this is an interesting one....

Favorite thing about them:

There's literally so little about him so it's hard to pinpoint something canon to deem my favorite thing but I guess I would say his adult design. idk it just speaks volumes about his character, especially when you compare how well put-together Karen looks next to him. I have a million Kevin McCormick ideas and a oneshot about him and Kenny in the works.

Least favorite thing about them:

I have a hard time with this part of the ask meme bc most characters don't have something I blatantly don't like, even their worst flaws are interesting and engaging. So I'm just gonna say I hate how little info there is to him

Favorite line:

"'Just take a seat in there, kids.'" /mockingly (S15, "The Poor Kid") he has like 4 canon lines or smth but the way he imitates the police officer here just kinda speaks volumes to me about his character

brOTP:

lol idk I'm just gonna go with Kenny, they deserve some genuine screen time together

OTP:

this one is fairly common but Shelley & Kevin. It makes sense. Do they have any canon interactions? No. Have they ever even been in the same frame together? Not that I remember. Is that gonna stop me or all the fantastic fanartists I've seen draw these two from rooting for them? Absolutely fucking not. They're two very outsider-coded kids, and by what we've seen of Kevin's characterization and Shelley's boyfriend Larry Feegan (who died </3), he could definitely be Shelley's type. It would be an entertaining dynamic to explore in canon & fic.

nOTP:

/

Random headcanon:

I think he is autistic and/or has another developmental disability. It just checks out with what we've seen of him, how he's been characterized, and I'm pretty sure he has inherited his parents emotional problems as well, since we see him physically fighting and insulting Stuart in s15's "The Poor Kid" even though Carol is telling them both to stop and Karen is crying. In the "Bigger, Longer and Uncut" "Blame Canada" song it is revealed that Carol thought Kenny had the stuff to become a doctor or a lawyer, and given the aforementioned headcanon I kinda can see Kevin being written off as a good-for-nothing by his parents. This is supported by Carol calling him, alongside Stuart, a "drunk piece of shit". I can imagine him getting into lots of problems when he's older, as evidenced by how old and shabby he looks as an adult next to Karen, who probably looks as put-together as she does due to having grown up receiving support from Kenny.

Unpopular opinion:

I see him being characterized as a good brother to Karen and Kenny sometimes and as much as I would love that to be true, I doubt they have a good relationship, if any at all. He seems more like a super distant kind of older brother to me, who occasionally becomes Kenny's problem when he comes home drunk or high or when Kenny has to pick Kevin up from the police station because their parents are working or just being neglectful. I can imagine Kevin being an inspiration to Kenny for all the things he never wants to do to Karen, even if it never should have been Kevin OR Kenny's responsibility to step up for their younger siblings in their parents' place. I can see Kevin even resenting Kenny and claiming he's their parents' favorite, similar to how Shelley does with Stan.

Song i associate with them:

I'm sorry I can't think of one hsdjhaskjd but I'll edit this post once I do!!

Favorite picture of them:

It's a yucky picture I'm just a big fan of his adult design <3333

[crossedsabers10s]

what’s the latest wip in saberland??

uhhhhhh a bunch of bouncing back and forth between things rn. There's one fic i've been poking at that is ACoTaR and is more world building than anything, but the vague timeline is making me want to rip out my computer keys so rn it's mostly just vibes. Haven't quite decided on a title for that one but it's under fierce spear-bearer (loyal hearth-guard) for now. I'm tryingggg to get some more rumor has it stuff done, mostly pre-canon background, but it's in pieces that are slowly being put together. And I really need to rewatch S3 of TVD bc im tired of opening my wip doc for Apathy and just... being like I have IDEAS but no idea how to get em down. or connect them to the stuff I do have written. Then there's the. Half dozen mini fics I have half-written and cluttering up my drive. Plus like. I really want to get some Missed Me stuff done but everytime I sit down to do it the words flee from me.

Excerpts, if anyone wants 'em:

A Court of Thorns and Roses:

fierce spear-bearer (loyal hearth-guard)

“Argos,” Eris says seriously, dragging a finger across the pages of the thick tome he has open. He’s sitting at a desk, feet dangling from the tall backed chair. 

They are ensconced in a reading nook in the library, that place of oaken bookshelves that tower like the trees they’d once been, filled with tomes older than they. It is no Day Court’s Great Library, to be sure, but Autumn is old, and its lord is no slouch at gathering knowledge. 

“Pumpkin,” Erin suggests. She’s sitting on the plush carpet of the library floor, right at the edge where carpet meets the flagstone in front of the fireplace. Nestled amongst the ashes of the fireplace, nearly blending in, is a small gray pup curled into a crescent shape on its back, paws in the air and snoring with little puppy breaths. 

Eris doesn’t spare her so much a look. “Demios.”

“Applesauce.”

“Cú.”

Erin pauses from where she’d been flicking stray ashes. The pup’s paw twitches. “You’re going to get in trouble with Priestess Mara if you use that one.” 

Legendary names from the Continent are one thing. Legends closer to home another entirely. 

Eris waves a hand in a passable imitation of their father’s gesture of dismissal. It has a range of meanings from more ale all the way to to the dungeons with you. “Priestess Mara should be reminded that the temple doesn’t rule, Vanserras do. The old stories are not banned.”

“Yet,” Erin supplies knowingly, having overheard gossip suggesting that the lord of Rocky Shore is throwing his vote behind the latest attempt to ban every mention of the gods and heroes that don’t quite align with worshiping the Mother. Or, rather, the ones that don’t worship her in her aspect of the Mother. 

It’s not a popular stance, not in Autumn, but it has been gaining momentum in the past half century. Especially as tensions between the humans and fae rise. 

“Yet isn’t now.” But Eris obviously reconsiders using a name that may indicate taking one side over the other. Heir to Autumn that he is, even too young to sit on Council, either side would love to have his ear. 

Erin, who loves the old stories and has spent at least a few years worth of time in this very library reading them, frowns before running a finger through the ashes on the flagstone. “Cider.”

Eris’ sigh sounds exactly like their mother’s. The way he carefully closes the tome is similar as well. “Is this you trying to tell me you’re ready for lunch?”

She sprawls to the side, eyes still on the snoozing pup. “Syrup.” 

Finally deigning to weigh in, the pup snorts itself awake, blinking blearily at its surroundings. When it spots the faerie sitting on the rug, it scrambles to its oversized paws and launches itself into her lap. Skirts covered in ashy paw prints and the sounds of delighted giggling mixed with equally delighted yipping fill the otherwise quiet space. Erin begins to enthusiastically pet the little pup. Eris abandons his book to join them on the floor, doing his best to restore some order to the situation, even as he starts giggling just like his twin. 

“I think Syrup and I will be good friends,” Erin decides, face smudged with ash. 

Done with its self-imposed job of licking the two fae youth’s faces, the pup shakes, form briefly flickering around the edges, pearly gray fur blurring and shifting into wisps before settling back into solid shape.  

“That is a smoke hound, fearsome companions and ruthless hunters, they are not friends—!“ Eris tries to rub a smear of ash off his face with a sleeve, but only succeeds in further dirtying both. “We are not calling him Syrup!”

“Syrup!” Erin croons. “Sweet boy, you’ll be the fiercest hound in the kennel!”

fierce spear-bearer (loyal hearth-guard)

Her brother, light where she is dark, dark where she is light, they are less mirror images and more complimentary ones. She has their father’s coloring, he their mother’s. As a child, she’d desperately wanted her mother’s auburn instead of the brown she’d inherited. She’d grown out of that eventually, though there are still days she’d wish the reflection in her mirror was less stern-faced familiar. 

She’s her father’s eyes, she’s been told time and time again. She hates it more with every telling. 

“Was it impressive as they say?”

“Tamlin ripped her to shreds,” Eris says, satisfaction in the curl of his lips. 

“Good,” Erin says, just as much savagery underneath her own polite mask. Unlike their appearance, they match there, always. She sends her twin a sideways look. “But no. The girl. Spring’s human champion. She faced a Midgard Wyrm. So I heard.” She’d heard more than that, but that is one event that stands out. Less so, perhaps, than their littlest brother nearly dying twice over, and less so than Amarantha’s death, but it had been no small feat. 

Wyrms had been native to Hybern, but had been brought over from the smaller island more than once. There’s a few that pop up throughout Prythian’s history, some more famed than others; Coward’s Bane comes to mind, a legendarily giant Wyrm that had carved tunnels three body lengths wide into a rocky area of the Middle. They called it Coward’s Bane because if you’d walked over top of its rocky home, you lived. If you broke and ran, it sensed you and burst from the ground to swallow you whole. 

Amarantha, forever coming up with ways to make people’s lives worse, had bred them, set them loose into unprepared, unprotected Courts. 

The juveniles were less dangerous than the adults, but worse in different ways. Small as the young offspring could be—no bigger than any mundane earthworm—they were difficult to track. Easier to kill, but hard to find. Easier, but not easy. They’d lost a patrol or two to a nest. Once. Or twice. Maybe twice, because one had disappeared in the same area a month prior, but there had been no remains of the first when they’d excavated the nest. 

“She was covered in mud and shit. Broken, bleeding, and full of human-weakness.” His sneer drops. Very quietly, lips scarcely moving, “Yes.”

She nods, then drops the subject. 

But Eris keeps at it. “Prythian’s Savior is held in high esteem across the lands, higher still in two Courts. How interesting she’s remained cloistered in Spring. Not a Court would dare turn her away.” He snorts softly. “Or not. Tamlin no doubt wishes his new-Made lover protected instead of leveraging that debt.”

“Two?” Spring is obvious….

“Night.”

Erin takes a sip of her drink. The wine is a good one, unearthed from some lord or another’s stores. A deep red, it is too thin to be blood. For all that it suddenly tastes of it. Copper overpowers its previous floral notes. “Night? I have heard….” 

She lets the sentence trail off, letting her lips twist just slightly to display the displeasure at what she’d weaseled out of those who’d returned from Under the Mountain.

“He dressed her in war-paint.” Eris lifts his glass to his lips, but doesn’t drink. “Night after night, the kinds of scraps you’d expect from noble patronized whore houses and Illyrian war-paint.”

She does not ask him if he is sure. They once had cause to research Night’s admittedly shrouded culture and customs—even the scant-written, bloody history of Illyria. Eris had never gotten his star-hewn bride, but those days are not so distant that the hastily inked figures depicted have been forgotten. The drawings had been rushed, for certain. Detail and accuracy abandoned for speed and feeling, as though the artist was recreating a scene from terror-tinged memory. But the black ink stretched into wide, strong wings—the sprawling swirls and runes across bare skin, the sketched sword point as sharp and hungry on page as it must have been in truth…. 

It had evoked the same beauty a forest fire does. Destructive. Terrible. Awe-inspiring. Erin has never seen an Illyrian war band on wing—during the last war with Hybern, she’d remained in Autumn’s borders instead of following her High Lord into battle as Eris did, as a last line of defense—but they are compared to storms more than once, in the older manuscripts. Sudden and fierce, striking quick and devastating before disappearing just as swiftly as they came. 

Summer storm, silent death,

the battle-born, the blood-drinkers. 

Carrion crows follow wing-ed kin. 

He gave her the only armor he could, she does not suggest. Instead, she snorts softly. “Heh. Whore paint.”

Eris is too court trained to groan. Just as she is too court trained to grin. “The lowest form of humor.”

“Just high enough for you to grasp, then, brother.”

TVD:

rumor has it 'verse

“—starts going left, which was the exact opposite way the man had needed to turn. He always did have a knack for doing exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time. Bloody good at poker, though, honestly, I think he’d the devil’s own luck. Better than mine, for sure. Better than your’s too, eh? Maggie says I’d been cursed at birth, or that I must’ve played dominos in a mirror shop as a child—worst luck she’s ever seen, she says. Which is why she picks the lottery numbers and I get stuck driving down snow covered roads at three in the bloody morning searching for daft fuckers who can’t tell left from—”

“Do you ever shut up?”

Enzo shuts up. 

The voice had been raspy. Words slurred, as though the mouth that formed them was unused to it. There had been a pause between shut and up, as if the sentence was nearly too long to complete. 

Silence takes the cell for a single moment, before—

“No,” he says, unable to iron out all the amusement. First time his cellmate’s made a noise other than groans or snarls and it’s to tell him to shut up? Maggie’d laugh her ass off. Hell, she still might, when he sees her again and tells her. 

After he gets out of here. 

It’s been nearly a week already and he hasn’t seen so much a ray of sunlight for just as long. 

If he’s taken to trying to distract himself from the walls closing in, then, well. Until now, no one had made a complaint. 

Apathy is Wound to the Soul

Yes, Finn is covered in mud and pine straw and a more general kind of forest floor litter. 

No, they will not be taking questions. 

Especially not about them having lost a fight with a tree. 

“Have you two been burying each other again?” Rebekah asks, somehow flippant and genuinely curious all out once, overlaid with some annoyed patina of exasperation. 

Finn will be taking one question. Finn will be asking questions. “No?”

Why is this a conclusion she’s come to. Why is Kol smirking? Did she say again?

til morning comes

Handsome, one part notices, even as instinct whispers: a problem. 

His eyes are too sharp, even if he’s trying to appear casual, taking in them and the room in a way that she recognizes. How far from the door? From the window? Who in this room is an enemy? Who isn’t? Who will be able to be pushed one way or another with the right words?

Katherine says nothing to give away what she sees. Just arranges her face into surprise, muddling it with caution. If he’s a stranger, then it’s justified. Even if not, Stefan is tense beside her.  And she’d just been caught kissing Elena’s ex. Shock and dismay are appropriate reactions. She doesn’t know this man. But Elena might’ve. In this moment, she needs context clues, some kind of lead to follow. 

“Oh, good,” the man says, smiling closed-mouthed. British accent. “This is the right room.”

“Enzo?” Stefan says, sounding stunned. 

Enzo? Damon’s ex-cell mate Enzo? Finally able to put a face to the name in Elena’s diary, Katherine keeps the surprised expression on her face as she studies the ex-science project. 

“Do you know another?” Enzo asks him, seemingly interested. 

There’s a noise from down and hall. Nearly too quickly for Katherine to track in Elena’s pathetic baby-vampire body, Enzo’s head snaps to the side. Without looking back at them, he raises a finger and says, “Hold that thought,” before blurring out of the doorway. 

The door gapes open, frame now empty. 

She meets Stefan’s eyes for half a second, catalogs worry and shock and an unwelcome tinge of shame. 

Annoyance floods through her, even as she is sure to project nothing but a mirror of his emotions, just with a touch of defiance because it’s not her fault that Enzo has the worst timing known to man. 

And what an interruption. Stefan’s not going to kiss her anytime soon now, not with him here. Not when it’s likely Damon isn’t far behind. 

Ugh, and here she thought she’d managed to get rid of him. Guess the clinginess overcame the rejection. 

[whumpbug]

okay okay okay so I held back on this one because I asked alternate already BUT. can you put Gene and Cassidy in a sci-fi story. what would they wear what are their roles do you have scene snippets or dialog? sci-fi is my favorite thing ever and as always feel free to ignore if this isn't the vibe!!! i love you bug /p!!!!!

OHOHOHOHOHHOH SETH I LOVE U /P

i am all for a sci-fi vibe. even if star wars is TECHNICALLY a space opera, i love love love the space setting and i would be DELIGHTED to talk about it.

im gonna word vomit on the page first and them ill try my hand at a few drabbles in this au. strap in for ANOTHER very long post. THANK U AGAIN SETH I LOVE UR ASKS I TRULY CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THEM /GEN

okay so. since i'm only really well-versed in star wars sci-fi concepts, this is going to be a vaguely star wars inspired au but i'll try to phrase it in a way thats more applicable to sci-fi in General (its always so fun to translate their jobs and personalities into different settings)

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

we'll start with gene. idk why but i'm getting very much a bounty hunter vibe from him. like someone who maybe works for a larger organization or guild hunting down notorious criminals (i mention that he works for an Entity bc i think its sort of important that he doesnt choose his bounties himself. he gets them assigned)

i think he would still do it out of a sense of responsibility because he doesn't think bad people should just be running around like that, but also because. a man's gotta make a living. he's gotta pay the bills.

i can see him having his own little ship that he practically lives out of considering how much he travels, and i feel like he'd get very attached to his ship (much like calliope. sorry calliope you've become a spaceship in this au)

OMG AND ALSO A THOUGHT IS BEING BEAMED INTO MY HEAD.

he wears a mask. you can't see his face when he's out doing jobs. he conceals his face, partially because he doesn't want people to see when hes scared or smug or anything like that and partially for the Swag.

that brings me to his overall outfit. i believe in my heart of hearts that gene would wear something like this (i wish i could credit the artist but i couldnt find it)

except instead of an entire helmet, it would be more of just a black piece of cloth pulled loosely over his mouth and nose. and im also seeing him in a very wide brimmed hat that he can tilt down to Brood pls tell me you guys see the vision.

he'd have a little revolver-looking blaster and knowing him, it'd be set to stun. i don't think he really enjoys bringing people in cold, and does his best to avoid it when he can

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

OK now onto cassidy. my beautiful darling boy silver. my sweetiepie.

it was kind of difficult to translate his profession into this setting because. it involves more people other than him.

ultimately i decided that, similar to the modern au, he is a part of an underground business, kind of like a rebellion of sorts, that fight against the injustices of the galaxy robin-hood style. of course, montana is the leader (unfortunately) and cassidy is essentially his right hand man

i can see cassidy traveling planet to planet, dismantling corrupt governments, providing for the needy, and having an absolute blast doing it, but his methods are. very illegal. and there is a growing bounty on his head.

nearly every major government wants specifically him locked away for life because of the destruction he's caused, and of course they hire the very best bounty hunter around to track him down.

and of course cassidy is a slippery fellow

cue their little cat and mouse thing they've got going on. gene wants to catch him because if he does, he'd practically be set for life. cassidy runs away because, well. he has a job to do. he can't get caught, especially by the weirdly attractive masked dude that talks to his spaceship.

and lastly, here is what i think cassidy's fit would vaguely look like:

he loves ponchos he can't help it. they're too comfy.

he too would have a little revolver-blaster thing and of course, his knife and hat. one thing that it different is the stolen jewelry. i decided that instead of stealing jewelry from the awful people, he takes mechanical/droid parts for his little buddy that he keeps around named SC-071-1 (haha. ahaha get it. please tell me someone gets it.)

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

OK ONTO THE DRABBLES AND SNIPPETS! you get 3 because im feeling Generous /pos. here in the first little snippet for you. this is the two meeting in a bar and not wanting to make a scene (gene tracked him there) (i just wanted to write a silly tense scene)

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

Cassidy heard Gene before he saw him.

The man was always stomping around in a way no one could quite replicate. His footsteps were deliberate, cold, and unmistakable.

And they were right behind him.

The business end of a blaster was suddenly pressed into Cassidy's ribs and his mouth went dry.

"I'll have a Jet Juice. On the rocks."

Gene tossed the bartender a coin, to which he grumbled indignantly and began on the drink.

Cassidy risked a sideways glance at the bounty hunter. His expression was unreadable and hidden as always, and he didn't even turn to look at Cassidy. Instead, Gene leaned close and spoke lowly into his ear.

"Make a scene and you're dead. Try to run and you're dead. Turn on your comm and you're dead. Am I clear?"

Cassidy smirked, and mocked a salute. "Loud 'n clear, sir."

Gene gave a curt nod and turned to the bar. The bartender slid him his drink, which he downed in one go, and he was just about to order another when--

He sputtered when he felt something pressed into a certain.. important area. He blanched.

"Didn't say anything about fightin' fire with fire, did you, cowboy?" Cassidy grinned. The sight of the big bad bounty hunter squirming because his family jewels were threatened never got old.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

DRABBLE 2 HERE WE GO. this one is gene finding cassidy after a mission gone sour. cassidy was effectively abandoned by montana with the promise that he would come back for him.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

The whole mission was a bust from the beginning.

Cassidy should have known. He had a gut feeling-- that it was some sort of trap specifically designed for the organization. When he brought it up to Montana, he said that it was just Cassidy being paranoid. And, of course, he believed him. He always did

And now, there he was, beaten within an inch of his life and left to the elements by the government higher-ups.

They really didn't like people messing with their system.

Cassidy took a labored breath for what felt like the millionth time. Each time it was getting harder. His arms were pinned awkwardly above his head and to fill his lungs, he had to pull himself up. It quickly became exhausting.

The worst part was the cold. Montana had mentioned that this planet's average temperature was a little below what Cassidy was used to, but he didn't mention that the city they were infiltrating was located near the northern pole of the planet.

It was freezing.

Cassidy had long since stopped shivering.

He let his head loll forward. He wasn't sure he had the strength to wait for Montana anymore. He wasn't sure he had the strength for anything anymore. Even keeping his eyes open seemed a monumental task.

So, he let them fall shut.

••••

When he woke up, it was because he registered his center of gravity tilting on it's axis.

There was a body pressed against his. And it was warm.

If he had any remaining strength, he would have clung to his rescuer like there was no tomorrow. Instead, he settled for letting his head fall against the person's chest as he let out a pitiful whine.

A hand chafed up and down his shoulder. "Just relax. We'll get you warm. Don't you dare try to run off, Silver."

He wouldn't dream of it. Not when he could feel himself melting to putty in the arms of this stranger.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

LAST DRABBLE it's gene's turn. in this au he has spasthma (space asthma) and sometimes it hinders his job in Not good ways. and cassidy isn't heartless.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

Cassidy really wasn't thinking when he threw the smoke bomb. All he knew was that the damned bounty hunter was catching up and he needed to throw him off.

He did not expect him to fall to his knees with a guttural coughing fit.

It would have been so easy to leave him there to rot, to hop in his ship and escape without looking back.

But when did Cassidy ever take the easy way out?

"Shit," He hissed, darting back to where Gene was kneeled with a palm supporting him on the ground.

He was clutching at his chest, choked gasps leaving him intermittently. His eyes looked vaguely panicked.

"C-Can't--" He wheezed, getting cut off by another coughing fit. He looked as if he was about to topple over.

Cassidy caught him by the arm and dragged him away from the busy street. He propped him up against an wall tucked into an alleyway and began rummaging around in his bag.

One of the younger kids with the Montana's crew had the same condition with all the same symptoms Gene was having right now. The kid was pretty forgetful, and Cassidy always made sure he had an extra rebreather on him. Just in case.

Gene was going to owe him big time.

His fingers finally grazed what he was looking for and he yanked it out, fumbling to get it open. He shook the small canister and pressed it to Gene's lips.

"You have to puff. Just try, okay? Just a little." Cassidy grabbed Gene's hand and placed it on his chest, exaggerating his own breathing to show him what to strive for.

Gene hiccuped slightly before taking a flimsy inhale. He breathed out and tried at it again, and found it gradually got easier.

When he could finally take a deep breath, he collapsed against the wall, panting. His hand didn't leave Cassidy's chest.

"Thank-- thank you," He whispered.

Cassidy smiled.

"Does this mean I get a headstart now?"

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

SETH thank you SO VERY MUCH for this ask and this au. i think i may like it more than their original au GOD i love them so so so much FHDJKFH. thank u for the requests and as always PLS dont be afraif to send more if the mood striked you but no pressure ofc! /gen

hope you enjoy my rambling bc this post was LONGGGGG

[jotunvali02]

Playing Ace Attorney, Rise of the Ashes part 6 or "Stop hurting my baby, Taku!!"

"What good it is to dwell on the past?" "He's asking ME?"

At least Feenie is self-aware enough to recognize he's obsessed with the past!

Huh? Ever since Gmushoe became Detective, he wants to throw himself out of a window???

Queen Bitch Fee-Fee back in the competition!

Why are such a cunt with Gumshoe anyway? Yeah, he's not very smart, but you're not really better with your complete and annoying dumbness which is only compensated by teenage girls and ghosts, or with your scary total lack of empathy.

"That guy starts to get on my nerves!" Well, YOU're starting to get on mine, big bitch!!

Bitch, now you're HIDING important evidence?? And you're pissed at Gumshoe bc of his so-called dumbness while you're overly and clealry way more stupid than him today??

Wait wait!! Girl. You've been puking shit over shit about Lana for 2 years and now you say she's the most perfect and kindest angel?? WTF?? You're not only incompetent and stupid, you have a fucked up brain!!🧠🥴

Oh now, Fee-Fee's hiding another piece of evidence?? You're no better than Gant, bitch!

"What are you, my mom??" OMG, FUCK YOU Phoenix! 🤬 What are YOU?? A teenage bitch?? EMA is the one who's 16, not you!

Aaaand Gumshoe is fired.

"It seems Edgeworth was right about you."

gasp!

My baby said «Wright is beautiful» to his Chief too?? 😭💘

«Nothing incriminating her»?? Bitch, there were THOUSANDS of evidence against her!!

And you think you’re cleverer than Gumshoe?? You do worse than forgetting your ID card, you forget about your own evidence and you own trials!!

«Do not forget your place», his place is being YOUR fucking defense attorney!! Again, you’re not Chief Prosecutor anymore, you’re his fucking CLIENT!! WHY do you still talk as if it’s not the case??

"Miss Skye, why did you and Gant hurt my baby boyfriend?"

Demon Gant put a fucking corpse in my baby’s car??

*gasp* Baby! ^^

*accidental glomp*

«We don’t have time to talk!» But you will help me, my sweet, soft sugar baby, right???😍

Eeeeeee!!! 😍😍😍😍 My baby’s "Objection!" saves the day again!! I love you!!!

«Why aren't you a good boy and keep your mouth shut?» «Fuck off, Chief.»

OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH !!!!!

FUCK THE POLICE! FUCK AUTHORITY!! ANARCHIST EDGEY!!!

«Sorry, but I’m no longer the naive little boy you’d have me be.» *Camera on Wright. * Yes, why don’t YOU remember that fact, Fee-Fee ?????

Edgey’s direct superior: «Mr Edgeworth. I am exercising my right to self-representation!»

Edgey: «YOU FUCK OFF TOO!»

"FUCK AUTHORITY! FUCK CHIEFS! FUCK THE POLICE!! FUCK PROSECUTORS! FUCK THE LAW!! AND FUCK ME!!"

«No matter how tragic the truth may be, it’s an even greater tragedy to avoid’s one eyes from it.»

Oh my sweet, wise, too much hurt baby... 😭

«I’m not the bad guy!»   I know! And Fee-Fee knows too! And Ema knows too! 😭

Come here so I hug you and kiss your cheek in front the whole court to show that I know you’re just a sweet baby.

«Poor Ema, I’m glad she wasn’t hurt.»

Mmmmmmph!!! 😡😡😡

You’ve been knowing her for barely 3 DAYS and what she lived was way less monstrous than Edgey, aka someone you’ve been OBSESSING over and stalking for 15 years and someone who wants to quit the only job he’s ever known and loves because of all the pitless amount of traumatic bullshit and hate (including heavy self-hate) he’s been thrown at his face in barely 4 days, then 3 days, and it’s HER you...!!!

Or is she supposed to be a female teen proxy of Edgeworth (since she lived sth similar to what he lived)? So it's her we feel bad for? Personnally I don't need that to feel sad for my baby Edgey!

But it's because it's known adult men don't have feelings and certainly can't have traumas and can't feel fear or sadness! Or else they're just weak and girlies!

Uuuugh!! I love Japan but their heavy & MASSIVE sexism/misogyny/dudebro-ing pisses me off so MUCH!!

«The trauma of the situation understandably caused her to faint.» 😭😭😭I’m genuinely crying now. My baby...💔

«Do you really need to torture that girl any further??»

Baby bitch, it’s YOU who asked for her testimony in the first place!

But I think what he means here is «Did you really have to torture ME like this, Wright? Forcing me to relive my worst traumatic memories?» 😭😭😭

And they’re bickering like a couple now.

«Don’t you remember a litte sth called "falsified evidence"?» «I’m going to murder you, Wright...»

Ah, this isn’t the knife I was thinking about but ok.

Oh my fucking, fucking GOD!!! *hits her forehead 3 times*

HOW ARE YOU SO DUMB PHOENIX??? YOU CAN’T UNDERSTAND YOUR OWN OBJECTIONS AND EXPLANATIONS NOW???

AND GUMSHOE IS THE STUPID ONE??

REALLLYY???

Wait. WHY can’t we go back to when Ema said the victim was stabbed in the chest while the autopsy report says he was stabbed in the back?? That’s pretty important information, isn’t it?

«Miss Skye was almost killed before being a witness for a murder case. A little disorientation is natural.»

My baby. My BABYYYY!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭

«We can’t get dead pople to testify.» Are you SURE about that, Phoenix??

ARE YOU SURE???

You've really instantly forgotten about your OWN fucking trial of 2 months ago!

That explains why you almost don’t give a fuck about Edgey’s heavy distress and why it’s EMA who’s kind and compassionate with him while SHE has just met him and in all logic it should be YOU!

Or is being a man who genuinely cares about the suffering of another man already "TOO GAY"???

Motherfuckin' jeez!!!

«There is only thing we seek: the truth.»  Marry me, baby.💍

«Do you understand what you’ve done now, Worthy? Joe Darke was sentenced to death bc of this final murder. I believe you were the prosecutor back then.» *gaaaaaasp*

You appalling asshole, manipulative douchebag, bastard of my balls!!

SHUT UP!!! YOU SHUT UP ASSHOLE!!!

NO!!! 😭 My baby! My baby Edgey!! 😭😭😭

Yes Fee-Fee! Protect your husband!!

«How can he stand there as if it’s not his fault?!»

SHUT UP YOU BUNCH OF RABID MONKEYS!! What do you expect? What do you want? My baby bursting into tears and yelling?? SHUT UP!!! You have no idea how he’s feeling, how he’s been feeling for the past 3 days, the past two months and the past 15 years!!

Again where’s your fucking senses of memory and empathy, you brainless fucks??

If I was the Judge, I would sentence ALL of you fuckers to death and everyone who pushed my baby Edgey to his wish to kill himself to a fucking slow and painful DEATH!

«We’re not defenders of justice, we're keepers of the law.» Hmmmm....

«I’m sorry, Edgeworth..»

Sorry? "SORRY???"

HUG HIM you stupid bastard!!

«I’ve seen happier ppl at funerals.»

Shut. Up. SHUT!! UP!!!!!!! 😭😭😭

«This case has hurt too many people.» He said while staring at his upset, sweet husband.💕

"The inquiry committee will impose harsh penalties on you."

NO!!! NO!!!

Why won’t you leave my sweet baby ALONE??? 😭😭😭 😭😭😭 😭😭😭

TAKU,  WHAT’S YOUR GODDAMN PROBLEM, HURTING & WHUMPING THE SWEETEST BABY EVER ENDLESSLY LIKE THAT????

«Thank you, your Honor.» OMG he REALLY doesn’t give a shit anymore.

Feenie «Oh, my baby has found to way to carry on the trial!»💙

DON’T YOUR FUCKING TALK POWER OUTAGE IN AN ELEVATOR, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!

"Moving a body and hiding evidence are inexcusable." Ooooh, you mean what YOU have exactly done??

«Dick will receive his due punishment.» 😆 Why did you have to give him that name in the English version?

«To accuse the Police Chief of blackmail and murder?? That impossible!!»

Bitch, that’s what EVERY Chief of the Police in the world does!

«Wright, there’s no turning back for us now. Let’s marry!»

«The purpose of this trial is to determine the truth!»

Oh I’ll be your truth anytime, baby!

"OBJECTION!"

*pterodactylic screeeeech!!!* My baby is saving his husband again!! 😭

Gant...

Gumshoe... I’d LOVE to see you work with Phoenix! Not sure he would love that tho.

That bitch.

Baby Edgey... I just want to play with your soft hair all day long.🥰

«Everyone who knew Lana said she had changed. But perhaps it was an easier way for her.»

My baby! My baby!😭😭😭 LET ME HUG MY BABY DAMMIT!!!

«She must have shut herself up deep inside.» 😭😭😭😭😭😭

«Must be why she became so cold.» yeaaaah, but doesn’t it remind you of someone ELSE, Phoenix???

Like the person right IN FRONT OF YOU?????

«Blame society, pal!!»

On vit dans une saucisse!! 🌭🌭🌭 Anarchist Gumshoe, yeah bitch!!

Death sentence again?? For one murder and one forgery?? Is it so easily given in that world??

Or is it the ONLY sentence that exists??

Man, that world SUCKS!

[bisexual-horror-fan]

Um. Bex. I have a really fucking weird Freddy Krueger headcanon I would like to share.

He fucking loves the show Friends. Like, is batshit obsessed with it. Or at least would be. Like if y'all were dating, movie night would probably be just three episodes of Friends.

Idk what makes me feel this way, but thoughts? I wanted to share this bc you are like THE Freddy Krueger stan and I wanna hear if you have any similar random headcanons.

Also his favorite character is Joey.

Here is my thoughts about it.

---

Rating. Kinda NSFW. Freddy Krueger X Amber Cottrell. Legnth. 600ish Words. No Real Warnings Needed.

---

Somehow, After All This Time, You Still Manage To Surprise Me.

---

It was another usual Friday night, which meant that it’s a date night for Amber and Freddy. She awakes and arrives in a new piece of lingerie, strewn about the silky bedsheets on that sunken bed in the playroom, playful smile on her lips as she lounges and greets him. He returns the greeting, across from her, sitting at one of the comfortable stools at the bar, and while they talk, begin to catch up and flirt in that classic way of theirs, he slowly makes his way over to her. He takes his time, clearly in no hurry, and she revels in the build up, the tease of it, the game. Soon enough, she is sitting halfway up, and he is coming down those stairs into the bed, one, two, three and falling to his knees at her feet, he slowly climbs over her, his body covering hers and the conversation and jokes quiet, to be replaced with the sound of kissing, sighs of pleasure and hums that sound akin to one another’s names. 

The make out progresses, heats up, hands wander, and he is the one he asks it. He pulls back, lips trace over her jaw and down her neck as she arches up into him, “Amber?”

She lets out a questioning sounds, melodic and half distracted by his hand brushing over her inner thigh, “I’ve got something a little different I want to do tonight.” 

The grin overtakes her face as she flushes with pleasure and excitement, what disgusting depravity does he have in mind this time? She can not wait to see what is in store, she can feel her heart speeding up, propping herself up, looking at him, she asks, “What did you have in mind?” 

She is transported onto the couch so quickly it almost makes her head spin, she is sitting up, a throw blanket over her lap, the coffee table is covered in snacks, Freddy is beside her, uncorking a bottle of their favourite whisky, and then he is pouring it into two low glasses with ice already in them. Amber tries to get her barrings, wondering what the fuck is going on, the glass is thrust into one hand and Freddy is picking up a bowl of popcorn, putting it between them, his gloved hand has snatched up the TV remote, he presses a button, and she hears the music before the image registers. 

“So no one told you life was gonna be this wayyyyy-”

Amber’s head whips around, curls flying as she looks at Freddy who is looking at her excited and expectant, “So what do you think?”

She looks back at the television questioningly as she asks, haltingly, “You want to…Watch…FRIENDS?” 

“Yeah! I’ve never told you before, but it’s like, my favourite show ever-” Amber cuts him off asking, “Really?”

And then Amber is subjected to a lengthy explanation about characters (Joey is his favourite), which season is the best (he thinks season five gets a bad rap but has some solid eps), the pros and cons of bottle episodes, (he is very pro-), Amber does not get fucked that night, is very confused, and it takes almost three full episodes to get into it, but she does get into it, happy that Freddy is still so surprising after so long.

They get through half a season, finish the popcorn and a few glasses of whisky each. Amber is leaning against his shoulder, snorting in laughter over how intensely Freddy is ripping on Ross.

[tpher]

how do you make your oc screencap edits?? i also have a td oc and i dont really know where to start 😭

ok so!!! i use firealpaca which is just my usual drawing program. so i'll keep using it as a reference for my steps but of course im sure whatever similar program u use should have similar features

i'll be long winded for funsies as usual 💕

FINDING YOUR SCREENSHOTS

the key to decent td edits is to flat out trace screenshots whenever possible. stock pics will do, but of course itll be a lot more fun and less obvious if u use a screenshot from the show and put it into your new context

in terms of making your ocs, you will likely have to do what someone once called "frankensteining" your pics. this is where you use pics of other characters for their specific features and put them together since your oc doesnt have official screenshots to trace. this also absolutely comes in handy w canon characters! maybe you have a pose but u need them to be sitting. so try to stitch together two different pics to get what u need

it will look very scary but just trust the process. here is a random example i made using a dawn screenshot (where i removed the background), gwens eyes and eyebrows, and kittys hair

the sketching part is semi-optional. if you think you can freehand the lineart then go ahead but i assume your oc wont be a complete copy of something found in canon and therefore you will have to draw the newer/different features (such as the hair or the outfit) at least a little bit. and sometimes when i frankenstein the pics, my brain gets all overwhelmed so sketching makes me feel better jfbdjdnd

(in terms of my own oc, i screwed myself over bc his body type is so unique i gotta freehand it like all the time 😭

you can see i traced his head from his render (ALWAYS DO THIS BTW!!! TRACE CONSTANTLY), but then the body was freehanded using a canon pic as reference because tracing the pic wouldve been inaccurate)

THE LINEART

yes the iconic td thick, sharp, flat lineart. i achieve this by using a normal pen tool, turning off the pen pressure, and then turning up my pen stability to 40-60 (very high). you could use a curve tool if that works for you! but i would suggest against that for ALL of it bc the tool just wont respond well to rly drastic curves and such

the pen size varies on the pic. if the characters are close-up, itll likely be a bigger one. and then the characters' little details and facial features are usually a slightly but definitely noticeable smaller size. for the most part, ive had the bigger pen size at 13 while the details are around 9. or big size 10 and smaller size 7.

heres my technique:

as u can see, all of my lines go a bit too far. this is so that when im done drawing them, i can go back in and slowly erase where they meet and get them all sharp and pointy. this is just how i personally do it lmao. when it comes to facial features and other stuff that doesnt connect to anything, just get a close look at your reference to see how thick or how thin the edges get and do ur best to erase the edges to the point where they should be

THE COLORING

not much to it! the bucket tool is the best way to go. again just get a good look at your references just in case any parts have the lineart also colored in

THE BACKGROUND

you can find some generic td background pics on google or u could get them from the show and try to erase any character in the way lmao. if ur recreating something like, say, a dunc/ney scene w a different ship, then its very tedious but youll have to do your best to erase the canon characters and piece the background back together.

i like using the smudge tool a lot for this!!! just kinda pulling whats already there towards the characters. to save time, put your drawing visible on a top layer as you do this so that you dont have to edit the ENTIRE background, just what you need

THE RENDERING

ok so heres a big one imo. after youre done, youre gonna have to fuck up the quality at least a little. well not that u HAVE to but like..... to match the standard quality of a td screenshot? ive never seen a td screenshot in perfect hd quality outside of stock art. so u could blur ur drawing just a little bit. maybe add in the teeniest bit of chromatic aberration (just set it to 1 or -1). not ALL of them together but u do whatever u gotta do

my personal favorite is blurring just a little and then saving it as a jpeg (around 65-80%) so that its pretty crunchy and looks all the more real

obviously not a NECESSARY step but just something to point out. especially if ur background isnt the best quality so the characters have to match it

this one from yesterday i didnt even redraw topher bc i was lazy and he looks fine enough. i just put danny onto the pic to cover the other character. so i blurred danny a little bit and then saved it in a pretty low quality so that they match one another. look at those pixels. that crunch.

SO THE TLDR IS just trace and copy your references as close as possible. if you cant find a reference for your character, try finding another character w something close enough

[quirkle2]

art ask #20? :]

20. What motivates/inspires you artistically? (topics, emotions, etc)

i'd say the biggest source of inspo for me is other people's art, in all forms. other digital art, traditional art, patterns painted on pottery, quilts, the colors used in an ivan aivazovsky painting. i have a huge folder of screenshots from games i've played where the lighting is simply stunning and i wanna do smth similar in a piece one day (botw/totk, and stray are two rly big contenders in that folder)

outside of images i see on a screen, stuff i see irl is a huge contender as well. if i see a cool outfit in public i'll probably wanna put my Little Guy Of The Day in it, maybe change a few colors so it fits them better. sometimes the clouds look just right and i snap a photo so i can color pick from them later (i have yet to actually do the color picking part . i should tho). i download pics of birds bc their colors r very nice and i'd like to use the palette in a piece. sometimes my own ceiling reflects my fairy lights in a cool way and i snap Another photo to study the reflections. hell, i even take my art into account when im buying clothes; taking my own ref photos is a lot simpler than trying to find an exact ref of the pose online, so if i see a big oversized jacket that doesn't fit me in the least but i think the folds look nice i'll buy it if i like it enough. i referenced my own oversized jacket for this zau ritsu post—and i had suuuuch a blast doin it (and every time i do it, i learn more abt clothing folds and i get better and better at them!) im simply obsessed w the wonders of the world bro

[azsazz]

MM Feedback Shared

(for those who wanted me to share the MM feedback, here we are!)

Thank you to everyone who shared feedback with me, really great stuff in here that I've taken notes and and will work to incorporate in the future edits of MM! 💙💙

Anon Feedback 1: MM feedback here☺️ it feel rude to me to like give you feedback because who am I but i sending one in because I love you and want to read a book from you😍 My absolute favourite scenes are the ones in the gallery, it’s so fucking beautiful and a perfect turning point in the story. Another thing that I think someone already mentioned, I think there needs to be like more scene of Azriel with case and Rhys so it can like build his character more and we can connect to him even more than we did! Love you!! Thank you for giving us place for giving you feedback and not like getting mad about it ❤️

Not rude at all! Especially because I asked for feedback! YES, LOVE LOVE LOVE the gallery scene, will def be keeping that around for the book and maybe brushing it up a little. I agree, more friendship things with Rhys and Cass, got it! Thank you for the feedback!! 💙

Anon Feedback 2: Following Midnight Muse feedback First of all I just wanted to say that I loved the series with my whole heart, I probably read every chapter less than five minutes after it’s release and ATE it up every single time. The only thing that felt somewhat off to me was the pacing, especially toward the end of the series. You did such a good job of making them dislike each other that it felt like they got together a bit too quickly and worked out all their issues a little too perfectly. I feel like for the final product I would have reader and Az apologize to each other a little earlier on the grounds of doing better for their friends. Maybe even have someone from the friend group make a bigger deal of the strain this war, about what in the grand scheme of things is not a big deal, is doing to their friendship as a whole. Similar to what Rhys did with Az. After that I would have things like the ride home scene little moments of them trying their best to find a common ground. Have them, begrudgingly, realize that they actually do kind of enjoy each other’s presence. After a tentative peace is managed THEN have them go to the gallery etc etc. You could even put in some healthy arguments, two people who were constantly at each others throats for months won’t suddenly agree on everything immediately just because they like each other, if you would like i personally would’ve liked to have seen them argue and then be like “we need to step away and rehash this calmer”. Also this is a side note, I would’ve liked to have seen Az actually give reader the tattoo. I liked the choice to have it at the end but personally I was waiting for it all series and was a bit sad we didn’t get to read about it but maybe that was just me. Ik once it’s a book you’ll have more time to further flesh out things, and I truly did LOVE reading along. You’re a fantastic writer and I hope this doesn’t come across as overly critical bc that is not my intent. Looking forward to what this project will become ❤️

Good call, I will def work on the pacing. I think I felt a bit rushed and also I was like like how do I write them together when all I know is to write them disliking each other 😅 that was definitely tough for me so i will work on that! Everything you said is such great feedback, thank you so so much for sending me your thoughts! I'm excited to work on it some more and hopefully put out a great piece of work!

Anon Feedback 3: I think if you're looking to publish MM, it needs more of a plot - and I don't mean that in a bad way. I just feel like there weren't really any stakes besides the main characters getting together. You had interesting ideas, like introducing the father as a potential problem, but that didn't really go anywhrre. You could really dig into your MMC overcoming his trauma, however that looks in a published version, and the FMC overcoming her insecurity - which was kind of hinted at but never explored and when it was resolved, I felt like it didn't really...matter much. Like it wasn't relevant as much to the plot? I would encourage you to explore more, dig deeper, figure out a problem or two for them to overcome. As fanfic, I really liked it, for whatever that's worth.

I totally agree with you. I mentioned her imposter syndrome but it was definitely something backseat to their relationship. Will def be fixing that and brining in their family dynamics as well. Thanks!

Anon Feedback 4: ahh it’s my first time sending one of these i’m nervous😬😬(response to this) but OH MY GOD i ADOREDDD midnight muse, i very rarely read series when i read on here but i honestly used to refresh your blog nearly every day looking forward to new chapters your writing is honestly amazing, if you go ahead with this and release it as a book im going to end up with about 10 copies honestly😭😭🤍– it’s very very hard to think of criticisms of this series because of how much i honestly adored it, but if it had to have any id ask for maybe more detail regarding azriel’s family and what exactly happened with his dad buying the apartments, and everyone’s reactions to that. i honestly think you should ofc do what you love with it, judging by the fact you’re making it into a book and also as a reader, i feel like you can really tell that it was something you enjoyed to write and i feel like that made it even more special to read ??? id love to see that come through in the book so please don’t make any changes that you’re not going to enjoy writing🤍🤍and also the whole few parts where he takes her to the art gallery and she sees all of his drawings was just so unbelievably perfect i’d love it if you could keep that the same – overall it was an AMAZING read, if midnight muse has one fan it is me if it has none i am dead, if you turn this into a book i just know it would be so special i hope this was helpful and thank you for being an amazing author !!!🤍🤍🤍

First of all, thank you so so much for the support! It was so much fun and I was with the rest of you, anticipating the next part as if I wasn't the one writing it lol. Yeah, I thought of his dad being a more of a problem later on and it definitely shows, so I will be working on that more during the rewrite process. very excited to explore their personal lives more! This was very helpful, thank you so much for sending me feedback!! 💙

Anon Feedback 5: Hi! I loved Midnight Muse and started reading it when you first posted so my feedback might actually not be amazing for the earlier chapters but I defo agree with the father/az comment on your post and I'm sure your plan is to expand on Cassian/Lucien's personal issues but that would be welcomed as well I think!! Also - and this is a very personal note, but maybe you could make the Az/Reader storyline extend a bit (maybe utilising the father storyline to make it go up and down again) I always love reading about characters' romances after they get together properly as I'm a sucker for an established relationship fic (which is why I like to read fan fictions when books end too soon for my liking😂) Regardless - even if you made zero changes the book would be amazing because I genuinely really loved it!

For sure for az's family relationships, those will be flsuhed out and explored more. For cass and luc I was trying to allude/create anticipation for their own stories because in my ideal world it would be a four book series haha ("az," "rhys," "cass," and then "luc"), but i can definitely work on those more, give them better structure and not keep everything super secret for them! Ugh, i know, i could've written so much more for them too, so obsessed with this. thank you for the feedback, i really appreciate it!

Anon Feedback 6: With the midnight muse feedback personally I found their relationship a bit faked if that makes sense? I feel like he just asked her out and then suddenly it was like they knew eachother forever. Almost like you were rushing their relationship? At points I was like mate you don’t know eachother but other than that it was pretty good and I loved it!

Yeah, this is for sure good feedback to have. their relationship really did do a 180 in the span of a chapter, so i will work on them gradually finding middle ground and then having their feelings come across more natural! Thank you!!

Thank you so much to everyone who sent feedback!! I really appreciate you all so much!! 💙💙

[celestie0]

ellie my love,

it is time i shower you in praise because god damn you DESERVE IT ALL 🥺

you deserve ✨ ALL ✨ the love and praise you get and you ✨ARE ✨an incredible writer.

god, i admire you so much, and it’s such a shame there are people out there that are making you feel less than you’re worth. it pisses me tf off, like seriously let me at em. 😤

people can be really inconsiderate unfortunately…it’s really not easy to write such a fleshed out story and yet you manage to do it with grace.

the amount of care and love you put into your stories is so fucking evident in the way you write, i can absolutely FEEL the love and the passion radiating from your stories as i read them.

i really hope these asshats don’t make you lose that passion 🥺 you literally have a gift, and they are ignorant to how hard it is to write.

the characters feel so real, the tension is built up beautifully, the dialogue is so organic and entertaining as hell. girl i literally fucking LIVE for the banter you write, i eat that shit up 🤭 i would read paragraphs of just that, i dun even need no smut that’s just a plus for me 🤷‍♀️ a little cherry on top.

i can imagine how much ihm means to you, considering that you’re a med student yourself. that itself makes the story even more incredible in my eyes because you are sharing a beautiful piece of your own life experiences and perspective with us.

just want to say…thank you for blessing us with your writing. i will always love and respect the work you do 🫶🏻🥺 im here for the long haul girl, always in your corner cheering you on.

much love 🫶🏻

- aly 💗

hi aly oh this is such a sweet message and i appreciate you so much for your kind words 😭 i can’t even really explain what it means to me, just know i feel like a PHYSICAL warmth in my chest upon reading this hahah

i’m so happy u can feel the love and passion from my stories :’’) i just was feeling so down yesterday bc of the anon ask (and i got another similar one too which i initially deleted n then when i got the second one i was like 😃 ok it’s on sight…no more mr nice guy LMFAOAOO) but yea like i just really felt like oh my efforts must be goin nowhere if ppl still want smut so bad 💀 so to hear your praise like this i really don’t know what i did to deserve but i’m so grateful for it 😭…i know how passion can be such a fickle thing, and i definitely don’t want to lose it to ppl that don’t deserve the time of day. but i feel so replenished w passion after reading this!!

HAHAHA i’m so happy u enjoy the banter pls i have like a gigantic doc of JUST banter written for ihm 😂 they rlly be quarreling like toddlers. and yes :’’) i wasn’t a nurse but i did work the night shift as an emergency department scribe while i was in college and also worked at an oncology clinic, and like even though reader being a nurse n her mother being sick are technically “side plots” to the romance, i still feel so therapeutic in getting to channel some of my opinions of healthcare and my experiences w it as well, esp as a future physician

thank u, omg, i just feel really wonderful to know that i have you as a reader! it’s such an honor, seriously

sm love -ellie!!

[seelestia]

OMG THE NEW NAVIA THEME IS SO CUTE??? i think it's safe to say that you definitely cooked, lia hehe >:3 /lh /gen

anyways! that's pretty much what it is when it comes to college and frankly? i just wanna get it over with like literally the only highlight to it is seeing my friends and spending time with my boyfriend 😭 but!! a social science major sounds cool! i'd say you have some pretty good goals set in mind and you can always take up a minor if you want to pursue the others :> (i did consider having music as a minor) and sure! the courses depend on what you pick really and the college/professor, online is just about the same as in-person if you have a lot of reading on a pc to do tbh. english classes are well. kind of like the ones in high school but college-leveled. just make sure you give yourself enough time to do assignments bc they can be painful :"D

HELP LMAO??? okay that's true though, the fontaine quest definitely made a splash and we really had to dip our toes in the water with it huh? anyway thats kind of the thing, the only similarity between bedo and lyney is that they actively flirt with me in their own way, and its funny bc i usually try to find someone whose personality complements mine bc im generally the quieter one compared to both (ah yes a reality tv show for me HJEKAHD) also yea! i think both of them really do have traits that make them stand out and frankly i wish they got more screentime (also i have yet to watch the 4.6 trailer ehehe)

same here to you!! i'm always happy to rattle off of your hcs and i enjoy talking about our selfships as well hehe (*^ω^*) and i love it when bedo calls me his "sweet violet",,like the way he says it is just so endearing? like the pitch of his voice always becomes softer and more affectionate jsjdksndj (yk its funny, my boyfriend does the same thing with me bc his nicknames are unique to me as well)

also i'm throwing another ramble at ya: imagine wanderer or ayato surprising you with breakfast in bed HEHEHEHE

awh thats oki! like i said, i'm always happy to indulge your selfships since i enjoy hearing about them :> /gen. honestly i wouldn't be surprised if wanderer did knock you softly on the head for thinking the flowers were from yato ajjdkshd (nah just put the hairpin in before he gets a chance /hj /lh) also i forgot to tell u im a sucker for floriography so i methinks wanderer could give you camellias which represent everlasting love. the hairpin ayato gives you is unique in design and had it specially made for you alone :3

and i quote from my irl friend: "bouncing off the walls gf x completely stoic unmoving statue bf" HDJAKDHSJ NOT ONLY THAT SHE COMPARED HIM TO A PIECE OF FURNITURE BC OF HOW STIFF HE IS IN PICTURES (but hey i give him credit for a cute smile <3) and he is very much a pretty boy even though he tries to deny it until i accept that he calls me pretty too BUT YEA QUITE LITERALLY OPPOSITES ATTRACT anyway pretty much, not all relationships are like yk. sunshine and rainbows so thats why i feel very grateful to have a healthy one. if anything, we're just both trying to do our best to make one another happy but thankies hehe (also nw! i dont think u sound like a grandma, i just like hearing u ramble ehhehe)

also im not rlly sure why ppl think 20 is old either like dang, sure my back hurts on occasion but i'm not a fossil 😭

AHHH THANK U, VI!! so it seems you agree that i... baked? :3c /lh HAHAHA navia is so sweet and silly. i just have to make her my theme! (++ as a homage to her for carrying me in spiral abyss 🫣) since i do put in effort whenever i do theme changes, it makes me happy to know others like it <3

i'll have you know that i'm a true enabler of dad jokes & puns. throw 'em at me! which reminds me: how does albedo react to your jokes? for me, ayato just thinks it's funny that i find them funny (he pats me on the head afterwards - A+ for effort). wanderer is just the epitome of unimpressed and sometimes, he'd even pull on my cheek a little if the joke is extremely unfunny LOLLL. the only one who'd ever indulge me is mr. shikanoin heizou ( ｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡) oh, woe is me!!! /lh

i see! ty for the perspective, vi <3 i'm gonna find it nostalgic to look back on this convo after i went to college. tho assignments really are a staple of uni life, huh? one of the times i thank highschool for instilling the habit of “work first, play later” in me. i imagine it's gonna be more painful however so i'll need to juggle rest & work 😭 hope you're holding up with yours!! <3

THAT'S CUTE!! i find it so funny that albedo himself is the paradigm for introverts but when it comes to flirting with people he finds intriguing, he's not here to play LMAO. how does he act 〜suave〜 so naturally?? smh i need those skills too /hj. lyney on the other hand... he takes it as an achievement if he manages to fluster you! the sleight of the hand is his bread & butter but he's good with his words just as well, no? voila! ✧ i am biting my fist UWAGHH. i am head over heels for the 'speaks to you / says your name in a softer voice' thingy but to witness it first-hand??? i'm so happy for you 🤭

WWHWHWHWH. ayato usually has the maids prepare our meals so he probably tells them to make it extra special. unfortunately, i'm more of a night owl than an early riser so by the time he brings the tray onto the bed, i'm just looking at him all groggy LOL. he thinks it's cute, taps my cheek and teasingly asks if this is all a ruse to get him to spoon feed me.... this man /aff. wanderer tho is a good cook so he does not play around with food or breakfast! but it's gonna take lots of coaxing to have breakfast in bed since “if it spills on the mattress, i'll demote you to the floor for a day.” i tell him about the existence of trays but he's still adamant. no fun 💔 /j

CAMELLIAS?! those happen to be one of my fav flowers!!! and the meaning too... i'm ahhdjwjejw /pos. he would tho!! wanderer canonically like wandering off in nature (oh, dearest sumeru), i think he picks flowers to bring back home. but sometimes, he'd rather observe them from afar: they're fleeting, after all. so he might as well leave them be to bloom to their fullest. yk.... i should buy some seeds these days and make a garden of our own. maybe it could be a surprise for him oooooo mhm mhm!! wbu?? does albedo or lyney indulge in making you breakfast in bed too hehe :3c (for lyney, i'm willing to bet lynette sponsored that breakfast /j)

NOT THE FURNITURE POSE HAHAA 😭

“smile!”

vi: 🌸🌷🎀🩷

bf: 🚪🚪🚪

/j but we appreciate the effort!!! i'm also not vv photogenic myself so i can relate badly with the furniture pose LMAO 😔 i prefer taking pictures of others instead! ayato is really photogenic. this is what happens when you deal with paparazzi /j & wanderer can be photogenic too but only in candid. he does not like staring at the camera. what a grumpy cat /aff +++ i saw the picrew you sent me! VI IT'S SO ADORBS AHHHH feel free to share more picrews of you & your f/o's anytime! i love love love them ☆૮꒰ˊᗜˋ* ꒱ა /gen !!!!

[andthebubbles]

okay at least this ep doesn't have anthony in it so hopefully i'm not taking like 3h to watch it

3x08

mmm delicious. i love a desperate, alone cressida making bad decisions. what if there's an AU where she's a serial killer? WHAT IF SHE HAD TO RUN AWAY IN S1 AND SHE MET ANTHONY WHO HAD ALSO RUN AWAY BECAUSE MAYBE HE KILLED (OR THOUGHT HE KILLED) SIMON

LMAO I FELT THIS SO HARD

SKFJGNFDKGNJKG

what the fuck?

ehe this is somewhat similar to the speech anthony gave to daphne in 1x04 "it is more than just your honour at stake, it is your sisters' too; the entire family name. it has been decided" (eeee i went and double checked it and i only missed a lil bit; also anthony is so pretty there halp)

HAHAHAA

why the FUCK is colin making this all about himself? no one replied to him while he was travelling? wellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll didn't he choose to travel?

shut up colin, you have no idea what cressida is going through

SAME, GIRL

cress why don't you just explain your situation and ask for money....... or maybe she wouldn't do that haha... aahfdkjgdkjg fuck

colin. shut the FUCK up

cress kinda needs an advisor in this lol i feel like she's showing her hand too much. but then, she's like, idk, 20?

uh, isn't colin also without a title?

CUNT

heyyy they playing the duel music :3

so... does eloise not remember that cressida's father is a bitch..... ohhh well i guess she doesn't know the details about sending cress off to wales..................

why did it sound like the drink's already hit violet skjfngfkgjgk

CACKLE

but violet was like. a kid then. lmfao

JKDNGKFGJ AND THE BIT AFTER SKJFGKG dying

heh benedict's having a good time

that bit of colin sitting up on the settee is the best he's looked all season (25:15:ish)

why did this man wink at portia

SKDFJNKFGJN why is this so funny

ohhh to be an actor like polly walker.....

🥺

i love this convo actually

oh yeah you two are REALLY alike, i've been calling this since like s1

A Thousand Cuts has a really good anthony and penelope chapter. and ... was it also that fic that had a really good anthony and fran chapter, or is that another fic...? "but franny, it is so far." maybe it was.

yeah it's really OOC that anthony skipped fran's wedding. hmm. but like, i get actor schedules get in the way... idk.

violet's speech to fran is....................................... is it not a bit out of nowhere? or is she just being like this bc she's in the honeymoon stage with marcus lmao

HAHAHAHAHAA JFC THE PRIEST FUCKING KNOWS HALP

so... is fran's look after the kiss like... ....... oh whatever

ehehe (also the moment before with b&e but that's already been giffed so i've already seen it)

benedict~

lmao

hey, the piece fran and violet are playing on the piano, isn't that mozart, one of the sonatas, 2nd mvt, but it's a little bit off, and ALSO in the wrong key... aah ... it's in F major... and in the show it's in E major........... anyway i'm not sure if it is that piece because the notes are off a bit. maybe they did that deliberately. idk

now to try find which sonata it is lmao, classical music is so hard to google

oh okay. k330. in the end i just googled the numbers i had played before lmfao. but yeah, in the show it's not exactly that. if anything it feels inspired by that.

it could be another piece entirely though, just that it has similarities to k330 2nd mvt. anyway

MAYBE THAT HE DOESN'T FEEL GOOD ENOUGH. HMMM SEEMS TO RUN IN THE FAMILY

IS THIS WHERE HE RUNS AWAY

yeah he but-ed XD

HE WANTS TO MEET MORE MEN

what if they genderswap sophie skjfng????

awww

haha skjfngkjdfng he went straight from the bed to the swings!

awww this season really made me like portia

lmfao finch's sneeze

okay so i guess pen prepared that speech lmao and forewarned some people. interesting lighting they put on her btw. and yeah i do think she got off a bit lightly, but honestly if they were to do it ... probably closer to honestly, it might've been quite harsh. but who knows. anyway

gosh i love portia

:3

awwww

awwww colin finally got off his high horse. yay. your wife is awesome. you should be pleased, nitwit :3

lmaoooo eloise inviting herself to scotland KSJDNKJFGNK

SKJFNGKJGN

okay, can benedict, eloise and francesca all be queer

i want them to genderswap sophie!!!! but i guess they won't. i guess.

eloise and michaela are holding hands!!

okay so it was only towards the end of ep 8 when it finally felt like bridgerton again. minus the costumes. the first half of ep 8 felt like... wildly off the pace.

imo they didn't need to do cressida THAT dirty.

anyway i'll save this stuff for a ep 5-8 round-up post

[sunsafewriting]

Hey :). I was hoping that maybe you would have some nuggets of wisdom regarding story pacing and plot. Everything you published on ao3 is so well paced and worded in such a way that the reader can vividly picture every scene. Sooo.. question: how do you plan out the plot of a story? And when you don't necessarily have a plot, how do you make sure that the scenes you want to write are well-connected/paced within the bigger narrative?

Anyways, I hope you have a great day. And answer or not, I will keep enjoying your work just the same.

hey mate! thanks for thinking of me but you have actually come to a terrible place for pacing advice bc that is definitely the part of writing that i struggle with most lol . but i shall tell you how I cope and hopefully some of that helps you (?)

basically I cannot plan to save my life. fic or original writing --- if I set out to outline, I come up with bad ideas and stress myself out of even starting. all the stories I plan are MUCH worse than the ones I don't. for some writers planning works great and if that's you that's awesome!!! but I am doomed to walk another path

what I do instead of planning a story is think about what I (me, personally, bc I write fic from a place of indulgence) WANT out of it. like, what's the stuff I wanna see? to me, the essential aspect of pacing is making that stuff feel important and worth it and earned. it has to have emotional weight or it won't be what I'm after .

that's also how I try to make scenes are connected; they're all focused around a general Vibe or Feeling I want to construct.

for example, in Do A Flip, what I wanted was all of them getting to become a family. and so I worked backwards from that --- what are the steps within steps within steps that lead them there? what little aspects can we put together to create that kind of image?

for pacing it's also handy sometimes to ask what the best bit about NOT being where you're aiming for yet is. like, what is worth lingering on and enjoying that isn't the end goal? what fun thing can you only have at THIS moment of the story, rather than later? it makes each part more fun to write .

I started with a much shorter version of the fic (14k) where I wrote a shoddy draft of the whole thing from Diego's pov, and then I went back and added a ton more pieces.

that's also something I use to help myself out (and because personally I love to write this way) --- I write in pieces.

this improves my pacing, because then I'm not having to constantly consider the whole structure. instead, I'm thinking about what the point of an individual fragment is --- what am I showing in this scene, and what does it mean? often it's just something small (like I want to show that Beatrice is comfortable with Ava holding her hand, or that Lilith tries to be friendly to Diego) but I function much better with a hundred bite sized pieces than a massive whole.

in these piece-style stories, I rely on the reader drawing connections between different parts and inferring rather than a smooth flow. it's just something I enjoy as a narrative form --- I like gaps and spaces where you figure bits out yourself.

I also rearrange a ton. scenes get cut and pasted to be in a new spot all the time bc I realise as I go that they could be tweaked and fit better somewhere else. when I'm writing, I also often just leave a break and write SCENE, and then jump on to the next one --- like I don't know how I'm going to fill it in yet, but I know I need something to separate out two more similar bits, or a different POV, or to slow down before X Event happens. half the time I have no idea where a chapter is going until the first version is almost done.

the other thing about pacing for me is that devastatingly I rely heavily on rewriting, editing, and cutting beloved scenes that don't super gel. chapters take SO long to come out bc I rewrite them 2-4 times. a lot of better (and less highly strung) writers don't need to do that much so please don't feel like it's necessary but it's definitely necessary for me bc without it my work would be a total shambles lmao. I also find the promise of rewriting means I'm less likely to freeze up or stare at a blank page because I will go back and improve/tidy up later.

I also think paying attention when you feel pretty meh about something is helpful for pacing. for example, I wrote a 6k version of chapter 3 of Favourable Conditions where a lot more happened, but I didn't like it. I got my girlfriend to read it and she said "the whole first part feels like you're racing to get to the second part, and then it all settles down". and she was totally right --- I had a scene I was excited to get to so I gunned it, but the overall feeling of the chapter suffered as a result. I split the chapter in half and then rewrote the whole first half as a chapter in its own right, and decided to focus on what fun stuff I could do there, rather than just skipping through to get to the rest. I ended up adding scenes that were the ones people in the comments liked most. I also ultimately decided to change the next few plot beats afterwards, based on how that went.

I would also say that generally speaking, not a lot happens in my stories. like, I go for smaller stakes and smaller actions that slowly add up --- mostly bc I'm writing very chilled out stuff. but if you're trying to build a character to the point of doing something drastic, it's a different ballgame to escalating them to some minor change. both are super doable, you've just got to keep in mind what you're aiming for. I like minor stakes because I enjoy trying to make small things like washing dishes or going to the park matter. it's also just the vibe of where I'm at right now --- previously I've written things that were a LOT more dramatic.

if you're really struggling, I would also suggest starting with writing something short. your blog is blank so I couldn't tell what kind of writing you might be interested in, but it's much easier to tweak and change and judge these things if you're working in a smaller area --- like a 2-4k oneshot --- than if you sit down to write 80k. I literally never sit down to write 80k of fic I just accidentally end up doing it lmao.

I hope some of that is vaguely useful? I don't have a lot of wisdom to dispense bc as you can see most of my process is crutches for getting around having no natural sense of pacing. if you have any more specific questions about pacing a particular scene or idea I might be able to help more?

but good luck! 💛