#but also I went so many different directions with this one

[untitlednerd]

Why is he so cold?

Fred Weasley x female reader

Summary - The battle of Hogwarts ended like none of you thought it would, with a greater loss than you could have ever imagined.

Warnings - Sadness, and my very crappy writing. I also didn't check for spelling errors.

Wow, the last post was in 2023. Writer's block is crazy. ANYWAY, please give tips and respectful criticism only. Other than that, enjoy!

_________________________________________

You honestly thought that you'd gone through all of the pain that someone could go through in their life.

Well, in your time at school, that is.

You survived a troll entering Hogwarts castle in your third year, courtesy of Percy directing you back to the common room.

You survived the chamber of secrets being opened in your fourth year, and many muggleborns being petrified. Along with Ginny, a girl who was like a little sister to you, going missing.

You survived dementors being sent to Hogwarts grounds in your fifth year when a supposed mass murderer escaped from Azkaban.

You survived the school-wide grieving loss of Cedric Diggory in your sixth year, along with attending the difference events for the Triwizard Tournament.

You survived an insufferable DADA teacher in your seventh, and final year at Hogwarts, who looked like the textbook definition of a pink toad.

And once you graduated from Hogwarts after Fred and George made their early, and rather glamorous, departure, you went on to being hired for the career you dreamed of ending up in during your time in Hogwarts. In your free time, when not spending time on your favorite hobbies, you loved to help Fred and George out with their shop.

Life had been good. So good. You and your friends had been through a lot together, and yet you persevered together. Shouldn't that be all their is to it? Shouldn't the chaos end there? There should be nothing more than marriage in the future, maybe kids if you and Fred decide you want them. You'd attend the wedding of whoever George decided to marry, as well as Lee and your other friends and family. You'd meet up with your friends from Hogwarts often, as well as colleagues from work, and You'd never be separated from those you love.

At least that's what you thought as you stared down at your boyfriend's body, fiddling with the promise ring around your ring finger.

You remembered the moment Fred had given it to you. It was around the time you graduated Hogwarts, and when you were hired for your new job.

He knew that proposing would be a bit too soon. He and George had just begun to grow their business, and he knew how hard you had worked to get into the career of your choice, and he'd never try to get between you and that. So, you both agreed to getting each other promise rings. A promise that you'd be there for each other. Grow together. Love each other, and support each other. A promise that you'd both help the other become the people you were meant to be for when marriage finally felt right for the both of you.

Now the ring was a reminder of what you'd never have.

You'd never marry the love of your life. The boy who was nice to you along with his brother during your first year at Hogwarts, when you were still trying to find good people to be friends with. The boy who wiped your tears and made you laugh whenever another student was mean, or a teacher made you sad. The boy who, over time, began to show just how infatuated with you he really was. The boy who eventually got the courage to ask you to the Yule Ball, and then ask you out during the summer after that school year ended, before your seventh year was to begin. To him, Cedric's death was a reminder that we should live every day as if it was our last, and to him, he wanted his last day on earth to be a day filled with fun, laughter, and love. And most of all, he wanted to be with the people he loved. You included.

None of it made sense. Was he really dead? No, he had to be just sleeping. Or playing one of his pranks that he loved so much. Sure, playing dead took things a bit far, but he always did commit to the pranks that he pulled. Right?

You were frozen in place, not knowing if you were numb, or about to fall to the ground in tears. When did you stop screaming? It was obvious you were in shock, but the moment felt so real and yet so fake at the same time. The only detail that you could process in that moment being the color of your boyfriend's hair, and a few drops of a liquid of the same color residing on a stone nearby.

A voice. A distant one. Or maybe multiple distant ones? You couldn't figure it out, but it sounded like maybe your name?

A tug. Or maybe a push. All you know is the world began to shift until you were facing. . . Fred? No, George. Merlin. They looked so similar. You never realized how painfully so until only one of them was alive.

George said your name again, and your eyes focused enough to see the visible tears filling his eyes, although he did his best to keep them from falling.

"We have to move him," he spoke softly, as he tried to stop another round of tears from falling himself, explaining that Voldemort had told them all to dispose of their dead after commanding for his death eaters to retreat for the time being.

"Move him." You repeated slowly, the words and the way they formed sounding confusing coming out of your mouth.

George only nodded, gently brushing some of the dirt on your face away from a cut that you had received on your forehead. "Yes, move him. We can take him to the Great Hall where the others are being brought, and then I promise that we won't have to leave his side for awhile. We can spend time with him, and. . . say goodbye." Through the fog in your mind, you could hear him trying to not choke up on the last word he said.

"Okay." It took you a moment to form the word, and without realizing it, you were helping one of your best friends carry the love of your life into the Great Hall, were many other bodies were already scattered.

It wasn't until after you and George gently set Fred's body down that it finally hit you. Not until after you stood up, and slowly looked around, the sight and sound of grieving families, friends, and partners seeping into your mind and grasping onto your heartstrings until it felt like it was squeezing the life out of you.

Your eyes finally found their way back to Fred, every piece of the mental puzzle you had been trying to solve settling into the picture of the truth that lied on the ground before you.

Fred Weasley was dead.

You heard a noise of pure pain and anguish before feeling what seemed like raindrops falling from your eyes down to your cheeks. Were you crying? Definitely crying, as no one else around you was wet, and you were inside the Great Hall with everyone else.

It wasn't until you saw how people were looking at you that you realized the noise of pain had actually came from you.

The ground started to appear like it was coming closer until you felt loving arms wrap around you, and what sounded like a soothing voice began to become clearer as you listened.

"It's alright, dear. It's alright." The voice of Molly came from beside you as she hugged you tightly, tears of her own falling down her face as Arthur stayed close to her. And as you looked around, you saw George hugging Ron, and then Ron hugging Fred's body.

You didn't know when Ginny took you from Molly to hug you, but you were grateful for every hug that you got, as it reminded you that you were still alive.

Soon, another pair of arms wrapped around you from behind, and Lee came in to focus in front of you when Ginny had stepped away to hug Harry.

You didn't want to intrude. They were his family, and they all deserved to say goodbye to Fred first. At least that's what you told yourself so that you wouldn't cling to him in an instant.

"Go," Lee murmured, gently brushing your hair away from your tear streaked face, still taking care of you as one of his best friends just as he did in Hogwarts. "You're his family, too. We all are." He kneeled next to Fred's body with you, and gently took your hand, placing it in Fred's.

"His hand is colder than it usually is." You spoke in a whisper, tears clouding your vision at the newest reminder of the ghost of him before you. "His hands were always warm." You held Fred's hand tightly in your own. "Why is he so cold?"

Lee responded only by putting a hand on your shoulder in consolation. He didn't know what to say. He'd never done this before. Never, in his whole life, did he think he'd be so young and consoling one of his best friends about the death of another best friend. He never thought any of them would lose each other so soon.

It felt like days, when in reality it was only a fraction of that time. The war had been won, but you could barely recall the events of anything past losing Fred. You knew Harry was alive, but you didn't remember how, nor how he eventually defeated Voldemort. Other than flashes of memories of George making sure you returned safe with him and the rest of his family to the burrow, nothing more happened.

You made your way into the twins' old room with George, the both of you laying on Fred's old bed, just wanting to feel close to him.

Mrs. Weasley tried to encourage you both to eat, but the two of you didn't move. Moving made things real, and neither of you wanted them to be.

[unordinaries]

presented without comment

(chapters 280 + 344)

[pigeonentity]

i keep thinking about them in terms of for and against each other: thirteen's against, twelve's for, eleven i think would be against, ten's for, and i haven't watched anything before him (yeah ikk im getting to it soon. watched it w my parents the first time so its on them) so i can't speak beyond that. dhawan's against, missy's for, and simm's against. like they've all got at least a little of both but they have a general direction

twissy worked out because they both cared about each other. missy came to help the doctor when he thought he was going to die, the doctor... locked her up, but he did have good intentions. i dont think we can say spydoc worked out, but i think since they both hated each other it went smoother than it could have. and tensimm was fucking doomed (neither of them want the same thing. they want each other to be different people)

twelvesimm, which was overshadowed by twissy but still deserves a mention, i think is similar to tensimm but with time could have had a higher chance of success, since 12, i think, might have responded more to him rather than trying to push him into someone who wanted to be better. tbh it might depend on the doctor's mood that day, im a little uncertain about this one but at the very least its a vaguely more functional tensimm

thrissy would break me. thrissy would be the anti-tensimm. missy shows up, still an enemy but also always, willingly and knowingly, a friend, and this time it's the doctor who says no. who tells her to fuck off, less distrust than expected and more loathing. they fight until missy realises it's not their usual games, and the doctor's gone too far stopping her. i mean come on her master tried to have her and her companions killed but it's not like he actually did it-- but she turned him over to the fucking nazis before she even knew he destroyed gallifrey, and missy killed osgood just after the doctor offered to have her as a companion, how would 13 take that?

11missy (elmissy? elemissy? mileven? no.) would run similarly, but if we're going with her using her same plan that she used on 12... he would take the army. he would take the army, however little he trusted her. i can see it going a few ways-- she leaves or he kills her or he locks her up somewhere because he's the doctor and she's the master and that's what he does, she comes back and suggests conquering the universe together or something, he says no and they fight, he says yes because he excuses murder if it aligns with what he wants, or if he likes the person enough (look at who he married!!) and they murder across the universe and we have canon thoschei until a companion saves the universe from them or river gets jealous

11dhawan would be AMAZING they have VERY similar energy and it would be SO much fun but also-- parallels? you could do so many little parallels with that? we see them spin the same way at the same time and they hate each other but one comments on something walking down a hallway and the other comes by and says the same thing and ughhh who do i pay to make this happen??

12dhawan has a special place in my hearts and i cant completely say why i just need them to meet. i need to be there when the master shows the doctor the timeless child and he cant accept it. idk if he'd be able to go the "there's more of me!" way out that 13 did, but he might be able to half do it, in that he realises he can overload the system but they break out of there through spite. i need to be there when the doctor says that ofc burning gallifrey is wrong, but he sides with the master. they lied to us. they lied to both of us. i need to see the master's anger, because he's being forgiven again. but he's not forgiving him, it's more that he understands, or like what he said to clara-- do you really think i care for you so little that betraying me could make a difference?-- and the master doesn't know what to do with that. he is so close to being better. but he doesn't want to be. so he burns himself up

10missy would work BUT i think 10 might take the army and theyd be less functional than twissy

I FORGOT THE ONES AFTER 13 skipping 14 bc he blurs into 10 for me even though they're different, but 15 would be for and he and missy would both hurtle into "this is MY queer friends to enemies to whatever the fuck we are and i can be as weird and dramatic about it as i like" not only are they both for but they're both on the exact same level as to what their relationship is and they're so fucking weird about it it's brilliant. varies a bit depending on who missy kills but i think there's a lot of chaotic potential there

but also if the master starts being too dramatic he would just tell them to shut up. which would also be brilliant

ANYWAY if anybody writes about any of these versions PLEASE tag me i need to read about them. pigeonentity on here and ao3. please

to me thoschei is one of those dress up games where i get to mix and match different items of clothing (versions of the doctor and the master) to create stunning outfits (tragic relationship dynamics)

[enhanced-operatives-division]

One day I'll draw the ieytd cast with all the flower imagery i want

[thevegetablewhichnoonedaresname]

tonight I go to bed grateful not to be in my bnha phase right now

[spideyhexx]

read some older interviews with tom and his Juilliard story is crazy

[rationalisms]

been thinking a lot about this specific phenomenon that's hard to put into words (so bear with me) where the technological limitations of the medium at the time a work of art was created are sometimes exactly the thing that helps lend it the atmosphere that makes it so compelling. and how sometimes superior technology is, despite the progress that's been made in so many ways, entirely unable to capture that same atmosphere for a multitude of reasons.

like, there's that brian eno quote ("whatever you now find weird, ugly, uncomfortable and nasty about a new medium will surely become its signature") that gets at some of what i mean, but not all of it.

i'm thinking about video games in particular, the way the forward march of technology does open new avenues but at the same time it inherently disappears older technologies and their aesthetics in the process, which is so tragic to me. and of course there's always nostalgia-driven attempts to recreate them, but those recreations inherently can't ever be entirely faithful to the specific charm of those older technologies and their drawbacks. (pixel art is a good example because sure, there's pixel art games being made now, but on modern LCDs they just won't ever look the same as they did on fuzzy CRTs; the fuzziness of the image made the pixel art come alive in a way modern TVs just can't.)

and this is extra amplified if games are set in a specific real world period or trying to emulate a specific real world aesthetic. because there's a little golden window of time where a game's technical limitations and the resulting art direction, and the period of time the game is meant to be set in, can perfectly compliment each other, like some sort of time prism. and any games made after that point can still do a good job at capturing the aesthetic of the era, but they won't ever be able to harness the inherent authenticity and atmosphere that e.g. noughties games and their 5 polygons can lend to a game set in the noughties.

there's no real solution to this and i'm obviously not advocating that we should be stopping any and all technological progress in favour of preserving certain aesthetics in amber, but it's still really melancholy that this is all so transitory. but i guess on the other hand we do get to enjoy those moments when technology and art/narrative can converge in the exact way they need to.

anyway, this was all just a really longwinded way to say that persona 4 is actually the best video game of all time. sorry if you thought this was about literally anything else

[helielune]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[shigussy]

the amount of pedo youtubers i watched growing up was insane but its actually really worrying that i had crushes on most of them and im so so thankful that my interest in most of them disappeared before they got exposed bc i would've lost my mind which did happen once with miniladd

[altruistic-meme]

🦉 and 🦩 !

milo!!!!!

🦉 a clever quote

It shouldn't have been as upsetting as it was. It was ridiculous, really, that Neil was letting it get to him at all. But the combination of volume and tone reminded him so much of his mother that he couldn't help his instinctive reaction.  When his back hit the wall, it sounded like the car igniting.

from something that may or may not be coming soon, depending on how well i can convince my brain to function this week :'D

🦩dealer's choice

Ignoring his problems until they crashed down around him had been a recurring problem of his, so it was nice to know that the pattern hadn't been broken yet.  It would get him killed this time. It almost did last time.  (The knife had been sharpened recently. It wasn't meant for them, but that didn't make a difference to the knife.)

some interesting formatting i'm playing with for another unnamed wip that got absolutely out of my control lmao (but doesn't this always happen to me?) i wonder who the text is talking about? 🤔

[ bird ask game ]

[cutesilyo]

my opinion is that if you havent gone through manga -> anime adaptations or anything -> musical adaptations, you arent equipped to deal with pjo books -> pjo series adaptation discussion lol

[obsessivevoidkitten]

That Time You Got Yeeted Into Another World, Mistaken as a God-Sent Gift, and Used as a Prize in an Arena

Yandere Bear-Man Dilf x Gender Neutral Reader

CW: Noncon, framed for a crime, language barrier, eaten out like it's groceries, biting, scent marking, musk, combat, general yandere behavior

Word Count: 765

(Speed written out of nowhere because I had the idea suddenly, not beta read so please forgive any mistakes. I hope you guys like this ficlet. Also forgive the title, in a game I was playing there was a crossover with "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime" and I liked the vibe of the title.)

You were framed for a crime you didn't commit and in your village the punishment for that crime was immediate exile via being shoved down a steep crater in the center of which is a one-way portal to what is thought to be Hell.

What no one on your side of the portal knew was that on the other side was just another world. A world that celebrated with a great holiday anytime a human came through the portal. It was also a world populated entirely, with the exception of humans who crossed over, by human-like beast hybrids.

Driders, lion hybrids, nagas, aqrabuamelu (scorpion-men), harpies, dog people, centaurs, minotaurs, gnolls, and many other races that seemed to be part human. 

They have a connecting portal in their universe, but any who try to go into it are spat back out. The current went only in one direction.

Every few years, a human would be flung forth from the portal, a gift from the gods! But only the worthy can keep such a gift. So whenever a human comes to the realm from the watcher of the portal will ring the bells and all the warriors assemble and a grand tournament is held at the arena. Whoever wins gets to keep the human and gains enough wealth to care for them properly.

Things are no different when you arrive, you are immediately ushered away, examined, and pampered like a prize doll with no agency. Despite your objections. It seems like only the keeper of the portal has any rudimentary undestanding of your language, not that it helped you. He didn't explain much and his speech wasn't that great. Something about... a big game?

You were naturally frightened beyond all reason, seeing all these beast-men, but it didn't seem like you were being harmed. It really wasn't what you thought hell was going to be like. 

On the day of the big tournament, you were dressed in the finest silks, given a tiny crown of silver, and taken to the best seat in the arena. One where everyone could see you. A cushioned throne was provided for you to sit upon. You figured that this must be a ceremony to welcome people from the portal.

You watched as all the combatants sparred. At first you were horrified, but it became evident that people could yield and death was, almost always, avoided. There were combatants of every variety. 

Even from the start the best seemed to be a naga woman named Eeris and a bear-man named Brakwen. As they advanced through the fights they both finally made it to the finals where they'd clash. Eeris favored twin daggers and fangs while Brakwen used claws and brute strength. He had a sword but had not resorted to using it. 

It was a mighty battle but Brakwen the bear-man managed to win. You still did not yet realize you were the prize. Not until you were escorted down to him and were carried bridal style out of the arena with the crowd cheering. Brakwen had won the god's favor!

From close up he looked even more imposing. He seemed to be in his late 30s to early 40s. He mostly looked like a hairy man from far away though up close his massive size, sharp teeth, claws, thick fur covering his arms and quite frankly adorable bear ears, gave him away. He was rugged but admittedly rather handsome. You knew there was nothing you could do so you let him carry you away. 

Despite the language barrier, Brakwen did his best to please his god-given prize. He could tell you feared him. Especially since you tried to run off a few times. But Brakwen didn't get angry. You never even managed to get past the door. Even if you did there were two gates outside the house. You were far too valuable to let wander off. 

Eventually when you had stopped running off, and when his rut demanded he wait no longer, he began acting a bot more aggressove and sexual towards you. 

Though you tried to stop him it ended with him stretching out your hole with his powerful tongue, lubing you up with his copious amounts of drool, and sliding into you with his massive musky cock.

That's what your life was now. Being treated like a fragile precious gem most of the time and then for one week out of every month you were fucked full of hot bear cum in every possible position, bitten possessively, and scent marked by being forced to wear his oversized clothing. 

[cosmicmunsonwrites]

i’ll drive, i’ll drive all night

bf!rafe cameron x fem!reader

cw — alcohol, brief talks abt arguing, this is lowk short

summary — you drunk call rafe for a ride home from your friends house.

a/n — whipped this up in a few minutes so please don’t be too harsh. request!!

do not copy or post my work anywhere else.

you sat outside with the warm breeze as you waited on the steps to your best friends house for your boyfriend to pick you up. you were completely out of it, eyes feeling heavy, body all soft and feeling like jelly from the copious amounts of alcohol coursing through you.

you’d probably had one too many drinks and you were expecting a lecture from rafe when he arrived but you were too far past the point of caring. you just wanted to see him and go home after the terrible day you’d had.

the two of you had argued earlier in the afternoon which eventually led to you both parting ways and not speaking for a few hours. you were both very opinionated and you had attitudes that often didn’t mix well when you were frustrated. one of you usually apologized though and you guys moved past it.

this one was different though. you knew you’d been a little mean in your replies but you also felt like he deserved a little reality check. you currently couldn’t even remember why you were arguing due to your drunken state, but you knew it was something you guys could easily get over. you two would probably forget about it by morning anyway.

when you finally saw the big truck pull into the driveway, you quickly stood and almost immediately regretted the sudden action. your head began to spin and a pain accumulated behind your eyelids as you drunkenly stumbled to his car. he was standing on the passengers side waiting for you.

once you approached after tripping over your own feet, he opened up the door for you without a word and helped you up the big step to get inside. he shut it behind you and made his way into his own seat. he assured you had your seatbelt on and began reversing out of the driveway without a word.

“i’m sorry,” you slurred quietly, noticing the way both his hands held the steering wheel instead of one of them resting on your thigh. “didn’t know who else to call.”

you heard him sigh and begin to drive. “would rather you call me than anyone else,” he admitted honestly and spared a glance in your direction. his heart broke a little at the soft pout on your lips and the sad glint in your eyes. “‘nd i’m not mad at you, baby. ‘s fine.”

your eyes glistened with tears as you looked at him. “you’re not?” you mumbled under your breath, eyes feeling heavier and your head getting all foggy.

he shook his head with a shrug and gently rested his hand on your lower thigh just above your knee, thumb soothing over your skin reassuringly. “could never be mad at you,” he said before the car fell into a comfortable silence. the only sound being the quiet song playing on his radio.

you didn’t know when you fell asleep or how long it’d been since, but you began to wake to the sight of rafe standing in front of you looking extremely focused and a soft towel being dragged carefully over your cheeks. you were sat on the bathroom counter with your legs spread slightly and him standing between them with majority of your body weight leaning against his.

he was holding your jaw in one hand while the other hand did what you assumed was taking off your makeup. when you finally fluttered your eyes open for real this time, he scanned your face and placed the towel down on the counter. “you have fun tonight?”

you nodded and smiled softly. “mhm. morgan’s friends are really nice. the bar was so cool,” you replied, awkwardly rubbing your hands along your thighs not knowing whether or not it was appropriate to touch him. “‘m really sorry, rafe.”

he went silent for a moment but his eyes stayed fixed on yours. “its okay, sweetheart. we both said some shit we shouldn’t have. ‘s alright. people make mistakes.”

“i was bein’ a bitch earlier,” you mumbled, leaning your forehead against his chest.

he laughed softly and smoothed a hand down the back of your head comfortingly. “i think i can handle your attitude pretty well by now,” he replied just barely above a whisper. “c’mon. time for bed.”

you instinctively wrapped your arms around his neck as his hands found the backs of your thighs, lifting you and walking you to your shared bedroom before dropping you down gently on your side. he was quick to pull his shirt over his head and crawl under the covers beside you.

you scooted closer to his side and sighed at the familiar warmth you enjoyed so much. his arm loosely fell to the dip of your waist as he scrolled through netflix to find a movie on, knowing you couldn’t sleep without the tv on. “i love you baby,” you muttered through a sleep-laced voice.

he smiled and pressed a kiss to your hair. “i love you more, angel.”

[chris-hallelujah]

Have You Ever Tried This One? | m.s.

Summary: The triplets attend singer!reader's concert and Matt gets catches her eye from the crowd.

Part 2 Here!!

Warnings: insinuating sexual acts, talks of sex positions

Word Count: 640 words

My Master List

Join my tag list : @matthewsroses

Divider by: @anitalenia

A/N: This is inspired by this post by @delilahsturniolo . Thank you for letting me use your work as inspiration! Also thank you to @chestersturniolo for helping me find her piece. I do not give consent for my work to be reposted, rewritten, or shared on this platform or any other.

<3 - Billie

The lights in the arena darkened around the group standing at the barricade. Matt, Nick, Chris, and Chris' girlfriend cheered along with everyone else as you appeared in a spotlight on the stage. "Boston! It's so good to see you!" you exclaimed into the microphone causing the crowd to roar. Matt practically had hearts for eyes as you sauntered around the stage in small, sparkly outfits. Sure, he had heard your music and seen you in photos before, but there was something different about seeing you in front of him. Chris and Nick quickly took notice of Matt's in awe state and chuckled.

After a few numbers you had reached the interactive section of your concert. Oftentimes you chose a person in the crowd who was dancing the most or seemed to be having the best time. It was never actually based on your physical attraction to someone, until this time. You had been eyeing the three identical boys in the front row. One specifically caught your eye. You'd seen these boys online before and while you didn't know much about them, you knew which one you wanted. He seemed a bit more quiet than the other two and was staring at you like you were glowing. "Girls, girls, come here!" you spoke into the mic, gesturing for two of your dancers to come over. "Do you see that guy right there? Yes, the triplet but that one, with the pink t shirt," you pointed in Matt's direction. He froze as the camera panned to him for the crowd to see on the big screen. Everyone went wild causing Nick and Chris to bust out laughing. The lights throughout the arena flashed red and blue as a siren sound played throughout the stadium. You knelt down in front of him, "hey there, what's your name?" You cooed into the microphone, batting your eyelashes.

"M-Matthew!" he stammered nervously as Nick filmed the interaction.

"Oh Matthew, I'm afraid you're under arrest. You are just way too hot!" You giggled into the microphone, "Will you take these sweetie?" The security guard took the fuzzy pink handcuffs from your hand and held them over the barricade for Matt to grab. His blush was iminent as he took them with a smile and a nod. You stood back up, winking at him. "There are so many thoughts running through my head, Matthew. Dirty, dirty - oh! my clothes are falling off for you, Matthew!" You laughed stepping out of your dress revealing a shiny pink body suit. The intro of the song began and you danced and sang with your crew. "Whole package, babe, I like the way you fit. God bless your dad's genetics," You sang, gesturing to the triplets with a giggle. Every once in a while throughout the song you'd shoot Matt a look or a wink. "You make me wanna make you fall in love. Oh, late at night, I'm thinking 'bout you, ah-ah. Wanna try out some freaky positions? Hey Matthew, have you ever tried this one?" You sat on your knees with one arm in the air doing a lasso motion to represent cowgirl. Matt about fell over and Chris was a laughing mess next to him. His brothers could not believe what they were witnessing.

That song ended and the show continued. A few songs later, the triplets and Chris' girlfriend were approached by someone from your team. "Matt?" Your manager asked, "You've all been requested backstage after the show." She smiled handing them all passes and getting back to work.

"No way!" Chris' girlfriend jumped up and down.

"Dude, your charm got us connections!" Nick laughed patting Matt on the shoulder. Matt stood staring at the backstage passes in awe. He couldn't believe that you had noticed him in the first place but also to invite him backstage??

[baeshijima]

hmmm.... thoughts about composer!reader, whose pieces are always created for and featured in mr reca's films/projects.

people aren't sure when it first started, but in the release of one of his prior films was an ost. of course, it's not unusual to have music in such projects, but that one had felt... different, somehow — in the way its composition struck the chords of many, with billions across the cosmos instantly scouring for who made that piece.

it, of course, didn't take all that long when your name was featured in the credits. however there was barely any information aside from your name and credentials. (seriously, how could there not even be a single photo?!) no one knew what you looked like for quite a long time, only ever recognising your name and your music; even despite the numerous interviews, mr reca had never disclosed anything about you other than your talents. it came to a point where everyone believed they would never see your appearance.

well, until all hell broke loose during the annual intergalactic film awards, that is.

everyone already knew the drill — if mr reca had directed a film that year, it would undoubtedly win the adapted/original screenplay, cinematography, directing, production design, sound, music (original score and song), and film of the year awards, which also led to you winning both the music awards. usually, the composers would be the ones to collect said awards. however, the masses have become used to mr reca being the one to collect them on your behalf with thank you's also on your behalf.

that's how it's been ever since you made your mark in the universe, and so it really is understandable the uproar created by those in and out of attendance when the one who went collect the two awards wasn't the esteemed director, but a completely unfamiliar person; you.

you are definitely younger than they originally thought, having believed it must have been someone of a senior status of sorts to have consistently created such masterpieces. all eyes are trained on you as you step on stage and into the limelight for the first time, the light enhancing your features and formal attire when approaching the mic with a small flashcard in hand. your mouth opens, and the audience leans in with baited breaths as they await your first words.

...only for nothing to come out.

everyone watches a little dumbfounded as you try to talk once more but, aside from gaping like a fish, your efforts remain futile. it doesn't take long for you to clamp your mouth and eyes shut, even raising the awards in front of you in an attempt to shield your face from the crowd.

you... you were just really shy. or maybe a little...socially awkward, perhaps...? if this was the reason you never showed yourself, then they're beginning to understand why...

it passes in a blur — quite literally in that of brown. one moment you are alone on the stage, the next you have the presence of the renown director standing slightly in front of you, as though acting as a shield from the many prying eyes.

"apologies," he begins, his usual smile on display, "but my dearest composer has been suffering with a sore throat these past few days. on their behalf, we thank you all kindly for your support in our work."

and then he swiftly leaves with you tucked under and shielded by his coat, murmuring unreadable words to you as you both disappear backstage and leave everyone in a state of frenzy; to both those inside the ceremonial hall, and to those watching live elsewhere.

(it was only discovered after the awards ceremony concluded what the director had said to you, with the uploader being dubbed as a holy saint for their contributions to society. while the visual aspects of the video itself were not the clearest, barely anyone had it within themselves to complain when the audio was clear as crystal:

"and here i thought you were going to be brave and face your stage fright after all that pep-talk you gave yourself on the way here."

"i'm sorry... i really thought i could do it this time..."

"now, now, i'm merely teasing. you made a big step just making an appearance here today. i know how much courage this took for you, and i'm proud of you for facing it."

"really...?"

"but of course. i'm always proud of you, [name]. there is not a moment where i haven't been.")

(it also was not long until the cosmos was taken by storm when various pictures snapped during the awards ceremony spread. the millions of candids featuring you were one of the most liked and shared, with the top spot joined by the sequence of pictures taken of mr reca's soft expression when watching you onstage, into his realisation of your predicament, into him running onstage and shielding you from the cameras when making your way backstage.)

(...the drastic influx of fan accounts dedicated to both you alone and to you and reca should really be a studied phenomenon.)

[blacktabbygames]

Slay the Princess Concept Art

We shared a bunch of concept art on Twitter today. Sharing it here, too, where you can find it all in one post. Post contains spoilers, so proceed with caution (or just play the game already if you haven't 😉)

Going to start with the first piece of concept art Abby drew for the game.

In the earliest stages of development, we toyed around with the concept of there being multiple "end game" forms of the Princess.

The initial outline, rather than being tied together by an overarching metanarrative, structured a full playthrough as a 5-6 chapter long, self-contained journey down a single route, determined by your decisions in chapter 1. Here's an alternative late-game form:

The idea of deviating end-game forms didn't lost for very long, though. As we explored the game's themes more deeply, it made the most sense for there to be a singular "true" form.

If your reality is shaped by subjectivity and perception, then the "truth" has to be what's left when that subjectivity is swept away. the Shifting Mound's final design feels like that initial truth for the Princess, though there's also another truth if you push back against her and press on into the final cabin.

We really liked this "void" design, and I played around with the idea of it being an intermediary to the final form. The "void" Princess would be what you saw upon encountering the final Princess without understanding your own truth, but once you had that understanding, you would see her as the Shifting Mound, as depicted in the game.

That gave way to the intermediary design of the SM being a sea of disembodied limbs, and we also took parts of both designs and incorporated them into the protagonist (particularly the wings.) You can see the eyes and feathers for this void form in the ending card of the original trailer below:

You can see extremely early concept art for the spectre (top), nightmare (top-right), stranger (left), beast (bottom) and ??? (right) as well!

The eyes became a motif in the Nightmare route (Paranoid's manifestation of the fear of being watched), but I also like to think of them as a part of The Long Quiet's truth. You are space and emptiness, but you're also that which observes those things, and it's your perceptions that give the Shifting Mound shape.

Anyways, on the note of the original original concepts for the game, the Princess was initially going to remain human for several loops before taking on more monstrous forms. Some concepts of that are below. Had to get Abby to tone down some of the more horrifically cartoonish designs because they creeped me out and I didn't want to romance them in a video game.

We had to hold our cards close to our chest in the non-metanarrative early drafts, which is part of why, even in the first demo, the cabin doesn't really change much in chapter 2. More room to subtly play with the concept of transformation over time.

There were a lot of reasons we moved in a different direction for the full release. The branching was unmanageably large to write, and the game felt like a slog to write.

Using an overarching narrative as a framing mechanism in the final version gave us a lot more freedom to explore wildly divergent ideas within routes while still driving the player towards the originally planned finale.

Anyways, now we've got some concept art for individual princesses. There's a lot more than this lying around somewhere, but it's all in sketchbooks, and we'll probably wait until we make an art book to show it off.

First is the tower, who really didn't change much at all. (She got a little thicker, I guess. All of the Princesses did)

Not a lot to say about her, other than the fact that we knew we wanted a set piece where she gets so big that the trees and cabin orbit around her.

The stranger went through many many redesigns over the course of development. Here, she was a "princess skin" filled with a hive of sentient bugs. The script wasn't working for me, though, so instead she became a peak behind the curtains without the necessary context to know her.

A lot of people ask how these earlier drafts of the Stranger route would have played out, and the answer is I can't tell you, because I couldn't figure out something worth writing.

The writing process for individual routes didn't really start with outlines or plot beats. Rather, the routes started from a theme and a relationship dynamic, and I organically found their outcomes by exploring actions within those themes, and then seeing if those passed Abby's editor brain.

Neither of us found actions we wanted to explore with those versions of the Stranger, at least actions that weren't a beat-by-beat retelling of chapter 1, which contained way too much variation to put on a single chapter 2 route.

If each princess examines a relationship formed by perception and first impressions, the Stranger examines one that's fundamentally unknowable. One where you've seen too much, too quickly.

An insect hive-mind pretending to be a person seemed like a good starting point, but it was too difficult to write any interactions that didn't immediately feel knowable, if still strange. So the final version of the Stranger was designed in such a way where her unknowability makes interacting with her on a human level fundamentally impossible, and you don't get to have a real conversation with her unless you satisfy extremely specific criteria.

Anyways next up is the razor's final form. We decided she needed more swords.

Hearts became an accidental motif very quickly in the development process, too. (The fact that it is only strikes to the heart that fell her in the demo was accidental, but it felt poetic so we extended it to the rest of the game.)

So on top of adding more swords, we made her heart visible. This is something we did with the fury as well, as a way of showing their emotional (and physical) vulnerability.

Here's an early version of the Adversary and what would eventually become the Eye of the Needle, back when she was still called the Fury. Originally her hair was going to be fire (as seen on the right), but it didn't feel right in its execution.

She's hit the gym since this concept art. Good for her :)

And we're going to end with the Beast, who at this point was called the Adversary. I think this was before the Witch was added? The Beast was originally designed to be a Questing Beast who lurked in the shadows, where you'd only see glimpses of her, and where each glimpse would make her appear to be a different animal. This was too difficult to execute, though we gave her a more chimera-like appearance in the final game.

This design was from when we still has the Voice of the Obsessed, and the route was going to be a more feral mirror of what eventually became the Adversary, but it felt too thematically similar while being less interesting, so we moved in the direction of making the Beast about consumption as a form of love.

Anyways, that's all we've got for you right now. Hope this was fun!