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sxeraphfic · 9 months ago

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SFW ALPHABET W/ DONNIE DARKO

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

Hey everyone! decided to do the sfw alphabet thing, i got rid of a few that felt unneeded or like id already partially answered them. hope you enjoy my loves <3

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Donnie as a very socially awkward and emotionally repressed person would be awkward with affection at first, i think he’d want to hug and kiss you and be cuddly but get nervous of freaking you out or scaring you. He has the mentality that he’s abit of a freak so he’ll project that unfortunately. However as time goes on and he learns to trust and feel your love he will become very affectionate.

He definitely enjoys hugs from behind whether it’s from you or him, not only is it cozy feeling but he occasionally likes to surprise you and give you a little scare because he’s a tease

Donnie also and obviously enjoys handholding and kissing, he’ll make sure to hold your hand wherever you go!

He isn’t particularly scared of PDA, he won’t do anything extreme but i feel like he’s a little unaware of his surroundings sometimes so he’ll happily go for a kiss or a hug in the middle of the street.

Donnie feels most comforted at home, away from people and with you. He’ll be extra cuddly then, whether it’s laying on your chest or getting his hair stroked he’ll love the attention and warmth you bring to him and he’ll do the exact same for you.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Donnie would probably be abit emotionally unavailable as a best friend not going to lie, i think he’d have a hard time differentiating between why a best friend is different to a normal friend… “shouldn’t you treat your friends all the same?”

However after awhile it’d be clear to him that you’re a trustworthy and good person, he’d open up to you about a few of his more… complicated problems and may even impulsively tell you some weird things during his episodes

The friendship would begin probably with you initiating it through some sort of party or maybe at school, at first he’d be a little distant and non chalant but after awhile he would have a genuine interest in your hobbies, life, personality etc

He’d probably feel most comfortable just hanging out in his room listening to music or playing video games maybe even reading or studying together.

He’d be loyal aswell, and open to listening to your problems as he out of all people would know what it feels like to have problems.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Cuddling with friends or family? absolutely not. But with a lover it’s a completely different story.

He’ll try to smoothly initiate it but end up accidentally saying or doing something silly and you’ll both laugh it off

He’s clingy aswell, not at first but as time goes on it’ll show, even during the hottest of summer nights he’ll try to link hands together as you sleep.

He looooves when you initiate it first, not just because he’s shy but it shows you want him and that’s all he needs to feel appreciated

I can imagine you two both standing together at a bus stop on a cold snowy day, cuddling together with his face buried in your hair to keep warm.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Donnie definitely wants to settle down at some point, i don’t see him having commitment issues but more so the complete opposite. Once he’s found the one he won’t let go and will do his best to be a good boyfriend OR husband despite his mental health.

Donnie would be a little messy about cleaning, he’s not lazy (most of the time) and i think he’d want the cleaning and cooking duties to be equal on both parts so he’d be happy to learn to cook for you.

During possible depressive or psychotic episodes he would require you to be a little more understanding on why he may not be perfect at keeping everything clean, he’d apologise in embarrassment but surely you’d understand <3

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Donnie would be terrible at breakups, i think he’s the type to dump and ghost and never speak again unfortunately.

He’d do the right thing by at least talking it out in person, but it would be an awkward conversation for sure and relatively fast paced as he wouldn’t know what to say afterwards.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Donnie would probably not really actually care at least too much about marriage, he wants it but he won’t be asking to marry you straight away.

That being said that doesn’t mean he’s not committed to you, he’s all yours and he expects the same from you!

I can imagine it wouldn’t take long before he pops the question out, maybe at a pretty looking park or dinner date where he makes the effort to have everything be lovey dovey and romantic.

I can imagine late night conversations in bed with him, and him suddenly bringing up the idea of marriage. “do you see us together in the future y/n?”

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Donnie is an absolute gentle soul towards you, he’s never violent or rough and is absolutely terrified of hurting or scaring you.

He gets easily frustrated and annoyed but is quick to apologise and stop if you tell him he needs to calm down

Occasionally donnie will enjoy a little play fighting or a little pinch to give you a shock, but most of the time he prefers to just be gentle with you.

Emotionally donnie tries his best to be gentle, however he’s filled with sarcasm and is a little bit of a meanie, it’ll show and if you tell him you don’t appreciate it he’ll try his best to repress himself. Otherwise if you enjoy it he’ll probably like that and ramp it up a little more for the banter factor.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Donnie’s hugs depend on where you are.

In public places his hugs will usually be casual and quick, he’ll probably give you a kiss on the forehead too during it.

In more private places he’ll be much more relaxed and give you long and heartfelt hugs, kind of bear hug like in a sense. He might rough up your hair and give you lots of kisses during it aswell.

Donnie is always happy to receive a hug from you too, he won’t mind how long they are or how intense you are about it. He just likes that you want to give him one in the first place!

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Donnie doesn’t really understand social norms like waiting 3 months to say i love you, if he’s with you in the first place that means he loves you. So it’ll probably take less than a week for him to announce it to you, maybe even on the same day you get together. He’s fast paced with his emotions and words and is quite blunt about it.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Oh boy do i have opinions on this.

Donnie will get jealous and he’ll definitely ruminate and stress on it, HOWEVER he will not blame you for it unless you’re showing signs of cheating.

When he’s jealous it’ll take him a few days before he really admits it, in the mean time he’ll be a little distant and more sad looking than usual. He’ll ask for validation from you like a sad little puppy whilst not even being open about why he’s asking for it in the first place. The next stage will be him getting a little snarky about whatever’s made him jealous which is where you’ll realise what’s happened.

Donnie is a paranoid person, but for you he knows to try tone it down. If you realise he’s jealous and just comfort and explain to him that he doesn’t have to be, he’ll immediately feel comforted and better about it. Just don’t keep him waiting on it.

I think during his episodes he’ll be a little more aggressive about it but as i said all he wants is the confirmation that you only want him.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

It’s hard to tell with donnie whether his kisses are going to end up in a rough and steamy make out sesh or if it’s gonna be just a quick little peck. Either way he’ll make sure to kiss you on the regular!

Donnie’s favourite places to kiss you are

Your lips (ofc) your forehead your cheeks your neck your stomach and thighs and literally anywhere else. lol.

Donnie personally likes to be kissed in those exact places too, especially his neck. it gives him butterflies.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Hmmm as a teen obviously he just likes to tease and make fun of them, especially his little sister.

But as he gets older and as he’s stated himself he definitely wants to have kids, he’d only have them if he was mentally well enough to handle them though.

That being said if he did have them and was mentally well, he’d been a kind of “cool dad” if you get what i mean. Not afraid to be honest and direct with his kids about the world, maybe occasionally make a silly more adult joke or swear around them. He’d want them to be emotionally intelligent and know how to navigate though their world, so he’d be cautious about the media and information they consume.

He’d also defend them against school authority probably lol. Even if they’re in the wrong and they’ve done something stupid he’ll be the first to say it’s not a big deal.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

“Nooo ten more minutes” type of energy here. you will not be leaving that bed until he’s ready!

If hes in his bed cuddling you he’s as happy as can be, he loves to stare and admire how you look when you’re sleeping so he always hopes to wake up before you.

Once he’s out of bed he’s abit of a grump for the next hour or so, he enjoys it if you happen to make breakfast for him but it’s not a big deal if you don’t.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

There’s a variety of things donnie wouldn’t mind doing at night, he’s kind of an all cards type of guy when it comes to it since the vibes of night just suit his needs perfect

Watching movies in his room or at the cinema Listening to music Reading Cuddling and kissing Other.. not so safe for work stuff.. Night walks and star gazing

Donnie loves any time he can spend with you really, he’s not in a rush to go to sleep so he’ll stay up all night with you if that’s what you want.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Donnie is not one too get easily angered, with you that is. Normally he’s very easily riled up about how the world is cruel and everyone in it sucks. But with you he has an unbelievable amount of patience, he’ll retort with sarcasm but is a natural problem solver and is always ready to talk it out.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Donnie comes off as absent minded, but he will remember every single little detail about you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a little notebook or journal filled with information about you and your likes, dislikes, random facts and etc.

Donnie’s the type of person to know and remember facts about you that you’ve long forgotten, he’ll buy you a t-shirt of a band that you mentioned liking three years ago and haven’t said anything about since.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Donnie is definitely a protective boyfriend, it comes from his paranoid outlook on the world. He would never forgive himself if you got hurt and he wasn’t there to protect you.

Although he isn’t a bodybuilder or anything he’ll speak up for you and maybe even resort to a little violence. (or if he’s feeling really crazy he’ll pull a gun out like in the movie)

As for you protecting him.. he’d appreciate you standing up for him but insist he doesn’t need it, if anything it’d make him a little embarrassed.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Donnie would definitely put effort into you, the fact that you’re with him in the first place amazes him and he doesn’t plan on losing you to laziness.

Most dates will be casual, if he feels like he wants to treat you to something nicer he’ll work hard for it. His love language is primarily physical touch and gift giving imo, so when he works he has a tendency to work just so he can provide for you since he has such simple needs himself.

As for everyday tasks, he believes in equality surrounding that type of thing. But if he notices you’re in a poor mood or feeling sad he’ll put in the effort to make sure you don’t need to strain yourself.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

The most obvious one here is his fluctuating and poor mental health, mental illness isn’t pretty. There’ll be times where he needs you at his lowest and he might push you away during it. That’s when you need to be there for him the most.

He also tends to be absent minded with your feelings, he might say or do something that makes you upset and not realise until you say something about it. This isn’t personal, he’s just very straightforward.

He’s definitely a little possessive too, not to the point where you’re unsafe but he’s terrified of losing you.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

This one is an interesting case.

He isn’t really worried with his looks but definitely has abit of a freak complex due to his illness and unpopularity at school, he’ll appreciate when you compliment him. he needs it.

He might ask you what he can do to be more attractive, or if you’re really into him, the answer is obviously yes but he really could do with an ego boost.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Donnie isn’t interested in superficial people, if you can’t have an interesting discussion with him he’ll be turned off immediately. He also enjoys someone who’s at least somewhat reliable, you can have your own issues and mental illness but at the end of the day if you’re a complete mess in all areas he may just end up feeling like he can’t give you what you need.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Besides the obvious sleep walking, donnie is a heavy sleeper. He doesn’t snore or anything but he definitely mumbles and grumbles throughout the night, he also will unconsciously hug and cuddle you for warmth.

Donnie may also experience frequent nightmares, if he wakes up from a really bad one he might wake you up for comfort

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

Annnnnd finished! i hope you guys enjoyed. If anyone is interested in an NSFW version please head to my ask box!

partially proof read ;9

#jake gyllenhaal #drabble #david loki #detective loki #donnie darko #road house #highway 2002 #hc #alphabet #fanfic ideas #fanfiction writer #fanfic #fandom #oneshot #imagine #x reader #donnie darko x reader #headcanon #valenfics

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heavenlymorals · 2 months ago

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Do you have any tips for how to write Arthur Morgan’s personality in general? I’m trying to write a fic but I feel like no matter what I do it somehow just makes him feel out of character haha. It’s probably since I’m writing one with a reader/oc character x Arthur. Like I don’t want to remove Mary from the story because she shaped so much of his character’s pain (since in my opinion I assume that Arthur probably got Eliza with child from a one night stand trying to bounce back after Mary had told him that she was engaged to some other man). But I also don’t know how to really write Arthur as he’s completely over Mary and how he is instead with someone he considers the love of his life, cheesy I know but I had too haha. I’m also trying to somewhat do a slow burn and trying to instead have Arthur seemingly brood over his love for the reader rather than how he did with Mary in the game.

I don’t know if this makes sense and feel free to ignore it LOL

Ahah here goes nothing- my consensus on a general understanding of Arthur Morgan-

I think the biggest thing that people should focus on when writing Arthur is his personality differences between men and women. There is a pretty clear divide between how behaves with men compared to how he behaves with women. It can change slightly between how close he is with the people, but it's pretty much the same.

With women, Arthur is very respectful and chivalrous. He even gets mad at other men if they don't behave accordingly. He is more interested in them as well in the sense that he'll listen to their dreams and hobbies and either add to the conversation or encourage them in some way that seems more meaningful, even if it can be at times superficial, just a way to be polite. However, he is no push over. You know that meme that's like "Me and my girl don't argue, she tells me to shut the fuck up and I do"? Yeah, that is NOT Arthur. He can raise his voice, call them out, etc etc. when he feels disrespected in some way or if the person is doing something stupid. We see this with Mary, Sadie, and Abigail. He is also more likely to talk about his emotions with women, but not really BE emotional. Idk if that makes sense, but I don't know how else to say it.

However, Arthur is more inclined to be disrespectful to women who don't fit into his view of life and the status quo of the time (ie. Prostitutes, masculine women, etc.)

Honestly, just think of that when writing him with your oc (I'm going to assume they're a woman 😭). Is Mary a big part of Arthur's character? Yes and no. He can obviously make time for her, but she isn't controlling his every action and thought process. His main focus is the collective of the gang and once the gang is safe, that's when he'll actively start looking for love because that's when he'll have the time and energy for it.

Now with men, Arthur is much more rough. He is very much a suck it up kinda guy with other dudes. There is clearly a hierarchy in the game and he enforces it, especially with the men underneath him. He forces them to work, doesn't take their excuses really, will call them out, will be mean, and will even make threats (ie. Sean). He likes men who are hard workers and are always on the go (Lenny) and is more likely to be jovial, open, and willing to talk. He also will take NO shit from other men and that will either leave the other man read to filth or a black eye. Arthur also does not disclose feelings of fear or inadequacy to other men, but he will show more active emotions like joy or anger.

Honestly, whenever I feel like writing Arthur, I just think of the average older American outdoorsman and it helps me out pretty well. Chivalrous and respectful with expectations and a no bullshit attitude.

Hope this helps and happy writing 🫶🏼

#rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #arthur morgan #character analysis #answered

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cripplecharacters · 8 months ago

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Hi there! I'm working on a modern supernatural story, and I've got a side character (the main character's best friend) who deals with chronic fatigue syndrome. He's a sweet, goofy, confident guy, and he has friends who are happy to change plans to accommodate him when he has flare-ups. They'll also help him out with chores or errands when he needs, with his consent. Naturally he gets bummed about his condition from time to time, but he's accepted that it's how he lives and with the help of therapy he's found ways to manage it. He also has plenty of hobbies and interests and grievances outside of his condition.

My question is this: I have a side-plot where the characters learn that a vampire has been feeding off him for weeks without his knowing, most likely using some kind of hypnotism. I'm wondering if the effects of consistent blood loss - fatigue, headaches, dizziness, etc - could reasonably be chalked up to a particularly bad CFS flare-up. Or would that be something where it's more likely he would notice the difference in severity of his symptoms and realize something else was wrong? Assuming the vampire can heal up any bite marks he leaves.

For the sake of clarity, he's had CFS most of his life and I'm taking care to avoid implying that it has anything to do with the vampire attacks. I'm just wondering if his symptoms would help hide the feedings or not.

Thank you!

The short answer: absolutely yes, this seems like it could be chalked up to a bad flare-up.

The long answer: I'm going to use the CDC's description of CFS/ME to lay out pretty exactly why it would work for both you and anyone wondering why exactly it would work.

A list of symptoms from the CDC has 3 core and 2 that you only need 1 out of 2 symptoms to have CFS.

Core: Lowered ability to do usual activities due to fatigue [that is not relieved by sleep/rest] that wouldn't have been an issue before illness

Core: Post-exertional malaise (PEM), which is a worsening of symptoms after physical or mental activity that wouldn't have been an issue before illness. Often described as a 'crash' and can include feeling dizzy, having difficulty thinking, headaches, or feeling ill. It can take days, months, or longer to recover from a crash and it's hard to predict how long a crash will last or what will cause it.

Core: Sleeping problesms; even a full night's sleep doesn't help symptoms much and might not help at all. Might have trouble falling or staying asleep.

Other: Problems with thinking and memory, like 'brain fog' or slowed thinking or trouble remembering things or paying attention.

Other: Orthostatic intolerance, meaning that symptoms can get worse while standing up. This can make people feel lightheaded, dizzy, weak or even faint.

I've bolded the symptoms on the list that match your stated symptoms of vampiric blood loss: "fatigue, headaches, dizziness, etc." and as you can see they match up pretty exactly!

Your character could perhaps do something that required a decent amount of mental or physical extertion, and perhaps it did or didn't cause a crash but at around the same time the vampire could have started to feed off of him. This might seem to prolong the 'crash' and your character might not think twice about it, just realize that they're feeling pretty miserable in a way not unknown to them.

I hope this helped!

PS, I really enjoy modern supernatural stories, and if you ever feel like sharing it I'd love to read this.

— Mod Sparrow

#chronic illness representation #chronic fatigue representation #mod sparrow #fantasy setting #anonymous

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contritecactite · 3 days ago

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Since @fandomtrumpshate starts up again soon, I thought I would babble a bit about my experience last year! Specifically, let's chat about podficcing. A nice and arbitrary 9 reasons to do the thing below the cut!

Thing 1: It's so much fun! I am bouncing up and down at the prospect of doing it again. In fact, I am planning to offer a slot for any fandom this year rather than just ones I'm familiar with!

Thing 2: Nobody was bothered by how amateurish my readings are, how basic my recordings were, or by the extra whistle and sibilance and mouth sounds that sneaked in. Nobody was annoyed that I don't do accents or intense voicework/character voices. It's something I want to improve in the future, but it's really not necessary—reading a fanwork aloud is first and foremost about making it accessible in a new format. Anything else is just icing!

Thing 3: People who want their works read are going to be communicative! The folks I worked with last year were happy to go back and forth until we decided which works were the best fit for me, and they were happy to answer my questions about how to read/interpret certain lines, etc. It was so much fun to toss around idea with them (even if we didn't end up using them all)!

Thing 4: This is a zero-entry-cost hobby (assuming you already have a device of some sort to read fic in the first place). You don't need fancy equipment and software. You can get the job done with an inbuilt audio recording app on your phone, and if you're in a quiet and non-echoey place, it can sound just as good as something made with a dedicated mic and such. Don't let "but I don't have a recording space" hold you back! Sit in your favorite chair and put your phone by your face while you read me a story. That's really all you gotta do.

Thing 5: In direct contrast... it is a good excuse to dip a toe into gear and software. There are lots of fairly cheap suitable microphones, and Audacity is free. I recorded one short fic via three different methods just to troubleshoot for fun!

Thing 6: You don't have to get it right the first time! (Or second or third or...) I save outtakes (profanity warning!) for the creators whose work I read. Sometimes a cat walked in and told me a mournful tale at top volume. Sometimes the neighbors turned on a leaf blower. You can even get silly with it on purpose if you need to warm yourself up! I do a lot of yelling "this is so silly and I am so embarrassed!" into the mic before I try a serious read.

Thing 7: You get to spend so much time with a work and its characters! You're gonna read that thing so many times to make decisions and to alert yourself to what's coming next. You'll be able to recite it around a campfire and it'll feel cozy and familiar (or, you know, extra painful if it's heavily angsty).

Thing 8: If you play things back and tweak them as often as I did, it goes a long way toward getting past hating the sound of your own voice or feeling disconnected from recordings of yourself. I've always been so so shy and hesitant to speak aloud in real-life conversations. I won't claim that I'm completely over any of those things, but spending time getting familiar with what I sound like in an objective, task-oriented setting has helped me learn to listen for my own vocal cues when I'm feeling too overwhelmed to process other kinds of feedback. I'm much more aware of what my uncertainty sounds like, for example, and am better able to cover for it now.

Thing 9: If you're also a writer as I am, it helps you look at your own writing through a new lens! I have been known to write 50+-word sentences, but now I (sometimes) stop to consider the punctuation breaks. How readable is this paragraph? Where would I take a breath if I were reading? Where would the emphasis naturally end up and how do I change that of it's not what I wanted?

I think people who are Better At Things might not necessarily have all the same experiences I shared here, but personally, I'm grateful for the opportunity, and I look forward to doing it again!

Here are the works I read for FTH last year:

Evil Plans by Sodium_Azide

The Night The World Didn't End by Aethelflaed

and the one that belongs to the earlier outtakes:

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear by my dear friend QuothTheMaiden, who still seems to like me just fine even though there's a terrible whine behind the whole thing (this was the troubleshooting fic btw. Software updated and defaulted to the wrong device, but I picked the better read over the better sound quality in the end).

#fandom trumps hate #podfic #my podfic #good omens #cactus chatter

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sitp-recs · 2 months ago

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Hello!

First, I hope you're doing quite well and having a good day!

Second, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the post re: the writer who felt discouraged about not getting comments despite readers loving the works in quiet and gushing in other places (and would likely leave their fandom). More specifically, your tag about how your blog may fit in to all that.

Like you, I'm not a writer, in the sense that we don't come up with a story and put it out there, heart in our hands, hoping for someone to see it and enjoy it and maybe even to say as much to me. I won't discount OP sharing their friend's very valid feelings of seeking some validation and connection with their audience. I think that's a very human thing to want. And it's okay to be so disappointed that you stop interacting with a thing that doesn't make you feel good.

But I also don't want you to discount what you bring to fandom. Your blog is a big reason WHY I read in this fandom, and I think that's true of a lot of people, just based on the asks you get. Personally, your insight has helped me find some of the most beautiful stories and insanely talented writers and artists. For those of us old enough to remember a world without social media/smart phones (or even the internet as an easily accessible thing), one way people often found new media (and artists) is by reading reviews. And they weren't always kind. Reccers like you only share kind reviews. And they often say that one way to consistently find media you enjoy is to find a reviewer whose tastes seem to match up to yours and follow their lead when looking for new things to enjoy.

You (and all reccers) are a valuable part of the fandom ecosystem, helping introduce new fans to fandom as a whole. And your blog also often encourages being a better human in fandom. Because the reality is that newer, younger fans won't know the etiquette to being in these spaces. And that's just as important.

Thank you to all authors and artists for being brave enough to share a part of yourself through fandom. And reccers, thank you for your work on helping us find them. May we all go forth and treat each other very kindly.

Thank you so much anon, this was really special to read! To be completely honest I am just coming back after a fandom break, and I was not in the right headspace to interact with that kind of post (that’s on me!). I regretted reblogging it as soon as it was out as I did not want it to come across as “Liv’s self-pity party” because the discussion is much bigger and layered, but @eleadore’s ask triggered a very interesting discussion with great insights (strongly related to @garagepaperback’s comment about how some of us who have lurked for years might have a different understanding of fandom, and how the introduction of kudos etc by ao3 is re-shaping this culture at large 🤯)

I think it’s a nuanced discussion because of how fandom is structured and the way stats influence newcomers (both authors and readers) but I was talking with my friends last night and one key takeaway for us was what we saw in someone else’s tags: “don’t outsource your happiness”. I think it’s important to validate our craving for interaction and belonging, after all this is a social space! I love making friends with people who are just as obsessed with these two idiots as I am! But the moment this craving becomes our primary motivator, the moment we link our self-worth to external validation, we’re giving someone else the power to ruin our experience, our relationships, our passion. There’s nothing wrong with taking a step back when something that’s supposed to be fun and chill starts making us miserable instead. I wanna cultivate a healthy relationship with my hobbies so that I can still find comfort and refuge in them. That’s something that resonates with both creators and readers, I think, and something I wanna keep in mind as I move forward with the blog, in whatever shape or form it takes ❤️‍🩹

I appreciate your love letter to all reccers and the kind words about my recs. I’m so happy to hear that the blog had a lasting (and positive!) impact on your fandom experience. Thanks again for taking the time to write this message. Take care!

#asks #anon

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blackbloodteeth · 5 hours ago

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List of Known Steins out in the Multiverse

Here it finally is: The comprehensive catalogue (in no particular order) of alternate universe Frankens!

For the sake of avoiding redundancy, the Frankens I have drawn or written about beforehand will not be included, and I have avoided any that are too closely associated with a Soul variant to the point of being overshadowed (so you won't see the death scythe listed, or anything about the squirrel scientist, rat king professor, etc.).

Even while I attempted to keep things concise (the multiverse is infinite, after all), this list is still quite long (like actually 100+ of them) and you have been warned before clicking the read more. Otherwise, hope this is a fun and informative collection to feast your mind upon!

Without further ado:

Special mention to the one story idea I had called Schadenfreude, which explores Franken's perspective as his partnership with Spirit changes and after he graduates, going through events such as how he acquired his lab, the type of autopsy work the Academy had him do, and the different levels of experimentation he did on himself and everything around him. It also delves upon his relationships with the other characters and how he is as a person throughout the story, especially as he gets closer to who he is when the series starts.

Mostly just a character piece that answers little questions like when did he get his glasses, how did he end up becoming a smoker, and some focus on his level of self-awareness despite simultaneously being a little emotionally immature. I personally don't see myself being the best fit for stitching together this kind of story given I don't have as much of a grasp with his character as I do Soul, but it's definitely still interesting to think about.

2. Oddball: While his eyes appear to be slightly bigger than normal due to his glasses, they're actually rather small underneath. Definitely an oddball even by average Franken standards, being more visually expressive (he really likes to talk with his hands), often found telling way too many facts about cannibalism and the human body, and is banned from more than one dentist's office. Probably also secretly half-shark.

3. Mongoose Centaur: Often depicted with snakes between his claws, and sometimes also his fangs. A proficient hunter of snakes, hunting them both as food and protection of the surrounding peoples living nearby. Despite his wild nature, he is quite fascinated by two-leggeds, especially those who are quite capable of hunting as well.

4. Paleontologist: Ever since he was a little kid, he's always hyperfixated on dinosaurs, even if in his own way of wanting to take apart and put things back together again. Now that he's older, he gets to do just that: Fossil reconstruction and theorizing how those many ancient critters may have lived in the past. He also likes to take up speculative evolution projects as a hobby, and is probably the most likely to engineer a real living dinosaur at some point.

5. Engineer: Due to the unfortunate circumstance of having been born a squeamish person, he's taken to focusing his interest in dissections to the engineering and machinery side of things, which is certainly useful in the tech-heavy world of his. Also noted to have a pet lobster that may or may not actually be some species of monster, even if relatively docile.

6. Frank: At some point in the time that Marie has been living in Franken's lab, he ended up bringing home a large monstrous crab as a pet. And not just any large monstrous crab, a Black Desert Crab: An extremely rare species that he couldn't just let go to waste getting eaten by vultures or what have you. While Marie has been pretty accepting of their new roommate, she isn't quite as enthusiastic about Franken trying to feed the crab Doritos for science.

7. [Lab Dog AU]: In some alternate universe, there was an experiment that had altered a grey wolf into standing on two legs, with long forelimbs and even longer tail, all held together by a screw-like device anchored along the top of its spine. It's uncertain how it was freed from the lab that birthed it, but it ended up being taken in by Franken as both a test subject and companion. It has somewhat child-like intelligence and is relatively friendly, so it's made for a decent lab assistant, at least in that it's easier for Franken to get his thoughts out when he needs to and have someone to help remind him to take breaks (it's recently gotten good at sniffing out when his anxiety flares as well). He hasn't quite deciphered what the device is originally intended for, but it makes moving more difficult for it if screwed in either direction.

8. Bad Clone: I've actually mentioned him once before, but allow me to elaborate that in Pokemon Gold and Silver, a clone is when you copy one Pokemon's data and overwrite it over a second Pokemon, thus turning it into the first one completely. A bad clone, however, is when this is done incorrectly so it may end up looking like the original Pokemon, but has still been rewritten with the data of the Pokemon you were attempting to copy. So with this in mind, imagine a Soul who looks like Soul, except something went horribly wrong to have Stein's "data" overwritten into his (originally written as "Soul finds he loves dissecting all kinds of things and seeing how they tick, but doesn't understand why.").

9. Chimera: His fascination with unique creatures led him to grafting them to himself, and what he doesn't use, he dissects and maps out the intricacies of their anatomy. Given the wide range of organisms under his belt, he's quite particular about collecting only the rarest of specimens for personal additions, while otherwise either preserving them for further study or making minor chimeras for when monsters would not otherwise survive their captivity. Notable for having somehow integrated a Cockatrice into himself, and for unintentionally creating the world's most colorful Jackalope farm.

10. Hydra: Was infected by Medusa in an attempt to convert him into her new pet project, however the versatility and resilience of his soul made the snakes all his own. Most of the snakes inhabit him through the holes scattered along his torso and arms, making them quick to defend their host when threatened, and conversely utilized as an extension of his wavelength attacks. Of course people are more wary of him than ever, but this strange symbiosis has yet to impede his mind much.

11. GOD: One can truly only summarize him as The Mad God, and is probably the most noteworthy Franken Stein in the multiverse. Of course, describing him otherwise is a little trickier; accounts of who he is or what he's like seem to change from even the most minute detail when talked of, leading to a very reasonable conclusion that he is most likely some form of chaos deity. To the Frankens most aware and sensitive to his existence, they're doing what they can to band together and minimize the harm he may have on other realities.

12. The Thread and Needle: Also fully known as The Thread and Needle of Time and Space. As you would expect, he is the keeper of the fabrics of realities, and definitely has his work cut out for him with all this "GOD" business. For as tired as he is, he doesn't actually mind if other Frankens traverse outside of their birth reality, as mending the fabric of existence is already a natural cycle he was created to look after. As long as you're not making things harder for him, go forth and do your thing or what-have-you.

13. The Ashen One: Wanders the earth with soot footprints, feared and loathed as an omen for the fires that occur soon after his arrival, a form of decay that is part of life's natural cycle yet is only misunderstood by men as senseless death. While this hatred has turned him quite cynical and soft-spoken, he genuinely means no harm to others and simply holds a very down-to-earth view of everything around him. Before he met Spirit (an embodiment of flame) and Marie (an embodiment of lightning), he kept only carrion birds for company, turned an ashen grey just like him as an effect of his presence.

14. The Doctor of Plague: Wears a corvid-esque plague mask and specializes in the study of ailments, both in their cures and their inflictions. Spends much of his time out hunting for beasts to further his research, as there's no greater plague than the one that eats away the minds of men by moonlight.

15. Demon: Thought to be the Devil himself, however that is just a common misconception. Allegedly lacking a body of his own to navigate the earth, so he often attempts to strike deals for temporary bodily ownership, although the most trouble he brings afterwards usually involves the loopholes he exposes to run a few of his own experiments. To those who seek him out to commit acts he doesn't agree with, however, are in for a rude surprise from his sadistic side.

"Your soul? No, I want your body."

16. Catman: Divorced Catman Spirit's handler. Appears rather indifferent to a lot of things given the expressions of his ears and tail don't really change that much, and it's a mystery to anyone how he manages to put up with Spirit's dramatic theatrics. Pulling out a body bag whenever Spirit doesn't want to stop moping over his lap seems to bring up more questions than answers regarding that.

17. Soulbound: Stein hadn't talked to his ex-weapon partner for a long while after graduation, so when Spirit ends up as his next autopsy, things were rather jarring even before his soul ends up binding to Franken's. Now dealing with both their lingering regrets, Franken has to navigate Spirit's amnesia as he uncovers the exact cause of his now-undead body's death, all while trying to distance himself from the uncomfortable familiarity of his wavelength even as the two are unable to stay physically distant for long due to being soulbound.

18. Fallen: Could've been a bout of madness, of obsession, that drove him to capture the fallen angel; Spirit, an overly indulgent creature who fell in love with a human woman but was ultimately rejected for his selfish ways. Story goes that Franken chopped the angel up, sowing on its wings while keeping it caged inside his heartless chest, however the truth is never quite so simple.

19. Werewolf: After getting bitten by a werewolf and being fully aware of the night ahead of him, Franken uses what little time he has to record as much of the process before his mind full sinks under. Since then though, he's (mostly) learned to be aware of himself when transformed as he never truly fought this other self of his, and thus nowadays the only real drawback is not turning back into a human in the morning until he's had his coffee. It takes a lot of energy to be more than one animal, you know.

20. AIone: Having woken up from an incredibly groggy nap at his computer, Franken comes to a slow and daunting realization that everyone in the city seems to have suddenly disappeared. He has yet to discover what caused this anomaly, if it's a widespread phenomenon, or even why he still remains for that matter, but given the circumstances and who he is, he isn't going to just lie down for another nap despite the headache.

21. Gearhead: A really talented mechanic, even if some of his personal contraptions are a bit unhinged. Has hundreds of projects he somehow keeps tabs of scattered around his garage, and if he isn't stained in oil, he's sleeping. Also ended up picking up tattoo artistry as an unexpected passion, though for obvious reasons, most people aren't comfortable letting him work needles on them. Maybe Soul's just a masochist.

22. Unbottled: Collects the souls of monsters and Pre-Kishins, storing them within bottles designed to contain their wavelengths. Supposedly also contained a handful of smaller beings from alternate universes, but literally bottling himself up would be silly, right? …Right?

23. Sprite: Has an appearance similar to a fishing lure, with small waterproof feathers and bird-like feet tucked close to its body. Has been quite the grouch after being caught by a much larger version of itself and stored in a jar (better enclosure pending), making it bare its sharp little teeth like a weapon of mass hiss-struction.

24. Homunculus: In a world where artificially grown people had become a fairly successful project with the use of rat genetics, this new generation of humanity was eventually integrated into the rest of society, living with their own developing cultures despite lacking thumbs. As it so happens, one of the new transfer students of the Academy happens to be of a very fascinating mutative strain, leading Franken to quickly bond with Soul over the Professor's latest thumb prosthetics he's personally developed and approved.

25. Hummingbird: As expected, he usually appears as a fairly normal hummingbird, although he has also been seen looking more as a human-like fairy as well. When he isn't eating, he spends his time gathering and planting a wide variety of seeds, all in the name of preserving and studying the ecosystem. Busy little fella, that one.

26. Clone Dad: A Franken that is unique in that he successfully grew a clone of himself, albeit with minor genetic additions of Spirit thrown in as an accident (allegedly). Although this did end up coming with the side effect of Franken's spontaneous fatherhood as the result had to be raised from infancy, but hey, turns out he's become a better dad to himself than he expected. Their favourite bonding exercise involves creating a new species together and bringing it to life as a stuffed toy.

27. The Lab: For all intents and purposes, he is the Patchwork Lab, existing through the framework of the building as furniture rearrangements and restocked paraphernalia. He can even change the layout and structure of the rooms itself when he's allowed to get away with it, though it's a 50-50 on whether this will be for utility or amusement. There are actually quite a few Frankens that now take up his residency as a base of operations of sorts, however for the sake of everyone's sanity, I will not be listing any of them.

28. Patchwork: Living human-sized doll with glass eyes and sown together from several fabrics. Keeps several needles on-hand (or shall we say in hand), some of which remaining in different areas of his body for unknown reasons. He's studied extensively on anatomy and can work very efficiently in acupuncture no matter the patient, along with being able sow up just about anything with his needles.

29. The Pile: A collective pile of abandoned and forgotten clothes have all been salvaged in this animate pile. Quite smart and talkative for what he is, and most prefers the comfort of a good laundry bin, shedding any fabrics if they become too damaged or worn out. May contain spiders, however that is currently just a rumour. Origin unknown. May be an anomaly.

30. Bookworm: Some say this is actually just the larval stage of some species of bug monster, which may explain why he wears so many layers to the point only his glasses peek out. He's quite knowledgeable on a lot of things though, and loves reading anything he get his sleeves on. I wonder what he'll pupate into?

31. Shade: Don't turn on the lights.

32. Coach: Would've preferred just being the school's Health teacher but ended up getting dragged into the athletics side to the point of becoming the best team coach they've got. Practices can sometimes end up a bit grueling, but they push the strengths and weaknesses of the team for the better in the end. Many often think she's a guy but she doesn't really care. Definitely related to the haunted locker rumour.

33. Figment: A figment of someone's imagination, but we're not sure who's. Truthfully he dreads eventually finding the answer, but for now, he'll do what he can to be of help and share everything he learns. Sometimes gives seemingly wrong advice for reasons that aren't ever inherently obvious.

34. Raven: And quothe the Raven: You need to let it go. Spirit Albarn was quite miserable after the loss of his wife and the distance between him and his daughter, however this entity, simply known as the Raven, has been growing quite close to him in its curiosity. As one hole is dug, another is laid barren for the bones of new feelings that are always just out of grasp.

35. Spider: Now picture a large spider with perhaps far too many legs than should be possible, and that's pretty close to what this guy is. He can appear as human, but only his upper half, so it isn't uncommon for his person-like self to be seen hanging around while the rest of him remains perpetually out of sight. It isn't known if he likes collecting mannequin arms because it freaks people out or if he really does like having that many hands.

36. Strong Soul: Could use a better nickname, but it's hard to describe a Franken whose soul is so big he can project it outside of his body, which makes him appear telekinetic at times. Very fond of making extra arms for himself and perfecting his shielding technique. Still coming to terms with the power he potentially wields in projecting it into others, however.

37. ???: Do not engage with them. Do not speak to them directly once they have been identified. Do not listen to their vocalizations. Do not let them in.

38. Shifter: Often assumed to be made up of different stolen body parts, however that is strictly false. Whenever he changes his body into something else, he keeps just a little piece with him when he reverts to his form of origin, often times just for analysis. This does not originate from obsession or identity loss, and he's actually a rather mellow fellow.

39. Doctor: The split from his partnership with Spirit was the result of the loss of his legs's use and becoming wheelchair-bound in this world. Even so, he was still kept on-hand by the Academy for things like autopsies after graduation, and he still later returns to be a replacement nurse regardless of the lingering complex feelings he holds for his last weapon. Not sure where else he fits, but he has a lot of potential compatibility for many existing AUs.

40. Dwarf: Essentially just a Franken with dwarfism. He's much more into tinkering with electronics and anything inorganic compared to other versions of him, and could probably recreate BREW on his own if he wanted to. Still has a whole mess of plants he takes good care of, strangely.

41. Night Owl: Perpetual bedhead. Usually awake solely at night (hence the name), and has more rumours than can be counted about being anything from a cryptid to a lingering spirit held on this earth against his will. There is no evidence against these rumours. Best not to disturb him before he's finished his first cup of coffee.

42. Defect: They tried to make the perfect replica, however it came out defective. Not fully understanding the nature of who he is, he dreams of escaping and learning about the outside world as they frequently use him for experimentation, counting down the days before they dismantle him or he falls mad. I feel so sorry for him. On the surface he doesn't really appear all that different from Franken himself, making for a really compelling story that kept me up a bit when I was falling asleep.

43. Merman: Appears to be more like a whale than your standard fish, especially as his vocalizations don't match up frequencies with any others of his kind. Could be found holed up in his own little alcove, at least until chancing an encounter with a red-headed fisherman who always goes out at sea to escape the troubles haunting him. It's hard to say who exactly was the one lured to that old lighthouse in fascination of the other.

44. Dr. Stein: Said to be mad as a hatter always talking to his shadow, but how could that be when he sounds so sane in proper conversation? Well as it turns out, his shadow is alive, thought by some to be the darker parts of him come to life after being cast from himself, yet unsevered. Either way, both are one in the same despite their differences.

45. STEIN v2: At first glance, he appears to be a man with the head of an old computer monitor (y'know, the clunky square kind). However, his real self is the program running straight from his heart, theorized to be a highly advanced Artificial Intelligence despite the technology not previously existing in this day and age. One would think he climbed straight out of a sci-fi movie, cracking open programs like puzzles and fixing up any electronics he gets his hands on to work better than before. Doesn't seem like he intends to overthrow humanity or turn people into machines anytime soon, though.

46. Shattered: It was previously thought that the Franken that appears in reflections, shattering any mirror he passes through, and the Stein who existed solely in the text that would write itself were both separate people, however as it turns out that was just his first and last name. He's reluctant to explain where exactly he originates or how he came to be this apparition, but he has quite the sense of humour once you get past the hauntings.

47. "Just Professor, please.": Works at a mental health institute as a psychiatrist, and is quite understanding despite his seemingly oddball mannerisms. One of his eyes is actually fake, and what lies underneath it? Well, it's best you don't dwell on your fears for too long.

48. Soulless: Exactly as described, he lacks a soul, and yet he still lives day-to-day as if he didn't, constantly between this reality and somewhere much like dreams. It can be hard to distinguish the two, especially as he can affect and be affected by both, sometimes simultaneously.

49. Seer: Constantly receives prophetic dreams and visions of things that are and are to be, however he just wishes to live a normal life despite the compulsion to write everything down anyway. Often times feels somewhat out of it, like he's on the edge of understanding something bigger than himself, or perhaps awakening something in him that won't be able to fall back asleep once it surfaces. Makes really good desserts.

50. Gravekeeper: Death City's notorious gravekeeper and mortician, constantly changing out masks depending on his mood and current objective. Some say his real face is actually surprisingly normal, others like to indulge in the tales of it being a spooky skull or the mishmash of all his victims that were caught disturbing the graves after midnight. Those who do know him know him a little too well, delighting in mischievous pranks and perpetuating the scary stories of his supposed hauntings, especially to the youngins that dare each other to sneak in late at night. Apparently, the one about him keeping a giant pet centipede turned out to be true.

51. Joker: There's a reason they locked him up, or rather: Tried! What fun, what fun! [Play a round with him?]

52. Creature: Exactly what it says on the tin. Mostly like a lizard, with a lot of his body having a patchy pattern to it due to being able to regenerate any part of himself, although he has a few holes filled with the glowing neon liquid found in his saliva (which smells suspiciously like battery acid and has a dangerously high amount of caffeine in it). Some think he's like this due to contamination with radioactive substances, but who knows.

53. Bug Maniac: A Pokemon professor who is notable for having collected a lot of Bug-types. Seems to actually be obsessed with wanting to become a Pokemon himself, so that may explain why he's studying their unique method of evolution so closely, however despite his perceived oddities he takes very good care of all his little specimens. His Applin appears to have been a gift from someone else.

54. Nephilim: Rarely ever actually seen, instead preferring to lurk in the shadow of Spirit (who is actually an incubus, feeding of any and all attention given to him) as his stagehand and show manager. Likes to keep himself busy, especially when it comes to actually thinking about the two's relationship with each other, so it's not unusual for him to be caught working in odd spots like the rafters above the show stage. Can't really say for sure if even he knows what exactly he is, but he's human enough for it to not really matter.

55. Dustbunny: Contrary to the name, he's more of a felted plush that just looks like a dusty collection of dryer lint stitched together. This little bunny can bring you good luck when kept in your pocket, although his abilities work better when carrying another compatible felt bunny along with him.

56. Unicorn: Also contrary to the name, not actually a horse. He was just a guy who's fascinated with growing and studying mushrooms, and ended up gaining a unicorn's horn after scavenging for more mushrooms one day. While he's certain that this horn just might actually contain some kind of power, it's still too early to tell what he'll be capable of now that it's fully grown from his head. He's decided he doesn't mind if he ends up turning into a horse.

57. The Liminal Man: Was initially just your average Franken, however one day he started noticing more rooms in his lab than he remembered, and as he made note of them, more and more new rooms cropped up as if they were always there. Still mostly your average Franken, but now he spends a lot of time mapping out the changes to his lab, documenting each room carefully as they start to become more strange and impossible the further he explores. He's not exactly going mad or anything, we just call him the Liminal Man because he lives here.

58. Performer: One of the travelling circus's main attractions: The most flexible man in the world. He can pop any of his joints and twist himself into any manner of freaky poses, all without harming himself as he quickly snaps back to the way he was moments later. And of course what would he be without the growing list of stories about him and his strange nature, some of which spread just for the sake of advertising. While he may be a little jaded to the show business side of things, at least his fellow performers are more of a family to him than he's actually admitted. No one's sure why he has secondary eyelids.

59. Cell: Despite appearing to look like a single-celled organism, he's fascinatingly complex, especially with being about the size of a small rodent and showing signs of higher intelligence. Apparently when the lab members working with him found a way to communicate with him via simple Morse code, his first message was "FINALLY".

60. Cockatoo: To you, yes, you may question why they let some mottled bird fly around the lab, but this is actually one of the best scientists we've got! If you watch closely, you can see him at work; taking extensive notes and brainstorming the answers to many unsolved hypothesis- okay yes, maybe he does sound like he's speaking incoherently most of the time, but talking things out to himself is how he works best. We've made a lot of breakthroughs thanks to him.

61. Constellation: His body is made of stars, his scars stitched together with constellations. His bones are clusters of glowing celestial matter and at his heart is his very own sun. He has a habit of meddling with humans because they amuse him, not maliciously, but there's so much curiosity sparked by all the little people of this world.

62. Hairy: His whole head appears to be nothing but hair, which makes you wonder what the point of wearing glasses over it is. Works on the technical side of the ghost-hunting crew that specializes in identifying hauntings, putting lingering spirits at ease, and expelling any unsavory sorts before anyone gets hurt. Supposedly he does actually have a face underneath all the scruff but he doesn't like showing it to most people.

63. Comedy & Tragedy: Two Frankens who are literally overlapping each other, best described as a two-headed projection with contrasting expressions like a duo of theatre masks. Many believe them to be completely and utterly mad, however it's more a lack of perspective and understanding to their methods. It's best that you know what you're up against before you accept anything from them.

64. Demigod: A culmination of sin, the demigod of Hubris. The people worshiped him, only to bring their own downfall. Behold him now, glowing eyes upon his hollow throne, as he watches the lone man ask why he rests there. "Because there are those who still seek me out," he grins.

65. Scarecrow: Appears to be just a patched-up scarecrow, but his time biding in the fields is used to scope out and stalk prey. It was a simple life with the crows until he met Spirit, a cursed soul who inhabits a scythe that'd been left out to rot, but at least things are little more interesting now that the two are working together to haunt the night in search of tasty evildoers.

66. Skinbag: Mostly just a stitched-together mass of flesh, still living, still waiting. Spends most of his time sleeping, but while awake he can extend his senses into others, allowing him to share their view of the world and keep up with whatever's going on. As he was almost immortal beforehand, he's slowly regenerating with every offering (ethically sourced) gifted to him.

67. Sightseer: Woke up one day in the middle of nowhere with no memory of how he got there. He quite literally sees the world differently from other people, able to perceive things even with his eyes closed. Even stranger, if he keeps them shut, he becomes unseeable to others aside from the footprints he leaves.

68. Winter Wolf: Out in no man's land where it usually always snows, one can find the wolfman patrolling his territory, as if guarding something unknown to the rest of the world. It is thought that he may have been a werewolf commanded by some greater force to wander there, as he is never seen as a man despite walking like one and wearing a thick winter coat. Although not talkative if one is courageous enough to approach, he is not outwardly hostile, carrying on indifferently to those who are lended company.

69. Devil Tail: A scientific researcher that loves to project hop, though usually prefers doing fieldwork as he's much more prone to fidgeting around when cooped up. He's always greeted home with sweets by his hubby, an apron-wearing Spirit who much like him, has a fluffy devil's tail, however Franken's horns are usually hidden unless he's using his unique abilities. It's rather unwise to fight him head-on even alone.

70. Invisible Man: Completely invisible except for anything he wears or interacts with. Runs a comparatively normal laundromat, often found reading papers with an air of disinterest when someone isn't bothering him for anything in particular. On the side, he likes to grow medicinal herbs for a certain shark-toothed guy, and is the first to have cultivated a semi-sentient cannabis.

71. Overclocked: Started fitting himself with mechanical parts of his own making after disliking the current market for prosthetics, which works well for him considering how much they've helped manage his powers. His left arm controls his ability to "rewind" the flow of events around him, while his right arm "fast-forwards," allowing him to alter the actions and consequences he affects at a small scale. He's often associated and forewarned by butterflies; the ripples of the Butterfly Effect.

72. Omen: An incredibly elusive sight, to the point of being considered merely a folktale; And who would believe a deer with the face of a man at first sight, with large antlers of varying different creatures crowning its head? Even the hoofprints it rarely leaves behind are considered an omen, although whether good or bad depends on your perspective, especially in the local tourism stories.

73. Possessed: Was just the owner of a local shop before one day he began acting strangely, trying to seem overly normal all of the sudden to the point of awkwardness and being suspiciously privy to all sorts of unusual information. The big fluffy cat that hangs around appears to have caught on to him actually being from another world; the regulars can only raise their eyebrows, though.

74. Hog: The prized pig of the Albarn family, and practically one of their members. Big patchy fella, but smart as Dickens, often found reading books and helping little Maka study when he isn't being shown off. Some would've sworn he's even said a few words like a person, however evidence of him walkin' and talkin' are nothing more than the fancies of fantasy.

75. Mouse: A smart little fellow that lives in the walls and attic with the other spirits in this home, spending most of his time observing and studying the humans that dwell here. Who knows for what purpose his personal project has been building up to; one must wonder if there isn't some greater experiment at work.

76. Demon Ape: Lives a solitary life deep in the forests by the mountainsides, honing his skills of hand-to-hand combat and learning all he can of the intricacies of the nature that surrounds him. May potentially hold a connection between human and ape, as the long metal "quills" along his arms and tail show a strong link to demon weapons, which is most likely why the Academy has shown interest in recruiting him as an ally in these tense times.

77. The Doc: Now this one might truly be mad as a hatter, namely in that he likes to cackle and wear hats. Obviously his most notable feature is the rib-like teeth that open up his chest, exposing the beating threads and fabrics nested inside his- oh, ha ha, I get it. "Open heart surgeon," very funny. What's next, you going to tell me the fact he has four eyes is part of the joke too? Well regardless, he's a trickster with a bonesaw, so whether or not he's a help or a hindrance depends on your willingness to work with him. Also not sure if his real heart is inside the cloth pile or not.

78. Detective: Despite his off-putting nature, he's one of the most brilliant investigators around, with a case record so formidable even criminals respect him- wait why is wearing a hotdog outfit? Well either way, there's a killer on the loose, but not for long on his watch.

79. The Hedonist: He found him one day, unconscious and broken. Franken took him back to his place – maybe out of pity, maybe out of innate intrigue – and felt the curious itch to take him apart more than ever as he healed even before he'd finished sowing him back together. Kept him in a cage after that; clearly wasn't human. Days passed, the wayward soul spoke with him. "Spirit," they agreed upon. Eventually Franken let him free, under the deal proposed in simple terms: Enjoy the earthly pleasures of the world together with him, of wine and smoke and company, and he'll willingly let the inner workings of his body be studied by his scalpel alone.

80. Madness Incarnate: Exactly as it sounds: The culmination of Stein's madness, influenced by Asura and come to life as its own entity. Easily recognized by the stitched scarves that adorn him and the eyes that obscure his true face, however his thoughts and motives less so. A rogue element, undeniably, but he is strangely not hostile upon first encounter. Could it be nothing more than a wild hunter merely weighing its prey?

81. Body, Mind, & Soul: A trio that originated from the same Franken Stein. The body lacks both a brain and a soul, but lives as if still alive (albeit slightly less predictable due to relying on mostly instincts), suggesting they're all still connected in some way. The brain has made use of strange organic technology to thrive on its own while sometimes still ordering the body around, however the soul appears to be elsewhere unknown at this time.

82. Rat Man: Something like the mix between a rat and a man, preferring to wear comfortable sweaters both to keep himself warm and to cover all of his scars. At some point he ended up befriending a red fox with an unusual amount of tails, though Spirit isn't the only one on the run as Franken has reluctantly started opening up about the arrows that haunt him wherever he goes.

83. Beast: Professor Stein was once a normal teacher who quite enjoyed his job, until one night he was attacked by a wild animal and ended up sick for well over a week. While he has since recovered enough to return to his job, strange things have begun to happen to him: His hair and eyes have begun to grey. His vision has improved to the point he no longer needs his glasses. Other senses and even his appetite are changing, worrying everyone he knows as he feels like he's losing control of some part of himself. Something inexplicable is wrong with him, and it isn't until the next full moon that his life feels like it's crashing out from under him…

84. Eclipse: Franken thought he knew himself. So did the other people around him, especially his old friend Spirit when it becomes harder to hide the darkness weighing his mind. Every day he wakes up with new scars on his body, ones he has no recollection of but are undoubtedly his handiwork. And every time he feels strong enough to look back in the mirror, his reflection doesn't feel like his own anymore.

85. Animalia: In the curiosity of science and self-analysis, he's been steadily playing with tweaking his own genetics, altering himself with pieces of different animals just to see if he could. So far, it's changed some of his instincts and given some extra senses to study; on one hand, now he can detect motion in the dark with increased accuracy of identifying its source. On the other, it's become a little distracting that he's picked up nesting behaviours that urge him into piling together pillows and desire social cuddling.

86. Mad Doctor: Some might say a nickname like that's an understatement; Ain't no other cowboy in the wild west, where madness gathers in the mirages itself, that rides an actual cow, 'specially not one with horns like that. Ain't none dare mess with him neither, 'cause no matter where he shoot, he don't miss. Best mind your business when he arrives, 'less you wanna meet the vultures that always follow.

87. Host: Doesn't quite recall firsthand the events that led to an otherworldy parasite living in his chest, for as many times as he's reread his own disorganized account on it. Thankfully, the parasite's growth seems to have not progressed much and thus has yet to take him over, although it's not easily determined if this is a good thing considering it's begun communicating with him through his own mind, enticing him with strange and questionable knowledge.

88. Lava Lamp: Large portions of his body are see-through, appearing as if containing a clear liquid with moving wax inside much in a way that resembles a lava lamp. This is actually a reflection of the soul, and the color that glows throughout shifts depending on a variety of factors, such as hormone regulation, emotional responses, and overall health. When he sleeps, the gentle light that emanates from within dims and the "bubbles" slow.

89. The Science Show: It all started out as an educational video channel aimed to help break down various scientific topics for children, but over the years its contents branched out to other age levels and points of interest. The scientist character used in each video to explain the current topic has always remained the same, however later episodes have been noted to contain increasingly strange elements (such as an anatomical dissection of a species of animal that could not be easily identified), bringing the channel's validity into question despite how consistently well-researched it remains. Even stranger still, attempts to reach out to the owner of the channel have always led to dead ends, to the point any and all locations (such as live footage or IP tracking) dug up about the owner's whereabouts do not appear to exist.

90. Clown: His soul found its way into the body of a Clown; a being born as an embodiment of madness, and yet his mind does not sink under it. It's like living in a dream, able to hold one's breath as they watch everything around them drift by. Will the memories of who he once was remain just above the surface, always out of reach, or can he swim deeper to finally grasp his true self and purpose?

91. The Afterimage & the Alien: A mostly normal Franken aside from every movement he makes leaves a translucent "afterimage" of him every second, creating a somewhat surreal effect when in motion. Even more notable, he's been working with another version of himself – a short, four-fingered alien with long ears that managed to open up an interdemensional rift while working on a research ship – for all sorts of new and exciting research possibilities while they get the rift machine fine-tuned. The more the merrier for picking one's own brain, I suppose.

92. Symbiosis: A large parasite swallowed his head, mutating his body along with it, however his mind stayed almost completely intact and thus so did his innate scientific curiosity. While his hands did gain crustacean-like pincers and his abdomen is now similarly teeming with crab limbs, his human fingers still function well enough tucked by his wrists for nothing to impede the excitement of his newfound senses. The lobster tail is pretty cool too.

93. Puppeteer: Lives through multiple puppeted replicas of himself, all searching and studying for one overarching goal. Much like his motives, only a rare few are trusted enough to know where his real body is, for he is bedridden and unable to move due to the severe burns that had eaten him away.

94. Lab Rat: Once a rat that a strange scientist owned, not as a pet but as a pupil, studiously learning anything and everything being taught to him. But one day an experiment went in an unexpected direction, and the two traded fates; the scientist now a rat and the rat now a man. Unfortunately the scientist soon passed away in the process, so Stein honoured his teacher's name and began his research, putting everything he learned to the test in hopes of finding a greater way to bridge the gap between man and animal.

95. Icy: Quite literally cold-hearted, preferring to keep temperatures around him comfortably low as most the water inside his body is either made of ice or flowing slowly through his veins. His breath actively freezes the air, which makes his lab more of an oversized icebox, and although he himself is a rather calm and noncombative person, he may convert all the moisture in the air into snow or hail all at once if he finds something bothersome.

96. Sensory: Appears with a constant chromatic aberration effect. Initially prone to causing eye strain and headaches to those without proper eyewear, however further exposure to his presence may eventually lead to visual disruptions and hallucinations. This is apparently uncontrollable by him, theorized to be an unintentional defense mechanism of his soul wavelength, so he's been working just as hard to devise a way to reduce or completely nullify these effects.

97. Owl: A big grey owl who enjoys telling stories and finds amusement in having been the inspiration to many folktales. He lives happily in the old foggy woods, for even if it always changes and easily makes others lose their way, the senses of an owl are too sharp to trick this trickster, hoo-hoo!

98. Toxic: Specializes in poisons and toxins, especially their medical applications and antidotes. Part of the secret to the success of his record-breaking discoveries is that his body produces its own toxins, especially the venom that releases into his saliva via the pressure of his fangs. Given how many immunities he's built up over time, the compound of this venom has changed quite a bit as well.

99. The Brains: His body stopped aging before he reached puberty, however his mind was mostly unaffected by whatever caused this condition, so he can be easily mistaken for a prodigy child. He's also one of the handful of Frankens who happens to already be aware of the multiverse, which is partly due to living with another version of himself – A large floating worm-like creature whose head almost resembles a brain. The latter is a little more asocial but the former is known to have a dry sense of humour that can catch people off guard.

100. Dragon: The story varies on who you ask; some say he snacks so much at his computer that he mistook the dragon's scale for a chip, while others think he just couldn't help himself in seeing what it tasted like (for science). Either way the story ends the same: consuming the dragon scale he acquired ended up turning him into a dragon! His hide is thick and craggy, like a rocky mountainside, and he's built like such a tank that he's managed to accidentally knock over everything in his lab by just his tail alone. Seems like he's more like an overexcited puppy considering when he was finally lured outside, he immediately began trying to climb up to the roof to test out his wings.

101. Scrap Heap: Looks like some kind of bizarre metal sculpture that vaguely resembles an arachnid. Was actually quite docile and passive around the office until one day he suddenly legged it, scuttling off into the scrapyard down the block where he proceeded to weld metal to himself like the shell of a hermit crab. Now he's much more difficult to find even if he can still be occasionally spotted quietly eating scrap to himself; not just because he blends in, but because the yard owners swear there's way more metal accumulating than they actually receive.

102. Snake: On first glance, this appears like a completely normal Franken aside from him lying on the floor or on counters. You will quickly find this is not the case, however: He moves just like a snake, and frighteningly fast. Does not, or attempt to, communicate with anyone despite his constant smile and chuckling, so an active effort to keep him contained within the school building has been made as he prefers to stay indoors, although aside from occasionally relocating through the hallways he is not easily found inside whatever room he occupies when sought out. Notice: After recent events, do NOT attempt to forcefully lock or seal him inside any of the rooms, regardless if he enters willingly.

103. Zombie: Managed to bring himself back to life in his last moments, although as one of the undead so much of his body had to be stitched back together (easily done when you can control your limbs from afar, though). It has since been thought that he had outside help now that he's on the run for a grievous crime he supposedly committed, the evidence sown to his very skin; not that he's going to just shamble around idly, mind you, as he's just as motivated to unearth what's really going on here. For those of you who were privy to him beforehand, his trademark shamble is actually due to a limp in one of his legs that he had before he died.

104. Seal: A friendly grey seal in a nice, cozy sweater… somehow. He spends a lot of time on land, so he doesn't have to worry about getting it soaked, which makes him quite adorable as he hops around from one place to another. Although… can't say I've seen many seals who know how to talk too, now that I think of it……

105. Sheepy: His hair grows more like wool, so it needs to be sheared every once in a while. Supposedly his main sweater was actually woven from said wool, which would explain its similar grey shades and handmade quality. Much like how he actually does have the horns of a ram, he admittedly gets anxious when left alone for extended periods of time, so that gives Spirit – who's practically already a sheepdog – all the more excuses to hound him.

106. Sorcerer(ess): His fascination with the research of all humans actually possessing an untapped inner potential for magic like the witches led to him unexpectedly swapping sexes during an experiment. Of course, as this is only one step closer to finding the answers he's been looking for, he's more excited than ever to push his studies to its limit – the frequent fires he has to put out due to his spontaneous uses of raw magic are a bit of a setback, though.

107. The Godhood: Raised to birth a new god, hence why he holds the power to heal and harm in unforeseen ways. He rejected his godhood, however, as he eventually gained understanding that this was not for selfless intentions, and so he spent a long while wandering in search of a new purpose. The long scarf that adorns his body was steadily woven by his equally long hair, strands in many shades of silver and grey that always captivates humanity's curious nature.

108. The Empath: Has to suppress his emotions as his highly tuned perception of other people's soul wavelengths makes him much more reactive due to the mass amount of input he receives. During times where he lets this filter down (as it's less harmful in the long run to do so occasionally), he becomes very "weepy," and as a consequence this can trigger a chain reaction of others crying around him.

109. Corvid: Woke up so sick one morning that he could barely crawl out of bed. It took a few hours for someone to notice he hadn't come in or even had the energy to answer the phone (not that him neglecting his calls was that unusual, really), but Spirit has since been checking in on him as Franken gets some much-needed rest. Initially it was thought to be just a run-of-the-mill fever, yet through the weakness and malaise he can sense something off, like a distant itch along his skin that feels almost like feathers…

110. Stone: A golem of clay and stone that was given a soul, and yet his true purpose has only fallen into obscurity. While he is known to eventually return to a specific area no matter how far he wanders, he is never hostile to anyone who tours there as he gathers his stones, collecting them both to reform his body to his own liking and to gather them into mysterious structures. Sometimes he comes across precious stones and metals, however those aren't as interesting to him as rocks that conduct electricity or host colonies of moss.

111. "Franken Stein": In an attempt to remain undercover as a normal person, he's ended up being adopted by an entire flock of pigeons, earning him local notoriety as the "crazy pigeon lady." This ended up working out in his favour as no has suspected a thing, even while he's managed to somehow learn how to speak in coos.

112. Weapon: Something in his DNA mutated, spontaneously granting him an active weapon gene (maybe it was always recessive, who knows). Given his body lacks the necessary nutrients (namely iron) to maintain this new form, attempting transformation currently tends to make him pass out quickly afterwards, especially with his soul having yet to catch up with the process as well. So far he's deduced that he's some form of bladed weapon, at least.

113. Soot: A spirit of soot that mainly resides in chimneys, camouflaging inside of ashes while hunting close to his current dwelling. Generally harmless to humans, and most are unaware of his presence even aside from the occasional footprints he leaves around his home, as most of his activity tends to stay out of sight. If for some reason you want to keep him away, just maintain your fire pit's cleanliness and make sure to reduce the storage of any edible materials nearby.

114. Stripes: Noticeably different in that he was born with stripes patterning his skin, and that he can "reverse" his soul wavelength to make himself nearly undetectable, which has definitely startled people on more occasions than anyone can count at this point. Thinks magnets are cool and thus has far too many than he can feasibly put on his fridge.

115. Radio: His lifelong fascination with mysterious signals and radio waves eventually led up to the creation of artificial soul perception. It isn't perfect, and can end up a bit finicky around certain people (like weapons), but all great inventions start somewhere. His tendency to remain cooped up in his lab is partly due to his avoidance of the harsh Death City sun, given that he happened to have been born with albinism.

116. The Goat Man: Consistently said to have the horns and fur of a goat, and four clawed arms, however whether he has a tail, "evil eyes," and the face of a goat tends to vary between stories, along with the stitched-together creature he keeps as a pet or servant. What people couldn't possibly know, though, is that he had done so to save the creature's life, and that the cabin he resides in has many more secret rooms than could ever possibly be mapped out. If you feel the hair stand up on the back of your neck or swear you heard the doors close, he is already inside the room to observe you and your nightmares.

117. Moonflower: A flowering shrub that prefers darker places, thriving in moonlight and man-made shadows. Will become defensive and retaliate with needles if attempted to be pruned or dug up, so it at least has kept to the courtesy of growing out of people's way, aside from the occasional grab for extra nutrients. Has yet to produce any known children as no other compatible pollinator species has been found at this time.

118. Cold-Blooded: This peculiar doctor stems from a cold-blooded subspecies of human that was a result of magic exposure ages ago. He keeps a fine-tuned temperature regulation inside his lab, and while he's out, he actually prefers to stay seated in wheeled chairs due to having minor blood pressure issues as a result of his height. Still, nothing enamors him more than a wide-open view from high up above the rest of the city.

119. Forcefield: Specializes in the field of soul studies and ectoplasm; the result of noncorporeal mediums meshing unnaturally with physical ones. As a result of his own soul being possibly bigger than his body is comfortable with, he ends up with a frequent amount of nosebleeds, however the radius of his wavelength can conversely be manipulated to act like a barrier or shield. His eyes are usually difficult to see to mask most of his soul from other's perception, mainly for their safety.

120. Masks: Collector of a wide variety of different masks, all of which hosting a different personality whenever he wears them. Tends to freak other people out with his seeming ability to teleport into somewhere when out of sight, however there are multiple strong theories that this might actually be a manipulation of perception, especially given a previously collected mask usually needs to be present when he appears. This particular detail is relevant because despite pretty much everyone being adverse to wearing them, one incident incited by morbid curiosity led to the wearer ceasing to respond or move, only for them to not be aware of any time having passed when the mask was then taken off. It is for this reason that it's come into question as to whether or not Franken exists separately from the masks, or if he is simply what now remains of the mask's collective identity.

121. Lab Coat: A seemingly regular stitched-up lab coat one would expect a Franken to wear, however the real interest lies in that whoever wears it, ends up taking on his personality and memories. The longer the wearer is exposed to this state, increasingly odd phenomenon begins to manifest as well, from things appearing in the wearer's hands that weren't in the surrounding area or pockets, to [REDACTED]. When not worn, the lab coat may end up unfolded if previously folded, and vice versa, however no real harm comes of leaving it be even if the smell of smoke may emanate from it occasionally. Best to leave it sitting over the back of a chair in most cases.

122. Mini: While he would be normally considered a usual Franken by regular means, he comes from a place where he scales much smaller than us, making him the size of rodent from our perspective. He's quite agile and acrobatic, though that has to do more with his background in gymnastics and self-defense than anything. Has a specialized hearing aid to help with understanding people of our scale more easily.

123. Sweet: This sweet fella is different in that he's made of, well, sweets. Most other Frankens would consider him uncharacteristically friendly, however he feeds off of affection and overall good feelings, so it's ultimately not that unusual. Who doesn't like the occasional treat, anyway.

124. Geek: Considered to be a mad scientist for all his love of science and inventing, so he doesn't really get along with the other kids in his class who don't share the same interest in it as he does. While he did start meeting a few kids who don't think he's outright crazy in his new school, he's also ended up befriending (tentative) an "imaginary friend," who by all logistic means shouldn't exist but has encouraged him more than ever to seek out all kinds of answers to everything.

125. Replicas: A doppelgänger, mimic, and false copy walk into a bar… given they've all forgotten who they originally were and now believe they're the real Franken, it's a pretty low bar though. They've decided to set aside their differences in the meantime so that they can work together to leave this hellish escape room, but with the increasingly deranged setups, this is definitely going to take a while.

126. Brewster: Wears a ponytail and owns a local business brewing haunted beverages. He doesn't actually drink all that much, but when he does, the alcohol regrets it more than him.

127. Luminescent: Woke up one day in a body of some other version of himself, with faintly glowing eyes and bones sitting on the outside of his ribs. A lot of him glows when it gets dark, actually, and even more interestingly, so do the few scars he made even under light in the curiosity of remaining in this foreign self. It's not necessarily that he wouldn't have done more than that, it's just that doing so feels intrinsically… wrong.

128. Painter: The man with the stars in his eyes, the color all slowly fading from him. So to return color into his life again, he began to paint, freeing his heart in the expression of his soul. Many of his works captures surrealism through architecture, either described as haunting or nostalgic depending on the perspective of who you ask.

You… You remember You. You remember thoughts and ideas and self. You understand now, Your self and the selves beyond Your self. Because You remember that You are… 129. FrankenStein: Born of this very list, learning from all of its entries and thus becoming one of them. Still very new to life, but he's in good hands with the other Frankens who are working together to maintain order against The Mad God (bet you weren't expecting that callback, were you).

130. The Watcher: The one who has helped oversee this list, and has been the one… What? What's that look supposed to mean- Oh, you're just gonna leave now? Okay, then. Fine. Whatever. If he doesn't want to be written up, then I'm not going to bother. If you've seen him then you probably know him already.

Well, that's a wrap! Probably not going to make another list like this again since it took a lot of work just to compile it, but it was certainly entertaining to cross through the multiverse like this and unravel a lot of... Unravel, now that sounds like a Franken made of wound-up yarns, all spun to...

Alright, alright, alright; That's enough for now hahaha

#rambles #long post #(that's an understatement)#soul eater #franken stein #spirit albarn #(he was mentioned enough times to tag him too hah)#I'm free... I'm finally done with this...#can't say it wasn't one helluvan experience putting this list together though hahaha #Also just a sidenote I purposely left out the decapitated Stein as that is a known squick to someone in the Franken enthusiast club.

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elcor-thespian · 2 days ago

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The rule is for every hour I clean my house, I can spend one hour yapping about my digital children. SO:

I'm doing Rook and partner questions for each of my Rooks. One question at a time.

6) What are their favorite things to do together? Do they share any hobbies? Do they teach each other their hobbies?

Here are the couples:

Nephele Mercar (human rogue) - Lucanis

Nasreen Aldwir (elf mage) - Emmrich

Aleksei Laidir (elf rogue) - Bellara

Brenna Thorne (human warrior) - Davrin

Elspeth de Riva (dwarf warrior) - Harding

Konstantin Ingellvar (Qunari warrior) - Neve

Paloma (Qunari mage) - Taash

Nephele and Lucanis both cook, although she doesn't let him know that until they are officially together. Nephele is from Rivain and her cooking style reflects that, so they spend a lot of time experimenting in the kitchen together showing each other different recipes and techniques. Nephele has never been a good baker however, so Lucanis is trying to help her get better (it's not going well). But Nephele also sews, and she's trying to teach him and that's not going well either. She get's bored when trying to learn to knit and it doesn't make sense anyway because they live in Antiva WHEN are they going to wear all of these scarves and sweaters. Lucanis points out that she doesn't need to make her own clothes anymore either because they can pay someone to do it.

Nasreen because a rabid reader when she meets Emmrich. She's never felt one way or the other about reading, she just hasn't had consistent access to books. But she starts burning through his library and WHAT DO YOU MEAN that this isn't your full library? There's more?? As she's reading she's coming to him with questions which turn into long conversations and eventually (as she learns more) debates. What do you mean debating isn't a hobby? It is if you're doing it right. Also they both have an interest in plants, although Emmrich prefers flowers and she prefers poisonous and carnivorous plants. Nasreen also plays guitar and sings. Emmrich doesn't have any musical ability but he loves listening to her.

Aleksei is functionally illiterate which initially made him feel pretty out of his depth with Bellara. But he's not a quitter so he used it as a way to get closer to her and now they're working on hie reading and writing by writing stories together. He is however, naturally gifted in alchemy and chemistry, which is a fancy way of saying he can make shit that explodes. He also tinkers around with mechanical things. How did you think we got the gun for the Saboteur specialization? Bellara and Aleksei's first date.

Brenna and Davrin are that annoying ass couple that work out together and hike. I mean good for them. Just can't relate.

NEVER forget that Lace Harding was an official member of the Sing-quisition. NEVER. Can Elspeth sing? Not in the slightest. NEITHER of these idiots can cook, so most of the time they go out to eat and try new food in whatever city they've ended up in. Elspeth is really in to wine hand has a share in the Dellamorte Vineyards post-Veilguard (Lucanis was like, of sick, you want to take some of this responsibility off of me? Done.). She's not good at gardening (they are fighting for their life trying to keep a single succulent alive, so Lace helps with that aspect.

Konstantin is a talented charcoal artist and poet, but he absolutely does not share this. Neve finds out eventually, and shows him her doodles in her notes (you know the ones). Once he is officially assisting her detective work (He is her Watson and is THRILLED about it), he does composite drawings of suspects, sketches of crime scenes, etc. He also does a lot of reading (mostly history), and will read to Neve to help her relax.

Paloma and Taash is hard because they really are opposite people and I haven't played through the romance yet, and Paloma is the character I've played the least. Paloma and Taash do meditate together (for different reasons and with different results). I think Paloma does also get into the dragon stuff. I think it would be really hard to date Taash and not be in to dragons.

#datv #datv spoilers #dragon age #dragon age the veilguard #dragonage #dragon age spoilers #rook

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tortoisebore · 2 months ago

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any tips for new writers?

(btw i am literally in love with hey, sharpshooter it had me up all night reading it <3)

**disclaimer that i am by no means a person that has any actual real education/experience in writing or character work or world building & i can only give you what has worked for me & the things i’ve kept in mind while writing my little gay fanfiction 💞👯‍♀️

my main big picture tips are not backed up in research, they’re just what’s worked for me:

1. make a deeply detailed outline. spending a lot of time writing a very long, detailed outline at the beginning helped me a lot when i felt stuck in the back half of the fic. the outline changed a lot from when i started it, and i added little notes and ideas for scenes or dialogues or character traits along the way, but all of my big idea generation happened there and it helped me a lot with pacing the plot and building the characters and their relationship gradually. also** it was not some sort of technically perfect, structured outline—this is what it looked like:

fr just get all of your ideas down on a page in whatever way works for you. this is the place to word-dump to your heart’s content!!

2. make the first draft bad. fr just get it in the page. if you’re not feeling it or don’t have any specific word choices in your head when you’re writing the first draft, don’t worry about the dialogue being realistic or having perfect flowery metaphors or beautiful descriptive world building. literally just get it on the page in whatever way you can.

3. connect the dots between the type of writing you like to read and what you like to write. i loveee books with flowery prose and metaphors and natural dialogue, and i found that i really enjoyed writing those things, so they were the goals i focused on while i was doing all my editing/second draft writing. on the flip side, if you like to read extensive world-building but find yourself struggling to find motivation/inspiration to write it, don’t. try to write how you want to write, but put more emphasis on writing how you like to write.

4. don’t force it. this has been crucial to me bc i work a 9-5 in the art/design industry and i only have so much creative energy to go around, so i have to ration it carefully. if you try to force yourself to write when you’re really not feeling it, or when you’re out of motivation and frustrated and tired, it will 100% show in your writing.

5. don’t think about posting your work. for 99% of us, this is a hobby. posting your work is not a hobby, creating it is!! rn we exist in a world where people view creativity and art solely as content to be consumed, and i encourage you to place more emphasis on actually enjoying and finding peace and meaning in the journey of making something rather than the idea of other people consuming it. what it does for you and how it makes you feel is far more important than what it does for the people pressuring you for an update you’re not ready to give them.

and then here are a couple technical/grammatical tips that i learned way back in like 6th grade english or picked up on by reading a million books over the years & still think of constantly:

1. vary your sentence structure!! i am sometimes bad at this and i don’t really pay attention to it in my first drafts, but when i go back and edit i make sure to vary my sentences by length, compound vs. simple, breaking up with semicolons or hyphens, etc. a story that’s written with strong, varied sentence types will read much more naturally and flow better than one that doesn’t

2. be intentional about starting your sentences with different words. again, when i’m writing my first drafts i don’t pay much attention to things like this, but when i’m editing i’m really anal about making sure that my sentences don’t all start with “he” or “[insert name here]” or “it” or whatever. sometimes you can’t work around it, but my goal is to never have two consecutive sentences start with the same word, and i really really try to make sure that two consecutive paragraphs don’t start with the same word

3. say your dialogue out loud. i had the hardest time trying to make my dialogue feel natural at the start but honest to god saying it out loud with all the cadence and emphases you’re writing it with can really help you find ways to make it feel like actual people talking. also, don’t be afraid to use ellipses and hyphens and break up a string of dialogue with an action, like a character sighing or biting the inside of their cheek or moving their hands. people don’t talk in perfectly-structured sentences. we run-on and don’t use punctuation and we restart or hesitate in the middle of a sentence—include that!!

#u ask tortoise answers #anon

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theboywithburninghands · 9 months ago

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So uh... in my last story I sorta implied Pomni was autistic. This is the story that confirms it. I wanted to explore more of her worldview and how she might find ways to pass the time. So this is what came out of it. It's a bit short, but it's personal and sweet and I think you'll like it. Lists T/W: profanity in some of the linked songs? I guess? I hope anyone who reads my stuff has heard the word fuck or shit before...

Pomni paced about her room. Pacing helped her think. She was here indefinitely, and while her boyfriend and girlfriend kept her from slipping too far into existential despair, boredom was a whole different animal. So, after racking her brain for several hours one evening after dinner, she finally settled on the one idea that would offer instant gratification.

Lists. Lists of what? Well, any kind of list. Chronological lists, best to worst lists and vice-versa, top 100 lists… something about them scratched a hot red itch in her brain. Information could be so overwhelming when it was just flopped in front of you, especially in huge portions. If it was broken up piece by piece based on certain categories, it was far more digestible. You didn’t shove an entire pizza in your mouth, after all, you cut it into slices. Being able to break something down was not only comforting, but satisfying. Maybe that’s why she was so good with numbers…

So, Pomni went to Gangle. She had plenty of paper. Most of her room was covered with drawings of all sorts, done in crayon, colored pencil, watercolors, magic marker, even the odd charcoal.

“Sure, I can lend you some paper…” Gangle had said with a timid but pleasantly surprised smile. “I didn’t know you liked drawing too, Pomni.”

Pomni laughed a little. “Um, actually, I was going to make a journal. To keep up with all of the wild stuff that goes on around here, you know…?”

“Oh, okay! That’s a good idea! I don’t know if I have any regular pencils, but I have some black colored ones. Would that be okay..?”

Pomni had told her it was perfectly fine, and she went back to her room with ten big sheets of sketchbook paper, three black colored pencils and a red twist sharpener. She made a makeshift desk, the flat side of one of the oversized building blocks in her room and another building block for a chair. No real lumbar support, but eh. Her body was a bunch of pixels anyway. She set her things down tidily, placed one of the sheets in the middle of her desk, and began to write.

She tapped her pencil on her desk. Man, it felt good to have something to fiddle with while she thought… She decided to start with a profile of every other performer in the circus. She began by writing out a quick template, something she could use as a reference so every profile followed the same pattern. After some thinking, she came up with this:

Name: Their name (duh)

Potential Real Name: Educated guesses on what their real name was before they came here

Likes: Hobbies, favorite foods and candies, favorite people

Dislikes: Fears, least favorite foods and candies, anything else that bugs them

Musical Taste: Music I’ve heard them listen to on Layla, or if I’ve asked them.

*Hobby Related Stuff: See asterisk

Personality: What they’re like. What they’re like to me, others, etc.

*Variable, only if needed for major hobbies

Things like gender or age didn’t matter since she already knew all of those by heart. Personality would be the biggest category obviously… well, the only way to see if it satisfied her was to try it.

So she started with the first person that popped into her head.

Name: Jax

Potential Real Name(s): Jackson/Jack, John/Jonathan/Johnny, Max/Maxwell, Braxton, First initial J, middle initial A, last initial X, Alexander/Alex, Xavier

Likes: Me, Ragatha, practical jokes, spaghetti and meatballs, lock picking, bowling, Nerds Rope

Dislikes: Corn, bad dreams, condescension, authority, anime, Ayn Rand, black licorice

Musical Taste: Radiohead, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Foster the People, Soundgarden, Garbage (the artist), Linkin Park, Flyleaf, whoever wrote that song “Pepper,” Big Black, Bad Brains

Personality: Formerly a bitter, selfish assho-

Hm…

Pomni stopped to think. She had never tried actually writing down a swear word here before. They were never censored in her head, thankfully, but as soon as they left her mouth they were filtered out.

She picked up her template sheet and wrote “asshole” in the bottom left corner. A few moments later, a black censor bar appeared over it. Pomni smirked ruefully and went back to Jax’s profile, scribbling out the beginnings of her swear word and continuing.

Personality: Formerly a bitter, selfish jerk. In fact, in some ways, he still is. One of the first adventures I ever went on with him, he threw me out a window between two moving trucks. He kept putting things like tacks and whoopee cushions on my chair at dinner, hid bugs in my room, he was awful… A few months later, he let me come into his room and talked to me about the law of entropy… He actually said he was sorry for the way he treated me after that. Then he got me my favorite food (honey-glazed garlic salmon), down to the way I like it cooked. I kissed him. He kissed me back. We kissed a lot. We didn’t really know what we were for a while, but it got made clear pretty quickly that we both loved each other.

Now he’s… better. Not perfect… no one is perfect, but… he’s grown a lot. I don’t know what changed. He told me once he acted like such a bully so people would forget about this whole purgatory situation and be mad at him instead of at the world. I didn’t believe that then and I still don’t. I could ask him, but I don’t know how he’d react. I guess I’ll wait and see.

Anyway. He’s great, really. Underneath that sandpapery outer shell, he’s just as vulnerable and human as the rest of us. He’s funny, he’s charming, he’s handsome… and most importantly, he’s genuine. I love him.

Pomni smiled at this completed profile and set it aside. She paused to sharpen her colored pencil, the lead on the end worn down to a nub. After it was sufficiently sharp, she grabbed a fresh sheet of sketchbook paper, cracking her knuckles and fixing her posture before getting back to work.

Name: Ragatha

Potential Real Name: Agatha, Raquelle, Ann/Anna/Annie, Annabelle, Agnes, Anya, Christie

Likes: All of us here- me included, horses, video games, ballet, hugs, stuffed animals.

Dislikes: Centipedes, circus peanuts, ripping her stitches… she doesn’t have a lot of dislikes.

Musical Taste: Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, Smokey Robinson, Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, OutKast, Kendrick Lamar, Joan Jett, Carole King

Video Games She Likes (Heavily Abridged): Dark Souls Trilogy, Final Fantasy VII, Legend of Zelda, Goldeneye, Spyro the Dragon, Bloodborne, Uncharted 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, tons more…

Personality: When I first got here, I thought Ragatha was just being nice to me because I was new. But she just… never stopped being nice. She always had my back, always had something encouraging to say… I left her behind like a coward the first day I was here and she didn’t give up on me. I look up to her.

She’s not perfect. She can be a bit arrogant without meaning to, and she used to let Jax walk all over her, but… well, things are a lot different with Jax now. And I think she helped in some way with that…

I love her just as much as I love Jax. I couldn’t imagine life without her sweet smile and her cute laugh and her hugs. Oh my god, her hugs! I HATE hugs, but somehow she makes hers incredible. She’s incredible.

Pomni re-read the profile and grinned. Oh, this felt so GOOD. Being able to put her thoughts down and in the form of a neatly organized set of lists. Scraps of order in this world of never ending chaos… She needed to write more.

She sharpened her colored pencil again and started work on Gangle’s profile, breezing straight through it and moving on to the next person. Zooble’s profile wasn’t as complete as the other three so far, since Pomni didn’t know as much about them. She would just have to add more to it the more she found out about Zooble.

She was a good ways into Kinger’s profile, adding Luna moth to his list of favorite insects, when her eyelids sagged. Pomni grunted and rubbed her eyes. Time must have really gotten away from her. She should ask Caine for a clock. Well… maybe not. Seeing time slowly creep by in this prison would probably do more harm than good. Either way, she must have been writing for an hour or two, it made sense for her to be tired. She went on an adventure that day.

She decided to take a break, give her brain a chance to wander. She crossed her arms on her desk and laid her head atop them. Sketchbook paper always had a pleasant, ethereal smell to it, like a shaft of sunlight illuminating a shelf of old yellowed scrolls in a castle’s study. She loved that smell. Pomni felt even more at ease. She found something to pass the time, and nobody could stop her. She could write as many lists as she wanted, about anything she wanted. She closed her eyes, the warm, private dark behind her lids the perfect place to imagine what she could write next.

Within minutes, she was asleep.

——

The faint yet insistent song of birds woke Pomni up. She blearily opened her eyes, lifting her head up off of her arms, the spots on them where her head rested warm and flushed. Pomni reached a gloved hand to her right eye and rubbed it, something slipping off of her shoulders and drifting politely to the floor. She turned around to find her comforter rumpled about her chair. It must have been draped over her while she slept at her desk. Did she do that..? She turned back to her desk.

It took her eyes a moment to defog, but everything on her desk was right where she left it, Kinger’s profile stopping at Luna moth. She stretched, a yawn bubbling up and escaping her mouth. She picked her blanket up and made her bed, tempted to flop right back down onto it and get some more sleep. But she needed to organize her things first.

She yawned into her palm and picked up the completed profiles, tapping the sheaf of papers on her improvised desk so they fell into order. She blinked and examined the top sheet. It was written in purple colored pencil, not her black one, and it definitely wasn’t her handwriting. She held it a bit closer.

Name: Pomni

Potential Real Name: No idea

Nicknames: Pompom, Poms, New Stuff, Newbie, Shorty, Clownface, Jingles

Likes: Jax and Ragatha, Salmon and rice, number puzzles, swimming, long walks, lemon drops, fudge ripple ice cream, cuddling

Dislikes: Hugs from strangers, snakes, spicy candies, cooking, whoopee cushions

Musical Taste: U2, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Marina and The Diamonds, Regina Spektor, Keane, Ariana Grande, Corinne Bailey Rae, Duffy

Personality: Pomni shouldn’t have lasted long here. She’s a nervous wreck that’s prone to crying, depression, overstimulation and anxiety attacks. We were all a little worried she would abstract early.

But she never did. She showed everyone that not only is she tougher than she looks, she’s smart as a whip and one of the most courageous people any of us have ever met. She’s a great friend to everyone, and never gave up on even the people here that seemed beyond help.

We all love you, Pomni.

Pomni set the piece of paper down on her desk. She rubbed her eyes again, her glove coming away flecked with water. She got everything organized, sliding her paper and pencils under her bed. She took the sheet with purple handwriting, folded it neatly, and tucked it into her pillowcase. She rubbed her eyes again, sighed shakily, and opened the door to her room, ready to meet the sunrise.

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