#flying saucer anon

[cluster-b-culture-is]

npd culture is telling people lying is bad so that you seem like a better person then being a hypocrite and then being called out for being a hypocrite and then lying your way into a sob story

-🛸 (yes, new emoji sign off.)

.

[bugstung]

This might be weird but i feel like your prsk art would taste like green tea but your mcyt art (i mostly think of your Jimmy) would taste like those "flying saucer" but not the acid sugar the things around

It's weird but that just the weird vibe you art is giving

This is/pos btw i adore your art it's beautiful and yeah continue like that

It is a little unexpected but I do appreciate that a lot actually, this is cute

[textingtroublesanswers]

I'm talking about candy too! It's like uhm...

*The microwave dings, but they're too busy gesturing out their point as they two fingers to trace an oval-like shape in the air.*

Like a wafer shaped like a UFO, but there's stuff inside that's fizzy-tasting and kinda makes your tongue numb!

-🐈anon

James & Fritz both pull a disgusted face each. James hides it behind his box of cereal, but Fritz's is out & proud.

[once-in-a-blood-moon]

solomon couldn't stand your pact marks.

well, no, that wasn't the right way to put it. he was proud, even jealous of your pacts. they were one of the many admirable things about you! he just hated... looking at them. he knew what other people thought when they saw them.

when one would see those marks on your skin for the first time, they would be able to get a glimpse at your relationship with the brothers. one of trust and respect, gathered from just a glance. meanwhile, one would have to be told about his and your relationship. one look at you couldn't decipher all the time you two have shared together, filled with chatting between classes, practicing magic for hours, and endless love.

at first, solomon tried to mitigate this with his own marks upon your skin. wearing lipstick as he placed a kiss on your neck, a few stray bite marks from your time together at night. but those, while fun, were temporary. and solomon needed something permanent.

why not a ring?

(Hope you don't mind me adding on, anon. Thank you for the delicious meal! Literally so honored to read your beautiful work! 🥹)

Getting the ring was the easy part. Getting you away from the brothers long enough to propose...was not.

The lengths Solomon went through to be able to have a private moment with you might put him in a record book as the three realms' most whipped man. With the mask of his "shady" persona secured, he lets his silver tongue weave him through these seven obstacles, the sin of each dripping from it with only you on his mind.

Swallowing his pride, breathing in greed, spitting out envy...his wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth. A vicious rinse, repeat until he's either buttered them up or grated them down until they finally gave in. But he did it. With the day cleared of any interruptions, his plans were set in motion.

He decides to have a redo of your very first date, flying you up and walking in the sky amongst the stars. It's just the two of you against the ever inky black sky of the Devildom, a place that has become synonymous with your presence. Only this time, there are no surprise gales, no surprise drones -- just the surprise of a velvet heart-shaped box in the inside pocket of his coat.

Solomon brings up fond memories of your time together as you both near the spot he's picked to pop the question. He's filled with a giddy glee that soon you'll have something that binds you to him, something to show the world you're his.

Still, there's a little voice in the back of his head reminding him that you could say no. That perhaps he's not worthy. Does he deserve to have matching rings adorned on his and your fingers forevermore? Does he dare stand by your side as your equal when you are, in fact, so far above him?

He decides it's best not to dwell on such thoughts as this is meant to be a happy occasion, as long as all goes well.

Your feet touch the ground once he lowers you both on top of a cliff that overlooks the Devildom, the moon hanging brightly above. As you take in the magnificent sight, he lowers himself on one knee behind you, waiting with bated breath for you to turn on your own volition.

The moment you do, he knows he'll have to keep this memory stored away with his magic, just staring in awe. The moon is angled just right that it shines right behind your head like a halo. Your eyes are as wide as saucers while your jaw is slacked. With the way you look, he truly wonders if he's in the Celestial Realm.

Nervously, Solomon begins his improvised speech after clearing his throat, "my dearest apprentice, it is with great honor that I'm knelt before you tonight. I have dreamt of this moment more than I'd care to admit, yet I never thought it'd come true. But here I am, willing to give you all of me, if you're willing to give me all of you. You are the sun to my moon, the air in my lungs, the very reason why I believe I've lived so long. I was always meant to find you and work side by side to protect the human realm together. And most importantly, to love you. So, please do this old sorcerer a favor...by marrying me..."

He pulls out the ring box, opening it to offer you the ring within. The blessed box is shaking as he trembles, waiting patiently for your answer.

Happy tears spring from his eyes once you say, "yes." The ring is carefully slipped onto your finger, and a single word comes to Solomon's mind.

Mine.

[cishetlessfashion]

Western themed trans masc achillean cowboy fashion for anon Gender outlaw enamel pins Cowboy daydream belt buckle Picasso jasper bolo tie Cowboy lovin' cowboy pin Trans masc cowboy enamel pins Desert sunrise bomber jacket Starshifter shirt Holographic desert themed pronoun pins Wild horses enamel pin Flying saucer desert patch

BONUS: Coyote cactus plushie

[doin-just-fine]

!! System Introductions !!

We are at a spot where we feel comfy enough officially introducing everyone! We'll dive into who everyone is, what they do, and what their experiences are in the system to provide insight to other questioning systems!

Welcome to our system!! We have a collective system name but is based on our host's real name and they aren't comfortable sharing that information yet so here you can refer to us collectively as:

✨ The Super Fine System ✨

We are a median system as of now because that is the best label we have found and we think we formed due to our neurodivergence (we have diagnosed ADHD and undiagnosed autism) making us a neurogenic. There are possible other origins but nothing is clearer than the struggles we've had our whole life that came with our neurodivergence. We don't really understand how the different consciousness identities work so we don't really use them. Let's get into who everyone is and how we work!!

Name: DoinFine (wants to be anon online for now) Sideblog: Here Emoji: 🛸 (flying saucer) Age Slide: 23~19 Pronouns: They/Them Star Sign: Virgo Identity: Queer and Non-binary Time of Origin: Birth I guess lol Role: Front stuck Host Brief Bio: DoinFine enjoys the winter, blue hour, cloudy skies, and their favorite colors are blue and green. They enjoy hot chocolate, garlic bread, and cookies. The animal they identify with (not as) is a crow. They are kind, gentle, and goofy. Information: DoinFine is our front stuck Host, this means amnesia is not the same for us like it is for more diagnosable/traditional systems. Since DoinFine is around all the time we don't usually forget things completely though it can happen. Our amnesia looks and feels like having difficulty in recall of events but with enough description from an outside party we can pull up the memory as well as emotional amnesia where we can recall memories but not the emotions attached. It's almost like we have the memory the color has been stripped from it. DoinFine has also started having some identity issues with who they are with in the system. They are starting to realize that personality traits they thought were theirs were actually someone else's and they are having to relearn who they are as an individual which is harder for them specifically than anyone else in our system due to their role and how our system operates.

Name: cloud Sideblog: here Emoji: ☁️/🌩️ depends on the day (cloud or cloud with lighting) Age Outside: 19~23 Pronouns: He/Him Star Sign: idfk this one is dumb (🛸 I'd say Scorpio or Aries) Identity: i'm a dude and i don't really like anyone Time of Origin: wouldn't you all like to know (🛸 He won't tell us but I know it's early early) Role: protector and gatekeeper Brief Bio: they wrote this for me but here you go - Cloud appreciates the fall, night time, cloudy skies and his favorite color is deep red (only cus they said black doesn't count). He likes monster energy and pizza (i'm not a sweets guy so no dessert). The animal he identifies with (not as) is on the scale from black cat to king cheetah, depends on how he feels. Cloud is direct, nicer than he looks, and unattached. Information: doinfine is our eyes and ears on the inside and out so to them our headspace looks like a couch that has a plug in seat (the front) and spot next to them for anyone to sit down and watch/give in put but with no way of controlling. everyone uses the couch but i don't i stand behind doinfine and tap in sometimes. we don't share thoughts , our minds are our own unless you sit in the chair or in my case stand behind. as far as anyones aware "touch" can link us a little bit but doinfine can never access anyones entire mind. so information retrieval is limited on and i'm not handing it to them freely so this might not be as clear as doinfine would like. i was the one who broke through first to doinfine. what happened was we lost access to our ADHD medication. we have been on ADHD medication since we were 8 with no breaks (which we think may have to do with our origin) so suddenly we were off it for like a week and a half. thats the longest we've gone with zero meds in 15 years. the no meds dropped some barriers and doinfine started thinking about system things again. systemhood has been an interest of theirs since they were 18 and they were starting to wonder why they found it so interesting and personal. i'm a gatekeeper and they we're piecing stuff together so i had to push back and that actually made it more obvious what we were. and now here we are.

Name: Summer Sideblog: Here Emoji: 🌾 (Grass) Age: 24 Pronouns: She/Her/they Star Sign: Libra Identity: Fem Lesbian Time of Origin: I believe around middle school/high school Role: Caretaker Brief Bio: Summer enjoys the spring (silly I know), golden hour, partially cloudy skies, and her favourite colour is golden yellow or green. She likes fruity teas, creamy soups, and pastries (bonus if they have chocolate in them). The animal she identifies with (not as) is an old bear basking in the sun or a deer. Summer is quiet, gentle, and easily overwhelmed. A bit shy but absolutely wonderful when you get to know her and she opens up. Information: Summer was the reason we started thinking about the possibility of being a system before the whole medication debacle. We were at home and we got the weirdest sensation when we took a passing glance at a mirror. We expected to see ourselves with long straight hair tied back and when we didn't see that it felt very uncomfortable and disturbing to the point of being unable to look at ourselves again for a bit. There was a bit where we went through a denial spiral and wrote off everyone else beyond Cloud as not being real because at the time we only had hard evidence from Cloud. Summer saw that we were in distress and disappeared to make things easier on us. For awhile it was the three of us, DoinFine, Cloud, and Bean. Then we got validation from our therapist about our experience and felt much more comfortable in our situation. Since that, Summer has slowly come back and, with it being summer time, she co-cons quite a bit. Also fun fact about Summer: we think she may be British. She got a lot of inspiration and influence from the things we were watching at the age she developed during. People like Dodie Clark and characters like Clara Oswald were big influences over her style and vibe.

Name: BEAN!!!! Sideblog: Here Emoji: 🧸 (Teddy bear) Age Slide: 8~10 Pronouns: I'm a kid! (🛸 🌾 She doesn't quite understand so we interpret that answer as neutral and use They/She) Star Sign: Taurus Identity: N/A Time of Origin: Early Role: No role Brief Bio: Bean enjoys the summer , mid day sun, blue skies, and their favorite color is all of them. She enjoys bubbly drinks, Annie's brand pasta, and rainbow sherbert ice cream. The animal that Bean identifies with (not as) is a baby chick or a kitten. Bean is energetic, impulsive, and can be shy at first. Information: Bean comes out when the stars align. She is very shy around other people despite wanting to be friends with our partner system's littles. We think that they may have been the "original". They came back out really strong last summer when we were back home and didn't recognize where we were because we had moved 2 years earlier and when I🛸 gave her the tour of the new house we came down stairs and Bean didn't recognize our pets. This told me that she hadn't been around since we were 8 or 9. Around that age we went through some medical trauma and I🛸 think she retreated far far back after that. Usually she just kinda wonders by the front and feels like a passing thought, impulse, or emotion and when I🛸 got to respond she's already gone. I🛸 don't think she understand who she is or who we are and why we're all here, but I🛸 do think living deep inside the head for 15 years has made her really good at navigating it. They have been the only one to front so strongly that I🛸 was bumped out of my seat for a second. I🛸 was still on the couch but I🛸 was shotgun and they were driving. I🛸 remember being impressed and then feeling someone else (☁️) feeling nervous which made me🛸 nervous and us both just gently holding the steering wheel while she drove and then she just got out of the chair and wondered off like it was no big deal.

We realized that we wanna do a separate post for how we operate, interact, and all that stuff because it will already be a massive post on it's own let alone being attached to this post so look out for that soon!

Welp! This is us! Feel free to ask us any questions either as a collective or individuals! We would be happy to answer them!

[narcissisticpdcultureis]

NPD culture is being mad at everyone and everything and leaving but coming back. Hey, its me, flying saucer anon.

-🛸

.

[that1nkyone]

2 and 5 for the best little flying saucer robots ever

Ah! ;_;

Anon, they're only Mere Sparks!

What is their grooming routine?

M1-A and C0-D3 both like their ships being clean - especially their helmets. If there's too much dust and dirt there, they can't see well. I think C0-D3 is a little more particular. Every few days, they'll gently wash their plating and helmet with EMCA All Purpose Clean Spray and gently rub a nice rag all over them, before rinsing and drying. They'll then touch up any decals that might have gotten damaged.

M1-A prefers to be blasted with a garden hose.

(Any more through cleaning probably happens monthly - and they'd like to float in a bubble bath for that.)

What was the last time they cried, and under what circumstances?

If I remember correctly, for M1-A it was probably in the game 'A Good Night's Quest.' It was more an empathetic cry, seeing Tally tell C0-D3 off for running away in the middle of the night and trying to handle a dangerous situation on their own.

They were scared for C0-D3, but Tally's reaction simultaneously made them tear up, and also helped formulate their thoughts.

For C0-D3, it was straight after the events of 'Hark! A Spark!' After a while of trying to forget about their old home and The Great Machine, C0-D3 gets a rude awakening from the Witch reporter Echo, who's found evidence that other UFOs like them are being spotted in Einquell.

They're faced with the fact that the Great Machine's presence can't be shaken, and they have a big cry in private once they're escorted safely back to Wudlig's Lab by Echo.

(Characters mentioned played by @mocksalad and @artist-of-obsessions)

[lostloveletters]

Top 5 hcs for Michael and Gloria!!

Anon I love you🖤 Also I don't know if you mean Michael and Gloria as a couple or them separately, so I'm gonna do them as a couple!

Top 5 headcanons for Michael and Gloria

She gets invested in the weirdest news stories. The original Bigfoot story became national news in the summer/fall of 1958, a few months before the fic starts, and she was so into it. He was kind of concerned

Michael was a lot more disappointed than he let on that Carmela didn't like Gloria. He knew she probably wouldn't and understood why, but at the same time he kind of expected what Kay did to be worse in his mother's eyes than his extra-marital affair with Gloria. He didn't really get over it until he met Jack, who made his dislike of his future son-in-law extremely clear, and kind of realized it didn't really matter

Gloria's actually pretty good about helping Michael manage his diabetes, which was obviously a lot more difficult to do in the '50s and '60s than it is now. She got a lot of advice from Vivian when she and Michael started spending the night together. As his eyesight worsens because of it (which is in the draft script for Part II!), she convinces him to get glasses. They quit smoking together in the '70s when his doctor advises him to

She has absolutely no interest in visiting Sicily or really leaving the US at all, which he's honestly kind of relieved about because he doesn't think he has another international trip in him

That being said, when they move to Long Beach, they do a lot of day trips to the beach with the kids and whoever else wants to come along during the summer, and it usually ends with a trip to Carvel (sometimes they share a flying saucer)

🦇 Battie

[emojitown]

Pride U.F.O’s for Anon !!!

[super-unpredictable98]

Even if the movie is hot garbage, please consider this…

Rob in a loin cloth. 👀

You make a very good point lol but at the end of the day we all know, even if the movie sucks I'll write about his character and watch it several times like I do with everything XD

[fictionandtheatre]

📓

I've had an idea for a kind of pen pals/secret alien story for Spirk. Basically, it's a 1960s AU where Kirk and Spock communicate as pen pals back and forth, but Spock is secretly an alien doing cultural research on humanity. It also gets more complicated bc I imagine that Spock is also doing research on the ground in Jim's town, posing as random drifter, who Jim takes pity on and keeps around the farm, and they start bonding on that level too. So it's a semi Cyrano de Bergerac moment with the "oh, I'm in love with the man from the letters but also the man in front of me, who do I choose?" - but they happen to be the exact same person. And then of course on their first date, Spock abducts him in a flying saucer, and there's a whole new wrinkle. Idk, it's not super fleshed out in terms of how the plot would resolve, but I find the ideas really fun to think about. I also have considered adding ideas about Jim being in an UFO watch group, and maybe Spock/aliens are being hidden by the government and there's all that drama, but heck its way too complicated as it is.

[textingtroublesanswers]

Fizzy stuff! You know, like soda pop! Except they..uhm...

*They try gesture out some convoluted industrial process that seems to interpret the making of the sherbet in flying saucers. Except clearly they didn't know it was called that, and their interpretive hand dance wasn't helping their case either.*

...yeah, something like that!

-🐈anon

Fritz just stares at them blankly, "Heh??"

[wolken-himmel]

In which Che'nya randomly appears during a Heartslabyul tea party with invisible kisses for (Y/n).

The attendees are shocked upon finding out that Che'nya and (Y/n) have been a couple for some time now — but before they can be confronted, Che'nya whiskers (Y/n) away.

Request by anon.

"I am quite pleased that you managed to make it to today's tea party, (Y/n). I hope the tea is to your liking. Ace had to brew it today after breaking the seventeenth rule: Do not scream loudly at three in the afternoon."

Riddle had a regal aura surrounding him as he sat on his chair with his legs crossed and back as straight as a board. His eyes were closed while he sipped on the dainty porcelain cup, from which soft fumes of steam rose. A satisfied sigh escaped his lips upon feeling the warm liquid stream down his throat.

You watched the dorm leader with a small smile on your lips, a little bit tense despite the wind that swept through the gazebo once in a while. Well, Ace and Cater seemed aloof to the tense mood, merely busying themselves with their phones and what-not. Deuce and Trey on the other hand stayed quiet and sipped on their cups a few times, following Riddle's example.

Once the sound of Riddle setting down his porcelain cup onto saucer reached your ears, you turned your attention to him and replied to his expectant gaze with a slightly sheepish smile. "The tea is very delicious!" you said while shooting him a grateful nod that made Riddle's cold gaze soften slightly. "Thanks once again for your invitation. I am— eh?"

Your muscles grew tense once you felt the strange sensation of something soft grazing your cheeks — as if someone was kissing you. Yet, when you tilted your head to the side, you found nothing but air beside you. You furrowed your eyebrows in alarm, and your friends seemed worried, too.

"(Y/n)," Trey called out, "are you alright?"

Riddle sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Did Ace do something with the tea... again?" he asked with an annoyed frown on his face, his cheeks gradually growing more and more red. The mood plummeted, and dread soon filled your minds at the realisation of Riddle being angry again. The dorm leader soon slammed his fists onto the table, sending some of the plates and cups flying but landing without anything being spilt. "I swear I'll have his head—!"

Ace gasped. "I didn't do nothing!" he yelled out and raised his arms into the air. "I swear on Deuce—"

"Excuse me?" Deuce narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Don't get me mixed up in your shenanigans again, Ace..."

As the two first-years began bickering while the dorm leader started screaming around, you grew increasingly distracted with the way you could feel a warm breath fanning over your ear. The hairs on the back of your neck stood upright, and you could barely focus on holding the porcelain cup in your trembling hand.

"I’ll love my (Y/n) fur-ever," someone finally whispered into your ear, giving you the final hint about whom the strange presence could be linked to.

Your muscles relaxing, you soon exhaled and rolled your eyes. "Che'nya! So it really is you!" you exclaimed, both amused and annoyed when he slowly grew visible to your eyes. First, it was his head that became visible, and you could see the mischievous grin on the cat-boy's face. "Tsk... I knew it wasn't the wind that was kissing my cheek..."

Che'nya giggled to himself and lowered himself into his lap to drape himself all over you, his long arms wrapped around your neck. "I’ve done that be-fur," he cooed and buried his nose in the crook of your neck.

You grumbled curses under your breath while playfully pushing him away from you. Che'nya let out a few whines that caused you to falter until you gave up and let him do as he pleased. "But not in front of the others—!" you cried out, embarrassed.

Deuce and Ace seemed to be the most surprised out of all five Heartslabyul students. Deuce's eyes were as wide as saucers, and Ace's jaw hung low. "When did—" the blue-haired boy stuttered out, his voice hoarse and full of disbelief. "When did Che'nya and (Y/n)—"

Ace seemed like he was on the verge of fainting. "I don't know," he asked with his voice shaky and breathy. "Did you know, Trey? Cater? Riddle? Anyone?"

Trey shook his head, but there was a faint smile evident on his lips. He seemed to be one of the few that were happy for his friend. "I wasn't aware, either," he said while innocently sipping on his cup.

Cater was busy snapping pictures of Che'nya sitting on your lap and shamelessly drinking from your porcelain cup — what a sight to behold, truly. Cater almost doubled over with laughter, to which you shot him a slightly exasperated glare. "And thus, the secret comes to light!" the third-year chimed innocently. Yet, he soon lowered his phone upon noticing his dorm leader's scowl. "Uh, guys... I think Riddle is exploding?"

Riddle jumped to his feet and slammed his fists against the table, causing everyone but the uninvited guest to flinch in surprise and horror. The scowl on his face had no effect on the cat-boy, much to his frustration. "Che'nya, what have I told you about coming here?!" Riddle yelled through clenched teeth. "And then you're harassing my guest, too?"

Your eyebrows furrowed, you shot the red-head a concerned and pleading look. "Hey— Riddle, calm down. Please."

"Yes, Riddle~" Che'nya cooed mischievously while keeping himself draped all over you. "Calm down."

By then, there was steam coming out ot Riddle's ears, accompanied by a high whistling tune that made your heart drop in worry. "Don't tell me what to do!" he screamed loudly, to the point where the flamingos jumped up and ran away, as did the hedgehogs curl up in alarm.

Trey shook his head in a disapproving way. "Che'nya..."

The culprit merely cackled and shot Trey a large smile, his eyes closed and his face pulled into a slightly frightening grin. You exhaled in exasperation while burying your face in your trembling hands.

"What can I say?" Che'nya purred slowly. As he spoke, his tail flickered against your legs, causing your cheeks to light up in embarrassment. "I love the chaos you guys have going around here. Over at RSA, it's always boring."

Deuce tilted his head to the side, slightly confused. "Uhm... thank you?"

Che'nya hummed and used the tense silence to gulp down the last droplets of the sweet tea in your cup, then slammed the cup onto its saucer. "Now anyway..." Without further ado, he rose to his feet in such an elegant and slow way that no one would have expected him to pick you up and make a run for it. "I came to whisker (Y/n) away! Goodbye!"

"Hey!" you yelled out while banging your fists against his chest, although your attempts clearly were half-hearted. "You can't just—"

The five Heartslabyul students watched in horror and surprise as the two of you disappeared behind the many rose bushes in the distance.

Deuce seemed to be the most confused out of all. "How— Why— When— What—"

The last thing the five heard of you was a frustrated scream followed by you yelling, "You’ve got to be kitten me!"

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

Hello, Dr. Bug. If you don't mind, may I ask what your rewriting process looks like when you write multiple drafts of a story? Just curious. Also, congratulations on finding the time to write six drafts of a fic!

In my experience, rewriting a fic is a two-step process:

Find a beta reader you trust.

Listen to them.

Trust can be achieved one of two ways. Either find a friend who is willing to swap labor with you, and read each others' stories, or find a stranger who's willing to construct a professional relationship with you before having a formal discussion about what you'd like done.

That trust is important, because it allows you to be vulnerable enough to give over something you love and poured years' worth of work into, knowing that it will be ripped to shreds by the time you get it back. That trust is important because it establishes unambiguously that this person will still respect you as a person (either out of love or out of professional courtesy) no matter how much they hate your story or you hate their edits. That trust is important too because it needs to be part of the conversation about the intent of the story.

An example: my beta Cates wrote "this phrase is too British" next to a line of dialogue from my most recent fic; I went "dang it!" and changed the line immediately. Because we know each other well, Cates knew that a) like a lot of kids who grew up on Narnia/Potter/Redwall/Chrestomanci, I often slip into Britishisms when writing fiction, b) I find misplaced Britishisms annoying, and c) I want to know. I was grateful for the correction.

A counter-example: a stranger wrote "this phrase is outdated" about a line of dialogue from a different fic; I rolled my eyes and blocked the person. Maybe the phrase is outdated, but it's one I use all the time, and it's one I'm comfortable keeping in my story. The difference between Cates's nitpick and that anon's is the difference between a stranger going "dude, your shirt and pants don't match" as the first thing they ever say to you, and your beloved roommate saying the same thing before you go out in the morning. Trust means that your roommate's being kind, and the stranger who uses the same words in the same order is being an asshole.

Listening is... so, so hard. Because it's a beloved work that you spent time crafting, and someone was mean to it. But. This is where any beta is always better than no beta, because the experience of reading a story is completely different from the experience of writing a story.

The reader usually only has as much information as the characters, and so the reader's expectations often align better with the characters' than the author's do. Classic example: Once upon a time, a camper stepped outside his tent to pee... when suddenly, a bright light came from the sky and dragged him away. He found himself in a metal room where two claw-winged alien beings approached, telling him that he had been chosen for a— At which point the reader is going "But did he ever get to pee?" and the writer is going "Who cares, the pee break was just an excuse to get him outside!" and the reader's going "ARE THERE BATHROOMS ON THIS FLYING SAUCER OR NOT? Bob the camper is dying over here!!!!" The reader's going to notice and care that Bob never got to pee, because they started this scene with the expectation that Bob had to pee. The writer, who only needed Bob to go outside long enough to get abducted, could reread their story 10,000 times and never even notice that detail because they're too busy tweaking the aliens. So the beta will add tremendous value, just by being a reader who didn't write this.

But we writers don't want to hear that we have to rework the dramatic scene where a sleepy camper suddenly finds himself swept into a vast adventure, just to add a friggin bathroom break. Ergo, it's important to read the feedback in small doses, and to pause in between reading it and responding to it. Take the feedback — that you can't leave Bob's poor kidneys this way — but consider several possible responses depending on what you want from the story. If you hate the idea of adding a pee break at all, consider having Bob instead go outside because he heard a strange noise. If you don't like the noise idea, consider having Bob successfully pee and then get abducted on his way back to the tent. If you don't want a porta-potty on your spaceship, maybe just mention that the whole time Bob is listening to the Call to Action he's also distracted by having to pee. The beta pointed out the flaw; you can decide how to fix it.

This is also where trust is all-important, because sometimes (but not most of the time) you're going to listen to a beta's feedback and go "nah, I'm not fixing that." On a different fic (set in 2000), Cates said "Fireball Cinnamon Whisky didn't come out until 2007" which is true. We talked about it. I pointed out that this is fan fiction, and low-stakes. Cates said that most of my readers probably weren't 21+ in 2007, so relatively few people will notice the anachronism. I mentioned that we both have fond (and regretful) (and fond) memories of Fireball being the go-to alcohol for dumb teenagers, because it's one of the few strong liquors that inexperienced drinkers can enjoy straight out of the bottle. So I kept the anachronism. If a total stranger had said unsolicited, "dude, Fireball didn't exist in 2000" then I would've yelled "aw, screw you!" at my computer screen and never even considered changing it. Rereading my own story, I never would've spotted the error. It took a conversation with someone I trusted to decide what to do.

So, you need a reader to tell you how to rewrite your story, and it doesn't have to be someone with expertise. Just trust. Hope this helps.

[nefastum]

Head canons for Older sibling! Guts, Casca, and Griffith to Younger sister (Y/N)?

Ah hello there, Anon ♡ So, this is for how'd they would interact/behave with a younger sister, correct? Apologies that these are more like little story summaries than hcs like, "he'd teach you to leaf whistle" or something haha I got carried away and pictured it as a manga sequence ^ ^;;

First up, Griffith:

Griffith and (y/n) grew up in the back alleys of the city you were born to, hidden in the shadow of a grand castle. One day, a young (y/n) pointed out the pretty birdies flying up and over the castle walls, right up to its spires. Griffith's eyes were wide like saucers. He promised you then that one day he'd become a king, and the two of you wouldn't have to stare up at it any longer. Wouldn't have to scrape around for food or shelter any longer. You would soar up to the heights those hawks had and reach the castle, too. He believed he would make the fairytale a reality, and because he believed so did you. He was always a resourceful older brother-- and silly, too. He had a way of making you laugh and lifting you up whenever you felt down. Always finding ways of supporting you and gathering resources to propel his dream forward. He had a knack for getting ahead and pulling people to his side. It wasn’t long before your world was not just the two of you anymore. Eventually, he and you would set off on the trail towards his dream together and form the Band of the Hawk with the ragtag team of men who'd chosen to believe in him. It was dangerous work, and Griffith tried his best to keep you from seeing the worst of it. Young ladies, much less his precious little sister, need not endure the dreadful truth of men's battles and bloodshed. But, in the end, he knew he could not keep it from reaching you forever, so he sought to teach you to defend yourself instead. The world would be cruel, but as long as you had something to protect and a sword to do it, the two of you could reach heights never dreamed as commoners. Someday, your charming, supportive, and clever brother was going to be a king. You knew it with all your heart. And for each battle won, and each honor earned, he was right there beside you. Leading the way towards a better future for both of you.

Guts:

You and Guts never knew if you had the same mother and father or not, but it didn't matter to him. What mattered was making sure that he survived to keep you safe from the vile, evil things that humans could do to one another. Early life was hard, and Guts suffered the brunt of it to keep you safe. But, neglect by the mercenary leader who you both considered a father ate away at both of your childhoods. Eventually, something would happen late into the night that changed your big brother forever. And barely understanding what was happening, suddenly it was just you two on your own. It didn't matter where you went or what for, Guts was always able to keep you safe by the skin of his teeth. No matter what it took, he'd be the sword and shield for both of you. That's just the kind of big brother he was. He was a tough guy, but his heart was molten gold. You'd follow him from war camp to war camp, acting as a sort of squire for him while he scraped earnings together to support you both. He didn't want you fighting battles with him, though. He prodded you and said it was because you were too scrawny and weak and would just get in his way or get killed. But, in reality, he didn't want to lose you. You were the one good thing life had given him, and he'd fight tooth and nail to hold on. Eventually, you both found stability in a new mercenary band called the Band of the Hawk. Perhaps here, Guts would finally let others besides you in, and you wouldn't have to worry about him fighting every battle on his own.

Casca:

You and Casca were always close. Helping each other in the fields and attending to house chores at each other's side. When Casca received an offer to go work for a nobleman, you both wept, knowing you may never see each other again. Deciding not to lose your beloved older sister, you stowed away in a box on the nobleman's carriage to go with her. At some point, you could hear her screaming, cries coming from outside when the carriage stopped. The man had attacked her. That's all she would say later on when you were freed from the box and ran to check on her. Another man, or rather boy, who had been the one to save her, had instantly caught her attention and admiration. She would hold you close and beg that he allowed the two of you to go with him, promising you'd both learn to be of use. From that day forward, it felt like old times again. Only instead of plowing fields, you were sword training or running drills. Casca was still your best friend and always would be. She looked after you like a mother, laughed with you like a sister, and bled with you like a comrade. Both of you fought hard for Griffith, and Casca was as enamored with him as always. It didn't matter to you, though. As long as you two could stay together, you would follow Griffith's band wherever it took you.

Thank you for the lovely ask, love ♡ I must admit this was fun, even if it isn't a typical list of hcs hehe ^ ^; My mind works in silly ways, I'm afraid ~ I hope this will suffice 🙏💕