#hahaha so this was sort of fun practice

[thunderc1an]

messy concept feeding off of my last post of a horror + mystery spinoff warriors series

[fisheito]

*rings the service bell* hi um i was wondering.. if there's any yakumo temperature play in here? sounds silly but i only realised after i circled the building a few times... that i haven't seen it at all. Seems to be common practice, actually- to not have it. i've visited several other buildings and there's been no sight of it.

which is... strange? if i think about it, it's surprising that i haven't encountered it yet! it sort of makes sense to have them together, you know? considering that temperature is so vital to a snake's perception of the world. and how sensitive reptiles are to temperature fluctuations.

so there's a lot of control to be had here. can you imagine controlling someone's energy level just by adjusting the thermostat? er- well, i guess we already do that. but imagine you put yakumo in an ice bath and he immediately falls asleep. brumation happens instantly now, sorry. and the only way to snap him out of it is to stick a flaming dildo up his ass

what?. no, i mean, restore his regular energy level with a soft warm-up. a heated blanket and a gentle steam. hahaha.

people plunge themselves into ice water before jumping into hot tubs and vice versa- for fun! they do this recreationally!! they call it a "spa treatment" and pay a premium for it! what's wrong with giving yakumo a spa treatment? who are we to deprive him of such sensory luxury?

i'm JUST SAYING that since he naturally gravitates toward heat, you could put him in a hurt AND comfort scenario he could be naked and cold, banished to the distant corner of the room.. but when you offer him a source of warmth, whether that be a hot rock or a warm hand or 20 lit candles suspended above him dripping wax on him at random intervals,,, wouldn't he have a tough time turning down your generosity?

i mean, he certainly would if he was tied up.

see, here's the other thing i cannot quite comprehend-- it's that--- how has a snake yokai not featured bondage scenes yet? i guess there was that one time with the.. hm. no, we shan't talk about the cellar. besides, ONLY ONE TIME is unacceptable for a sentient rope!! although yakumo would love to wrap up his prey and squeeze the cum out of em, i feel like we're missing out on a lot by not OutSnaking the Snake. tie up and restrain the Restrainer. it's just a liiiiittle step farther than putting him in a pillowcase! so mild!!!!

here's a guy who is always worried about losing control/// about being free to wreak havoc on his loved ones, despite his best intentions. so how about we give him a moment of peace? a moment where he believes he's subdued and unable to cause harm? just tie him up! keep him under TIGHT lock and key. (or some nice soft cloths for his sensitive skin, if we're being nice.) honestly, his brain will do the rest of the work. even if he's not truly incapacitated, his desire to BE So can fill the gaps in any questionable knotwork.

while he's half in the prison of his mind and half in the confines you've created for him, take some time to squeeze some whimpers out of him. although it pains me to cover up those soggy eyes, a blindfold may be an intriguing option. is yakumo the type of snake to rely on heat vision? WHY NOT FIND OUT! (if he's not terrified at his loss of sight, then i guess his pit organs are functioning . in which case, the blindfold doesn't really need to stay on. if he IS terrified and feels the loss of visuals acutely, this would be an excellent opportunity to soak in his panic. just for a bit though. we're not so cruel. guide him back with a warm touch. see? playing with fire temperature contrasts can bring such relief!)

maybe i'm getting ahead of myself. i don't expect yakumo temperature play to show up WITH bondage , why- that would be asking a lot, right?

but the basics are simple enough, yes? give the wretched creature the comforting warmth he wants, then perhaps inch closer to something bordering uncomfortable? Too Much? have him seek out what he craves, only to be burned (metaphorically and/or literally) if he indulges himself too much? oops! someone's become a slave to their senses!

i'm just saying that the sensory perception of yokai vs kink is (relatively) unknown territory. if temperature play already messes with humans, what could it possibly do to yakumo? he could experience it in facets unknown to others.-=- to levels others are incapable of appreciating---- like someone with synesthesia who can experience music with another layer of enjoyment.

if you give a snake ice cream, followed by a hot piece of meat [unknown origin], it'll really make him aware of the contrast, hmm??????

anyway. sorry about that. i'm not super clear on the specifics of it all. i just thought it peculiar that i haven't seen the yaku-hot-cold-sensitivity-finagling. out there, in here, nowhere as far as i've seen..

...or is it located in a part of the building i overlooked? if so, could you direct me there? i would really appreciate it.

if you don't have it after all, that's ok. i'll keep a careful watch now that i know what i'm looking for. maybe it's one of those things where, once i actively search for it, i'll notice it everywhere! wouldn't that be delightful!

with that, i guess i'll be on my way. thanks for your patience. yeah, i hope i find it too. have a good one!!

[ninyard]

I have this one scenario that I’ve been daydreaming about constantly and the Allison/Kevin/Jeremy ship hype is making me too frazzled and insane not to share. I’m not even sure if this is realistic, but: 1) we’re talking about AFTG here and 2) this is tumblr dot com and anything can happen😭

So. In my mind, Wymack and Coach Rhemann work out some sort of arrangement during the summer where the Trojans and Foxes are able to practice together at one of their campuses (thinking PSU.) It doesn’t last long, maybe about a week or two, but it’s just a fun way to help both teams grow and have fun before the season starts.

Maybe a couple of days before the summer camp ends, someone (Allison?) proposes that they go to the club to let loose and blah blah blah fast forward fast forward —> a mixed group of Foxes and Trojans go to the club™️ and everyone is having the best time getting drunk and unwinding after all of their hard work.

Allison and Jeremy are getting a little too frisky on the dance floor and Kevin can’t help but watch the way they move together so perfectly. (Spoiler alert: Allison and Jeremy know that he’s watching because they made a plan to seduce him…. they also know that it’s working)

And maybe… possibly… after watching them for a while and throwing back another shot or two (#liquidcourage) Kevin sneakily beckons for them to follow him to an empty corridor where he proceeds to make out with the both of them and maybe…. some other stuff😅 hahaha

literally puking over this because YES that's exactly it. jeremy and allison would soo be scheming because they can totally read kevin's mind just by the way he watches them, and the dancefloor is the perfect place for this to happen. a sweaty blur of bodies dancing too close together, and it just keeps getting closer and closer, slower, more intentional. kevin dancing with his arms around allisons waist and jeremy holding out his hand. allison taking it and pulling away from kevin. and the eye contact all three of them hold with each other while allison is so close to jeremy moving in ways that gives kevin sinful thoughts.

the song ending. someone mentioning shots. threesome-erotic throwing back of shots and sucking the alcohol off their lips all standing too close together because there's no room at the bar. jeremy leaning his head on allisons shoulder. her holding his face with her acrylic nails, looking at kevin as jeremy whispers a joke to her about how flustered kevin is getting. a moments silence before allison does a sultry roll of her eyes and just says something like, "if neither of you are going to suggest what we're all thinking then i'm going to have to be the one to say it and as the men here that's super embarrassing for you both."

jeremy looking between her and kevin, leaning ever so slightly into her hand and smirking like, "i'll only agree if kevin is the one to say it. because he obviously wants to say it." and kevin just looking at them both. pausing for a second. and nods his head towards a way out of the crowd with a stupid horny smile on his face. yeah

[howlingday]

Non-Descript Winter Holiday Party

Weiss: Hello- Oh... It's you two.

Emerald: Wow. Aren't you cheery?

Oscar: Hey, Weiss! Uh, everything okay?

Weiss: It's fine, it's fine. Honestly, I'm a little relieved. You're the first non-couple I've seen all night.

Emerald: Really?

Oscar: Really...

Weiss: Yes, and it's a little grating on my nerves to have so many couples over with no other single people to talk to. Everyone is just finishing each other's sentences and rubbing and kissing oh so wholesomely~!

Weiss: It almost makes me want to puke.

Emerald: And a bah humbug to you, too.

Weiss: Well, thankfully you're here, so I don't have to worry about you two sucking face all night.

Oscar: Yeah...

Weiss: Anyways, come on in. There should be plenty of food left unless-

------------------------------------------

Nora: (Shoves another fruitcake into her mouth)

Jaune: ...

Nora: (Mouthful) Whuh? Iz nundezkri-

Jaune: I know what it is, Nora. I just wished you practiced a little self control every now and then, y'know?

Nora: (Swallows) Oh, believe me, I am. You think I'm not holding myself back from taking you and this food into the back room and-

Yang: OKAY! I think that's enough from Nora for tonight. Seriously, were you always this weirdly horny for food and guys?

Nora: Not just any guys. Just the guys I like, like you, but mostly you~! (Snuggles Jaune)

Ren: Even though we never did anything.

Yang: Which is still amazing because Ren is such a-

Jaune: I think it would be better for everyone here to practice a little more self-control.

------------------------------------------

Ruby: And what the heck is that supposed to mean?

Blake: I have nothing against the effort, but I just feel there wasn't enough effort put into the relationship for the ship to mean anything.

Ruby: What do you meeeean?! There was so much effort put in! The setups, the music, the kiss!

Blake: Felt forced, didn't fit the scene, and was weirdly good for two characters in a realistic teen drama to be kissing so well together, despite neither having ANY prior relationships before each other.

Whitley: ...I thought the story was okay.

Sun: Yeah, and the music was sick! I still have that rock song playing on my scroll all the time.

Ruby: See! Sun agrees with me!

Sun: Huh?

Blake: Whitley was right. The story was only okay.

Whitley: What? Nonono, I said-

------------------------------------------

Weiss: So then I told her, "Well, this was your fault for trusting me in the first place!"

Oscar: Hahaha!

Emerald: Heh. Sounds like you guys had fun at Beacon.

Weiss: We did, though you would know, since you were there, too.

Emerald: Yup. Plotting and scheming with Cinder.

Weiss: How did you three pass for students?

Emerald: Apparently, Haven doesn't look too deep when it comes to "late age" students, which probably came from when Spiders would lend out their lackeys as students as a sort of "student exchange" between real students and gangsters.

Weiss: Really?

Oscar: Yup. It's part of why I didn't go to any sort of huntsman schooling. Well, that and my aunt needed my help with the farm.

Ozpin: (Thinking) It's sad to see how far Leo fell, after fighting so hard to get where he did.

Weiss: Oh, excuse me. There's someone at the door.

Emerald: ...What did you guys grow out there?

Oscar: Oh, uh, carrots, turnips, beets. Y'know, the usual.

Emerald: Y'know, I can't say I've ever had beets before.

Oscar: You haven't? They're really good!

Emerald: Yeah? All I see are those red blobs in cans.

Oscar: Well, yeah, but those are actually really good. Especially when you slice them up and put them in your salad.

Emerald: Guess I'll have to try out this recipe of yours then.

Oscar: Really?! Er, I mean... Cool. Cool.

Emerald: Heh heh...

Ozpin: (Sighs)

------------------------------------------

Weiss: ...Is there a reason you're sitting here alone?

Ilia: Ack! I, uh... I'm just, y'know, relaxing, winding down-

Weiss: Staring at Blake?

Ilia: Staring at Bla- No! Of course not! I would never do that!

Weiss: Really? Because from where I'm sitting, there is an entire room of people all conversing, both couples and single people alike, and yet the only thing you've said tonight beyond "Hello" is a sigh. Just because you're single does not excuse your isolation from everyone else here.

Ilia: Oh, what do you know? You've always had someone to talk to! But some of us only had one person, and that one person then chose to leave us behind!

Weiss: It's called growing up. It's a new thing, I know, but it works wonders, I hear.

Ilia: Oh, screw you!

Weiss: ...Wait. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so hostile with you. I've... I know what you mean by being left behind. Everyone at this party is someone I got close to or was the reason they left. It's not easy being single in a party of couples, but... But the least we can do when we're single is to be happily single. So... What say we be happily single... together. Just for tonight.

Ilia: ...Okay.

[forgottenroisin]

Malconaire Samain Traditions

AUTHOR'S NOTES

ok so!!! before i get into this too much, some author's notes, starting w fun facts abt irl samhain (which i wrote samain above bc that's the old irish spelling and we're mostly going w old irish spellings here -- caoimhe rather than keeva, etc) that im running w here are as follows: ancient celtic tradition holds w largely two types of major celebration on their quartered calendar: Beltaine and Samhain which occurred on opposite times of the year, and Imbolc and Lughnasa which also straddled the year. The latter set marked important crop rotations: sowing and harvesting the fields.

The former, however, are said to have been dedicated to the movements of cattle herds and their shephards. At Beltaine, the shephards and their flocks would wrap up their half year of having held their beasts at home amongst the village in the valleys where they were safe from winter snows. at samhain, the shephards would do the opposite: begin driving their herds home across the treacherous montain passes from where they had been grazing in upland pastures for six months, and heading home to the valleys. Both Samhain and Beltane were seen as liminal or threshold holidays. Yet, they were also seen as inverse of one another, with Beltane being a festival for the living and Samhain for the dead.

Many Irish and British Neolithic tombs are aligned such that they are illuminated by the light of the sun as it over Samhain and Imbolc.

In Celtic belief, all spirits appear to be interlinked, w ghosts alternately appearing as faries or gods and vice versa, so I've used guardians, gods, and ghosts here where I thought most appropriate as stand ins but yeah this is just my interpretation??? Anyway, fairy mounds are often literally burial mounds so make of that what you will! I did ultimately choose to include ghosts but I strongly considered restricting it to purely guardians and gods, but yeah! Lmk if you think I should go back and restrict it to just those two!

Samhain in Ireland and Scotland are pr similar, so there'll def bc riffs from both cultures but, bc Rosie's name means little rose, and the very related ancient Welsh tradition of Calan Gaeaf ties in both roses AND ivy v strongly, I'm gonna be pulling a lot from that, as well.

I'm also gonna steal some Venetian St. Mark's Day beliefs and practices and English St. Mark's Eve ones. I have zero excuse except that it dovetails really nicely, and that its frankly sooo fitting for our Miss Rosie.

all the 'tales' here are inspired and even drawn directly from ancient lore!

Cleansing fire and light, cleaning, divination, guising (dressing up and trick or treat-esque shenanigans), dancing, mummery, saining (blessings), feasting, belief that spirits (good and evil, human and fae and godly and demoic, etc) walk amongst us that night, and veneration of the dead are common themes, and it is believed that it is this time when the veil is thinnest between the various otherworlds and our own.

Samhain is a last deep breath before the plunge. It is a time of preparing for the death of winter to come. Interestingly, Samain, the Old Irish root word for Samhain, is thought to come from an ancient word for 'summer,' though it was celebrated in November. No one knows why, but imma lean into it as a rebirth kind of symbolism -- yknow that 'spring in winter' sort of concept. Another explanation is that Samain comes from yet another ancient word that means 'reuninion, assembly,' and imma lean into that, too.

There was initially a fortnight of celebrations for Samain, which overtime got cut down to our modern night of Halloween, so idk how long this celebration should last hahaha and i deliberately left the timeline vague bc of that

Conveniently, I'd already hc'ed that Rosie actually views autumn as more a time of rebirth than spring (weirdly enough, it was actually one of my v first hc's for her!), and all this will allow me to tie it in nicely with her character theme of wonder <3

(Also disclaimer that you might notice some similarities between this and my TFW not!halloween traditions in which case...no you didn't ;DDDDD its just that i was inspired by the same sources hahaha except here i pulled in welsh and venetian things as my secondary instead of ancient roman and greek things aklsjdflkjdfdf)

SAMAIN TRADITIONS

like her sisters, rosie was born around the time of an ancient astairan holiday, causing the celebrations to overlap in malconaire

hers falling near samhain, an autumnal festival celebrating the midpoint between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice, and is held to mark the beginning of winter

it is said that it is at this time that the veil between this world and the other is said to be at its thinnest and, thus, the guardians are feted in an effort to strengthen them during this most dangerous period, w seers and all the ppl of astaira gathering to do whatever they can to help

it is a time of unity and mutual faith, generosity and thanksgiving, of finding strength and hope and cheer in ourselves and in one another even as things grow their darkest

as twilight gleams its last, all the fires in the region are put out and a great bonfire lit by a seer at the local shrine. from this protective blaze, every fire in the region is relit so that cleansing, protective fire burns for the guardians against the gods in every home, every shrine, and every gathering place across all malconaire

it is said that on this night, sometimes even non-seers can hear the whisperings of the guardians -- and that, at times -- the howls of the gods echo across the world, but beware to any who hears ought, for gods can appear and speak as any being they wish and, it is said, one must never trust a stranger who arrives upon samhain who will not go into the light

according to ancient tradition, anyone who believes w a true heart may wield some of the powers of a true seer because the veil is so thin, and in addition to being able to hear the voices of gods and guardians, can also sometimes hear the voices of their deceased loved ones

sometimes this is said to be a trick of the evil gods, but many believe that deceased loved ones do in fact arise

in addition to the fires, many gifts of food and drink and harvest and flowers etc are offered to the guardians, in addition to gifts of delights and entertainments such as dances and plays

as it is said that ghosts rise from their graves at this time, whether crossing over from an otherworld or revived by the power of the wicked gods, welcoming feasts are held in every home and, during the feasts, in addition to offerings made to the guardians, places are set for dead members of the family who may be visiting their loved ones while they are able

hoping to thwart any wicked spirits or gods who might be walking the earth, many wear a guise each night when the protective power of the sun is snuffed out

bc it is said that everyone may have use of a seers powers, it is also tradition to go from house to house and give offerings and blessings back and forth there, and this is often when fires from the great shrine bonefire are brought to each home, as well

following feasting in homes, there is also a tradition of gathering around the great bonfire in the evening and sharing sweets

while there, dancing and plays go on with gift-giving continuing well into the night

traditionally, one carves their name into a stone and then tosses it into the fire. those stones that had had the name burned clean off of it will receive good fortune. those whose names are still writ upon the stones will do well to take care over the course of the winter, with death or misfortune said to hunt them

Myths, legends, and ghost stories are all frequently told around the bonfire, with some tales being considered specific to Samain, and others simply tall tales or simply invented stories, but whatever their origin, stories play a highly important role on Samain, both as offerings and as entertainment. i'll include one or two as a sample somewhere in here

traditionally, all across astaira, peace was delcared during samain and it was a great time of unification, of treaties, of mending fences great and small, neighbor to neighbor and nation to nation, alike, w any conflict or even grudge, save that against the gods, being seen as borderline blasphemous, and an insult to the guardians for all efforts must be communally poured into that conflict at this time

in this same vein, it is a time for housekeeping, both great and small -- houses are cleaned, spick and span, and great councils are called by the rulers to undergo yearly reforms

anyone who broke laws during this time would, therefore, be banished for the rest of the year for the grievous offence of having wounded the goodwill of the guardians

traditionally, astairans avoid crossroads during samain, said to be haunted by nefarious deadmen and gods

on the morning samain, young and unmarried people traditionally go out into the fields and collect ivy and autumn roses. traditionally, girls collect ivy while boys pick roses, after which they come together again, with the girls presenting the boys they admire with ivy and the boys presenting roses to the girls they fancy. if a couple's presentations are mutual, they then wind them together and create crowns of roses-and-ivy to wear. at the end of the day, each girls collects all the roses she has been given, and each boy all his ivy and mingle them till they do not know who gave which. then they toss one into the bonfire for the guardians are return home, placing the remaining plants under their pillow. it is said that they will then dream of their future and, if they remember any of the dream, some of it will come true in the coming year. it is also sometimes said that if they dream of a particular other person, they will likely wed that person.

unmarried women are instructed to darken their rooms in the evening, and then a married woman can look into the mirror to see the face of the future groom. If a skull appears in the mirror, the unmarried woman is meant to die within the year. If a future groom cannot be seen, unmarried women are instructed to peel an apple and throw the skin over their shoulders. The shape the apple skin makes is said to show the first initial of her future husband

just before midnight, any remaining children are bundled off to bed and, then, it is tradition for those who wish to see to gather on the holy ground of the shrine, for surrounded by the guardians is the only way one may safely witness what is to come. those who do not wish to see must return quickly home and close all their windows and close their eyes and try to sleep, for any not protected by the guarian who looks upon it shall die on the spot. those who stay at the shrine may see, but they must maintain absolute silence or it is said they shall never see again. at midnight, the dead walk. a whole squadron of them troop by, but if one should spot oneself or any known to one trooping with them, that person is doomed to die within the year. some say the cause of death may even be observed, drowned victims soaked to the bone or hanged men marching with nooses around their necks, and such the like.

games and friendly competitions around the bonfire are common, such as dares and apple bobbing

two hazelnuts roast near a fire; one named for the person roasting them and the other for the person the desire. If the nuts jump away from the heat, it is a bad sign, but if the nuts roast quietly, it foretells an excellent match. 

Items were hidden in food—usually a cakes and breads — and portions of it served out at random. A person's future is foretold by the item they happened to find; for example, a ring means marriage, and a coin means wealth

A salty oatmeal bannock was baked; the person ate it in three bites and then went to bed in silence without anything to drink. This was said to result in a dream in which their future spouse offers them a drink to quench their thirst

Egg whites are dropped in water, and the shapes foretell the number of future children

SAMPLE OF SAMAIN TALES

story of a seer who rushed up to the door to the otherworld in the repulsion of gods, but closed the door as the gods were sealed off on his thumb. he then sucked on his wounded thumb and, from that moment, was said to have gained otherworldly wisdom but the cost was that he was, too, a link that the gods had to this world so he ultimately sealed himself, too, away inside a tree using their own magic to bind himself so that he could harm no one, but it is said that the gods have no mercy and that they force his ghost to walk the world on the night of Samain and sow the seeds of their ill-will for the year to come.

the monstrous gods used to demand two-thirds of the ppl's crops and livestock and even children during samain before they were sealed away, causing many to starve

a certain god, it is said, would command three men to go to a certain goddess every Samain to seduce her. when they inevitably failed, he would take their lives and force them to walk the world as his undead vessels for the rest of the year, wreaking untold havoc upon the world till at least one did succeed and the goddess gave him her magical garter. before the god killed his two companions, the goddess' lover, said sometimes to be from the snail house and alternately from the frog house, warned the vile god that it would spell his own doom if he struck those men down. laughing, the evil god did so, and so the lover used the magic girdle to fight and defeat him and help the guardians seal him away ((fun fact, this is drawn from a story said to have been the origin of the bog men...hence the frog or snail house being involved!))

one samain night, before the veil was raised against the gods, the king offered a prize to any who could tie a band around a hanged man's ankle. each challenger after the other fled in terror to the king's hall but one. when the band was tied, the dead man asked for a drink so, feeling pity for the hanged man, the challenger carried him on his back, stopping at three houses. when they entered the third, the dead man drank and spat it on the householders, killing them. returning to the gallows to bind him again, the challenger spotted an army of the gods burning the king's hall and slaughtering those inside. the challenger pursued the host through a portal into an otherworld where he learned that what he had seen since touching the hanged man was only a vision of what would happen the next samain unless something was done. he returned to the hall and warned the king, and astaira began to arm themselves against the gods who plotted against them.

another tale tells of a man who fell deeply in love w a goddess before the veil was raised against them. so in love was he that he followed her to an otherworld, despite her warnings that if he followed her, he could never return home. they lived happily together for two years before he began to long for home. watching him pine away, the goddess agreed to allow him to visit the mortal realm on her own horse, but only if he solemnly swore never to dismount the horse which would take him there and then back to her. he hastily agreed and started on his way. yet, when he arrived, he found that in the mortal realm two hundred years, and not two, had passed and that everyone he loved had died. distressed to see their graves, he fell from the horse to kiss them, but as soon as he stepped upon the ground, mortality found him and he grew old and died on the spot, collapsing as no more than bones and dust upon the earth of the graves of those he loved.

according to legend, the tradition of presenting roses and ivy to a lover originated when a man of low social standing is said to have fallen in love with a lady of house malconaire known for wearing ivy in her hair. in order to win her father's approval -- who said he might only wed his daughter if he could prove his love for her was true -- he became involved in a distant war. he was mortally wounded in battle, but managed to pluck a rose from a nearby rosebush for his loved one. a companion was entrusted with returning the blood-stained rose to his lover, who cast the ivy from her hair and wore the rose until the day she died. from their graves, buried beside each other, ivy and roses still grow.

CHARACTER HC'S

it was during samain, many years ago, that domhnall and later his heir, eilionora, offered roderick a treaty but both efforts he rebuffed. to the first effort to achieve peace he did not reply. yet when eilia tried again, he did, sending her only a piece of paper that bore simply a list of the countries he'd already conquered, with astaira's name listed at the bottom. eilia did not try again.

on the samain before bran and sorcha began courting, he decided that he would woo her with the traditional roses. sadly, however, he wasn't able to get out into the fields until late and, when he finally did, all that were left were very, very small roses, indeed. fortunately, she had the same idea and presented him with ivy as well. when she saw the wee rosebuds, which he presented with some embarrassment, saying he ought to have given her something far greater, she laughed and declared that someday he would -- if they ever had a daughter born in autumn, her name should be roisin, for the first gift he had ever given to her.

last samain, rosie presented edmund with ivy, forgetting he problably knew nothing of the tradition (and would likely consider it heresy, if he did!) realizing too late that he probably didn't know what she was telling him, she laughed and made a joke of it, weaving him a ivy crown, anyway, saying that if he meant to rule over astaira, someday, he best pay attention as he would have to know how to make a flower crown. she never mentioned it again.

bran threw eggs into water with sorcha the year they were married. when her egg predicted four children and his six, he was terrified it might mean he would outlive her and she laughed and told him that was a ridiculous thing to suppose, for he'd come to their marriage with two children already: his raven, and malconaire.

the year of sorcha's death, she stayed out to watch the ghosts walk, hoping for a last glimpse of a loved one whom she had just lost, while bran took the children home to sleep. she was drawn and white when bran awoke the next morning and, though she made jokes of it when he mentioned it and proceeded about her day, she seemed distracted, but would say nothing of what she had seen. at the time, bran only assumed that she was distressed about her loss, but after she died, he always wondered if perhaps she had seen her own spirit on the march that night.

though usually done privately for their parents, rosie always enjoyed mumming with her sisters at samain, telling tall tales and dramatic ones alike amongst themselves

while she hasn't done any mummery since childhood, as she imagines its likely not dignified for a lady of her age and position, she does still enjoy guising and generally dresses as favorite heroines from fairy tales and other stories. she is convinced cassandra would enjoy this as well and wants to bring her to such an event one of these years. no o ne can seem to convince her this is terrible idea.

cillian stays out late every year to watch the souls pass and, every year, he informs saoirse that he has seen her go by, but she says she'll have her revenge one of these days, because someday he ~will see her, and then he'll be sorry when he has to tell her so and she laughs in his face.

[bluegekk0]

what kinda instruments are in the au? and which do characters play if any?

Oooh this is nice because I was actually thinking about this topic a while back, particularly in regards to Zote! So I think this is a great opportunity to talk about it.

I think it would be so fun if playing music was like, his secret interest. One that he was conditioned to be ashamed of as a kid (in the AU he originates from a community where physical strength and fighting skills were a priority, and things like music, writing or art were seen as insignificant). I love the idea that as he got assimilated into the Vyrm family and watched the others engage in their hobbies, he decided to revisit his own.

Problem is, he is still deeply ashamed of it, and only ever tries playing in his house basement so that no one can hear it. The thought of someone discovering his hobby (and the fact that he's kind of bad at it due to the lack of practice) terrifies him so he would want to hide it.

What instrument would he play? I guess this is a good chance to answer the other question. I haven't thought of specific designs or names, but I think generally instruments would follow similar designs to ours. String instruments, drums, maybe something flute-like made from bones, and so on. For Zote, I like the idea of him maybe choosing a string instrument of sorts. It would seem kind of gentle, for the lack of a better word, compared to his personality, but I like that contrast. Maybe it reflects a part of him that remains in his past, on the day he discovered he really wants to play music, a softer Zote that maybe is still somewhere in there. I think it would be an old instrument he found somewhere and tried to patch up, so it wouldn't sound great even ignoring his poor skills.

Another really fun idea I had was Grimm being the only one in the family who knows about it. Secrets are hard to keep from him, and he would inevitably discover Zote's secret hobby. But contrary to Zote's fears, he wouldn't ridicule it, in fact I love the idea of him being very supportive. I'm imagining Grimm visiting Zote and offering to listen to him play, maybe even giving him some advice as he would undoubtedly have some experience (or at the very least he watched the Troupe's music crew enough to have learned a thing or two). It would remain a secret between them, as Zote would still be deeply ashamed, not to mention he wants to maintain some kind of image in front of Dirtmouth (which is definitely something Grimm can relate to). But it's such a fun dynamic to think about, I want to explore this idea further, maybe even in some artwork.

The rest of the family wouldn't play much, maybe something here and there but their interests lie elsewhere. Not ruling out the possibility of one of the kids discovering a passion for instruments, but for now Zote is the only one. About time he gets something for himself hahaha

[unifox]

Tropical love - intro

~Pairing: No pairing yet! g/n! reader

~Genre: fluff/ angst (does annoyance and disliking someone count as that?)

~Warnings: Mentions of food, beach. Like, one sort of sexist commentary. (let me know if I missed any)

~Words: 0,9 k 

~Summary: When your cousin decides to ruin family bonding time by bringing two friends to your shared beach house, you unexpectedly find a lover.

a/n: THIS A/N IS LONG I'M SORRY. Congrats to Seungcheol for being voted as cousin material ✨. But seriously hahaha I'm writing both paths for Mingyu And Wonwoo ending. Just did a pool to see who's team you guys are rooting for hahaha

For this one I sort of based the characters on two of my actual cousin's friends, but the one for Wonwoo I truly dislike and had a hard time adjusting our precious Woo to fit in his character. I wish my cousin could bring a true gentlemen to me tho :(

ALSO Wow, I'm really surprised and thankful for all the supor my Joshua fic received. Thanks If you're one of those people!!

Taglist + anon list open! ~Foxy🦊

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"What do you mean!?!?" 

The look of disbelief in your cousin Rina along with yours took her sister May by surprise.

"What do YOU mean? Cheol is taking his friends to our beach house." May said with a shrug

"What a traitor, what about family bonding time?" Rina said crossing her arms.

Sungecheol was the oldest of three siblings. Followed by May and then Rina. You were their older cousin, just one year older than Cheol, but they considered you their older sibling since you grew up together. 

"Who did he invite?" The siblings still argued

"Mingyu..." May responded

"I mean, it's no big deal right?"You chimed in sipping your orange juice. This brunch place had the best juice "Mingyu practically grew up with us"

"And Wonwoo"

Well fuck. You couldn't stand that guy

"What a traitor, what about family bonding time?" You quoted the youngest among you

"I swear to god, you two are so difficult..." May said going back to her now cold French toast

You really missed this house. After 2h driving, arriving at your destination has never been so rewarding. Usually, Cheol would drive, but 6 people would not fit his car so you went in an all-girls car trip while he went with his friends.

The main entrance led you to the open living room with a kitchen on the right and the three of you headed upstairs to settle on the room on the left side of the house. The guys would share the room right next to it.

When they arrived, you were putting the groceries away and Cheol went to greet you with a hug

"Look, it's my favorite causing from mom's side"

"I'm your only cousin from Mom's side"

"That's why you're my favorite!"

"Stop teasing her, we won't make any food for you" Mingyu joked and went to greet you with a quick hug

"Hi Gyu, haven't seen you in a while. How's life in America?" You smiled as he helped stock the fridge with the food they brought with them

"It's been fun! I'll tell you more later, let's finish this"

"Hi"

You turned your head to the boy who had just entered the house. Wonwoo smiled awkwardly and waved after closing the door behind him

"Hi" You forced a bit of  your smile and went back to organizing

The beach worked wonders on you. The sand underneath your feet, the sound of the waves, the humidity on the wind and the sun kissing your skin.

Through your sunglasses you could see the boys playing like kids in the water, splashing each other, while May sat next to you on a beach chair almost asleep. Rina approached you and offered one of the open coconuts that she had just purchased from a nearby vendor.

"Thanks! This one is so sweet" You exclaimed happily to her

"I know right? So many people were buying there that I had to get us one!"

Your conversation was cut short as the guys approached you. Mingyu saw you sitting on a towel and ran to sit next to you smiling

"Oh my god, you're so cold!" you shrieked and threw the towel inside your bag at him

"Coconut water?" he smiled brightly at you as he dried himself

"What else would it be gyu?" You laughed and offered him your straw. While he took a sip you saw the other two guys approach but ignored them.

"That's so good! I'll get one too" He stood up and threw the towel at Seungcheol. "Wanna grab one Wonwoo?"

"Sure" The quiet male responded

When they came back you all settled and stayed till early afternoon. Mingyu decided to go back earlier to light up the barbecue grill, and since you were kinda tired, you decided to tag along.

"You're going back already?" Cheol looked ah you quizzically

"Yeah" You responded. 

"I want my meat rare" Wonwoo smiled as the two guys looked at you 

You think I'm your maid? Go do it yourself

That's what you wanted to say but held back. Usually, you'd go back earlier to cook for y'all (It was a shared task, but as the oldest you'd usually initiate things), but this time that was not the case. You side-eyed him and ignored him as you walked back to the house.

This dude was really getting on your nerves. You found him awkward and strange, but worse, you found him lazy. He didn't help with tasks like Mingyu who was always ready to help you. It was like Wonwoo didn't belong in your dynamic like he wasn't supposed to be there. He avoided everyone and would only join if Seungcheol was present.

When you reached the house you calmed down a bit since Mingyu kept you entertained and busy.

"We should totally go check out those food trucks we passed by when we were coming here" May exclaimed after everyone gathered in front of the TV in the living room. One Piece played on the screen but most were not paying attention to the anime.

"Nah sis, we should stay in today. I'm dead from driving and spending the day on the beach" Cheol responded ready to set his attention back to the anime

"I think it'll be fun!" Mingyu chimed in. His closeness with your family allowed him to simply choose whatever, even if his friend who invited him wasn't going to tag along.

"We should go then" Rina got up to get her tiny purse and headed to the door. Mingyu and May followed her.

"You coming Wonwoo?" Mingyu asked the new friend, who simply shook his head and said he'd stay with Seungcheol

"What about you y/n?"

I'm staying guys. Have fun! OR I'm going! Let me just grab my phone.

(click the answer and check the next parts!)

[chibishortdeath]

General Simon brainrot sketch page :3, as per usual, explanations under a cut. Apologies if my posts tend to be kinda huge and difficult to scroll past, I try to do the cuts to make sure they do the least inconvenience to anyone! (>-< ;)

Just the whole page in full ft. My thumb lol

Expression practice! Simon is feeling the weight of his situation rn alas :(. I’ve always imagined him being panicked the whole game; the overarching entire game timer really gives a pretty good feeling of dread imo. The two doodles at the bottom were attempts at multiple ideas I’ve seen floating around about the curse, but they’re kinda bad in execution looking at them no tbh. But the first one is based on the idea that the curse gives some vampire traits like sharp teeth and would probably lead to proper vampirism if he were to die from it. The second was general attempt at like skull practice and comparing facial features to skull structure, but oh my god the page kept smudging and I tried making it look ok with some random blood on there but it just made it look even sillier 💀.

These next two are based on two random like liminal space images I ran into on Pinterest and I drew them mostly because I suck at backgrounds and idk Simon’s Quest itself is like Castlevania: Liminal Space Edition a lot of the time, so it fits X,,,,D. The first one I really liked the composition of the path on the far side contrasted to the trees. Imagine the water is the purple cursed swamp :3. Hopefully Simon has laurels just standin around in there.

This second liminal space for Simon to be in was this neat nighttime photo of a graveyard! Trees are HARD TO DRAW, especially just in pencil and a solid black background. There’s blood on the ground and stuff cause he was just fighting some monsters, probably those two headed lizard guys. It’s the awkward stillness after clearing out an area of enemies.

The pose for this one is based on the LOL~lots of laugh Miku figure lmao 💀💀💀

Simon is very fun to put in exaggerated poses! Especially cause you have to exaggerate them more to get the same ratio of pose to negative space because muscles and armor. I had no idea how to make metal belt armor thingies sit in a like legs up floating sort of pose like this so they kinda bend a little weird but eh he looks cute otherwise. The other doodles present are one that says “brainrot” which is kinda making fun of my own dedication to an NES character 💀 and also cause haha rot like the curse. Also, teeny tiny Simon with a heart!!! :3

Yippie! Simon posing again! I think the first pose was inspired by this like random old anime style angel figure??? Idk I think she was just an original character figure and the pose was pretty different, I just used the reference mostly for the arm position. Anyway, he’s vibin, just sitting curled up and momentarily comfy. Alas, the horrors persist in the second doodle that was an attempt at showing how the curse kinda deteriorates him but he just kinda ended up having a scarily snatched waist and it looks more stylized than like sick. Also the armor kinda bends around him in a way that makes it look like it shrunk with him which is so dumb lmaooooo (XwX). I’ll have to revisit the concept eventually idk, just look at his face for this one XD. Hahaha tiny doodle based on Larval Rin on the left there, nothing to see here—

The main doodle is just Simon looking into the distance bewildered and holding the whip, standard stuff. There’s also a side profile doodle and an attempt at drawing crying again cause I was getting kinda rusty at both of those things.

Simon Belmont but if he was 2000s anime lol. A fun little style experiment, I might keep this as like another secondary art style. There’s also some doodles of a hanged man skeleton, the eyes of Vlad, a skeleton hand, and a couple little chibi Simon’s of various expressions.

More 2000s anime Simon, but in a more silly way like the art style change for joke sections. One is him just goofily holding up Dracula’s head, but it’s contrasted immediately with a more gritty usual art style doodle of him with harsh shading lol. Get you a man who can do both I guess 💀

I gotta practice more on backgrounds and composition and stuff, probably also get some curse effects consistent augh. Lately I’ve been on and off working on random things or just staring into space tired, getting back to using social media is hard and an exhausting uphill battle unfortunately (_ _ ;). Sometimes I feel like I should probably split these up into multiple posts to make things more visible and to put more focus on specific drawings, but idk I don’t really want to, it just feels weird to me breaking up a doodle page like that, if that makes sense??? Eh idk.

[albatris]

🖊 + alex!!

>:3

Alex has only ever killed two people by accident, which is way less than most vampires!

the first was its high school principal, which. hm. very sad very tragic. this was someone Alex looked up to a lot and viewed as a sort of mentor, who was only trying to help at the time. it was right when Alex was first turning and was obviously extremely unwell, and had no idea what was going on :c

the second person was a few years later, and was some dickhead who attacked Alex's good friend Ari the stir-fry guy. a jilted ex-lover of Ari's daughter's, with a grudge and looking for some payback

so, Alex and Ari were already pretty good friends n Alex had a habit of staying late at Ari's restaurant to chat and help out n stuff, n this was when the attack took place. thankfully after closing time! when Ari would presumably be alone. however Ari was not alone, n Alex attempted to defuse the situation without harming anyone but got Majorly Stabbed In The Chest in the process. so the Garble kicked in and was like "hey you need to RETALIATE" n Alex did this with some biting and feeding

you have to understand it was still a lot less practiced when it came to self-control at the time and had also never been like. stabbed. before

anyway Alex was HORRIFIED and MORTIFIED and Ari had to do more work calming it down than Alex did calming Ari down abt the fact that A) vampires are real and 😎 his good friend is one

Ari did pretty good under pressure considering hahaha

when Alex left the restaurant tho it didn't go back for MONTHS bc it freaked itself out thinking that Ari must hate it and be scared of it and disgusted by it. meanwhile Ari is just there waiting like. Alex??? where Alex??? where friend?? 🥺??

idk how Ari finds some subtle way to advertise his restaurant with some "hey you're welcome back here" or general vampire friendliness, but I know he does, n eventually lures Alex back

they're best bros! Ari got it/its privileges with Alex long before Quinn did and Quinn is endlessly salty about it

fun fact if u go to Ari's restaurant and mention ur a friend of Alex's or ask for Alex's special you'll get a double serving w no garlic :3 special deal for vampires. vampires have to eat more just in general 'cause of the increased stomach capacity n in general needing tons more energy. Ari doesn't feel it's fair they have to pay double to get a decent meal the same as a human customer

so yes Ari's restaurant is very popular with the local vampires :3

[smilingangel582]

Since I got this.... hehehe I'll be writing a sequel now.

The villain strikes again! With backup...

King of the court or any sort of nickname doesn't bother him like it used to. Tobio Kageyama finds it rather a nonchalant aspect in his daily volleyball routine.

His passion to make it arouse this sense of happiness brought him to a rather obnoxious orange little guy who would annoy him to dust.

Now he just needs to set to him to they both are satisfied.

"You better concentrate, Kageyama... or the captain has something planned for you," Hinata's words brought a chill down his spine, recollecting the dares they've been doing, but specifically the captain permitting for round two.

Wearily, he began to set as many as he could to all the spikers.

None of them had forgotten Tsukishima's attack on him. Many looked like they were anticipating him to make a mistake to get his punishment.

Oh, that won't happen, never... he can't relive that again... nuh uh

He shivered now, taking a break by drinking some water. Kageyama's vision was clouded from exhaustion, particularly because he overdid his training, unlike the others... part of that was to be blamed on Tsukishima for tickling him to death.

He leaned back, now feeling his sweat beginning to bead.

"Kageyama~, you shouldn't let your guard down!" It was a sneaky voice from Nishinoya who had snuck up behind him fingers itching to get him. He straightened up and glared at the upperclassmen "Oi, Noya-san you can't do anything to me yet... its still practice..."

"Someone's dying for a play fight." Tanaka and Noya duo laughed at that, and this earned a blush, to be completely honest... he didn't mind, but he also dreaded the fact that this was against all of them and himself.

He hopes Daichi has some sort of empathy towards him... to stop them.

How was he wrong? Because he ended up digging his grave.

Constant pressure in mind made him give Hinata a set too high. In the end, the ball plopped down on the court with a silent echoing tone in depth. Reminding something sinister.

He heard cracking of knuckles and it was to his pure horror, Daichi, then the other responsible senpai-tachi (plural of senpais). They all had the looks of 'we'll teach a slow and painful lesson' and that was something terrifying.

In the end, he was at the receiving end, where Tanaka and Noya each grabbed a knee, squeezing them with pure merciless desires. Then Hinata is impatient to get the sweet death spot on his ribs. Ennoshita and Sugawara had the audacity to tease his ears and neck.

They were all on him, except Tsukishima (thankfully for Kageyama), Yameguchi, the managers and Daichi.

"Man messing with you is so fun!" Tanaka laughed getting the sensitive part of his calf muscles. This was bad... really bad, thought Kageyama, not only were they destroying they were teasing him like crazy... he wanted to crawl into a rock right this instant!

His cheeks were blossoming a colour of pink, almost from embarrassment. His giggles reached several octaves now. "Gahahaha nohoho Ihihihihi hahaha hate thihihis!"

Tsukishkma clicked his tongue "Ah... I can't watch, your doing it wrong..."

"Huh -whoa!" Hinata yelped when he was pushed to the side, the tall guy was now giving directions... Kageyama gawked with horror "Thehehehe hehehell yohohohou agahahahain scrahahahahwny bahahastard?"

"I wouldn't use that tone king, I'm really motivated unlike last time"

Last time he wasn't? Kageyama wanted to argue but a new painfully ticklish sensation passed through his nerves, he just felt like a wave of electric current pass down his limbs now curling as he freed his arms.

"I recently discovered the ribs also have a new switch... the bottom ribs give him an extra sensitivity... try it Hinata"

He was gladly gone but only with passing down his knowledge to his successor in overthrowing the king.

"AHAHAHA NOHOHO! AHAHAHAHAHA MEHEHEHERCY PLEHEHEHEASE! IHIHIHI GIVE! BOHOHOKE!

"Wow, you weren't lying... he got way louder than before..." it seems Daichi sees the limit in Kageyama and grabs the orange haired kid away from him."He pouted. "Aw I wasn't finished"

"Well... I suppose he needed a laugh or two... but i think it's a bit unfair to let him take the torment" Daichi said as he turned to Sugawara who was uneasy "W-why are you looking at me?"

Another tickle war broke and Kageyama could just stay away with his breath easing up to a normal pace. Tanaka was attacking Noya, Hinata enjoyed tormenting Yameguchi along with Tsukishima giving advice. Sugawara's childlike laughter was the spotlight while Ennoshita helped...

This was something no one could stop. Kageyama smiled...

[rontra]

Been loving failteacher yuri, fantastic series, great read, funny, yada yada you’ve already received my compliments a couple times before, I don’t need to rehash how good your work is! But what I did want to know was, would you be opposed to someone creating a comic dub of your series? With all appropriate credits and no monetisation of course. I figured with the release of a first “volume” of sorts, it might be a fun project for me to put together over a few months!

Completely understandable if you’d rather I didn’t, it’s your work and your right!

Yours: Rammy (from Rammys)

(PS: Unrelated to all this, if you ever want to see any of the colouring practice I did on the pages that I mentioned earlier in the year, let me know!)

RAMMY (OF RAMMYS FAME)!

hahaha hello again o/ thank you thank you. on the topic of dubs, i'm okay with it for failteacher yuri--i don't tend to watch comic dubs much myself but i know a lot of people like them and have fun making them, so i'm not opposed if you want to give it a shot...!!! all i ask is that it clearly links back to me like u say 🫡

i feel like it might be a tough one to work with, but if you're up for the challenge... :L

also, i've been curious about the coloring practice ever since you first mentioned you were doing it, so i would love to see some. HFDHBJN

[eyesontheskyline]

😭💰📌

And not an emoji but a question. Which chapter of no such thing did you find the hardest to write!?

Hi!

😭 Have you ever made yourself cry writing a fic?

Yeah. I'm a crier honestly, so it doesn't take much, but reckless was a lot. I'm the lapsed Catholic child of teen parents, and I had my own baby in lockdown with the world falling apart around me, isolated from pretty much everyone who would've been supportive, and basically entirely without any sense of like... happiness or normality. So yeah, various parts of all three chapters of that made me cry lol.

💰 What’s one trope you wouldn’t write, except for money?

Note a trope really, but I wouldn't touch x reader (except for money loool, there's definitely enough money out there to sway me).

Any sort of dubious consent is also very much not for me, and anything kind of age play / daddy or mommy kink... all that stuff.

📌 If all your fics/WIPs fell off a ship and were drowning (go with it), and you could only save one, which would it be?

This is a brutal question hahaha I love all my babies! But probably no such thing as over this? It's still fun for me to reread, and it was always my answer to 'what's one fic idea you'll probably never write' because it felt too big for me. Like I felt like I couldn't do it justice or I'd never follow through or whatever. So I like it and I'm proud of it and honestly just the fact of having both started and finished it is a big deal for me.

Aaaaand which chapter of no such thing was hardest to write?

Ha there are so many contenders for this! My first thought is maybe chapter three - I did a lot of deleting and restarting and restructuring. It was quite a lot of ground to cover practically, and initially the whole team helped Emily move in instead of just Morgan and Garcia, but it just didn't feel right. (It felt too much like the shortcut the show started taking with that pasta cooking lesson and then didn't stop honestly - just jamming all the characters in a room and not really doing anything with them.) So yeah I had a lot of false starts with almost every single part of that chapter lol. I was still figuring out how to write around canon too, really wrestling myself away from the impulse to try and fill in every little moment.

And it has Emily crying on the floor by herself with her cat, which I really liked, but also found really hard to write. Like, my writing style has been (very generously lol) described as 'practical', and I consistently struggle writing characters crying (or doing any other sustained activity to be fair) for any amount of time. For the reader to end up with the impression that it's been a long time, they need to be reading about it for more than one sentence, and it just took me a while to figure out how to write it well. I think (on this one occasion) it turned out okay.

Chapter six too though, which spanned four episodes and had no particular plot points for me to hit but I needed to lay the groundwork for Emily and Garcia's friendship and end up with an Emily and Hotch who might plausibly have an open, vulnerable version of the "having a bad day" conversation with each other.

I struggled in a lot of places and I had a lot of blank page anxiety every time I moved onto a new chapter, but I think these were the ones I really struggled to make work.

Thank you so much for asking, I appreciate you, kind anon ❤️

[greenerteacups]

how do u manage the big big project of writing lionheart 😭 can u give tips on how u manage your life in general HAHAHA. i feel that u’re such an organized put together person 💖💖

aw, thanks! This is so sweet. The answer is that I've developed a specific method for writing long projects after a LOT of trial and error (and many, many abandoned stories, alas).

Start with idea. Concept. Thing you want to do. For fics: elevator pitch. Who is doing what to whom, and where? (The "why" can come later, but generally, if the "who" is strong enough, the "why" is answered on its own.) This should be like, a sentence, ideally.

Brainstorm. Write down every idea you have for the thing, throw it all together in a document, and just get it on paper. You will forget everything you do not put in this document. Listen to me: you will forget everything that you do not put in this document. You will think that you will not forget. "I am good at remembering things," you will say. You (I) are (am) not. Assume that you are writing the sort of list that you could use to reconstruct your idea if someone Obliviated you tomorrow and left you with zero recollection of any of it.

Close document, wait 2-3 days. Read a book, maybe. See if you can distract yourself from the project. If it works, abandon project. (You were going to do this anyway.) If it doesn't: congrats! You've got a demon to exorcise.

Now crack that bad boy open again. Organize all of your ideas. Put your set pieces and plot beats in chronological order. Space them out visually, try to get a feel for where your story's inflection points are. Once some kind of linear chronology emerges: congrats! That's your outline.

Keep going through, and start filling in the connections between the scenes that you pictured. These can have as much or as little detail as you need, but you should work through until your story arc/thing is finished. Write it like you're doing a treatment for a screenplay.

At this point, you should be reaching the point where you can throw in stuff like chapter breaks, scene cuts, maybe even little mini-scenes where you know you want the dialogue to go a certain way. I think of these conceptually as "macro-punctuation." What you're doing here is basically sorting out the pacing of your fic. How long are your chapters? How fast do they move? Does each one feel like a distinct narrative moment? Has each one earned its own place? If there's a place where you know you want a chapter break, but you aren't exactly sure, you can always just write down "2-chapter arc" or something to that effect, to make sure that Future You sees what the vision is. You'll want these notes later. Remember, you are 100% definitely certainly going to forget everything you do not write down.

The outline is finished when you can identify the number N, whereas N is the number of chapters that will constitute a "finished" fic. (This number will change, probably. That's fine. But knowing that you have approximately N chapters to go is vital for writing longfic. The alternative is like starting a marathon without knowing how many miles you have to run.) Save outline; open a new document. Copy/paste the outline of your first chapter. Start writing. Delete each note from your outline as you write it.

Reach end of chapter. Feel sense of accomplishment as you delete last bit of outline. Enjoy monkey-brain reward chemicals. Throw in a chapter break, grab a coffee, and then start the new one. Keep adding to the outline as you have new ideas; maybe make a playlist or something. Do a vision board, use Pinterest, I dunno. Don't beat yourself up for not writing. Don't let yourself go too long without doing it, either. Always stop when you feel like it, and don't make this a chore. Dread is the fun-killer. If you start to treat this like a job, you're done for, and this thing is never getting done.

As for the general life tips, I have a lot less practice, so my advice is un-inspiringly normal, I'm afraid. Make your bed in the morning; find a regular time to work. Routines are your friend. So are habits. Drink water, do stretches, and unclench your jaw. Using the Reminders or Calendar app means you can worry less about forgetting things. Answer emails as soon as you read them, because once you've said "later," Later You can also say it. Be kind to yourself; nobody's got a gun to your head. You're just doing your best. It's enough.

And write everything down.

[forgottenroisin]

Edmund x Rosie + kid

a note on the bg here!

ok, so obv he could've been born after ~everything if edmund and rosie end up working things out, which is def possible, but for the drama, im saying smth else entirely! alksdjflksdjafdsf now, obv things will probs change etc esp if/when edmund tells her abt what really happened to her dad re: his own involvement etc, BUT! as things currently stand bc i can guess but not really ~know how she'll react till we get there, imma say mr fiachna (which ~also means raven btw so he's named after both his dad and his granddad <3) was conceived like...probs right abt now, actually, or maybe at or right before the ball, in the timeline, since i think its probs safe to say that would've been ~before the big reveal situation haha (also not sure abt surname bc if there was some sort of ~secret marriage -- which ~does feel ~v rosie ngl but idk if it feels edmund or not hahaha -- or whatever, he'd be varmont, but if not ig malconaire, or if there's a bastard name in this world...that hahaha not me like 'what if, if there are regional bastard names, 'macdara' aka 'son of oak' is the malconaire bastard name' oops ;DDD jk jk) anyway, since we've plotted the witch!reveal situation (that awk moment where in this au roderick unwittingly almost burned his unborn grandson oops), imma say he was born while rosie was on the run etc so!! that was doubtless suuuuch a fun time! lkjasdkfjlksdjf

Name: Fiachna Varmont Malconaire ????

Gender: Male

General Appearance: it is a strange thing that, although not particularly tall, fiachna's bearing gives the impression of height. born hunted and on the run, fiachna learned early the value of the appearance of strength and confidence at his mother's knee as she, herself, was learning these lessons. fiachna tends to wear a bit of a mask when with strangers, never quite trusting due to the lessons of his past, but when he does smile, it lights up the room. tho the shade of his eyes are his mother's, their shape, and indeed, that of his upper face is owing entirely to his father from his cheekbones to the top of his head and well as his aquiline nose. his jaw and chin are far more a reflection of his malconaire roots (hehe, see what i did there? ;D), however, echoing rosie's own, so that he can readily be said to take after both parents.

Personality: fiachna's early childhood was a serious and dangerous affair, a fact which forever marked his psyche much to his mother's great grief, who only ever wanted joy for her chilren. always intent upon being helpful, fiachna is a deeply deliberate person, carefully considering his moves before he makes them and thus somewhat balancing rosie's much more impulsive nature. still, amongst those he knows well, he is quick to joy and laughter, and even displays a streak of rashness all his own. for all the fear fiachna knew growing up, after all, he never wanted for love, and he knows how to give it in spades to those who earn it. still, there is an undeniable well of anger inside him, and fiachna harbors a secret deep-seated fear that some dark echo of his grandfather lingers deep inside his blood, unable to break free so long as he tamps stridently down upon it...

Special Talents: fiachna inherited his father's wits, and is nigh unbeatable in any games of strategy, but he also learned early on the extreme significance to mobility and speed in a life on the run, and is thus a well practiced runner and horserider, preferring swiftness and flexibility over strength.

Who they like better: rosie (i think he just...knows her better, frankly, and probs projects some of his varmont-related fears onto edmund probs, since he grew up being hunted by roderick and yeahh fun)

Who they take after more: edmund

Personal Head canon: (note: he's another calainon-malconaire kid so another seer candidate which is fun bc roderick's rolling in his grave at the thought of ~his grandson~ a witch!!!! lkajsdfkljlsjf but who knows!! anyway!!!) he loves, loves, loooooves bad jokes like...really really terrible puns and like utter stupidisms! which is weird bc generally he's v witty/snarky but!! then w ppl he cares abt he'll just throw down like theee worst not even dad joke but full on granddad joke you've ever heard, the ultimate in bad jokes and giggle like so stupidly hard till even tho it was NOT funny you're laughing too bc he's in tears and this whole situation is totally ridiculous. like...we're talking such a bad joke ~i wouldnt even find it funny, and we all know i love dumb puns. its the worst. and you love it. bc of the way he tells it! these are the moments you really see his mom in him, when he's just unleashing full dorky silliness

Face Claim: Harry Collett

bonus image of a modern au involving some kind of time traveling shenanigans also since theyre like the same age here ;D (also if this aint a classic rosie expression <3):

[dreaming-of-mossballs]

hii so I'm like a super ultra silent reader of your content bc I am deathly afraid of my liked posts showing up on my friends' feeds. but I had to somehow let you know that even though you seem to be having some sort of burnout and unhappiness with your writing, as someone who's very very picky about what writing I even enjoy, your writing style and skill is definitely some of my favorite on the app at all. I totally understand being unhappy with your own work since I'm an artist too (albeit a visual artist so, not quite the same here but the idea applies), and I can relate to being unsatisfied with whatever it is you're putting out there. but basically, I just wanted to let you know from an outside view, your writing is extremely eloquent and well-put-together and organized. you can tell your writing is created with a lot of thought and time put into it, which is why it's so easy to enjoy. and side note, I LITERALLY haven't been able to stop thinking of your last post since I read it yesterday which almost never happens 😭. honestly even though there's like 5 gepard fans on here so he gets practically no content from anyone, I'd still prefer to have your writing carrying the "fanclub" of sorts over a large crop of posts from lots of people that isnt very well-done or thought about. I know you said this recent post may be your last one for a bit, so please, PLEASE take your time with whatever's next!! your stuff is always very much worth the wait ❤️ and please do take care of yourself and don't push yourself too hard.

(by the way, you totally don't need to post this on your profile or respond to it at all, I just wanted to send in some kind of message about it since as I mentioned, my paranoia prevents me from interacting with your posts directly 😞)

CRYINGB UGLY SOBBING OMGOMGOMG

It surprises me when people say I don’t need to respond because I can’t keep such a nice note to myself 😭 but I do the same thing when I’m sending asks so I totally get it (I’d get this tattooed on my forehead if no one stopped me)

i had NO IDEA I had a super ultra silent reader so this was an absolute joy to get. There was a post I saw earlier about how in fandoms, it’s either you talking with a small group of friends or your door is open and people come in and listen to you ramble. I’m definitely the latter. I’m so fortunate to have so many people invested in my story lol, because like most things I write, they start off as daydreams in bed. I’ve never written one out before, but I’m SO GLAD I DID.

And honestly, if I were to release something the quality I wanted it to be, it would take ages of rereading and refining. Unfortunately im not a very gifted writer, but all the practice I’ve gotten due to being obsessed with gepard has helped me a bit. I just have to remember that haha

Some less coherent thoughts

ITS EASY TO UNDERSTAND???? YAY IM SO HAPPY AHHHHHHHH

i actually based my style off the wings of fire series, i don’t know if y’all are familiar with it, but the introspective humor was so fun to me as a child. (Also I love using Chekhov’s gun as a crutch I’m sorry guys) it also stemmed from the worry that readers wouldn’t be able to visualize what I was picturing, so that ended up in a LOT of describing scenes early on. With no metaphors so it was just like. (Y/N) set the cup down, (Y/N) put the laundry in the washer, etc. hahaha it makes me laugh looking back on it

it also makes me absolutely kicking my feet giddy that it’s invaded your brain. I love giving people brain worms and inflicting emotional damage on them. And gepard ALWAYS shares posts with other Hsr men like. The absolute middle child treatment. But I’m glad I’m doing my part to bring something to the table that’s different than the usual 1k words he gets sandwiched in between five other people.

it makes me so so happy you think my writing is organized and well thought out, because I do put a lot of thought into it!

I’ve run out of words to say but i might come back to this to ramble pfft

i hope that fic gives you a good supply of serotonin for days to come 🩵🩵

[sunny6677]

Cicadas: When October Sings. - BOOK 1

Summary:

Mysterious events begin to occur in a small suburban town Kevin lives in.

Chapter 1: Same Miserable Day, Same Miserable Time.

————

"..hahaha.. heyyyyyy."

As we sat parked beside the address Ethan had apparently been dropped off at last night, the door slowly came open with a surprisingly quiet noise. And slowly, the black haired man with red tufts at the lower parts slid inside of the vehicle. His half-lidded gaze somewhat heavier than usual as he gave his usual smirk. In response, I just stared at him in the corner of my eye.

"Hey, Ethan." Streber simply smiled, locking the vehicle once the side Ethan had slipped into had been shut completely.

"Heh. Took you long enough. I was wondering if you'd even show up." Grinned Ethan, yawning a little. "..hey, Kevin."

"..hey." I flatly grumbled.

I heard him go quiet for a moment, his voice becoming a bit soft as he gave an awkward chuckle. "You good? You drank a lot more than I thought you would."

"Yeah. I'm okay. I just.. ugh.."

"...you sure? You don't really seem okay—"

"Hey, hey. Just leave him alone, alright?" Streber spoke, his voice a bit soft and cautious, "He has a pretty bad hangover already. He might not wanna talk much."

"..."

"Right. Sorry, Kev." Ethan apologized gently from behind me. I could practically hear the calm but pitiful expression on his face. And in response to him saying my name like that, I couldn't help but give out a rough sigh.

"..its fine. Don't—don't worry about it. Let's just go so I can get to work."

————

"..guessin' that means you didn't get the game I asked for last night?"

"..no. I was kinda out of it. Sorry."

Ethan had kinda grown into a bit of a fanatic for any kind of games. Whether that had been outdoor games, virtual games, or board games. And typically I always saw him playing those sorts of games with Streber or any of his other friends who I barely spoke to. I never really participated in any of them though.

"Nah, it's fine." Ethan shrugged, the usual gentle smile still on his lips. "It's just a game. No worries. I'll just see if I can go get it when I'm free later."

"Yeah, Kev! Don't worry about it. I.. think I kinda have enough money to get it anyway." Streber chuckled.

They always reassured me whenever I apologized, saying that it was fine or giving some kind of excuse no matter what it was that I was apologizing for. It felt like they were trying to be good friends, but sometimes, I felt like I didn't deserve it. I.. really didn't deserve it, honestly. I wasn't really able to actually hang with them that much because of my stupid job, or even when I was, I was always in a pretty bad mood.

So.. them being so nice kinda put me off a little.

I huffed. "..thanks." I paused. "How come you guys play so much games anyway? I don't even have enough free time for that myself."

"Huh?" Streber blinked, and gave a shrug. "Uh—I dunno. It's just fun."

"Yeah." Ethan added, "Not much to it... heyyyy." He gave a gentle cock of his head, "Maybe if you're up for it, you could play something with us sometime."

I was a little taken aback by the suggestion, saying, "..really?"

"Mhm. Wouldn't mind playing with you sometime if you can. Long as you'd be into it anyway."

"..uh.. well, I guess.." I trailed off, "I guess I'll think about it."

There was a part of me that didn't really want to, but.. the thought of playing a game with them both sounded a little better than doing absolutely nothing or feeling exhausted as hell after another long shift.

So.. mentally, I noted that as something I could do later if my boss wasn't being all uptight.

————

The vehicle had finally come to a stop beneath the pink tinted morning sky with several birds chirping from nearby, the scent of vehicle exhaust filling the air as I stepped out onto the sidewalk before the candy store. The air felt humid against my skin, and I held the door open with a sigh escaping my mouth.

"..thanks, guys. I'll see you later."

"No problem, Kev!" Streber grinned, waving his robotic hand.

"..yeah. We'll see you later, alright?" Ethan smiled softly.

"..alright." I huffed.

Slowly, I pushed the car door, and it came shut with a simple slam. The aching feeling in my forehead was still present. It felt like I'd fall any moment. With them still here though, I trusted they'd at least come out to help me if I wasn't able to make it inside.

I spun around. The large building loomed overhead, the bright pink taffy-shaped logo having the words written in white font: 'Candy Club'. The walls were white as usual, with blue outlines for the windows (different life-size items of sweets on display inside), and the artifical yellow (almost translucent) doors there as they always were. The lights were on inside. My manager always kind of came in before I did to make sure everything was on, so chances were he was waiting inside.

I grumbled. I'd probably have to deal with a lecture from him if he noticed I had a hangover. So I needed to at least be on my best behavior right now.

With a careful step foward, I made my way toward the store, hearing the rumbling from Strebers vehicle still behind me.

————

...as per usual, the day was about the same. The same customers which ranged from children, brats, surprisingly nice people or entitled parents. The same buzzing of the store. The same sweet scent from all the candies surrounding me. Same green telephone on the wall. Same dark pink walls. Everything was about the same.

I hadn't received my visit from those two kids in Halloween costumes yet. Then again, maybe that was because it wasn't night time right now. And, I.. probably wouldn't have to considering I'd be getting off early. Apparently there was some work stuff my manager needed to deal with by himself, so I'd be made to go home early. Which was fine by me, honestly. I didn't know if I could deal with those kids or work tonight.

There was still an ache in my head though, and I groaned, standing at the counter with a hand pressed to my forehead. As much as I wanted to keep standing here and not have to do anything, I had to take out the trash today. Which wasn't usually hard considering the trash can was right outside of the store, and I could easily just make the trip back out and back in. But.. ugh.. I dunno. Maybe it was my hangover or something.

...I couldn't ignore it though. It wasn't like it'd go away if I just stood there.

Resisting the urge to let out another groan, I ignored the ache in my head and made my way toward the back where we usually kept all the garbage stored.

☆☆☆

"...ughhhh.."

..I did it. I made the trip. I threw the trash bag into the can after grabbing the garbage bag my manager had left in the back, ignoring the blinding rush of overwhelming heat enveloping the area and the loud vehicles that passed by on the road. It only took a few minutes, but it felt pretty relieving go see it now actually in the can.

Sweat coated my face, the scent being only of the heat from around me as I shook my head. The heat made me feel like I was in the dessert distraught and gasping for even the tiniest sip of water. My eyes became a bit wet, and my throat felt unbelievably dry.

I began to turn around, practically marching toward the direction of the automatic doors. Even if I had only been out here for a few seconds, I just wanted to feel the air conditioning again. I wanted to be inside again. My feet raced foward without control, and I found myself almost.. running, I guess.

When I was a few seconds away from entering, I felt a rush of coolness brush against my skin as the doors began to slide open. I almost let out a sigh of relief. But..

The sigh mingled into a gasp. Something piercing, and chillingly cold struck me. It was only for a few seconds. But the moment I felt it—I stood still in shock. Liquid trickled down my sleeves. My shirt. My pants. My face. Every fabric I wore now felt damp, and so did my hair. I nearly struggled to breathe from whatever had just been poured on me. It was only then after a few seconds as a bucket came falling onto the ground that I realized it was just water.

I breathed heavily. It rolled with a slight thud on the concrete. Where had it even come from? How did I not even notice it was there? Was—was it even there when I got here this morning?

I heard a high pitched, scrawny voice giggle from behind me. And slowly, I turned my head.

..it was a kid with brown curly hair, wearing a blue cap over his head with a wide grin spread from ear to ear—a dark orange sweater worn over him with pastel yellow sleeves. Another kid with bluish-black hair stood beside him, a look of slight irritation on his face as he wore a dark blue button up with jeans. And another kid with poofy blonde hair and a soft disappointed stare in his eyes, the usual grin I always saw that face of his with no longer there.

I looked at the blonde headed kid. I already knew who he was. And upon seeing him with this kid, I.. I practically yelped out, "Wh—Wha.. Robert? Why—wha..?"

..Robert just.. stared at me, a frown visible on his lips as he struggled to muster a response. "I.. uh.."

I stared. I didn't know when it turned into a glare. But the sound of the brown haired boys laughter filling my ears caused me to snarl.

"Arrrghhh—" I growled, "You pesky little—!"

"Quick, guys! Run!" The brown haired boy grinned with a giggle, practically twirling around at an unnatural rate. Without much warning, he sped foward away from me. Robert and the other kid stood still for a moment, before reluctantly spinning around in the same direction and following.

I didn't know what I was gonna do, or what I even thought I was gonna do. I just.. ugh.. I never felt so much irritation in my life before.

I gave an enraged grunt, raising my fists in the air and stomping on the ground with a heavy step. I was completely wet now. I'd have to probably find some way to get dry. But I didn't even know how in this goddamn heat that was so intense I found myself sweating every second.

After a moment, I let out a defeated sigh, exhaustion slowly fading into my mind. They had spare uniforms in the back. So I didn't need to worry much about wet clothes, I guess. I still didn't know if we had any towels or something though.

Holding back any further urge to scream, I walked back toward the door which had came closed again, and slowly began to slide open once more upon sensing me.

————

"Hah.."

I let out a low sigh. Luckily, there had been a towel in the back (which was weirdly convenient), so I was able to dry and re-change just fine. Wasn't sure how I'd explain the whole my uniform getting wet thing to my boss though. Chances were he'd freak out about it or he'd be surprisingly chill. Sometimes he'd dismiss things, and sometimes he'd have a full on breakdown at any mistake I made.

I slowly fidgeted with an item on a nearby shelf, re-adjusting it so it was lined up with the other wrapped candies in its rows. My shoulders rose and fell the more I pondered it. The coolness on my skin was still there, but I felt a bit more dry now. And.. less angry, I guess.

I never really had to deal with this stuff from the town I used to live in when I was a kid. It was a bigger city so wild stuff happened all the time, but it wasn't ever so unbelievably hot and.. well, boring. Or just irritating in general. Or maybe I just got annoyed easily. I dunno.

Point was, as great as this place was since I had friends, it could get.. kind of annoying sometimes. Really annoying, honestly. I had a minimum wage job and it was really hard to convince myself to do anything at all besides relax.

..the image of Robert came into my mind. I already knew him. He was a kid I'd known for a pretty decent while now, and he was now about.. fifteen or sixteen I think. He was always pretty smiley. Happy. And.. well behaved. So it was a surprise when I thought of the two other kids he hung out with who always just seemingly knew how to make my day a lot worse.

...things.. didn't really used to feel this way.

I blinked a bit. There was the feeling of something vibrating in my pocket. Something buzzing. My phone, to be exact. And as I processed the ringing noise coming from it, I gave a sigh.

It was time.. for lunch.