#i Needed something to get in the mood of making fanfics and art about them

[snootsnackerz]

Cover Art by @cloverdraws

[cloudwhisper23]

I have been very late with the latest chapter of Back in the Nightmare, but in my defense, @pixlokita drew an art, and I just absolutely needed to write fanfic regarding the art, and color it. Luckily, this is still in relation to Back in the Nightmare. It's just further along. Hope y'all enjoy! (fic below the cut)

Evan could tell Cassidy was feeling down after Charlie’s birthday party. How could he not? She’d clung so close to him before, and after Michael brought her out of the rain with his skin paler than a sheet of paper, she’d seemed almost distant.

She still listened when he spoke, but she no longer offered any opinions. Cassidy just seemed… off. There had to be something he could do to cheer her up, right?

Evan wanted to go to Fredbear’s for once because of the whole thing. Charlie said it was a great place to make friends and hang out, and with the atmosphere at home lately, it would be best if he could avoid hanging out there. Elizabeth bickered with her group on their project every night, and it always put their father in a bad mood.

Cassidy plus his father never seemed to end well, as both of them were perfectly polite to each other in a vicious way. Cassidy probably had been right about his father not wanting him to have friends after all, it seemed. Maybe that was why Mike used to scare them off?

Shaking the thought away, Evan fiddled with the strap of his backpack uncomfortably. Mike was grounded, and Lizzie was going to Susie’s house, which meant Evan was also supposed to be going home. Father didn’t like them staying unsupervised, after all.

But Evan wanted to do something nice for Cassidy. She had to run home right after school, not elaborating on why, but it did give him a perfect chance to get her a gift.

He still hesitated though. If his father found out he hadn’t gone straight home… Well, he just had to avoid getting caught then. Evan checked that Fredbear was still hidden at the bottom of his backpack, and then set off for the diner.

The prize corner always had a wide variety of things to win, but Evan had no idea where to even start on a gift for Cassidy. Yet again, he found himself hesitating.

“You have your eyes set on anything in particular?” Evan startled at the boy who’d appeared next to him. Gabe Simmons. Someone who didn’t usually talk to him.

“Uh, well, not for me. I want to get a gift for a friend.”

“Cassidy.” Gabe shot him an amused look as he pointedly looked away. “It’s not a secret that she’s one of your only friends, dude.”

“If she’s one of my only friends, why are you talking to me?”

“I’m bored. And Charlie won’t be here until later.” Gabe shrugged. “Do you have any idea what she likes?”

“Well…” Evan trailed off. What did Cassidy like? She’d seemed interested enough in his Fredbear plushie, once he’d been forcibly given it back. She’d wanted a favor regarding her hair, desperate enough to ask Michael of all people to fix it. Something like that, maybe? “I was thinking about that hair clip.”

He pointed to the row of animatronic themed hair pins and clips. “She likes Fredbear well enough.”

“That’s hardly worth the effort,” Gabe replied, wrinkling his nose. “You could get that easy.”

“I’d rather get her something she actually likes than something she wouldn’t like that’s worth more,” Evan replied quietly.

Gabe regarded him curiously. “I think I misjudged you in the past, Afton. You’re not as bad of a guy as I was expecting.”

“Thanks?”

Gabe wandered off without another word.

Weird. Still, Evan needed to get the clip fast if he wanted to get home before he got caught.

He did not succeed. Despite the fact that Evan hadn’t spotted his father once at the diner, and he’d beaten him home, somehow he still found out that Evan hadn’t come straight home.

Evan gritted his teeth as he faced his punishment, determined not to scream. Still, the ruler stung against his bare arm, and Evan knew he was going to be wearing long-sleeved shirts for at least a week or two after this.

“Behave,” his father said sternly, gesturing for Evan to leave and close the door on the way out.

“Yes Father,” Evan answered quietly before going to his room.

Tomorrow is another day.

The hair clip burned in Evan’s pocket as he looked around before school the following morning. He wanted to surprise her with it, but he never usually had luck finding her before school. Today was no different. His mouth twisted downward, but Evan did not feel tears welling up. This was expected, after all.

The morning was chilly for once, and Evan felt a bit relieved that he’d been forced to wear longer sleeves today. The wind stirred the trees at the front of the school as Evan waited for the bell to ring.

He went through his classes in somewhat of a daze, not really paying much attention to anything. It struck him briefly that he didn’t really have any classes with Cassidy. None in the morning anyway.

His arm ached as he went from class to class, despite how carefully he was trying to carry his things without jarring it. Evan carried on the only way he knew how: by thinking about anything else.

Today’s distraction topic was, unsurprisingly, Cassidy. The way she normally hung on his every word with a faint smile, the way she checked in with him constantly and gave people a hard time if they tried to mess with him. It gave him a warm feeling to think about her, grateful that she’d decided to be friends with him, even if he still suspected he was some kind of pity project.

Lizzie liked to tease him about having a crush on her, but the thought didn’t bother him so much. If he had a crush, then he had a crush. And if considering the thought that he had a crush on Cassidy made his cheeks burn, then so be it. He wouldn’t be the first boy in the world to have a crush on a girl.

Thankfully, Evan only had to wait until lunch to talk to Cassidy. She seemed just as distracted as before, and it made Evan’s heart ache. Still, he forced a smile to his face and greeted her brightly.

She smiled back, a weaker smile than his own and poked at her food with disinterest. Cassidy hardly looked at him.

“Cass, are you feeling okay?” he blurted out. He hadn’t asked before, thinking that she probably hadn’t wanted to talk about it, but after remembering how she used to smile and talk to him, he couldn’t help himself.

She looked startled by the question, dropping her fork back onto the tray. “I-“

“You’ve just seemed so occupied lately, and I know I should mind my business and wait for you to be ready to say something, but I’m worried about you.”

“Oh…” Cassidy’s eyebrows creased at that, and it was the first time she’d seemed to actually absorb his words since Charlie’s party. “I guess I… Well…” Cassidy struggled to gather her thoughts. “I’ve been having nightmares. I didn’t want to say anything because I don’t think they’re as big of a deal as yours, and I didn’t want to devalue your problems.”

“Cassidy, we’re friends. Just because I have constant problems doesn’t mean you can’t talk about yours at all. Besides, I’ve been doing better since Mikey started letting me sleep in his room again.” Evan put his hand on her arm reassuringly. “I’m here to listen, if you need to share.”

Cassidy smiled weakly. “Thanks, Ev. It’s probably stupid, but when I was at that party, I thought I heard something outside, and I went to go see. When I tried to get back in, the door was locked. And then…” Cassidy trailed off, her left hand twitching before resting on top of Evan’s. “Well, this car started coming up the alley way, and I just felt so scared, scared like I’ve never felt in my life, and I ran away from it, but it felt like the car was chasing me. So I’ve been having different dreams where I do get caught by the car, and sometimes I die, sometimes I watch other people die, and… yeah…” Cassidy squeezed his hand tightly.

Evan’s eyebrows scrunched tightly. “Have you told anyone besides me?”

“No,” Cassidy admitted. “But I don’t want to worry anyone.”

“Maybe at least tell your brother? I’m sure he’d want to know if you’re struggling to sleep or focus, Cass.”

Cassidy shrugged. “It won’t change anything. Travis would just worry. And he’s not tiny like you and your brother. If I tried to sleep in my brother’s bed with him, I would fall off the bed and hurt myself.”

“I’m not that small!” Evan protested, but he saw Cassidy’s point. Weirdly enough, it presented the perfect opportunity for him. “But, I may have an idea for you.”

“Yeah? Is it to get a ratty old Fredbear plush and carry it everywhere?” Cassidy asked skeptically. “Because I don’t think that works for everyone.”

“That implies that I do it because I want to,” Evan muttered to himself, but he shook his head at Cassidy, digging into his pocket. “No, I was thinking something a bit more your style.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, something like this.” Evan pulled the hairclip from his pocket. “I went to Fredbear’s yesterday and won it at the prize counter. Think of it as a way for me to defend you from your nightmares.”

Cassidy blinked at him, her mouth opening like she wanted to speak. Then she closed her mouth and blinked again. It took Evan a moment to realize she was speechless. And about to cry?

“It’s, um. If you don’t want it, it’s no big deal-“

“No, that’s very sweet actually,” Cassidy interrupted him, pulling her arm from under his hand. “Can you help me put it in? On the right side?”

“Oh, sure.” Evan fumbled with the hairclip, and Cassidy laughed lightly as he got to his feet to put the clip in her hair. “Like that?”

“A little further up,” Cassidy guided his hands, and Evan was sure his face was on fire. “Right there.”

Evan sighed in relief as he retracted his hands. His sleeve had slipped a little ways down his arm, and he quickly pulled it back down. Not fast enough, apparently, as Cassidy frowned.

Her eyes fixed on his sleeve, and she reached out to grab his elbow. Evan let her push his sleeve back to reveal the raw, bruised skin. “What happened here? Did-“

“I got in trouble.” Evan bit his lip and glanced away. “Mike is grounded, and if I’m not supervised, then-“

“Your dad did this?” Cassidy’s voice seemed tight, but Evan squeezed his eyes shut instead of looking at her expression.

“Yeah. But it’s better to face smaller fears than big ones, right?” Evan replied weakly.

Cassidy fell silent again. Her grip tightened on his elbow, and she let out a quiet sigh. “You’re unbelievable.”

“In a good way, though. Right?” Evan finally turned back to Cassidy. She seemed on the verge of tears as she looked at him.

The faintest smile came across her face. “Of course. Of course, Evie.”

She dragged him into a tight hug, and Evan hugged her back, unable to make himself care about how things looked to the rest of the room.

Everything was going to be just fine.

[tavyliasin]

The Highs and Lows of Fandom Creation

Hello darlings~ It has been a little while and this one has been on my list to get to for a while, and with the Baldur's Date Valentine's Fanworks event soon to draw to a close it seems appropriate to start preparing ourselves for the cycle of what happens when we release our works into the wild. So without further ado, our latest essay~

The RollerCoaster of Emotion That Comes With Being A Creative In Fan Spaces (FanArt, FanFiction, Cosplay, Photography, Music, and So Much More) ((Another CallOut Essay Prepare To Be SEEN)) (((Also I Have Some Coping Techniques Here Too!)))

As usual with my essay pieces I will be making plenty of use of the headers to divide topics, and I fully welcome any thoughts and feelings in the comments. Whilst I am really only in the FanFic side, and a focus on Baldur's Gate 3, I do intend to make this essay inclusive of the trials and tribulations that we all tend to face in making and sharing fanworks of all kinds and through all fandoms. The more people I speak to, the more it seems to be a universal experience, so hold on to your hats it's a bumpy ride! The first part will talk about the Rollercoaster itself, the how and why behind it all, and the second will be around how to cope with it. For readers and appreciators of fan content, I urge you to have a little look too, and at the end I will add in some ways you can help support your favourites too~

Creatives Are Emotional Beings

Starting off with the obvious callout - most of us are. We feel things deeply, and that emotion can often be an incredible driving force behind our works. Whether we're creating around things we've experience, being inspired and influenced by our current emotions, or drawing on our well of imagination to work out what characters might feel (and often more importantly how/why they feel that way), emotion is a strong part of the process.

This can be an incredible strength! Tapping in to the deeper parts of ourselves, our experiences, and the emotions at our cores, can bring out the very best in our works across all creative formats. It also tends to help our audiences engage too, as they recognise their own emotions mirrored in the works.

The Downside to Strong Emotion - The Rollercoaster Effect

This chart was initially drawn up based on writing, but truly after speaking with a few beloved Discord friends it was quick to see that this easily applies to art as well, so I'm going to go over this slightly differently to the initial plan.

The Start Of Every Ride

We begin usually around a neutral baseline, or maybe a little below if we haven't created in a while, perhaps we might start higher than baseline with the rush of an exciting new idea. Either way, the first part of the project tends to go up in mood very quickly when we share those early unfinished parts.

For writers this might be a beta reader or sharing a sample of the work as they're still writing as a teaser, artists might see this as their initial sketch or linework stage if they're sharing progress and teasers too. Cosplayers could be the first part of a build, musicians sharing a few bars of the melody - whatever it is, that first little positive boost that says Keep Going is a powerful one.

But what happens next? Well, you still have more work to do! That initial boost and confidence can drop down to a slump, especially if it's taking longer to complete than you thought it would, and double that if something goes wrong that needs to be changed or fixed.

You may, hopefully, find it begins to rise as things start to come together again and that finish line in sight, but then...

I Finished Making The Thing, Now What?

Well, first you're going to feel that massive surge of satisfaction from completing the thing. Sometimes a dopamine rush in the brain, and all that excitement of "Finally I get to share the thing I worked so hard on! It's done!" So, off you go, you post it. You share the links, maybe drop them in some Discord servers, other social media...and then, often very quickly, it hits you.

Post Publishing Drop

Those of you in the convention and event scene might also know this feeling as "Con Drop", which can take a little longer to manifest. Post Publishing Drop hits quite quickly. Sometimes it might take a few hours, but other times it starts almost within minutes of posting as all that rush of energy finishing and publishing is just...gone.

If you're lucky, you might get some quick and early feedback, especially if you're a well known or popular creator, but I imagine even those of you who tend to get very high engagement can feel a lot of this too so I don't mean to exclude any of you in any way at all~ So what is it? What's happening? WHY?!

Well darlings all that adrenaline is wearing off and realistically you're not likely to get that creative feedback and validation instantly. So that wonderfully powerful emotional heart of yours is going to crack a little. It won't last, it won't stay this low, but good gods that lack of engagement and positive reinforcement can be devastating.

The first engagements you get - kudos, likes, reaction emotes on a Discord post - they may be enough to boost you right back up to your baseline or even a little above, until the worry creeps back in again. And I know that it does, clawing and slithering in the back of your beautifully creative mind whispering those horrible lies:

Why isn't this getting the reaction I hoped for yet? Is this work not as good as before? Have people stopped liking me? Is the website/platform hiding my work? Have I upset people somehow in ways I can't even see?

Then Back Up We Go, And What Goes Up...

Hopefully those voices don't get a chance to be too loud for too long before you see more of that engagement. Maybe it's a heartfelt comment from someone, or a share from someone you respect, or just a little surge of interaction in general. You're back on top, darling, your creative heart is soaring, finally your work is being seen in a way that reminds you why you put in all that time in the first place!

And each time, the high wears off again, with a drop, though the extremities of each is likely less and less as time goes on. Unless, of course, we make one little mistake and the gradual confidence build comes crashing back down...

The Perils Of Comparing

Sometimes this might be looking at someone else's work, seeing a similar style or similar topic get far more engagement than your own. It can be really hard not to feel discouraged by this, and falling into that trap of questioning where you're "going wrong" can lead to absolute agony - I urge you to do your best to move away from this as soon as you notice the feeling. I'll cover some proper techniques later though, I promise!

The other trap with comparison can be looking at your own past works, and over-analysing why some pieces never got the same love and appreciation as others. Picking it apart to find what you can do better is not as wise a plan as it seems for one simple reason:

Over half of this is down to pure chance!

It might be the time of day it was posted, or just one or two people seeing it and deciding to share it on that gives a work a massive boost to interaction and engagement. Maybe a work was lucky enough to get shared in a prominent community by one of the members, or even had someone with a huge following give it a boost.

At the end of the day, there seem to be very few ways to predict this. Of course there are some characters, topics, art styles, writing tropes, etc that will have a tendency to get more love from their respective fanbases - that's how popularity works - but there is no guarantee that, for example, two portraits of the same character in similar styles by different artists will have the same levels of engagement and "success". The main person you should be aiming to please with your own work is yourself~ After all, when working on it you will be the one going over it again and again, knowing every detail in and out, if you don't love the subject of those details your less likely to even reach that finish line~

And It All Begins Again

At the end of the cycle there's often one last spike up. Maybe it's a comment or interaction from someone who truly felt the depth of meaning in your work as you hoped it would, or you realise that it has done better overall in the numbers, or most often you get that creative surge of a shiny new idea that calls to you with that familiar siren song, promising the high of satisfaction and sweeping the memory of that Post Publishing Drop under the rug all over again so you won't see it coming when you trip on it.

How Do We Get Off This Ride? Where's The Safety Bar?

Darlings, be honest, you didn't want to stop. You still don't. That's why you're still right here, reading this with me. Your cycle might take a day, a week, a month, or you may go through the whole thing in a matter of hours.

Riding The Waves

The first way to begin coping is to prepare. Know yourself and how you're likely to feel, and plan ahead for it. If you know the drop is coming, you can try to avoid it, or deploy distress tolerance when it feels too much.

On a very simple level, this can be reminding yourself that the lows do not last, and those highs will still be there. You might even be tempted to try to regulate the highs as much as the lows, to bring everything a little closer in to the baseline throughout the cycle.

Distress Tolerance techniques can be important to practice when you're feeling close to your baseline and calm so that they're easier to turn to when you're feeling that low hit. There are lots of things that work for different people, so it might be trial and error - largely you're looking at relaxation techniques, distraction from the source of the distress, and/or community support.

You Can Rely On The Community!

It is ok to ask for help! You can ask people for reassurance, directly ask for feedback, or even just talk over how you feel with other creators and find out how they're handling things. Sometimes just knowing you're not alone and that your feelings are real, valid, and matter can be a real boon - that's why I'm here, spending a couple of hours putting all of this into words as best as I can for you all. I've felt this cycle too many times, but the more I talk about it with other fic writers the more I feel we are connected and that I'm not just losing my marbles over nothing~

We are human, we have emotions - strong ones, remember? - and there's nothing wrong with that at all!

There is nothing wrong with having emotions and experiencing them!

Knowing When To Step Away

If you know you're more likely to have a swift drop from lack of quick feedback, it's a great idea to plan to step away from socials as soon as you're done. Have an activity planned, or do it all write before bed so you can switch off and go to sleep. Turn off those notifications so you aren't fussing over each one of them as they come in and don't go back for a while.

Allow a realistic amount of time to pass for people to see and engage with your work before you worry it is invisible!

The Next Shiny Idea

Conversely, if you're feeling too much of a creative itch, then as soon as you're done sharing move right on to starting the next project. Let the initial surge of energy from completing and sharing something be the driving force to kickstart the next great adventure! That way you're thinking more about the new work, the sparkling allure of a fresh idea, rather than fixating on the success of the last.

Cashing in on that adrenaline rush to make a good head-start can boost you right to that early feedback stage too, then if you're really lucky when you hit the first drop-off you'll have the positive engagement from the last work to boost you back up, so in some ways you're overlaying your graphs to balance them out with each other.

Naturally this only works if you have the time and energy to do so. It's also important to know when to take breaks to avoid burning out.

General Mood Boosting Ideas

These might not work for everyone, but here are some things to try when you're in one of those lows. A lot of this may be trial and error and knowing yourself best, so treat this as a few things that may or may not be effective rather than Lia's Super Snake Oil Cure For Everything (you have to buy that from me separately, it's super expensive but it is delightfully cherry and cinnamon flavoured~)

Check in on your basic needs. Drink, food, meds (if applicable), sleep/nap, caffeine (if you usually have it), shower/bath/hygiene needs (even if just a quick freshen up it's better than nothing), fresh air/outside time (if possible), exercise/physical movement (if you're able to), social needs (can be in person or online, any social interaction/support)

Music can be a powerful mood tool. Sometimes it's cathartic to listen to music that matches your current mood, but other times it is better to listen to music with the mood you want to feel.

Media from the fandom, like the book/film/game/etc that you're making fanworks for - return to the thing that inspired you to create and remember all the things that you loved about it in the first place.

Look at other fanworks but be very cautious! Do this for inspiration, to look at things you do and don't like in other pieces, but do not do this if it will be likely to cause a mood drop for you.

Do something different and change up your routine. Something entirely new or something you haven't done for a while.

Try something small, not connected to a large piece. A few sketches, doodles, make a meme, write a few short lines of dialogue or a brief scene. Share something with far lower stakes for a little boost.

Talk to others in the creative community and have a bit of fun, maybe try some games together, whatever you like!

I'm Not A Creative, How Can I Help?

This also counts for creatives who want to support each other, too! Of course I will put the caveat that I do understand that not everyone is comfortable visibly interacting with spice and that's fine~

Drop a like or kudos if you enjoyed the piece, it takes a second and means the world~

Leaving a comment, even a couple of silly words of "I loved it" is great!

Leaving a longer comment, picking out your favourite parts? That is the kind of boost that lasts weeks darlings it really does.

Sharing the work is also a big boost, whether publicly or privately to friend/fan groups, but especially when sharing art/images please share the link with it not just the image or a screenshot~ let people find and appreciate the artist.

Follow or Subscribe or Turn on notifications if you really want to see more of their work, then you can interact sooner and give that much needed boost~

Try to be patient, especially with longer or higher effort works. Expressing excitement is a boost, but just be careful you're not putting too much pressure on the creator. We do have things going on behind the screen that can delay our plans at times.

Consider dropping an interaction on something else, or check in on how they're doing in general - a little kindness outside of just the works being produced can be a boost too!

The Grand Finale of the Rollercoaster

Thank you for staying with me to the end darlings, I know this was likely a bit of an emotional ride, but please do drop in some comments or reblogs with the other things you experience and how you handle the emotional whirlwind of being a fan creator. Always remember, you are valued for more than just what you can produce, your works are adored but the person behind them is worth so much more and always will be. Look after yourselves, I love you dearly~

[em-writes-stuff-sometimes]

Haven't heard from you in a while, hope you're doing well! <3

Hey, nonnie - I'm doing alright. Personal ramble below the cut. Skip if you're just here for fanfic reading and don't care about my silly little melodrama.

Not going to go into too much detail, but I've been really feeling the depression lately. For context, I have clinical depression and take a really high dose of antidepressants, which fuck with other aspects of my life (i.e. weight and lack of sleep). Medical consensus is that I'll need medication for the rest of my life as my brain does not perform the appropriate mood-regulating functions (I'm not super sure what the specifics of this are). I've struggled with low feeling, demotivation, SI/SH etc. for nearly nine years now. I've slipped into a bit of an episode lately - not necessarily related to being online but Tumblr is a part of it - but I'm trying to work my way out of it by picking up some new-old hobbies, such as crochet, and doing things that I like and that don't stress me. I'm safe and don't have the opportunity to action any of my feelings, so please don't worry about me!

Unfortunately, Tumblr has been a source of stress for me since I've come on here. I've made some downright terrible choices in friends, in behaviour, in the amount of energy I commit to this space, and the only one who can really break this cycle is me. This site hosts a really wide range of personalities, and I just... feel like I've encountered some of the absolute worst among all of that, and it's done me absolutely no favours when it comes to making good choices. We all say that as adults, we should know better, but there's no sudden switch that flips, you know? We spend our whole lives making mistakes and learning from them. Adulthood isn't the abrupt entry into moral infallibility, and that's been something I've had to address and work through when it comes to my own failings.

To be perfectly honest, Tumblr isn't a supportive place. Or the people aren't. I don't really know which. To clarify, I do generally speak of the community of artists and writers in this, not the people here who just want to enjoy art or read someone's fanfic. I suppose there's a certain level of - I don't know - self-centredness? - when it comes to creating an online presence and sharing one's own creations on the internet. That mentality, I think, bleeds over into feelings of entitlement in creative communities. Entitlement to other people's time, to people's attention, to people's promotion, and when one doesn't get that, the problems start: (best to worst =) transactional interaction, badmouthing, hate anons, public bashing, and the list goes on. I've definitely been someone who has been upset by people's lack of interaction. I've responded with "oh, I'm not reblogging until they reblog mine" more than once. We all know that I've been involved with badmouthing and publicly bashing others. I continue to be very ashamed of this, and I am honest with myself about what I've done and how I got there in my journey working through my problems and making meaningful change in my life.

Anyway, point is - I'm trying to divorce myself from the entitlement, and I think to do that I need to divorce myself from the notion that we exist as a community. I've put far too much effort into that idea, and it's gotten me absolutely nowhere. There are more people who dislike me than not. Most just straight-up ignore me. I deserve it, sure, but (or maybe and) I have no intention of continuing to engage in a space that either doesn't exist or where I'm not wanted. I've felt anxious and upset at the mere thought of going on Tumblr the past few months. It hasn't been bringing me joy anymore, and that was the whole point of it. There's so much bad blood associated with being on here, but I love writing. I love this show. I can't give up something that makes me so happy in every respect other than this one site.

So I've taken some time off, reassessed the way I'm intending to use this space, and I've essentially decided that I started it for me so I'm going to do it for me. I'm going to interact with who I want and post what I want and damn absolutely everyone who tries to police me (of which there has been A LOT - apparently I have a "responsibility" to support others which I now know is actually code for "I'm jealous that you're getting any kind of attention online, so instead of addressing my issue with this, I'm going to vaguepost about/anon/DM you to try and guilt you into giving my work attention so that maybe it'll transfer to me").

For the casual peruser, no change at all. But I'm done giving my effort to the idea of 'community'. It doesn't exist, or I don't belong. I am going to do what makes me happy now, and only what makes me happy. That's the whole point. I'm sick of focusing on negatives. I'm sick of posting about them, to be honest. I think this mindset will do me good.

If you've gotten this far, I hope that it's okay that I've decided this. I'm feeling positive about it!

[mxopifex]

A Fanfic Writer's Guide to Writing Fanart Prompts

So it came up while chatting with some other members of a fandom gift exchange that some of the writers felt less comfortable writing prompts for recieving fanart gifts and I thought I'd try and make a guide to help out since I do both fanart and fanfic.

The stumbling blocks as I understood them were: 1) not knowing what you like in fanart, 2) not knowing how to articulate what you like (which is probably more related to the first item than you think), and 3) worrying that all your prompts are too narrative. Imma do my best to address those, but if you have other questions feel free to drop me a line. I want to help.

I call this a guide, but it's more of a series of questions to ask yourself than a how to, or rather this is a how to think about and understand what you want to ask for type guide. A good prompt doesn't need to (and maybe shouldn't) touch on every issue I bring up here. The goal is to make the person who is making your gift feel confident that they can make something you like, not to tell them exactly what to do.

What to do if you are worried that you make all your prompts too narrative heavy:

First, relax. Fanart often carries a narrative component. You can reasonably prompt something that might involve a bit of visual storytelling. That said, the amount of story you can get in a single image is much smaller than the amount you can pack into even a modest 1k short story. Imagine a single scene you might like to see; the kind you love when it pops up in a fic. "I'd like to see the blorbos on a beach vacation" or "I'd like to see character A treating character B's wounds." You can further abstract this to things like "a cozy domestic scene" or "being flirty."

Some Prompt Prompts for if you are feeling stuck on what to ask for

Tropes! Many tropes work in a fanart setting. The ones that don't are the ones that need a bit more narrative behind them to make sense. It might be tricky to convey Fake Dating with a single image, but Hurt/Comfort or Only One Bed is very doable.

AUs! Want to let the artist play dress up with the blorbos? See what they'd look like as the socialite guests in a 1920s Agatha Christy style murder mystery? or just ask for something more general like a fairy tale setting or modern au.

Set the mood! What's the vibe you like best about this character or coupling? Do you want something dark and broody? More lighthearted and comedic? Tender and romantic?

Style! While I don't advise requesting something in the vein of a specific artist's style (the person making your gift has their own style) talking about styles of art that you like can help them understand what's visually appealing to you. So mentioning like "a moody film noir type setting" or "overwrought flowery romance like in shojo manga" isn't horrible, as long as you leave the artist room to bring their own sensibilities into the picture.

Poses! Want that bridal carry? Sharing an umbrella? Something that emphasizes a height difference? Don't go too hog wild with details "and their left pinky at a thirty degree angle..." but if you wanna see someone getting dipped on the dance floor, go ahead and ask for it.

Two final thoughts. First, just like with fic prompts you want to have a couple different ones in your ask. Every artist has things they feel more or less comfortable with, and giving a few options helps to make sure that there's at least one that they can work with. Particularly if you have a more complex prompt, it would be good to also have one that's simpler or more open to interpretation. Second, check in with yourself to see if you have any art specific DNWs.Maybe you can handle written descriptions of blood but not visual depictions or maybe the character has that one outfit that you think is butt ugly. Either way make sure you are clear about it in your prompt.

[1waywardbirdlane]

Unsolicited Lore Dump

tagged by @ancuninfiles , a beloved mutual

Do you make your bed? Occasionally when i’m tidying up and want everything to look nice & neat, but it’s not something I do habitually. 

Favourite number? 19. Not sure why

What's your job? I tell people I’m a homemaker. 

If you could go back to school would you? If I could go to a trade school, like for carpentry or welding or something, I would in order to build my skills and my art portfolio into larger scale and more intricate projects. I would maybe go to university. I would definitely love to learn more. I love being able to deep dive into a subject, to really learn the nuance & history of it. There’s definitely lots of subjects I’d be interested in, but if I were to actually devote that kind of time to school, I’d also want to have a goal in mind- a Masters or PHD or whatever.

Can you parallel park? Yep

Do you think aliens are real? I think it’s the height of arrogance to assume that there are no other sapient life forms in our whole universe. As much knowledge as we humans have accumulated, there are most definitely still things we cannot even perceive, let alone understand. Most media depicts “alien life forms” as largely humanoid, but that is so limiting and it drives me crazy. Of the films & TV I’ve seen, the film Arrival is the most unique and exciting depiction of alien encounters on earth. The creatures themselves were more imaginative, but also their concepts of language and time were presented in ways that felt fresh and caused a lot of introspection, both for characters on screen and for me personally.

Can you drive a manual car? No

What's your guilty pleasure? This is probably a terrible thing to say here, but fanfic? I still feel like I’m going to be teased if someone asks why I’m crying over my phone and I tell them the new chapter of my favorite fic came out and my ship had a huge fight. (Looking at you @Aevallare jk ilysm) Or if someone asks what I’m reading these days and the only answer I have is “so many Astarion/bg3 fanfics that I literally can’t keep the Tavs straight anymore.” I know I shouldn't feel embarrassed, and if anyone said all these things to me I’d tell them to be proud and just enjoy what they enjoy, fuck everybody else. But…I’ve realized I actually got teased a LOT about things I loved as a kid. My family would pick on me about what I realize now were hyperfixations, like a movie or certain activities that I seemed obsessed with. When I watched fellowship of the ring everyday one summer my brother would mockingly quote lines at me and tell me I needed to get over it. 

Tattoos? I have 2! A henna/paisley -like flower design on the inside of my left forearm and 3 sparrows flying from my right shoulder blade up to my neck. & plans for MANY more

Favorite color? Green. All of its shades and hues. Purple as a close second, especially lilac purple.

Favourite types of music? I think I have a very eclectic taste. I can appreciate most kinds of music, but… folk, indie rock/pop, grunge are probably the most accurate categories? I like female singer/songwriters- Ingrid Michaelson & Maggie Rogers. We’ve seen the Decemberists like 5 or 6 times, but probably my most favoritest band is Incubus. I’m convinced Hozier is some kind of magic Fae creature who fucks off to another realm or dimension between albums. I’ll fight anyone who tries to take a shot at Eddie Vedder. Bowie always puts me in a good mood and reminds me of college and Wes Anderson movies. Radiohead and the White Stripes were some of the first bands my sister introduced me to. The Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and Lauryn Hill’s Miseducation of Lauryn Hill are still some of my favorite albums of all time. 

Do you like puzzles? Yes! It kind of runs in our family on my mom’s side. If you went to visit Grandma and Grandpa and they were having a quiet night, they'd be doing a puzzle and listening to music or watching a movie. My aunts and uncles do it, and so do a few cousins, and my sister & her family love them too. I can get lost for hours with a good podcast and a puzzle. 

Any phobias? I originally went on an ADHD tangent about bear bells and tip toeing to cliff edges, but then I realized the only phobia I probably have is deep water. I LOVE being in the water, water creatures and ecosystems, but if I think too much about what is possibly swimming around just below me I can get a little freaked out. Truthfully this might stem from a “game” my brother and sister played with me when we were little and our house had a pool. They were 11 and 10. Both of them had taken swim lessons, could swim underwater and jump in without holding their noses. I was 3 and had a bathing suit with a built in innertube. They would take turns diving under the water with their hands on their heads imitating fins and grab my ankles and yank me down. Obviously it scared me and they did it so much that I stopped going in the pool with them.

Favourite childhood sport? Soccer

Do you talk to yourself? Oh yeah. Sometimes I pass it off as if I’m talking to my cat, or one of my plants, but yes very much a lot.

What movies do you adore? The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is #1 for of all time. Nacho Libre is another all time favorite. What We Do in the Shadows, the John Wick movies, Fast & Furious movies, Mad Max Fury Road…

Coffee or tea? I love both but if I have to choose then COFFEEFirst thing you wanted to be growing up? Somewhere in my parents’ house there is an old video of me saying that when I grew up I wanted to be a princess or a mermaid.

Gunna tag all 10 of my followers lol. If you've already shared yours just ignore me lol.

@astarionancuntnin @midnight-musings-of-nyx @adoenamedjane @originalin @giganticrodent @shewhowas39 @halsinwhore @swancensus

I really love doing these!!

[silvfyre-writings]

Paint me to sleep (BSD Fanfic)

I was inspired to write this when I was browsing Insayntea's art on twitter and noticed that in every ranpoe artwork, Poe had his nails painted and yeah, the plot bunnies kinda ran away from me to give this absolutely domestic fic.

Because fluff, and these two always make me feel so single when fluff is involved.

Anyway, enjoy~

It was no secret that Poe enjoyed painting his nails.

There was no lucrative reason as to why he enjoyed it, he just did, always had from the moment he’d first worn it as a teenager; he’d run into some teenage girls that had taken one look at him and decided he needed the ‘beauty’ treatment, and that was the day that Poe was introduced to the world of makeup and nail polish. Yes, it had been daunting, a bunch of strangers fawning over him—he’d tried to say no, tried to escape, but teenage girls on a mission were terrifying, so he’d found it easier to just go along with them—but ultimately, it had actually been a fun, and interesting, experience. He’d learnt a lot, and admired the artworks they’d left on his nails before letting him leave.

And ever since then, Poe had painted his nails.

Sometimes—usually—he went with a plain colour; darker colours when he felt like being more subtle, or whenever his mood was particularly downcast, but sometimes he would wear brighter colours. Once he had painted his nails a nice purple, a kind old lady picking it up and saying it matched the colour of his eyes, and Poe hadn’t been able to stop himself. Another time he had gone with an orange the colour of the sun; a few people he’d passed by had complimented him that day, and he’d gone home feeling warm and happy.

There were also days where Poe felt a little bit adventurous, or artistic, where he ventured out of his comfort zone in an attempt to try something new. At first, he started with simple patterns; dots, stripes, and various kinds of shapes, all simple and easy. And once he’d mastered them, he moved onto painting actual objects; flowers that he’d seen while on a walk, birds that perched on his windowsill, the stars of the night sky, all things he deemed beautiful, and all things he felt confident in attempting to recreate. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but it didn’t make Poe enjoy it any less.

The only time he hadn’t enjoyed it—or well, couldn’t be bothered with it—had been during that six year period where he’d spent all his days working for the Guild, and writing the novel he intended to kill Ranpo with. All day and all night he was working, with what time he did manage to get to himself spent sleeping, so there hadn’t ever been time for him to indulge in the things that brought him comfort. Which certainly explained a lot about the type of person he became during those six years, and why his only proper friend had been Karl.

But as life had a tendency to do sometimes, it got better; he failed at killing Ranpo and instead gained a new, human, friend—a friend that turned into a lover, but that was a story for another day—and he sort of left the Guild, giving him more time than he knew what to do with.

It gave him time to relax and recuperate after six long years of despair and hard work.

It gave him time to return to the interests he had outside of writing.

Poe was in his room, leaning against the headboard of his bed, and applying a coat of black to his nails, when he heard his front door open and slam shut. From the foot of the bed, Karl’s head shot up, ears twitching, but the raccoon soon curled back up into his little ball, recognizing the footsteps that were quickly making their way to the bedroom. Poe continued on with his work, even as the door to his room creaked open, with much calmer treatment than his front door had been treated with. He wasn’t so rude as to ignore his unexpected, but also expected, visitor, and paused once he’d finished applying a layer, looking towards the door with a smile on his face.

Ranpo didn’t return his smile, body coiled and tense, ready to either spring forth or fall apart, and for once, it was a little hard to tell which ledge his love was dangling closer towards. The detective’s eyes flicked open long enough to observe the room, moving from Poe, to Karl, to Poe’s bedside table that had everything he used to paint his nails cluttering it, before they fell shut again, and he sighed. Poe remained silent as Ranpo shed the layers that he wore; hat, cape, vest, and tie, were all discarded into the floor without a care in the world, and he watched as Ranpo disappeared into his wardrobe. He could hear Ranpo rummaging, and returned his attention to his nails, applying the paint to the next nail. “If you’re looking for the hoodie, I washed it this morning.”

There was a brief pause, and then Ranpo was storming across the room, disappearing back the way he’d come in nothing but his boxers. Poe followed the man with his eyes for as long as he could, his mind already starting to piece together what could possibly be bothering Ranpo. The first clue was that Ranpo was home from work early, a sure sign that it was either the work itself, or his co-workers, that had driven Ranpo into fleeing before his shift was over. The next clue was the silence, because Ranpo loved talking, and there was only a few reasons why he wouldn’t at least greet Poe; one being that his senses were bordering on overstimulation—unlikely, since Poe usually received a text from Ranpo asking to be retrieved when that happened—and another being that he was angry—likely, if the way he was being harsh towards inanimate objects was anything to go by. Of course, there were other reasons, but those two were the main ones, and Poe was wagering on the problem being just that and not one of the deeper reasons in which he’d have to actually dig for an answer.

When Ranpo returned, drowning in a hoodie that almost reached his knees, Poe had finished with one hand, and he looked over at the detective as he lingered in the doorway, eyes fixed on his feet. Poe cleared his throat, and patted the bed in front of him when Ranpo looked up. “You can come in; this is your room too after all.”

“You were busy.” Ranpo gestured towards the bottles of nail polish with a shrug, dropping his head to stare at the floor again.

“Do you want to cuddle?” Poe asked.

Ranpo nodded.

Poe stretched out his legs and shifted some of the pillows behind him so he could sit up a little more and still be comfortable. “Come here then.”

“You’re busy.” Ranpo said again, even as he crossed the room to stand beside the bed.

“I can still paint my nails.” Poe smiled and patted the space in front of him. “You won’t get in the way.”

Apparently, that was all the affirmation that Ranpo needed, because he crawled onto the bed a second later, and Poe raised his arms so that the other could get comfortable, waiting patiently as Ranpo shuffled until his back was against Poe’s chest, with his head coming to rest over the top of his heart. Ah, so it’s comfort that he wants. Once Ranpo stopped moving, Poe used his free hand to ruffle his partner’s hair before he reached over and grabbed the bottle so that he could make a start on his other hand.

He could feel Ranpo’s eyes on his hand, just quietly watching as Poe applied the black paint to the rest of his nails. Neither of them said anything, just basking in the silence, although Poe did break that quiet when Ranpo moved to cover his face with the hood of what he was wearing. “Are you alright, my dear?”

Ranpo hummed, and his head dipped forward slightly. “I’m tired, and the office was becoming a little much, that’s all.”

“Anything I can do for you?”

“Cuddles are enough.” Ranpo snuggled closer somehow, and Poe was more than happy to welcome it. Cuddling with Ranpo was one of his favorite things to do, because it was something that made the both of them feel better when one—or both—of them were under par. There was just something about holding the one you loved and sitting in silence with just each other for company that was relaxing, almost as if the physical contact chased away the lingering effects of a bad day, or mood. Just thinking about it was enough to make Poe smile, and if it weren’t for the fact that he had a hand of wet nail polish, he would pull Ranpo even closer and hold him tight to make him feel better.

At some point, Poe at started to hum while he worked, and he could feel Ranpo relaxing against him further with each minute that passed, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before Ranpo drifted off to sleep. A thought crossed Poe’s mind as he finished with his own nails and waited for them to dry; whenever Ranpo drifted off to sleep, he always wound up in a light sleep for the first half hour or so, which meant that Poe wouldn’t be able to move until enough time had passed for the other to go into a deep enough sleep that he wouldn’t wake up when Poe attempted to move. And while Poe usually just went to sleep with Ranpo whenever he ended up trapped behind him, he had to make a start on dinner for that night. And with his phone out of reach, and book in the living room, there was nothing to occupy him.

Unless…

“Would you like me to paint your nails, Ranpo?” He whispered, lips twitching when Ranpo snorted.

“Huh?” The detective’s voice was quiet, a tiredness clinging to his words that Poe found adorable. “Oh, yeah, sure. Whatcha gonna paint?”

“Flowers, perhaps? Or would you rather a plain colour?”

Ranpo let out a yawn. “Flowers sound nice.”

“Alright then.” Poe reached over to drag the necessary colours closer towards him so he wouldn’t have to move as much, and he reached down to grab one of Ranpo’s hands. It wasn’t often that he got the chance to paint Ranpo’s nails; not because Ranpo wouldn’t let him, but rather that his partner’s nails were often too short for him to work with, what with the way he chewed on them whenever he was stressed or thinking hard.

But for once, Ranpo’s nails were even—still short, but even—and unchewed, meaning that Poe had more than enough to work with. He set about applying a base coat first; a pale blue colour that suited Ranpo well in his opinion, and fell into the soothing rhythm that was painting. The act itself was already soothing, but for some reason, whenever he painted Ranpo’s nails, it was always more enjoyable, more relaxing. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it gave him an excuse to hold Ranpo’s hand—not that he needed one to begin with—but whatever it was, he lived for the days the opportunity arose.

By the time that Poe had finished the base coat, Ranpo’s head had dropped forward, and there were soft snores coming from him while he slept. Poe smiled and grabbed the colours he needed for the flowers; yellow for the centre, and white for the petals—the first flower he’d ever learnt to paint onto nails, and the one that Ranpo would appreciate the most for its simplicity.

Poe smiled, and continued to paint his love’s nails, knowing that when Ranpo woke up after his nap, he would love and praise Poe for his work.

And Poe would beam with joy when he did.

[pastelroyce]

I've been tagged ages ago by @dandenbo @mtreebeardiles and @sh00kspeared on different ask memes of the sort (thank you all for tagging me) and I'm in a sharing mood so I thought it'd be fun to just...compile them together because i'm insane

3 fave ships:

Johnny/m!V, Vik/m!V, mShenko; these three are always on rotation in my head amongst all my other ships atm.

First ship:

...it...um...uh.

Sonic/Shadow. Sigh.

Favorite childhood book:

I had a very, very brief phase of being into Eragon when I was in 7th grade or something (I'm talking very brief as in I never finished the first book)

Currently reading:

Not really anything currently, but the last fanfic I read was the spoils, the spoils by kindly on ao3 (E rated Vik/m!V fair warning). As far as physical reading material the last thing I read was 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing by Gary Provost.

Currently watching:

I don't actively watch shows/movies on my own time. I get too antsy at the idea of watching one continuous thing if I'm not like...purposefully determined to watch something (even then I need a break). The last time we used our streaming account was to watch Adventure Time, bf wanted to rewatch the show.

Fave color:

Basically everything in the circle, on the brighter/pastel side. Primarily pink tho.

Song stuck in head:

Right now it's Desperado by the Eagles

Last song listened to:

Chinatown by Jets to Brazil. Whenever i get around to making a playlist for my corpo V it's going on there.

Fave food:

Oh my god, there's so many. Tacos, good marbled brisket, hamburger.......

Spicy/sweet/savory:

Gimme it alllllllllllllllllllll

Currently craving:

Something fried and greasy and yucky because I've been stressed af all day

Last googled:

German Spitz for werewolf au purposes

Are you named after anyone?:

Yes! As a matter of fact! A book character with a name I vibed with immediately.

When was the last time you cried?:

A few weeks ago, can't even remember what it was tbh.

Do you have kids?:

I get bad baby fever from time to time, but something I came to terms with a while ago is that I'm too selfish to want children in my life. I value my privacy and alone time too much to disrupt that.

What sports do you play/have you played?:

I did karate and soccer when I was a wee lad. Neither interested me after a certain point.

Do you use sarcasm?:

Mostly when I know it'll be telegraphed as Being Funny, but I tend to do so unintentionally otherwise.

What is the first thing you notice about people?:

Hair usually, or whatever they're wearing

What's your eye color?:

Brown

Scary movies or happy endings?:

Happy endings I guess? It's been a while since I've seen a movie...

Any talents?:

I have a knack for drawing silly cartoon faces if that counts...

Where were you born?:

Island in the PNW

What are your hobbies?:

Drawing, writing and playing video games mostly. I like to daydream about having new hobbies too, if that counts.

Do you have any pets?:

BABY BOY 🫵 BABY

How tall are you?:

Like 5ft4in or something, very middle of the road.

Favorite subject in school?:

Art and history were my fave in school

Dream job?:

At this point I've given up on the idea of a specific dream job and now just want something that'll keep a roof over my head and let me get take out guilt free lol

[sometimesrosy]

There is something that truly frightens me these days that teens and up are very unfreaked out about these days and it makes my eyes saucer big in shock. I'm on plenty of reading forums where "readers" say they forget the novels they read the second they finish them. They aren't concerned at all about it and when anyone starts to question it they describe reading as just walking past 100's of paintings in an art gallery and only enjoying the paintings for the length of time it took to look at them. Am I just showing my age to think this is nuts? Wasting time to not remember a thing. Then also think they are winning at life to go through a hundred books a year like this?

So I have a different take on this.

Remember please that as an English major, English teacher and writer, I am invested in paying attention to literature. It's a deep pleasure to analyze and understand stories and poems and essays solidly.

Saying that... that's not the only reason to read or the only way to read.

You're allowed to read just for pleasure. Just for the wild ride of the book and not have to be able to critically analyze it when you're done.

You're also allowed to read for escapism. This world is way crazier than it used to be, and we used to think the world was crazy forty years ago. Kids often don't have a lot of control over their lives and reading is a way where they get to feel more in control and/or safe.

When I was a teenager, I didn't read a hundred books a year. I read, oh, I'm guessing, four to five hundred books a year. I read 1-3 books A DAY.

Why?

One. I had a two hour commute both ways. Two. I didn't have money so reading was my entertainment. Three. I only had like seven tv channels, no streaming, no social media etc. And four, and the main reason. Reading was my coping strategy to deal with a difficult, scary and sometimes dangerous homelife.

Do I remember all the books I read as a teen? Absolutely not. I like to say that those books went into "the soup," and they certainly did. I don't remember them for particular narratives, but I remember general conventions, patterns, tropes, structures, timings, moods, themes, cultural expectations, etc. I credit that intense reading period with making me a writer. Reading became as natural as BREATHING.

Do you remember every breath you take? No, of course not.

Admittedly, it turns out that I have adhd, and that sort of hyperlexia is a trait of adhd and autism, so there's a reason for it. I'm not normal and never have been. But you're looking at reading patterns here that aren't normal either.

So these kids are addicted to books.

GREAT! Do you know what other kinds of things kids COULD be addicted to? So many bad things. Let them have their speed reading. Let them do PJO or their ACOTAR or their fanfics. I don't know what kids are reading today.

Reading is PRESCRIPTIVE. People read for what they need and what you may need-- a wider view of the world or intellectual stimulation or a hit of beautiful language-- may not be what these kids are reading for-- escapism, anxiety, entertainment. And neither of those reading needs are wrong.

I read like those kids when I was in high school. And I was one of the only ones I knew who did read that much. I think it's good that reading is cool because it wasn't in the 80s. BUT after I did that 6 year sff binge, I went to college and got a degree in English, and I did NOT read that much anymore. I read more slowly and wrote essays and analyzed books and chose new genres and talked about books and remembered quotes and all that. And I read more slowly for, oh, twenty years, until PTSD, ADHD, anxiety, chronic illness and stress got to me. And then I started binge reading again. Now the genre guarantees a happy ending to combat the anxiety, and it's non-intellectually demanding so my ADHD brain can actually rest instead of going a mile a minute as it does when I don't have something occupying it.

I read 224 books this year and I absolutely can't remember them all. I have to keep a log with titles and authors and ratings and summaries so I can remember which ones I liked best. I reread those, and the second (and third and fourth) read helps me remember the plot and characters and everything else. A close reading is different for me than an entertainment read. My business is words, so when I read for entertainment I don't fuss.

So here's what I'm saying. Reading is good even if you think they aren't reading right. There is no 'right' for reading. If they're just reading for escapism, that's fine. If it's fostering a true love of books that might become a career, that's great. If they're reading as a coping strategy. Leave them alone unless you're a therapist and can help them out.

Another possibility you might want to consider is that it's your questions that are making their brains go blank. A lot of people have trouble answering direct questions like that. And if they actually sat and thought about the story or characters and kind of unfolded it from that direction, would actually remember. By 'a lot of people' I mean me. My adhd brain doesn't remember like that. But if I go back to my log and look at my summary, the narrative will come back to me.

[wsdalt]

hellooo i am a bit late but. ask game! 🏜️🎨🥤? (ik you did the last one already but recs are always fun!)

"what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?"

um… okay firstly i obviously love all comments, but i will say i enjoy when people sort of… point out/engage with the thesis of sorts of the fic? i suppose? i don't always go into a fic with a "thesis" i'm trying to convey in mind, but sometimes i do and i like when people pick up on it and engage with or mention it \o/!!

"recommend an author or fanfic you love"

well… i would recommend you pfft but you're the one sending the ask. so um… in the interest of sticking with felps related fics i will recommend “we made out way by finding what is real” and “once more to see you” because I’ve been in a federation escape stream mood \o/!! First one is them escaping (+ timeloop concept) and second one is post-escape… fluff I suppose? as much as it can be considering the circumstances and paranoia

"link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like it" (out of order just in case i need to use a cut pfft. i did need the cut. okay have fun \o/)

it's that time of the week, time to pass the felps bystander guilt art… while this features other people in true nature to myself i will focus on felps with this though okay lets go: very cool piece first of all \o/!! second of all i have no idea if this is jaime's intentions with this art at all but…

felps having his face turned towards what is happening with cell and pac, but when you actually look he's looking completely past them? they're in his peripherals, surely… it's not that he can't see them, or he's entirely ignoring what's happening--it's in a murky sense of acknowledging it without acknowledging it? he's acknowledging it, but he can't look right at it. i like that as much as cell and pac draw your attention, felps stands out a lot--everyone else is in orange, and they're also a lot more… "fluid" i guess than him? (although with JV it's because he's dead and dead bodies don't really hold tension oops…) i just really like the perfect posture + almost casual stance

i think you can link it easily to the fact felps has a slight tendency to fall into the "everything's fine \o/" way of processing things--or at the very least tries to brush over his issues? it's not his method 100% of the time, and it doesn't fully work, but you know--you can also link the fact it doesn't fully work to the fact he looks back: he can't fully ignore it

i always imagine this scene as felps being told by cell to stand guard and make sure no one interrupts him and this very much feels like a depiction of that. a very sort of hopeless "what else can i do but this?" and throwing himself into it. he has his guard stance--but he looks back! maybe because despite the neutral expression (see again: "everything is fine" approach) he does care about pac a little and he doesn't want this to happen. he can't bring himself to watch, but he can't bring himself to look away and pretend it isn't happening either!

back to felps standing out: it really plays into that line he had when he mentioned to richarlyson that he was in prison--i'm paraphrasing a little i think because i don't have time to hunt it down, but he said something like "i was on the other side. i was alone." and you can really see that here! he's definitely not "one of them". the different uniform, the different colours, the difference in stance… despite the fighting going on the others seem more "united" as a concept…? i don't know how to explain it

the bystander guilt is also a fun thing combined with his saint stuff and all that, but that isn't specific to this piece

anyway getting specific with it and really just taking audience interpretation liberties here even moreso than before: colouring behind felps' head as halo and by extension priest imagery if you're me. his hands behind his back is cool--i can't remember if i wrote this into my fic(s?) specifically because of this piece, but i do lean into the idea of him during this era holding his hands behind his back as a professional way to hide them so people can't see them shaking

felps being the tallest can also be a reference to the fact he's technically supposed to have the most power here due to being a guard, but that's neither here nor there as he… doesn't actually have much power in the scene (the blackmail). although maybe just the illusion of power, but not acting on it is interesting? to someone like pac--he could've stopped it. or tried to. but he didn't. and we know that's because of the blackmail--but it'd be hard for pac to conceptualise that if he wasn't the kind of person to do the "everything's fine!" thing and succeed very very well until he has to break

celltw are fun and jaime did amazing with them of course, but this piece will always be the felps bystander guilt art to me. i have it as my lock screen pfft

[nihil-ism]

𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 𝐓𝐀𝐆 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄.

⸻ 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠? Very early on in life, I wouldn't be able to pinpoint an exact age. Definitely somewhere around middle school in a continuous way; it was then that I started to write my own stories inspired by books I read, and even fanfiction. It kind of came naturally to me, just like my art hobby, because it was a nice way to pass time and indulge my escapism (I didn't have many friends, but also always liked spending time on my own).

⸻ 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞? Rarely, I am usually drawn to the same genres and themes I like to write about. I can enjoy a fluffy coffee shop AU once in a while, if it's well done. But most of the time these kinds of genres are too tame for me; I like my drama, complexity, horror and smut.

⸻ 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧? I've never been compared to anyone as far as I can remember, and I don't really conciously emulate the writing of other authors -- however, I am definitely inspired by how certain writers phrase things, or by the vocabulary they choose. I have two final fantasy fics that greatly motivate me to expand my english vocabulary and write more intricate sentences, and I have always loved how Patrick Rothfuss writes. There is something about longwinded descriptions and flowery, sometimes even pompous language that I greatly enjoy, especially when it's paired with dark themes, horror, and erotica.

⸻ 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞? Since I recently moved it's mostly a work in progress right now, but I am glad that I managed to get this far already.

I have a dedicated place for all my Resident Evil merch; the general idea for my room here is to be mostly cyberpunk inspired when it's finished (as in, Cyberpunk 2077 // V's room), but with random fan merch occupying the space (and jellyfish!!).

⸻ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐩 𝐚 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞? Engaging with their media of origin, mostly. Usually my muse sparks most when I play their games (when it comes to my main fandoms of resident evil and final fantasy 8), sometimes also when I read other fanfics or even see posts about them. But 9 times out of 10, playing the games will do it. Aside from that, if I don't have time or energy but want to try and coax the respective muses out, I have playlists for them on my spotify which I listen to as I sit down to write. I have playlists for each character/muse, and sometimes also a playlist for the fic I am writing. Also a separate playlist for smut, because that needs a special mood and all.

Part of the whole keeping-myself-inspired thing is also running a sideblog for my fics where I can reblog aesthetics, quotes, and all that to get me into the right headspace.

⸻ 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠? 𝐃𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮? Definitely recurring themes, and they don't really surprise me because they usually don't change. I love focusing on the dark things, on dissecting the characters to see what makes them tick, on expanding what we have been given and twist it into something even darker.

Exploring a character's past and therefore their trauma, find what triggers them into action, have them suffer through all of it again as they progress the story - those things are my main drives to write and the reason why my fics always end up becoming massive instead of short °^^.

Smut is something I enjoy writing, but I often use it as a tool to explore character dynamics and the aforementiones themes, simply because it's fun (and not because I feel smut needs a story, it's simply preference in writing for me).

⸻ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠? Mostly the things I mentioned in the question before, it's my main drive to explore character dynamics; or shine a light on parts of the canon story that were only briefly mentioned (if at all), and see what can be done with that. It's a bit like doing a puzzle to me, in which I try to stick as close to canon as possible while expanding on it and trying to give it my own twist. The main reaction from readers I am usually going for is 1) writing in such a way it's believable the characters would speak and act this way, and 2) make readers feel like they are experiencing a DLC (when I am writing for games), or a secret additional chapter, or a bonus episode etc.

⸻ 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠? Sadly comments are a dying breed it seems, so any comment I get is amazing feedback and usually motivates me to at least pick up my notes again and do some background work, depending on how much time and energy I have currently.

Thankfully I have never received a comment that pressed me to continue or anything like that, and I hope it stays this way.

But if I had to choose, I'd say the most gratifying and motivating comments are from people who notice the little hints I leave in my writing when it comes to foreshadowing. When they pick up on me hinting towards something brewing in the background that might come to bite the characters' behinds soon, or when little side-comments hint to other characters that might soon make an appearance.

I also would love hearing what parts the readers enjoyed most, it would help a lot to understand if I am "doing a good job", for lack of better words.

Oh and of course the general excitement when drama is about to unfold, it always makes me smile when people enjoy those parts.

⸻ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬? ...honestly I have never thought about that before. Maybe, quite simply, that I made their day a little better with my writing. That would be nice.

⸻ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫? Character analysis, I'd say. I'm not sure if I always get across what I have laid out inside my head because it can become quite complicated and twisted (which reminds me I should post more headcanon posts), but character analysis makes up about 70% of my foundations for a fic.

Also I think due to this I am quite good at finding a character's voice (as in, writing in a way that doesn't feel OOC).

⸻ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠? Oof, that depends.

Mostly I feel good about it, otherwise I wouldn't publish anything for people to read. But when I am forced to take longer breaks from writing, I feel incredibly rusty (mostly because english is not my first language, so I don't use it as regularly in my everyday life). It's frustrating sometimes because it takes time and effort to get back to the level it was when I left off, and so it impacts the time it takes me to finish a chapter, which in turn stresses me out a bit because I know how fast media consumption works these days. I try not to take the whole time-thing too seriously, but sometimes it gets to me.

⸻ 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞, 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐱 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡? Definitely a mix of both. First and foremost I write for myself, because I have a vision and I want to get it out of my system. I used to do that with roleplaying, but due to many reasons that is not a feasable outlet anymore these days. Maybe sometime in the future, with the right people and on the right platform.

I don't know if people who write fics and never roleplayed can relate, but when you write characters in rp, they often tend to develop a "life and mind of their own" (we usually just call it "the muse - aka character - is awake (and rattling the bars of their enclosure)" because that's what it feels like).

But yeah, that inspiration and creativity needs to go somewhere, so writing fics it is!

Aside from that, after a while I try to consider my readers in terms of pacing of the story, structure, internal dialogues versus action and all these things. To me, it's a way to improve my writing and not something I feel is a burden.

TAGGED BY: @judasiskariot (thank you so much, this was a lot of fun!) TAGGING: @blauerregen | @sauron-kraut | @no-bee (( if you want to, ofc!)

[mumms-the-word]

💙💜 for the colour asks?

Thanks for the ask!! <3

💙 Blue: What inspires you to finish writing a fanfic, and what makes you quit writing one at any stage in the process?

I am the world’s worst at finishing something, especially if it’s a long-form thing like a book or a longfic like Fathoms or Masquerade is. Honestly, some days I want to just be like “if I quit softly no one will notice right?” But I know that I have at least 1 or 2 readers out there who would be sad and who sometimes ask for updates. If you ask me for an update there is a 95% chance I’ll be motivated (and pressured) to finish something lol

Also, some of the scenes I’m most excited to write in the long fics are the ones at the end. Beginnings are hard but exciting, the climatic endings are my favorite to write, and the middle is a SLOG. I always start to doubt my ability to finish a longfic/long project as soon as I hit the middle. The motivation just takes a nosedive. But I have to get to the fun scenes somehow, you know?

As for shorter fics, like oneshots…I think writing them more or less in one go helps keep up the motivation to finish them. I have several oneshots that I haven’t finished yet because I just don’t feel inspired to return to them or I feel like what I’ve written isn’t good, and the longer I wait to work on them, the less I want to bother with them. Sometimes finding just the right song for the fic’s mood helps, or finding a fanart that is particularly inspiring. Art inspires art!

As for why I tend to quit writing a certain oneshot or project, it depends. Sometimes it’s because the idea just isn’t working that day, or my writing feels forced, or I just have a headache/don’t feel good, or I got stuck on a plot point or scene, or I just feel unmotivated. The problem is, especially for oneshots, if I don’t try to pick it up the next day, it tends to get left behind. I’m trying to get better about returning to old WIPs but…I think some stuff will just be Forever Unfinished

💜 Purple: Name one song you're listening to while writing your next/current fanfic. How or why does it help the writing process?

Oh god how can I pick only one? I listen to video game/movie soundtracks when I write. I can’t listen to anything with words (at least, not in English) because I’ll pay attention to those words instead. I can’t listen to words and write words at the same time.

That said, one song I keep coming back to recently is The Journey from the Atlantis movie soundtrack. It may or may not have anything to do with Friday’s update in Fathoms 👀

But in general I listen to music to sink into a kind of mood or vibe for the scene. A sad scene needs sad music, a fight scene needs epic battle music, a cozy scene needs cozy music. That sort of thing. And if all else fails, chill video game music covers all my bases, because theoretically speaking it’s designed to fade in the background and help your concentration.

Idk I’m just not as big on listening to contemporary music/music with words when I write. Some stuff does inspire scenes, but I can’t listen to those songs WHILE I write.

Also being dismally behind all music trends lately doesn’t help

Anyways thanks for the ask!!

[purlturtle]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who liked or reblogged something from you! Get to know your mutuals and followers :3

Thank you! That's sweet! 💜

Good food makes me happy. And it's so easy too; perks of being an adult is that I have full control over what's in my fridge and pantry, and can make sure I have food in there that I like. (Mostly chocolate and chocolatey things, but also fruit! And ramen!)

Music makes me happy, and TV shows and movies and books. I'm grouping this all under "art", because it feels like it hits the same brain bits for me - but yeah, another go-to to feel happy when I've had a rough day is to listen to or watch or read something that I know will get me in a good mood. Leverage is a big contender for this, as are Discworld audio books.

My wife makes me happy. And yes, I'm aware that I've mentioned her at position 3 not position 1. I'm a firm believer that it's better when happiness isn't dependent on another person. But I'm also happy to say that she does make me happy: she makes me laugh, she cares for me when I'm not in a good place, she hugs me when I need or want a hug, all of that. I adore her, and she makes me happy.

Performing something skillfully makes me happy too. There are a few things I can do well, and it feels good to do them and know I'm doing well at something I'm skilled at. I'm phenomenal at parallel parking, for example. And it's just such a good feeling to pull something off, you know?

And lastly, clicking with people makes me happy. Whether it's squeeing about shared headcanons about our blorbos or deep discussions about the world with my bestie or listening to a stranger on the internet and trying to help them with their situation. Or just those fleeting one-moment interactions you have with strangers sometimes, in the supermarket or what-have-you.

In general, I think, I have a big capacity to see and cherish happy moments and happiness overall. All this mindfulness and gratitude journalling and that, I've been doing that for forever, it feels sometimes. There's a Pratchett line, "Everywhere I look, I see something holy," that has stayed with me since I read it for the first time ages ago, and it really drives home that it depends on how *you* look at things whether or not you see the holiness (happiness, love, beauty, etc.) in them. So I learned to look, and to cherish what I see.

And that makes me happy too. (so basically you're getting a 5+1 here but then I *am* a fanfic writer, so that tracks 😁)

Thank you again for asking! I hope you have a great day!

[thefandomlesbian]

Hi! I really love your fic! I can see how much you put your heart and thoughts into your writing, it's really awesome to read.... I've been wondering what kind of stuff you read? If that's not too weird. I want to know if you have like, books or poetry or other type of writings that inspire you, or just, something that you really like to read. Thanks in advance!!

Hi! Thank you so much for asking!

I'm admittedly not as big of a reader as I was in school (who is?), but I've been reading more over the past two years since I moved out of my mom's house and now live in a much lower-stress situation. As for what I read, I have this peculiar habit of ordering very random things on niche topics from Thriftbooks when I get bored.

I don't generally read a lot of fiction these days; if I'm in the mood for a novel, I wind up rereading the Warriors books, Harry Potter, Narnia, or some of my old Stephen King favorites.

I mostly read nonfiction. I have a lot of outdated medical textbooks and clinical manuals (not new ones--I wouldn't recommend new books for anyone who isn't in med school, they're just too damn expensive, and for books less than 15-20 years old, the information is still up-to-date enough for a layperson to get a lot of benefit from them).

My current favorite author is Atul Gawande, a surgeon, who writes some absolutely baller informative works on surgical medicine for both healthcare workers and civilians. I needed to read The Checklist Manifesto for a scene I wrote in Not Bigger But Brighter where Wilson performs a surgery, with every intention of just browsing the book to find the checklist and utilizing that. I ended up reading the entire book, about 180 pages, over the course of three hours without even getting up to pee. All of his books are that compelling! They're absolutely amazing, I can't recommend his work enough. This guy can singlehandedly get almost any fiction reader to love nonfiction works.

I ended up buying a handful of works on contemporary Judaism to help with some important scenes in Brighter, all of which I enjoyed. I'm not really in a position to make recommendations on this topic as a non-Jew, so I don't have a lot to say, but I liked exploring the topic and expanding my knowledge to do more justice to Jewish characters in my fanfic.

I enjoy reading academic theory on feminism, lesbianism, introductory law/ethics, and basic philosophy. (I don't really seek an in depth knowledge on any of these topics and keep my reading fairly rudimentary, so I'm not a great source of information, I just like learning more and find it interesting.)

I have a number of poetry books, including Maggie Smith, rupi kaur, Charles Bukowski, and Richard Siken.

And, naturally, books on writing, character development, plot design, and more... plus I'm always rooting around in my dictionary and thesaurus on my desk during my writing, haha.

Most recently, I've signed up to receive emails from the Becker Hospital Review and JAMA, so I get to read some new medical journal publications for free, and I've learned a lot in my field. It's not all research on drugs and diseases (though that's perfectly fascinating on its own). There are riveting comments and replies, short memoirs, and even poetry on the art of medicine, as well as thoughts on how to improve staff experiences and reduce turnover and burnout among healthcare workers. I save almost every email I receive from them to read the enclosed publications later!

Anyway, this was a stupid long answer to a simple question. Sorry! I hope I answered it to your liking!

[hi-im-nova]

Undertale/Handplates/Mercyplates: Baby blunt toothed blasters, A FanFic.

Handplates belongs to @zarla-s

Walking along the snowstorm exit of Snowdin into Waterfall, Frisk converses with Chara.

Chara: "Hey Frisk, You think Papyrus has Blasters?"

Frisk, ever silent, only tilted their head to face Chara in an acknowledgement of the question.

Chara: "Right- Well anyway, I was thinking about it. The comedian has them, so it would make sense for Papyrus too as well right? Should we ask about it?"

Frisk turns there head away to the now grounded floor of Waterfall. Thinking...

Then nodding while giving a thumbs up to Chara. One of Sans' sentry stations was right up ahead after all, so why not?

So they do, walking up to the napping skeleton and gently tapping him on the skull to get his attention.

Sans: "mh- wha-? oh. heyya kiddo, whatcha need?"

Chara: "You swear there is a lazy jaunty playing..."

Ignoring Chara's commentary on Sans' Theme, Frisk poses the earlier question.

*You ask Sans if Papyrus has the same blasters that Sans has.

Sans' eyelights dim for a moment.

Sans: "hm. weird, i don' think i've ever shown ya' my blasters' before. there saved for very serious things y'know.."

Chara: "Hey Frisk, didn't he use one once in a pacifist route to get something heavy out the the way once? I think it was like a rock or something...I don't remember we he didn't just use a 'shortcut' though.."

*You repeate what Chara has told you to Sans. Minus the shortcut question, It wasn't really important.

*His eyelights are bright once again, the usual goofy mood returned.

Sans: "oh yeah, i 'member somethin' like that. 'was a while ago...anyways, yeah Paps' can use the blasters. he just doesn't too often, it's a very special attack that a specifc dog really likes to chew on."

Chara: "What? ...oh. ooooh, So thats what the special attack would have been. Huh. Cool"

Frisk nods at Sans, curiosity satisfied.

Chara: "I wonder what Papyrus would say if we asked him about it..."

*You have a new mission. Back to Snowdin it is.

————————————————

Thankfully it wasn't a far walk from the entrance of Waterfall back to the Skeleton Brothers home at the outskirts of Snowdin.

As always, Papyrus is more then happy to welcome a friend in. So when Frisk waved hello to Papyrus, they somehow got rolled into a happy spaghetti filled chat.

Not that they minded, it was just a little sudden. But that was pretty normal when it came to the skeletons...

Papyrus: "NYEH HEH HEH! SO, WHAT HAVE YOU SOUGHT OUT THE GREAT PAPYRUS FOR TODAY, MY HUMAN FRIEND? DO YOU NEED THE GREAT PAPYRUS' ADVICE?"

Frisk shakes their head no.

*You say that you have a question, You ask if Papyrus has any other attacks then the 'bone bullet' things.

Papyrus: "ASIDE FROM THE BONES? HM...WELL THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS VERY SKILLED IN THE ART OF FRIENDLY BATTLES, BUT I DON'T WISH TO CAUSE ANYONE HARM! SO A LOT OF MY GREAT SKILLS GO UNUSED..."

*You ask, "like what?"

Papyrus: "LIKE WHAT? HM...WELL, THERE IS THIS RATHER DANGEROUS BLASTER THAT ME AND SANS CAN DO. THOUGH OF COURSE HE IS MUCH TOO LAZY TO DO SO...BUT! THE GREAT PAPYRUS MAY HAVE A SOLUTION! BACK WHEN WE WERE BABY BONES, SANS COULD ONLY MAKE REALLY TINY BLASTERS. HE IS MUCH BETTER AT IT NOW, BUT MAYBE WE COULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THEM SMALL AGAIN! I WILL PROBABLY NEED TO ASK OUR FATHER HOW TO THOUGH..HE KNOWS MORE THEN US ON THE BLASTERS. HE TAUGHT US IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Chara: "I don't think the royal scientist likes us..."

*You repeat Chara's concerns to Papyrus.

Papyrus: "OH...UH...YOU DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THAT! HE'S LIKE THAT TO EVERYONE. VERY STUBBORN. BUT HE IS ALSO REALLY NICE UNDERNEATH IT! HE JUST DOESN'T REALLY LIKE BEING...'EMOTIONALLY VULNERABLE' IN HIS WORDS. IT'S NOTHING PERSONAL"

Chara: "Ehh...Dr. Gaster wasn't a fan of me when I was alive, but he didn't seem to mind Mom, Dad, or Azzy. Maybe its a 'us being human' thing...which I can respect."

*You sigh, but the promise of seeing tiny blasters fill you with the determination to press on.

————————————————

Papyrus had set off and gotten Sans and Dr. Gaster, the two now sitting on the green couch. Papyrus stood infront of the TV with frisk at his side, like it was a presentation.

Sans was mildly interested, meanwhile Gaster just glared at Frisk the entire time...Gaster really didn't like Frisk near his sons.

Dr Gaster: "So. What is this impromptu family meeting about? I assume it must be important to so suddenly call us back home like this."

Gaster knew it likely wasn't anything actually important, but it was a day off for him today anyway. So he figured it was better to keep an eye on the Human personally. Especially if the Human was hanging around one of his boys. Sans was naturally cautious, Papyrus...less so.

(Will finish this later, posting so it doesnt get forgotten in drafts. Finished version will likely be a repost.)

[lil-scorpi69]

Night of the Fallen Star (18+)

Note/warnings: Art was found on Google - Story is MATURE (18+) This is the first fanfic I've written in some time, I hope you like it. If it gets good enough reviews, maybe I'll start taking requests again.

Story start

The night itself was calm and quiet; it was also cooler than the rest of the nights before. Autumn was upon the kingdom. I was in my own chambers as I was readying for the night. Everything was calm. I was human, something that wasn’t usually kept in the kingdom of Mirkwood. However the king kept me around for the things that I made, whether it was my odd handcrafted items, or the herbal remedies that kept his pain at bay. There was always something that he requested of me. Somedays I wondered if he kept me around just for company. Either way I didn’t mind his company. His grumpy demeanor wasn’t something that I found offensive. Often then not I found myself scolding or chiding the king for being quite angry with others. Apparently that was something that would often get me thrown in the prison if I were anyone else. But I wasn’t, I was me. 

Settling down for the night, I felt a yawn slip through my lips as I laid my head upon my pillow. My cheek brushing against the silky satin cover of the pillow. I never understood why the king gave me some of the best bedding that could be found in the kingdom, honestly I never really questioned why he did what he did most of the time as it was. I could feel myself drifting off to sleep when a knock suddenly woke me from my peaceful slumber. 

“C-Come in” I yawned sleepily. Who on earth could it be at this ungodly hour? I was off duty and it was quite late. A healer opened my door with a solemn expression on their face as they looked at me. I couldn’t help but feel slightly bad for them. Whatever reason they have to be awake at this hour and seeking me out, couldn’t be good. 

“My apologies to wake you Lady (Y/N), but it seems the king is in… need of some of your herbal salve. Do you happen to have any prepared?” The healer inquires about the salve I make. For whatever reason the properties in it seem to sooth the magical burn that the king suffers greatly from. However, I wasn’t expecting him to need anymore for a bit so I didn’t have any more prepared. 

“I don’t, but I can make something else that’ll work equally as well.” I yawn once more covering it with my hand trying to hide the exhaustion that was etching its way into my soul. I got to work making quick work with a salve that I already had made. It wasn’t exactly the salve that I had been giving to the king himself but it would have to make due. My hands quickly making work with what I have on hand, knowing I’d have to gather herbs tomorrow to make more salve would definitely be on top of my to do list. After finishing the makeshift salve, I walked towards the healer who looked sleepy yet grateful. Knowing the king he hadn’t been so kind to the healder that had come to my room to inform me. Therefore I knew I must deliver this myself. I needed to teach this man some manners. 

“Lady (Y/N), I can take it to the king, please you should rest up.” He hurriedly said as I kept walking my way towards the king's quarters. There was no way I was going to make the poor elf suffer more than he already has by the hand of the king.

“Nonsense, if I’m awoken to do this, then I shall deliver this myself.” I said sternly, a quick stride to my step even though I was quite short. I was between that of a hobbit’s size and that of a dwarf. Only standing merely 4’9 for a human. I was quite tiny. My curves however lacked none. I had a smaller waist, even though there was some plush stomach there. A chest of the blessed, as well as large hips, some often said they were perfect birthing hips, whatever that meant. 

“Please I beg of you, the king is in no mood to deal with anyone right now… if only you’d give me-” I cut him off by opening the king's quarters up and closing them right behind me, successfully closing him out behind me. I looked at the male who laid on the chaise in front of the fireplace who had a very scornful look on his face. Pain and irritation etched into his features. 

“You’ve brought the salve?” King Thranduil snapped without even turning his head to see whom it could be. I couldn’t help but shake my head at his demeanor. What a ruthless man, so cruel to his people. I couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh as I walked over with the salve in my hand. 

“Yes, of course I brought it. Although your people would be more reciprocal of you if you were kinder…” His head snapped around as his eyes met mine, something I wasn’t expecting was to see his face. The left side of it burned, the flesh almost as if it was melting off the bone. He looked away quickly as if to hide his face. 

“What are you doing here (Y/N). You shouldn’t be here!” He snapped at me, I shook my head before walking over towards him, opening the salve with one hand dipping three fingers into the ointment and taking his face carefully into my hands and carefully applying the ointment to his face delicately. 

“Shush you, just let me take care of you.” He stiffens underneath my touch especially when I inspect his injury further. He seemed quite distressed. But I was still gentle with him nonetheless. I wasn’t going to let him push me around. Once the ointment was applied I went to step back only for my wrists to be caught by the king himself. His glamor applied once more. 

“You have no right to tell me what to do… yet you have no problems telling me what to do.” I blinked as he removed the ointment from my hand, setting it upon the table next to him, my wrists still in his. I looked all over his face trying to determine what he was thinking. Was this the end of the line? Had I pushed too far out of bounds? 

“My apology-” I went to apologize but was cut off with a glare. 

“Don’t apologize, it would be an insult to yourself.” He snapped. I blinked back in shock at his tone before shaking my head with a soft smile on my face as I watched him. 

“You really are more of a gentle king then you led on aren’t you?” I asked him quite taken aback by everything that has transpired at this very moment. He, himself, looked taken aback by that very statement of my own. 

“And yet you weren’t frightened or disgusted by my face?” He asked almost hesitantly. I just shook my head. I have seen a great deal of many things in my lifetime. Things I wish I hadn’t seen. His face is just one more thing I’ve seen. 

“No, am I saddened? Of course, but I believe anyone would be saddened to know that their king is in such great pain…” I stood still, my hands still being held by his own large ones. 

“(Y/N)...” He says with such a softness that I’m unfamiliar with it that I couldn’t place it. What is this side of the king? 

“Yes? My king?” I asked him with equal softness to his call of my name. He pulled me onto the chaise with himself. I squeak at the sudden change of scenery. 

“Stay with me?” He asked softly. I couldn’t help but nod. What else could I do? Deny the king? He wants me to stay with him at the moment. Who am I to deny him? I continue to sit with the king on his chaise while I stare off into the fireplace. My mind wandered, what would he gain from keeping my company? Nothing? I couldn’t help but absently shrug at my own thoughts. There really wasn’t anything I could do… He took me in when I was injured. I couldn’t help but find him to be a very sweet person. Even if he was quite disagreeable to most people. I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh and a yawn all in one. That’s when I realized one very big important detail that I seemed to have missed during all of my dealings with the king tonight. I was wearing my short nightgown tonight. It hung low on my chest showing off quite the amount of cleavage and my nightgown came up to about my knees. I was barely wearing a summer robe as It was the first thing I had grabbed despite the chilly weather. The cold was the last thing on my mind. 

My robe slipped down my shoulder as I went to pull the sleeve back up. I felt his lips against my shoulder which caused me to stiffen. What could this mean? The cold king kissed my shoulder? What was going through his mind? 

“My king…?” I questioned softly before turning to look at him. My mind was running a thousand different things at once. He looked at me with a certain look in his eyes. I couldn't place it but it was there. Something maybe like longing or lust? But I wasn’t sure why he’d ever feel lustful towards me? I wasn’t elven? I wasn’t royal? I wasn’t anything special. So why? 

“Please… you’re the only one who’s been able to ease the pain in me. Both in my injury and in my heart. Please. Tell me, what do you feel? I am unsure myself but I do know that I need you… I want you. Any part that you’ll allow me to have.” He told me, nearly begged me. I could feel my eyes nearly bug out of my head as I listened to his very words. Was that a confession of a sort of even a fraction of attraction towards me? But how? Why? No, this wasn’t the king that I was familiar with. Placing a hand upon his forehead I pursed my lips.

“No fever, are you feeling alright.” His eyes narrowed as he watched me with almost a slight anger. 

“Do you think I lie about what I speak of?” his voice was almost cold, I couldn’t help but look at him with a certain sadness. It wasn’t that I necessarily didn’t believe him, it was just that. I wasn’t anything special. 

“No. I don’t think you lie, but I do think you’re not thinking straight… My king, I'm no elf, I’m not royal, I’m no one of significant importance, why would you say these things to me?” I asked him with a certain look of hurt. He cups my cheek and sits up straighter. 

“You may not be an elf, or of noble blood. You may simply be human, but that matters not for I am a selfish king and I will take what I wish. What I wish for is you. If you’ll allow me to have you.” I couldn’t help the tears well up in my eyes. The cruel king wanted me? I gave a half smile and cupped his good cheek. 

“Then me you shall have, for I am yours to take… My life you hold in your very hands. You’ve saved me, now, if you’ll allow me to do the same honor then I shall save you in return… My king.”  His eyes piercing blue like that of starlight staring into my very soul as he leans in close, capturing my lips with his very own. His hand came to cup the back of my head cradling it. Fingers entwined in my hair as I whimpered softly into the passionate kiss. There wasn’t anything else that I could find more perfect than in this very moment. The way the kiss tasted of the sweet wine he was just drinking moments earlier. His hand moved down from the base of my neck down towards my shoulder slowly removing the robe that I had on. I sat there nearly on his lap as his hands trailed all over my torso in sweet caressing movements. I couldn’t help but close my eyes humming a sweet tune in response to his actions. 

“Open your eyes Meleth Nin” I opened them in pure shock of what he called me. 

“Y-yes my king” I whimper as my own brown eyes meet his own icy blue ones. He moved forward against me, his lips brushing gently against my chest as I leaned my head back, ravishing in the affections he was gracing me with. I suppose even if this were to be a one time thing, I’d take it. 

“Call me Thranduil…Meleth Nin” he whispered as he pulled me into the most heated kiss that I’ve ever experienced in my life. His mouth moved with mine, not against it. His hands moved underneath my nightgown causing my skin to get little goosebumps all over. I couldn’t help but moan into the depths of the kiss itself in turn causing the male who sat below me to rally further on. Inspiring him to move quicker with more of a firm hand. The kiss grew heavily and needy. The sound of heavy breathing and whimpers echoes within his chambers. He pulled me on top of his lap fully allowing me to feel how large the man was endowed and he was by far not small. I felt the blush returning to my cheeks as I pulled away the need for air much to great for my little form. 

“Thranduil… Thranduil… my king, my sweet and kind king.” I whisper my legs on either side of his as I roll them down, the thin silks of my undergarments barely keeping me away from him. His own pants made of simple silk cloths did very little to barricade us. In one solid movement, but not without a squeak from me, he picked me promptly moving us towards his grandeur bed. He laid me down and hovered over my small form which was dwarfed by his own tall figure. “Please… I need you my sweet king” I whimper softly rolling my hips upwards against his own as they were still wrapped around his waist. His soft growl was short but not unnoticed. I shuddered as I watched him with bright eyes. 

“I will take you here, now, and on my own bed.” His voice was deep and husked as he pulled my nightgown off me leaving me only in my undergarment, my chest completely exposed leaving it open to the cold autumn air. This caused me to shiver but not for long as the king descended upon me in a quick moment, his own robe discarded somewhere on the floor. 

I took in everything that I saw before me, his silky smooth skin, the way his body was absolutely perfect even in the dimness of the room's light. I couldn’t help but reach out and touch him. He was hot under my palms. My eyes wandered over his chest, over his arms, and everywhere else I could cast my gaze on him. 

“Do you enjoy seeing Meleth Nin?” I blinked and blushed realizing I was staring far more than I should’ve. 

“I-I do, I very much enjoy what I see” I say my eyes half lidded the lust starting to ebb its way between my legs as I whimper his name once more arching myself against him. It wasn’t long before we were both naked amongst each other, our bodies intertwined with one another. I could feel everything about him. He laid me down on the bed while he kissed down my voluptuous body. Not leaving one spot untouched. 

“Your body is worth worshiping as it was made of beauty. He kissed further and further down before his mouth connected to my core. I couldn’t cover my mouth fast enough allowing a loud moan to slip out before covering my face with the back of my hand. The cries kept slipping out one by one as I arched into him. His large hands grabbed into my thighs digging into the meat as he dragged me closer. Ravishing my core with his tongue, sending me spiraling as if it was the most natural thing he could do. He moved a hand to slip a finger inside, sinking it deep inside my core making me both shudder and cry out in pleasure. He slipped a second one in before stretching me fully and wholly. The stars that I could I see were both blissful and not quite enough

“P-please my king, I need you wholly and fully.” I begged teetering on the edge once more. I couldn’t help but feel the feeling of emptiness between my legs only for it to be filled in a mere instant. He was seated within me, buried to the hilt. It hurt, and felt good all in one. He stretched and filled me, seating himself between my legs. My eyes widened at the sudden intrusion. I watched his face while his arms held me enclosed within him. His strong arms on either side of my head. It wasn’t long before he started thrusting his hips into mine. The soft mewls became harsh cries of pleasure. The sound of skin against skin echoing in his chambers as the scent of sex and sweat filled the air. 

“Fuck Thranduil! Meleth Nin!” I cried out clawing at his back as I arched into him, wanting more and more. He was harsh in his movements, ruthless even. I knew that I’d even have bruises on my thighs from where he was gripping them in the morning. 

“That’s it Meleth Nin, I want you to feel me… feel everything that I can give you” He whispered before kissing me, his hips sputtering as if I knew he was close. My own orgasm came to a close as my body began to shake with need. He kissed me before kissing down my neck biting it which sent me allowing me that sweet cusp to release into the peak of my orgasm. Crying out in the purest bliss my wall comes clamping down around him milking his cock of everything that he had to offer. I could hear the grunt in his voice as his hips sputtered a few more times only for him to slam harder and deeper into my core pushing as far as he could go, releasing his seed deep within me. I cried in the purest form of pleasure. 

“Oh Thranduil!!! My love!!! Meleth Nin!” I cried holding him closer before closing my eyes softly, the high slowly coming down. That is how we stayed for a long while, encircled in his arms  he was still buried deep withinside me. It was some time later he finally pulled from me allowing me to moan lowly a soft whimper of soreness slipping from my lips as well. 

“Be mine… Meleth Nin” He whispered into my temple as he pulled me closer in his arms only for us to slowly fall asleep. My response a gentle whisper on my tongue before drifting off into a deep slumber. 

“Always my king, I am yours.” With that, we had both fallen blissfully asleep encircled in one another's arms. Very much entranced with each other. The king who fell for the healer and the healer who fell for the king, who knew such a thing would be possible? Only the stars above would know such a fate would be so kind to the both of them as they slept under the same stars that fated them to be together.