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scribblestatic · 4 months ago

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In celebration of me finally starting to put Spider Yuan on AO3, have another installment uwu

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Considering the methods of cultivating a humanoid body was proving pretty difficult, especially when the being in question could only, for reasons unknown, associate such a body with weakness.

Fewer eyes, fewer limbs, less imposing.

But at the same time, he does wish to talk to people of various races. He wishes to travel a little, too. As much as he's enjoyed his time at home, he wants to stretch his legs a little, perhaps leave more of the duties to the other spiders for a while. Zhuzi seems to be taking up the mantle even more, especially since she updated him on events in the nearby human village.

Besides, he could somewhat play around with what his humanoid form would be like, right? It wasn't as though he had to directly mimic the appearance of a human. As long as he could fit into doors and had thumbs when necessary, that would probably be best.

He doesn't have to make a body like he'd had before...

...?

When did he have a humanoid body before?

Eh, it didn't really matter.

Having decided that he would walk among humans and demons at least a little bit, he began cultivating a humanoid form.

Of course, he quite likes his current body. There's a very nice feeling that comes with being a large spider, able to build intricate webs that are difficult for the common beast, human, or demon to break down. He wouldn't be replacing it. Rather, it would be like...having another suit. Yes.

He's simply building another outfit aside from the one he always wears.

He's sure demons can do the same thing. Huli jing are quite notorious for it, aren't they? Fox spirits, whether a spiritual beast or a demon, can become beautiful people, but can also be in their fox form, can't they? He'd just do something similar.

Though, he does like having eight eyes. If he arranges the eyes on the face a little... And having more than four limbs is ideal. He could attach the remaining four there and there... His silk could come from over there...yes. And how should he shift from one form to the other? Hmm...

It's a thorough designing process that takes up a lot of his time, so he doesn't mind it so much when Fan Zhenzhen, Ruoxing, and their family visit less and less. He instead is able to throw himself into the process without minding what is going on around him, cultivating and gaining strength. He'll need a lot of it for the transformation, he knows instinctively.

It's in this focused state that he finds himself being interrupted by a pale girl.

And by pale, he means really pale. Pale white. Like, as in paper.

Her pale, almost porcelain-looking skin is curtained by fluffy grey hair. She wears straight-cut bangs that were above her round eyebrows—ah, are those disguised eyes, actually?—and her wide, cat-like eyes were a pale, cloudy blue color, the kind from the sky on a rainy day. Although some of her hair is done up in two little balls, the rest fluffs down her neck. Two thick strands, though, bend up and partially over her bangs from the whorl of her hair, like little spider legs.

Her cheeks are dusted with rounded pink circles, as though they were painted on rather than natural. Adding to her rather inhuman appearance are her clearly long, elf-like ears, though they point out more to the sides than upward. Aside from her face, she wears a poqun, her top made with dark green threads and the skirt pale green.

It takes him a moment to process who this is.

"...Zhuzi."

"Yes, Dage." Her voice is flat despite the small smile on her face.

"When did you cultivate a human form?"

"About seven years ago."

"Hmm... I...ah, don't recall this time passing."

"You've been very focused on cultivating, Dage. When I asked how you were moving, you said you were...'in the zone'. Doing something called 'autopilot'."

What was autopilot? Like, he understood what it meant the instant he heard the word, but as to where it came from, he was unsure.

"Then, how much time has passed?"

"About 20 years."

Eh?

Twenty years passed just like that?

When he thinks about it further, he starts processing what he's been doing. He vaguely remembers a few things, the more he ponders, like exchanging stories, meeting demons and humans. He's eaten a few offenders who didn't have better manners, giving him little boosts in his cultivation.

His mind wasn't empty at all during this time. In fact, he was working harder than ever, building, manufacturing, further developing his plots of land, cementing his territory...

He barely realized he'd done all of that, though only now he recognizes that, yes, this time has indeed passed and life has gone on.

"Excuse me for interrupting you. I wasn't sure how much longer you would be on, as you said, 'autopilot'. I felt this would be something of importance," Zhuzi murmurs. She puts her hand to her chin, and Shen Yuan notices the segments in her fingers, her skin actually a spider's exoskeleton.

"Mm. What is of importance?"

"It seems that Fan Zhenzhen has become bedridden."

When Fan Zhenzhen met the Great Spider, she was in her mid-20s. Her son was born not too long after meeting him.

With the successful birth of her son and the growing prosperity of Xiaoshan Village (小山村 - Xiǎo Shāncūn - Little Mountain Village), she quickly became a prominent figure. Because her stories produced the most beneficial results, others came to her for advice on what to tell the God of the Woods.

Having told him several stories, she found he appreciated both the real and dramatized, but not so dramatic that it was ridiculous. Moreover, whether he liked the story or not, he would always critique it, from how it was told to how he views the characters. This advice and further practice on storytelling grew their prowess and critical thinking. She found that the things that made sense to the spider were not always common to humans, however, for a great being such as himself, surely his logic was sound.

And so, the girls of the village began receiving more education. Although apprenticeships were initially only for boys, families and teachers began allowing girls to participate more frequently. Although some remained in the home to take care of the family, others were becoming tradeswomen, and boys who were less educationally gifted had room to take up more space in the home.

It was strange. Not very natural. Certainly not Confucian...or, perhaps, more Confucian than the way they'd been living before. Although girls were taught to stay home, to be filial to their parents, and to not be jealous if their husband had more wives, did he not have the Silver Rule? If boys couldn't handle living the same way as their fellows, then surely, someone's status had to change.

It was through this theory that Fan Zhenzhen eventually acquired the title of Village Elder, making her the new leader once the previous one passed. After all, her logic was backed by Lulin Zhizhu, who provided for them and protected them. How could she be wrong?

Once her son reached his teenage years, he became infatuated with Han Miyun, her daughter-in-law. Although she could never appreciate spiders the way she does, she understood. Fear was another form of respect, in a way.

Though, she would likely have to conquer her overly fearful constitution one way or another. After all, Ruoxing was quite close to their god, the one who blessed and protected him. He was to be the next Village Head upon her inability to continue her role, something he agreed to do.

In her 50s, she met her first grandchild. She watched, later on, as this same grandchild left the village for a cultivation sect, her spiritual veins strong and full of vigor. Even though she could not come visit often, she continued to send letters in her increasingly neat and orderly handwriting, talking about the upper realm of mortals with great infatuation.

Those years ago, when she'd been starving and growing cold, Fan Zhenzhen had never once thought a child or grandchild of hers would reach such heights. To be able to see it with her own eyes was such a great blessing, more than she could've ever asked for.

It was because she learned some of these strange events of a world more fantastical than the one she lived in that, when a spider came down the mountain in a human-like form, greeting them with a blank expression, she took it in stride. She ignored the unnatural smoothness of her skin and the segments showing the bends of her joints. She ignored how her god's little assistant was adapting, changing her mannerisms to be more comfortable for those who couldn't handle the splendor of a spider's power.

Instead, as she grew older and less able to make the trek to see her god up close, she relied on Mishu-zhang (秘书长 - mìshū zhǎng - secretary general) to relay her messages, inquiries, and stories. Judging by how she would swiftly return within a day or two, it seemed her god held no grudge against her for not coming to visit like she used to.

Now, in her 70s, her body has grown weary. Perhaps she overworked herself in her younger years, but her knees creaked when she moved. Her back curled inward and she ran out of breath faster. She'd been quite fit, but she felt herself deteriorating somehow.

One day, when she found moving from her bed to be too strenuous, she realized what this likely was.

Peace.

Peace and desire.

Her son was quite alright, wasn't he? He'd grown up well. He was strong, and he had several children with a lovely woman.

Their village was safe, protected from beast, human, and demon alike. Their wisdom, grown over decades alongside their fields, was fruitful and multiplying. New ideas came from the minds of all developing children, with room to practice and test the validity of their inventions and intuition.

Fan Zhenzhen had worked hard. She was seeing the results of her hard work, and my, how wonderful it was.

But she was watching it alone.

In her peace, she found she wanted one thing, and the one thing was something her god likely couldn't grant her. Not that she would blame him, no. After all, it was something she could grant herself.

What she wanted was to be by her husband's side. To tell him, in the afterlife, that they had a son. That their son found love. That their love has blossomed into a plentiful tree that will carry the evidence of their bond for generations to come.

She wanted her Gao Cheng (高成 - Gāo Chéng).

However, simply wasting away wasn't her style.

So, even from her bed, she continued to give directions. She fulfilled her duties, passing more of them over to her son as the seasons rolled onwards. Winter, spring, summer, fall...she watched the seasons pass through her window as Han Miyun ensured her comfort.

One day, they bring her outside using a wheeled chair, some new invention by a mystery developer. Though her legs had grown too weak to carry her any longer, she was still able to breathe in the cool, dewy air.

Growing old like this was such a luxury. And, soon, perhaps after another winter or two, she'd be able to relay her long journey with the one man she loved romantically in all her life.

There isn't much time.

He can feel it, when he pays attention.

Like a light is flickering in the corner of his eyes.

He has to hurry.

He bought her some time, sending the wheelchair design to get her out of her house and prevent her from growing too used to the fugue state of being bedridden.

Though having time outside may have given some oxygen to her flame, it was still going to go out.

Such was the case of mortals. Lest they cultivated, they had no chance to extend their lives. Their souls would return to the cycle.

She's leaving soon.

He doesn't...

He doesn't want her to leave alone.

If he can speak to her one last time.

Just one last time—

He needs this, he realizes.

He needs to see her again.

When did she become so important to him?

When did he become okay with them growing apart?

Was he ever okay with it?

Or did he just retreat into himself so it hurt less?

Why did the thought of leaving her behind hurt so much...ah.

Wasn't she the one leaving him behind? Why did he think it...

Ah. Wrong face.

Wrong person.

They look so much alike when he thinks about it.

Fan Zhenzhen, and the girl he sometimes sees when he's knitting or sewing.

...

One last time.

Please, just one last time.

Let him do it right.

Zhuzi waits by the entrance of the cave with her hands tucked into her sleeves. The other spiders cannot be too close. The swirling and spiking of qi is too much for them. Even Zhuzi is sweating, keeping her mind afloat despite the raging energy inside.

However, she knows this feeling well. She, too, rushed to cultivate a humanoid form.

When Dage could not attend the human wedding, he had been upset.

He never expressed it outwardly, but she could feel it. The days leading up to it, he had murmured about attendance, only to talk himself out of it each time. He was a large and strong spider. The humans wouldn't be able to handle him at such an occasion.

So, she attended, as closely as she could. But even that was quite distant.

She saw the food they ate, the festivities, the gleaming lights and dances...

She was interested. Surely Dage was also interested. But he was busy, and she, less so.

He was so busy, perhaps because he made himself busy. He threw himself into being occupied, so much so that he receded into himself in cultivation.

She knew of the very few humans and demons that made a comfortable warmth flow from his body. When they spent more time away, the warmth became less frequent. ...What was that feeling? Why was the warmth going away?

Perhaps she rushed to make a humanoid form, to discover what this feeling was, but it worked out in the end. She tamed her roiling qi and formed something reasonable enough. And, after watching humans and their habits, she clothed herself despite not needing to, and she walked down from Dage's sacred webs.

The human woman that produced the most warmth from him looked different now. Her hair had turned from black to grey, and she had wrinkles in her soft, easy-to-puncture skin (she wasn't sure she would ever get used to their lack of exoskeleton). Her steps were less sure, but her stance and countenance was firm as ever.

Whenever she returned from a visit to the human village and told the story to Dage, despite being on 'autopilot', the warmth would flow through and out of him once more, if just for a little while.

But the warm, sun-like lady was dying. Once she died, Zhuzi wouldn't be able to tell Dage anymore stories about her. That's why she interrupted his 'autopilot'.

And just like her, he, too, began to rush.

However, unlike her, he'd been cultivating quietly for 20 years. It took him less time to solidify his new, secondary exoskeleton.

The rampant energy sucks inward...and then releases in a calm wave. A mere breeze, smelling like fresh silk and dewdrops.

And then, she heard skittering.

A great presence, more imposing than ever before, was clicking its way toward the cave's entrance at great speed.

However, before it could rush out, Zhuzi stepped in front of it, spreading her arms out to the sides to block its way.

Thankfully, it...he stopped.

"...Dage."

He stares at her for a moment. Then, like returning to consciousness, his body relaxes as his joints uncoil.

"Ah, Zhuzi."

"Dage, where are you going?"

"Mm? I'm heading down to see Fan Zhenzhen. It's been much too long since I saw her last. And Ruoxing, too. How much longer do I need to wait for them to visit? Aiyah, it's like they've forgotten me. Though, I know they haven't. So, I will go to see them."

"Mm. I understand. But Dage, you cannot go unclothed."

"Unclothed? ...Ah. Right. Yes, humans do wear clothes, don't they?"

He gets up off of his hands, the limbs on his back receding into his body. His legs, bent much like a mosquito's...or perhaps a dog's...straightened somewhat as he stood on them, his long feet ending in two blackened, fuzzy toes. Long black hair flowed down his body like a river, even covering his face. However, he seemed to be able to see just fine.

As he lifted his head further, she could see why.

"I suppose I should make some, then."

#spider shen yuan #svsss #svsss au #dp writes #static writes #au post 4 #he made a humanoid form in the end #heavy emphasis on “humanoid”#cause bro don't really look human #zhuzi and shen yuan speak casually with each other uwu

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topazadine · 11 months ago

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Writing Post Masterlist

All my posts about writing - plus some I absolutely loved by other writers.

Masterlists by Other People (all good)

"Writing Tips Masterpost" by @deception-united - Deception-United has an incredibly wealth of resources available, far more comprehensive and detailed than mine. Go check it out!

"WQA Post Master Lists" by @writingquestionsanswered - Another fantastic and wonderfully comprehensive resource that covers damn near everything you need to know about writing. Genuinely one of the best free resources on writing that you could find on the internet.

General Advice for a Happy Writing Life

"The Myth of the Martyr Artist" - An incredibly important post, perhaps my most important one ever, that discusses why mental illness is a burden, not a benefit. I have no idea why this even needs to be said, but it does, apparently.

"Building Self-Esteem as a Writer" - Why you gotta be nice to yourself. You gotta.

"Identifying bad writing advice" - Warning signs that the post you are reading kinda sucks and you should click off.

"Advice to Beginner Writers: The Good, the Bad, and the Unpleasant" - How long it takes to become a good writer, what to focus on when learning, and why fanfic is such a useful tool.

"Mindset Shifts: Fanfiction -> Original Fiction" - What fanfic writers should know about deciding to take on original characters and stories.

"Defeating Protracted Writer's Block" - What to do when you find it impossible to write for days, weeks, or months at a time.

"Five Common Anxieties of Newbie Writers, Demystified" - Explorations of five mindsets that can set younger writers back as they learn their craft, including overcompetitiveness, overdescribing, and fearing they're "too old."

"Good Motivations for Continuing to Write" - Why it is crucial to have a passion for writing beyond fame and fortune.

"Extremely controversial writing opinions that will make you mad (but I'm going to say them anyway)" - Things you really don't want to hear, but need to be said. A bit of tough love, including the insignificance of ideas, the cold hard truth about how non-writers react to your writing, and the essentiality of having a well-rounded life.

"Why Mindfulness Is a Key Practice for Writers" - On the need to slow down and let our brain rest - plus some options that are categorically not sitting there in dead silence (boring).

"Writing When Happy" - Wherein I hijack someone's question to discuss the Myth of the Martyr Artist, why we might self-limit because of it, and how to do the impossible: write when we're happy.

"The Neurodivergent Writer’s Guide to Fun and Productivity" by @bookishdiplodocus - Excellent advice on how enjoying the process and reminding yourself that writing is supposed to be fun can help you stay motivated and productive, even when your brain is not cooperating.

"The Glorification of Self-Deprecation in Art/Writing Spaces" by @nicolkoutoulakiauthor - I've discussed before how crucial it is to have a healthy self-esteem when writing, but Nicol does it even better here. Nicol also includes some excellent reframing tactics so you can stay motivated.

Generalish Writing Advice (multifactorial)

"Signs That You Will Probably Finish Your Writing Project" - An analysis of the mindset that leads to results, and encouragement on how to develop them.

"'How Do I Start Writing?'" (Or; A Psychoanalysis of Newbie Writer Fears) - Inspired by the dozens of Reddit posts that ask this exact same thing, often with useless responses. So why do people ask this? I offer my theory.

"I Can Think of Ideas But Can't Write Them!" - A consideration of the many reasons you might find it difficult to get started on your precious idea-baby.

"How to elevate your writing style with 6 simple hacks" - Information about how to develop a prettier prose style, catch errors, develop good dialogue, and focus on brevity.

"How to improve your writing style : a 5-steps guide" by @writer-logbook - Especially great information on why reading widely is so helpful for your craft!

"Some Writing Advice" by @whispers-whump - Especially great discussion of why you shouldn't write what you mean.

"Practical Writing Advice Part 2" by @so-many-ocs - Does what it says on the tin. Simple, easy-to-follow advice that can break you out of writer's block.

"25 Prose Tips for Writers" by @thewriteadviceforwriters - I absolutely love the emphasis on sound and harmony here. As someone whose entire book series revolves around the magic of poetry, of course I think this is incredibly important advice!

"Pacing and Show Don't Tell" by @mylordshesacactus - Two for one deal! First, learn more about why pacing is important; then, look at some examples of the classic advice "show, don't tell." The post does a great job on breaking down what show don't tell actually means and what is not a violation of this guideline so that newer writers aren't confused.

Writing tools

"How to Build a Sustainable Writing Habit Through SCIENCE (Fuck Off, NaNoWriMo)" - Why NaNoWriMo doesn't actually motivate young writers and how to do better through a spreadsheet (yes, really, a spreadsheet). It also explains the importance of intrinsic motivation!

"'I've Outlined Too Much and Now I Can't Write!' (Or: the Double Outline Method for Overanxious Plotters)" - Some of us tend to go absolutely ham on our outlines, to the point where they're practically their own books. But then we also tend to not actually do the writing attached to said outline. Does this mean outlining is useless? Of course not. My method lets you have your outline and eat it too. (.... Wait.)

"'How Do I Make Myself Start Writing?' (Tips to Get the Damn Thing Done) - In this post, I provide a step-by-step guide to start writing, including a few tools to help improve motivation and concentration.

"How to Write Faster (And, Hopefully, Better Too)" - Eliminating distractions and forcing your brain to write is key to getting more done. Here, I explain how you might be limiting yourself by too much thinking and not enough doing.

Worldbuilding

"Stop Making Everything So Damn Complicated!" - Why fantasy (and scifi) does not need to be dizzyingly intricate to be enjoyable.

"How to Kick Ass at Worldbuilding" - I offer some suggestions on how to create a grounded and interesting world that will not bore your readers, based on real life examples.

"Grounded vs. Airy Fantasy" by @aethersea - Excellent breakdown of different levels of groundedness in fantasy and why it's important to understand your own approach.

"Fantasy Guide to Building a Culture" by @inky-duchess - Thorough and methodical analysis of what can create a compelling fantasy culture, including those things that many fail to think about when writing.

"Writing tip - Research" by @pygmi-cygni - Fantastic assessment of the importance of research, including for fantasy stories. As Pygmi-Cygni said, a lot of people claim that they don't need to do any research for fantasy novels, which isn't true! Any parallels to IRL need to be realistic, or you will lose credibility.

Plotting

"How to Use Chomolungma for Writing Adventure Stories; Or, the Plot Mountain Method" - If you're sick of saving felines who should really figure their own shit out, it's time to head to Plot Mountain. In this post, I offer you an alternative to the formulaic "Save the Cat" and "Hero's Journey" which also incorporates tension, characterization, and forward momentum.

"Avoiding Melodrama In Your Writing" - The most annoying all things: melodrama. My least favorite thing. Do not do it. I will show you how.

"How to Find a Plot When All You Have is Characters and Setting" by @rheas-chaos-motivation - This is a common problem for many writers, when you have cool characters or an intriguing setting. This short post can help you kickstart your ideas for how to create an intriguing plot that has built-in tension.

Description

"Remembering Perspective When Writing Descriptions" - Key factors to think about when describing other characters or settings from your POV.

"Description, Momentum, and Tension; Or, How Not to Bore a Reader" - Why, when, and where to put description so that people don't skip over it. Hopefully.

"Writing Notes: Seasons" - Each season has both benefits and downsides. In this post, we look at the negatives and positive aspects of each so you can decide how a particular season may strengthen your themes - plus some descriptions to help inspire you.

"Writing Advice: Spicy Mundanity" - Wherein I explain how to stop having boring descriptions by packing in characterization.

"How to Write Smut?" by @unfriendlywriter - Wonderful examples of how to write heartstopping smut.

"How to pull off descriptions" by @fictionstudent - Fictionstudent has a ton of great posts, both about film analysis and about the art of writing. I especially liked this one because it discusses how important perspective is for descriptions and the importance of filling in the details as a character would rather than just throwing it all at the reader at one time.

"How to avoid White Room Syndrome" by @writerthreads - Fantastic and focused advice on how to ensure you're offering readers just enough setting to help them envision the world.

Characterization

"Writing Relatable Characters; Or, Using Human Failures to Your Advantage" - Explaining how you can use character flaws and human needs to create a relatable character. Also explains the basic development of a plot, which is about equilibrium.

"How NOT to Write a Character" - Wherein I give you some examples of annoying characters we want to punt off a cliff so you can watch yourself.

"Writing Strong Female Characters" - Why you should give your female characters a secret goal, as well as how to avoid common 'strong female' stereotypes.

"Writing Compelling Trauma in Fiction: Dos and Don'ts" - How to avoid melodrama and create intriguing emotional wounds for characters.

"Quality Assurance Checks for Character Development" - Thought exercises that can help you differentiate characters, prune down unnecessary characters, develop true chemistry between LI and MC, and avoid having too many POVs.

"Developing Character Agency (Or; Cutting the Plot Strings)" - A discussion of character agency and how to ensure your characters are not bound by the narrative.

"Writing Notes: Thought Distortions" by @literaryvein-reblogs - Some psychological concepts you can use in your writing to add depth to characters.

"Questions about your character’s perspective on love and relationships" by @luna-azzurra - Excellent questions that can help you delve into your character's attachment style, what baggage they may bring to a current relationship, and how to create conflict through mentality.

"How to Write a Confession of Love," also by luna-azzurra - Perfect discussion of how to create tension, the utility of setting, not making it perfect, and including the other character's response.

Revisions

"Common Writing Issues that Reduce Readability" - Examples of fixes for four common issues: double describing, long sentences, overexplaining, and head hopping.

"How to Avoid Purple Prose" - A critical part of the revision process is making sure your writing is clear and balanced. In this post, I show a blatant example of purple prose and provide suggestions on how to make a more elegant passage.

"Differential Diagnosis When Your Writing Is Getting Worse" by @ariaste - Fantastic explanation by a professional writer about why you might feel like your writing is getting worse and what to do about it.

"How to Make Your Writing Less Stiff Part 3" by @physalian - Physalian's whole blog has some excellent advice, so definitely give it a look!

"How to Improve Your Writing" - Also by literaryvein-reblogs, this offers some excellent exercises to help with sentence-level issues, such as modifiers, parallelism, and details.

Publishing

"How to promote your book online : a discussion about social media (and few tips)" by writer-logbook - Great tips about how to get more interest in your book. I especially enjoyed the emphasis on patience and consistency. Writer-logbook has some excellent info overall about the nitty-gritty of writing, so I definitely recommend poring through their blog in general. (That's why they're included here twice!)

"A masterclass in how not to market your books, in one singular tweet" - Wherein I help you derive lessons from an abysmal tweet by an author.

"Mistakes I Made When Self-Pubbing My First Book (Part 1: Mindset Edition)" - I talk about how being delulu is not the solulu, that yes marketing is important (even if it is horrible), and how a bit of self-confidence can go a long way.

"Mistakes I Made When Self-Pubbing My First Book (Part 2: Presentation Edition)" - Graphics and covers and blurbs! Learn about them. Do not do what I did.

"Mistakes I Made When Self-Pubbing My First Book (Part 3: Ads and Reviews Edition)" - Why you have to get reviews. You gotta. And you gotta demand them. Shake those reviews out of your readers. You'll thank me later.

Specific Research Advice

"Assassination Methods Through the Decades: A Writer’s Handbook" by @hayatheauthor - A thorough review of different assassination methods, including a section discussing common assassination methods by region!

"How to Write Someone in a Wheelchair" - A group effort! This is a reblog chain discussing body language in manual wheelchairs, the mechanics of power wheelchairs, wheelchair propulsion methods, and a reminder that just because someone is in a wheelchair doesn't mean they can't walk short distances.

"Writing Research Notes: Caves" - Oh caves how I love them. Caves. Let me tell you about them if you want to write about caves. Blessed.

"Writing Research Notes: Horses" - A beginner's guide to horse mindsets, whether horses like working, approaching horses, how to ride, and tips on training.

"Writing Research Notes: Bipolar Disorder" - Written by me, a writer with bipolar disorder! This shares basic facts about bipolar, offers a list of symptoms you can use, and cautions you against spreading misinformation through poor characterization or myths.

"Writing Research Notes: Politics" - I provide a quick overview about governments and international relations, based off my suffering while getting an MA in International Relations.

"Stop Doing This in Injury Fics!" by @pygmi-says-hi - Discusses some common errors when writing whump/angst. The fever part was especially helpful for me!

"Writing US Military Characters" by @lookbluesoup - An explanation of the habits and mentality of US military characters. Many of these were quite helpful for my fantasy military characters, so you can get a lot of mileage out of these for soldiers in other militaries too!

Little Funsies

"What Painting Style Is Your Writing?" - A short exploration of different writing styles to help you better understand your own approach.

I'll be adding onto this as I continue to scroll through my old likes and, of course, as I find more resources.

#writing #writing resources #writing tips #writing advice #writing help #how to write #fiction writing

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harleith-harlot · 4 months ago

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@ajoure's Harleith art masterpost

(bold was added to the list in the most recent update, italic is a several page comic. Last update: April 7, 2025)

Non-AU

they both don't get personal boundaries at all (evil gays) (the OG omg???)

more evil scientists

time passes but habits remain the same

and they were roommates

worth a shot

them 🫶

horrible things (ft securityangel)

sketches

everyone should be thanking god for making ajoure an artist with free will

boys being boys again (Skullsz_Writes fic)

they like to tease each other soooo bad

Valentine's Day went wrong for them, eh?

Looking at this person who asked me to draw 'em evil gays again

pet owner moment

pet owner moment pt2

portrait study

"elaborate...?"

700 people asked for wireplay

painted nails are the least gay thing Pierre can do

a not-so-good morning for Pierre

british men (not Harlieth but I wanted to include it)

Angel barber

something sweet

oh they're at it again

hypermobility

puzzle pieces

Out of context (ft. Stella & Eddie)

"uhh well that just happened"

Harley is absolutely insufferable

AU (4cmit)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

I got a really silly idea, hear me out

aww, they're bonding by bullying Pierre in cardboard games <3

Sensitivity test

Mistakes were made (metalkitty fic)

Harley is touch starved

Cassidy they're fucking the robots-

Two bodies pt 1

Two bodies pt 2

Eepy evil scientists

Possessive (and very creative) robot gf

Ship of Theseus

Please don't take this body from me

In front of Eddie's soup

Two bodies pt 3 (spice edition)

People with blue eyes be like

The sunrise

The sunrise follow-up (metalkitty fic)

eepers

Harley Sockser

They're not on the spectrum, they are the spectrum

Harley would rather die twice than show affection (yet)

The Blue Danube Waltz

Harley's conducting an experiment

Overthinking

Pay attention to him, Leith!

Lipstick marks

Two silly kids trying to bring their evil fathers together

Harley's body just got updated

Rendezvous

Midnight snack (not Harleith)

Sleepy morning (metalkitty fic)

Shorty

Animal Parallels

Instructions unclear - the apple didn't work

Apple follow-up

But can we blame Leith for this?

Boys care about their Shorty

Ruthlessness

Run Rabbit Run

Doggyboy and Catboy

Guess who made this body for me (my fic)

I'll make it enjoyable

Harley's slowly getting more senses back

Nightmares (metalkitty fic)

Harley's having fun with his taste back 👀

ahh, kids are having fun with their chewing toy<3

Harley is having fun with his taste back again

Harley's having more fun (beware erotic machinery)

Immortality is the curse of the weak

Look at them, all dressed up, so elegant

A place to belong

hey we get you Leith don't worry (Eddie don't ask questions you wouldn't want to know the answer to)

damn that's certainly a creative way to use wires

people asked for some more wires chewing<3

*angry British yelling*

girls fighting 💔

Leith's nail polish (ask)

Ah this goofy old man

Fics inspired by this AU in general

"Way Down We Go" by @ombroberry

"reflections, in tension" by one last touch of flesh anon

"almonds, whiskey, lavender milk" by anonymous

Song fic by @midnight193

#ajoure #this is (almost) exclusively harleith stuff #for the sake of length #he's done several other ppt art I didn't link #though I tried to get all the au stuff in #I will.... *try* to keep this updated #unless he wants me to delete it in which case I will #4cmit #thoughts from my own jarred brain #NOT REALLY BUT I MADE THE POST SO.....#pinned #or at least I'm linking it in that #harleith #late february/ early march is really when the FEASTING began

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nitewrighter · 2 months ago

Text

Snow White and the Fae Co-Op

Part Four: Bravely Ran Away Away

Previous Parts: 1, 2, 3

Masterpost

CW for Animal death

---

I am gonna say that Snow gets a bit fuzzy on the details here. I don't know if it was a matter of trauma blurring stuff, or her weird fae sensory shit creating a lot of overlaps on the story, or what have you, but she only told me this part at like, chunks at a time, so this is how I can piece it together as best I can.

She managed to regroup with the prince not too long after the whole incident, but whether that was a day or three, I couldn't tell you. By the time she finds him again, though, he has a bandage over his nose. The first time they see each other again, he rushes up to her like he intends to suddenly take her up in a "Ohmygod you're not dead" hug but he manages to stop himself like a step and a half from her, and he studies her for a second, studies that worried little crinkle in her brow, and also he's forced to question, for a second, if she made him stop, or maybe that his own hesitation in this moment is a natural reflex of human will against that force that made him tear up the stairs at a single word from her.

"You made me leave," he says stiffly.

"Because it wasn't safe for you," Snow replies.

"I mean clearly, things aren't safe for you!"

"Yes, well, I know that she wants to kill me, but she can't, because if she could she would have done it already, but she doesn't register you as a threat in the slightest!"

"Thanks."

"Oh my god, you should be thankful for that!"

His shoulders stiffen and that unspoken assumption that there is nothing he can do to help her comes as a slap in the face to him this time. Humans and their masculinity, I swear. But then there's that iron in him again, and we all know about Fae and iron.

"So what are you going to do?" he asks.

Snow startles a sec because 'excuse you I am the Princess Messiah and maybe also the Evil Queen's heart kinda but either way you don't just question me.' But then she stammers, "I'm--that's--you can't expect me to immediately have a plan when she has that mirror!"

"So... you need help," the Prince concludes.

"If there was a plan, more people knowing it would make it easier to see with the mirror!" Snow snaps.

"So you're saying that you don't have a plan," the Prince follows up.

One thing about Snow is, with that freaky pasty skin, is that when she does that little rage/embarrassment flush humans do, it's crazy obvious. Also honestly really cute.

...I miss our Sentient Duck.

But Snow is still upset. Again, fucking teenager, and also there's all that nobility whatnot, so she says, "I don't owe you a plan. I don't owe you anything." Or something along those lines. Again, she kind of told this part in chunks so I'm piecing it together.

But the prince doesn't waver.

"I remember my parents' faces from before she took their kingdom," the words seep out of him like blood through a too-thin bandage being pressed down a little too hard, "Do you remember yours?"

"Shut up," Snow isn't meeting his eyes.

"I remember when they stopped tucking me in at night. I remember the way the stones of our castle were ice cold beneath my bare feet when I went to find out why. I remember them telling me to go to bed while they pored over maps with their generals."

"You don't get to bring this up now!" Snow can hear the Queen's venom in her own voice.

"You know something is rotten in this land, but you've never known a world outside what the Queen has built--"

Snow abruptly pivots away and moves to stomp off, but he catches her by the arm.

"Don't touch me," there's that Queen's venom in her again and his fingers slacken briefly but she doesn't tear away. A breath seethes between perfectly white teeth framed by full red lips.

"I'm sorry," a lank lock of dishwater hair is hanging in his face, "I know... you're frightened. I know... so much is weighing on you right now. But 'Can't do it alone' isn't the same as 'Can't do it.' You sang your song, and I'm here. I wasn't before, and I'm sorry for that, but you change the world, Princess. And you changed me. You made me wonder what more I can do. Do you wonder the same?"

And all at once there are big fat tears bubbling up in Snow's eyes, and a breath is seething between her teeth and she just tears her arm away and grabs up her skirts and hustles off.

A few days later the Evil Queen and Snow are eating dinner together.

"My dear," the Evil Queen says, cutting into her squab, "You look so pale of late."

"I have literally always looked like this," says Snow, poking at her roasted radishes.

"I think it would do you a world of good to go out into the royal wood and forage for some fresh ingredients for our stores. We could pick our practice back up, isn't that wonderful?"

"I thought you said I was hopeless."

"Oh, but you are Snow White! You are the very essence of hope!"

Snow pokes at her radishes again. "So you want me to go to the woods."

"Yes."

"Where there are very few witnesses."

"Mm."

"And do something that will require a significant amount of my concentration."

"Mm-hm!" the Evil Queen takes a bite of squab, "Unless... there's something wrong, my dear. Have I given you reason, recently, to doubt my intentions for you?"

Snow told me she thinks the Queen genuinely got a kick out of making her lie--of pitting Snow's inhumanly pure and magical nature against the survival instincts of her human flesh. I hated the way her face just kind of went blank when she told this part to me.

"No," Snow replies, "I would never doubt your intentions, my queen. I am grateful for your mercy and your wisdom every day."

"Excellent," the queen smiles, "You are such a clever thing, Snow, it would be a shame to give up on our lessons."

And Snow just stares at the radishes on her plate.

So a day or two after that Snow and the Huntsman are both riding out to the castle portcullis when the prince tears out after them yelling "HEY! HEEYYY!" And Snow's head swings around like 'Oh fuck he's going to get himself killed,' so she glanced over to the Huntsman and sweetly says, "Oh dear--he's having one of his fits again. Artists, you know. if I may have a moment?"

And the Huntsman shrugs and Snow swings off her horse and with one hard sharp look at the prince he slides to a stop and she grabs him by the arm and practically drags him by the stable out of sight.

"You can't go out there with him--" the Prince starts, "The Queen--"

"I know," Snow cuts him off.

"I'll--I'll follow you. At a distance. I can--"

"Don't." she squeezes his arm.

"But--"

"You were right," she says softly, "I don't have a plan. And I don't know what a world without the Queen looks like. And I'm scared of what I can do."

"Snow---"

"But I can change things. I don't know how, yet, but if nothing changes in here, maybe I need to go out there."

"But he's going to---"

"I changed you," she touches the side of his face, "And I'm so sorry for that. I'm so sorry everything's going to be harder for you from now on."

"I don't care about that--just tell me what to do, tell me how I can help--" the anguish in his voice is palpable.

"Prince [REDACTED] of Damp Kingdom," she says, and he stills at his name, "If I don't come back, destroy the mirror."

His jaw hangs slack. "How am I supposed to...?" he starts but then realizes he's talking to someone who's 90% sure she's riding out to her own murder, and he realizes it's not about him or her, it's about giving the world a fighting chance against the Queen's will. She's not going to let him kill himself trying to save her, but if he dies taking out that mirror...

And of course, like a dumbass, because he can't be a macho piece of shit for one second, he can't be like, 'Burr huburr I won't let that happen because I'm the hero' because he knows he's not the main character here. Because he fucking believes in her, he says, "I--I will."

Fuck. She didn't know. She didn't fucking know. Stupid fucking kid.

No, I don't want another fucking round. Can we get out of here? Can we walk? Let's just pick up the tab and go.

----

Thanks, man, sorry. Normally I'm really good with human-dense environments but--I couldn't stay in there. I hate this part of Snow's story. I know it's what brought her to us, but she came to us because she was like us, you know? She was a kid between worlds. No one comes into existence of their own free will, but it's fucked up if you come into everything on the margins like that. She should have had people. She should have had us.

What do you mean how did I do that?

Oh, [REDACTED]?

I dunno, man, I haven't been able to say his name for a really long time. I hate the new noise for it. It used to sound like a sharp note on a hurdy-gurdy, then it was radio static, and now it's been that dial-up... sound-badly-edited out of a film noise for a few decades now. Maybe one day it'll just be that dumb cheery TikTok AI voice going, "Redacted!" Can you imagine? What a fucking nightmare.

I should get back to the story.

So... Snow rides out with the Huntsman, and she spends the day picking feverfew and mushrooms. It's not a bad way to go out, all things considered. Just slit my throat nice and quick while I'm squatting over some thornapple. Except the Woodsman doesn't. For fucking hours and hours Snow is basically infodumping about plants and wondering why the hell she isn't murdered yet.

In the stories they keep saying that the woodsman saw that Snow was so pure or so beautiful that he couldn't bring himself to harm her. And maybe that happened. I've seen Snow turn that shit on and it's, you guessed it, actually scary as fuck. So, there's probably more deep-end fae versions of this where she just lights up like 'Vwooooom' and the Huntsman crumples before her like, "Forgive me! Forgive me, Princess-Messiah!" But like---here's the thing--

Snow told me she tried that. Not like, immediately, she waited for a while, knew they both kind of had to maintain this 'Tralala-wheee we're in the forest' thing, but there was a point where they were both riding, him on his destrier, she on her shaggy pony, and she glanced over at him and 'fwoooom' for all intents and purposes he should be looking at a fucking Marian Apparition. But he... didn't react to her at all. And that was when Snow saw he wasn't carrying his usual knife, and he had a box on his hip that gave her a headache and a weird ringing sensation in her teeth if she looked at it too long. So we're like, pretty sure the Queen made those objects with her jury-rigged alchemy bullshit so that, in theory, the huntsman would be able to cut out Snow's heart without it affecting the queen, and they gave him the added stat bonus of not crumpling in the face of The Miraculous Fae Weapon Princess Messiah on full-blast.

And then Snow, internally, is like, Ah. Fuck. Well, okay.

So the day drags on and on and fucking on. When's he gonna kill her? When is this piece of shit going to kill her? But he doesn't. So after about 3 hours, Snow is pretty sure this is now a fucked up psychological game from the Queen and she's like, I won't give her the satisfaction, and muscles on for another two hours, but then... she tried thinking, What can I do? I can change the world but I can't change this? I can... set bees on him? If I sing? Maybe? No--I can't explicitly ask for bees, it doesn't work if it's too specific--it answers to want--it answers to--

She told me that the image of the prince as that small child came to her mind unbidden then, then bare feet on freezing cold castle stones, his fate decided before he has any understanding of who he is, let alone what he can do, and all of a sudden she realizes that she's fae software running on human hardware and something in her snaps.

And she starts sobbing and blubbering hard. "If you're going to do it, just fucking do it already! Did she want this!? Did she want me to beg?!"

And the Huntsman flinches where he stands, and those big burly shoulders start buckling and heaving and he drops to the ground like a sack of bricks as he hyperventilates. "I can't--I--I have to--but--you're her age!"

Snow is caught mid sob then and makes a sound like "Whugh? "

"My daughter... I thought I could do this because you're--because I can see the queen in you---but I see her in you, too. I didn't think I would--god...if I don't---"

"The Queen will kill her," her voice is still phlegmmy, but the frost seems to be reforming with Snow, the steady resolve. I think this was another pure-of-heart thing--it's a lot harder for her to do something magical for herself, but if she's doing it for other people as well...

"She told me if I wanted to see her alive, I had to bring your heart back in this," the Huntsman pulls the box off of his belt and Snow winces at the full sight of it, "Sorry..."

"No--you didn't know--" Snow is pressing her fingers to her forehead, "So... a heart. You need a heart." She squeezes her eyes shut for a few seconds and then she says, "I can buy you time to run."

And she starts singing, it's a song similar to the one she was singing by the well, but there's more intent to it, now. She has the ingredients, the will, to build what she needs. There's that hook of wanting, that royal will, but layered on top of it is the plight of a father, the terror of a young lady, and the promise of immortality, of glory, in a story greater than you will ever now.

And an ancient boar comes trotting out of the woods. Snow kneels before it, strokes a hand along its coarse side, and touches her forehead to its own. Tears drip from her eyes and trickle down the sides of boar's scarred snout. A few more notes escape her, an apology, a promise of swiftness and comfort and ease, more than nature will ever grant it.

I need you to understand at this point, that Snow's ability to commune with animals is not a special trait of humanity. The boar connected with Snow because it saw something in her that most other humans had left behind.

Snow settles into a more comfortable sitting position and flairs out her skirts around herself, soft silks on the coarse grass, and the boar gently lays down on its side, setting its head in her lap. She looks up at the Huntsman and then flicks her eyelashes down at the boar in her lap. And without a word the huntsman understands.

Snow winces more than the boar when the knife is drawn, the metal seems to sing at a frequency only she can hear. She doesn't look away from the act, though. The boar doesn't struggle at all as the Huntsman draws the knife through the thick hide at its throat--there is a momentary tensing of the beast, but Snow strokes a hand across its side, breathing the words, "Thank you, thank you," and it eases and finally its old eye clouds. Both Snow and the Huntsman sit a few moments in respectful silence.

Finally the Huntsman says, "You must leave, Princess."

And Snow solemnly replies, "I know." A few seconds pass and then she says, "...I--um, I can't move my legs."

And the Huntsman goes, "Oh jeez--Sorry--" and helps haul the Boar off her legs.

She kisses the huntsman on the cheek with a soft "Thank you, sir, for everything," before taking off into the woods, her skirts soaked in blood.

Hey--I know a place nearby, it'll probably be last call by the time we get there, but we'll be out of the cold for at least a little bit. I get the vibe you'll like it better than the last bar. Come on.

#Snow White #Snow White and the Fae Co-Op

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audliminal · 6 months ago

Text

Survivability Bias Pt 6

Masterpost - Ao3

Danny can't sleep. Not in this horrid place where the lights bleed green with old rot, and the bees in the walls that buzz in time with his vibrating heart. The murmurs behind doors bleed together, kind and angry, ferocious and sugar-sweet, and when the bees get louder so do the voices and Danny wants to run to them; he wants to hide. The pile of papers on his desk looming over him, the red lines a discordant note amidst the overpowering green. The green of blood, the green of fear. His desk lamp turns to look at him, and it burns his skin, boiling and bubbling like a live wire, and Danny is trapped in the web, frozen and stuck to the floor. Rooted in place, but no one's there, not even Sam or Tucker. He's alone. He has to do this part alone. There's only two others like him. One doesn't care and the other is a child. So Danny has to move, has to listen harder to whispers, has to know who they took this time, has to find them, has to repair the damage and escape without getting caught. Can't rely on anyone else (the only people who want to help don't deserve this, don't deserve any of this - no one else should be punished for his mistake)and the green glow stretches and builds and the walls fall away and everyone is staring at the moron who broke the world, who ruined everything with a stupid dare (why did he take the dare, he knew better than that), and it doesn't matter anymore because there's white cars and white suits, and his mother is staring in shock as the agents advance-

Danny pulls awake all at once in the pre-dawn light. His dream laughs from whatever recess of his mind it pulled itself out of, the horrid ichor of its dread cling to every aspect of him as he carefully tenses all his muscles and relaxes them again, grasping at the desperate hope that it might help get rid of the horrible way his body wants to vibrate itself to pieces. He feels like he's made of the damn bees from his dream.

Danny's careful tensing process barely helps, but at the moment he's happy to take even barely-help, so he stands up, still counting in his head and breathing as slowly as he can manage. His lungs burn with the strain of it, but the burn kind of feels good, and it definitely helps him stay rooted in the here-and-now, so he keeps doing it as he extricated himself from the night's hiding spot.

The chill of early winter is definitely starting to hit, and Danny let's himself feel just a bit smugly satisfied about the usefulness of his affinity for ice. His resistance isn't huge, and it's not exactly any more pleasant to be cold, but it's a relief to not have to worry about hypothermia that much even though he's now homeless.

Of course, how long he'll remain homeless for is decidedly in question now. Danny hadn't wanted to ask about time-frames, when Robin was already going out of his way to assist Danny at all, and when he'd offered housing assistance too, Danny had only been more reticent to ask questions.

“Now, you said you were homeless?” Robin had asked. Danny had startled back,but before he could start extemporizing, Robin had continued in the same blunt tone. “I’ll obviously be emancipating you; I would make you eighteen, but you really don’t look it, and I don’t want anyone to have a reason to scrutinize any of this, and a declaration of emancipation largely amounts to the same thing. Plus it will give you an easy way to discourage people from asking about your past, since emancipation typically implies a, shall we say, sensitive situation. That does mean that you'll be liable for your own housing though, so considering your present lack of legal standing, I would be more than happy to assist you in acquiring an apartment in your city of choice.” The matter-of-fact speech had caught Danny completely off guard, and he'd ended up staring at Robin for a long moment before Superboy’s half-hidden snickers had triggered a spat almost exactly like Sam and Tucker had always gotten into.

Even now, thinking back on the conversation after almost a week, Danny finds himself a little choked up on the homesick wash of memory. At the time, Danny had choked down the unpleasant feeling, and admitted that the help with housing would be much appreciated. Superboy had narrowed his eyes, clearly spotting something in his tone of voice (thanks to his super hearing, undoubtedly), but he had managed to distract him with a joke about not wanting to risk his home dimension’s money being seen as counterfeit, and Robin's resounding excitement over that little theoretical conundrum. In that way, he’d managed to end the encounter with some actual legitimate cash in exchange for his interdimensional stuff, which was turning out to be an exceptional boon, all by itself.

Of course, that exchange had come with its own revelation — the fact that heroes here had reason to carry cash on them was, perhaps, the most reassuring thing he’d seen so far. Phantom certainly hadn't ever been able to hang around long enough to have a shot at spending any money. It makes him wonder if they're getting paid for their work as heroes, and if so, who's doing the paying. Probably, it's a question worth looking into. Any payments coming from the government ought to have a paper trail of some sort, and Sam would say that sort of detail would say a lot about the whole dynamic.

For now, though, Danny finds himself walking briskly through the shadowy early morning streets, fighting against a wash of melancholy. Robin's cash weighs heavy in his pocket – he's been using it as sparsely as he can, since he doesn't know how long the hundred-or-so dollars need to last. Luckily, the nearby grocery store has a good collection of cheap and easy pre-made foods. For the last six days straight, Danny's been able to have a breakfast of two hard boiled eggs, and he currently has the supplies for pb&j sandwiches in his backpack. He anxiously checks his pocket to make sure Robin's burner phone is still there, but he doesn't bother pulling it out - he has no intention of using it unless he has a real emergency, no matter what the other teen had implied.

It's still not late enough for the library to be open, by the time he's acquired and eaten his breakfast eggs, so instead he heads for the park, with a thought to shake off the remaining thrum of anxious energy from his dream. He's already flinched at two different cars as they drove past him, so he definitely could use the distraction, and the running has, regrettably, repeatedly proved itself good at calming down Danny's running thoughts. Danny mentally snorts at the thought; an image of his body chasing down his own mind, tackling it and wrestling it into submission. That's certainly one way to deal with his anticipation for a fight.

Danny makes it three laps before he decides to stop, carefully taking the time to stretch out his legs and properly cool down. It's late enough by now that there's a handful of other people scattered in the park, two of which are on similar morning jogs. A couple of them even offer him a smile and nod as they pass each other. He doesn't know a single one of their names, but he's seen most of them around before, and as he finishes his cool down lap and heads off, he realizes that they probably recognize him too.

It's late enough now that he can head to the library, though when he gets there, he discovers that the computers are all in use, so instead he heads for the aisles of books.

He wanders through the rows, not really looking for anything in particular. Danny's happy enough to admit that he's never been much of a reader; language arts had always been his worst class. Even before the portal had been finished, he'd had a tendency to frustrate his English teachers by completely missing whatever symbolism they expected him to find, and the problem had only gotten worse once he'd half-died. With all the myriad problems the portal had created, Danny had all but stopped turning in any of his homework, and he'd not picked up even a single one of the assigned books.

At a certain point, it had actually become a bet between him and Sam and Tucker. He would come up with the most ridiculous possible answers whenever Lancer made the mistake of calling on him, and if he finally managed to get the man to break and swear for real, his friends would have to pay for his Nasty Burger for the rest of the year.

That was before things got really bad. The GIW had still been a mostly incompetent nuisance, and his parents had yet to join forces with them. Of course the ghost fights were annoying, but they'd also been kind of fun, and the trio had been so caught up in the fantasy of being the heroes that they hadn't thought about things like collateral damage or serious injury. It wasn't until Tucker and Sam were stitching up gaping wounds while the populace called for Phantom’s head that they really realized how serious things had gotten.

Danny stares down at the copy of Lord of the Flies that he'd pulled out of shelves. This was the book they'd been reading when he'd first had his accident with the portal. He remembers it clearly because afterwards he'd kept dropping the book and Sam and Tucker had ended up taking turns reading it to him. They'd gotten into several arguments over the meaning of the book. But by the end, both had agreed that the characters of the book were losers. Anyone reasonable wouldn't waste time with petty problems in a life or death situation. Now, Danny's not sure if the three of them just underestimated what's reasonable, or if everyone was just that unreasonable. Probably, it's more complicated than that, but as Danny stares at the book, he can't help but feel furious that a trio of fourteen-year-old losers managed to be more compassionate and forward-thinking than an entire town of adults. Danny wonders if any of the books he hadn't read would offer an explanation of their behavior.

Danny's pocket buzzes and for a moment all he can think about is the bees in the walls of his dream, buzzing louder and louder and louder- then, behind him a chair scratches against carpet as someone stands up. Danny's in the library, and the buzzing in his pocket is the burner phone that Robin had passed him along with the cash. He pulls it out, fumbles for a moment with it, and then stares at the text message on the screen.

Marla's Diner, noon. Wear your mask.

The message is short and to the point, which Danny supposes he should have expected. It hasn't even been a week yet, so Danny can't imagine Robin has his identity ready yet – he's got to have loads of other, more important work, after all. That doesn't mean he has any intention of arguing though, so he types out a little saluting emoticon, and then shoves the book back in the shelves. If he's gonna be meeting with Robin, he needs to not spend his morning having a crisis, thank you very much. So instead he hunts down the young adult section to see if he recognizes any of the series they have here.

Danny finds Marla’s Diner around 11:30, and once he’s spotted it, he finds a place to transform. He doesn’t want to be late, but being in his ghost form still makes him feel like he’s about to get jumped, so he sits on the roof of the building, holding his invisibility, until he sees Superboy flying over and dropping Robin off.

Robin murmurs quietly to Superboy as he’s set down, and Danny strains to hear them without moving at all. “...right to privacy.” Is all he catches before Superboy nods and straightens into a goofy salute.

“Tell him I said hi,” Superboy says. “And just text me whenever you want me to pick you up!” Robin agrees and heads into the diner,while Superboy flies off again. Danny stays frozen until he’s sure the other boy is fully gone, wondering what exactly a day in the life of one these heroes really involves.

When he and his friends weren’t dealing with a ghost attack, or some other crisis they were always more focused on school and having fun, but now with so much time to reflect, and a clear vision of what actual organized heroes look like, he catches himself wondering if things wouldn’t have turned out so bad if they had spent more of their time working on the problem where there wasn’t an imminent threat. Not that he has any clue what that work should have looked like, but maybe if they’d been more focused, Danny wouldn’t have had to flee.

Of course, Jazz would tell him to focus on what’s in front of him, rather than past decisions he can’t change. And right now, he has a meeting to get to. So Danny drops his invisibility and floats down to the ground, trying to look as unthreatening as possible as he enters the diner. The last thing he wants is to get mistaken for a rogue, after all. The hostess turns to greet him and freezes, and Danny flinches, frantically debating whether it’s worth upsetting Robin by bolting.

“Oh!” The hostess says after a moment, pulling Danny’s focus back. “Well, that explains Robin's presence here, doesn't it!” Her tone is bright. She doesn’t sound upset or scared, and when Danny risks glancing at her expression, she’s actually smiling.

“Uh-” Danny blinks. What was he going to say? Why exactly was he here, again?

“Our local hero, already catching the notice of the big leagues! I should be glad, really. You certainly look far too young to be doing the hero thing all on your lonesome.” Her grin dims a little, but before Danny can respond, she brightens again and continues. “Well, your pal is down at the end, hun. Last booth, nice and out of the way, for all your Very Important Discussions.” With a wave she gestures to a booth where Robin is seated, watching the entire interaction with a blank expression. Danny fights down another flinch, and instead forces himself to start walking over to slide into the booth across from him.

“Uh, hey.” Danny says, grasping at the string of his hoodie the second he’s seated. There’s a menu sitting on the table in front of him, and one in front of Robin as a well, so he probably intends for them to have lunch while they’re here, which probably means this is a friendly conversation. At the very least it’s not openly hostile, which officially makes it better than any meal he’d been forced to have with Vlad.

“Well,” Robin begins. “You certainly have a rapport with the locals already. I wasn't aware this region had significant issues.” Danny blinks over at him. He hadn’t even processed the waitress calling him the local hero, he’d been so focused on not causing a scene. And of course, now Robin thinks he was lying in their previous conversation, and- oh god, is that what this meeting is about? Did Robin become suspicious of him since their last conversation. What if this is a trap? Robin’s just staring at him and Danny hasn’t even responded to the clearly implied question yet.

“I’m not-” Danny starts. “Hero is really an exaggeration. There was a train crash about a month ago and it was- bad. I couldn’t just not help the firefighters.”

“Hmmm,” Robin responds, tilting his head slightly and watching Danny fidget for a long moment.

“That doesn’t cause problems for you, does it? I wasn’t trying to step on any toe, I promise! I just- didn’t want people to die, if I could help it.”

“You did nothing wrong,” Robin says suddenly, his tone turning deadly serious. “Nobody is ever wrong for wanting to help, and I read about that crash in the news. You worked with the firefighters and listened to their instructions without question. You provided clear and honest estimates of capabilities and didn’t cause any damage by overestimating or harming yourself in the process. Frankly, that incident is an exemplary show of everything the Justice League strives to do. I know fully trained members who would struggle to perform so perfectly in that kind of circumstance.”

“Oh, wow. Um, thanks?” Danny mumbles, a thrill of pride coursing through him, not unlike he’d felt in the initial aftermath of the crash. Maybe he shouldn’t feel so good about something that was such a terrible tragedy, but it’s just so nice to be told you did a good job.. “I mean, obviously it was freaking terrible, you know? And I’m sure they would have saved loads of those people without me, but-”

“In a disaster like that, everyone’s efforts count towards something,” Robin cuts him off. “It’s not about whether you single handedly changed the outcome, it’s the fact that you made the decision to lend a helping hand in a scary and dangerous situation.”

“Right,” Danny says. Somehow this conversation has become very serious, and Robin’s not talking like he’s in trouble, but he can’t imagine any other reason for this meeting. “Um, is that what you wanted to see me about? The train crash?” Robin stares at him for a moment, before relaxing his posture a little.

“No. I had a few questions regarding your identity. But we should order first. I want you to take your time to consider your decisions.

“Oh, um.” Danny glances down at the menu. He’d been kind of hoping to get away with not ordering anything, but he really doesn’t want to tell Robin no. Luckily the food seems pretty similar to what they’d have at a diner back home. “I’ll probably just have a sandwich? Whatever’s simplest.” The list of sandwiches is about half diner specialties, but there’s also a turkey club and a BLT listed, though the latter includes a fourth letter A, so Danny’s not entirely positive it’s the same thing. He struggles a bit with reading the description, but manages to confirm that it is his kind of BLT, just with the inclusion of avocado.

“If that’s what you want,” Robin says, and at Danny’s nod, he turns to signal the waiter, his demeanor shifts as he does so, and Danny watches with wide eyes as he smiles and thanks the server in a perfect presentation of manners. It would remind him of Vlad, how he drops so suddenly into a charming manner, but it's so completely devoid of malice, that instead it just comes off as someone incredibly gracious who is here on serious business. Then the waitress is gone again, and Robin's undivided attention returns to Danny.

“Do you want to go to school?” Danny blinks, and struggles to reorient himself to the new topic. School has certainly never been a choice in his life before, so the question feels just a little like a trap.

“Is truancy not a thing, here?” Danny asks.

“I mean, under normal conditions yes, but we’re sort of dealing with a lot of exceptions that the standard laws don’t really cover here. So it’s mostly up to us, how we handle your education. I considered just listing you as having your GED, but I wanted to give you the opportunity to have input into the matter. After all, school could help you adjust to the cultural variances, and if you have any intentions of going to college, a GED can complicate the process. Not that you couldn’t just attend a community college first, but you did say you were sixteen, so we could also set you up to finish off high school properly. It wouldn’t be too hard to list you as previously homeschooled to explain away your missing educational history.”

“Huh.”

“Of course, if we listed you as having your GED, you could just head directly into community college, so in some ways that would get you through college faster, but it would also place more pressure on you, and you’re already having to adjust to plenty of societal differences.”

Danny sits for a moment, thinking about it. Getting a say in how he handles school is wild, but what’s even more wild is the slow realization that he actually kind of wants to go back to it. Danny had hated high school so far, but really most of that could be attributed to a combination of bullies and the absolute hell that was trying to complete school work while secretly being a ghost.

Robin stays quiet, letting Danny mull the question over, as he starts typing on his fancy wrist computer. Danny’s very intrigued by the piece of tech. He hadn’t seen enough room for a full keyboard, but the way he’s typing seems too fluid to be using the multitap T9 system that Danny’s familiar with. He watches Robin for a moment, thinking about his parents’ own inventions and how he’d always been kind of intrigued by them, even when he thought their whole ghost obsession was nonsense. Danny had always hated his lit classes; had never gotten the hang of analysis, but he’d found science fascinating, and even if he’d had a habit of making a lot of dumb mistakes in math class, he’d liked the logic of it well enough.

It’s kind of fascinating coming to the realization that he actually likes learning, as he sits at a diner in another dimension. Before the portal incident the part of school that he’d really hated had been the social bullshit, not the actual classes. And the idea of getting a fresh start, where nobody already hates him, and he can get whatever grades he wants without worrying about getting in trouble with his parents is practically intoxicating.

“I mean,” Danny says, after their food’s been delivered. “I feel like I might as well try doing school for real? I could always test out if I wanted to and it would be kind of nice to get like a year and a half of a normal high school experience, you know?” Robin watches him for a moment after he finishes talking, and then nods.

“Entirely understandable. Would you prefer a physical school, or do you want to do classes online?”

“Um, I didn't even know that was an option.”

“It's not exactly standard, but it exists as an alternative just like homeschooling. Generally speaking online classes offer more flexibility, at the cost of requiring more self-sufficiency. Some private schools even offer online options that partner with colleges.”

“Huh. That sounds really cool? I don't know if I'd be good at it though.”

“If you want, you could try it out, and if you find yourself struggling, I can help you switch to a physical school.”

“Yeah, okay, sure.”

#dpxdc #dp x dc #the one where danny stumbles into a new universe and immediately guns for nasa #aka the one in which i redefine the meaning of immediately lmao #with every new finished chapter this story just gets longer someone help me

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toxicpineapple · 2 years ago

Text

writing tips masterpost

hello to my loyal tumblr followers... i am often asked to give writing advice but usually when people ask me this i'm nooooot completely sure what to say despite having a ton of advice to give. it's such a broad question when there are so many different things i can advise on, right? so i thought i'd make a sort of writing advice masterpost where i can compile the tips that i think people specifically in fandoms could benefit the most from hearing, OR that i wish someone had told me when i was still finding my footing as a writer.

hopefully this will be helpful to you. i am putting all of the advice under a read more since this is going to be a long one. let's roll!

✬ paragraph breaks are your friend

the fastest way to get me to stop reading a fic is if i click in and see that there are NO paragraphs made and the entire piece is in a huge block of text. no matter how good your work is, i just can't read it at that point. the giant paragraph makes me get lost, i can't focus on anything... it's a huge no.

the trick is you want your paragraphs to sort of act as a guide for your reader, taking them through the story, keeping them engaged. do not be afraid to do short paragraphs! i can understand wanting to shy away from one or two sentence paragraphs for fear of not having "enough substance" in your work, but the truth is, a thousand short paragraphs is ten times easier to read than a huge block of text.

realistically, you want to have a good amount of variety in your paragraph length. variety is key. readers will notice when your work gets formulaic, and some people will like that, but for others that can turn people away from your work. but don't force it! a paragraph should end at the end of a statement, or if the paragraph is getting too long then cut off the thought and continue in the next paragraph with a transitional phrase.

as a general rule of thumb, you want lines of dialogue by different speakers to be put in separate paragraphs. you also want to avoid doing huge chunks of narration or exposition in the same paragraph as you introduce a new speaker. just make a new paragraph! no big deal. i guarantee you your reader will be way more engaged and nobody is going to come at you for doing more rather than less.

✬ make sure the reader knows who is speaking and when

you don't have to end off every line of dialogue with "she said" and in fact i would really recommend you don't. but you ALWAYS need to have some kind of indication in the text as to who is speaking, otherwise the reader can get lost.

this doesn't necessarily mean that you always have to explicitly say who is saying what, though. if it is obvious in a scene who is saying something -- so for example, a scene where there are only two characters talking OR the dialogue has some kind of phrase, statement, etc that makes it obvious who the speaker is -- then in that case you can just let the dialogue speak for itself. sometimes in writing less can be more. you disrupt the flow of a scene if you start to exposit unnecessarily when the reader could reasonably work something out for themself.

✬ "said" is your friend too

related to the last piece of advice, here's another note: don't shy away from using the word "said".

don't overuse it, either. obviously, you don't want every single line to be "he says" "she says" back and forth, especially when they might be asking questions or shouting, in which case the word "said" probably isn't all that applicable at all. but it's a nice default. if you catch yourself busting out the thesaurus, my recommendation? quit it. just use said. it's not going to hurt you and the reader isn't going to mind.

but yeah, in the event that a character is raising their voice, whispering, inquiring -- there are tons of other words you can use in lieu of said and then an adverb. it's just context-dependent, and also, you don't really want to lean too far one way or another. like i said, variety is key. too much of the same breaks immersion.

✬ if you wouldn't say it yourself, probably don't use it in writing

another related tip. look, i get it. you want to spruce up your writing with synonyms. but the fact of the matter is that a lot of these words that "mean the same thing" on paper actually have wildly differing connotations and if you don't understand what those are you're going to look kind of silly whipping out a word you just found off the internet. we can usually tell, too.

your vocabulary will naturally grow and expand as you continue to read and learn. you don't have to try and force it to seem smarter in your writing. people who can write compelling prose and dialogue without throwing in fancy words they barely understand look a lot more intelligent than people who have a thesaurus at the ready 24/7.

✬ if there's a simpler way to say it, take it

this one can be sort of style-dependent, so if it's not your cup of tea then feel free to take or leave this tip, but in my opinion, taking a whole seven-line paragraph to describe a simple action wastes both your and the readers' time.

how many times have you read a fic where the main characters are having a conversation with these long rambling paragraphs between lines of dialogue? sometimes this makes sense! if you were writing a death note fic it would absolutely make sense for light or L to be pausing every few seconds to carefully analyse their opponent's move... but that's not always the case. sometimes characters are just making small talk.

i'm not saying you can't show off. you should show off where applicable. but there's a time and place. sometimes a scene benefits more from you taking the easy way to describe something and moving on. flowery language is great, but if you're meandering too much the reader will lose interest and attention.

✬ a metaphor is useless if nobody knows what it means

writing is subjective and highly personal. write for yourself first and foremost, and use the metaphors that feel right to you -- but the best metaphorical pieces, to me, are the ones that people can understand and identify with.

you've read a story like that, haven't you? with a reoccurring theme or motif that comes back into play at the end in a way that makes you feel so satisfied and complete? THAT'S what you aim for with literary devices like that. if you write a story that nobody can understand, with metaphors that just don't make any sense -- then you haven't really successfully told a good story, have you?

i understand wanting to have a magnum opus. i think it's easy to fall into the "misunderstood writer" mindset where you want your pieces to be so magnificent that only the likeminded will get it -- but writing is a form of communication. metaphor is just another means with which we can illustrate how we feel. you WANT your readers to understand what you're doing with the metaphors, you WANT the people who step away from your story to know what you were trying to say. you don't have to be obvious, just make it good. make it something that can be reasonably drawn from the text.

at the end of the day flowery language is just flowery language. that doesn't actually make your story good.

✬ grammar intermission

(.) period/full stop: used at the end of sentences. oftentimes not used at the end of sentences in dialogue, because lines of dialogue are considered a fragment of a larger sentence. use a period/full stop at the end of a line of dialogue if the dialogue is followed up by another complete sentence. example:

"i just went to the store," he said, scratching his head.

"i just went to the store." he scratched his head.

(,) comma: used in the middle or to separate different clauses (parts/sections) of sentences. used for incomplete clauses, AKA sections of the sentence that could not function as individual sentences. also used to indicate a slight pause. example:

she reached for the ripest banana, plucking it from the bunch.

a comma can also be replaced by a conjunction like "and" or "but". example:

she reached for the ripest banana and plucked it from the bunch.

(;) semi colon: used to separate different complete clauses in sentences, AKA sections of the sentence that are related but COULD function individually as their own sentences. example:

he sighed as he looked out the window; it had been so long since he stepped outside.

not to be confused with

(:) colon: used at the end of a line that leads into or introduces another line. example:

his fingers drummed restlessly against the window sill. it was finally happening: he was finally leaving this place.

(-) hyphen: used to connect compound words like three-years-old or hyphenated surnames like jones-smith.

(–) en dash: used to indicate ranges of time or distance, like 3–4 hours.

(—) em dash: a girl's best friend. slash j. but an em dash is used to indicate a few different things: an abrupt end to a thought or sentence, a "cut-in" where you interject something tangentially or unrelated before returning to the original thought, or a diversion in the sentence/thought. examples:

"no, listen, you don't understand—"

he scowled—an ugly look on his usually handsome features—and told her to be quiet.

it's not like she had wanted it to go that way—but when had it ever mattered what she wanted?

(()) parentheses: used to add additional context, information, or a semi-unrelated thought that would break the flow of an ongoing sentence without completely taking the reader out. example:

"no, i'm sorry. i just forgot to call you this morning," he said, looking away. (in truth, he'd sat by the phone for fifteen minutes trying to psyche himself into it, but hadn't been able to muster the courage.)

✬ show don't tell, and tell don't show

show don't tell is one of the classic pieces of writing advice that i do, often, think is correct -- but it's a little more nuanced than just never telling your readers what a character is thinking. you want the work to speak for itself without you implanting messages or themes into the reader's brain. at the same time though you don't want them to be doing too much work because it breaks immersion.

this ties into what i was saying above about simpler being better sometimes. you want to be concise especially in scenes that might call for it. a fight scene should be quick and snappy. no need to dig into the physical sensation of being enraged -- just say the character is pissed! but if a character is having a meltdown or panicking, you can get SO much more out of describing how that feels than just outright saying it.

✬ remember your perspective

another huge thing with show don't tell is that you don't want your character to be able to objectively say what everyone else is thinking and feeling -- unless that makes sense for them within the context of the story. really dig into it. DOES the character have a reason to know what their opponents, friends, etc are thinking? how well do they know the other characters? how attentive are they to the emotions of those around them?

it's better to focus on descriptions than labels in that case. say what face a character is making, describe their body language or tone. your character can have impressions, just make it clear that those ARE their impressions. and let your character be wrong! they do not have to be a completely objective source of information.

✬ when it comes to representation, if you aren't confident you can do it well, don't do it at all

i'm one of those people who's kind of of the opinion that white or cishet or otherwise systemically advantaged people have no place being the loudest voices in conversations about representation, least of all AS the representatives. if you are someone with systemic privilege and you choose to portray someone who is oppressed -- that's not necessarily a bad thing. but you need to be willing to do your research and have a sensitivity reader, and you have to be ready for people to say you did it wrong.

not much else to be said about that. your voice on the matter isn't actually all that important. there are people from the demographics involved who DO have stories to tell about themselves that will be MUCH more valuable than your perception of them, so it's honestly better to just let them tell it. that's how i feel.

✬ don't break the rules unless you know how to follow them. in other words, your rebellion should be obvious

a lot of times i see people breaking grammar or other rules and citing "stylistic" choices as their reasons why. which is all good and well, to an extent -- but you want it to be very clear that you ARE breaking the rules on purpose in a way that adds to the artistic merit of your piece.

if you don't know the rules, then it really just comes across like messy work. you both have to know how to apply the rules, and also how to break them in a stylistically significant way. if it doesn't make sense for the rules to be broken, if it says nothing... it's honestly better to just follow them. that's my take.

✬ don't be scared of names and pronouns

i said before that you want variety in your work, and that is very very true -- but it's also true that certain words like names, pronouns, etc will sort of blend into the background in writing. people don't notice them. that means if you're using a name or pronoun a lot in a scene to make it clear who exactly is being referred to...

hey. look into my eyes. breathe. it's okay. you do not have to resort to highlighting arbitrary characteristics of the characters. i know. just breathe. it's okay. use their names. they have them for a reason. it's all good.

this isn't to say that you SHOULDN'T do that, just do it when it makes sense to. if height is something the characters are noticing then use "the shorter boy". if age is relevant, eye colour, hair colour, whatever -- go ahead and use them. but don't be excessive with it. i should not be having to read the bluenette more than i'm reading shuichi's actual goddamn name.

✬ read

this is the huge one. reading other works informs your writing. it teaches you skills and tricks you can use. it helps expand your dialogue and your world view. it might even highlight to you things you do too much of in your own writing. read, all the time, whenever you can. it doesn't have to be books. it can be fanfic, articles, whatever -- just keep reading, because you will be passively absorbing knowledge during that time and it'll help you grow as a writer.

✬ practice

BOOOOOO TOMATO TOMATO TOMATO! SHE SAID THE THING SHE SAID IT!

but listen, it's literally just true. i write almost every day for at least a couple of hours and i have been on a trend of consistent growth for the past five years. go read my fics from 2019 if you don't believe me. i've grown fast and i've grown constantly. you just DO grow through constant practice, even if it doesn't always seem that way.

not only that, but you start to build confidence too. writing a lot helps develop those muscles to a point where you start to realise that you ARE that good and you DO have that dawg in you. or whatever. you just have to keep at it. you're not going to magically improve thinking for six months about how you want to be a better writer without practicing anything about it.

✬ yeah, betas are good

you want to have a good editor. i know that that can feel like having someone ELSE be the reason your piece is good, but that's genuinely not it. a beta reader is a second pair of eyes on your work, someone who can tell you about the issues and mistakes you're missing. they'll tell you when something doesn't make sense. they'll point out your punctuation errors. you don't NEED to have a good editor for every crummy little oneshot... but it's good to have one.

✬ numbers are fine and all but don't compare yourself to other people

i think almost everyone in some kind of creative pursuit wants to get some kind of acknowledgement for it. we want to be the best we can be, and it can be discouraging to receive utterly no validation along the way! i get it!!

just don't get caught up in crunching the numbers. you are not as good as your fanbase is. you alone know your skillset and you absolutely should not say "well this other writer got THIS much attention" because that'll just wear you down. it really will. external validation will only keep you going for so long, and you'll always end up needing more. you HAVE to build your own personal confidence first or you'll crash and burn.

✬ read your writing out loud

there is no quicker way to see if something is wonky in your prose than reading it out loud and seeing if it makes sense verbally. i highly recommend this to anybody who struggles with sentence flow. it's a good one.

✬ yippee hooray!

🥰 and that's what i've got for now. thank you if you made it this far, please take all these tips as you will, it is all subjective of course, these are just the tips that help Me the most when i sit down to write something.

please feel free to ask me for additional advice (on specific topics if you could!) at any time, i love encouraging new writers and i am passionate about writing so i will gladly offer support in any way i can, including beta reading works for anybody who might need that.

take care now 💖

#writing #writing advice #writing tips #fanfiction tips

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chrysanthemumgames · 7 months ago

Note

I have a perhaps personal ask, and at the same time struggling with how to phrase it. I've been looking into making an interactive story myself, however, I... cannot code. For the life of me. I can tell one hell of a story, but coding it beyond my grasp, and the system I currently use, while it ought to be simple enough even someone like me could do so, isn't exactly working for how I want it to. Do you perhaps know anything anywhere that I might start looking for someone who would be willing to work with me? I am so sorry if this is a bothersome ask.

Hi anon!

I'm probably not the best person for advice on this, because I've never been in that situation before. I've put some thoughts under the cut, with the caveat that only a small portion of them actually address the question you've asked, with the majority being related but perhaps not helpful for you, depending.

So, I think where you'd go to find a coding person depends on what language you're using. If it's ChoiceScript, probably the forums. If it's Twine... I honestly don't know. Maybe the subreddit, though you'll want to double-check that such requests are not against the rules there.

I sincerely doubt you'll have an easy time finding someone, though. Most folks who code in the systems used for IF are IF authors who taught themselves the coding techniques in order to tell their own stories, not someone else's.

That said, and this is the part you can ignore, because you know yourself better than I do, but... I'm pretty sure you can learn to code. It's not easy, necessarily, and it doesn't come intuitively to everyone, but there are resources out there to help you. Again, this will depend on what system you're using, but the CS forums are very useful for figuring out CS (as is the wiki, once you know enough to parse it). For Twine, there are loads of archived posts on their forums and on the subreddit for specific questions, but for general ones, the documentation for your preferred program (e.g. SugarCube), the Twine Cookbook, and similar resources will break things down into smaller, more digestible chunks. I personally recommend the Twine Grimoire (volumes 1 and 2), for basic interface aesthetics, once you get to that point.

Here on tumblr, @/nyhelism, @/cerberus-writes, @/manonamora-if, @/idrellegames, and others have all answered questions about Twine coding or even in some cases made templates that take a lot of the work out of it. Most have a masterpost regarding things they've answered about Twine or made for others' use, but be sure to check that they're currently accepting coding questions before sending them any, of course.

Learning to code may be slow and incremental, and lots of people manage better if they start with a small project just to learn how to do the basic things in their language of choice. I'd really recommend figuring out what you need your game to be able to do, and learning those functions one by one—it's less overwhelming than trying to tackle everything at once while also writing a huge project.

If all else fails, my most esoteric suggestion is to familiarize yourself with the basic principles of symbolic logic. I took a class in it as part of my degree, and have since also taught that class, and I think understanding things like the logic of conditionals (if statements) as they're used in coding (rather than natural language) really gave me a leg up in learning to code. Not that I'm an expert, but I know enough to make a basic game, at least.

Most (all?) of these things should be findable with a google search; I know there are at least some Twine tutorials on youtube as well, though I'm unsure of CS or any of the languages I'm less familiar with, like Ink, etc.

I do apologize that the section where I encourage you to do the thing you don't think you can do is longer than the one where I answered your actual question, but that's the part I might actually have something useful to say about. If you're absolutely certain you can't do it, I'm sorry for banging on about it, but if you're not sure or on the fence, maybe give it another go before trying to find another person. I've seen a lot of writers looking for coders in the past, but maybe only once was a coder offering their services to writers (and that was a long time ago).

#ask #jess gives dubious advice

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autumnwhistles · 2 years ago

Text

Last Life: The Musical – Audition Masterpost and Song Info (1/2)

Part 2 – please check this out too!

Lots of people have been asking me about auditions for this, so I've decided to make a masterpost. Auditions will be opening sometime within the next week – the specific end date will be specified on the audition form, since it depends when it's sent. It'll likely be three weeks from when the form is sent out.

The Process

There'll be a form posted on my blog. Follow the instructions, answer the questions and fill it in.

You don't have to audition for both speaking and singing roles – there will be opportunities to audition for both, and the same character may not have the same person playing both parts. Likewise, you an audition for vocals for one character and speaking roles for another.

For vocalists: There are no set audition songs. This stage is all about me seeing the different qualities of people's voices, and matching them to characters that fit what I hear. You can specify any preferences, but you may not get them – however, if there are characters you really don't want to play, I will honour that. Because of that, please just sing a song or an extract of a song in a style you're comfortable with (if auditioning for vocals). This should be minimum one minute long, and though there is no maximum, it would be nice for it to be around 2 minutes (though you can very much go over). Try to keep it to one form.

If I think you would fit, I may contact you to be involved in the Watcher Chorus as well – there are no auditions for this, however, and you can turn it down (there's a lot of singing).

For those auditioning for speaking roles: this will take preferences into account more, though I will contact you if I'd like you to try out for somebody else. Please find an extract of the role you want speaking – this can be in a video or in a highly in-character fan work, since those provide good material, and record it. You can submit multiple forms if you're auditioning for multiple speaking roles, due to the higher specificity of audition material.

Note that generally, speaking roles are much more minor than singing roles!

If you're auditioning for both, do both – this is pretty self-explanatory.

You must have a good quality mic, or access to one, to audition. Please have access to discord as well, since everything will be done there.

If you need further information, DM me either on here or on discord (songofthesky_)!

This is all for Stage 1 of auditions – to those who I'm considering for parts, I'll contact you a few weeks after the submissions have ended to describe the next steps.

To help people get an idea of what each part entails, a list of songs, their descriptions, and who sings them is under the cut. I've tried to arrange it so the people who are mentioned first are the people that get more lines. Bear in mind not all of them have names yet!

(There will also be a part 2 coming sometime this week with general atmospheres for each character's songs (only those with solos or duets, as this doesn't apply to those in only group numbers). This should also help you get an idea of what each part entails. However please note these are only getting across the atmospheres, not anything more specific – it's generally to help decide if there's someone you don't want to sing than someone you do.)

Finally, the three characters with the most singing and plot relevance are Martyn, Scott and Grian (in that order) – consider this when auditioning!

Act 1:

Overture/Middle of Nowhere: We’re introduced to the Last Life world by the Chorus as players spawn in. Martyn seems to hear something, but brushes it off. [N/A – finished]

Corners of the World: Through Martyn’s perspective we’re introduced to players and their alliances. He meets Scott and Pearl and chats to them for a while, before heading with them to spawn. Martyn, Lizzie, Bdubs, Etho, Joel [sung]; Martyn, Scott, Pearl [spoken]

“Tales: Down In The Mines″/”The Boogeyman”: At spawn, Bdubs narrates his experience with the boogeyman curse. Grian then shows up, narrates his own experience as the victim, and all around the map the players express what they’ve heard about the Boogeyman curse themselves. Bdubs, Grian [sung – solo parts]; Martyn, Scott, Pearl, Jimmy, Scar, Mumbo, Impulse, Tango, Skizz, Etho [sung – make up a player chorus]; Etho, Grian [spoken].

“A(ha)lliances”: The Southlands ally, making a-ha jokes. Meanwhile, Pearl and Scott solidify their alliance via Pearl gifting Scott a life. Martyn, Grian, Jimmy, Impulse, Mumbo, Scott, Pearl [sung]

“You Bet Your Life”: Tango introduces his game, the different attitudes to it showing us different traits of the characters. Tango [sung].

“The Table Song 1″: Now some time into the series, the Chorus updates us on the alliances that have formed: the Fairy Fort, Team BEST, Magical Mountain, Scott and Pearl, and the Southlands. It also chronicles the journey of the Enchanting Table, now in Magical Mountain, and the Southlands’ trip to enchant which ends with Scar’s Boogeyman kill. Chorus [sung]; all players [spoken, very brief]

“Our Will Be Done (Precursor 1)”: Martyn hears a mysterious voice speaking to him for the first time, telling him to give Ren some Nether Wart. He does so. Martyn’s voice, Martyn [spoken]

“Tales: The Three Skulls”: Seeing Martyn a little distracted (and probably sensing some Watcher influence but shh), Grian offers a bit of excitement to him and the rest of the Southlands: he’s come across news that it is possible to raise a Wither, a mystical being of destruction – which they could use to get the upper hand on others should they need it – and that they only need to gather 3 Wither skulls to do so. Martyn is distrustful of his intentions. Grian, Martyn, Jimmy, Impulse, Mumbo. Grian has the vast majority of lines.

“Debts (instrumental with dialogue)”: Martyn extinguishes Ren’s burning tower and Ren tells him of his alliance and pledge to Lizzie, reminding him of his time in 3rd Life. Martyn, Ren [spoken]

“In Spring We Met”: After returning to the Southlands, Martyn thinks about the conflicting loyalties he feels between the Southlands and the remaining ties he feels to Ren, despite it being a new life. As he falls asleep, the voice whispers to him about betraying the Southlands and forming an alliance with Ren to suit its own goals. Martyn [sung]

“The Table Song 2″*: The journey of the Enchanting Table is further chronicled, coming into Scott and Pearl’s possession, who then sell it to Lizzie for a life each, putting Scott up to the same number of lives as Martyn, 4. Chorus [sung]; Scott, Pearl, Lizzie [spoken]

“Green, Crimson, Gold”: The Chorus informs the viewers about more of Joel’s situation – loosing four lives in a single session after rolling Boogey, chronicling each one. News of a Red name is spread throughout the server, as is the mantra of staying away from and severing ties with all Reds, as they can’t be trusted. Chorus, all players but Scott and Joel (singing); Joel, Scott, Pearl [spoken]

“Their Dubious Game”: Scott – now on 4 lives after trading the enchanting table to Lizzie – hears the words being said about Joel, and is also reminded of 3rd Life, recalling how despite his partner turning Red early on, this didn’t seem to lead to a change in loyalties, only capabilities. He begins to realise that this was the case for all Reds back then, and begins to doubt the rules all the players somehow ‘know’. Scott [sung]

“A(ha)lliances (Reprise)”: Time passes, and Martyn grows closer to the Southlands. However, he’s still meeting up with Ren who offers to introduce him to Lizzie and the rest of the Fairy Fort, potentially considering a betrayal. The Voice prompts him to accept this, as they can be useful in its plan. Martyn, Grian, Jimmy, Impulse, Mumbo, Ren [sung]; Martyn's voice [spoken]

“Their Delicate Game/His Dubious Game”: Martyn comes back from a meeting with Ren just in time for a Southlands meeting, in which Grian informs him and the rest of the Southlands that he has two things to tell them – the first of which is that he’s discovered a way to go beyond the borders of the world. They do so, Grian expressing how it is possible (and enjoyable) to break the rules set out for them – Martyn thinks about this. Grian then informs them of his second piece of news, that Scott and Pearl are in possession of a Wither Skull, and expresses his desire to retrieve it, giving the task to Martyn, Impulse and Mumbo go. They do so – however, Martyn secretly intends to destroy it because of how unprepared everyone is for a Wither fight, and possibly because he’s not entirely on the side of the Southlands, either. Grian, Martyn, Jimmy, Impulse, Mumbo [sung]

“[Unnamed Song]”: The three are found out by Scott, and Impulse and Mumbo flee. Scott informs Martyn that Grian also has a Wither Skull, and Martyn immediately gives the skull back, not knowing Grian already had one. The two talk about their distrust of Grian and his desire to bring complete chaos to the server. However, that night (post-song) the Voice informs him that its goal is to watch the server burn. Martyn, Scott [sung]

“Northern Lament”: Joel, still the only Red, is getting progressively angrier about being treated the way he is simply because he’s a Red name. At the bottom of the mountain, he pledges to get some more allies soon. Meanwhile, Scar, at the top of the mountain, is musing about the same things – he’s also alone because of distrust, but part of the isolation is also because he has the highest life count of anyone, at 7. Joel, Scar [sung]

“The Table Song 3″: The Chorus further chronicles the Enchanting Table’s journey, now in the Fairy Fort, where two members – Ren and BigB – are chosen as the Boogeyman. Team BEST visits and Bdubs gives a life to Lizzie in exchange, giving enchanting to everyone free of charge. Ren manages to kill a member of Team BEST, Skizz, but BigB has not gotten a kill yet, and the session is nearly over. He catches sight of his closest ally Cleo by the side of Ren’s pit trap. Chorus [sung]; Lizzie, Ren, BigB, Cleo, Skizz, Bdubs, Etho, Tango [spoken]

“Green, Crimson, Gold (Reprise)”: Cleo, now Yellow, arrives at Scott and Pearl’s base informing them of BigB’s Boogeyman kill on her, wanting to cut ties. Scott and Pearl accept (song intro). Meanwhile, Joel is getting desperate for allies, now hunting for Yellows to convert to Red with him. Hearing about Grian’s wither skull, he goes to the Nether, where Grian and Mumbo are building a Ghost farm, and shoots Grian off the edge, turning him Red. BDubs, fighting in the Nether, falls and turns Red too. When heading to Scott and Pearl’s base, a Yellow Cleo is killed by Joel’s trap. Chorus, Cleo, Scott, Pearl, Joel [sung]; Grian, Mumbo, Bdubs, Cleo, Joel [spoken]

20. “Friends”: The Southlands are informed of Grian’s death, and, now Red, Grian is to be exiled from the Southlands. He desperately tries to kill Mumbo as Impulse and Jimmy arrive, asking if they can still be friends, while Scott and Pearl mourn the loss of a friendship with Cleo, and Martyn is introduced to the rest of the Shadow Alliance under the gaze of the Moon, giving Ren a life. Grian, Mumbo, Jimmy, Impulse, Martyn, Scott, Pearl, Ren, Lizzie, BigB, Chorus [all sung]

Act 2:

“Walls”: Grian has been exiled from the Southlands, the stone wall he built separating them. In the Snow Fort, Etho and BDubs build a wall to keep them separate until he can gain a life again. Cleo, wanting vengeance on BigB, meets Scott on the other side of his wall, Scott giving her some sugarcane. Post-song, Grian, Joel and Cleo express their desire to gain lives back from Scar. Chorus, Grian, Bdubs, Etho, Cleo, Scott, Joel [sung]; Grian [spoken]

“Their Will”: Martyn relays the aims of the Voice, which he now interprets as the Moon, to the rest of the Shadow Alliance, who agree with it. Martyn, Ren, Lizzie, BigB [sung]

“Die For Me”: In that Shadow Alliance meeting, Martyn asks if there’s anything recent he should know about the Fairy Fort. They tell him the Fairy Fort has burned down at the hands of Cleo, relaying the tale as a flashback (with mainly Cleo singing). Cleo [sung, major part], BigB, Lizzie, Ren [sung, not many lines]; Martyn [spoken]. Functions as a Cleo solo.

“Promises”/“Coal Mine”*: During a Southlands meeting, Jimmy runs away with Martyn’s life. Martyn chases him, spurred on by the Voice. He lies to Jimmy, telling him they can run away from the Southlands together if he gives him back his life. Jimmy expresses his worry about potentially being the first out again in the process, as this has happened before and he is very vulnerable as a Yellow, and agrees. Martyn runs back with his life straight after. Jimmy, Martyn [sung]; Jimmy, Martyn [spoken]. Jimmy has most of the lines – functionally this is a Jimmy solo.

“[Unnamed Wither Theme (Song: Precursor)]*”: During the day, the Southlanders meet Scott, Martyn bringing up the danger of Grian’s Wither Skull as he’s now Red, and they decide to look for it. As Martyn is called away to a Shadow Alliance Meeting, Impulse manages to find it, and entrusts it to Scott. Scott gives it to the Fairy Fort for safekeeping. Martyn, Impulse, Jimmy, Mumbo [sung]; Scott, Impulse [spoken]

“Tales: The Wizard On The Mountain”: a Yellow Grian rejoins the Southlands, telling them (especially Martyn, as he did not know when this happened due to his absences) how he and Joel got a life back from Scar, who’s now Yellow himself, in addition to Cleo getting one too and rejoining Scott. Grian [sung]; Joel, Scar, Cleo [spoken]

“The Trial of Timmy”: The Southlands hold a trial for Jimmy about whether he should be exiled or stay in. They will anonymously vote their verdict in a book, Grian campaigning for Jimmy to leave, while the others, minus Martyn, campaign for him to stay. When it is time for them to vote, Martyn votes him in. Jimmy, Grian, Martyn, Impulse, Mumbo [sung]

“Our Will Be Done (Precursor 2)”: The Voice is angry at Martyn, asking him why he’s still attached to the Southlands when he wishes to join the Shadow, appearing to him and telling him a demonstration is in order... “Lights extinguish/Begin the Slaughter/Our Will Be Done!” Martyn’s voice [spoken]

Unnamed Song: Grian convinces Impulse to help him gather the three Wither Skulls he needs, Impulse musing about how despite the chaos it’ll bring, he wants to stay loyal to his allies. Martyn notices their actions, but doesn’t attempt to stop them, and distracts Bdubs and Etho while the other two take it. Impulse, Grian, Martyn [sung]; Grian, Martyn, Bdubs, Etho [spoken].

“Red, Crimson, Gold (Reprise 2)/The Boogeyman (Reprise)”: As Grian is distracted by this aim, the other members of the South fall to boogeymen, of which there are six of this session, due to the Voice’s promise. Impulse falls to Yellow at Scott’s hands, and Mumbo and Jimmy both become Red, along with many other players on the server, including Lizzie and once more, Joel. Chorus [sung]; Grian, Impulse, Scott, Mumbo, Jimmy, Lizzie, Joel [spoken]

“You Bet Your Life (Reprise)” – Needing a Boogeyman kill, Bdubs kills Tango at Team BEST’s base, leading Tango to rage and Team BEST to fall apart. Bdubs, Tango, Skizz, Etho [sung]; Bdubs, Tango [spoken]

“Friends (Reprise)”: Returning to the Southlands after their mission, Grian, Martyn and Impulse find the South blown up by Mumbo: mourning the loss of the alliance, they mournfully burn the walls in commemoration, while the trust and alliance between Scott, Pearl and Cleo strengthens. Far away, Etho, with Bdubs once again on the other side of the wall, discovers the missing Wither Skull, suspecting the Southlands. Grian, Martyn, Impulse, Scott, Pearl, Cleo [sung]; Etho, Bdubs [spoken]

“[Unnamed Song]”: Martyn and Grian, now the last two Southland members after Impulse is shot by Mumbo in the Nether and becomes Red, mentally comment about their distrust of the other person and about there being something off about them, Martyn due to the Voice’s seeming hatred of Grian and Grian’s apparent apathy to everything apart from causing bloodshed, Grian because he senses something around Martyn (Watcher powers heh) and his relative absence from the Southlands when they were still around, though he does express a wish to protect their last remaining threads of alliance. They express none of this aloud. Martyn, Grian [sung]

“When Will You Learn?”: Heading back to the Southlands, Grian and Martyn meet Jimmy and Mumbo, who attack them. Grian kills them both, to Martyn’s shock, and shocked himself, tries to defend these actions. All of a sudden, the Voice appears again and a Boogeyman curse strikes Martyn. Prompted by the Voice (seeming to have a specific hatred of Grian) and by vengeance for Mumbo and Jimmy, Martyn immediately moves to kill Grian. They confront each other about their various actions against the Southlands, and their apparent detachment from it, and talk about their suspicions that the other person knows more than they seem about the nature of the games – as the Voice tries to stop Martyn from inquiring further. Grian says he experiences this alongside his friends as a decision when prompted by Martyn stating he never cared in the first place. He wonders if Martyn would understand the situation due to his position; however, he does not know what Grian is talking about and distrusts him. Angry, Grian tries to leave, calling Martyn nothing but a follower, but after a pause Martyn manages to boogeyman kill him, though the kill is attributed to a nearby Joel. Angry, the voices swell around Martyn and he falls asleep. Martyn, Grian [sung]; Martyn’s voice [spoken]

“[Unnamed Wither Song]”/“When Will You Learn (Reprise)”: The Wither is raised by a Red Grian and Impulse in Team BEST’s base. Etho wants to run, but Bdubs attacks it, giving him the courage to attack too – however, Bdubs loses a life to it, turning Red once more. The remaining Greens and Yellows flock to fight it, Scott among the first, as the Reds join in, trying to kill the other players. The Wither is defeated by Etho; Impulse falls to Scott’s hand, dying permanently. Bdubs expresses his faith that Etho will give him another chance to come back, at which Grian laughs at and declines – loyalty gets you nowhere. Bdubs takes Lizzie’s final life as he was promised a life in exchange for killing a Red; he is shot by Grian as he runs to Etho to inform him of this. Etho reacts etc. Full cast apart from Jimmy, Mumbo, Skizz and Martyn [sung]; Etho, Bdubs [spoken].

16. “Our Will Be Done”: Waking up all alone, Martyn hallucinates his friends, before they are revealed as fake, the Voice in their places. He finally snaps at it, asking why they’re doing this. Why are they speaking to him? Why are they hell-bent on killing Grian? What did he mean? Why does he have to follow it when he wants to do the opposite of what they tell him? Who are they – why should he do anything they say? However, they pacify him, promising that if he does what they say, they will bring Impulse, Mumbo and Jimmy back. Martyn concedes. Martyn [sung]; Martyn, Martyn’s voice [spoken]

17. “Scott’s Elegy”: The Boogeyman curse falls on Scott, and though he’s complied with it once before, he makes a pledge not to succumb to it, as he doesn’t want to kill any more allies with so few lives left in the game. He lets himself turn Red. Scott [sung]

18. “[Unnamed Depressed c!Martyn Song]”: Martyn thinks on Scott’s decision, thinking about how he had the willpower to choose what he wanted to despite the consequences and the will of the world, and about his inability to do the same – he’s pushed around by the Voices without enough willpower to say no, and though he wishes to make choices, he cannot. He thinks about Grian’s words. Martyn [sung]

19. “Our Will Be Done (Reprise)*”: In a meeting of the Greens and Yellows, the Voice tells Martyn to place an End Crystal in the centre as a test for Scott: if he blows it up, he passes, if he doesn’t, he fails. Scott chooses not to, and as Scott turns Red, the voices talking to Martyn become loud and angry, commanding him to kill Scott for disobeying them, yet again promising him the Southlands back if he does. While walking around, Martyn loses his first life to a trap at Grian’s hands. Martyn’s voice, Scott, Martyn, Grian [spoken]

20. “Boogie Boogie Boogie (On The Dance Floor)”: The Chorus informs us that it is the last day. Pearl is chosen as the Boogeyman, rigging a TNT trap on a disco floor, turning Ren’s red. The others quickly fall to the Reds, including Cleo. Pearl, Chorus [sung]. Functions as a Pearl solo.

21. “Martyn’s Stand”: Now left as the last Yellow, Martyn decides he is tired of hiding, deciding make a last stand against everyone. At first humming the start of “In Spring We Met” as a comfort, he heads to a mountain and pouring lava down the sides as a beacon for the Reds. However, though he puts up a good fight, he doesn’t manage to take any of them down before dying himself, marking the server entirely Red. Chorus, Martyn, Pearl, Scott, Ren, Joel, Etho, Cleo, Grian [sung]. Every player apart from Martyn only has one or two lines as a solo – the rest is singing as a group.

22. “Battle Royale”: With the Reds having turned on each other, the four survivors – Pearl, Scott, Ren and Martyn – agree to a Battle Royale to decide the victor. Pearl dies early on, prompting Scott to grieve and resolve to win this fight, no matter what it takes. Martyn eventually falls to his own End Crystal. Only Scott and Ren are left, and they fight to the voices of dead players telling them to play the game. After a long fight, Scott manages to kill Ren, partially due to a zombie which he interprets as the world maybe doing something after all for his defiance. He is crowned the winner. However, the Voice does not like this, the Chorus supporting this, and Scott is stricken dead with heavenly lightning. Chorus (now combined with all dead players), Scott, Martyn, Ren, Pearl [sung]

23. “Plainly Spoken [Epilogue]”: All is silence, and yet Martyn opens his eyes once more, to the Voice and the Chorus, now joined as they are the same entity, informing him how disappointed they are in him, and that he is heading closer and closer to the light. As he asks questions, he is cut off, and they say he will forget all that has happened with them as he and everyone else moves into the next game. Up above, the land is now in the state it was at the start of the first verse of “Middle of Nowhere”, and they are revealed to be those that run the death loop. Chorus/Martyn’s voice (as one) [sung in a spoken way/vice versa]; Martyn (spoken)

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datvtranscripts · 4 months ago

Text

After the Storm Pt. 2

Bellara's Question

Bellara Masterpost

The Price of the Past Masterpost Previous: Talk to Solas

The PC heads to Lucanis, but is stopped by Bellara in front of the fire on the way.

Bellara: Oh. Hi, Rook. Um. Can I ask you a question? Actually, never mind. Don't worry about it.

Rook: Okay, you're several lines ahead of me here. Let's start with me saying "Hi, Bellara."

Bellara: Right. Okay. It's just. You know. The elf thing. We're fighting our gods. Our gods! It feels a little surreal. And I know surreal.

Dialogue options:

Affable: Yeah. Me, too. [1]

Sarcastic: That’s putting it mildly. [2]

Stoic: But necessary. [3]

1 - Affable: Yeah. Me, too.

Elf Rook: Rook: Yeah. It's… an adjustment. Whole lot of elven customs are feeling kind of weird right now.

Non-Elf Rook: Rook: Yeah, you and Davrin have it rough. At least we're only fighting your gods because they're evil? Maybe not the most helpful point to make. Bellara: No, it actually helps a little. But still.

2 - Sarcastic: That’s putting it mildly.

Elf Rook: Rook: Yeah. It's… an adjustment. Whole lot of elven customs are feeling kind of weird right now.

3 - Stoic: But necessary. Rook: Not like we had much of a choice. Bellara: Yeah. Rook: So what was your question?

4 - Scene continues.

Elf Rook [5]

Non-Elf Rook [6]

5 - Elf Rook Bellara: I'm worried about our people. Or… more like, how other people see us. Maybe people don't trust us. Maybe they shouldn't.

Dialogue options:

I hear you. Rook: I've had those same feelings. That guilt. But it hasn't been like that for centuries, and it isn't who we are now. [7]

We’re not our gods. Rook: Our gods aren't us. We can't judge people by their rulers—especially if those rulers are tyrants. Elves haven't been like that for centuries. [7]

It’s ancient history. Rook: They—not we, but they—did some bad things, but it was thousands of years ago. Since then, we've been on the back foot, fighting for our survival. The elven gods aren't who we are. Not anymore. [7]

6 - Non-Elf Rook

Bellara: Those are our gods out there. Rampaging around. Maybe people don't trust us. Maybe they shouldn't.

Dialogue options:

It’s not just elves. Rook: Every culture in Thedas has skeletons in its closet. Orlais. Ferelden. Most of Tevinter's skeletons aren't even trying to hide. But that isn't who the elves have been for centuries. [7]

The gods are to blame. Rook: It isn't your fault your gods woke up and decided to destroy the world. You didn't create your gods, and you aren't them. Not anymore. [7]

Could be. Rook: You might be right. Not everyone's going to trust you. But that isn't who the elves are. Not anymore, at least. [7]

7 - Scene continues.

Bellara: That feels too easy. Like we're not taking responsibility. And, I don't know. I feel guilty. Anytime I think about it, really.

Rook: So who's that helping?

Bellara: Who's what helping?

Rook: Feeling guilty.

Bellara: Well. No one, I guess. But then what should I do?

Dialogue options:

Flirt: Keep being you. [8]

Affable: Don’t take the easy lies. [9]

Sarcastic: Keep fighting the gods. [10]

Stoic: Do nothing. [11]

8 - Flirt: Keep being you. Rook: I don't know. But you're kind and compassionate, and that matters. It makes a difference. Bellara: Rook. That… means a lot. Thank you. But is it really that easy?

Elf Rook: Bellara: Does kindness make up for it? What our people did, I mean? Rook: The Evanuris did those things. And they did them to our people.

Non-Elf Rook Bellara: Does kindness make up for it? What my people did, I mean? Rook: The Evanuris did those things. And they did them to your people.

Bellara: Yeah.

9 - Affable: Don’t take the easy lies. Rook: It'd be easy to pretend that stories about the benevolent elven gods were true. But we know they weren't.

Elf Rook: Bellara: So what do we do? To make up for them, I mean? Rook: Be honest. About our history, but also about who we are now. We're more than our ancient past.

Non-Elf Rook Bellara: So what do I do? To make up for them, I mean? Rook: Be honest. About who you were, but also about who you are now. The past doesn't define you.

Bellara: Is it that easy, though? Just being honest? Rook: Honesty's hard work, but it's the right kind of work. It's important work. Bellara: Right. I get it.

10 - Sarcastic: Keep fighting the gods. Rook: Well, fighting two of the elven gods feels like a good start.

Elf Rook: Bellara: I wish that felt like enough. Like we were making up for, well… everything. But can we even do that? After what our people did? Rook: The Evanuris did those things. And they did them to our people.

Non-Elf Rook Bellara: I wish that felt like enough. Like I was making up for, well… everything. But can I really do that? After what my people did? Rook: The Evanuris did those things. And they did them to your people.

Bellara: Yeah.

11 - Stoic: Do nothing. Rook: Don't do anything. Just give it your best. That's all any of us can do.

Elf Rook: Bellara: I like to think that we're making things right. But can we even do that? After what our people did? Rook: The Evanuris did those things. And they did them to our people.

Non-Elf Rook Bellara: And, you know… I like to think I'm making things right. But can I really do that? After what my people did? Rook: The Evanuris did those things. And they did them to your people.

Bellara: Yeah.

12 - Scene continues.

Bellara: It's hard. All of it's hard. But I feel better. A little bit, anyways. Thanks. For talking to me. And listening to me.

Dialogue options:

Affable: You’re welcome. [13]

Sarcastic: Hey, I was useful! [14]

Stoic: Back to business. [15]

13 - Affable: You’re welcome. Rook: Hey, anytime. It's what I'm here for. Bellara: Right. It's a good thing to be here for. [16]

14 - Sarcastic: Hey, I was useful! Rook: I'm no bard, but I can talk. Glad it helped. Bellara: Well. You're good at it. [16]

15 - Stoic: Back to business. Rook: Glad it helped. Now, how about we get back to it? Bellara: Sure thing. [16]

16 - Scene continues.

Bellara: See you later, Rook.

+Bellara Approves

Next: Check on Lucanis

#dragon age #dragon age the veilguard #datv #dragon age veilguard #dragon age dialogue #dragon age transcripts #dragon age the veilguard transcripts #dragon age the veilguard dialogue #dragon age veilguard transcripts #dragon age veilguard dialogue #datv transcripts #datv dialogue #dav dialogue #dav transcripts #long post #after the storm #bellara #bellara lutare

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sayitaliano · 11 months ago

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Hello, I’ve been trying to learn Italian for a few years now (it’s been an on and off thing, depending on how frustrated I get lol), I feel like my discipline is not the best, and the fact that I can’t find a native to practice and ask for help is also pretty discouraging. Could you please give me a few tips as to what I can do to learn more in my current situation? Thank you 💕

Ciao!

For as frustrating as it may get (and I know what you mean here as a languages student myself), my main suggestion is to try and keep up a constant pace that allows you to study at least 15 minutes everyday (or a bit more 3-4 times a week, all according on your schedule ofc). I noticed an improvement once I started being more consistent in my practice (even writing just a sentence per day is better than doing a whole paragraph each month -eg. I've been writing a diary everyday, not just about random stuff but inserting different things like descriptions, answering questions, grammar stuff/sentences practice...). And ofc, the moment I decided I wanted to be more consistent, I had to start from basics again (and I'm suggesting you the same).

Set easy goals, plan reviews of what you have studied (even the week before), write in and listen to your target language (and also talk to yourself in it, like eg. describe what's around you or try to tell yourself what you should do; immerse yourself in the culture as much as you can -youtube is so of help with its many vlogs and shows and music...): I understand you want to run fast towards fluency but it's not said you need to reach it in a certain amount of time. Allow yourself to have days in which you see no progress or even think you're taking step backward. It's okay, it's all part of the process (we also have bad days in general, so be kind with yourself). We need for stuff we learn to settle a bit here and there, and therefore not making moves even for a week or two (or more) is normal. Go slow: moving fast is enemy when we want to learn and really assimilate what we learn.

Even if it's annoying to study, grammar is fundamental. And Italian grammar is not easy to learn so again it may take time according on what you are studying (nouns' genders, irregular verbs, articles, pronouns, adjectives.... try to start as easy as you can). If you rather, I'd suggest you buying a book for foreigners (I'm leaving you the resources masterpost, maybe you can find studying books but also other resources for your self studies)

I have collected LOADS of studying tips in the years on this masterpost (lemme add this since i cannot edit that post now) and... actually I know of a native who's trying to practice English (this said you can write a post about needing a "Penpal" and tag me, I'll happily reblog it here: many Italians follow me or you can use some other app). Don't give up on a native's help: being corrected when we make mistakes is so very important. It helps us remember the mistake we made and not do it anymore (or be more aware of it). Or find studying pals! I'm sure other Italian students would like to share and help you. Having others studying with us, may also help when it comes to consistency: we have no excuse but to practice at least every week and then we can practice together too. There's nothing bad in asking for help: if you don't know something, you cannot just try to solve it yourself, as you may not find the solution (or find a incorrect one): that way studying a language can really become frustrating to say the least as you may feel like you're in a hole and you cannot get out of it. Don't make it more difficult for yourself, make it easier. It's plenty of people who'd like to help you out and find themselves in your same position. You're not a bother, js.

All the best!! And ofc here I am if you need help :)

#it #italian #langblr #italiano #italian language #italian langblr #languages #styding tips #studyblr #studying languages

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kaylinalexanderbooks · 1 year ago

Text

OC questionnaire

Thanks to @elsie-writes here, here, and here, @illarian-rambling here and here, @willtheweaver here, @ceph-the-ghost-writer here, and @mysticstarlightduck here!

I've somehow been tagged more than this somehow, but this post is so long I've decided to cut it off here.

Rules: answer the questions as an OC, then leave three new questions for the people you tag!

Past questionnaires: masterpost for round one

Tagging @mk-writes-stuff @elsie-writes @katwritesshit @rickie-the-storyteller @cherrybombfangirlwrites

+ ANYONE ELSE

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites

I have done all TSP characters I can answer for. Everyone else is not important enough for me to leave a response. SOTL doesn't have enough yet.

Under the cut: Tyler, Gwen, Liam, Noelle, Akash, Robbie, Sam, Ewan

#1- Tyler

Who is the most memorable person you've ever seen? Why are they so memorable?

“One guy I met a few years ago, Anathi. He was interesting. A little, uh, repressed due to having never really interacted with anyone for three years. Um. He was an ultimate, but like way taller than average, so also physically memorable. Haven't seen him in years though. So, anyway, did you know the human mind can never forget a face? And it also can't make up one, either. So, if you see someone you don't know in your dream, you have to have seen them on the street at some point!”

What stresses you out most?

“Stupid and lazy and incompetent people in charge. Like, who gave that idiot so much power? A bigger idiot??? So an even bigger idiot has even more power. Awesome. Fantastic. It sucks.”

What is your favorite holiday?

“Halloween. It is fun to dress up as whatever I want. And plan a decent costume with makeup. It also pisses off Medina. And Dr. Asghar. Those are always fun.”

Other Tyler: questionnaire one, two truths and a lie

#2- Gwen

What is the most important thing someone can receive?

“Love, friendship, support, compassion.... I think I will go with support. Support in all areas of your life I find important.”

What was your favorite age of your life?

“I like being twelve. But I miss being six. When my grandfather would read to me.”

How do you like your coffee (or tea)?

“Preferably, not at the same time! Haha. ... Did I tell you about that? Yeah, I accidentally made my coffee with a tea bag. It...was surprising, for sure. Awful, but I couldn't stop drinking it. May make it intentionally again. I usually just take my coffee with sweet cream.”

Other Gwen: OC in three, OC in fifteen, picrew, kiss, two truths and a lie, questionnaire one, OC interview

#3- Liam

What's your go-to beverage?

“Water. And I'm not saying that to be boring. It's just objectively the best beverage. It keeps you healthy, hydrated. Why waste money on carbonated garbage? Everyone should be drinking water. It does nothing but help you. Except people who are allergic to water, but that is an incredibly rare condition.”

What's the stupidest argument you've ever gotten into?

“There is literally no such thing as a stupid argument. However, I did get punched in the face when I lectured this one kid about how landings didn't count as steps. Of course, they do, but I thought it would be funny if I tried to convince him they did not. Apparently I pissed him off.”

How do you act when you're over-tired?

“I become more easy to distract. Overwhelmed, maybe anxiety. More reserved. I also start noticing my mistakes more. I also keep thinking I'm sick. That's much better than some. Think about it: I could be yelling and screaming at everyone. I could become an evil dictator. But I don't. I just affect me, and in the end, that's much better.”

Other Liam: questionnaire one, interview

What would you do if you found someone's wallet and ID on the floor with no one in sight?

#4- Noelle

“I would look at the ID and figure out a way to give it back to the person who lost it. Depending on where I am, I'd give it to proper authorities. At school, the front office. Police if I'm out. If all else fails, I suppose I could ask Lexi to teleport me to them.”

Can you swim?

“Of course I can. It doesn't make sense not to learn. My mom taught me when I was really young.”

If you were an animal, what would you be?

“What a stupid hypothetical question. I'm not a shapeshifter. *Sigh* Okay, fine, I'll try. Um... Owls represent intelligence so maybe that? I think I'm smart. Wolves are loyal to their family. I'd call myself that.”

Other Noelle: OC in three, OC in fifteen, Picrew, Bingo, questionnaire one

#5- Akash

What is your idea of a romantic date?

“Oh, man. Everything! Dinner and a movie. Holding hands as we walk through an art exhibit. Strolling or hiking through nature. The classic stuff! That reminds me... I need to plan something for Gwen... A bit nervous to ask her out, to be honest, but Robbie says she won't mind what we do as long as we're together. I dunno, man, first dates seem so crucial to get right.”

Can you be trusted to keep a secret?

“Yes. [Pause] I mean, I've kept my own, so I'd completely understand, and would respect your wishes. But just so you know, I hate lying. Despite doing it. But I fixed it! So yes, I can, but I'll hate every second of it. Although it will not make me feel guilty like it was when it was mine! But uh... Don't ask me to keep it from Robbie... Y'know what? Don't tell me. Sorry.”

What is one thing that makes your blood boil?

“Well, uh... I hate not getting respect. It's not like I think I'm entitled to it, but... I do still want it. People with no compassion for each other, it... It pisses me off a little. I hate seeing it.”

Other Akash: OC in three, OC in fifteen, Picrew, kiss, questionnaire one, two truths and a lie

#6- Robbie

Which weirdly specific superpower would you prefer: ability to cook eggs in any manner and have them turn out perfectly, or ability to always recommend a piece of media someone else will enjoy?

“Eggs. Gonna be honest, I almost want the second one, but I can already do that! I have excellent tastes. Although maybe that is, like, a superpower or something and it would go away when I get the eggs power. Hm. Eggs because I genuinely also want to help my mom out in the kitchen. I mean, I can already make eggs, but I get overwhelmed most of the time, so I stick to scrambled just so I know I'm doing it right. So yeah, eggs. If my media powers go away, I don't care, because I'll still love my stupid cartoons.”

Most awkward conversation you've ever had?

“Oh, God. Why. Why must you make me remember this?? Sooo I had this playhouse I went to as a kid. One of my friends there was this girl Ava. We went to that playhouse for years! And one day, she came to my seventh grade play on The Secret Garden. I was hanging with Akash and another kid in the play, Bryan. Ava comes up to us after the play to congratulate me and say hi. And then I said, 'Bryan, let me introduce you to my old friend...' and then I blanked for a solid 17 seconds on her name. It was awful. I said, 'Ava' at the same time Akash did to cover for me. It was... So bad. I tried to pass it off as me being overly dramatic with a pause and that I wanted Akash to say her name at the same time. But. I think she knew.”

How accurate do you think your zodiac sign is?

“Apparently, I'm a Taurus. And according to Google... This is literally not me at all. Like, it says I'm super sensual and grounded. [Pause] Me. Sensual and grounded! What even?!”

Other Robbie: OC in fifteen, OC in three, Picrew, two truths and a lie, questionnaire one

#7- Sam

What is your favorite drink?

“Ooh, lemonade! I love lemonade!! I always wanted to have a lemonade stand actually. I like all kinds of lemonade. Canned or homemade or whatever!! I usually have a can after dance class.”

Do you know how to dance?

“I do! I'm in a class that I go to weekly! We do ballet and tap dancing. It's so fun! I could dance all day long!”

What would make you never forgive someone?

“I'm not sure. I like moving on and pretending the bad stuff didn't happen. But I guess... If a friend did something awful to another.”

Other Sam: questionnaire one

#8- Ewan

What is your favorite small nature item? Pinecones, rocks, leaves, seashells?

“I like rocks. I have a rock collection. I think it's pretty cool.”

Do you have a go-to or favorite idiom?

“Huh. I've literally never thought of this before. I guess I like 'cross the bridge when we get there.' It's kind of a mantra for me. Worrying about the future, y'know? I don't like waiting until we get there to cross the bridge. I want to be prepared to cross the bridge. At the same time... I'm bad at preparing cause I'm not proactive. So I use the idiom to get out of the stuff I don't want to do now. I have a complicated relationship with this idiom....”

What is your favorite fruit?

“No, don't make me choose!! I guess... Cantaloupe. You probably weren't expecting that.”

Other Ewan: questionnaire one, kiss

Your questions:

What's the last thing you replaced, and why did you have to replace it?

Where's a place you've been that you felt out of place?

Do you trust your instincts?

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doyoulikethischaracterdesign · 3 months ago

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DYLTCD MASTERPOST

(Last updated: 25th Jun 25)

Yet another polling blog focused on whether or not you (specifically) like the visual design of a character.

Polls will be posted five times a day at 18:00 GMT (subject to change & barring extenuating circumstances), and will last one week.

SUBMISSIONS

Status: Open!

Please submit character designs using this form.

Spreadsheet for previous / queued posts here.

estimated posting date if you submit now*: 20th Sep 25