#i've finally found the energy to format this chapter | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

starshine-selfships · 2 years ago

Text

This is it, the most important fic I'll ever write, so important I'm putting it in my bio when it's done. This is it, the butterfly kisses origin story ✨️ I've already alluded to this a bunch and linked some posts that explain the lore, but here I am finally organizing it in the format of a fic as opposed to the storytelling I've been doing. (There's also 4 chapters total, check em all out 👀)

Content warning for injury and blood, depression, implied suicidal ideation, anxiety, paranoia, and mentions of abuse.

It's a heavy one, but this is ultimately a story about recovery and healing, and it must start with what made those processes necessary in the first place.

There was nothing left.

The war with humanity had ended in a draw. The aggressors had retreated, leaving Pouf and everyone he loved alive and only mostly intact. He'd seen his older sibling return, but with physical dents and bruises that made him want to sob. His younger brother spontaneously bled for weeks on end, with every new nosebleed inciting new panic over whether or not it would be the very last one he would ever have. Pouf himself seemed to have been hit the hardest, coughing up blood and fainting, scaring his brothers half to death every time he slid into unconsciousness.

Physically, he'd had a fairly strong constitution, but psychologically he'd always been a bit fragile. If his body had been weakened, his mind had been shattered. He found himself sleeping, already an unusual activity for him, but always awaking with a start, soaked in sweat and tears. The cloud from the detonation had seared itself into his psyche, and it was the only image he saw in his dreams. Over and over, the scenario repeated itself, the distant light and the rose blooming over it, the sickening panic, the molten earth, his brother diving directly into the magma, both of them frantically searching, where is he? He was alive. He had survived. And he was still with them. How he'd fared wasn't fully known, but he knew that, were things to enter a decline, he would know. Without a doubt in his mind, he would know. He would know if his king's health began to fail. One of the few things he had left to take solace in was knowing that it didn't seem to be a possibility.

Knowing he was okay was all he knew. He barely saw him. He knew he was hiding away with her, and it shattered his heart. He'd loved him, for sure; his siblings loved him as well, but Pouf had felt a certain depth to his adoration that he was quite certain his siblings didn't share with him. To have lost him, especially to have lost him to her made him want to scream, cry, and perform every action in between. He'd fought valiantly, nearly lost his own life, watched his siblings nearly lose theirs, watched his king come back from the brink of death, and in the end, lost him to someone who had never even seen the battlefield. To someone who had been taken hostage, with no effort like that Pouf had exerted. She had no understanding of what had taken place, hadn't been there at the then-presumed deathbed, hadn't risked her life to save him. And in the end, Pouf had been shoved aside in favor of her. He had no idea how his king was doing, how he was managing, and there was nothing left for Pouf to do for him. Anxiety had always knotted in his throat, but each time he thought of him, he felt as though he would choke.

He barely saw his siblings. They still cared of course, but he made it a point to avoid them. Interactions took too much energy he simply didn't have, and he didn't want to put himself through them anyways. They were used to his tears, but they couldn't help him as he spent more time than not crying, completely inconsolable as each new day brought a new reminder of his failure. Of how his life didn't matter, not after how things had ended up. He looked out the window. He leaned a bit too far out the window. He felt the breeze whip his eyes and freeze his tears. He left the window. He still used his violin, but even the remaining soldiers and his own family began to give him space when the only pieces he played were mournful. Vibrato laid heavy by shaking hands, long emphatic pauses punctuated by half stifled sobs. It had once served as a comfort. A reminder of how things used to be.

He felt he could sense that no one around him could tolerate it anymore, could tolerate him anymore. His volatility, his wailing, it all must have seemed so pathetic. He knew his brothers cared. He couldn't bring himself to accept that care. His exhaustion grew day by day, and he'd decided that the distance he'd been putting in simply wasn't enough. Even amidst the self-imposed isolation, someone would still pass by his room as he played music, giving a pitying glance as the doleful sounds continued. He needed to go farther, to ensure no one could find him. He needed to remove himself from the equation altogether.

Taking his violin, he left for the woods.

He'd looked for a clearing among the trees, anywhere to stand and move a bit. A place to be his very own, without any intrusions. Perhaps a place he would not return from. Having found somewhere with a fallen tree, he'd stood upon the stump and played, unloading the grief that had plagued him. Bow strings broke as he dug into the instrument, becoming more aggressive as rage began to take over. This wasn't how any of this was supposed to be. No one should have been injured within an inch of their lives, his brothers shouldn't have to shoulder their own grief alongside his, his king shouldn't be isolating himself with a woman so far beneath himself that she was practically worthless. Every possible wrong turn had been made, and there hadn't been a thing he'd been able to do about it. On every single step, he'd faltered and failed. His frustrations grew ever stronger, reaching fever pitch as a violin string snapped clean in two. The damage launched him back into his surroundings, grounding him. His catharsis had been cleaner than previous fits, his environment remaining fully intact, but his violin having been broken under the sheer force of raw emotion. The bow hairs were negligible, and he had a few extra strings for repairs like such. Still re-entering the scene around himself, he found himself taking deep breaths, feeling the breeze on his face highlight the violent tear stains he hadn't noticed prior. He felt calm. Genuinely calm. A very subtle peace had finally come over him. He'd sat on the stump for a bit, sitting in the sunlight, listening to the wind in the trees, and for one brief moment, his life didn't feel like a punishment.

And so he continued to do so, day after day, escaping to the silence of the trees. He always brought his violin, sometimes not even using it, merely seating himself in the clearing and clinging to it, gently wrapping his arms around the body of the instrument while resting the bow next to his leg. He chased the peace he'd felt the first time, with the release of pent up grief and all that accompanied it, wishing beyond anything to be able to replicate it again and again, day after day. He began to feel the moments of the days arrive and slip past like the beating of his own heart. Everything was moving too quickly, and suddenly being alone and so distant from the others didn't feel as comforting anymore. Even so, the brief moments of calm that were afforded to him were more than enough to encourage him to keep the routine. That was, until something began to disrupt it.

He'd been aware that he wasn't always alone.

Twigs would snap behind him, with the sounds of something brushing against the leaves confirming his thoughts that something much larger than a standard creature of the woods was watching him. He'd never seen the perpetrator. He knew he could fight if he had to - just one swift kick would be more than enough to snap the spine of any intruder - but never felt himself to be in any real danger. Burdened by emotion, he couldn't bring himself to care. Whatever it was, so long as it didn't show its face or interrupt his meditative sense of peace, it didn't matter. He considered it more of an irritance than anything, feeling too spent to think much more of it. And such continued until the subject of annoyance made itself known.

He'd been in the middle of a piece when he suddenly stopped, head whipping around to look behind himself. He'd heard leaves crunching again, knowing that whatever was watching him was deliberately doing so, day by day, and resolved to finally put an end to it in a fit of exasperation. By moving quickly, he'd hoped to gain an advantage by catching the opponent off guard, giving him the first move. All he needed was a single move anyways. Everything had ground him down. His patience had been fully drained by his grief, his anxiety, his depression. Anything that threatened to take his fragile peace sent him into a burning rage, but when he met eyes with his interlocutor, the fires burnt out as his blood ran cold instead.

Behind the tree the noise had emanated from stood a small, androgynous human.

The very same as those that had resolved to kill his king, to kill his siblings, and to kill him. The very same that had resorted to using poisoned explosives in an underhanded attempt to win. The very same that had viewed his entire family as a blight upon the earth that had to be exterminated, totally and mercilessly.

And now one had stepped into his own private space.

He knew he'd been watched for weeks now, and felt panic swell in his chest as he realized how long he'd allowed the observation to happen, sealing his own fate through carelessness. He hadn't even said goodbye when he left that morning. Fighting back didn't even occur to him, and he felt the violin beginning to slip out of his grip as adrenaline incited tremors and tears welled in his eyes. How pathetic, a royal guard, about to die alone in the woods, not even doing his job, the one and only thing he was born for.

He glared, directly looking into the eyes of the intruder, burying his fear under a need to prove himself. Violence would be an immediate solution, and if he could prove to himself that he could still defend, that he was still capable of doing better, then-

"That was Beethoven, right?"

Why was it talking? And why did the query throw him off further? It took the silence as an invitation to continue.

"Sonata 9 in A-Major, the Kreutzer?" A tinny voice, audibly shaking in fear. "I think yours is the best rendition I've ever heard."

Pouf still glared, but stood in silence. This had to be some kind of trick, there's no way someone would come out into the middle of nowhere for weeks at a time, only to make small talk upon being caught. He suspected ulterior motives of course, even considering the idea that there could be a network of contacts, eventually leading to an untimely demise for those he cared about, as well as himself.

Perhaps, but it seemed unlikely. The human appeared to be a civilian of the area and, as such, couldn't be carrying any electronics; the isolation of the woods made it unlikelier still, with so much travel to get out of them likely not being able to be handled by the small frame the intruder exhibited, not without being apprehended early due to the noise of the foliage. Utterly untrained, if his suspicions were correct. He would use this as a chance to flip the narrative. He would observe it, and see what its actions would be.

He didn't answer the question. The guess regarding the piece had been correct. He wasn't about to lie to himself, the compliment felt nice. But he wasn't about to let himself be overtaken by it. Letting out an exaggerated sigh of frustration, he lifted his instrument and continued to play. The human didn't leave, and as Pouf kept sneaking glances of it, he noticed it seemed fully entranced by his playing. He didn't consider his music to be anything out of the ordinary, but he had the common sense to know his technical skill levels were quite high. The staring from the onlooker served as confirmation, with the spell only breaking when he finished the sonata.

Silence followed, pressing both of them for a reaction.

"That was really good." Really good. All the descriptors in the world, and really good was the final choice. Not that it mattered. He'd hoped to have made himself appear annoyed and threatening enough to chase it off, making this interaction the last one.

"Thanks for letting me stay to hear the rest of it." The words were said with a bowed head.

Bowing to him.

The gestures seemed so sincere, but he refused to accept them. He watched the bow straighten out, exchanged for a sheepish smile and hand raised in a wave, before the interaction came to a close as it wandered back into the woods, carelessly kicking leaves and snapping twigs.

What had struck him most was the almost odd politeness. He certainly didn't look fully human; between his lavender skintone and elbowed antennas, there was no mistaking him for anything other than insectoid. And yet, while there was distinct fear from the observer, it didn't run. He was treated with respect, even complimented, in spite of the incredibly strange circumstances.

He suspected he should change where he played.

Force of habit brought him back to the same clearing the next day. Evidently, the same could be said for them. He spotted them again, amongst the trees, but continued to play, pretending he hadn't seen. He was determined to see this through and understand what was driving them to come back. Hadn't he already made it apparent that they were risking their life?

The return visit frustrated him; he'd sought out isolation after the very beast that they were had nearly stolen everything he held near and dear to himself. In a way, they had succeeded. He still hadn't seen his king. Eyes narrowed in revulsion, he glanced back over their frail frame, half hidden behind a tree. Absolutely pathetic. He felt sickened.

He didn't feel sickened enough to chase them away by force.

He finished playing, then looked over expectantly at them, eyes sharpened with impatience. They took a gasp, realizing the query placed over them.

"That was the solo from the first movement of Vivaldi's Winter."

Correct.

"I actually saw another live performance of it a few years ago. Hearing it is one thing, but to actually see someone play it..." They averted their eyes as they continued, voice growing fainter as they grew visibly more nervous. The mention of having seen another performance immediately struck Pouf. If anything, at least they had some taste for culture. He refused to let his guard down, but had conceded a bit. They didn't seem out of the ordinary in the least, looking ridiculous in the way they gripped the bark on the tree that they leaned on for support. He still felt deeply uncomfortable by their presence, but truly, he hadn't felt comfortable around anyone after the war. It was how he'd ended up where he was then and there. At the very least, they seemed to value his playing, showing more engagement than his family members ever did in the time leading up to his daily departures.

They performed the same exit as the previous day, nodding their head, and turning to walk off into the distance, leaving Pouf to stand bewildered. Just once could be an accident, but twice? There was intention behind their movements. However, they also seemed noticeably afraid and unlikely to make any attack. Of course, that was unless it was a facade. He almost immediately dismissed the thought. He couldn't sense anything special about them, and they were so physically small that he could subdue them with little to no effort. His draw towards their visits happened to be towards their ear for music. They held that minor acknowledgement of his playing, recognizing the pieces and having the context to at least name them off. For as much as he enjoyed playing, that level of engagement wasn't something he was used to seeing, and he hated to admit it to himself, but it appealed to him. He wanted the isolation, but the connectivity was something he didn't quite realize he missed. Only two days had passed. He was certain he would get a grip on his emotions as time went on, dismissing camaraderie with an enemy and easily replacing it with something better.

As the days drifted into weeks, he found himself lagging in the opposite direction. Each time, he'd gone back at roughly the same time and, as if on cue, they'd come back. They'd accurately named the pieces he'd played each time as well, keeping up a somewhat impressive streak of recognition. He found himself calmer, especially seeing how careful they were to keep their distance, as well as how almost overly polite they insisted on being. He'd wanted to see what their motives truly were, but at this point, he didn't believe they'd thought far enough ahead to have any. They legitimately seemed to have wandered and found him, then kept returning to see if the same thing happened. Not a thought in their head to even be concerned with. Nevertheless, he kept his guard up, but began feeling more curious than anything.

When they arrived, he hadn't been playing, instead wanting to test something. He glanced over at them and, for the first time, spoke: "Name a composer."

They remained silent, seemingly shocked to hear the sound of his voice. They then spoke with determination.

"Sibelius."

Sibelius? Pouf was certain he could name only a single piece by him; he was a bit too modern for his Baroque sensibilities. His mask must have slipped as he was thinking, it was all he could reason as to why they spoke again.

"What about Handel?"

Handel was someone he could work with. He raised his bow and lifted the violin, launching into a number with no hesitation. His onlooker stood spellbound once more. Upon ending, he glanced back over at them as they delivered polite applause with a shy grin. He felt patronized by it, but also couldn't deny that he felt a certain pride in being able to show off, especially to someone who at least seemed to appreciate his efforts.

And such continued, his requests met with their suggestions. He took it as a challenge, with his expertise beginning to fall around the 1750s and theirs appearing to arise much later, past the 1800s. While their preferred eras were quite a ways apart, Pouf felt determined to become acquainted with them, to demonstrate how much ability and intellect he truly had, not wanting to fall short after having built up such a strong image.

He'd played a Beethoven piece for them, pondering how his playing at the palace was occasionally subject to jokes by his brothers. "Hey, I think that instrument's broken, you should get a new one." He could hear it so clearly in his mind. Even so, he admitted to himself that his thoughts and memories had been tainted by cynicism. He could recall them listening to him play for hours on end as well, with his older sibling having recorded some of his performances on their phone, sometimes bringing them back later to ask for an encore. He cherished the memories, especially since he still didn't feel quite right around them at the moment. All of them needed to talk about what happened after the war, but he didn't know how to bring it up without bursting into tears. He didn't know how either of them had been hurt, and was afraid to even ask. The wounds were closing, weren't they?

Did they ever even heal?

He lowered his violin in thought, muttering their names to himself before catching himself and looking back over at his guest. They looked back, without questioning his behavior. Something tugged at him, and before he could process what he was doing-

"Do you have family?"

Why did he ask? His own family concerned him, his king concerned him, the king's human- well, she was concerned by proxy. This random individual he found in the woods was the equivalent of a plaything. And yet, he found himself wondering who they actually were. After his streak of losses and failures, he'd been asking the same thing of himself.

They'd been caught off guard by the question.

"I-I mean, I have parents, and a sibling, but like..." They seemed unsure of how to finish their thought. "I think I might have to leave a little earlier today." They spoke with conviction. "I just... I don't know. I should probably go now actually." They avoided looking at him, instead looking down, shuffling the leaves around. He wasn't sure what chord he'd struck with them by asking, but the sudden dark shift of mood contrasted sharply with their usual light tone.

Not that he cared, of course. Just mere observation.

They looked back up at him, angling their head just enough to see his face. Their voice was flat.

"I should go. Sorry."

They genuinely seemed so. He'd barely call the two of them acquaintances, with the only thing they shared being a common interest in music. His fears were still present, he was tolerating the presence of his guest, but to see such dread cloud over their normally awestruck countenance was, at the very least, off-putting. They weren't completely afraid of him anymore, but they were definitely deeply afraid of something, and whatever that something else could be, he hoped he wouldn't have to be concerned with it. He'd had enough of family matters.

#HEHEHE HERE IT COMES #next chapter will be up next thursday! there's 4 in total 💕#self ship fic #butterfly kisses

7 notes · View notes

a-nice-and-interpretive-fanzine · 4 years ago

Text

[ID: A cream-colored banner that says "A Nice and Interpretive Fanzine: essays and art about the meanings we've found in Good Omens." There is a photo of a book page with a key on it behind the banner text. The photo source is rosy_photo on Pixabay. /end ID]

A Nice and Interpretive Fanzine: Information Masterpost

Welcome!

This is a zine for those of us who love the subtle, complex work that is Good Omens, and who’ve enjoyed the thoughtfulness of the fandom as people interpret how the many moving pieces of the story come together, creating a slightly different meaning for each of us.

To put it simply, it’s a book full of the fandom’s own analysis and commentary about the Good Omens TV show, enhanced with illustrations from our brilliant artists.

This zine is analytical in the sense that all the writers are expressing their own nonfiction thoughts and feelings about the show, rather than writing fanfic, but it is not meant to be heavily academic. Anybody who likes to pick apart the series and discuss it should be able to enjoy it.

The zine will contain essays by fans who are passionate about analyzing and interpreting different parts of Good Omens - the characters, the plot, the writing techniques for the book and script, the cinematography of the TV show, the popular content of the fandom itself. Accompanying these essays will be black and white illustrations from our artists.

How are you organizing this process?

May 1-May 15: Everyone submits their application to do writing or art through a Google form. Behind the scenes, I’ll be setting up a separate email and Discord.

May 16-20: Applicants will be screened during this time.

May 20: I’ll email everyone to let them know the outcomes of their applications. The final participants will get a link to the Discord server for the zine (totally optional, of course).

May 21: If there’s any clarification or solidifying of ideas that needs to happen, I’ll contact you and discuss with you by this point. This is also when artists will be matched up with essays.

May 22 to August 14: This will be a period of just working on our essays and art. The Discord chat and Tumblr will be there for support and for exchanging ideas!

August 15: Participants need to email their full works to the zine’s email address by this date. No special formatting is needed; I’ll do that in InDesign.

August 15 to August 31: I’ll be putting the zine together in InDesign.

September 1: Preorders will open.

September 30: Preorders will close.

October 1: The zine order will be placed!

October 15: Assuming all goes well with printing and shipping, the zines will be shipped out in waves starting on this date. If the printing or shipping from the manufacturer is delayed, then shipping will just start ASAP.

Writer Application HERE Artist Application HERE Asked and Answered Questions on Tumblr The Fanzine's Page on Twitter

Read below for more detailed information about the zine in a Q and A format!

What are the specifications for the zine contributions?

For writers, I’m starting with 3k words or fewer per essay (approximately 10 pages at the size of this book). This depends heavily on how many participants we actually get, so it may change!

For artists, I’d be looking at black and white works, 300 DPI, 5.5 x 8.5 inches or smaller. If your art is supposed to fill up the entire page (i.e. no white space), please make it a total of 5.75 x 8.75 inches with nothing too important around the edges to account for bleed during the printing process.

Can I submit an essay to this zine if I’ve already posted it on Tumblr?

Not as you’ve already posted it. We don’t want to just copy/paste the exact thing that hundreds or perhaps even thousands of people have already read.

However, it IS fine and maybe even a good idea to take the same thought from your post and refine it, preserving your same thesis. For example, a lot of Tumblr posts are just us fans jotting down 5 or 6 paragraphs of random thoughts at 2 AM, but some of them are really cool thoughts! Expanding them and turning them into a bona-fide Essay would make those posts into excellent zine chapters. And you can copy small pieces of your own language as long as the whole thing isn’t just pasted word-for-word.

How long do essays have to be? Is there a limit?

With the number of writers we have, I've calculated that each person should ideally keep their essay to about 6000 words. There is wiggle room.

There’s no real minimum for your contribution; some analytical ideas are really good but can be expressed concisely, so it’s okay if your essays only come out to a few pages typed. For reference, with our book size, a page is about 300 words.

What happens if the zine sells a lot and you end up not only breaking even, but turning a profit?

It’ll go to charity. While I’ll ask the participants what they want to do for certain if we do make enough money, my suggestion will be donating it to Alzheimer’s Research UK in honor of Sir Terry Pratchett.

I’m not really comfortable calling this a “charity zine” up front since I simply don’t know if it will raise a significant amount. For the most part, I just want the thing to physically exist, which means breaking even, and don’t want to make it more expensive for buyers than it needs to be to afford the printing costs.

What kinds of essays are you talking about? What could be included?

In short, any analytical thoughts about the Good Omens TV show - and possibly even the fandom as it interacts with the show - are possible inclusions for the zine.

To expand a bit, think about the meta posts you see floating around Tumblr. Often these involve analyzing characters, or picking up on patterns in the plot. Sometimes fans use their own background knowledge to write posts about the significance of certain costume choices or the way music plays into each individual scene. Some posts examine the ways the series approaches gender, while others might discuss ways that the characters present as neurodivergent. That’s how diverse the pool of possibilities is for subjects in this zine.

How does art come into this?

Images will be black and white, to match the bookish mood of the project overall. Images can range in size from a half page to a full page.

I’m planning to talk to the artists and authors and loosely pair artists with essays that appeal to their personal interests.

I know how to illustrate a story, but how do I illustrate an essay?

There are infinite answers to this! I’ve seen some beautiful symbolic artwork in the fandom already (e.g. a number of takes on Aziraphale munching on an apple with Crowley in snake form curving around him), and there are tons of symbolic motifs to draw from, but these are not the only options. An artist illustrating an essay about cinematography, for example, could draw a well-known scene from an alternative angle. An essay about Heaven as a capitalist corporation could be illustrated with a cartoon of Gabriel giving some sort of excruciating PowerPoint presentation. A character analysis could be accompanied by a simple portrait. And on and on. I’m not interested in limiting the possibilities by trying to make a list, but just know that there are many and you don’t have to make it complicated if you don’t want to.

If the writers can reuse their essay ideas, can artists reuse their drawings?

Similarly to the writers, if you already have an interpretive drawing that you’re in love with, artists can use the same ideas and the same fundamental composition that is present in their own existing work. However, it has to be redone in some significant way. Whether it’s taking something you drew in 2019 and redrawing it using an updated style, taking a sketch and turning it into a lined and shaded piece, or redoing a full-color drawing so it presents more strikingly in black and white, it shouldn’t be identical to the thing you’ve already posted.

So how are you choosing participants here?

It’ll be based on what people are interested in writing about (or illustrating). I’ll be looking for people who are passionate about their essays, but I’ll also be looking for variety. It all depends on what people want to offer, so I won’t know for sure what it will look like put together until everyone’s application is in.

For artists, I’ll be trying to figure out whose style looks like it would adapt well to illustrations in black and white, and also who demonstrates an interest in the same subjects as the writers.

If we don’t get a lot of applicants, I’d love to simply include everyone, but I can’t commit to that without knowing for sure how many people are involved.

Do I have to use a formal writing style to participate?

No. You should use a style that makes your thoughts and ideas as clear as possible, but as long as it’s understandable, you can also get a little artistic with it. You can “write like you speak,” though perhaps in a more organized way. You definitely don’t need to worry about stylistic rules like not using the first person. This is not academia.

Is this zine going to center only on Crowley and Aziraphale?

That remains to be seen! It depends on what ideas show up in the applications. There will be a lot of the ineffable partners for sure, but whether the whole zine will center on them or whether there’s plentiful stuff about other characters will depend on what the participants suggest.

Do we have to agree with all your personal interpretations of Good Omens to be in the zine?

No! In fact, I’m assuming that a number of essays will contradict each other, too, and that’s perfectly okay. The zine is a sampler of fan interpretations meant to inspire, not instruct. It’s not “Here’s a fan-made guide on how to understand this TV show,” it’s “Look at all these moving parts and how many meanings we can find in them. What does it mean to you?”

However, there are some basic rules and assumptions by which I’m working here.

I don’t personally have the energy to include essays that are highly critical (“negative”) in this zine. It’s analytical but also meant to be fun.

I’m pretty focused on the TV adaptation. This isn’t “no book analysis allowed” but just that the essays will end up being weighted toward subjects that apply to either the TV show or both the book and the show.

Each writer should focus on making their own points over disproving other fan interpretations. If you’re writing in an expository style, it’s normal for the essay to contain rebuttals to opposing ideas, but these should be minor supporting points, not the heart and soul of your essay. For reference, I’d say the majority of meta I see floating around on tumblr would follow this rule just fine.

Essay ideas that seem to contain bigoted or exclusionary sentiments will not be accepted (no TERFy stuff, for example).

What kinds of editing will go into the zine? Are you going to argue with us about the contents of our writing?

While I might ask you to elaborate on certain points in your writing or clarify your thoughts about your subject, I’m absolutely not here to ask you to change the thesis, opinions, or headcanons on which your writing is based. If I really have a problem with your initial idea, I’ll tell you that up front and politely decline the contribution.

While formatting the zine, I’ll make minor edits if I think I see a typo or misspelling, something small and obviously unintentional. As with any other zine, your content won’t be changed without consulting you.

Is this a SFW zine?

Yes. If people want to discuss sexuality in a theoretical way, like erotic subtext, that would be allowed. There are canon references like Newt and Anathema’s moment under the bed that might come up, too. But there will be nothing explicit, and since these are essays instead of stories, there will be no “action” going on between characters. Let’s just say sex isn’t a forbidden topic, but it will be like discussing it in English class.

As for other topics that could make the zine NSFW, like gore or extreme language, I don’t think they will be an issue. Some dark topics, like abuse by Heaven and Hell, may be discussed, but they will be warned for, and these are not stories, so you aren’t going to see violent actions playing out.

Will there be any “extras” like charms or stickers?

I’m not sure yet. I’m most inclined to keep it simple, because of the nature of the zine, but would be open to including some bonus items if there’s an artist who’s really passionate about it.

With that said, I am pretty committed to making a hardcover edition of the book available, in addition to the standard softcover version.

You’re doing this with only one mod?!

Yes. I personally find it easiest. While I’ve worked on multi-mod projects in other domains and adore all of my co-mods, it’s a little bit different when it’s a project with this many moving pieces that includes real-life components like printing and shipping. Though there are a lot of individual things to be done, I am experienced with all of them, so it’s less overwhelming to just take on the whole project. That way, I know exactly what needs to be done and when, and there are no issues with assigning tasks.

What qualifies you to run this zine?

The résumé answer: in fandom, I successfully solo-modded a large not-for-profit zine in the past, the @soulmakazine2018, and while I can’t speak for the whole fandom, it definitely seemed to be well-received. <3 In real life, I’m a case manager and this involves coordinating and communicating with a lot of different people including my 100-person caseload, budgeting services, and filling out all kinds of paperwork on the fly, all skills that can be imported into zine work.

The practical answer: well, I’m the one who decided to start this project, so if you like the sound of it, you're stuck with me. I say with encouragement and enthusiasm that if you’d like to do a different take on a commentary zine, you should absolutely do it.

#good omens #ineffable husbands #ineffable partners #fanzine #good omens zine

89 notes · View notes

emily-the-fae · 3 years ago

Text

Sound of a Heartbeat

Part 5. Walking makes the road

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 6

Unbelievable, but I'm finally back with a new chapter. I've been going through a lot of stuff with my studies and personal life for the past month and here it comes. Finally done with the editing. Most definitely not the best chapter in the story, but it has to be here to keep the storyline together and moving. Anyways, enjoy. Like and comment if you do, I'm very happy to receive feedback.

PS Dracula back to the story soon:)

I still have no beta and English isn't my mothertongue.

Pairing: Dracula X OC

Warnings: probably none, skeletons on sticks...the usual stuff

Wandering into the lands ruled over by darkness itself has never been pleasant.

The next morning was freezing cold, just as the passing night - no warmth was brought by the little sunlight that came - and upon waking up Shari briefly wondered how she wasn't dead of the cold yet. Her mornings were something like crawling out of a tomb every time - the kind she imagined when she heard the stories of vampires awakening, though no doubt they must have still felt better than she did. Those bastards.

Morning light was dim and weak, there were torn scraps of greyish mist laying low above the ground and the forest was eerily quiet. Shari knew the sun had to be very low, but nevertheless up, which meant that she had to be on the move already, and yet she couldn’t force herself to move a single inch, as if the forces of the castle were sensing her approach and weakening her on purpose.

She hadn't entered any towns - in fact, hadn't seen any in the previous eight hours or so of her walking the day before - and though her food supplies weren't awfully low, her health seemed to be protesting and weakening at hourly rate, demanding normal human conditions and rest. She needed warmth and a bed, and she was sure as hell that where she was heading she would either get those only already in Dracula's den, or won't get it at all.

- So? Are you up? Heading? The faster you rise, the faster we'll be there, - Shari sat back against the tree trunk, taking a gulp of cold water from her flask - she wouldn't mind Trevor's whiskey right now, but the hunter took it all with him; Rodo was seemingly relieved that he was free of his duty of being her personal heater, he jumped up and ran around the forest opening, stretching his stiff muscles. At least someone had energy left.

- You know I'm really beginning to hate you now... - she yawned.

- I believe you have already mentioned that.

- Not enough, apparently.

- Oh, come on, you like my company. Besides I'm the only one helping you so hey...

- Ok, ok can I get my food at least?

- You can eat on the go! Come on! - she whistled for Rodo even though she knew he couldn't hear her. Shari stood up purposefully slowly and made the first hesitant steps to follow her guide. Oh where were those wonderful times when she could stay in bed almost all day if she was feeling under the weather? She could kill for such a possibility at the given moment. There was a screech of another winged demon somewhere in the distance, Shari shuddered, brought out of her thoughts and Rodo turned his head briefly, seemingly considering whether he should bolt to search for the other creature, but quickly averted his muzzle from the direction and followed Shari, jumping from tree to ground and back up.

It was going to be a long day.

- Did you walk the same way? First time you found his castle? - the scenery about them was dreadful to say the very least. The forest was greyer now, less green, less alive than on the route before. The few small villages they passed were seemingly abandoned completely for decades if not centuries and Shari felt rather than acknowledged that the farther she went, the worse it would become.

- Not quite, - Lisa replied, her voice all too lively for a ghost. - The direction I came from was a bit more disturbing than here, - Shari briefly wondered how that should have looked, if this desolation seemed lively in comparison. - And I also went alone you know, so...

- Oh, yes, thank you, my wise guide for leading my way... Probably to the dinner table of a very aggressive vampire, - Shari bowed mockingly, then coughed again, swallowing the blood the pooled to her mouth.

- Calm down. There won't be anyone there, I'm quite sure.

- A-ha! So now you are "quite" sure!?

- Don't be mean, I'm trying to save your life here.

- Exactly me for some reason, - Shari snorted sarcastically.

- For the same reasons you helped Adrian. Because I can't just walk past... and because I feel rather than know that helping you is more than just helping one particular person. Just like you felt about him - didn't you?

That shut the girl up for considerable time.

They walked all day long only making one small stop to rest during - at least what was supposed to be - midday (it was very hard to understand where the sun was behind the treetops, clouds and fog). Shari coughed up blood and swore like a sailor, but Lisa only let her sit down long enough to gulp down some food. If she wasn’t killed by some night creature, she would sure as hell be tired to death with such a guide pushing her to the limit. It was visible how the closeness of their destination made the ghost more and more agitated.

The dawn was already close and Shari was ready to give up the hopes of getting to her goal on that day - ever, to be honest, judging by the condition of her lungs – her body desperately wanted her to drop down and call it a night. The forest around them was dreary and dense, the mist had never lessened since morning; Shari was cold, slightly wet and unbearably tired and even Rodo seemed to lose some of his enthusiasm, even though the darkness should have empowered him. Maybe being around humans rubbed off on the creature a little.

- Shush, - Lisa turned to Shari as they walked on, gesturing for her to cut her whining and keep quiet. Shari stopped abruptly looking around in alert, trying to see through at least some reasonable distance between the tree trunks. Finally she understood what picked her companion’s attention: clearing began to be noticeable before them - it seemed that the woods were all of a sudden coming to their edge.

They carried on walking in silence for a few more minutes until they finally reached the end of the trees – the edge of the forest. The final border between the darkness of Dracula’s lands and the normal world. Shari gasped in surprise and horror: in front of her was a few feet sandy drop covered here and there in greyish grass that led to a whole field, dry and dead in dim yellow lights with no snow upon it, weak bushes appearing here and there. It seemed that the mere presence of the undead somewhere nearby sucked the life out of the lands. Peculiar graveyard formation occupied a part of the land - human skeletons hanging on tall sticks, all in varying poses, as if frozen in their deadly agony, dried with ages and falling apart. Whatever happened there, it was nothing good. If this was what the owner of the lands decided to expose to lone travelers, it was quite obvious there would be no “welcome” shield ahead.

There was no visible end to the field, at least the reddish mist coloured by the light of the setting sun made it impossible to see far in the distance. Shari coughed, dusty air tickling her throat, and looked back to the ghost in confusion. Was this what they had searched for?

- Are you sure this is…?

- My reaction precisely when I first saw this place, - Lisa was amused, watching the healer's fearful face. - Come on, we're almost there now.

- Wait! What, there? To those? - she gestured actively to the mass of aged corpses, but Lisa payed no attention to her reaction. - Lord, why do I always get myself into the deepest trouble I can find? Could've stayed somewhere safe and warm, healed a bit, but no-o I had to be right here, torn apart by bats and hell-knows-what-else-inhabits-this-place, - Shari mumbled to herself as they descended into the valley, her feet slipping upon rocks and sliding on the unsolid sandy ground.

- Oh, come on, it's not as scary here. You’ve surely seen worse - Lisa replied, - they were walking deeper into the field, navigating their way between the mutilated skeletons, as the reddish-grey twilight around them was darkening minute by minute.

- Maybe. Doesn’t mean I want to see more.

Just as the words left her mouth, there was a blood-chilling howl somewhere in the distance and a horde of great black bats, apparently awoken by the sound, appeared out of nowhere, flapping their wings above their heads rapidly; Shari yelled and dipped down in fear. Rodo on the contrary jumped up from behind her back, trying to reach the annoying loud things and succeeding in catching one of the creatures between his sharp fangs. Shari only crouched down lower, as she heard the struggles of the defeated being next to her ear. Then a snap - the animal stopped moving, as Rodo tightened his jaws, probably breaking the thing's stamina. Just as abrupt as it began, the flapping of the bats above her stopped too.

- Lisa? Are-are they gone? - her voice was slightly shaking, she awaited the dreadful howl to repeat even closer.

- Shari, stand up! Shari! - she heard Lisa's voice coming from behind her back and turned around, her eyes searching for the ghost, as she realized that Lisa has moved much further away than she expected. Shari was on her feet in an instant, finally noticing what stood behind the ghost's transparent form, her mouth fell agape at what she could see before her now.

A wide set of steps that led to doors so tall that she felt her head spin even looking up at it - the dark stone walls went up and disappeared in the low greyish mist. Her ghost companion was at the top of the steps already and Rodo was gladly running up to the doors, apparently recognizing the smell of his own home of some time ago. Shari followed behind him hesitantly, looking around for any sign of movement.

- Come on, don't be shy, - Lisa cooed, as if luring in a small child. Her greyish form paused on one spot, waiting for Shari by the door. The girl looked around one more time as she joined the ghost on the final steps,

- Are you... Sure? This doesn't look completely abandoned. I mean, can you be sure he isn't home? That he won't be back soon? Clearly you can��t, why am I even asking… This was a terrible idea straight from the beginning, - she was visibly shacking, clenching and unclenching her fists, stepping from one foot to the other. The whole journey suddenly felt like a big mistake that could still be possibly abandoned if she did not take the final leap. Shari put her hand on the door handle then pulled away in fear. She took a deep breath, putting her palm back more steadily on the door, but was still hesitant to push it open. She paused. There was once again the dreadful howl from before, now closer to them, the creature producing it still not visible. They were standing in almost complete darkness.

- Go! - Lisa pressed.

Rodo leaped on spot beside them.

Shari held her breath – and finally pushed the handle and jumped inside, scared to even look in forward and terrified of what was awaiting behind, diving head-first into unknown - if he is there, let it be, she'd rather be torn apart by him than by whatever thing outside that let out those blood-freezing sounds; Rodo slid in too, in a ghastly manner, his massive form unnaturally smoothly squeezing through the small gap in the doorway and the next moment the door was shut behind her with a loud blow. She was finally inside Dracula's castle.

#please don't judge me #i'm trying #castlevania #dracula x oc #dracula x reader #vlad dracula #vlad dracula țepeș #lisa fahrenheit #sypha belnades #trevor belmont #adrian tepes #alucard #my writing #castlevania fanfiction

34 notes · View notes

filliteast · 3 years ago

Text

Diary 13 (treze)

21.04.-9.05.2022

Th.

Fr. Woke at 1 am. Ate. Took 2 bananas in a bag. Took a shower 10-20-30 min intensively. Lewd pics mm (clothes washing end's waiting). Went to mom for the young brother's birthday too. Bought the gummy bears and gummy beer, two crackers pack, the fantola popcorn. Sit at taxi. Ate more. Told.

Sa. Woke at//? aa, mam, she's already had told me to get up? Hiked to work 1,5 hours, that was very cool🥶.

Sd. Dream chewingly woke. Lewd pic's mm. Blushed hotly, reading Alchemistic throughout the trip on the bus. Play Stick Spider till the required station. Open Poot's stream. Dat sneaky blind move for me that I was should to throw out the trash. Porn at alone 30 min all is during stream. Pee shouted remembering, I'm should got hurry up immediately.

Mo. Homework. YouTube. Music.

Tu.

We. Take a nap after came home. Moubine & some other's in dreams realistic conditions.

Th.

Fr. Left keys to Father, went to mom.

Sa. Get up for Mumm ye. Lewd couple disturbing me at bus during I'm little bit corrected my not started term paper. Bought picnic with so-so sugared bread at evening, after weekly internship day in pharmacy: Bought a Wet toilet napkins.

Sd. Slept for 1 pm,

Mo. Every Muslim's duty to take mass namaz to the Uraza Bayram. Eaten some meat bread. Went to kebabs frying: picked up wooden plunks, ate, they're played, got a bite of birch's juice, phone choosing.

Tu. Washed panties. Ate snickers by waiting for the bus.

We. Bought Snickers super apart from everything else: three breads, smetana, six bananas. Ate snickers before I get home. Read about energy bars, snickers after I came to home. Mini electricity short circuits.

Th. Passed physical culture's lesson. 2 eggs and half banana for breakfast. Failed biology control work (silly careless pedant). Equipped Adidas drip white shoes expecting for the still his look minds from other around. CIPUMS mom. Ate a half of super snickers that was bought with orange energetic-juice, while I've didn't notice father in store, woman conceded way to queue. Washed sock after sneezing on this. Cooked soup together. Fixed sockets. Watched YouTube, so what I've found that's great: Tame Impala's Time Warp. Ate soup. Watched YouTube ewe~, Che. Fr. Monster anal eases. VK's music revived old feelings. Some Modeling at blender that was failure. Get up at 11:39. Watched YT. Took a shower. Ate tasty soup. Objection. Waited for Dad's went to work(regretted). Cleaned up a room. Ate Smetana bread, fish with pasta, watched what about was berserk. Mitochondrial Eva. Waited for Poot's strёm(disappointed). YouTube videos.

Sa. Woke at 11 ante meridian. Oh, bream dream-s-s Gehm. Went to cook breakfast after dad said: 3 eggs, 2 sausages, ketchup, bread, smetana, water. Watched orc pod and further other things. eaten at 1,40 pm. Went back. Set up gallery at 20-30 min. Began set upping Google disk gallery, finishing till 8-9pm. Watch Poot. Began self-satisfying.

Su. Spit by bottom head at 1-1,20 am. Washed myself. Washed dishes, took 2 bananas. Watching YouTube. Woke be clock brr , but have want further. took phone, got up. Ate banana, drank water. took a shower. Putted pot with 3 egg, 1 sos on the stove, brought bread from kitchen to room. Mashed, added Vk music. Spotify had music added mashed. Brought pot in room. Watched berserk things. Berserk. Golden age. Moovies 1-3 partially checking:

Got disappointed by CBR file format that was tested by installing berserk chapters. Removed horrendous plaque from the soup. Reheated soup twice. Ate it, music listened up. Washed dishes. Went to dixie for bread and eggs, ate the rest half of snickers during went back. Operatively dressed up. Watched kind of shit things, because exactly they're is one that guilty in my branded final product of procrastination (protracted hand job). Watched Knight-skeleton anime. Guin Saga checked. Mo. Lost all browser tabs while I have set upping favorite tabs, then pointily found all over them in browser's history. Fapped again. VK-Spotify music transport, added in VK an amazing 60s psych rock jam. Realized I've not completed whole homework (no wonder), begun beautifully handwriting answers for the questions. Some videos watched, abruptly lay down for sleep after went to pee. Sudden paranoia of ancient fears (exactly the consequence of my Metalife's fapness). Woke by clocks (11:39ehe11:48) with some dreams partially memories. Watched YouTube almost for 2h. Washed Kazan. Overcame the breakfast, got it bearable. Swapped plastic bags everywhere after bowel (rebated). Sat to pc.

#design #berserk #diary #my diary #megalomaniac #tame impala

2 notes · View notes

yostresswritinggirl · 4 years ago

Text

100 Followers Special

(And how to participate) you don't need to be a follower to vote ack

~yostresswritinggirl

Hello AGAIN, with your back to back followers special! Exiled here, very tired, as I just closed the requests box for our 50 followers special. I asked for some recommendations and no one helped me so this is what I came up with!

Granted, it's nothing that special, I literally just dumped my notes into this so—

Please make sure to follow the guidelines and read this thoroughly to properly participate!

1. You will be given a long list of fic prompts specific to a character that I've come up with for weeks on end, please don't steal, as I will remove them after this event is done!

2. Voting! You now have the power to influence my writing schedule haha- what you need to do: is to pick three prompts from the list and send it to me; either through reblog tag, a reply, or in my ask box (not anon so we can count fairly, will not publish these answers tho so worry not)! Not in messages tho! It should be in this format:

1. Character - prompt or prompt title

2. Character - prompt or prompt title

3. Character - prompt or prompt title

example:

1. Albedo - Citrinitas

2. Zhongli - Braid

3. Xingqui - Author!Reader

The top three most voted prompt and character will be the next fics I'll publish after I'm done with the current reqs. Speaking of: Voting ends when I finish the current reqs. You'll know it's done once the counter in my blog desc reaches 12/12.

3. In addition to the three prompts, you also get to add your own prompt to it! My prompts list does not include ALL the characters that's why I wanted to give you this option too! Add a fourth number and specify a character, a prompt/idea, and the format of the fic! Format it this way:

4. Character - Prompt/Idea (Format)

4. Kaeya - What's under that eyepatch? (Scenario)

After I pooled the answers, I'll randomly pick between the bonus answers and write them last! So give it your best shot!

4. Tags-list! I thought this would be necessary for this kind of a whim special, so if you wanna be tagged, just put Tag Me! at the end of your vote. Please make sure that you're actually able to be tagged because I just tried and some users are not in my orbit huhu, look here

5. If a pocket watch/series prompt gets chosen, I will only post the first chapter, not the whole damn fic pls. Have mercy,,,

I will post a counter of the top three in my blog description and will be updated as frequently as possible. Any questions, please direct to this post or my dms <3

Without further ado, here is your choice list!

Xingqui - "My liege, would you care to accompany me on my reading break? I've picked up a romance novel and it reminded me of us."

-> Author!Reader: You met Xingqui at Wanwen Bookhouse when delivering a batch of your newly-published book. But as a ghost writer, no one knew it was you that authored such books. Safe to say it was cute watching the noble bookworm fanboy about you in front of you. [FLUFF] [FIC]

-> Headcanons with a reader older than Xingqui who's a close family friend of the Feiyun Commerce Guild. Fascinated after meeting you in a party, the noble boy aspires to become the best man for you despite the difference, promising to be the best suitable partner for you in the future. [FLUFF] [HEADCANON SCENARIO]

Childe - "Hey there, comrade! What a coincidence that we had a break at the same time, care to accompany me for a walk? I promise I won’t lead you to a fight haha... hey, don’t look at me like that!”

-> Antinomy - The 10th Harbinger (You) and the little shit they had to mentor (Childe), this fic enumerates the trials of the 11th before he became a Harbinger under your care. From strangers to mentor to friends to love- Childe made a grave mistake, now you’re once again strangers. [FLANGST] [ONESHOT]

Albedo - "Ah, it's you. I've heard of fleeting rumors that you've been pestering a certain someone just to see me. Next time, just come directly to me, I wouldn't mind the assertiveness."

-> Refer to these three as well: Albedo Fic Ideas [FLUFF/FLANGST/FLANGST] [ONESHOT/ONESHOT/SERIES]

-> “You’re Enough”: A year into being the new Chief Alchemist of Mond, Albedo finds himself holed up in his room in the dead of night, haunted as he continuously comes out empty on his research to bring his master back, feeling inadequate. So you reminded him of what he’s capable of. [FLUFF?] [ONESHOT INSPIRED BY You Are Enough - Sleeping At Last]

-> Under the Artificial Sky: Michaelangelo Scenario focused on Albedo’s sketching aspect. Grand Master Varka and Acting Grand Master Jean figured Albedo needed a break and a change of scenery, and sent him off under the guise of a commission in Liyue. What he didn’t expect was another artist from Fontaine accompanying him in this big project.(Albedo and Reader are tasked to paint the new Jade Chamber within 7 days) [FLUFF] [SERIES - 7 CHAPTERS]

-> Albedo SMUT: I had this idea while laying wide awake at 3 AM. The alchemist had been trying all remedies to shake off the stress and fatigue in his system and they all seemed to fail, no amount of sketching or discoveries can pull him away from it. So when you offered a solution he hasn’t heard, he’d jump at it immediately. “You know, some people say having intercourse with someone is a good stress-reliever.” “Intercourse? If it’s true, then please, I wish to have intercourse with you.” “Wha- wait Albedo, do you not know what that is? It’s only done between lovers!” “Convenient, I love you, anything else?” (Two virgin dumbasses do the thing to relieve stress) [SMUT] [ONESHOT]

Xiao - “I’ve taken care of every threat around this area, you can relax now, I made sure of that.”

-> What is it with you and Qingxin flowers? The Traveler had once heard of Xiao’s affinity for Qingxin flowers, and they’re flying companion boldly asked this lingering question to the adepti himself. His pupils dilate and sharpen before Paimon could finish her sentence. (An origin story about his favorite flower, and his favorite person) [SLIGHT FLANGST] [ONESHOT]

-> Just how harmful is adeptal energy to normal humans? You both found out in the worst way possible: silently, deadly. (Slight spoiler: you fucking die) [ANGST] [ONESHOT]

-> Nightmares Taste Horrible: He’s seen that look in your eyes and the ancient soul within it; you’ve lived long ago, and the only thing your soul carried now was the nightmares of a macabre timeline. Was it him or was it demons that brought you that fear? No matter, he’ll protect you even from yourself. (eating the nightmare of a dead soul reincarnated to you) [FLANGST?] [ONESHOT]

-> Go for the throat: The seal that marked you had made it all too late for him to remedy. Bleeding eyes, growing fangs, it’s just another demon to vanquish just like he’s done for centuries. What makes it different was it was sealed in you. (Inspired from Melanie Martinez’s song uhu) [ANGST] [ONESHOT]

Zhongli - “Mortals are capable creatures that evolve and adapt for means of survival, but they advance in ways that changes the world around them. This retirement, may be harder to me than it is to them.”

-> “In human history, there’s a certain noble and powerful connotation to rulers who braid their hair.” Convince to braid his hair using some historical braid trivia; that long hair behind his back should not be ignored for any longer. [PURE FLUFF] [DRABBLE]

-> History has its eyes on you: A traveling theatre hailing from the land of entertainment finds its way to Liyue for their last caravan. A certain Geo Vision man seems to resonate with your newest script: fighting and protecting your land, building up its nation, before being forced to let go of it. He resonates maybe a little too much. (Musical!Reader with heavy references to Hamilton hehe) [FLUFF] [ONESHOT]

Venti - "Can you hear the symphonies of the wind as it sings to you? That's me, guiding you and protecting you! Whenever you hear it, know that you're safe and sound under my protection!"

-> the one the bard once loved: like actual bard, you are the archer or smth, loved by Venti and Barbatos. Yandere!Barbatos undertones, very unhealthy relationship. This hurts the kokoro. [PURE ANGST] [ONESHOT]

-> The Caravan: (related to the Zhongli and Musical!Reader up there) Your caravan stops at Mondstadt for a whole week before it reaches its final destination. This new fanfare pulled in a peculiar bard who now wants to tag along for the fun of it. "I have no more responsibilities in this free land!" Just what kind of responsibilities does a broke bard have in the first place? [FLUFF] [ONESHOT/HEADCANON]

Diluc - "You look weary, and you still managed to pull yourself here. Here, a fresh and cold glass, on the house. A relieved smile should be enough payment."

-> Abandoned by The Altar: A timeline oriented story focused on your once perfect childhood relationship as Diluc's bride to be, soon becoming estranged after the death of his father and his neglect. You only wish now that he looks at you the same way he did when you heard you were supposed to be together forever when you were young. [FLANFF] (The ending gets better pls; Inspired by Still Into You - Paramore) [ONESHOT]

-> There are No Laws Against Homelessness in Mondstadt: My favorite title out of all of this ahahhaa- who says adventurers can't be broke? You're the living embodiment of that. (Good boi Diluc with a broke ass reader) [FLUFF] (Warning: homelessness) [ONESHOT]

Scaramouche - "Let's go already, the sun is setting and we're nowhere near our destination. If you wanted to linger just to spend more time with me, I would have indulged you behind closed doors anyways."

-> Scaramouche Finally Does the Fandango: Have you ever wondered how Scaramouche is like working with other people? His first assignment was to accompany you in your main region and he sees you in your natural habitat, entranced. [I dunno how to tag this, NORMAL?] [ONESHOT/SHORT]

-> Skincare bitch, how I headcanon Scaramouche as someone actually conscious and always tending to their skin. Look at that smooth skin, cute cheeks, let me pinch, eyeliner glory— In which case, that hat has more purpose than being a frisbee. (May or may not include reader. (based from a reblog convo with chels-void) [GOOD VIBES] [HEADCANONS]

-> Once Supreme: Before Scaramouche, there was someone else higher than him. Before Balladeer there was just a young man fighting for his beliefs and her Majesty. Before Mondstadt, his smile wasn't just for deception. "Someday, someone would take advantage of that smile, Scaramouche. It's not appropriate in this work environment." The day you break a man. (Harbinger!Reader again, and lots of HCs for Scaramouche, same format as Antinomy) [I also do not know how to call this, eventual ANGST] [ONESHOT]

Kaeya - "What are you doing out here in the dead of night? Citizens like you should be cozied up in bed and leaving the patrols to us Knights. Come, I'll accompany you back home."

-> Honey Whiskey: A mysterious band of dancers from Sumeru visits Mondstadt and its taverns to offer a night of alluring dances. What was supposed to be a night of drinking for Kaeya and his troops ended up becoming a tipsy surprise mission when the main dancer steps down from the stage— and ignores him?! How scandalous! (Slightly suggestive themes/You're a bad guy) [COOL?] [ONESHOT] [slightly inspired by song with the same name]

General:

-> A Musical!Reader but with a scenario with every other character, most probably headcanons master post.

-> Genshin Food prompts: From that one post, I ended up making a whole storyline of oneshots related to their special dishes. Oneshots connected to a bigger picture. By impulse you've ended up leaving your normal life behind to pursue your cooking career, starting from Mondstadt, to learn all the cuisines to establish the first ever international restaurant. With the implications of magic and peculiar customers, your simple dream turns into a harder goal. [GOOD SHIT] [SERIES] [CANON-COMPLIANT]

-> God of Time!Reader that hails from Fontaine. Do you wish to know more about their origins and their purpose in this world? [CANON-COMPLIANT] [HEADCANONS] (General since it deals with all the characters/interactions)

▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱

Tagslist-for-my-thirsty-homies:

96 notes · View notes

nuttypatrolduck · 2 years ago

Text

Chapter 7 Reflections

I've play tested game prototypes before and I have found that there was some level of effort put into the presentation and artwork. Although the designs were not final, and took time and energy from the developers - potentially at the detriment to further progress - as a play tester I felt that it added value to my experience. I'm imaginative enough to have tested the mechanics without as much visual stimulation, but I definitely got a better feel for the vision of the developer seeing more clearly how things might look. I'm also considering where the lines are blurred between physical prototypes and making a game intended to be played in table top. Naturally there are things that can be done with a computer that aren't possible in paper - but dice rolls can generally replicate the randomness that exists in video games (and as established in earlier chapters, many modern games are actually inspired by table top game mechanics such as those in Dungeons & Dragons). Ironically a lot of board games are tested with digital prototypes - especially during the last couple of years where getting together for physical play testing wasn't a possibility. Regarding Battleship (Exercise 7.1) - I recently replicated the mechanics of this game into a 10x10 table format so that it could be played over messenger using emojis. I was able to replicate many other games in this way, such as connect 4, checkers, go and even chess. Any game played on a grid is easy replicable into a chat based format! Super convenient, doesn't require and installation and NO ADS. ;)

I can't help but wonder if there is a catch-22 with physical prototypes where ideas can become too grand. The ease of making them might not translate well to the vast challenges of software development. Working as a developer myself, I know that there is often a clash between the ideas of designers and the limitations of development time. Technically any idea is possible, but some ar prohibited by the challenges of implementation.

Exercise 7.2: Up the River Variation I saw an opportunity here to create another messenger based version of the game - and it works quite well. I guess it's technically not a "physical prototype" but it's just as easy to put together quickly - at no cost - and very efficient to test with friends. I think grids neatly fall into the human desire to categorise things. Up the river isn't obviously a grid at first - but when you break down the game into its components - rows of river and columns (lanes) that the boats navigate... Lo and behold, a grid. Even more complicated computer games - at least retro ones - are tile based, so there's a lot more complexity but they could also technically be prototyped as grids.

Prototyping rules: Always Ask a Question. Stay Falsifiable. Persuade and Inspire. Work Fast. Work Economically. Carefully Decompose Problems.

Super cool seeing a physical prototype of an FPS game. Just looking at the image, before even reading the explanation, I could see that it looked fun and interesting - and how it could give a player an idea of what the real game would be like.

Exercise 7.3: Movement and Shooting I'm not sure why, and I don't play many FPS games, but before even getting to this exercise I was already envisioning a movement style that involved constant running - being able to move forwards, left and right, and backwards - but when moving backwards, slowing to a walking pace. Rotation is possible while moving but by default, if a movement input isn't given, a character will simply rotate on the spot - spinning in place while pointing their gun, and being able to rotate a full 360°. Shooting would be done in the direction the gun is currently pointing, and would involve a slight kickback (with varying strengths depending on the weapon the player is using) that would move them slightly backwards. They'd also be able to zoom in and look through a scope - which would work the same way as real guns do where a shooter must line up the... I don't know the word for parts of guns. But the little sticky up bit - up with what they want to aim for. My reasoning is just that this feels intuitive to me - at least in my head - because I feel like it replicates what is possible in reality, which seems important for a shooting game. A bit more on that before I move on - I think reality is particularly important in most FPS games because it's already imitating something that people can't do in reality (few people want to participate in real violence, but simulated violence can be exciting) even if that takes away from originality. Ironically, lack of originality (and a general distaste for that kind of simulated violence) is why I don't generally play FPS games, so I think if I was making one there would be less focus on guns and reality and more on unique mechanics - probably something colourful and cartoony - although now I'm just thinking of Splatoon!

Being told to refer to Chapter 6 makes me question why we've jumped to Chapter 7 (as far as this textbook being a workshop that implies following the process cover to cover) but I understand that for Week 2 it's important to learn about prototyping and that we'll go back next week. Looking at the Activision core gameplay graphs - they seem to get very messy/confusing very quickly. I prefer the sketches on page 217 that are more like flow charts.

Exercise 7.7: Diagramming Core Gameplay I sketched out a visualisation for the core gameplay of Monopoly:

Exercise 7.8: Diagramming Core Gameplay 2 This is very rough... But it outlines the structure of the gameplay I described in my elevator pitch for my platformer game, Snoot.

Final thoughts about physical prototyping is the question of whether or not some games literally evolved from prototyping. I'm thinking about how Nintendo has experimented a lot with video games where the entire scenes are made out of clay, arts and craft materials, paper, etc. (Paper Mario, Yoshi's Crafted World, Kirby, etc)... It certainly adds an interesting aesthetic. When Super Mario World 2 (Yoshi's Island) was made - Executives at Nintendo wanted to see the advanced "3D" style of graphics that Rare had used for Donkey Kong Country. Instead Miyamoto used a child's drawing style aesthetic - which was wildly successful. I wonder how much they've questioned Miyamoto's experiments since then. :)

0 notes

huntingorbits · 3 years ago

Text

Review: The Nameless One Tarot & Companion Grimoire Set (Created by Xia Hunt)

I've been lusting after this deck and companion grimoire for a while. I usually prefer to physically handle my decks before I buy, especially with higher price points, but I finally gave in and took a chance...

...and boy, oh boy, do I regret nothing.

Let me tell you all about this set.

First, what's in it? The set includes the deck in a box and velvet storage pouch, a booklet, the companion grimoire in a box sleeve, a signed Certificate of Authenticity, and an awesome signature sigil sticker.

Onward!

The Storage Options:

The first thing you see after opening the packaging is the velvet pouch with its high-quality "signature sigil" embroidery. Honestly, this blew me away from the get go. I'm used to finding embroidery on velvet that's clunky at best, or half-assed at worst because of the nature of the material. This is clearly the work of a professional who values quality. And that's just the beginning.

Inside is the magnate close deck box, bearing the same signature sigil, and handsomely tied shut with a black ribbon. The inside of the box lid is a poem/blessing/spell (I won't spoil it) that really adds to the mysterious and powerful aesthetic of the deck. Again, the craftsmanship is out of this world, even for something so simple as a deck box, and this is a theme that carries on throughout the rest of the set.

The Deck:

The deck itself is large format, so it's a little hard to handle at first and can be a bit intimidating if, like me, shuffling isn't your strong suit. But the benefit of the large format is undeniable: the details of the artwork stand out, the sigils and symbols are clear, and the size contributes to some major Big Deck Energy.

Every card is printed on high quality cardstock, with black edges, a matte finish, and topped off with white gold foil signature sigils on the backs. The level of detail in the art and symbolism is, again, stunning. One thing to note is that the cards don't have names or titles on them. The reason why can be found on the page listing:

"This allows one the ability to utilize this deck in countless ways. As each reader seeks to find Truth, so too will they undoubtedly find a special bond with their Nameless cards as they learn techniques and methodologies that suit their specific and individual needs."

The booklet that comes with the deck inside of its box is more thorough than most I've encountered, with bonus material in the front. On it's own, this would be more than enough to gather the inspirations and intended meanings for each card, but if you're like me, that's not enough.

The Companion Grimoire:

I don't know that I have the right words to properly convey the excellence of this book, but I'll do my best.

This book is thicc, coming in at just over 700 pages and weighing 6.5 lbs. The quality of the book as a whole is also impressive, from the covers to the pages themselves. This book is meant to last centuries if cared for properly, which the robust book sleeve will surely help with.

The cover and the binding are incredibly sturdy. Both sides have the white gold signature sigil, though the front cover also has death's head moths, elemental symbols, and decorative framework. It also has a long ribbon bookmark so you can track where you are in this beautiful beast of a tome. My favorite part, though, is that when you're reading through various pages, the book stays flat - I tested this in a few places in the book to be sure.

Like the booklet, the first part includes some introductory information to certain concepts - tarot, oracle, sigil, etc. Seems pretty straight forward. The grimoire also adds some quick information regarding rituals, correspondences, and energy to the front that the booklet just doesn't have room for.

Then you get to the Major Arcana, Minor Arcana, and Oracle Arcana "chapters". Each card has a full-page color photo, a page of quick reference information for at-a-glance interpretation, and then goes into a few more pages breaking it down further: an overview, the upright interpretation, the reversed interpretation, the sigil's affirmation and interpretation. But that's not all! You also get pages on Symbolism and the inspirations used in the artwork, including: the subject (i.e., a Fox for The Magician), the other items present in the image (suit symbols, branches, etc;), and even the symbolism of each color used.

The level of detail in these chapters gives you plenty to work with if you want to study this deck in depth, or if you want to simply read about symbolism related to those subjects.

Finally, the Appendices & Additional Information. This is where you get into your traditional Grimoire subjects. Over a dozen tarot & oracle spreads, sigil magick, a master list of sigil affirmations, more correspondences than I ever thought a book like this might contain, and other bonus information such as the numerology of tarot, some info on daily magick, candles and their magickal uses, spellwork, and more.

Xia includes her References and a thorough Index to help you navigate at the very end, wrapping up a very large and thorough book in a very tidy way.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, despite the various magickal, visual, and symbolic influences - tarot, oracle, sigil, mythology, folklore, etc; - as well as the differing formats of the information and art, the entire set is beautifully cohesive. Nothing feels out of place or superfluous, and as of yet I can't think of anything I would personally add or want.

In both the booklet and companion grimoire, Xia provides a very clear disclaimer:

"Every attempt has been made to research and validate the information contained in this book thoroughly and ethically. However, the art and practice of Tarot, spells, and magick are highly interpretive and ever-evolving. Furthermore, magick of any variety should only supplement and never replace professional medical, psychological, or legal advice."

When you examine her references, it becomes clear that she put a lot of work and research into this deck and grimoire. As a researcher myself, I place great value on the quality and accuracy of information. What's more, Xia's reference list is a great place to do some of your own research if something in particular really catches your attention.

To me, it's obvious that Xia Hunt prides herself on not just her research and art, but also on the quality of the finished product. I've never encountered a deck with this much attention to detail from start to finish. That's not to say that I don't adore my other decks or that their quality is lacking, but this set really goes above and beyond, exceeding every expectation I had.

The price point made me hesitate at first, but after going through this set, I can tell you from experience that it's worth every penny. Every piece of information, every element of the art, the specific choice in the card size - all of it comes together in perfect harmony to create one incredible experience.

If you're debating this set, just go for it. You won't be disappointed.

~Archer

0 notes