#if that works then I know that if I do more cyoa stories I can link them there

[catsafarithewriter]

Sorry for my distraction lately; I've been so focused on trying to get fics+ finished for the BB, that I haven't been keeping up with everything everyone else has been making!

That said, tomorrow I have some time usually set aside for writing, and I shall use it to admire all the wonderful works. I plan on making a masterpost of everyone's work for this year's BB so anything that's flown under the radar can be properly appreciated!

[got-into-worm-by-mistake]

Okay, I've Read Worm: A Retrospective Part 1: How The Fuck Did I Get Here?

I don't know exactly what I'm going to be doing with all these posts, but at a minimum, we will be having the following, not necessarily in this order:

A discussion of some of the parts of Worm I liked most. Some genuine and well-earned praise for Wildbow.

An analysis of Amy Dallon as she exists in Worm, though more for unpacking my own thoughts in one place rather than some deep literary stuff.

A discussion of things I was genuinely surprised by in the Text itself versus the stuff I picked up via fandom osmosis and fanfic. Expectation vs reality and stuff.

A discussion of just who the fuck the target audience of Worm actually probably maybe was, and what the fuck I just read.

And a detailed (for my own unpacking of thoughts than to convince anyone of anything) discussion of why I'm not going to read Ward. Nothing new there, but still, it'll be nice to put it all one one place.

But first, let's take a step back and answer one very important question: How in the bloody fuck did I end up here? How the fuck did reading Worm even happen? Because as I've said before, superhero media isn't my thing, I'm definitely not the target audience for Worm, and while I enjoyed it, only liking it 60% is a barely passing grade, as it were.

So how the blue hell did I end up here?

I don't know exactly when I first became aware of Worm. What I do know is that I was loosely aware of it by 2019, because I was active on SpaceBattles, and of course, Worm is all over there. I'd see the name, and I knew it referred to a work of fiction, but that's about all I knew. It might have been before 2019 that I first heard the name, it might not have. I say by 2019, because I know that sometime in 2019, I was in a discord server associated with one of the many spinoff sites to Spacebattles (I believe it was Frozen in Carbonite, which was honestly a pretty noxious website but I didn't know that going in) and I made a post using this meme:

And I got an answer that was something to the effect of 'It's an edgy villain protagonist superhero story'. And so I shrugged, and I moved on. Not my speed. Superheroes aren't my thing, not really, not in of themselves. I first got into AoS watching it with my then GF back in... 2015? And then I got into shipping Skyeward in it. Then I watched Arrow because some of the people I followed from Skyeward were into it and again, pretty much stayed for the shipping and certain characters. Flash and Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl were entered into as branching off from Arrow.

And yes I've watched a good chunk of the MCU, but mostly because why not watch a movie and there's a handful of characters I liked. But I've never read a single superhero comic book, as far as I can recall, and I've never really been super into any superhero cartoons, just watched them if they happened to be on Cartoon Network when I was a kid.

At some point between then and this year, I found a Worm CYOA on r/nsfwcyoa, and despite never having read it, gave it a look, played around with it, and picked up random errant facts about the story and characters therein. I would revisit this CYOA and similar ones as they got updates, and along the way got my first exposure to the whole 'fanon' problem of the Worm fandom, when one of the options in one of the CYOAs was to make certain popular fanon true for the version of Earth-Bet 'your character' appeared in for the CYOA. Things like making Woobie Amy true, or turning Vicky into the Collateral Damage Barbie she's cast as by some people, et cetera.

And then, at some point probably late last year or early this year, I think, I was on Questionable Questing (the pervert uncle of Spacebattles, as it were) and I saw a fic get posted that was Worm - so, prepared to ignore it - and then I saw it was also tagged with several of my kinks. And I've read smutfics that aren't for one of my fandoms if I really like the kinks and it's just a smutfic, so I gave it a show. How much do you need to know about the source canon for a smutfic, eh?

I don't remember much about that fic, or even which of my kinks in particular it had, but I would read a few other such stories here and there until sometime in... probably May or so, maybe late April, when I made an errant post on QQ in a thread discussing stories you considered but never actually read, that I had considered Worm (because by then I had, ish, after some of the various go-arounds with the CYOA and picking up bits of osmosis here and there) but that the whole thing sounded too bleak and grimdark and depressing.

This spawned a conversation about Worm, and if it was really grimdark (one person I think went so far as to say it wasn't even depressing or bleak, and oh to live in that person's world) and if it was really a deconstruction or a love letter to superhero media or a takedown of superhero media or w/e. And at some point, someone made a comment about Wildbow having disdain for his fans, or something like that.

And I was like 'I feel like there's a story there'. And yes there was. One of the things that came up were the so-called 'retcons' of Ward re: Amy (whether or not they are actually retcons is beyond the point of this post, please don't discuss it here). And here's the thing, my thought then was: I've been there.

I've been there when characters have been set on, or are seemingly being set up for, some kind of redemption arc, and then some new installment pulls the rug out from under the character in a way that feels very, very deliberately aimed at fans of the character. Grant Ward is the most notable case of this for me. 2015 and 2016 me had quite a few things to say about that. 2024 me lacks the energy or desire to go into detail.

It's not fun, either way. So I sympathized. And I figured that probably meant Amy Dallon would be my sort of character. But I didn't want to read Worm - it sounded depressing, it was 1.6 million words, Taylor didn't sound super appealing and I knew she was the main POV, and superheroes aren't my thing.

But it wouldn't leave my head. So I started poking around on places like r/parahumans (a den of bad takes and noxious fans if there ever was one) and r/WormFanfic and the Parahumans wiki and looked through a few threads on SB and started trawling the Amy Dallon tag here on Tumblr and developed some thoughts.

Amy Dallon, and the injustice of what happened to her in Ward had crawled inside my head and it wasn't going anywhere. I ranted to my friends about all the shit I'd learned and was like 'I HAVEN'T EVEN READ THIS WORK AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF I WANT TO AND IT JUST WON'T LEAVE MY BRAIN!'. I remember seeing a post saying something about how someone who had read worm couldn't relate to people who hadn't and weren't constantly thinking about Amy and I reblogged it saying 'I haven't even read Worm and I'm constantly thinking about Amy' and I think the OP of the post reblogged my reblog and called me a whole new kind of person or something. I don't remember and don't care to go digging.

The things that held me back the most continued to be the sheer length of Worm, a fear that Taylor would be insufferable and the fact that it still sounded godforsakenly depressing. (2 out of 3 ain't bad, as Meatloaf Says). So eventually I decided to go poking around and read some fic to get the idea if I'd actually read it. I don't remember all the ones I read in this period, but they included: I, Panacea, Desperate Times Call For Desperate Pleasures, Queen of Blood and More Than Meets The Eye. It was around this time I also started getting multiple Worm Fic Ideas, which was... fun. Because you know, it's one thing to read fanfic without knowing the source canon, but I've always loathed in previous fandoms when people say they're writing a fic for a canon they've only read fic from (and was always an immediate X-out for me) and I have too much dignity self-respect as a writer to do that myself.

Now, fic ideas don't mean I have to write them. I have ASOIAF and TVD fic Ideas I'm never going to write, and my notebooks across the ages are littered with fic Ideas I had and then put aside and never wrote. Some still haunt my dreams like Edgar Allen Poe's Telltale Heart. But still.

Eventually, after someone made a comment to me to the effect of 'with all due respect, if you haven't read Worm, shut up about it' I decided to at least make an effort to read it. Spite was my original intent - I wanted to see if my opinion about Amy's storyline in Worm specifically would remain the same (and it broadly has) and if so, I would feel satisfied I'd been right.

(For the record, It did remain the same (pretty much, more on this in a future post) and I do feel satisfied that I was right.)

And so, on June 16th, half on a whim and half because I knew I'd have things to say and I wanted to section them off my main blog, I made this blog and began reading Gestation 1.1. I gave it even odds in my head I'd give up before I was more than a few arcs in.

Wasn't even tempted until Arcs 12 and 13. Then was tempted again in the absolute nadir of the work, 17-19. And then again during the Behemoth fight. Once I got past that, I was never temped.

So that's I got here. Existing adjacent to Worm for years, some osmosis, an ill-timed comment, some snarky responses and a character that burrows into my brain by hitting all of my buttons.

[tuskhansworld]

Dusk and Dawn

DEMO LINK

You have failed, you have failed yourself, your mom/dad and your friends. It was your last chance to graduate, and you blew it. If only you had studied harder had done better. No one said college would be easy.

It was supposed to be an ordinary walk, one where you could ruminate in peace as you wallow in your own self-pity. Going off path was the first mistake, the second was failing to turn back when you had the chance.

What now? What direction will your life take? Is there even a chance to get back to college and if there was would you take it. Would you take the ordinary over this?

Dusk and Dawn is rated 18+ for explicit language, explicit sexual themes, drug and alcohol use, violence, morally questionable behaviour, and so much more. Dusk and Dawn is an urban fantasy type IF inspired by CYOA’S like slayer v4, gifted and supernatural detective. If you haven’t heard of this, I recommend that you do. They’re amazing.

FEATURES

Customize your MC (they whose life you will live) appearance, personality, and coping mechanisms. Will you be broken? How will you cope by being accepting in denial or dissociating

This is an urban fantasy type IF as the story progresses you will work on your character’s abilities as well as skills. Will you go down the path of a Knight, or bishop. Currently a work in progress.

Engage in fiery romances with an array of characters or not. The choice is yours.

Ros

Alexandrea/Alexander Ariti

Holier than thou attitude. Believes they are better than everyone else thus making them the best. The mental gymnastics it took to reach this conclusion is somewhat worrying. Has an ego so inflated it’s a surprise their head hast exploded yet. Sadly, is severely competent that bragging is just plain honesty to them. Considered a genius by many. Likes to pull up quotes from philosophies and other things. Actually, gives good advice if you can get over the condescending attitude.

Description: Tall with an athletic build, dark mahogany skin, with eyes the colour of honey. Their dark kinky hair is long currently worn in tribal braids inset with golden ornament and as an afro at the back. Forming a sort of lion's mane. They prefer wearing simple long flowing clothes and they took the ROOK class route.

Blaise/Blanca Everest

An absolute motorcycle riding, shades-wearing, vodka drinking badass. Knows what they want, and lord help you if you stand between them and that. Collected to the point of coming of as standoffish and whilst also being a complete and utter jerk. Rumours about them sometimes spread. B could care less. Knows obscure rituals and can get difficult to find incidents through less savoury means. Don’t ask where b gets them, seriously don’t. A close friend to St. Dew.

Description: They are of average height and have a lean, solid build. Their skin is pale and covered in beauty marks, and their eyes are hazel-coloured. Their dark hair is ear-length and trimmed into a messy but stylish wolfcut. They prefer wearing dark colours with soft, loose tops.

Isra/Isran Dawnstar

Your local “plant mom” and geek will mansplain anything they love and are interested in. Is somewhat endearing since they usually talk about interesting topics. Also, can help you research very obscure myths and legends. Can talk for hours about gardening and alchemy. Grows their own [i]alchemic[/i] ingredients. Wink An alchemical genius will brew amazing potions and philtres. Usually tests some of their more eccentric potions on themselves.

Description: Almost as tall as you, with an average build, I has a sharp jaw, high cheekbones and a hooked nose. Their eyes are sharp and narrowed, with black eyeliner used to highlight the green in them. Has a chemical burn atop their left hand from one of their first experiments. Straight dark hair that’s shoulder length.

Narrak/Narrah St.dew

An absolute darling, a literal gem. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone that doesn’t like them. A fun-loving person who most definitely was a golden retriever in their past life. Can be a bit of an airhead. It’s not that N is dumb it's just that they could care less unless something interests them. Though don’t worry they have a lot of interests. Loves anything and everything that involves outdoors, hiking camping, though more partial to rock climbing and surfing. Knows how to give piercings, usually re-pierces their own for…reasons. One of the only people to Everest their best friend.

Description: Average height, with an athletic build though leaning towards that of a runner, their skin is the colour of caramel, with a dusting of freckles across their nose and shoulders. Long curl dirty blonde hair sometimes though rarely worn in a bun.

Rowan/Rowana Barlow

If kindness could kill then they would be wanted in four different states. Though they may have killed a few with their ‘Bear hugs’. Even then the police would let them go with a slap to the wrist. Kind to a fault. Though R knows their limits. Won’t let anyone walk over you. Prefers to talk than to fight. Has vitiligo across their body.

Description : Taller than average with a bigger build, patches of their hazelnut skin is a light pink tone. Vitiligo is most prominent on their head and face with a large section of the eye, forehead and hair affected by it. A patch of their ebon hair has lost its pigmentation as well as their left eyelash. Their eyes are dark blue.

Torek/Toren Metheka

Everyone knows about them. But is there anybody who actually knows them? Versed in both magic and fighting. They are the main reason why half of the recruits joined the Great Hunt. Tales of their prowess and skill border on legends. Is mysterious. Origins are unknown…to the general public.

Description: Tall solid thick build with broad shoulders and shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair. Their hands are large and calloused. Their storm-grey eyes stern.

Special romance route: There is a poly route but let’s save that for later.

Your choices will have consequences remember that.

[redinthefaceandcheeks]

The Continued State of RitFac: November 2024

Pardon the lack of any published stories or Author notes. The long radio silence is because the current story I have been working on since March 2024 has finally entered the editing phase. Now I finally feel comfortable enough with this project to share with all of you the big project. The story is a Choose Your Own Adventure story, and it is BIG. Currently, the biggest story I have ever tackled is clocking in at 71k works and 200 pages at the time of writing this. 

It will be a POV Story where you, a meek college student pizza boy doing one last delivery order to the fraternity house WUF, the most popular, established fraternity on campus.

It is taking so long because it is true to the original vision I first came up with earlier this year. This adventure will have five endings, and if you are cultured about werewolf erotica, you can guess what each one focuses on. I also tried my best to make sure that each path was totally unique from the others, which has led to being a huge undertaking on my side. I do not want to give too much away about these stories, but some of the tags that will be included in this story will be: -transformation -paws -maws -torn clothes -leather gear -group sex  -cumflation -sheaths One of the reasons why this project is taking so long to complete is that I have been giving myself plenty of time and breaks to prevent myself from experiencing burnout. So, with all those juicy details, what comes next? I still have to go back to edit and finalize the story so that there is continuity with the detail and tone of every ending. Then once that has been reviewed and edited, I have to import all the text and programming notes into the Twine game engine. Then I have to run QA checks on all my programming and then select a website to host the thing.

These are all daunting in their own right, but not impossible.

Because of the size, scope, and effort of this particular project, I will host it on a website shop with a suggested Pay What You Want price of about $5.00.

Do not worry, will be sure to allow the Pay What You Want price offer to accept $0.00 as payment. If you enjoy it, you can kick a few bucks over the enjoyment. I do want to reconfirm that after this CYOA is published I will be going back to writing more of my regular-sized stories and resuming my Author’s Notes series. While working on this project, I have still been jotting down a bunch of new kinky story ideas that I have in the drafts just waiting for me to use them up right after this project is completed. Make no mistake, I am chomping at the bit to write anything else besides this adventure. On a slightly personal note, I am happy to announce that I will attend two furry conventions in the new year! I will be attending Anthro New England as well as FurcationLand in 2025. I'm quite excited to attend and if you are in either one of those areas at the time, let me know! Finally, with the current internet and political landscape, I want to restate all of the other platforms I am on and where you can find me and my work:

Tumblr [https://www.tumblr.com/redinthefaceandcheeks] Furaffinity [https://www.furaffinity.net/user/ritfac/]

Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/RiTFaC] I have also become way more active on Bluesky now with more constant and droll updates on the editing process:

BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/ritfac.bsky.social]

Again, thank you all for the support.

[onewomancitadel]

A scattering of TWC impressions, which I played because a mutual posted fanart featuring a guy with long hair and I wanted to see if he had long hair in the game. The character my protagonist romanced only had long hair in a flashback. I told you, they are trying to contain me

That being said, I'll try to be fair:

By Book Two I was calling that the mother is a traitor, and I presume the epilogue in Book Three confirms this. My favourite silly thing that authors do is something like:

"I'll never forgive anybody who ever does this."

[Character who is later never forgiven for something immediately speaks]

"I sure hope nobody betrays us."

[Traitor speaks]

or in the case of TWC, every time a Rogue leader was mentioned, Rebecca immediately began speaking. It's just a subtle way of linking information together that most people aren't going to pick up on, outside of actual hard clues (e.g. there's the bit where Rebecca gets the pure DMB, and somehow Murphy had pure DMB on hand, the repeated emphasis on doing anything for her child, caginess about leaving being a leader of the Chamber/the dad thing, etc.)

I cannot imagine how much work it was to twine together a CYOA game and try to structure the prose as part of that experience, so I tried to be really gentle on that aspect when I am at my most critical with such a thing.

Present tense works best with first person (there is one time that I've read third person present tense and it's transcended my issues with it, I think because there was a real deft employment of where it's good for - especially sex scenes) in my experience because it reflects that natural English conversational tone, though my preference would still be first person past tense, for the sake of CYOA I can see why it was chosen. That being said, I think it really did struggle at points trying to marry a past tense reflectional tone to the present, and there were times that the description of the environment was especially clunky. I wrote a post about dialogue tags that was implicitly about this series lol.

I did pay for all three books so I'm not knocking on something a fan put their heart into, hahaha. To its detriment I think the quality of the prose depreciated by Book Three - having gone back to do a second playthrough to do a male protagonist/Morgan playthrough, I don't think this is recency bias. In terms of actual structure, Book Three probably has the overall better dramatic moments but experiences a weakening of connective tissue - lots of 'and then'..., and fewer scenes where I can smash my dollies together.

This really brings me to my issue which is that I didn't go in knowing it was all about romance, and I really wish - ironically - it had leant more into being about romance.

The plot is there to carry the development (which I enjoy, unless you are able to write something truly literary) up until it fell more like it was beginning to overwhelm it by Book Three - then again I hated the fake dating in Book Two because it's a beloathed trope of mine, so maybe I'm just hard to please. I think this might be an issue of the will-they-won't-they Adam romance, which - whilst I love slow burn and most of all absolutely love slow burn which dicks around - really needed to torture Adam more and torture my protagonist more to get the message through, I think in part a consequence of the tone of this sort of story which is trying to feel grounded, but I would choose sensible character development in exchange for tonal compromise (especially as it would be constrained to one route). I'm willing to be seated for people who try to stay away from each other - yess please yummy yummy - but you need to feel comfortable in getting the emotional cattle prod out.

And I wouldn't be so upset about the realism of portraying a 900 year old vampire knight unless the setting leant hard into that 'supernatural-but-realism' modern style of cynical writing... like, you can't have characters laugh about believing in God (when God structured that period of Adam's early life and magic is real and a Gnostic-esque Echo World is also real...) and then get mad at me when I want you to portray a 900 year old vampire knight properly. He sounds like a traumatised soldier from 20-30 years ago; did he change with the times? Did he never fit in back then anyway? I guess I just wanted to go weirder! Also what's his attitude to sex. Lol

Also the fact that human bloodsucking didn't come up until the end of Book Three made me very disappointed. I wanted him to try sucking her like as early as Book One. I wanted to suggest it as a thing to help them fighttttt but it could also be so so sexy. 🥰 It felt a little like dramatic scenes kind of get postponed. No idea what Murphy is doing now

That being said, the most important thing to me were the nonviolent resolutions and being nice to the monsters. I think the real reason I kept playing is because it did keep offering outcomes that let me try to be peaceful and show compassion to the big sad mean monsters... whether that was in the romance itself, or towards the antagonists, that was actually great fun.

It's not even something you necessarily get to do in a Bioware game because combat is considered the lifeblood of video games (maybe in some older games you can talk down the antagonist, thinking of the original Fallout here - but notably its sequel eschewed this, almost like a joke) and the type of character I tend to construct for this setting is the gentlest I can think of, just because such gentle characters are so rare. So it's very very valuable to me to get to play that.

That actually brings me into what I liked about the romances, which is that I never had to consistently hit a 'flirt' option - something I hate about how RPG's construct romance now - because that's not even how people become attracted to each other! - and it asked me what route I was going to take. Notably on my second playthrough, it asked me why I had been avoiding Morgan - so it actually integrated how you met those hidden romance checks into the storytelling, even when I went through a romance with fewer checks seemingly hit. (I think this might've been because I let her wait outside? But why would I force my character on her? Lol).

And because Detective Majestic (okay I was thinking of Destroy All Humans because cops/supernatural/special agencies, I wanted something silly, and then they kept using her surname the whole goddamned playthrough...) is so gentle, she never pushed Adam not even once, and it let me keep playing that way without punishing that playstyle because it didn't ~meet the romance checks~, but it also had romantic scenarios where neither of them let themselves do anything hahaha, which was amazing. This is probably the rarest portrayal of romance I've ever seen in a CYOA/RPG, and pretty much redeemed my experience because it was so fun to actually play something unique which met me halfway. That in itself is very hard to do - the reason you'd structure something linearly with absolute checks is just because this method is very complex to write. Now you've got more than 'romance - no romance' to write a route for.

So the discovery element was really the strongest, and I enjoyed it for that reason above all else. It let me be nice, pacifistic, and play a romance with a unique approach - and though I am not always the kindest on some requisite romance tropes (part of the reason I liked playing a gentle character is that I like the subversion of pushy romance tropes lol) it was admittedly quite fun!

I'm glad I checked it out, so now I know who is the one with long hair and who isn't, and though I am rather curmudgeonly, I had a little bit of fun. I can definitely see how this would service a rich transformative fandom - especially because I don't know if you could reasonably write a sex scene in the main story proper. Blood sucking might have to supplement it... that's what the vampire can be a facsimile for, just with a much more negative portrayal, lol. Probably a separate thesis to be written on why the vampire has enjoyed a burgeoning positive reception in modern romance.

[yxstxrdrxxm-a]

And that... Is the end of Flawed.

Or the one I hosted for my silly event here anyway.

[ TL;DR under read more: The lack of interest and stress I got from irl matters led me to drop the event and ending it early, but! I have a blog made for the sake of continuing/restarting the event.

Please vote on the poll if you want it to be catered to the reader or stick to Yesterday, and be unbiased, too. Vote what you want, and I'll try and make it happen.]

CONTEXT UTC:

So, I know you guys have a lot of questions, and I can't blame you. I know the biggest one in your mind right now, which is:

Why did I end Flawed early?

The reason why I ended Flawed was actually multiple. Please keep in mind that these are for my observations, and overall I'm not blaming anyone for this. I just noticed it and thought I should bring it up lol.

1. Writing for days burnt me out.

Although Flawed is a passion story/project of mine, writing so much burnt me out. And by a lot. There were days I struggled to think of writing because I have other commitments to do, and sometimes its why polls came out super late or super early. I tried to compensate for it by posting 1 poll a day, but when it didn't work, I pushed myself to make more for 1 day.

I wanted so badly for the whole event to flow like a CYOA because by next month (April), I won't be free to host this as I used to with OLC. However, in that process, I burnt myself out to the point I needed to take longer breaks/forget this event.

It sucks. I would not recommend doing this if you think you want to (because it is NOT worth it).

2. Interactions were... Lacking.

This event is interaction heavy, and the reason why is because you guys control the story that Yesterday and others are in. Naturally, this also affects the characters and how I shape Flawed from start to finish. I have a plot line for it, of course, but the interactions were... Not there.

I noticed the usual ones from my mutuals, sure, but there were moments that I felt like I was simply posting to no one. It was unfortunate during the time with Diluc, where I had hoped that some of you would go, but due to complications (ahem, the votes weren't able to decide on going when the deadline was up), I had to write how it's supposed to go with some... Changes.

It also made me feel sad to see that there weren't much (if at all) interactions to Yesterday. Tinuvion received a fair bit, which is nice because he's a little shit (please bully him lol), but Yesterday after the first week and a half just... Didn't get any. At least, in my records.

I'm not saying this to guilt you guys to interact more, but I am saying this because it feels sad for me to see that unlike OLC, this... Flopped. I had a lot of responses + moments planned if it took off that much, but... Oh well. There's always that one story that won't hit for everyone.

And finally:

3. Maybe you guys wanted it to be catered to you, not to an OC.

I had a feeling that, from the start, Flawed may not take off.

Unlike One Last Call (which was a matchup event + story), Flawed was a CYOA but you guys aren't the main focus/MC, Yesterday (my oc) is. I was hoping that with this method, you guys get to play the omnipotent voice and see how far the story can go until it's conclusion.

However, as I hosted the event for the next few days to weeks, I realized that it was simply too difficult. Maybe I wasn't prepared to host this type of format, as ambitious as it is, but I realized that maybe, you guys don't deserve this format and I should've made it catered to a reader insert instead.

It was hard for me to swallow the pill that this event may not be fun for the majority. I knew that having an OC be the MC + canon characters interact with them may be flaky at best (esp the whole OC x Canon being... well. very much a huge "oh dear"), but seeing minimal interaction/interest than my friends were (and people I admire, too. Hi Harmony! o/!!) and realizing that maybe I shouldn't have done this just... Made me regret it.

For that, I'd like to say:

I'm so, so sorry that this event failed. I'm very sorry if you guys expected it to be like OLC: about the reader/reader insert format.

I know it's not right for me to apologize, but I feel that I have to. I let all of you down, and I don't want you guys to be disappointed in something that you all don't like to see in this blog.

So I decided that I'll run this event in its own blog, but here's the thing.

I don't know if I should keep Yesterday in the blog.

I have to open up a poll for this, so here's the options you guys have for it's fate:

If you guys want it to be a reader insert game (aka you are the main star, not Yesterday), I will set up a menu to BUILD your personal darling.

This means that you guys get to decide how darling will look, the gender, their preferences, and even their job. However, this will be for your darling, and if darling dies, you can't use them anymore.

PROS: This is catered to the reader, and thus, you guys are the ones to choose your own destiny. I won't be the one to decide this time, and if the majority agrees on a specific option, your darling will do just that. This is also more open for variety + reader/canon interaction because I know some of you would have a lot of fun being able to see yourselves in the story.

CONS: When your darling dies, you get the chance to restart. However, the game will continue on with a new darling you guys will have to make and the stats reset to zero. The characters will also mention your past darling, and you'll have to restart from scratch. I still need to tweak this, but just know that it is VERY tricky for you if your first darling dies.

If you guys want it to stay the same (Yesterday is the MC), the format will remain the same.

This means what you witnessed here in the blog WILL happen on the other blog.

PROS: You guys get to either continue or restart with Yesterday's story, and with newfound knowledge, you get to choose more options that were previously unavailable. This also opens up to you all being able to essentially shape Yesterday's outlook + what'll happen to them, because you are the one guiding them to their happy ending.

CONS: This one does not offer a restart like the reader insert (one try only), and this could result to another "this'll flop because many people aren't interested". We've seen it happen here, so please decide wisely.

If you guys want BOTH, the format will be different as you have the option to build a darling (reader insert) or stick to Yesterday's story.

This means there will be a new system for both options to be available, alongside new menus!

PROS: You guys get to have a chance of an 'easy route' or 'hard route' and all of you can use your experience/s to get your desired ending for either one <3 go crazy lol

CONS: If you choose one of the two options for both, the latter will be locked. That's the only consequence I have for this one tbh.

So yes, I'd like to say thank you, and sorry for the fail of Flawed on this blog. I wish I could give you all the quality like in OLC, but there were... Too many things to consider. Sobs.

If you guys still want to continue, please lmk. I worked hard on Flawed and I still want to continue, but this time, its a permanent event and will be on my own pace.

Thank you for your support. Again. And I'll see you guys next time (be it a random fic or the next event <3)

[amberskywrites]

Blacksmith Blazes

A side story of Not of This World, following the character Watina Blazes.

This piece was written for my Intro Fiction class in uni, and was written before I decided to turn Not of This World into a hypertext CYOA.

Word Count: 2,705

Fic Masterpost | Original Work Masterpost | Not of This World Info

Three people walk into her forge. The door closes with a bang, and it’s only the knowledge that rebuilding this rod for Emeret will result in another three weeks of time wasted that keeps her hands steady. Watina breathes in slowly, loosening the minute tension that had built in her hands, the shadows solidifying in her distress easing into the fluidity of the flames engulfing her arms. She smooths the metal where indents formed. 

Only once she knows the rod won’t snap if she lets it cool does she set it aside with the other pieces of Emeret’s order and finally looks at the intruders of her forge. They hadn’t moved from the doorway, standing huddled together.

They’re young. Older than the children that hide in the crevices of her forge but younger than the teens that haunt the streets. They’re dressed in dark cloaks that swamp them, even the tallest in the back, looking much smaller than they surely are. Fire licks one of their round faces, their flaming hair curling over their shoulders and they’ve clearly been trying to hide it in the cloak, but fire isn’t containable that way, and so it escapes. Another is accompanied by the sound of rushing water, combating the sound of the roaring flames in the forge, and this one tucks the cloak further around their neck, but it doesn’t hide the way the hair atop their head falls like a waterfall. And the last, taller than the others with vines peeking over the hem of the cloak, curling up around their neck, not like a constriction but a shield.

The forge quiets slightly as Watina stares at them, and they stare at her. The last stares at the bottom of her face, at the protrusions and the melted rubbery skin that now hangs from her jaws in place of a mouth, and her skin itches in a way it hasn’t since they first formed. A hand goes to their shoulder and Watina can feel the heat accompanying the touch, the way it swells into her own heat permeating the little stone building. It curls familiar and foreign, and Watina can envision what lies under the cloak, standing starkly against the tall one’s dark skin, and wonders briefly if it hurt them too or if their skin built in the resistance first.

The reprimand for closing her door dies in her throat. She inhales slowly, and when she speaks, the trio’s eyes follow the way the protrusions vibrate.

“What can I do for you?” The tall one squirms at the muffled words, and there’s a hesitation as the other two look at them. But they step forward after a moment, crunching bits of discarded glass and metal shavings under heavy-sounding boots.

Trouble, Watina thinks as she eyes them more closely. In the windowless room with the door closed, it’s hard to see much detail on what they wear and the shadows move across their face, obscuring enough that Watina would likely need a minute to recognize them outside the forge if they left right this moment. She stills her flames to halt these shadows. They clear their throat.

“We need gear,” they begin, voice deep in the way of new teens, when it doesn’t quite know if it will get deeper or higher or stay that way. “Some armor, shields, and weapons.”

Watina tilts her head.

It’s not an odd request, and armor is her specialty among adventurers. These kids must be adventurers, but they’re still so young…

By the door, Waterfall shifts uncertainly and looks back at the closed door. Firehair shifts their cloak tighter around them but tugging it down, more of the fabric draping over their legs.

Definitely trouble.

“How much?”

Tall one stands up straighter, the uncertainty relaxing in their face. The tension in their shoulders drop when Watina takes a step back and reaches for her book. It’s so they aren’t towering over her, but what they don’t know won’t hurt them. “Four armors – there’s someone waiting for us, outside of town. Two shields. A hammer, a rapier, and a broadsword.” Watina writes as they speak, nodding.

Firehair steps forward slightly to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the tall one. “We need everything to be enchanted.”

Watina pauses only briefly in writing. “All of it?”

“All of it.”

Watina breathes slowly.

Never a good sign, children asking for enchanted weapons. Asking her for enchanted weapons.

“What will you be using it for?” She doesn’t usually ask – it’s never her business, just her job to get things made. But these are children. She knows there’s been some wanted posters, recently, some warnings to be wary of adventurers wandering too close to the plains. Tales of the Council, suddenly more active and pushing that stupid prophecy back into town gossip. She never pays attention to them, not really; most just pass by Detnuah, she hasn’t had to deal with adventurers in ages.

She doesn’t think so, anyway.

But children, seeking her out?

Maybe she should have paid more attention…

“That’s… a bit complicated,” Waterfall says, still by the door. Watina watches them stifle grimaces. And that’s all the confirmation she needs.

She should say no.

She could.

Watina stares at the tall one. Already practicing two types of magic, at least. They shift uneasily under her stare, but there is a determined look in their eye. A dangerous sort of dedication, a familiar dedication. She tries to see it, see him, standing over this child with bloodied hands and a mangled corpse beneath him. It’s all too easy to imagine. Two other corpses lie scattered by doors to a throne room, taken out almost immediately. Opal predicted there would be one to end his rule, but no one ever seems to know who that one will be.

Others have tried, and each one has failed.

She can’t say no.

Saying no all but guarantees she sees their faces among the twisted bodies that defend Myrth from outsiders. And she’d see them decorated in either no armor or in gear created by the inexperienced or the liars.

“Alright. But you’ll need to come tonight, with the fourth member of your group, for measurements. And I’ll need some work from you lot.” She can’t say no, but maybe she can deter them.

“What kind of work?” Firehair asks.

“Some material gathering – consider it as payment for all the gear. You’ll need dexterous but flexible armor, and carving enchantments into weapons is tricky without the right material. You came to me because you need the best, and I can give it to you, but I just need some work on your end to ensure it’s all completed.”

The tall one nods. “Alright, we can- we can do that. Right?” The other two nod at them. “Do you have a list, or will we also pick that up tonight?”

“Tonight,” Watina says. “Get some rest today, and come back tonight, when I’m not busy. But before you go, I do need names.”

“Akhema.” “Jasper.” Waterfall and Firehair say one after the other, gesturing to themselves respectively. They look pointedly at the tall one.

“... Phoenix,” they say.

Watina nods, writing Akhema and Jasper’s names into the indents already in the page. Her hand stutters writing Phoenix, and she watches herself write out S-y-l. It’s the start of a v that she shakes her head and scratches the name out, writing the given name. It feels wrong, like it doesn’t belong, but it was the name given and so it’s the name she’ll use.

“Alright, that’s all I can do for now. I’ll see you tonight.”

Jasper and Akhema smile and turn to open the door. Phoenix hesitates a moment, looking over Watina again, and their eyes linger on her hands and hair and shoulder protrusions. She wills her hair to not flick in agitation, for her hands to remain semi-solid, and heat pulses from the protrusions under their stare. They attempt a smile that falls flat before following the other two out.

The door closes again with a thump, and if she still had teeth, Watina’s sure she’d be grinding them.

-

Four children sit on her spare table – Akhema, Jasper, their fourth group member Myrin, and Phoenix. The forge door is shut once again. Watina closed it. Her forge was unlit – she didn’t work at night, but there were now shimmering armored soldiers patrolling the streets, and not long after these kids left Emeret had rushed in to warn her about the approaching Council lackeys, so she couldn’t risk doing anything out of the ordinary, and she didn’t need her home filled with smoke. 

Three large candles are strewn around in haphazardly put together stands she melded when she realized she’d need to be more discreet with this meeting. She made sure this table and the spaces by the candles were far away from her supplies; she didn’t need these kids seeing the materials she actually had. Just to be safe, she had shoved as much as she could to the corner of the forge and thrown tarps Emeret brought over for her on them. The light from her, Phoenix, Jasper, and the candles barely reached the tarps, and none of the kids seemed to pay it much mind.

Her own body provided enough light for her to see each measurement, though the only numbers she was paying attention to were Phoenix’s. It’s a formality to measure them all – their numbers were already etched in the book. Phoenix’s numbers, though, they were the only ones different. Even Myrin’s was within the book, although hers weren’t scratched as deeply in Watina’s pages.

She doesn’t say anything for a while, measuring Phoenix carefully and retrieving her list once she’s done. She skims it, adding in a few other items she doesn’t actually need now that she knows one of them practices stone magic. 

“Okay,” she finally says, and holds her list out to the group. They scooch in closer, and she lets Jasper take it from her. “This is everything I need, and I need all of it to complete your gear.”

Watina takes a step back and watches them read.

She expects them to grow apprehensive. They will likely be in a rush – especially with the Council seemingly being hot on their backs, if Captain Belli’s interrogation about her most recent patrons was anything to go by. Constant questions about who was going where, when they would be going, who she recently sold to. He mentioned Myrth once in the interrogation, and she’s still not sure if it was a dig at her background or the group of adventurers he suspected her aiding.

Her list should keep them out of Detnuah, at least, until these soldiers pass on to some of the bigger towns.

Two hunts – a Harpspinner and a Crystalelk. Young folk recently have become apprehensive of hunting, she’s noticed, unless they’re starving. And if Belli is to be believed, none of these adventurers should be insecure for food, even on the run. And she doubts it herself, seeing two can grow plants anywhere they like. The list says she needs their hides, for the inner linings of the armor.

A jar of Bumblings, needed alive. They’re difficult to find – she has to source her regular supply from a merchant with a penchant for bugs that only comes to Detnuah once every three months, and even then, he rarely carried them unless she sent a request a month in advance. They needed to be alive because their essence was only potent upon fresh death.

Four petals from a Black Wallower. The magic in just one petal was incredibly potent, and infusing them into armor heightened any runes carbed inside. She already had a bag full, but the Black Wallower was incredibly rare and usually found very, very far from Detnuah. She hoped it would be far enough they’d second-guess if it was worth it.

Ore from the Capitate Mines. However much they can get. It’s durable and easily malleable. The protectors of the Capitate Mines are fiercely defensive of that ore, and are known to get hostile over it. She has done plenty of business with them for other materials found in those mines, and she knows they won’t attack these kids. But they will be difficult to convince to give away any ore.

And gemstones of each color. She wasn’t too specific with this one, she’ll claim to be able to use any. But gemstones are rare in this region, often any found are imported to Itireae to be used by the Council because of the supposed magical properties various gems posess.

They don’t, actually, possess magic. They’re just good for decoration. And maybe curses, but no one has been able to create true curses in hundreds of years.

She’s right, that some grow apprehensive. Jasper’s face pinches, and Akhema frowns. Myrin looks contemplative, though, and Watina just hopes Akhema and Jasper can plant doubt in their comrade’s mind, even if just for a few hours.

Phoenix isn’t looking at the list anymore; in fact, they barely glanced at it. Instead, they stare off into the corner to the left of her door, where some of her old projects are shucked out of the way. They’re holding their shoulder, covering the protrusions Watina had measured just minutes before, and the vines around their neck constrict and release irregularly.

With the others wrapped up in the list still, Watina steps up to Phoenix again and taps their hand, watching the protrusions underneath light up with a soft yellow and orange liquid. Phoenix startles, head snapping up to Watina. The vines almost lash out at her hand, but curl in after Phoenix takes a quick breath. They stare at her with wide eyes.

Watina notes the black creeping into their scelera. She makes subtle plans to add shifting runes to their armor so it can adapt to whichever magic they’re beginning to practice.

She doesn’t ask about that, though, instead saying, “I can make your armor accommodate these. Are they solid, or softer?”

“Sorry?”

“These. Pressure makes them uncomfortable no matter what, but if they’re solid or soft changes the kind of metal I need to use around them.”

“Oh, I uh-” they curl into themself, and really, Watina needs to talk to who made kids think it was cool or fun to be an adventurer. Truly, it’s the one thing in the world that saps all the life out of their eyes. And Watina had worked under Opal for some time, but even she at nineteen and overworked and exhausted and literally sapped of magical energy looked more lively than this child. “I want them hidden.”

“I assume then, that these vines of yours will be visible?”

“No.”

“No?”

Phoenix shakes their head. “Hidden too. I… I figure it’ll be better this way, keep my opponents on their toes if they don’t know what kind of magic I practice.” Watina hums, and she sees their eyes follow the way the protrusions on her own face vibrate with the noise. She stands back with hands retreating to her hips.

“Well, I can layer your armor then. There aren’t really any enchantments for making armor comfortable but layers will still help those. I do still need to know what metal to use, though.”

Phoenix doesn’t say anything else quite yet, and Watina lets them stew, turning instead to the group that had quieted. She isn’t sure if it’s pride or dread that fills her when she spots the map spread over a rock table that wasn’t part of her forge before they got here, red ink staining circles into the parchment. The map is quickly rolled up, however, and Myrin lets the stone sink into the floor silently, the only indication it was her doing being the hand outstretched over the smooth rock.

“Thank you for agreeing to make this,” Jasper says as Akhema and Myrin slip out the door. “We’ll be back as soon as we can with everything. Right, Phoenix?”

Phoenix nods as they stand, following Jasper to the door. They hesitate, however, and they don’t look back at Watina as they say, “Soft.”

The door closes with a soft thump.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hey! I have a question. So I wanted to write a book that has multiple endings. But I'm not sure how to do it. I wanted to build up a story with a girl and multiple love interest. and have a main ending(if a specific love interest and ending plot) but for readers that want a different ending get a different ending story with a difference plot twist and love interest..

Do you know anything about how to write like that or do you have any tips. On how to do that.

Thank you and I hope you have a lovely day!

Story with Multiple Choices/Endings

I would suggest looking into how to write a Choose Your Own Adventure-style story. You can either go the full CYOA route and give your reader choices from the beginning, or you could switch into CYOA mode for the last act/last part/last chapter (whatever works.)

Whichever route you choose, if you Google "How to Write a Choose Your Own Adventure" you'll see some great guides to help you through the process, including how to plot out the different plot twists/endings and how to format them in the story.

Happy writing!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[ink-splotch]

Hi!!! I just wanted to tell you that seeing your new game reminded me that Stay? exists and that it's soooo good. It's been a while since I played it, so I don't remember the details, but I do remember being amazed at how much variation there was, how every detail was perfectly woven into the story, and how human the characters felt despite us not getting that much time to know them. Plus, I personally love war plots, and yours DID NOT disappoint. I also really loved how the different "career paths" impacted your story, and just how many different details and paths you could get depending on what you did at every step of the way. I don't know, I just remember liking it a lot and feeling really accomplished once I managed to beat it.

Also, out of curiosity, who are all the LIs? In my lifetimes, I remained pretty faithful to Myka (love of my life, she was so great!!!), but I imagine Esteban, Jo, Suzette and Gemma to be romanceable. Did I miss someone else?

Another question I have is: how did you get the idea for the game? And by that I mean, what was the inspiration for the plot and all the different characters + why did you even decide to make a CYOA in the first place?

Because, again, it was incredibly good and I'd like to know which stars do I have to thank for it existing.

Anyways, once I'm really excited to play More a Haunting than a History, and I just know it's gonna be as great as Stay? was!

Thank you so much and have a nice day! ~ 🍪

Hello there! Thanks for writing me. There are five major romanceable characters in Stay?: Myka, Esteban, Jo, Gemma, and Suzette. Technically, there are some minor romanceable NPCs (ex. the different folks you can live your life with in the "fuck off into the hills" ending), but those five are the main gist of it. The main five can also also each be platonic life partners for you, rather than traditional romantic partners, if that's more your style.

Myka is my wife's favorite love interest in Stay? by far, so great taste.

Stay? actually has a very clear origin story for me. My friends and I played Outer Wilds, which I highly highly recommend, and I was so delighted by its balance and structure that I wanted to see if I could make something built on the same bones. I drafted up my @sortinghatchats quiz to get used to the ink system, and then dove into Stay?. It was the most fast/obsessed I've ever put a story on paper (so to speak) and I admit I may still be chasing that high.

I built the basic structure first, and then added on the setting, characters, plot macguffins, details, etc. on top, trying to interweave and connect them. I like how it turned out. The plotline with the southern lands, to be vague for spoilers reasons, was actually a very late addition and I think it, in many ways, is what made the game work for me.

I hope you enjoyed MAHTAH! It's a very different game than Stay?, in some ways; and I'm proud of myself in different ways in terms of what I tried to build there.

[whumpinthepot]

Hamster Interactive Story

CYOA

Chapter 7. Vet

Previous - Masterlist

Content: Medical care, implied needle and medical drugs, broken bones, hospital and vet setting, poor vision, panic attack, emeto mention implied, dubious handling, dehumanization, pet trope,  Giant/tiny, female cast, cages, being watched, money stress, selective mutism, 

Pov: Ashley, then switches to Hamster for the poll. 

Poll Winner: Rush Hamster to the emergency vet

—

You can’t handle seeing her like this. She’s burning in your hands, and you’re already reaching for your pink jacket. It doesn’t matter if you have to work full time at both your jobs for the next year, she has to go to the vet. 

You can do your makeup in the car. 

You hold her against you, and feel her squirming to try to get more comfortable in your hand. “Shh shh it’s ok, its ok, shh,” you keep shushing her as you swaddle her in a blanket on your lap to keep her safe while driving. 

The vet isn’t busy yet thankfully, and you’re able to get her in before half the day is gone. “We’re going get you allll fixed up Sweet-Pea.” You reassure Hamster in a whisper to the blankets she’s hiding under, and hold it close to you. It’s covering your pyjama bottoms so people can’t notice your lack of tight jeans so easily… 

The doctor working on the floor today is Dr. Reese, and you recognize him from your job. When you unravel the small heap of blanket to reveal Hamster, she visibly cowers under the bright lights, and pulls her hair over herself. This makes Reese chuckle, and he takes over once she’s set onto the examination table. 

Hamster starts crying with that tea kettle whisle to her voice when Reese touches her, but turns her head towards you when she hears your voice. She reaches her tiny chubby hand out for you as if asking to be saved, and your heart breaks all over again. “I’m right here baby girl, don’t worry I won’t leave. This nice man is going to help you.” You want to put your finger down for her, but you have to keep your distance. 

Hamster starts actually screaming once Reese begins prodding at her injury, and it makes you feel sick. You have to leave the room after all, and run to the bathroom to get a hold of yourself, gripping the sink to keep back tears. If you ended up with makeup running down your face, you would be too humiliated to come out, and to your horror, that’s exactly what happens… 

It takes some time to calm down and fix your face, and finally you brave going back into the room to check on your girl. Your eyes are puffy but you hide it well with fresh eyeliner. 

When you see her she’s half awake with a piece of gause taped to her good arm, and a cast being put on the other. She’s just staring off into space with her eyelids drooping, and barely responds to you when you speak. 

Your blood runs cold, and you leave again.

A nurse calls you back in shortly after, and Reese talks to you about the break, what medication to give her, how long the cast should stay on. 

He mentions something off hand, and you’re somewhat caught off guard, “Have you considered having her vision checked? It appeared to me that she was having a difficult time visually focusing on anything past her nose…” 

Thats the sentence that stands out, and your guilt skyrockets at the thought of neglecting her needs. Next thing you know you’re agreeing to an eye exam for the following week, and signing papers that you hardly skim over. 

They hand Hamster back to you in a paper box with holes in it, and inside she’s nested in soft tissues that surround her, with a cast protecting her arm. She’s fully asleep, and not moving. You snap a picture for your blog, and add your GoFundMe link to the description of your post. 

Once she’s back home safely in her cage you leave for work. 

—

—

Credit to @alittlewhump for proof reading <3333 big hearts for you <3

Tag list: @frogkingdom @verkja @whumpsday @octopus-reactivated @marvel-gt @rsitb-second-account @fallen-grace-smd @winged-wolf-s-collection-of-arts @kyp-the-spacekiwi @dramat1ques @ilasknives @hollowgast1 @whither-wander-whump @redd956 @zobodahobo @alittlewhump @blackrosesandwhump @angst-after-dark @sandygarnelle @copperyote @kim-poce @mayisreallygay @smoll-stace @demondamage @vickytokio @sunshiline-writes @whump-in-the-closet

[the-insomniac-emporium]

The Grieving Seasons WIP: character notes

oops rambling again. blame @zeleneagle (jk jk. I was going to have to talk about these fuckers at some point). Keep in mind that the since the seasons correspond with the stages of grief, each character's story is also meant to mirror that stage in some way/shape/form. The player's choices help determine whether or not the characters start to move towards the next step.

Also, names are not definitive. Couldn't find my original notes so I spent half an hour using BehindTheName's generator. Some characters still need more development than others, since 4 of them are new (those being Khnum, Timur, Romulus, and Zoe). In general I had more notes in the old folder for the Autumn + Winter seasons.

Under read-more for length.

(If you are not familiar with The Grieving Seasons, it's an old WIP of mine that I've recently revisited. Originally an entirely text-based CYOA, it's now potentially slated to be a visual novel, although I really, really don't have time to do this. And yet... here I am.)

Autumn/Denial Characters:

Aiman (F, She/Her, Transgender)

In a land where Winters are often short but brutal (if they come at all), Aiman's job as overseer of trade keeps her endlessly busy in the Fall months. She must ensure the stockpiles are filled, her people are prepared with heavy clothes and heated homes, and that they still have enough coins in their coffers to bounce back after the chill rescinds. It's been a particularly long Autumn, however, and she's beginning to wonder if Winter won't come this year. Others have felt the same way, growing careless, and now they've dipped into precious supplies right as signs of Winter's approach finally become clear. Can you help her prepare for the coming cold? Will you be the one to keep her warm?

General vibe/appearance notes: Frazzled, hard-working, caring to a fault with her heart on her sleeve. Glasses. Somewhat slim, lithe features, invokes the feeling of a cat that lives in a library (coincidentally has a pet cat).

Khnum (M, He/Him)

A High Priest for the God of Harvest, Khnum is accustomed to being very, very busy this time of year, ensuring the last of the crops are gathered and giving guidance to his followers. But there is one noticeable difference this year: His God is near-silent. Fear seeps into the corners of his mind as he tries to continue leading his flock without his master's guidance. Soon his attempts at staying calm begin to border on blasphemy, as he fervently denies his God's growing quiet. Can you help him keep his faith without betraying his own ideals? Will you be the answer to his prayers?

General vibe/appearance notes: WARM. SOFT. PRETTIEST MAN YOU'VE EVER SEEN. A smile that makes you feel like things will be okay again, contagious laughter, the deepest brown eyes that connect right to your soul. Earrings look like little sickles.

Winter/Anger Characters:

Katharina (F, She/Her)

Winter is not an easy time for any in this land, but for a Guard Captain such as Katharina, it is harder than any other time. She must stay on constant alert, defending her people from desperate bandits on the prowl. An old anger weighs heavy on her bones as well, the snow stirring memories, putting an edge to every action she takes. Years ago she could not save her son. Never again will she allow another to suffer than kind of loss, even if it means burning all other emotions away as fuel for her efforts. Can you quench her flames long enough to treat her wounds? Will you be the calm to match her storm?

General vibe/appearance notes: Bear. Big, strong, with rounded facial features. Built for surviving harsh Winters. Isn't hiding a soft side so much as she simply doesn't have much softness left. Under the anger and the coldness there is simply a middle-aged woman who is so, so, so fucking tired.

Timur (M, He/Him, Transgender)

As the chill of Winter sets in upon the land, many ongoing conflicts have been halted, involved parties knowing that they cannot stand tall through both the weather and war. But not everyone is keen on keeping to their agreements. Timur, a knight of near legendary renown, is enraged to discover that a neighboring kingdom has gone back on their promises of peace. He is eager to take the fight to them, to strike back against this grave insult. But even a small campaign would be incredibly draining on his people's remaining resources. To make matters worse, he is constantly at odds with his Guard Captain, Katharina. Can you guide his hand back to protecting his charges? Will you remind him what he fights to protect?

General vibes/appearance notes: Wears iron jewelry (his name means Iron). Shelter/livestock guardian dog vibes. Easily attached to his "charges", wants nothing more than to shelter those he cares about. Struggles with punishing himself too hard for his mistakes (and things he views as mistakes).

Spring/Bargaining Characters:

Malai (F, She/They, Non-binary)

Normally, Malai prides themselves on being level-headed, rational. A lover of logic, mathematics, and the usage of both in artistic endeavors. For years, they've worked alongside their brother (Romulus) to create massive floral arrangements to celebrate the transition of Spring to Summer. But this year they've been rocked by their brother's decision to move across the kingdom, and now they're throwing all logic to the wind in favor of trying to convince him to stay. Both their work and their personal life are crumbling as they scramble to accomplish an impossible task. Can you convince them to respect their brother's decision, so that they might enjoy the time they have left? Will your heart bloom in time with their own?

General vibes/appearance notes: Lots of flower motifs. The flowers in her sprites would change colors depending on what emotion the sprite is meant to match (yay symbolism. don't ask how it works). Short hair but elaborate accessories. Tends to mix and match clothing items to blend traditionally masculine/feminine things (i.e. button up + vest paired with a long skirt and work boots). Most colors come from the accessories, not the fabrics.

Romulus (M, He/Him)

Loud, boisterous, and dedicated to his craft, Romulus is the perfect icon for the vibrancy of Spring. Every year he works alongside his older sibling (Malai) to celebrate the coming Summer. But over the years their relationship has begun to strain, with Malai's artistic preferences quietly clashing with his own. Now Romulus wants nothing more than to take a few years off, traveling to other kingdoms, creating art solely for himself. Unfortunately, he didn't account for Malai's resistance. They're both stuck trying to convince the other, all the while losing precious time to finish what might be their last project together. Can you help him stay true to himself and his needs, without burning any bridges? Will you be his spark of inspiration?

General vibe/appearance notes: Long hair, pulled back with fancy pins. Otherwise does not accessorize much, but his clothes tend to have intricate designs/patterns. Little bit of golden retriever energy. Genuinely loves his family, but acknowledges his difficulties with communicating clearly (tends to think in abstracts and metaphors).

Summer/Depression Characters:

Zoe (F, She/Her)

Everyone wants a taste of the royal life. Everyone except the third-in-line to the throne, who couldn't care less about any of this, especially when she's destined to get married off to some fuckass Duke she's never liked (her words, not mine). Zoe admits things could be worse- her parents have given her the option of finding a suitable marriage candidate on her own, and given her free reign to reject their prospects up until a certain point. That point being her 25th birthday, in less than a year. By now she's given up on ever finding true love. Worse, she's starting to give up in general, spending more and more of her time locked away in her personal chambers. Can you prove yourself in the eyes of her parents, or at least convince them to give her more time? Will you save the Princess from her self-imposed imprisonment?

General vibe/appearance notes: Normally very witty, a sharp tongue used to keep people on their toes. Far more clever than most give her credit for (to the point where she'd make a fine ruler). Lately her wit has turned more wicked, trading humor for bouts of cruelty, though her instant regret often shows. Somewhat rounded features.

Consus (M, He/They, Non-binary)

Working the forge is tiring. Working the forge in the Summer heat is fucking exhausting. Consus is the town smith, responsible for everything from fixing wagons and making spades to forging blades and repairing armor for the guards. It is repetitive, it is dull. This is only their job because they were born into the family. Time takes its toll on them as they hope one of their younger siblings will rise to take their place, their work growing shoddy as they sink deeper into a depression. Can you help them find other reasons to keep going, and remind them of why life is worth living? Will you help them forge a new path for themselves?

General vibe/appearance notes: Little on the shorter side, but nice and broad. Quiet, reserved sort of fella, with a very expressive face. Bit shy at first. Somewhat hard of hearing.

The Enigma/Acceptance/THE CYCLE:

??? (They/Them/Not-God/Divinity)

you are being watched. you are being observed. you were a fish in the soul-pond, plucked out for study, a tiny thing in a big motion. can you answer their questions? can you question their answers? will you break the cycle?

General vibes/appearance notes: doesn't enjoy being perceived. loves solving puzzles.

[sagemonsters]

interest check for new project

Would anyone be interested in a CYOA digital zine? I’m thinking something that’s Stone Age fantasy in the same vein as Fire and Ice (1983) and the Planegea setting for D&D 5e—basically something that involves dinosaurs, mammoths, magic, undead, and an untamed landscape full of wonder and danger all at the same time in one glorious, anachronistic stew.

(I have a weakness for stonepunk fantasy settings, okay?)

The reader steps into the role of a shaman’s apprentice who is tasked with retrieving a ceremonial artifact from a dangerous location. Along the way, you will meet some enemies of your clan—do you attempt to parlay and make peace, do you sneak around them, or do you try to fight?

Likewise, you’ll also find a portal to a strange, poisonous jungle full of the ruins of a past civilization more technologically advanced than your own—do you stop to gather artifacts for further study, do you hurry past as fast as you can toward your goal, or do you begin a spell or ritual attempting to communicate with the spirits of those who once lived here?

I could go on. The point, though, is monster romance. The reader will meet three nonhuman love interests and get to travel with one of them + earn (or potentially lose!) their affection during this quest. There will be a plethora of endings to achieve.

Realistically speaking this is more of an RPG Maker project (or a visual novel) than anything else and I feel like I’m biting off a great deal more than I can chew for a first CYOA story—but aiming high is how you learn, right? So, I’m going to do it.

Love Interests

First of all, I want to make love interests that are (mostly) original and not just creatures that are copy/pasted from extant modern cultures. Example: harpies come from Greek mythology, so I’m not really a big fan of them for this particular project, but I think a pterasaur-based monster person would be really fun.

Actually, you know what, I’m going to use that.

Tekka Stoneclaws (they/them) is a brightly colored, pterasaur-esque person who is a great seer and wielder of magic. They call upon the power of Sky, the mercurial deity of all celestial objects.

Meithe Half-Tooth (she/her) is a smilodon-esque person who has one broken front fang and fights her enemies through means of physical strength. She calls on the power of Stone, the stalwart deity of the earth.

Khirs One-Eye (he/him) is a theropod-esque person with a (potentially cursed) obsidian knife that he obtained through unkind means. He fights, lies, and betrays to make his way through the world, and calls on the power of Shade, the ever-hungry deity of midnight.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Ofc it needs waaaayyyyy more work than this, but I’m really excited! I’ve never written a CYOA story before, so it will be a long time in the making, but I’d love to share the process and finished product here on tumblr. Please do let me know your thoughts!

[noahsbookhoard]

📚August 2024 Book Review (Part 1/4)📚

I had soooo much free time in August! Heatwaves meant every outdoor activities were out of the question. There was nothing to do at work outside of my 2 4-hours shift either. I ended up reading a good 8 to 12 hours a day, hence the 16 books of this months review!

La Forteresse du Chaudron Noir (Les Aventures du Pyro-barbare et de Billy #1) by Bob Lennon

Billy is a young farmer in a village decimated by disease. After his mother dies he sets out to the city unaware that an ancient evil was on the rise. Now accompanied by a goliath, Billy will have to use his wits and strength to defeat the terrible power hidden within the fortress. YOU are Billy!

When I was a kid I LOVED Choose Your Own Adventure books! They were fun, novelty, and always had a ton of different characters and places to interact with. I liked the "game" aspect of them as much as the "book" aspect. But after some time you explored every available path and getting the "good" ending was more muscle memory than puzzle solving, the replay value of kid CYOA was generally low.

Now enter Bob Lennon! Most of you won't know him but he is one of the biggest french video game youtuber. He's been on the platform since 2011 and has still the same workaholic energy. He created his own character inspired by Skyrim who is a Fire Barbarian named Le Pyrobarbare and his sidekick Billy. He is also a TTRPG fan.

That was a very long introduction to say that he created his own CYOA book series that are inspired by those characters and have a big TTRPG dynamic to them and THEY. ARE. INCREDIBLE.

It all start with a character creation system: you will always play Billy the farmer but you can choose between a collection of objects and whichever you chose decide which type of Billy you are: warlike, rustic, resourceful or cautious. And all of this influences which decisions you can or can't make. And there are A LOT of decision, we're talking about a 400 pages book. That might not be that many but I have never seen a CYOA above 150 pages.

The combat system is fairly easy to use, while being more interesting than "roll two dice the lowest roll loose". It pairs well with different stats of your Billy, which change depending on the class, the equipment, the event that happened in your adventure.

There is an achievement system on the last two pages of the book that also includes the ending so I counted them: there is a DOZEN ending. I discovered there was a dragon I could have fought to get the Warlike Gold Ending and I missed it! I was so mad!

I could keep of gushing about this book (I didn't talk about the characters, about the city and the castle the story takes place in, ir even the Pyrobarbare who is the funniest) but it was really a lot of fun and I hesitate between starting a new run with a different class of Billy or buy the SECOND book if the series (the 3rd one is being crowdfunded and I can't wait!)

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

Hollywood icon Kitty Karr died, leaving her fortune to the three St John sister, young wealthy Black women. While dealing with Kitty's affairs (and keeping away from journalists) they find a dairy which uncovers secrets in the background of the South and Hollywood during the Segregation.

I would probably never have picked up this book if it wasn't a draw from the book club pile. I like historical fiction but Hollywood and the stars is not something I have any interest in. I went a bit blindly into it, scared that if I research it I'd create bad expectations.

I was surprise: it isn't the drama filled story I was dreading! This is a dive into the segregated USA and in a community I had never really read about: white passing POC. Even when Kitty starts to work in the film industry (as a phone operator at first then climbing the ladder to become a famous actress) the focus is always on social issues, racism, the careful balance of being a black woman in white spaces, the fight for civil rights and the work these woman did for this cause. Atop of all this there is the thread of family legacy and secrets and what ties Kitty and the St Johns together.

It is a very interesting book, nuanced and deep. I don't know how much of it is was researched but it felt fairly accurate from perspective.

The Oleander Sword (The Burning Kingdom #2) by Tasha Suri

Malini and Priya parted ways: the Princess is marching to the capital city, gathering allies to otherthrow her brother; the Priestess is working with her siblings to rebuilt the Temple and restore her city. But when Malini's fight encounter divine resistance she will once again draw from Priya's magic to get her end, with their fragile relationship, and Priya's own goals in the way.

I adored book 1, The Jasmine Throne and I was so excited to read the rest of the story! I loved having my favorite characters back, I loved the politic developing after the events of the previous tome and as usual I loved the angst, the complicated relationship between Malini and Priya, the mysterious happening in Ahiranya,Malini's change as her goal draws closer...

The writing is still gold, perfectly highlighting the feelings and doubts of the characters. I love having so much insight in the characters mind. The switch between multiples point of view is really well handles.

Unfortunately it suffers from Middle Book Syndrome: very little new element introduced and very little resolution of previous elements. That's to be expected, but when the third and final book is not yet available it is really frustrating.

I am still hyped for the last book, The Lotus Empire, it should be releases in November but the TBR is so high, I'm afraid I'll have to keep it for next year

Path of Destruction (Darth Bane Trilogy #1) by Drew Karpyshyn

A thousand year before the events of the first Trilogy, Des is a disillusioned miner in the Outer Rim. He joins the Sith to escape his misery and discover his connection to the Force. Through the training of the Sith Masters he develops his talent and as his power grows so does his ambition. He is now Darth Bane and he will be more powerful than them all!

I had been disappointed by novelisation of series before so I approached this one with caution, even though I heard everywhere that it was one of the best Star Wars novel (if you disagree don't blame me, blame Reddit)

That's a recurring event: I was dead wrong, this book floored me. The writing is good, the plot is even better, characters are incredible and I never thought I would be cheering so hard for a Sith!

I was a bit scared having no previous knowledge of this period of the Star Wars universe would make it impossible to understand the book. Maybe I misses some references but it never was obscur. The Star Wars lingo is also always explicited with context clues. That's really agreable because that's not always a given when you dive into work on the further edge of canon.

The characters are almost exclusively Sith (and some usual brand of assholes) but they are still relatable, even though they are cunning, vicious, calculating. Bane especially has some redeeming circonstances that made him endearing even though he joined the dark side and dives deep into its ways.

A really really good surprise and a really really good book. I'd really like to read the rest of this trilogy, it sparked back my interest for Star Wars when the recenr series and just bored me to death.

[whitherwanderer]

.

I have so many fun and ultimately pointless projects right now and I’m excited about all of them but my concentration is Bad! It’s nice to be exciting about things! But it’s also bringing up a lot of anxieties!

I’ve got this custom xaela tribe that me and S&S have been writing since 2019 and I’m slowly throwing more and more information into it as a little worldbuilding exercise. But I’m terrified that people will try to claim it as their own or point out the obvious not-totally-real-world-accurate elements just for the cheap critic shots and I don’t really feel like I can entertain someone trying to give me advice I didn’t ask for.

There’s a Shroud-based horror anthology that’s been living in my head since early this year that I’ve considered fleshing out more and more but I lack the finesse for horror and frankly Shroud RPers can be defensive and I don’t really want to respond to unsolicited criticism about a project that doesn’t really involve anyone else.

There’s the Ala Mhigan V&C dungeon thing I’ve been working on recently too and I’m continuing to poke at it, but frankly I have no idea what to DO with it beyond making it a quick and silly carrd-based choose-your-own-adventure game that also tells a bit of Sif’s story but ??? Would anyone even play that knowing it featured my dumbass OC as the non-combat escort character? Will people be disappointed or mad if I can’t include every Ala Mhigan thing/person/place they want to see or choices they want to make? I mean it’s a CYOA, not a TTRPG campaign, but people sometimes have that “i want to seduce the door” mentality about stuff and you just want to shake them and be like. You’re missing the point.

Also there’s the fact that a carrd based CYOA based on an XIV game mode does not play to strengths of either medium and I would have to accept that either it’s going to be far different from the V&C dungeon structure and therefore more writing-heavy (and therefore more work) since there can’t really be combat, OR some of the choices will be lacking in depth because there’s no combat for choices to have an impact.

AHHHH I am so excited about all of these projects and I would love to DO something with any of them but I always get caught in the same “what will other people think/do and why are my assumptions always that I am going to be tarred, feathered, and dragged through town for the smallest sin” and it is so FRUSTRATING.

Edit: There’s also a five-year show I want to put on with nearly every song I’ve written for Sif since I started writing songs in 2018 but… jfc, do people even want to see that? Is that pretentious? Are people only encouraging me because they want to but they don’t actually care if I do it or not?? I mean, it’s not really a show if there’s no audience…

[kitsune-oji]

-> CYOA - Obey Me

CYOA stands for Choose Your Own Adventure. I will write a story and using polls, you guys can determine the flow of the story/how Mc acts.

Mc will be referred to in second person perspective (you/yours) and I won't use gendered terms or descripe how they look in any way, so that anyone can enjoy this

Part 3 -> Part 4 -> Part 5

-> speak up to cheer Belphie up without going against Lucifer

Evading this wouldn't feel right to you, so you opt to say something after all. No good would come from going against what Lucifer told Belphie, no matter how much you don't like it.

"Hey Belphie?", you ask quietly as he tries to get over you and out of the bed. He stops and looks down at you, a bit surprised to see you awake.

"I know it seems like a lot of work and you don't want to do it but... If you want, I could help you? I won't just do it all for you but we can do it together."

You were glad that Lucifer hadn't waited for Belphie to fully get out of bed. If he had heard you, he surely would have disapproved of your offer.

A small smile graces Belphies lips and he flops down halfway on top of you. You let out a oomph sound at the sudden weight.

"You're the best", he purrs and snuggles you until it's too much for you and you push him off of you.

"Yeah yeah." - You laugh. - "Now get up, I'm hungry and need to do my own homework still..."

That was right, you don't have any time to help him today but you could do so on another day. For now, you have something more important to take care of, as your stomach reminded you. A look on your DDD showed you that it was half past 10.

You could get something quick to eat and then work on your homework. Belphie sulked off to his room, surely to not get a head start on his work.

Whatever, the only thing you'd really need to do to help is keep him motivated somehow since he's clever enough. Though, that was a challenge in itself too.

Getting food was more important right now. You walked the short distance to the kitchen, just to stop in the middle of the room and wonder... What did you even want to eat?

It had to be something you could make quickly, because you still had things to do and all that sleeping took away a lot of your time.

[pan-de-queer]

20 Questions Game

Tagged by @jadedloverart! for once, i've finished work early and am free to write fic and answer tag games today hahaha thanks for the tag!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

31 lmao, feeling a lil fandom old or whatever haha

2. Total AO3 word count

157,459 ??? wild considering i mostly post one-shots hahaha

3. Fandoms you write for

for the past few years it's been supercorp but you can also find bechloe, junksen/embry, some choices (the cyoa game), and les mis sprinkled in my ao3. all wlw too

4. Top 5 fics by kudos -

ruined nights make for perfect first dates (bechloe)

'cause you know all of my secrets (supercorp)

maybe i matter (because i knew you) (bechloe)

love tastes like spring and blood (bechloe)

kept my face to the sun (you drive away my shadows) (supercorp)

most interesting thing for me abt this is that ruined nights is the shortest one out of all five of these??? love that ppl liked it so much tho

5. Do you respond to comments?

as much as possible yeah! which reminds me that i haven't replied to @jadedloverart's comment on my fic. and other comments. i should do that hahaha

6. Fic w/ Angstiest Ending -

i don't end with angst haha i'm angst with a happy ending or bust lmao BUT the closest to angst would probably be love tastes bc the issue isn't solved until the very end

7. Happiest ending? -

all of them 💕 but if i had to choose then probabbbly cause you know

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not that i'm aware of!

9. Do you write smut/what kind?

nope! never been interested in writing it mostly bc my brain sees it as "action with even more emotions" and i have a hard enough time with action as it is lol

10. Do you write crossovers?

used to! and if you count the mcu+comics!marvel crossover i only posted a tidbit of, then yes, i still do

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

again, not that i know of

12. Ever had a fic translated?

yeah! can't remember for what tho but someone very kindly asked and i said ofc!! and then they sent the link but i can't remember where lmao

13. Ever cowritten a fic?

a long long time ago haha, wouldn't be opposed to doing it again though!

14. Favorite ship?

it's been supercorp since the pandemic! but who knows where the winds of my silly lil whims might take me?

15. A wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

all of them 💕 lmao jk jk but seriously i have a LOT of wips and i put them all under ONE file so it's like wading through a garbage dump trying to see what i'll do next and that's just for supercorp, i have separate untouched wips for allll my other old fandoms too lmao (some wips i doubt i'll ever finish for sc though are the undercover fake lovers one, the coastal cleanup one even though it SHOULD be easy in theory, the hanahaki au that's lena's version instead of kara's, and the one based off of emily the song by jeremy zucker)

16. Writing strengths?

anything descriptive! i can go in depth about shit forevveeerrrr

17. Writing weaknesses?

dialogue. like i can WRITE it and i can even write it WELL but that dialogue came from the bloodbath of thousands of drafts so

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in a different language?

many thoughts! number one being that if you don't know it, get someone who's above average fluent to help you if you feel like the language is needed in the story! and if the language is fake (like using kryptonian) then make the inclusion of it make sense! other thoughts are for my thinking only 💕 (and my unfortunate friends who have to listen to me lecture)

19. First Fandom you wrote for?

MAYBE ranger's apprentice or percy jackson

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

i can't pick favorite for my babies but i'm hella proud of all my supercorp fics rn! it had been so long since i joined a new fandom that i felt suuupppeerrr awkward posting at first! but it's been a nice experience shifting fandoms ever since :)))

for the no pressure tags! @nostradamus0 @sssammich @ridiculously-over-obsessed @tiny-maus-boots and anyone else who wants to join!