#its already a lot of characters to keep track of okay

[mkzmerryfriend]

HEY!

I can't find my old posts, I think I hid one but I don't know where those go so!!! Hey!!! I'm still writing the Maximum Ride rewrite!!!

I have a lot of material, as you might assume from the amount of time this has taken me, and feel semi-confident that I can start posting it on AO3 soon. I will make a new post here when I do finally publish it, but I wanted to let people know that I didn't just say I would do it and then dip. I have been Writing. Things are Happening. I hope this will go over Well with you all.

A short character intro for you all to get excited about for now: the Flock lives peacefully in a large home owned by Dr. Martinez in the Rockies. Max, nineteen, acts as the tentative leader when her mom isn't around. Fang, seventeen, is the house's resident shadow, and his neon gamer lights can be seen best in the dead of night, glowing from under his bedroom door. Iggy, also seventeen and one of the only two members who doesn't have wings, would be the mom of the group if he let them call him that. Naomi, fourteen, is a budding photographer with a bright future, known the house over for her beautiful aerial shots taken without the use of a drone. Angel, six and also wingless, is the house's resident little one, still innocent and hopeful about the world, living in a world where Barbie's fight the Terminator and win by challenging him to a spelling bee. Or something. Who knows what her Barbie sessions are actually about.

[chiara-hotel]

When s/o is on their period

Characters: Blade, Aventurine, Sunday & Boothill

Warnings: Periods, cramps, gn!reader with the exception of fem for boothill

- Blade is somewhat like his usual self while you’re on your period

- In a way he just becomes more protective of you

- He knows that you’re strong enough to defend yourself, he knows that you’ll be okay but seeing you in such a weak state just sets in his mind that he needs to protect you

- He feels honored though that you’d show him such a vulnerable side of him (and finds you cute but doesn’t show it on the outside)

- Its adorable even, hes like a little black cat cuddling his owner to protect them

- Or even just standing behind you to protect you

- Because of this hes also extra jealous during this time

- No one else can see you like this or even talk to you or Blade will get mad

- A great helper too when it comes to cramps, Blade can help massage your stomach/back if needed

- When it comes to shopping for painkillers, pads, tampons, etc. he usually just asks Kafka to buy you stuff and then goes to your place to cuddle

- Not because he doesn’t want to, he just wants to stay with you because he knows you want to cuddle him (he wants to cuddle you) and also he thinks kafka knows way more about him and will get the right ones

- Don’t worry though! He makes sure to listen every product you like to the exact specifications (if Kafka is unavailable, he will buy them for you)

- And yes he buys you a bunch of snacks too

- Blade doesn’t actually understand why you enjoy having so many snacks but he just goes with it…

- On days you don’t have cramps he doesn’t treat you much differently, except for being more protective

- And again, more cuddles… beacuse “you” need it

- Aventurine treats you with whatever you wish

- Pads? Sure he’ll fetch someone to buy you some, Snacks? Hes already got you covered

- Summons some random female IPC agent to get whatever your heart desires

- Aventurine also definitely keeps track of your period with an app

- He doesn’t use it for everything, Aventurine isn’t the type of person to record your mood, feelings and basically everything into the app

- Occasionally whenever he thinks its been a while since your last period he just checks the app too check when it’s happening

- Oh but he also has the app synced with his personal calander, every week before it starts he also gets you done boxes of pads/tampons

- Before you were dating your period started at his place and he had to run out to get a pads. So ever since then he keeps a few in his bathroom drawer

- Aventurine was so nice about it too, told you not to worry and showed you where they’d be for next time

- On your actual period he spoils you a lot

- Of course most of the day he’s kept up in his office, either he can work from home or he invites you to come to his office from him

- While there you lay down on his lap while he finishes work on the sofa, annoying calls, booking appointments, going over monthy stuff

- Sometimes he tries to massage your stomach but fails and just ends up rubbing it

- Boothill is…just okay on your period

- He’s clueless at first, but trying

- Boothill is willing to buy you snacks or even period products, he does not care about walking straight to them

- Loves buying you snacks actually

- Willing to give you any cuddles or massage you for your cramps

- Feels bad for your pain actually

- Can he heat up his body somehow? If he can, he would do that and cuddle you so you’d get warm (like a heating pad but he wouldn’t complain if you need that too)

- Other than that he knows you’re a strong woman and he also loves seeing you continue to do your job throughout the pain

- He doesn’t try to protect you when he knows you can handle the job, even on your period

- Other than those hes not really much different

- Sunday can be the best and worst on your period

- As a kid he always helped Robin while she was on hers so he knows what types of things you need

- Often times he also might ask her to buy you some supplies (which she usually gets her bodyguard to do since the fans would go crazy)

- He will get you any of your necessary requirements for this time

- But he also is very busy with his job as the head of the family and won’t have much time to cuddle with you/be with you

- When he gets home from his job then he will cuddle you, but his job often takes the entire day

- He will hug you during your sleep though

- Great massager for your cramps too

- His angel wings hovering over your stomach to give you some warmth to help with any cramps

- Also gives you time off work/stuff so you can rest & relax during this time of pain

- Especially if you don’t work for him, he forces them to let you have the time off

- If you work for him well, you still work and get paid but your job is just to be near him/rest on the couch

[disregardcanon]

this probably seems like a weird question from your end,but why do fanfic writers care so much about comments? aos already tracks hits and likes, sorry ""kudos"", so why are comments such a big deal to the point that people will stop writing?

okay, so i'm going to take this question very seriously and i promise it's not to make you feel bad. this is a comprehensive explanation of reasons that comments are important for me, both as a writer and as a reader

engagement vs numbers game

seeing trends

buy-in

community building

engagement vs numbers game

let's look quickly at two different fics of mine. this is the kudos count for a fic called Of First Kisses and Burnt Lips

it's old. it's been up on ao3 for almost 11 years now. 258 people liked it enough to leave a kudos, 12 people liked it enough for a bookmark, and it's been clicked on 3,859 times.

i have no clue what almost any of these people on ao3 THINK about it. beyond "huh. sure. i'll kudos that". compare this to its crosspost on ffn, where i got 5 reviews

3/5 mention it being cute. 3/5 give appreciation to me for taking the time to write it. 2/5 praise the writing itself from the attention to detail with grammar to the craft. 1/5 is an "um..." which is hard to decipher but appreciate and 1/5 is a silly reaction, but it's a reaction! look, someone felt a felling reading my thing! that made me giggle!

looking at the stats here from a purely numbers perspective, my fic DID better on ao3. it got a lot more kudos than it ever got faves or reviews on ffn. but those ffn comments are still what i think about when i remember this fic.

sure, a shear number like hits or kudos can be comforting and motivating. i'm definitely not telling you to NOT leave kudos! but the fics that i've come back to, recently, are the ones where i don't have a lot of kudos but i do have a few people who are invested in the stories and leaving comments to tell me

2. seeing trends

lets look at a few of the comments on my fic The Maid of Honor Made Them Do It

so just in these two comments, we see both commenters hone in on the same detail: my choice to include a special christian music playlist that this characters' friends made for her. a few other people in this thread mentioned that same detail, so i know this bit really worked well! it's great feedback that lets me know that a good chunk of readers agree with my characterization here.

these readers zoom in on specific details that they really liked! things that made them laugh, the absurdity of the concept, enjoying reading it, and that they could see it staged, which is a HUGE compliment for a work in a fandom for theater.

i've always had trouble with imaging where characters are in a space, how they're occupying it and moving, and how to use that for characterization purposes. however, i got more than one comment on this fic about how people could see it staged! that means that i'm improving in an area that i've always struggled with. that's huge. it makes me want to keep working on this thing! it makes me feel like what i'm doing here matters, because lots of people are picking up on similar things! they're invested enough to give me a comment! and it makes me want to keep writing for the hatchetfield fandom because some people are invested in my work here. that is BIG! seeing trends in the way that readers experience your story helps a lot with writer buy-in for a project and also for writers self-analysis.

as a commenter: this helps me JUST as much. when i really dig into what i enjoyed about a fic to tell the writer about it, that helps me analyze and articulate the strengths and things i might want to take away from the storytelling, and that makes my writing better too!

3. buy-in

this is a comment on a series that has less than 100 kudos across three fics, but has thoughtful, appreciative comments on each work. it's called Melting Pot

the commenter deleted their ao3 account. they may be one of the people who commented on the next fic, which i posted recently. they might NOT have been! honestly, it doesn't matter that much to me. this person gave me a gentle and nudge about a fic that matters to me and mattered to them at the time, and they were part of the push i needed to get back to it.

from a commenter perspective, i know that hearing a kind word can help someone keep up their motivation to write, even when i can't write in depth comments the way that i like to!

just recently i only had the time to comment "nice update" on a favorite fic of mine called Teeth That Turn. but they know that i come and i read and they know and talk to me by (user)name. because they know i care about this thing they care about! and it's way more fun to do something like this when i know i can chat with the author about theories and thoughts and ideas. and this isn't a "wow aren't i so cool other writers like me! tehehe" bragging thing, it's just evidence for the case of why comments matter?

if i didn't want this to be a two way buy-in, i'd ONLY read published fiction, you know? we're all playing in the sandbox on the playground and i like what they made. they like that i like what they made :) we're scheduling a play date to fight with sticks after school my mom said it's okay!

4. community building

now i know that i just mentioned above here why i like being a commenter and how it helps authors, as well as why i like HAVING commenters as an author. i'm still arguing those things as a lead up to this section, where i have two other points to make about community building here too.

1. you can comment on OTHER comments! if you go through and read to see what other people are saying, you can agree with them. you can add some commentary! sometimes you can make a joke! and i've only ever had fun responses from something like that. authors tend to love that their fics are getting such a response that people are talking to each other about it! like look!!!!!! my thing got you to talk to someone else about it holy shit?!??!

2. commenting on fics in your fandom builds you a good reputation and makes other authors you comment on more likely to read YOUR fic. i'm not going to post any screenshots on this one because it would be embarrassing for everyone involved, but there have been authors that i really admired who gave my stuff a try after i commented on theirs. and they've told me that's why they tried it! like obviously it's not just networking or whatever, but it's really nice to have someone give your stuff a try because you've been enthusiastic and thoughtful about theirs.

and you make friends this way! fandom friends! who want to talk about your blorbos! you get to go on little play dates in cyberspace with cool people who like what you like. you don't ever HAVE to be a writer, of course. if you don't want to throw your hat into the ring or make art or edits or gif sets or anything, that's cool. no one ever has to participate in fandom outside of their comfort zone! but if you want to, you know that you'll feel more welcomed if you have some people in your corner for it, and making friends in a space, screaming about how much you love the characters you love, and remembering that fic authors especially are just fans too will help you feel like you "deserve" to exist in the space. maybe you don't write, but you go here too. you've got a space in the fandom and your comments don't have to be, like, perfect literary essays for authors to appreciate them and get a motivation boost from them still existing and us being able to go back to them and go!!! look!!! i don't suck!!! this person liked what i did so i'm okay! :)

[fiendishfables]

hello!! i saw ur blog and i was super excited to see another aroaceee is it alright if you do platonic adam x reader headcanons? he can be reader's friend, sibling, or preferably reader's father figure as long as its platonic, anything u'd like is fine! sorry if my request is kinda weird lol, i just haven't seen a lot of platonic hazbin hotel stuff (especially stuff with adam in it)

a/n: Always good to meet other aroace individuals, indeed. I personally love Adam, he is absolutely my favorite character. I’ve been dying to write for him more and thinking of him as a dad is just my favorite scenario-

warnings: cursing, Adam being Adam, brief mentions of sex, subtle hints at Lute x Adam (if you squint)

words: 944

additional notes: this was one of my first asks I ever got; I AM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT. Enjoy~!

Adam as a Father Figure

Headcanons

First of all, he never expected to actually have a kid of his own, but now here he was

By the time you turned 6, you knew about every single curse word in existence, along with a (disturbingly) decent amount of female anatomy

Lute gets promoted to babysitter

When Adam is off performing with his band or needed in the council/other Heavenly resides, Lute is responsible for keeping track of his child

Even if she lost you (which she has, multiple times) he won't be that worried

You were a kid and as far as Adam knew, kids needed food

Hence how he knew you would find your way back to him eventually

Okay scratch that, maybe he does get a little worried...a lot

Starts to doubt his ability as a parent

Once he even got Sera to send out a search party for you because you had been gone longer than usual

It worried him sick whenever you went exploring, but he was almost a bit prideful that his offspring had managed to inherit his sneaking around capabilities already at such a young age

Lute has had to console her boss many times in response to your random disappearances under her watchfulness

He has legit been facedown on the couch with his head in her lap whilst he bawls his eyes out, blabbering to her about his worries pertaining to you, and then somehow that stems to his hopes and dreams in life (he doesn't wanna talk about it)

Only for you to walk in with food from some random location about 10 minutes later

You'd be on the floor as soon as you enter the domicile because Adam would have jumped on you and then proceeded to hug the very life out of you (all while stealing your bag of food in the process and running off with it)

Calls you a bitch, dumbass, and 'a little shit' for worrying him

Though he would never openly admit he had been worried

He doesn't care if you have a social life, he wants you home safe before 9pm, sharp

── ･ ｡☆*☽*☆ﾟ.──

Teaches you how to play guitar

He claims its because he wants to pass on one of his awesome talents to his only child, but he also really wants you to join him and his band on stage one day or another

You are in the starter stages of learning and are able to accurately get chords down and learn to read sheet music

A tear just may have come to his eye

The first song you two ever perform together is "Hell is Forever"

He did see someone try to give you a rose after your performance and nearly knocked them out

Trust him, he's a sex and relationship positive guy (for the most part) but he also can't help but feel like he wants to protect you at all costs

If you dare to call him over-protective, he will very gladly give you the silent treatment for a good 5 minutes

After that time mark, he will be groveling at your feet and whining about how sorry he is (rare that he actually says 'sorry')

His biggest fear is his own child having it out for him and not wanting anything to do with him

A clingy parent, no doubt

Wants to train you in the ways of becoming an Exorcist Angel

Poor guy is a bit insecure about everything and needs extra reassurance, though he would never ever outwardly ask for it

That's a sign of weakness in his eyes

Not for his child though

You come to him with even the smallest hint of watery eyes and he is already going full dad-mode

Determined to find the fucker who made you upset

Promises to give em' a good ol' kick in the balls (or vag)

Adam won't discriminate, he's just there to beat the ass of whoever hurt his precious baby

He will get in a fist fight with Sera in order to make you happy

Just expect to be the one he then blames when he gets demoted

── ･ ｡☆*☽*☆ﾟ.──

Adam totally took lots of naps before he had a child, so this just makes for the two of you ending up crashing on the couch together and creating a melodic tune out of your in-sync snoring patterns

Anything the two of you can do together without constantly arguing is a miracle, so this is to be cherished

He has definitely given you some very creative nicknames (as he calls himself 'Dickmaster')

Lute has taken many pictures

She wants to make a photo album and give it to Adam one day just to piss him off

But as she knows how much he really cares for you, she does not want to risk him growing apart from you due to something stupid she did for a few momentary laughs

Let's you two have your moments without interrupting

The two of you always fight over food and who gets to pick where you go for the evening, if going anywhere at all

Lute claims that you are making Adam all the more emotional, but no one seems to be complaining

Especially not the High Council

Its nice to have him shut his mouth for once and remotely think about his actions and who they could potentially effect

Adam has something to lose now, and everyone in both Heaven and Hell alike knew it

No demon spawn would ever get to set even a foot near you

You were the first life he felt truly responsible for

He refuses to fuck it up and lose someone else he cares about

He would protect you until the ends of time, whether you liked it or not

[another-lost-mc]

Player Two LEVIATHAN x gn!Reader 1.7k words | NSFW | Yandere-ish | Developing Relationship Content Warnings: Manipulative and possessive thoughts/behaviour, some suggestive thoughts towards the end. obey me! masterlist

When you arrive in the Devildom and try to get to know him, Leviathan's immediately suspicious of you and even more skeptical of your bold declarations. He has a hard time believing you really like gaming. He assumes you’re just trying to sound like you do to get close to him, for some foolish reason.

He hates to admit how much more interesting you are when you manage to actually convince him that it's a genuine hobby of yours.

When Levi shows you his room, you're amazed and he feels a sense of pride, like his hobbies are validated by someone that understands him. He pretends not to stare at you while you slowly browse the shelves of games and collectibles in his room.

You notice he plays a Devildom MMO game, and you're instantly curious about it. Levi didn’t think you’d be into those types of games - they require a lot of time and effort.

He thinks that maybe, just maybe, you’re not such a boring normie human after all.

You ask him if you can watch him play the game, and you point out similarities and differences when you compare it to the human world MMO you played before.

When you're both called to dinner, it interrupts your conversation about Levi's guild. You tell him funny stories from your previous gaming guild, and he's finally convinced that your interest is legit.

Levi decides to do something nice to help you out - a test to see how serious you really are. He won't give you another chance if you blow this one.

He might happen to have a spare laptop you can use, and he offers to lend it to you. If the game is already installed and ready to play, Levi's just trying to be nice and do the boring installation stuff for you. And if Levi sends you a Recruit-A-Friend invitation to set up your own account, it's because he gets perks from it - he really doesn't care if you play or not.

Levi even goes as far as adding his payment info to your new account to pay the subscription fee. He doesn't have the patience to wait for you to borrow someone else's credit card. "You can pay me back later,” he tells you, even though he has no intention of ever asking for the money back.

You might know how to play an MMO, but he believes he's still got loads to show you about this one. His desk is a bit cramped, and it’s inconvenient dragging the laptop back and forth between your room and his.

He offers to lend you a spare headset - one that’s brand new and still in its packaging from today's Akuzon delivery - so you can use voice comms together, and he can stream his screen to yours while he talks to you directly. Isn't that convenient?

He's already set up a private voice comms server just for the two of you - don't tell his brothers about it though, okay? It's only for the two of you.

When Levi creates a new character to play with yours, he says it's easier than trying to show you things on his maxed-out character.

He chooses to level a tank class to protect your squishy glass cannon character, and he reminds you that he's doing you a favour and saving you from so many unnecessary deaths. If he happens to show off along the way, who could blame him? He's really good at this game, and if you try hard enough, maybe you can be too.

He raids the game's most difficult content with his guild at night. For some reason, he really wants you to watch him play. He doesn't want you to level your character without him, either. (He won't ask you not to, but he secretly hopes you don't.)

You mention that one of his guildmates, someone that doesn't raid, offered to play some low level dungeons with you while Levi's busy. For some reason that upsets him, but he doesn't know why.

Levi's half-focused on his raid while he occasionally checks your character status. He absolutely does not keep track of how long you're in the same dungeon as his guildmate. And he definitely isn't checking whether you're in a separate voice channel together.

By the time his raid is over, you've already sent him a message wishing him good luck and goodnight. He's a bit disappointed that you went to bed so early (even though its well past midnight).

He sees another message from before that, when you told him about a cute pet you found in the game (it's a reward anyone can get from doing a simple quest, it shouldn't be that exciting). You mention offhand that you like collecting pets and you might try to find some more tomorrow.

Levi acts like it's not a big deal when you log in and discover he's sent your character dozens of new pets for your collection. He shrugs and claims he had duplicates that he had no use for. (They weren't, he bought them all specially for you, but he won't admit it.)

By the time you hit max level with your character, Levi's bought you expensive crafted gear and he's planning on getting you the other items you need so you can try raiding with him his guild.

Sometimes he thinks of your character as his own virtual Henry - and spending so much time together means he starts to think about you as his Henry outside the game, too.

What Levi doesn't realize is how genuinely happy you are that he's given you a chance. He was so defensive and secretive about his hobbies, and you hoped having a shared common interest would make it easier for you to make friends in this strange place.

You wanted to prove that unlike his brothers, you understand why gaming and anime gives him so much joy. You don't think it's a waste of time or money, and you can appreciate the hard work he puts into those hobbies even if no one else does.

And you knew he was skeptical of you at first, but things are so much different now. He's not calling you a stupid wannabe human otaku anymore, and he encourages you and helps you like a friend would.

You used to ask Levi if he wanted to play with you - but now, he's asking if you want to play with him, and you know that means he likes you, in his own way.

Sure, it might be weird playing a game with someone in different rooms of the same house, using voice comms to talk to each to each other because it's easier than typing everything. It's definitely easier than having to drag your laptop around, and that's what he tells his brothers when they comment about how weird it is living with two nerds instead of one.

One thing you notice about Levi is that he's more confident behind his screen. He doesn't stutter or get shy the way he does if you try to talk to him in person, but you're socially awkward sometimes too so it doesn't bother you.

The truth is, he notices that you're more talkative over voice comms with him too. You're not afraid to ask him silly noob questions anymore, and he doesn't call you a noob now even if you do.

Levi realizes that there's something very intimate about having your voice in his ear when you're on comms together. It makes him feel things because this is something you only do with him and not with his brothers.

You're friendly with his brothers, sure - but you never sound this happy except when you're spending time with Levi. It's not even limited to gaming anymore - you get excited talking about the new anime series he invites you to watch with him, or the manga you ask to borrow.

When you mention you like to read, he lends you his copies of the TSL novels. If there's other books or movies you want, he buys them for you so you don't have to ask his brothers for anything.

He thinks that he's the only one to see your true, authentic self. He likes you now, and he doesn't want to share.

The first night you join him for a guild raid, Levi notices that you're not nearly as talkative with the larger group of players present. When you do speak, you're so quiet. He hasn't heard you sound this small since you first arrived in the Devildom.

When you're alone again after the guild raid ends, you thank him for inviting you and tell him how much fun it was. You sound more like yourself again, and even though Levi didn't expect you to be so shy around his friends - well, part of him likes keeping this version of you for himself.

He can't help feeling just a bit selfish. He likes the way you laugh openly at his jokes or the way you tease him (or yourself). When you're gaming together, you gasp loudly if something surprises you, or you groan if you do something silly that gets one of you (or both of you) killed. Normally those types of things would annoy him, but with you, it's fun.

Your relationship with Levi changes, and grows, and maybe you underestimate how much of an impact you've had on him. You don't mention when things between you start to shift towards something more than friends, and neither does he.

His brothers know there's something going on between you. You blow off their invitations if it interferes with plans you already have with Levi. They start to make subtle hints and jokes about Levi and you and dating, and Levi scoffs loudly and slams the door when he stalks off to his room.

You're not dating him, you're just friends. Sometimes he thinks about you in ways that aren't strictly platonic, but his denial still runs deep.

So what if Levi starts recording your conversations so he can listen to your voice when he has trouble sleeping? He doesn't feel bad because it's not hurting anyone.

When you play together late at night, your voice is softer, quieter and breathier. Maybe you're just trying to be considerate of everyone in the house trying to sleep, but the reason doesn't matter. It's like you're whispering in his ear and it sends his mind spiraling.

When he gets hard listening to the sound of your voice telling him how amazing he is, or how lucky you are that you met him, it doesn't mean anything.

It's a harmless little secret. You're his friend, his Henry.

You might not realize it, and he might not admit it, but you've lured him in - and he won't let you go.

[theminecraftbee]

Hi! I’m like 90% sure you answered this already, but I was wondering if you had any advice on keeping all the hermits in character? There just too many for me to keep track of.

actually, unlike the answer to "do you have a list of characterization notes for each hermit, i want help writing [x hermit]", i have an answer to "there are too many hermits to keep track of"! and it's, uh, maybe not the answer you expect/want to hear? but...

my advice for keeping all the hermits in character is that you don't actually need to write all the hermits.

some stories ARE served by an ensemble cast! but many stories are not; you'll note most of my fics have a cast that is really only two or three leads deep, sometimes four or five in my larger casts but normally two or three! and that's because trying to keep a bigger cast than that perfectly in-character is REALLY HARD because you do not have the space in your story for it. read a LOT of things; MOST people do not fully flesh out a cast of 26 in their stories! because there just is not time.

there are two solutions to this. the first is, if you are committed to an ensemble cast, accept that everyone won't have as much depth to begin with. in large ensemble casts, it's pretty normal for everyone to just sort of have One Character Trait each, except for whoever the most common POV characters are, and that's okay. 

additionally, you'll note most TRUE ensemble casts are found in things that are long-running; the way something like an ace attorney game or a shonen fleshes out its ensemble cast is that it'll take turns with who's turn it is to get characterization. before it's that character's "turn" to have their backstory/characterization/motives explored, they typically stick to the point in their arc/character traits that have already been revealed, and that is okay! economy of storytelling is important, after all, and no audience is going to be able to follow twenty-six character arcs happening simultaneously. like, that's normal. that's fine. so use shortcuts to get through them!

the second solution is like... just don't write all the hermits! choose the ones you are comfortable with (or, alternately, you want to get more comfortable with by practicing). those are now your leads. focus in on characterizing THOSE GUYS and ONLY THOSE GUYS correctly for your story. use other hermits as bit side characters as needed, but they won't need to be characterized as well, because they are side characters.

and like. okay. that's the thing: it is OKAY if you have particular hermits you write less often or that you use as side characters. fandom sometimes shames people for not having everyone be a richly-characterized, perfectly in-character character, but like... there are TWENTY-SIX HERMITS. you will not be able to write them all perfectly. hell, i take shortcuts to write them all too (mostly related to my ability to write efficient dialogue but that's a thing you learn with practice and i can't really easily teach you to do), and i still get praised for writing them alright! i certainly don't even try to claim i keep track of all twenty-six hermits in every fic i write with them. that would be absurd. it is okay to have leads, to focus in on specific characters, and almost certainly better for your story, i promise.

anyway the third answer here is "also you just need to practice" but i acknowledge that's the boring non-answer. it's true, unfortunately. just... practice, and if there's a specific hermit you're trying to write that you're shaky on, practice them and watch a few of their videos to at least get the cadence for how they talk down, and you'll start to figure out what to do with them.

so,,,,,,,, yes i hope this actually helps with your question,

[rei-ismyname]

Uncanny X-Men #4 FROM THE ASHES

Just going with raw thoughts here. Spoilers, of course.

Yikes

- We keep flashing back to the whirlwind romance of Sarah and Charles.

- I assume up there is its end.

- Either she's also a psychic or has some power stealing ability. Chuck was shown under Cerebro last issue and she tore off after the Outliers. So either she needed to know how to use it or she borrowed Chuck/Philip's telepathy. More on this.

- The pregnancy. They've been together a month which is not 'too soon' to know, assuming they had sex immediately, at least with 2024 knowledge. We know Chuck fought in the Korean War 1950-53 after Oxford so this is 1949 at the earliest, but who knows with comic book time. Not sure what pregnancy detection was like back then, though there's not much wiggle room to say definitively from a missed period.

- Neither baby trap nor woman scorned are especially great beats to use for a rounded villain, and I feel like they're trying hard to rehabilitate Chuck, so having him run out on a baby mama would not be a positive move.

- I'm getting the impression she's either a mutant or a supernatural being of some kind. 'I knew in that instant' makes the most sense to me if that's true.

When we last left the homeless team Logan had left for the same reason he always does - he feels like he shouldn't be around people. Me too buddy. It's getting a bit old to me he's just dealt with this in his solo which is implied to be a flashback/take place before Uncanny.

- Rogue 'knows' he's in trouble and exactly where he is. They act like it's a mystery but it's pretty obvious Chuck is behind this, or a psychic. Law of narrative economy says Chuck.

She's right.

- Are either of those true? I honestly can't remember early Rogue that well.

- I have to assume we're toning down his healing factor this era. Good good, though he should be acting differently.

Rogue doesn't have final girl instincts, that's for sure. I know comic books need fights but teams also need leaders. Rogue is not looking all that competent. Her leadership kinda needs to be shown to us and new readers.

- Rogue hits harder than Logan but he's a lot more durable and lethal. You have a teleporter. Just leave!

- Going with my earlier mutant/supernatural being theory, she's really got a one track mind. 'Motherhood' is not much of a personality. Bit surprising from Gail Simone tbh.

- Krakoa mention! Pretty sure Kurt is referring to the WHR Krakoa AKA we're not seeing it anytime soon. Kurt and Logan were the two biggest skeptics of Krakoa with Logan never trusting it so I'm just going to say this is straight up out of character. Kurt might say it to someone else but definitely not to Logan. Sigh.

Are these folks actually stressed here? He's survived a lot worse casually.

There she goes sniffing the 'childlessness' on Rogue. It's feeling kinda gross and uncomfortable to me at this point. Even a cisnorm tradwife demon or whatever surely has other interests.

- Same goes for Kurt. We know he likes God, despite coming off a huge crisis of faith on Krakoa. Dude has other interests. After that priest misfire in #1 I'd like something else. Personality. 4 issues feels like enough to say that Gail Simone doesn't know how to write Nightcrawler. This is basic shit and maybe she should have used a new character. She clearly wants the Rogue book but the familial relationship with Kurt is recent and not strong.

She's saying a lot without giving us much here, except the implication of magic.

- 10 has some magical significance, such as association with death and rebirth, the universe, perfection and power, transformation and divinity in humans.

- They're already out from Charles' thumb. Some impressive topographic knowledge there though.

- Okay then.

- Brian is Charles' father's name. It wouldn't surprise me if that was significant here. I don't want it to be, but...

- I might be missing something here but aside from vibes this asks more questions than it answers. Confirms the supernatural being theory, though this looks like a death/trauma rebirth as opposed to 'born that way.' Maybe she was chosen.

- Surprisingly candid though.

Get fucked Jubilee. You're not the last X-Men. Delusional.

- Logan has a healing factor. He doesn't really need Jubilee.

- Uh huh. Eldritch knights? I don't know and Gail doesn't want to tell us right now. That's fine.

-These 'X-men' are planning a raid on Graymalkin but they're looking like they'd struggle raiding a pantry. Cyclops has a point here, and considering the assessment of the kids was 'they don't fight as a team, they just attack' that applies to everyone here.

- I bet the Eye of Agamotto gets used next issue. That's a Chekhov's Gun that needs to go off and Gambit won't pull his weight much otherwise tbh. Seems unlikely Rogue is winning that fight solo and the team pulling together as a team using all resources would be a nice W for them. A sorely needed one.

- I feel like this had pacing issues more than anything. The Rogue fight was a bit repetitive and nobody is using their head. If we get a second wind into a win next issue that's not going to feel earned or satisfying. Characters should make mistakes. They've been punished for them, now we need to see a regroup and display of what makes them a team. What makes Rogue a leader and what makes them X-Men.

- When they fought the Outliers in issue two they were inexplicably losing and then they just won. I don't want that again. Tension has been established and a promise made - several promises even - we need to stop treading water and pay that off.

- A bit meh overall for the flagship book, but I have my biases. What did you think?

[cozage]

The Daughter's Return Part 3

Chapter 15: House Arrest

Start From Beginning | Next Chapter | Table of Contents | Read on AO3

Characters: female reader x Portgas D. Ace Word Count: 1.3k

You couldn’t look at your father. You knew he was waiting for you to look him in the eye, but you couldn’t. You were afraid you’d be stuck there forever in a stalemate. 

And then he bent down and wrapped his arms around you, and pulled you in for an embrace. 

“I know you’ve been through a lot recently,” his voice was low and comforting. “And I believe you did everything with the best intentions. So raise your head, and let’s talk.”

He pulled away from you and walked back to his office, you and Marco following closely behind him. 

When you entered the room, you found Whitey waiting for you, and she gave you a smile and a small wave. Her eyes held many questions, but she didn’t dare ask them here. 

It was just the four of you in there. You weren’t sure where the other commanders were, but they hadn’t even been on the deck to greet you. That was fine with you, you didn’t need added shame to what you already felt. 

“Let’s start from the beginning,” your father said. 

“We heard reports of Teach heading to Paradise, so we-“

“No,” he interrupted, pointing to your torso. “That beginning.”

You blushed. For a moment you had forgotten about the baby. 

“What do you want to know?” You asked. You weren’t about to give up information voluntarily. 

“How far along are you?” Your father asked. “When did you know? Who else knows?”

“I think a little over four months now,” you said. It was hard to keep track. “I haven’t had an appointment in a while, so-“

“You went to clinics?” Your father’s eyes darted to Marco and then back to you. “Which ones?”

You gave a nervous laugh. “Yes we went to clinics. I was throwing up everything I ate and then some.”

“So there are records,” Marco said softly. 

“I always used a fake name.”

Your father stared at you intensely. “Which clinics? Do you remember the doctors?”

You shifted uncomfortably in your seat. This was starting to feel more like an interrogation than a simple chat. You had expected some heat, but this was starting to get a bit much. 

“Why does it matter?” You asked. 

“Because,” your father said. “Anyone who knows about this is a risk. A big one.”

You scowled. “Shanks said something similar,” you muttered softly, more to yourself than anyone else. 

“Shanks knows?” Your father asked, and you nodded, which sparked a string of curses to fall from his mouth. 

“What the hell have you been up to in the last month?” Marco asked, looking at you with concern. 

“What’s the big deal?” You asked. You were starting to get irritated with everyone’s overreaction with every little thing. 

“That baby will never be safe if people know its heritage,” your father said. 

“Everyone knows I’m a Newgate! And I can’t exactly hide out for six more months and then come back with a newborn I ‘adopted’!”

Marco sighed. “It is Ace’s, ri-?”

“Marco!” You were infuriated he’d even think anything else. “Of course it is!”

“Okay!” Marco held his hand up in apology. “Sorry!”

“This is bad,” your father said, his eyes on your belly. “The timing couldn’t be worse.”

Tears pricked at your eyes. “I didn’t plan this, dad! I didn’t plan any of this!”

“I should’ve never let you leave this ship,” he said, shaking his head. “Now tell me where you visited clinics. We need to erase any proof you were there.”

“What are you going to do?” You asked. “They don’t know-“

“Nobody can ever know!” Your father roared. “You will die if that information ever gets out. The Navy will never stop. Never!”

“What’s the big deal?!” You screamed back. “I’m a Newgate, everybody already knows that!  The Navy will never leave me alone anyway! Just-“

“This isn’t about you!” He yelled back. His haki washed over you in waves, and you knew he was hiding something. 

Normally, his show of force didn’t bother you much. But between the baby and the sea prism, it overwhelmed you, and you fell to your knees. 

“Stop!” You screamed, tucking into a fetal position in pain. “Please stop!”

You didn’t plead often, and your father stiffened at your words. Instantly, the power receded. But you could still feel the effects tingling across your skin. 

“This isn’t about you,” your father said again, shaking his head. His voice was thick with tears.

“Pops.“ Marco interrupted. “I don’t think-“

But your father ignored Marco’s warning and continued. 

“It’s about Ace.”

“Ace?” You asked, lifting your head up slightly. You were still dazed from his haki and weren’t sure you heard him right. 

“I guess he never told you. Can’t blame him though, after I specifically asked him not to.” 

Your fathers words only confused you more. 

“Pops?” You stood up, your knees still wobbling slightly. “What are you talking about?”

“Ace is Gol Roger’s son.”

It took a moment to process what he had said. A part of you wasn’t shocked. You had known that Ace hated his father and never liked to talk about it. And yet he always seemed to understand how you felt, weighed down by living in the shadow of a powerhouse for a father. 

“I see,” you whispered, thinking back to all of the things he had said about his parents. 

Whitebeard raised his eyebrow at you, surprised by your response. 

“You don’t seem surprised,” he said. 

“I’m not.”

Marco looked at you, shocked. “You’re not?”

You shook your head. “He’s always been weird about his birth parents. I knew I needed one little piece to connect it all, and now everything makes sense.”

“So now you understand what kind of risk you’re at if the Navy finds out,” your father said. “You understand why I can’t allow you to partake in this rescue mission.”

“What?” You hissed. “No, I have to! You need all the help you can get. You can’t just keep me locked up!”

“You will not be much help in your current state,” your father said. “Use of strong and targeted Haki will knock you out. You can barely perform devil fruit abilities. You’d be more of a risk than an asset.”

You knew he was right, but the words stung. Your ability had become significantly weaker, especially over the last month. But that didn’t matter. Even weakened, you were still stronger than half the people on the ship. 

“Give me swords. I learned how to wield them in Wano.” Anything to get you on that battlefield. Anything to get you closer to Ace. 

“Absolutely not,” Marco snapped, before your father could even respond. “You’re pregnant. Even if you think it’s not a big deal, it is. We’re not putting you on a battlefield. You need checkups and rest, not sword fights and enemies.”

“Marco! That's not-“

“You may assist with the strategy leading up to it,” your father said. “During the battle, you will stay on the ship and help adjust the strategy as needed. That is all I will allow. Do not ask for more, or I will revoke it all.

“I’m placing you under Marco’s command until further notice. You will do everything Marco tells you to, and you will not complain. When Marco tells you to report for a checkup, you will do so without any nonsense. When he tells you to take medicine, you will not object. When he tells you to stop working, you will follow his orders. Is that understood?”

You could tell by his voice, there was no point in arguing. He had thought this through. And honestly, it felt like a better alternative than being thrown in a cell for a week, not knowing what was happening outside. 

“Yes sir,” you whispered. You blinked away tears, afraid of what the future would hold. 

“Do not let your spirit break yet,” your father said. “We have much to do, and if all goes well, we can pretend that this never happened.” 

But things in the pirate world never went according to plan.

--

Tag list! @taeyoge @teiza @tojislawyer @trafalgardnami @bloopbopsblog @dancingnewcat @dxestyi @flooofity @nyxthedragon01 @deadsnothere @h-rhodes1598  @morgyyyyyyy @trafalgardvivi  @fiestynatureweeb @frogpogjoghurt @beepboopcowboy @ms-portgas @luvyallbabes @appalost @zuchkaa @saybeyonce @stray-npc @kitsunechan707 @theyluvmesblog @heartysworld @aira-needs-sleep  @mothmomjay @ophelias-flowerss @aqualein @sehyojae @fanficwriter5 @forgotten-blues @amberash05 @firefistnoct @depressed-but-make-it-cute

[the-s1lly-corner]

The Angst Alphabet

NOTE: any letter/alphabet prompts that have been made and put in the masterlist that do not specify which list theyre from, assume they are fluff alphabet prompts if they are posted prior to 6/19/24! Always worth to doublecheck, however this is a general thing!

Similar to the fluff and tropes list, you can turn to this list of prompts for ideas of what to request! This list will also be open indefinitely, hooray! If you're unsure if a character has already had any specific prompts done, you can always turn to the masterlist! You can find this list and other pre made prompt ideas at the bottom of the main masterlist! All will be in my pinned! You can find the rules for this alphabet under the cut, please keep them in mind when requesting! You are also free to use these prompts for your own writing!

Naturally, there is a chance that this list may contain subjects that can bring discomfort. I want to make it very clear that for the majority, if not all, of these prompts are in no way meant to be romanticized. That being said a lot of these prompts revolve around emotionally charged mistakes as well as people being naturally flawed; unless the scenario and character calls for it, assume that these are relationship hiccups.

CWs: mentions of death and grief, injuries, mentions of murder, talks of scars and while it can be seen in any way it can be seen in a S/H way however its a vague prompt, general mentions of loss, possibility of trauma depending on character and prompts that are requested together,

You can request up to 3 prompts and 2 characters in a single request! As long as I write for the character (I will let you know if I don't! We'd be here forever if I listed every character I write for..) and what fandoms I currently write for (can be found in the pinned as well as the status! If it says its ongoing, you're good to go!). As stated in the opening note, if youre unsure if a few prompts had been done for a character, check the Masterlist! Or alternatively you can ask me via inbox if it's been done yet! Speaking of, I only accept requests through the inbox since it's easier to keep track of.. as well as this I work on a queue system so expect your request to take a while; you're always free to ask when its expected to be posted! Request status will also be kept up to date in my bio! A lot of these prompts can be applied to romantic or platonic relationships however on the chance you ask for a character i only write platonic for and ask for a prompt that is more romantic leaning, I will do my best to make it platonic. If it cannot be done I will make that aware to you! Tags do not equal the fandoms I write for as thats subject to change! If a fandom is not listed or it's been a while I recommend looking at my pinned to see fandom statuses!

Admirer- What are they like when they have a crush on you, but they already know you dont notice them or reciprocate? Or alternatively, what if you were asked out by someone else before they got the nerve to do it themselves?

Break up- What can break your relationship? How are they like afterwards?

Clique- What if their group of friends and/or family disapprove of you, or outright hate you? How likely are they to crack under the pressure? Will they side with you or them, or will they choose to stand in the middle?

Distrust- How do they try to get your trust back? What can you do that breaks their trust?

Ex- What are they like when your ex turns up? Whether the ex in question is bad or not, how do they work through these feelings? Are they okay with you being friends with an ex?

Fight- How nasty can they get in an argument? Who walks away first, if there is any walking away?

Guttural- How do they show their emotions, do they talk about it? Do they silence themselves? Do they generally keep quiet or do they feel that they can't talk about it?

Heal- How do they make it up to you after a fight? Do they make a promise to do better or do they remain stagnant? Change is not linear, what will progress look like?

Jealousy- Very similar to the E prompt, as well as the Jealousy prompt from the fluff alphabet. How do they handle these feelings? What makes them jealous? Both in general, as well as when it comes to you?

Injury- Much like it's fluff counterpart... how do they handle you when your hurt... however, in this list... how are they in the moment?

Kill- Would they kill for you/out of revenge?

Lonely- How often do they feel alone? Do they seek you out or do they swallow their feelings?

Misery- How do they cope after your passing? How long does it take for them to pull themselves together ect ect

Nightmare- How do they soothe your nightmares? Do they have nightmares themsevles?

Opened- Will they throw something in your face in the heat of the moment, knowing it will hurt you? How do they proceed after the immediate damage?

Protective- How far are they willing to go to protect you? If they give everything they can, and you still get hurt... how do they react? Will they blame themselves, or you? Or will they go quiet?

Quake- Something in the past the effects how they move forward, in general and/or within the relationship

Rejected- How do they handle feeling rejected? Not just a rejected confession, but rejection as a whole? How do they cope when they feel rejected by you?

Strangers- What's it like when you find yourselves in the same space, after breaking up? Will they approach you or will they pretend they don't know you?

Two faced- How likely are they to lie to you, what would they lie about? What happens if they're caught?

Undying- In the case one of you are immortal or otherwise live long... how does that effect the dynamic?

Valentine- Different from its fluff alphabet counterpart, how will they feel if you stood them up on valentines day? On the flip side, what kind of emergency would make them stand you up?

Wounded- Do they have any scars, of any origin? How do they feel about them? How do they treat your scars, of any origin?

Xray- How obvious are they when theyre around something they hate/when you do something that upsets them

Yearn- Similar to it's fluff counterpart, how do they deal with separation or rather, how do they cope with wanting something they've lost and/or don't have?

Zestless- What happens if one or both of you lose your spark for the relationship? Will you try to ignite it, or will you simply part ways?

[loco-warehouse]

Mini TADC Theory

Okay, I'm not much of a theory person but since watching episode 3, I've been pondering a couple details. (Spoilers below)

I truly don't think there's gonna be a happy ending for the characters trapped in the Digital Circus.

I don't have too much evidence, but from previous statements from Gooseworx and the little bits of world building outside the circus, I believe we're gonna get a similar ending to, "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream."

I'm sure most of us have familiarized ourselves with the connection with the two pieces of media-- group of humans trapped to be played with by an AI higher being.

At the end of IHNMAIMS, the humans killed each other besides one, and the only known way out the Circus is abstraction, which is basically a death sentence (or so we believe at the moment.)

But, episode 3 showed something really interesting that I feel needs to be taken a lot more into consideration.

The one person you don't want losing their mind, is the higher power AI God who literally controls and keeps everything together.

Yes, the humans there can abstract from losing their sanity, but you're talking about people who have complex range of emotions and comprehension. Caine does not have that as an AI, but doesn't mean he isn't capable of losing it, as we have seen within' the episode. There's a sense that, yes, Caine himself can abstract, but it's not him that's abstracting, but the environments that he has created. So, for him as the Ringmaster, to have continuously do what he has been programmed to do for how ever many years, to be told suddenly one day that the one thing he believes he's good at, is actually bad-- that is all its gonna take for the whole world to start crumbling around our protagonists.

And due to this not being a official essay, I refuse to go through months of notes that the creator has said so I'm pulling a cheat card of slamming down the wiki pages.

This part is less on the show and more based on its inspirations, and Gooseworx's previous works.

Stanley Parable is a game with many interpretations and meanings, but there is a gist of deconstructing game play and storytelling, which leads into a more philosophical route based off player choices.

And basing it off the obvious, with episode 1 being heavily inspired by the game, the same is happening within' the series for all the humans. While their breaking points aren't a choice, Zooble has already been shown as a shining example of continuing to not play Caine's adventures, even if its for different reasons relating to their body/identity versus philosophical video game tatics. Pomni has made the choice to bring Gummi-Goo back, even if that choice was taken away from them in the end.

Runmo is a short animation based around our protagonist trying to get extra lives to finally be able to reach the other side of the obstacle, even if it meant cheating on gaining those lives. Which, ironically, results in their efforts being nothing, as there was no further platform on the other side of the spikes.

And Darly Boxman...well, I can't fully say, mainly because its less a story and more like a concept. Personally, the short animation feels more in tune with Gooseworx's bleak, dark comedy and slight hints at something bigger going on without giving too much away.

Anyways, the reason I'm mentioning these pieces is mainly to prove that Goose's work has a track record of making fun of the horrific, while also not indulging into viewers sense of happy endings and cutting it short in a dark manner.

There's so much to the show than what I'm saying and showing, but my prediction within future episodes is that the cast is gonna make Caine lose his mind, which may result in them having to hurt/kill Caine, and the rug is gonna be pulled under them where they're (or one of em, probably Pomni like I Must Scream,) in a more broken, haunting version of the Circus and still unable to escape.

Or I could be totally wrong about all of this! Which is fine, I just enjoy speculating and would like to hear other theories and thoughts, or even counter-arguments! Anyways thanks for reading my very first theory ever have a Gucci day yall

[whakkicat]

i am leaving

i made a post on my twt about this, but i should make it here as well.

this is my last text post before i archive this account and start elsewhere. video about what’s been happening at some point.

this post will be a personal note to friends, mutuals, communities, etc, and what will happen from here.

brief warning for mentions of abuse

1. i want to start with a word towards the rain world community. first off, i want to thank rain world for giving me a home. for starting me off as an artist. i had never actively participated in a fandom before this, and it was a wonderful experience.

the game brought me and so many of my friends together, i met a lot of amazing artists, some of which i’m still shocked they’re my mutuals, and rain world itself changed my life for the better, i believe. it gave me hope and something to live for when nothing else did.

i’ve always been quite afraid of voicing myself, as i had never participated actively in a fandom before, therefore had never gotten used to talking in one. but to those who’ve stuck around, who have enjoyed my content, thank you.

2. to the people who have been there for me during the worst, who have let me know i am not alone in my suffering, it means so much to me. i really hope that i can still keep contact with many of the people i have met on here.

there have been so many kind people on this platform and it’s been a joy talking to you all. if this is goodbye, to some, i wish you all the best. it’s only what you deserve.

3. i will be reaching out to the main people who i owe art to, regardless of cmms or not. it is unprofessional of me not to keep track of myself and keep everyone waiting. my ADHD has not made it very easy for me. i apologize.

4. this point will mention abuse, so cw dealing and getting out of abuse this year was extremely hard for me, and is still taking its toll on me. it’s part of the reason i can’t stay, because i feel they still have power over me, even if they’re not actively in my life anymore.

as i move on, i don’t want to completely abandon my past, and everything that came out of that abuse in the first place. i am not abandoning myself, or forgetting what i went through. i want to grieve my younger, naive self as i go forward as an artist.

this doesn’t mean i’ve let them win and break me down. i won’t give up on myself. i need to be kinder to myself and heal, so being away from this will help. this also goes out to anyone else trapped in their friendships, relationships. you will be okay. talk to

please do not silence yourself for the sake of other people. your own feelings are just as valid and important as anyone else’s. don’t let people make you feel bad for feeling your own feelings.

5. to mutuals who’d like to stay in contact, i have a priv account on twitter i will mainly be using from now on. it won’t be used as much as it used to, considering this is a hiatus, but it will be where i will reside. you’re free to ask me in dms.

6. i’ve already begun starting over, i won’t be gone completely. if you happen to recognize me in the near future, please do not pester me about it. simply accept that i have restarted, as a brand, as an artist, and i’d like to start over from square one.

7. this account will also be public for the remainder of its existence, however i may clean it up for archival purposes. i don’t want to simply vanish, i am proud of some of the work i have published, and i don’t want it to be forgotten.

it’s a bit odd, considering most of my art is composed of doodles, non-serious jokes, and mostly fanart. hopefully i can make self indulgent art in the future. i’ve always wanted people to know my characters, but was always too afraid to actually talk to people.

closing point i’m sorry if my absence upsets anyone, if you are disappointed in me. i can’t stress enough that this year has been hard enough on me, and being here is hard enough. i want a fresh start. i want to be okay.

i love my fellow artists, my friends, everyone. there’s so many talented people i’ve met and i don’t ever want to forget them. my last post will be my video talking about my experiences this year, previous years, because i feel it’s important for me to come out about it.

this is a goodbye. i will miss many of you. here’s to hoping the rest of the year will be good for everyone! until our paths meet again. good luck out there

[steddieas-shegoes]

she runs a tight ship

rated t | for @strangerthingsocweek day 1 "introduction" | 1,573 words cw: mentions of illness (just a cold), mildly suggestive language | tags: future fic, corroded coffin, original character, robin gets to have a girlfriend because i said so

author note: a lot of meg's original backstory also revolves around OCs that other people have created, so I've doctored it up a bit to fit in without pulling the other OCs into the mix.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Meg rolled her eyes the moment she walked onto the tour bus.

The boys, and they were in fact boys since they refused to act like grown men, had left clothes scattered across the floor and couch, empty beer bottles and bags of chips on the table, and a pack of cigarettes on the counter.

Unbelievable.

But actually, totally believable.

They weren’t always like this. It’s just that the first night of the tour was always a celebration when they got off stage and Meg had the unfortunate task of making sure they were alive and prepared for the rest of the tour.

She wasn’t their manager, or security, or really anyone of importance in the grand scheme of things. All of those people were just not good at the job, and she took over quickly to ensure the members of Corroded Coffin didn’t end up ruining their careers before they even got started.

“If I see a single ass cheek when I come back there, I’m quitting!” She yelled towards the back of the bus. It was an empty threat, and they knew it, but she’d seen enough ass cheeks to last a lifetime.

She leaned over to pick up the pile of pants and pair of boots right in front of the door, face crumpling into disgust as she caught a whiff of sweat and weed.

“Meg, good to see ya!” Gareth said as he came from behind the curtain leading to the bunks. “Are we in Cinci already?”

“Yep.” She popped her mouth and continued picking things up off the floor. “Soundcheck in two hours. You guys have to at least try to get your shit together for it.”

“We will! You doin’ okay?” Gareth started gathering the trash on the table, throwing it all in the trash can without even seeing what was full and empty.

“Yeah. Good show last night. Didn’t think you’d do the new one on your first night,” Meg admitted. She’d worked on the song with them for weeks in the studio, curating it exactly to their tastes while still staying true to her own style. She didn’t think it would make the setlist at all, especially since they hadn’t even decided if it would make the next album yet, but sure enough, they performed it last night.

And they’d given credit to their “amazing songwriter friend who made sure they didn’t die or forget to eat.”

She would never admit to the tears that fell when she watched them perform their song.

“Ed and Robin agreed it should be a surprise. I think they both just wanted to see you cry,” Gareth nudged her on his way over to grab the guitar on the couch to put it into its case. “Steve told them not to.”

“This is why Steve’s my favorite,” she joked. Well, half-joked. She considered Steve to be the other half to her Keep Corroded Coffin On Track Team. Without him, Eddie would have been left at a rest stop the first time they went on the road.

“Yeah, that’s no secret.” She could hear the eyeroll in Gareth’s voice, but chose to ignore it. “He was snoring so bad last night, I almost had to consider kicking him off the bus.”

“Wait. Snoring? Steve doesn’t snore unless he’s-”

“Fuck.”

They both realized at the same time what was coming. Gareth looked back at Meg, eyes wide.

“Not now! It’s the beginning of tour!”

“Maybe if I load him up with vitamin C? I have a whole vitamin kit in the van and Robin has that nebulizer for her breathing treatments.”

A round of sneezes came from the back and Meg cursed under her breath.

“He’s gotta get away from everyone. He can take the van with Robin and I’ll bunk on your couch for a few days. Did he have a fever?” Meg was known for being dramatic over small inconveniences, but this wasn’t small. It had the potential to ruin tour dates. If anyone in the band got sick, it could ruin a concert.

“Don’t know. I don’t think so? He seemed fine when we went to sleep. He passed out before all of us though.” Gareth quickly set the guitar down and opened the cabinet closest to the bus door. “We’ve got cold meds. Some cough syrup. Tylenol. Cough drops. You think that’ll be enough?”

Meg nodded. “For now. Let’s see how bad it is first.”

They didn’t have to wait long. Eddie and Jeff came out at the same time, panic written all over their faces.

Meg sighed. “Bad?”

They nodded.

“Okay, stay away from him. It could already be too late, but you guys have to stay healthy.” Meg grabbed the basket of meds and a bottle of water from the fridge. “All of you get outside, tell Robin what’s up, and go with security into the building. I’m gonna get him settled in the van and scrub this place from top to bottom.”

“But I’ll miss him,” Eddie pouted. “How long does he have to stay in the van?”

“Until he can breathe through both nostrils.”

“Can any of us ever really breathe through both nostrils?” Eddie wondered.

Meg blinked at him. “Get a shirt on and get out of here before I make it impossible for you to breathe out of one nostril.”

Eddie threw his head back and groaned. Jeff patted his shoulder and turned to grab a shirt that was still on the couch.

“It’s okay man. Might just be a little cold. Could pass quick!” Gareth tried to reassure him, but Meg could already see how this was gonna go.

She was surrounded by slightly codependent idiots. She loved them all dearly, but she needed them to function individually sometimes.

The door banged open and Robin came up the steps.

“I swear, I sleep in one time and my girlfriend abandons me for her harem of idiot men.” She glances between everyone and tenses. “What’s wrong?”

“You stupid soulmate is sick,” Meg grumbled. “Everyone is in the process of leaving this bus before it happens to them.”

“I’ll wake up Frankie. He’s gonna be pissed,” Jeff sighed. “He got his pillows just right.”

“I’ll get him, you guys go,” Meg shooed them away, waiting for them to all leave before turning to Robin. “Hey, Robbie. Sorry I didn’t wake you up, just wanted you to get plenty of sleep.”

Robin leaned her head on her shoulder and kissed her cheek. “It’s okay, babe. Steve gonna make it?”

“Haven’t put eyes on him yet. Think you could go check? I gotta avoid getting sick, too. The less I’m around him, the better,” Meg handed her the basket and kissed the side of her head. “Get him to the van so he can contaminate that area instead.”

“But then I’ll get sick.” Robin pouted.

Meg couldn’t resist leaning down and pulling Robin’s bottom lip between her teeth, smirking when she let out a yelp.

“You’ll be fine. You’ve got a strong immune system. Promise I'll make it up to you in a few days. Maybe we could convince them to let us have a hotel room so we can-,” Meg said, pulling away when she heard shuffling behind the curtain. “Oh, good, it’s you. The rest of the guys are gone. Steve’s sick. Don’t come back in here until I give the go ahead.”

Frankie yawned, scratched his head, and nodded. “Got it.”

He was slowly becoming her favorite just by the fact that he never really argued with her. Maybe that was because he was terrified of her, but she could enjoy her power a little if she wanted to.

He walked out of the bus in his pajamas, probably not awake enough to realize he wasn’t properly dressed, but also probably not caring at all that he wasn’t. Frankie was a chill guy.

“Eddie?” Steve’s pitiful raspy voice came from behind the curtain. “Eds?”

“I’ll go,” Robin gave one final kiss to Meg’s lips before walking behind the curtain.

Meg only caught a glimpse of Steve, but a glimpse was all she needed to come to the conclusion that he was miserably sick and she needed to air this bus out immediately. She could hear Robin gently explaining where everyone was and trying to bribe him to put some comfy clothes on to move to the van.

She looked around and wondered what he’d touched last night before going to bed.

She opened the window behind the couch, and propped the window by the sink open to get some fresh air in the bus.

“Sorry I’m sick,” Steve suddenly said behind her, his eyes glassy and nose and cheeks bright red with fever and congestion. “Don’t know how.”

Meg smiled sadly at him. “Not your fault, bud. Just make sure to keep your distance from the guys until your fever’s gone. Don’t need them all getting sick at once and having to postpone a concert.”

Steve nodded sadly. “Okay. Can you tell Eddie I love him?”

“‘Course I can.”

Steve was acting like he was dying, but Meg didn’t say anything. Robin had been honest about a lot of her past, their past, but couldn’t say everything. She knew why they were all a bit codependent on each other. Sometimes small things like the common cold felt like a monster they couldn’t fight.

As Robin led Steve out of the bus, Meg made a checklist in her head of everything she needed to do before the show tonight.

Taking care of her boys was always top priority.

[mochiwrites]

hello hello, mochi!

god its been forever since i plagued your inbox with my chattering, but i hope you wouldn't mind a question?

you see, im hoping to start my first Big Fanfic Project with a properly fleshed out AU and all that, but i find myself getting super overwhelmed by the Amount of Stuff im thinking that i want to fit in! I want to have a general outline (maybe with acts, like you do!), but i also have no idea how to go about doing That D:

do you have any tips for organizing your storyline/plots? for pacing? or maybe some sneak peeks into how you do it? i only ask because the night life au is literally like a proper book series and im in Awe at how you keep track of everything and execute it so well!

no pressure to answer, of course! you could just totally ignore this if you wanted lolol

hihi!! I don't mind at all!! :D I'm sorry I couldn't get to this sooner <///3 (school has been kicking my butt </3)

so the first thing I'd probably suggest is writing everything down. it doesn't matter if it's a word, a single sentence, a whole paragraph. if you have ideas, get them down on paper--whether that be a physical piece of paper, a document, or a note in your phone, even if the ideas are something that happens a long time down the road of the story

the way that I'd go about doing an outline is taking it one chunk at a time, especially if you break up into acts. you've already got your ideas that you want to fit in written down, now the next step is figuring out the order or where everything goes. you don't necessarily have to know what goes into what arc or act, but as long as you have a general idea of the order of events that take place, it makes planning a lot easier

it's also really good to have a goal for each arc, I'll use night life as an example for that :D

arc one of night life is my introductory arc. I'm introducing the reader to this mythical world that exists alongside humanity, so I need to introduce the basic concepts (i.e. what kind of creatures exist, how magic works, what their way of life looks like). you don't need to introduce every concept at once, or go out of your way to tell the reader everything immediately. just slowly introduce what you think is relevant or important for the reader to know early on

arc two I have a focus on scar's character and building his relationship with grian and mumbo, while working up to his big betrayal at the end. aaaand of course arc three I'm focusing on the murders once more, while fixing up mumscarian's relationship again JFDHGJHGF

I've mentioned it before, but a really helpful tool for organizing notes is a program called obsidian :D it's free to use, and it's kept me. so organized with night life LMAO. for example, regarding arc one, my notes ended up looking like this:

the important thing with big, fleshed out aus, is breaking them into smaller chunks and doing things one at a time. I've got a lot that goes down in arc 3, but it's easier to look at the next three fics rather than the next seven, y'know? if you take it into smaller pieces, it's a lot less overwhelming than looking at the whole thing

as for pacing.... it's a little tricky, because everyone feels pacing a different way. for myself, I try to think about my plot beats as if the story was an episodic tv series. if I can make my pacing align with the pacing of a show, it's normally pretty good for me. but that might not work for everyone fjghfjhgfj the best piece of advice I can give for pacing is: write it out, and see how it feels while you're writing. that's kind of the only way you'll know if your pacing feels weird

it's one of those difficult ones because you can get a pretty vague idea of what the pacing looks like, but you won't know 100% until you're in the middle of writing

it's totally okay to not have everything figured out at once, or to have some missing details. you can fill those in later (and sometimes they naturally fill themselves in as you're writing!)

also !!!! because I'm a very big believer of this, and have done this multiple times with night life: if you've got a multichapter fic that has some chapters posted, and the story isn't feeling right to you anymore, or you don't like the direction it's going? it's okay to delete it and try again

I think a lot of people have this general belief in fandom that once you post a fic that's the only shot you get at it, but that's not true !! if you're two chapters into a five chapter fic, and you're writing chapter three and you realize the idea needs to be looked at again, or changed entirely, do it. that's okay. especially when working on a big, long running project like that

which leads me to, your outline is not a contract !!! the story will grow and change organically as you write more of it, and that’s alright! use the outline as a guide, not a permanent fixture. you can change your outline up as you go along :D

if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask !!! I’m more than happy to help and break down my process—especially if there’s any specific part of it that you want to ask about :D

[mikiemcsmitty]

Fictober Day 9

prompt: "Don't listen to me, listen to them"

Fandom: Supernatural

Character: Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester

Rating: Teen and Up

Summary:

Sam's POV: Stereotypical body swap episode. Sam is stuck in Dean's body and Dean is in Sam's after an unfortunate run-in with a witch during their latest case.

“What the hell, Dean?!” Sam yelled from the motel bathroom.

Dean, dead asleep, jolted awake at the sound of Sam’s voice… or what he thought was Sam’s voice. Groggily, he sat up, blinking the sleep from his eyes. “What? What is it?!”

Sam stormed out of the bathroom, and Dean squinted, only to be greeted by a bizarre sight… himself.

“Oh yeah, don’t listen to me. Listen to the random sketchy bartender telling you to try this weird drink. What could possibly go wrong?” Sam, now in Dean’s body, ranted sarcastically as he paced back and forth. Dean tried to calm him down, to no avail. 

“How was I supposed to know she was a witch?” Dean shot back defensively, trying to keep the panic at bay.

“I literally told you to be on guard while we’re in this town,” Sam, still pacing, crossed his arms, glaring at Dean in a way that only Sam could… except it was in Dean’s face, which made it all the weirder. 

“How was I supposed to know the shot was a body-swapping potion?”

Sam sighed, exasperated. “You know what, Dean, I’m hearing a lot of ‘How was I supposed to know’ and not a lot of ‘How am I gonna fix this.’”

Dean rubbed his temples, looking at his reflection in the mirror across the room. “Okay, okay. Let’s just call Cas and Rowena. Maybe one of them has an answer.”

A little while later, Dean was finally able to get a hold of Rowena from Sam’s phone. Cas had already zapped himself into their motel room and was sitting on the edge of the bed trying to figure out what the big deal was since he was used to having to navigate different vessels.

“Well, isn’t this just hilarious,” Rowena said over the speakerphone, clearly amused by the situation. “Body-swapping spells can be quite the spectacle.”

“Yeah, hilarious,” Dean grumbled sarcastically. “How do we fix it?”

“Oh, it’ll wear off on its own, dear. Give it 24 hours, and you’ll be back to your proper bodies.”

“Twenty-four hours?” Sam groaned. 

Cas finally chimed in. “I don’t see why this is so troubling for you two. I can still see you both clearly as you are. Your souls are unchanged. It’s just a different vessel.”

“Thanks for your profound insight, Cas,” Dean muttered. 

“Yeah, humans don't really operate in ‘vessels’ the way angels do,” Sam added.

Cas tilted his head to the side but continued anyway. “In the meantime, I can help you track down the coven that’s been stealing souls. It’s likely tied to the bartender who served Dean the drink.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Dean said dismissively as he rummaged through Sam’s duffel bag. The two brothers shared a similar sense of style due to having to share all the same thrifted clothes but Dean still always found his ways to stand out and he was determined to make one of Sam's shirts work for him.

Sam glared at his brother. “Alright, here’s the deal. You’re not allowed to eat complete junk like you normally do while you’re in my body.”

“Don’t be such a drama queen, Sammy.”

Sam crossed his arms. “My body is a temple, Dean. Don’t be an ass. I can literally feel your body falling apart on me. You should probably try eating healthier, too.”

Dean gave a nonchalant shrug. “I eat fine. A burger now and then never hurt anyone.”

Sam groaned in frustration. “Just… please, Dean, no red meat.”

Dean chuckled. “Okay, okay. I get it.” 

The fight with the witches was pretty run-of-the-mill they were able to figure out who the head of the coven was and put together some witch-killing bullets. The only issues came up from Sam being stuck in his brother's body and vice versa. Dean found himself unable to kick down doors because he wasn’t used to the way Sam’s strength differed from his, and Sam found himself being frequently hit on by girls. 

The next morning, after the coven had been dealt with and the 24 hours had passed, Dean and Sam woke up back in their own bodies. Dean studied his hand, feeling like himself again, while Sam gave him a long, tired look.

“So, you didn’t destroy my body with junk food, right?” Sam asked cautiously.

Dean smirked. “Would you relax?”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Next time, please don’t accept random drinks from sketchy bartenders in witch towns.”

“Hey, lesson learned,” Dean said with a grin. “But admit it… being me for a day was kinda fun wasn't it?”

Sam shook his head. “Not even a little bit.”

[waxsuyaaa]

omg side order was so good

my annoying rant about everything down below⬇️ also if you dont have the dlc dont press the keep reading button

OKAY so for starters it was actually kinda disappointing to see that most of the gameplay has been shown already in the trailer, i would’ve liked to have been surprised..

and there is no feeling of progressing forward like any other storymode since you go to the start every single time you lose and all your achievements disappear unless you get into the boss fight, and only if you win you get one singular key

and all the powerups that you’re used to having just gone. poof. disappear.

i would’ve liked to see npcs that you can actually talk to because somehow there is no button to talk to pearl? like maybe they should have made a feature when you’re right underneath pearl to press A and talk to her for a bit, even if its something simple like “yo! let’s get back on track!”

you can’t even talk to marina and all she asks is if you need something to be hacked, which makes her seem as she’s just there for that mechanic and nothing else— as someone who never played splatoon 2 and doesnt know her personality im not sure what the hype is about for her

we should have been able to go into the elevator and actually walk around and talk to the characters and like salmon run, when it says ‘time to go to work!’ for side order it would say ‘arrived at floor’ or smth like that.. i would give anything to be able to walk around and interact with everyone in the elevator, like if the characters pearl, marina and dedf1sh weren’t there it would function the same

why arent we able to talk to them like. dedf1sh is such a cool character where is the lore? they just stand in a corner and is just there…

it would be so amazing if you could slowly befriend dedf1sh and get exclusive gear/random stuff from the metro or smth from them as the friendship points rack up and they become more open to you

and all the bosses are easy to tell apart from the silhouette and you can easily guess how you’re going to fight them, i want that little moment of mystery as well as not knowing how hard it’s going to be

coloured fingertips dont even seem like a thing anymore, it was just for agent 8 and her blue palette things

it looks as if you have to fight many of the same boss to get the locker key and after it just becomes repetitive and there is no story whatsoever, the villain is a glitchy entity called ‘order’??? like if that same glitchy entity thing switched to agent 4 for like half a frame the entire fandom would go WHOAH WHAT WAS THAT and we’d be talking about it for ten thousand days

the only motive is that you have to save everyone from being grayscaled blablabla but you dont even have any evidence of the character even being there, the character palettes are just a cheap way to implement more weapons, like what do you mean we don’t get the actual characters standing around the outside of the spire.. i want to talk to paul and warabi and ikkan (cough cough i mean quinn and mashup???)

we cant even get these extra characters because 3d modelling is SUCH a LOT of EFFORT for such a huge company like nintendo we should feel so sorry for all the work that they had to do, they put in their best effort (sarcasm)

all the enemies/foes are just remodelled salmon run enemies like battering largo or whatever (they could remodel the enemies but not the bands?? what)

also wheres cypher? i thought the shrimpy character would be a main character that wanders around and sells you stuff but theyre not even in sight

so uhh you can say ‘skill issue’ or smth because OHHH I HAVENT FINISHED THE GAME YEAH THIS PERSON IS JUST COMPLAINING BECAUSE THEYRE BAD AT IT or whatever im just disappointed that it was kinda overhyped and i drew art for a character that didnt even exist (skeleton agent 4)

[jselorekeeper]

Jameson confuses me lol (in a good way)

As in his appearances it seems like it's all early 1900s but suddenly he'll use slang, or have Chad and the bell, and it's like- okay are you a guy that has been brought to the future still using stuff from his era, or have we and items been brought to the past? Both? Did he bring part of the past with him or something?

His introduction is really weird, it's not like others where they're already in character, no he replaces Jack. And I know C!Jack isn't canon but that's such an interesting visual choice.

"But... When am I?" - "Jeepers! That's far too early!"

JJ, what do you mean. Is this normal??????? Or just part of the act???? And if it is an act how much of this is already scripted my guy?

And then there's the literal hand from the original appearance, what the hell was that's about JJ. Do you have a friend??? An assistant?? They're not there for Jolly Jaunts. And literally why does he have Chad, that really messes with me. Why does he have Chad.

AND the ending of Jolly Jaunts, what the hell, Anti what the hell, and it's just been radio silence since then.

Idk like Time is Broken and I think JJ embodys that the most. He needs to be scrutinized a lot more as he has had the weirdest appearances out of every ego. He is so fascinating to me.

Do you have any thoughts?

You know that is honestly a great question that I haven't really thought about before, seeing how Jameson is far to aware of him supposedly just time traveling…maybe he brought items with him from said future or past.

It really helps push that ALTR 5914 is related to Jameson in the sense of being a "time thief" but that raises the question of…is ALTR 5914 the pocket watch or is Jameson an ALTR and the pocket watch is something he stole from IRIS to keep track of his travel.

The hand is an interesting concept cause truly like how would you suddenly have someone with you as you just arrived in that area? Unless he brought someone with him?

Chad is…concerning, seeing that Chad belonged to Chase…why does Jameson have him? I don't know if its a scenario of like "hey, we have the same doll!" or perhaps when losing everything including his house Chase left him behind and Jameson yoinked him.

Time is Broken seems to relate to every ego, I think they all have their own version of Time is Broken. But for Anti and Jameson, since they can control time, it is quite literally like "hey we broke time and space, things are going to get weird."