#might have to add it to my wips folder......

[poisonedfate]

for your ask game, garden life! i've been obsessed with this song lately

okay. okay. i just listened to the song for the first time (yeah, i know, don't yell at me) and Oh Boy.

immediately i can tell you it would be angsty, angsty merthur.

i'd write it about young-ish merthur, perhaps s2, through 02x11 (the witch's quickening) when merlin sees the future through the crystal. i wouldn't want it to be a rewrite, but i'd play on that specific scene so that merlin would see more of the future - specifically, arthur's end. at first i was gonna leave it at that, but now that i'm thinking about it - the vision would be vague and i also imagine arthur finding out about it and believing merlin, so the fic would have more future-seeing aspects. the song feels like a conversation in this context, most of it being the period between merlin seeing the future and arthur finding out.

i imagine arthur as more...dark in this, struggling. all the responsibilities and growing pains and realisations that come with it. i'd incorporate the trope of arthur learning personal closeness through merlin, gentleness, kindness.

and, so, merlin would be overcome with the idea of arthur dying young, he'd grow somewhat distant. they wouldn't be in an established relationship or anything that early on, but they'd certainly thread the line between friends and something more. merlin would stay with arthur longer than necessary during nighttime, a kind of comfort and presence. there would've been one time they almost kissed but got interrupted, not long before the discovery of the crystal. so that would be the overall vibe of those two going into it. arthur being arthur would notice merlin being weird, poking and prodding until merlin told him vague lies. arthur wouldn't believe him, of course. most of the scenes, especially the early ones, would be set during nighttime, merlin taking the metaphorical role of a nightlight. this is when arthur would be most honest and open. they'd talk in whispers and arthur would often reach out to play with merlin's fingers.

eventually, arthur would coax it out of merlin. he'd be hesitant to believe it, but merlin would have done his research, armed with a way to see more of the future. arthur would be stubbornly curious, feigning disinterest, saying he'll go with merlin only so he doesn't get himself killed. i'm not too sure about the details of the 'quest' or what exactly the visions would entail, but both merlin and arthur would see it. again, not too much would be given away, only that arthur would be destined to die young and merlin would wait and wait and wait aka "you left a dent inside my soul / (what comes after me? we can't stay forever)".

after that, they'd go through the motions of what it all really means, how much of it can be changed, and how much of each other they're willing to lose, knowing the likely end. one particular scene in my mind was arthur with his head in merlin's lap saying "what comes after me?" once for camelot, and once, quieter, for them two.

you might be thinking - magic?? i'm not sure if a magic reveal would be included. arthur might know already, merlin might lie his ass off, i don't know. although, to make it a little less angsty, i think it would have to be an already known thing.

give me a self-made fic title and i'll tell you what i'd write about

[snowleeksoup]

Arthur Kirkland for the character ask please

favourite thing about them: nothing. he's a pretentious, detestable prick. that's why he's such a fun character.

least favourite thing about them: some of those stereotypes were too accurate, and as an english person i had to reckon with that.

favourite line: i haven't watched it since 2012 and i also watched subbed so i'm not sure on the line, but the scene where francis is begging him to marry him so his boss doesn't kill him, and arthur just plainly laughs in his face.

brotp: engport, best friends of life (except for that 60yrs we don't talk about), and generally being their for each other throughout everything. also engnor for similar reasons. i wish we got more of them.

otp: engspa. i love how they're caught in an endless cycle of enemies-to-reluctant-allies-to-lovers-to-enemies. i love that they find so much joy in fucking each other over and beating each other up. also pirates. the epitome of "i can make him worse". truly toxic by choice.

notp: usuk. i just never saw it honestly.

random headcanon: arthur considers french to be one of his mother tongues but would never admit it out loud. he sill frequently uses it.

unpopular opinion: to this day, this was one of the most toxic fandoms i was ever in but the only one where the toxicity hasn't stopped me coming back to write for it. i genuinely enjoy writing for these characters still.

song i associate with them: breaking benjamin - dance with the devil

favourite picture of them: i cannot find the bit of fanart now, it was on deviantart back in 2010-ish, but i see it in my head. my rp partner at the time sent it to me because it was of our characters.

[aria0fgold]

Maybe I should just accept the fact that I'm bound to have writing WIPs and inch my way to completion with this thing by adding onto it day by day instead of fully completing the thing in a single day like I usually do.

[thefuchsianeko]

After art fight's over I gotta update several ocs Refsheet pages

[tertiaryunit]

If you liked Lawrence you might like Astarion BG3

[meadowziplines]

Dreamling, 49 please! 👀👀

kiss prompts, #49 …out of necessity.

this is a ficlet that will be shoved into my "hiatus/backburnered" folder because I couldn't fit it into any existing WIPs and I want to finish some more before I start adding others...

---

Dream lies slack, robes torn and mudstained from where he got pulled from a thorn ring of the Fae, but someone's cleaned his pallid face.

"He won't wake up," Lucienne says.

Hob's heart seizes.

Dream is so still, lying on Hob's bed. Dream's frequently quiet and unfidgeting, but there's usually still a charged energy around him where he forces Waking reality to accept a form of fantasy and dreams. He's also usually not as translucent in places.

"I believe narrative work is at play," she adds.

"Narrative work?"

"The Fae work not just in glamours, but stories and narrative compulsion. Lord Morpheus is dreams, stories. They have forced narratives upon him."

"Fairy tales," Hob murmurs. "So."

"I thought true love's kiss might work."

"But - I'm not - we're not..."

She gives him a pitying look. "Don't lie to yourself. Not about this."

Hob looks down at Dream, who is comatose and almost - fading, and takes a breath. He leans down and kisses Dream's forehead, which is like ice.

Dream's body spasms, and he coughs, chokes on a sudden breath, and his eyes flood wide and black with stars. "Hob?"

"Welcome back," Hob says, daring to reach out and hold Dream's hand.

[jollyhunter]

. ☆.´☽¸.Tell me about the Stars.¸☽´.☆ .

⋆ ˚｡⋆ Heavy Angst Warning!

[Season5] Dean x ForeignHunter!Reader

Re: The WIP Folder Game - Thank you @bettystonewell and @the-potato-is-lonely for asking me about this one shot (? Maybe I’ll continue this, let me know if you’d be interested <3) I decided to post a bigger snippet / extract of it since it’s been sitting in my drafts for some days now and you just motivated me to write on it some more! 💙

“So, Dean, how’s your mornin’ been so far?” You try to make small talk. The thought of falling asleep to some stranger blabbing about their ordinary life without ever seeing them – yeah, that sounds like a good thing to clock out to.

Much better than the screams of the woman that’s still ringing in your ears. Or the snarling that had clawed at the back of your throat while the sound of shattering bones had filled your mouth.

“It’s in the middle of the night.” He states, his tone confused. “Tell me again, how the hell did my number end up in your contacts?” His voice sounds gravely and thick with exasperation.

You huff. As if you knew? It was just… there. No name, no notes, no nothing. Just a blank number. Last time you’d saved a number must’ve been years ago, way before you-

You stop that thought right there.

“I told you, I don’t know.” You repeat, your energy draining with each word, “I just wanted to know who’s behind the number. Have a little chat. That’s all.”

You spilled a half truth.

“Look, it’s late here and I really don’t know why I’m talking to you but what do you want exactly?” He sounds exhausted. Almost as much as you. And it makes you wonder what life must have thrown at this man to make him sound like he was two breaths away from a breakdown.

Little did you know that Dean was way past the two breaths.

You couldn’t see how his free hand’s rubbing his stinging, red eyes. Couldn’t know the reason for his raspy sound was a voice hoarse from desperate begging into the nightsky. For someone, anyone for help.

“Can you see the stars from where you are?” You suddenly ask in a strained whisper. And your question must have taken him off guard because his side falls awfully silent at that.

Your eyes travel down your limp legs until you witness the first light of the day kiss the forest floor, just out of your reach.

You sigh, shakily. The back of your head thuds against the side of your van in resignation. Head tilted slightly, you lift your gaze to meet the soft painting in the sky. Pink colors frame the endless rows of mountain peaks. A pair of birds sing above you, welcoming the sun to the horizon. So peaceful.

The corner of your lips melt into a smile at the sight. A weary one, at best, but it did manage to redirect the red streak dripping down your cheeks.

There’s a long pause on the other side of the line and for a moment you fear he might have hung up.

But then he responds in a low, husky voice, “Yeah, I see ‘em.”

You hum, eyes briefly fluttering close. Thank God, he's still there.

After a moment of sinking into the silence that's between you, he adds in a softer voice now, “What ‘bout you, what can you see?”

“The sun’s rising here,” you murmur, your voice sounding heavy, but he can pick up on the hint of a smile to it. Albeit a sad one. “It’s a beautiful morning.”

It was true. But you also wished you could have seen the night sky one last time. Watch the stars twinkle and bath in the moon light. Instead your eyes linger on the tree tops, filled with bitter envy. How the God rays caress the leaves with a gentleness you could only dream of. And its shadows dance across your sprawled out form while the fresh morning breeze weaves through your blood soaked tangled hair.

You shudder. The sound of your lungs grow heavier as every raise of your chest fills the distance between you.

The realization has your trembling fingers curl around the phone like it���s your only lifeline.

Dean must have noticed how your breath comes out a little too ragged and a little too weak for someone just calling a random stranger for a chipper small talk.

“Hey uh, you all right? You sound like you’ve been through the wringer.”

“‘M fine.” Your lips press together, swallowing back a hiss at natures cold touch against your exposed skin. The smell of earth and pine trees flood your senses.

Thankfully the sharp inhale through your nose instantly dampens the taste of metal in your mouth.

“Tell me about the stars.” You prompt softly.

𓃦 A/N: I started writing this after I rewatched the "My Bloody Valentine" episode with Dean's breakdown in the end. 🥺 [The entire setting is inspired by an original story of mine, about a female solo-hunter in Scandinavia who lives off the grid with her dogs. 🤭] Dean Tags:

@aylacavebear @jc-winchester @ambiguous-avery @bettystonewell @lyarr24 @ladysparkles78 @v1v1-3

[icolo]

hi everyone!! my wrist is too sore to draw today, so instead i thought i'd share some of my favorite csp assets + how i like to use them! i also linked some procreate brushes at the end of the post!!

lineart brushes:

SU-Cream Pencil: i swear by this brush and i use it very often!! if you lower the pen density and use a gradient map over it when coloring your drawing, it has a nice effect. that's what i did in this drawing here! i also use this brush like i would draw on paper, so as a sketching tool. recently i've been enjoying blending it for shading. the pics below are drawn on one layer; left is more manga style while the one on the right is from a WIP of my singer sargent study, so it can be used for more realistic styles pretty well!

Found Pencil: another pencil brush that feels really nice to use, created by @/pigpenandpaper.

PS style brushes: a recreation of photoshop's (i believe) default brush. very versatile and also blends well!

analog wind variant pen: a nice pen that i like to use for lineart that is intended to have a bit of a sketch look.

zakutoro real g-pen: i used it for the lineart of this piece. although, it was drawn before i started using 600dpi in my works, so the lower resolution might make it look a bit unclear.

sets of rough pens: great for manga lineart with a rougher vibe; some of them have varying line weight.

coloring brushes:

zaku brushes: very nice and painterly mixing! i definitely recommend it for those who like to leave their colors a bit unblended.

softie marker: as the name implies, it's very soft! i like to use it for blush in chibi illustrations.

analog watercolor brushes: realistic-looking watercolor brushes. i recommend using it with csp's default paper textures, or those i linked below!

993 coloring pen: it's very soft and watery, though it can be made more solid by adjusting the paint density. i actually think it works very nicely for lineart too.

rock dog pen: another soft marker brush i like, that i once again also use for lineart and doodles.

thick coating brush set: recommended for paintings that show brush strokes.

cartoon cloud: don't let the name narrow your vision!! this has to be one of the BEST brushes for painting in my opinion, and of course it's great for clouds and explosions but so so much more!! and it's FREE try it try it!!

decoration/miscellaneous brushes:

neon pen

paper textures

symmetry move brush

close and fill without gaps

rope brush

sphere fisheye guide

flash balloon

speech bubble set: a lifesaving collection for comic artists!! dimensions and line weight can be adjusted by using the operation tool.

gradient map to use in color mode at 15% and another gradient map to use at 20%: the percentage refers to the opacity of the gradient map layer, but they are just the creator's recommendation and i tend to actually increase it. to use gradient map efficiently, i recommend putting all your colors (and lineart if you want) in a folder. then, right-click the folder, select "new correction layer" and then "gradient map". this allows you to modify the gradient map without worrying about affecting the original colors in case you decide not to use it in the end. to import a gradient map from your downloaded csp assets, click the wrench icon next to the name of the gradient set that's currently in use, then select "add gradient set".

you'll also notice that the creator recommends to use their gradients in "color mode". of course, this is also only a recommendation and i suggest trying as many layer modes as you like! to change a layer's mode, simply highlight the layer and click on "normal" (the default mode) and csp will display the available modes.

fruit ninja gradient map: fun to use if you want really drastic/vibrant colors! the names of the gradients are cute too, as you can see in the above screenshot!

BONUS: jeremy fenske's free photoshop brush pack: these aren't csp brushes per se, but they can be imported into the program! excellent for environments, i recommend watching fenske's video on how he uses the brushes to get a clearer picture since there are so many in this pack!!

BONUS 2: my good friend clem has a few brush packs for procreate that are ideal for painting,decorating drawings, and y2k-inspired illustrations, i definitely recommending checking out her shop!

in conclusion i hope this post can be helpful to you!! i tried to explain how to use the brushes as best as i could, but feel free to let me know if anything is unclear!! i hope you will enjoy using them! :D

[trappezoider]

Hi! You were the first Hogwarts Legacy fan artist I came across and I wanted to say how much I love your works 🥰

I recently saw an ask about which program you use to create your pieces which got me wondering... 👀 do you have any tips to share with aspiring digital artists trying to learn how to properly add shading/lighting?? I'm happy with my pieces during the flat colour stage, but every time I attempt shading/lighting or other methods of adding texture/definition/perspective, it always looks "off" to me 🤔 so my WIP folder is huge rn.

Thank you in advance for any advice you're willing to share 🙏😊

Hiya there!! Thank you so much for this ask!! First of all, I gotta say how wonderful it is that you're excited about art and want to learn more about it. I just had a chat with a friend about this but I think art is such a fun, vast hobby, full of endless possibilities, and whenever people want to get into it and learn, it's just wahhhhh. Fills my heart with joy and makes me bounce :D Now, full disclaimer, I am not an art teacher so my say on the matter is not that of a professional. I struggle with these things myself as well but I'm really happy if any of my advice can help a fellow artist. Keep in mind that works for me might not work for you, and "good art" is highly subjective. But I understand that achieving that fine balance between knowing how to imitate life and then being able to recreate that imagine in your head on an empty canvas is something a lot of artists want. That's hard af though. But you can't have success without failure, that's why we have so many WIPS xD Lucky for us, our brains and hands are amazing at learning. Eventually those WIPS might become actual realised works. Crying, praying and manifesting for us both xDDD Now, if you're struggling with shading and lighting, I suggest doing value studies. Perhaps take black and white photos with a striking relationship between shadow and light, then try to replicate that without colour picking. Try to observe the whole picture, without paying too much attention to the details at first, Make your brush strokes large especially when sketching out the initial shapes. You can give yourself a time limit of say, 5-60 minutes, for each study, but I wouldn't go over a 1,5h hour limit. I recommend using fairly simple images, with less textures and where shapes are the main character so to speak. Then when you think you're ready, you can do the same thing but this time choose coloured images but still use only white/black. Excercises like these help me a ton when I feel like I wanna update my skills. Doing art is a never-ending learning curve but I feel like that's what makes it so stimulating hehe Below is an example of one value study I did recently. I don't do these often but I know I probably should xD I always just do colour studies nowdays cause that's something I'm most interested in observing at the moment :D But this is just an example of what you can do if you want to learn shading in particular. Now it doesn't need to be perfect, it's just practice that may help you get used to values and how they interact with each other on the canvas.

You can also do colour studies if that is something you're interested in. Those might be a bit more challenging but as long as you keep each study short and use simple images (like literally just an image of an egg on a table or something xD), it shouldn't be too intimidating. Sorry for such a long reply xD I hope you have lots of fun and get all the possible enjoyment from making art! So happy for you!!! Wishing you all the motivation, success and inspiration in the world!!!

[honeyandthunderstorms]

tagged by the lovely @formulaocean <333

Rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous and tag as many people as you have WIPs. People send an ask with the title that most intrigues them, then you post a snippet or tell them something about it!

adding the ship next to the wip since I don't just write lestappen lmao, but as you can see, titles are something I come up with when I post 😅 i’d add my ongoing works but I literally have written NOTHING since I last updated (sorry in advance). some things have chapters written, paragraphs, or even just a couple of sentences hehe

leztappen (lestappen obviously)

nanny charles au (lestappen/aka my other controversially younger Charles/older Max fic)

charlos (real original, I know)

choscar (real original part 2 — completely unrelated to the charlos one)

risk (charlos)

princess (lestappen)

roomies (piarles)

miami (lestappen)

infidelity (charlos)

is it casual now? (lestappen)

hero worship (chollie… I wrote this in a daze and half asleep and have never added onto it but it’s still there in my wip folder so i might go back to it)

no-pressure tags 🫶🏼: @beensinning @mothlau @chock-and-bates @itshoneywhatever @usedtobetam @hitthatapex @sediciii @carbonmono @wedriftlikelonelyplanets @scuderiadebauchery @carronyaflowers

[pixiedurango]

Reflection R(t)uesday

@becausedragonage had a brilliant idea to engage with our own and other's creative projects, especially WIP's that we once loved but have been abandoned for far too long - which can happen for various reasons: The game: Post an excerpt of one of your WIP's. Maybe add some new words, even. Brush it up. Fall in love with it all over again, maybe. Share it. Be proud of it. Use the tag #reflection ruesday also tag a few of your fellow artists, you'd be curious to see what they may have stored away in their wip folders. I want to share with you a snippet of an Inquisition AU, featuring my main Quizzy Arya Trevelyan. I wrote 3 chapters and never got further into the story than the setup. You can read them here on AO3 Maybe now is the time to revive it.... Summary so far: Sebastian Vael shows up at Haven to see what this newly formed Inquisition is all about. He's scarred and messed up after Hawke (who he wanted to actually marry, but everything blew up (literally) with the Chantry, when she let Anders go, which he could not forgive her.) and absolutely hates Mages and can't understand that a Mage now all in a sudden is called "The Herald of Andraste". Yet, Sebastian - the man that he is - wants to help and if this Inquisition is the best chance for Thedas, he's even contemplating offering his service. I give you a part from the 3rd chapter. Here we go:

„Have you had time to see what the Inquisition is all about? What we actually do here?” She asked on their way outside the chantry.

„Well, as you know I’ve talked to Leliana and Varric, to the Seeker and to Cullen… And of course, I had messengers. People… who told me things they’ve seen, before I decided to come here.” Sebastian’s reply came somewhat reluctant. Unsure if she intended to jump onto the fact again, that he had refused to talk to her personally and because of this, she had been practically been forced her to approach him.

Instead, she almost snorted. „People? You mean spies.” she stated, but odd enough there was no accusation in her voice.

„A leader needs to know things before being able to decide the measures to take.” Sebastian stretched his back, ready to defend his actions. But she shrugged. Almost amused. „I know. And I agree. Honestly, I would not have bothered to even talk to you, if not for the good things I heard about you from your time in Kirkwall. Starkhaven being a power to recon with, or not - if I’d learned beforehand, that you’re an asshole, I would not have bothered even come asking what you want.

“Too kind, my lady.” He could not hide a pinch of annoyance. But secretly, he had to admit, that he was curious about what good things this might have been, she had heard about him. Especially those from Varric. Varric, of all people! Anyway, he’d be damned if he’d ask nosy questions about what people kept saying - or thinking - about him, and so his voice was only dripping with sarcasm.

She only gave him a lopsided smirk and said nothing.

“Would you mind, I give you the tour?” she eventually asked, changing the topic so blatantly, he just had to realize that she did it deliberately. “Around Haven, I mean? Inquisition headquarters. It’s not much yet, but it may help you, finding your own opinion.”

He swallowed back his still lingering anger and focused on his courtly manners. "I’d like that, Lady Trevelyan.” Still, he refused to call her Herald, which seemed totally fine with her as he noticed, since she did not insist on her title.

Sebastian followed the woman out of the dim light of the chantry into the bright sunlight of a crisp winter’s morning in Haven. He had to shield his eyes from the bright light reflecting the snow, and he pulled his fur-fringed coat closer around his chest.

They did not talk much, but he watched her closely.

The way she friendly greeted the lay sisters who were standing in front of the Chantry, enjoying a few moments of idle gossip in the morning sun. Even if she had been very clear on her opinions of the Maker and her personal beliefs earlier, she treated them friendly and with respect.

The tiny Elven messenger boy, who approached her shyly with burning cheeks and red ear tips. She knelt down in front of him to receive the message he had to deliver. She put a hand on his shoulder to steady him as she saw him shaking, and patiently gave him all the time he needed to stutter out what he was supposed to say. When he was done she thanked him and sent him off, to one of what he assumed to be a kitchen maid, so the woman would give him some bread and an apple or two for him and his siblings. He ran off with the brightest smile and full of pride that he had earned himself a second breakfast - or most probably one at all.

A group of refugees who were struggling to light their campfire. She went over to them and offered her help by conjuring a bristling bolt of energy that - odd enough - made the dry wood burst in flames so they could warm themselves. She even took the time to ask about injured members of their group and told them to speak to the Inquisition’s quartermaster for blankets and tents and to a man called Adan, who obviously was Haven’s apothecary. He would mix some potions and herbs to ease their pain. Before she left she told them to take their time to recover, but also mentioned that she expected them to make themselves useful once they had recovered and were strong enough again.

He also witnessed her, yelling at some recruits who stood sloppy and gibberish when they should have listened to their superior. He was surprised when she took one of the training swords and played out a full attack, showing them what they had missed and even shared a few little tips, that would make it easier to keep their balance when switching from offense to defense. The recruits were left between staring at the ground for not paying enough attention and some weird kind of awe and fondness, which Sebastian knew, was priceless for a leader. Those rascals won't be caught slacking again, he was sure. Before continuing their way, she also found a few words to the leading officer, how to encourage his people to learn, and ordered him to call them out whenever he caught anyone slagging off.

Eventually, she even began an argument with a snappy merchant, who tried to charge ridiculously high prices for Inquisition gear. She convinced the man with witty comments and some well-hidden threats that he maybe was better off somewhere else if they could not find a compromise.

It already seemed, she had completely forgotten about him when she turned back around to look at him. “I hope you don’t mind that I take you into the tavern at this early daytime. I just thought, you might feel even more uncomfortable if I take you into my private quarters.”

Did she just wink at him? Sebastian hated it, but he knew that a blush was creeping up his cheeks. “Very… considerate of you…” he replied dryly, while he gathered all his dignity. “The tavern will just do fine. Actually…” he allowed himself a little grin, which suited him not bad, as Arya recognized. “Actually, I spent a lot of time in taverns, during my time in Kirkwall. It was kind of inevitable since all my acquaintances used to gather there.”

I tag: @midnightwind @uchidachi @motleymercurialmarionette @alystrin03 @missingnozw @ofcrowsanddragons @himluv @rook-de-rivas @rooksbooknook @rooksbooknook and everyone who wants to play. Of course never feel pressured by my tags, plz <3

[druidx]

The Shield vignette

CW: None Setting: Vanilla Fighting Fantasy Notes: I found this one while trawling through my folders, looking for WIPs to finish. I think it was supposed to be set in the latter half of the campaign, while the party were out of Toreguard. Alas, I didn't leave myself any notes and I no longer remember what it was about. However, the opening scene is cute, and although it's now going to be marked as Abandoned, I thought I'd post it as a little slice of life.

Weak autumnal sunlight poured through the windows of the hut, picking out clay pots, bunches of drying herbs and jars of preserved fruit, as an elven woman knocked on the door. "Waldemar, do you have a moment?" she asked. By the bench, on a tall stool, sat a older man, long greying hair pulled back and held by a wood and leather clasp. He glanced up sharply from where he was mashing something in a mortar bowl. "Ah, Amis! Of course, of course," the human said, his face crinkling in a wide smile. "Come in, come in. I'll be done in a bit - I was just showing Næchtan here how I make healing potions." At this, an elven lad, no more than forty-five years of age, leant back on his own stool, appearing around the wizened man, and gave Amis a wave. "Hallo Mistress Irithyl," he said. "Mister Hexenmister is teaching me to be a healer." "Is he now?" Amis crossed her arms and gave Waldemar a frown. "You're a bit young still for an apprenticeship. Have either of you discussed this with Næchtan's father?" "Well now," Waldemar said, gazing blankly at the wall, "let's see. Ah…" He trailed off, as Næchtan ducked his head, light brown hair flopping over his eyes as his gaze shifted to the floor. "I think," Waldemar continued, "that, ah, perhaps it may have slipped from mind. Yes, yes. There may have been an oversight." The herbalist shifted his attention back to the elven woman, and gave her a lopsided smile. Amis gave the pair of miscreants a long look, then sighed, relaxing her arms. "I suggest then," she said, "that you go and discuss it with Mister Cedardance after you've finished the lesson then." "Of course, Amis." "Yes, Mistress Irithyl." Amis nodded, and then gave a little cough. "I do still need to steal you away for a moment, Waldemar," she said, pointedly. The herbalist gave her a momentary blank look, before brightening. "Ah yes! My apologies, my dear. Yes, yes, of course." Waldemar slipped off his stool and paused. "Ah… Næchtan, why don't you finish mashing those goodberries? Once they're to a good, paste-like consistency you need to add a dash of water - not too much mind, just enough to release them from the bowl - then pour the mix into the bowl of prepared Calendula, Goldenrod and Mint, and allow them to steep. They should be ready by the time I'm done with Mistress Irithyl. Did you get all that, my boy?" "Yes sir," Næchtan said. "What should I do while it's steeping?" "Oh, you could clean the mortar and pestle, then the cutting board and sweep the floor if there's time." "Yes sir." Næchtan gave an enthusiastic smile. Waldemar patted him on the head. "Good lad," he said, then turned to Amis, gesturing her to a camp table and stove at the back of the hut. "Shall we then, my dear?"

I also found this adorable little sidebar to myself about Goodberries:

So Goodberries are created by taking fresh berries (any, one assumes) and casting over them to make them helpful. It's 2d4 berries, 1d/lvl. Meaning Waldemar can at max do 8 berries over a 2 day period? This leads to wondering how exactly one does this out of season. It might be possible to do it on preserved berries? Classical preservation methods include whole fruit in sugar (honey) syrup or as jams. Does this mean then that one could make Goodberry jam at the start of the season (though that would take a lot of Druids, as this spell doesn't increase target with level, and you need more than 8 fruits for jam)? Or could you use preserved whole berries to make them, as to me 'Fresh' only implies 'not rotten'. I really, /really/ want to make Goodberry Jam a thing. imagine how much benefit you'd give to poor folks - 1 slice of bread and Goodberry jam could feed a person for a whole day!

"Here, have a potion of fullness." "This is just a jar of jam?" "No, it's a potion." "Do... Do I chug it?" "What? No. You put it on bread. Duh."

[prolix-yuy]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you for the tag @oonajaeadira! Funny enough I saw this go around a couple months ago and meant to do it, then life got crazy. This seems like a great time to jump on in!

How many works do you have on ao3?

48! Wowza! That's not counting fics I only post here (like my Writers Iron Chefs and the Bangathon)

2. What's your total ao3 word count?

338,089. That's kind of crazy, I'm not gonna lie. And some of those words aren't filthy :P

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The Pedro Pascal Cinematic Universe!

4. Top 5 fics by kudos

Something New, One Very Good Night, Both Sides of the Door, A Sweet Response to Tragedy, and Good Company. 4 out of 5 of these are from I Think of You, which does warm my little heart. I did laugh that their popularity is completely out of order from the series.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes yes yes! Every single one I get! I'll even yank your tags out and comment on them when they make me especially happy. It's the best part of sharing my stories.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

TECHNICALLY One Very Good Night had the angstiest ending before I continued the series. Same with Cognitive Dissonance! Apparently I get to an angsty end then just write a part 2.

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I think that's tied with the real ending to my Whiskey & Westworld series, and all the gooey soft fun of my Javi G series. Both make my heart glow in different ways.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Knock on wood, nothing so far. I've gotten a couple of interpretations of my fics that have made me cock my head because I just don't think the person read the story, or if they did they skimmed over the character development part. But otherwise I've had a very nice time with everyone here <3

9. Do you write smut?

If you don't know by now, I'm not sure what you've been reading...

10. Craziest crossover?

100% Whiskey & Westworld. Golden Circle meets android theme park? Lusting over cowboys and having existential crises? It fit better than I ever thought it would and I still love the crap out of it.

(though as a side note, having Javi P be the person who helped Santi find his girls in the SW!Frankie AU is another fav)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I hope not? Yeesh.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but that would be pretty neat!

13. Have you co-written a fic before?

No, but I have had the distinct pleasure of @psychedelic-ink writing a fic in the SW!Frankie AU that made my whole life.

14. All time favorite ship?

HELP I'M TORN. It's a tie between Din and my Reader in I Think of You and Dieter and Murch in Best Laid Plans. I think about both of them so so so much.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will

I have a handful of small WIPs in a folder that who knows if they'll come to fruition. I think the greatest contender is probably the Post-Apocalyptic Frankie I tossed around because The Last of Us came out and it might just meld into a Joel story instead.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm good at pacing and giving enough description to keep a reader engaged but not bogged down with details. People connect with my reader characters in a way that makes me super happy. And I write damn good smut.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I can't write outlines or my brain says "it's done :)" and I never write the story. I can't write out of order. I struggle with making characters have meaningful fights and arguments because I'm non-confrontational IRL and it makes me anxious.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language

Flavor! I love reading it! I tend to shy away from writing it because as someone who knows another language, it never feels natural to me to throw it in. Pet names are a nice way to use it, and I'll allude to speaking other languages in descriptions, but it's difficult so I tend to not add it much in my stories.

19. First fandom you wrote for

Gundam Wing when I was about eight or nine. Part of my username is in homage to that! My friends and I would write our fanfics and then read them all out loud at sleepovers together. Pre-internet, this was my Tumblr lol.

20. Favorite fic you've written

You know, I love all of my fics a whole damn lot, and my top ones are still hard favs. But I think for a story that came out of my heart in a really nice way and that I hold a little closer than the others, The Plan might just top them a tiny bit.

NP tags: @iamskyereads @psychedelic-ink @julesonrecord @wannab-urs @ezrasbirdie and anyone who wants to play!

[oliolioxenfreewrites]

Writer Questionnaire ❦

Taking a break from writing to catch up on my tags writing 2 books at once is not for the weak 😭 so thank you @drchenquill for the tag as always!

- how long have you had your writing tumblr/writerblr? a fast and loose estimate is fine!

At least since April or early May!

- what lead you to create it?

I wanted to connect with other writers and creatives to make new friends!

- what's your favorite thing about the writer community?

My favorite part is the absolute powerhouse of creativity and innovation. You all have this incredible knack for coming up with unique ideas that never fail to inspire me. Plus, they're hilarious! Their sense of humor adds a delightful twist to everything we do, making even the wildest ideas feel approachable and fun. Honestly, being around such talent and laughter is a constant source of my motivation and joy!

- what’s one thing you'd like in mutual to know about you?

No notification I receive on this app goes unnoticed. I'll be at work, smiling because someone found my writing and enjoyed it! It means so much to me and only makes me want to write even more!

- is there anything you'd like to see more of on your dash?

I would love more collaboration and interaction in my messages. I am open to discussing and exchanging ideas with another writer. I’m particularly interested in co-creating a planetary system and bouncing creative ideas back and forth.

- which wips or writing projects are you noodling about lately

I'm currently working on fleshing out a novel titled Journals from The Whitmore Estate, which is a modern/historical fiction story. The novel explores the slave and civil war era, and also delves into our near future. It centers around the actions of a power-hungry ancestor who sought to shift power dynamics, and the resulting centuries of generational backlash.

- how long have you been working on them?

Its been about a few months, I had to take a break to give myself new perspectives and coming to a decision on who the main character was!

- do you remember what inspired them/what got you started

I was looking at writing prompts and came across one that said something along the lines of “Your character inherits a manor from a distant relative. Upon moving in, they discover what lies within its walls, answering why your family has been plagued by bad luck for as long as anyone can remember.”

- how much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them?

Wayyy too much! Now rhat I've found the main character, I can't put it down!

- when someone ask the dreaded "what do you write about?" question what do you usually say?

“I write whatever comes to mind!” Or “You can read my writings to find out.” 😗

- name any characters you created. Side characters, protagonist, antagonist, characters who’ve never been written, the first original abomination you ever pulled from your ass; whomever you’d like!

Kirjani is my favorite oc to date! Her chosen family: Rick, Raelin, and Lena. The three sisters from the Isles of Aurorith! Imani, Jade and Jasmine, the first ocs I ever created, they deserve their story to be told. (I’m working on it!!) My scrapped character folder is at about 60 something, but the one I just couldn't figure out completely was their grandmother Queen Amara, those who've followed me for a while probably remember her! She was just a bit too sinister and I tried to work around certain motivations and rationality kept getting in the way 🤣 I might use her for another story of mine I've been thinking about

- who’s the most unhinged?

I think it would be between Amara or Kirjani for sure. One of them is justifiably so, the other… not so much LOL

- who comes the most naturally for you to write?

Jules a gay sophmore in high school who is grieving the sudden loss of his mother (I haven't introduced him yet!) He's the first character I've ever based on myself or someone like me rather.

- do you ever cringe at them?

Oh yeah, that’s when I'm writing his best romantic scenes. Love, especially teen romance is supposed to be cringy and awkward at times. That's what makes it so!

- how much control do you feel you have over your characters? do they ever “write themselves,” refuse to cooperate, or do things you didn’t expect? to what degree? are some less cooperative than others?

They literally form their own lives that I just go with, its their world I’m just living in and writing it! I'm considerably outnumbered lmao

- do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters? and do you have a preferred means of receiving said questions? for example, as asks, as replies, as reblogs, as tag notes, as comments on ao3, etc.

More than words can express, that's why I love sharing my characters and their personalities. I want to open discussions on humanity and how the human condition can create dynamically and perplexing people!

- what makes you want to follow another writeblr account? do you follow ‘em as you see ‘em, or take time scoping out the blog to make sure you align with its content? do you follow based on wips, or vibes?

I don't really have enough mutuals or followers, so I follow people based on their creativity and if they're on Writeblr. I don't have much discernment at the moment :)

- what makes you decide against following?

Just depends. I guess I haven't found a page I've ever said, “Oh no, can't follow that,” too.

- do you interact with non-mutuals often?

Not really, and if I follow you and you don't follow me back, I will give you 24 hours before I unfollow. We're all creatives here; no one is more creative than the next person, in my opinion.

This was so much fun to answer, I have so many more tags to do, but I’m not gonna stress ah finishing them all today 🥲 I have some short stories I wanna post as well from the weekend.

I tag @leahpardo-pa-potato, @slenders1ckn3ss, and @coffeewritesfiction. + open tag to any writer interested!

[quinloki]

”Pff, I don’t have that many ideas!”

“Okay… but that’s still not too many!”

”Uhm… alright, well that’s still not a painful amount…”

“…Jesus Lord almighty brain, can you fucking QUIT-“

I have a writer friend who has often said "The ideas are the easy part" and with a few exceptions I think she's pretty spot on.

The hard part is fleshing those ideas out into stories.

Or at the very least, writing them out will always take more time, and that's the kicker in everything.

Everyone's got their way of doing things, but with that many ideas I'd have to go through and start pulling some out personally. I have a doc that's just like "misc ideas" and when I'm inspired I'll toss the idea in that file first.

If I get enough ideas to go with that to make an outline of sorts (much as I ever care to make one), then I'll usually move it to one of my other folders. (Not to plug Scrivener again, but I love that I can drag and drop stuff between files.)

After a few months if nothing more comes to mind for an idea I'll just delete it. I wish I had enough time to turn every idea into a story 😩

But you might want to consider paring that list of ideas down a bit. I suppose there's nothing wrong with keeping it as is, but it feels like tidying up a bit, and for me at least it takes some pressure off what I'm already juggling XD

That said, I suddenly find I don't think I want to go through and count how many outlined stories I have lurking in all those files ^^;

Thank you though! For sharing the situation you're in, because now I feel like my to do list is a little less wild 🤣 I'd say "Maybe I'll add another WIP" but as far as active titles juggled I'm currently close to my max and I really do want to tie off some titles first 😅

[gingernut1314]

Wip Round Up

Thank you for the tag @fanaticsnail .... unfortunately it's the same things I've been working on for like, the past month 😬

Though to make this a little more interesting, I'll add some loosely thought-out ideas I've been brewing up and hope to get to in the future!

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it!

Buggy:

Songbird pt. 9 -> finished and published!

Siren Song pt. 1

The Luck Child - Chapter 2 -> finished and uploaded!

The Contortionist:

an idea I got from the song of the same name by Melanie Martinez. It would be about the skittish contortionist character I've sprinkled into most of my Buggy works here...if anyone noticed her. It might be a spin-off to my The Agreement series, but it could also work as a stand-alone. This might be my first Oc fic on here if I ever get around to writing it!

Mihawk:

Little Game pt. 4

Confidence pt. 3 (request)

Sanji:

Through Shadow pt. 3

Dancing in the rain:

This is another fic set during the Alabasta arc (sorry I can't help it. It's my favorite arc so far). You came from Alabasta and you went looking for Princess Vivi so you've been traveling with the Straw Hats since you found her again. The main "story" for this fic is going to be when rain finally comes back to your home and you are so happy you finally laugh again and it a sound Sanji has never heard you make before (and he loves it obviously lol). You ask him to dance in the rain and that's all I have so far about that one. I envisioned this idea while listening to the song September by Sparky Deathcap. Just For One Dance -> finished and published!

Zoro:

The one thing Zoro can find

Demons and Claws pt. 2 (requested) -> finished and uploaded!

Shanks:

Feral Attraction

Drunk Kisser:

Shanks is a drunk kisser. I think it's something we can all agree on lol. The idea is he's kissed everyone on his crew but you....drama ensues, maybe you'll get a little kiss...or two

Alvida:

Pink and Glitter (request)

Nami:

She gives you a glass of water

You're training with Zoro on the deck and Nami give you a glass of water. It's very suspicious because she has never once done something like that for the others. You and Zoro are just kinda confused about it until Usopp starts teasing Nami.....I haven't decided if this is gonna be a spicy fic or not...and that's all I have for this one

Crocodile:

Blood and Sand

Your blood has the ability to amplify Devil Fuirt user's abilities and Crocodile takes what he wants....that's it so far ahhhh! 🫣

No pressure tags!

@galaxycunt , @lostfirefly , @empressofmankind (anything new since last time?? I would love to see it!)