#my askbox is open so utilize it!!
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
inktaire · 2 years ago
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
It's giving... let's joust and then I'll steal your wife
52 notes · View notes
ghoulfuckersincorporated · 2 months ago
Text
Just another quick "state of the union" general update/preview of what I'm working on for those interested.
I swear that my Norm one-shot is on its way, but it's missing a few critical bits that will help to gel it all together, and I refuse to force pieces when they aren't coming along naturally, because they always turn out like absolute garbage when I do. I'm sure you guys would rather have the good version and wait just a tad longer. If not, hopefully the quality will make you forgive me! My sincerest apologies for the delay in the interim.
I'm still pretty early on in my Honest Hearts playthrough, so more Joshua content is certainly on the table. I'm not sure I'd write anything for any of the other characters in this particular DLC unless asked, but I'd have no problem doing so if I had requests for it. I live to serve my fellow horny Fallout enthusiasts.
I'm not starting any new long-form pieces currently (which is a temptation I must utilize every ounce of my self control to fight), as my focus is on getting "Shoot the Moon" and the next part of "Duplicity" out, as well as a few other existing pieces. In the meantime, I'm continuing to work my way through my inventory of asks and requests. Here's a quick list of the ones I'm working on now, in no particular order:
More Charon content (follow-up headcanons and at least one one-shot, including some Virgin!Reader stuff; several requests for him and I love it!)
More Raul content (fairly short one-shot/blurb, more headcanons)
John Hancock x Virgin!Reader oneshot
Harland (New Vegas) NSFW headcanons
More Ghoulcy NSFW headcanons (and the pregnancy/lactation kink two-shot is still in the works)
Other miscellaneous Cooper Howard/The Ghoul content, including some "x Male Reader" stuff and some fluff asks with various genders
A few more general ghoul asks (including one about ghouls and sex pollen that I'm excited to work on)
I've been very preoccupied for a bit, but I'll have more time for writing in the coming weeks, which I'm looking forward to greatly. The askbox will remain open, as per usual, because I try to not block my blessings and you guys send solid gold ideas sometimes. The master list has also been updated once again.
Thanks for reading, y'all! I appreciate you and your creativity/kind messages.
34 notes · View notes
forallnumbersosc · 5 months ago
Note
A question for donut do you have any powers?
Well.. when we got all of our results back from the medical exams Donut was willing to participate in, we were only able to find very small amounts of what looked like... residue still left in his body, but it was only the amount of substance that had been integrated into some of his cells... everything came out in one easy go!
My biggest theory as to how the extraction was so clean is due to the algebraliens' ability when in a liquidous form, such as when they are combining in a mathematical operation or when they are in stasis while trapped within a zero, to stay relatively "together" in the sense that you can't really split their liquid form into multiple parts... at least, not without lots of effort!
Personality-wise, Donut says he feels a bit more energetic overall, and has noted his temper is a bit easier to set off, but not enough to warrant anything serious... He told me he did attempt to utilize some of those powers he had while with the factor of Four, but nothing seems to have worked yet... Who knows!
[thank you guys for your patience :'0 im gonna finish these remaining asks tonight and re-open the askbox when im done!!]
25 notes · View notes
asimplearchivist · 7 months ago
Text
𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓠𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷
Tumblr media
𝐂𝐇. 𝐈 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍, 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍. 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐕 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓.
[𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓽'𝓼 𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽] [ 𝐏𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐃𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ] [ AO3 | SPOTIFY | PINTEREST ] summary ✨ ⤏ lu poses a question that makes eliana wonder about the nature—and the unpredictable forgiveness—of time. pairing(s) ✨ [tba] word count ✨ 4.3k a/n ✨ [header credit] | [divider credit] ⤏ posting the ending arc of a story before the main part of it is perhaps a bold move, but…that thing will take me an indeterminate amount of time to complete (if ever), so I had to silence the voices in my head by at least getting this out of my system. it's been fermenting in the back of my mind since 2016, guys. my infatuation with this old ghost has cursed me in the best (and worst) possible ways. ⤏ any references to what may read as backstory prior to this would be explained in the main story. if I never fully write it out, I do at least intend to flesh out a solid outline here on tumblr, so keep your eyes peeled for that, at least, and I am always welcome to questions either in the comments or in my askbox. I really just want my moots to be able to understand the things I yap on about like I'm stark-raving mad tbh lol ⤏ enjoy the feels-train coming into the station, guys! grab your tickets and climb aboard! :) ✨ MASTERPOST ✨ ✨ ⤏ NEXT CHAPTER ✨
Tumblr media
The question that would irrevocably change their combined lives came as a casual, off-handed supposition one lazy, sunny afternoon.
Eliana had been elbow-deep in a crate packed full of orbs that she had pulled from storage at Kangaskhan’s for the sole purpose of sorting the muddled amassment, organizing the ones to keep for the team’s utility or delivery to the ever-growing list of clients mounted to the board on the cave wall, and recycling those of which they owned in excess—and thus didn’t need—at Wynaut’s. She had stayed occupied with that blissfully mind-numbing task since they had eaten a mild breakfast of toasted flatbreads with liberal smears of honey and slices of freshly ripened fruit while Lu had taken it upon himself to reconcile the veritable mountain of job requests they kept stored in a chest, which had gotten quite out of hand considering the lid struggled to properly latch when shut.
They had worked in companionable silence while the sun had crawled towards its zenith, the plunking percussion of orbs clinking into the slotted tray Eliana used for such occasions as the mood to take inventory struck her kept time over the underlying rhythm of papers crinkling and shuffling as Lu compiled them into neat stacks by location and urgency filling the open maw of the bluff sheltering them from the worst of its glaring rays.
The balmy, salt-infused wind helped to wick the worst of the burgeoning summer’s heat, but the lack of clouds had cautioned them to stay indoors nevertheless—while Eliana did require a certain amount of sunlight as a part of her daily nourishment, full exposure with no breaks (while traveling at times harsh terrain and facing feral Pokémon while on missions in unpredictably dangerous mystery dungeons to boot) spelled out the possibility of her photosynthetic ears and tail flagging. That condition was uncomfortable at best—and most grass-types at the peak of health don’t even blink to shed the resulting wilted flora in order to allow for new growth to replace the lost organic material—but, at worst, it could pose somewhat serious health issues if left unacknowledged. Sunning in the mornings or afternoons proved most fruitful and kept her leaves glossy and lush.
It was the first day off their little team had taken in months, besides. They both had needed the break between the back-breaking, frantic jobs that had lately dominated the majority of their time after their recent promotion to Guildmaster Rank not even a month prior. As his most accomplished graduates by far, Wigglytuff had been relying more and more frequently upon them for assistance in maintaining the background runnings behind the face of the Guild—and particularly on Lu for the administration since Chatot couldn’t handle as much of the active work (namely running errands and maintaining documentation) as he used to due to the injury that he had incurred in Brine Cave)—so, despite being at the most stable point of their exploration careers thus far, they were busier than they had ever been before.
That was precisely why Lu’s soft-spoken question took Eliana off-guard like it did—it came unbidden, at completely random, considering that the topic hadn’t even touched the fringes of her mind in days for how severely she’d been distracted by the perpetual stream of waking, eating, packing, hiking, exploring (which usually entailed a rather harrowing combination of rescuing and battling Pokémon who, frankly, should have known better), resting, and repeating it all over again while keeping up with basic chores and routines for thier team to continue working as seamlessly as always.
Perhaps her guilt from the fact that she hadn’t devoted the concept much thought was excusable for this very reason, although it certainly did not alleviate the somewhat painful sensation in the least.
“…Do you ever think about what happened to the paralyzed future?”
It took a long moment for Eliana to compose herself, and she bought time by carefully finishing a stack of Escape Orbs that would afford them a refreshed supply of Reviver Seeds for the coming week. She tilted her head as if to roll the question around within her head, her tail curling over her paws as she parsed an appropriate response. “…Of course I do.”
“Dialga said that the timeline was restored,” Lu continued absentmindedly, eyes trained on the wrinkled parchment clasped between his tarsus pads, but the creases of his melancholic frown gave away the depth of his thoughts on the subject, “and you were brought back, but…what do you think happened to…everything else?”
He left that remark intentionally vague and open-ended for her benefit, no doubt, so she could divert the conversation if she needed to. Lu was also so considerate of her somewhat fragmented feelings on the matter, but she did wish that he wouldn’t treat it as though he should walk entirely on eggshells when bringing up one of the primarily defining moments of her conscious recollection.
“I…don’t know,” she answered truthfully, looking out towards the rippling sapphire ocean stretching out as far as the eye could see. “He never told me. I had assumed…”
At her trailing off, Lu raised his considerate gaze to gauge her expression. Besides her furrowed brows, Eliana felt no distress—and after reading her aura just to be certain (because she knew Lu, and she knew how fretful he grew over her), he set the paper down and pinned it with a coin to prevent it from wiffling away in the wind. “…That they’re gone?” he finished tentatively.
To acknowledge her reluctant, if hopeless, conclusion verbally hurt her too much, so Eliana gave him a stunted, singular nod.
“I don’t know, either,” Lu said after a long pause, “and I wouldn’t ever want to have false hopes, but…surely if you were brought back, Eliana, they would have been, too…?”
Eliana didn’t really want to dwell on the possibility. While the notion would vastly alleviate the guilt that plagued her every single time her mind drifted to her old companions (and she, too, had wondered at such a possibility before with the same reasoning), if the contrary were ever to be confirmed, it would grieve her all over again. She still struggled to reconcile their loss—because she had lost them, regardless of whether they had, by some miracle, survived like her, and they were separated by an indeterminate and insurmountable length of time beside—and if such hypothetical hopes were ever disappointed…well, she already had a hard enough time coming to terms with her emotions as it was.
“Maybe,” she offered mildly, returning her attention to her unfinished task. The rest of the crate would likely keep her busy until sundown.
“You know…” Lu resumed his own work, as well, tone then more conversational than cautious. “…we could always ask Dialga. Who knows? Since all the time-space issues surrounding us have been resolved, maybe we could—”
“I find that unlikely,” Eliana interrupted him, coarser than she intended to. When she snapped her head around to look at him, however, with shame lancing through her, he didn’t look ruffled in the slightest—such was the imperturbable nature of her partner, and the rational adult he had grown into from a timid, if somewhat passive-aggressive and hot-headed, youth. “I was brought back as a personal favor to you for saving Temporal Tower. I don’t know that Dialga—or whoever granted that wish—would allow for the timeline to have lingering echoes like that. And if…if they did…survive,” she ground out through gritted teeth, “there’s no guarantee that their memories would remain intact. If everything was overwritten, then…maybe they…maybe they wouldn’t even…”
Lu stood and stepped over to her, coiling his arms around her torso and tugging her into a hug. His warm, broad paws rested between her shoulder blades and stroked the length of her spine respectively, soothing her flaring tide of emotion. She blinked away the sting in her eyes and leaned into his touch with a soft, shaky sigh.
“I understand,” he murmured. “I’m sorry I brought it up. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It’s alright,” she responded, muffled slightly by the fur cushioning her cheek. “I’m okay, just…I still have a hard time thinking about it.”
“I know. We can talk about it later, or…or never, if you want. It doesn’t affect me nearly as much as it does you, and I hate to see you cry.”
“Lucky for you, I hate to see myself cry, too,” she responded wryly with a sniffle, trying to grasp at the levelheaded disposition she wore most of the time. She didn’t usually keep her walls up around Lu, but she was particularly sensitive about this topic and…well, she had trouble with figuring out what to do with the equal parts grief, guilt, and anger that had come to reside in the scarred hollows of her heart that had once been occupied by her fellow future Pokémon. As she had countless times before since returning from the odd state of limbo in which she’d been trapped for the time between the Tower’s rescue and Lu’s breaking point, she opted to unceremoniously shove the complicated and snaring web of uncertainty to the back of her mind to be dealt with never later. “Do you want to go to Spinda’s tonight? I’m getting thirsty and I found some Joy Seeds we could try.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea,” Lu smiled, although she knew without a doubt that he noticed her deflection tactic. “Let’s finish up all this and we’ll call it a night.”
It didn’t take long to complete their tasks—Eliana tucked all of the excess items they’d elected to trade into a crate for Lu to carry and they discussed what jobs they should take the next day on their easygoing walk through Treasure Town. There was a handful of rescue and criminal apprehension requests for the Mystifying Forest a couple of days old that would be simple enough to complete. They could save the ones farther out for later in the week so they’d have better time to prepare the necessary supplies.
Spinda’s Café was moderately busy, but the background murmur of conversations and laughter helped to distract Eliana’s melancholy mind. She hadn’t quite been able to shake off their discussion of heartaching hypotheticals, even caught up in the soothing routine of taking inventory, so she distracted herself by entering the line to order while Lu when over to Wynaut and Wobbuffet in exchange for prize tickets that they would redeem later, once they weren’t so tired.
Domesticity elicited a more comfortable weariness, however, than exploring did (given the stresses revolving around dealing with the feral Pokémon in the mystery dungeons and their job requests’ oftentimes complex and tenuous mission objectives), and Eliana relished in being able to sit at one of the tables closer to the edge of the room with peace of mind—Kangaskhan had mentioned that their storage limit had been approaching, so Eliana was glad to keep herself busy in such a way.
Lu brought their drinks over once they were done, and they sat in oscillations of companionable silence and idle remarks while people-watching or bringing up recurrent topics that needed updating in context of their exploration team duties.
Not too much later, Bidoof and Corphish descended the stairwell, engrossed in a lighthearted chatter until they spotted the Guild graduates off to the side by themselves.
“Well, howdy!” Bidoof greeted with a toothy grin, “it’s sure been a while, yup yup!”
Eliana chuckled. They’d seen the lot of them only yesterday while checking the job bulletin boards and asking about Croagunk’s stock on special items. “It’s nice to see you two. Would you like to sit with us?”
“Hey, hey! Thanks for the invitation!” Corphish crowed, clacking his pincers enthusiastically. “I’ll go wait in line!”
“Gee, thanks, Corphish!” Bidoof said, clambering up onto the stool to be more closely leveled with the second-stage evolutions. “I didn’t see you two come through the crossroads today, yup yup.”
“We took an off-day,” Eliana told him, leaning down to sip from the dried reed that served as a straw. Lacking opposable thumbs, while something she had mostly grown accustomed to, was not ideal, but given the fact that many other Pokémon also didn’t possess them, there were always accommodations for it. “We’ll probably head back out tomorrow. What did you do today, Bidoof?”
“I sort of did the same,” he replied jovially, “since I filled in for Diglett as a sentry…although Chatot said I was more distracted than usual and didn’t seem very pleased, yup yup.”
“If you did that all day,” Lu said with a chuckle, leaning in and folding his forearms on the table, “I can imagine all the footprints started to blur together after a while.”
“Sure ‘nuff!” Bidoof laughed in return. “My eyes are still dazzled from all the sunshine, yup yup—I don’t know how Diglett can stand it!”
“He’s used to it,” Lu said, “because I’ve asked him the same thing before. He says they’re normally sensitive to light because he’s an underground dweller, but he’s adapted to it since Dugtrio spends so much time outside. Maybe you didn’t strain your vision too terribly—maybe you won’t get a headache on top of it.”
“Aw, I already started getting one, trying to keep up with all the visitors we had today,” the plump mouse Pokémon admitted sheepishly, “and Loudred was extra cranky, yup yup. My ears are still ringing. It didn’t help that I got worked up.”
“About what, Bidoof?” Eliana asked, frowning lightly. While Bidoof had his moments when he frustrated some of the others in times past—with herself included, she couldn’t deny that—he’d come a long way since Lu and herself had graduated. The thought of him getting his feelings hurt by someone else irked her, after all the support he’d given them both throughout the years—and if he had a name to give, one had best believe that she’d have some choice words for whichever poor soul who decided to pick on their mentor. “What happened?”
“Well,” he started, somewhat bashfully, “before you two came along, when I was still the newest apprentice at the Guild, I ran into a little patch of trouble with a group of thieves for a spell. I saw another one of those Pokémon come in—a different one, thankfully—and it reminded me of all of that.”
“Oh, no, Bidoof!” Lu breathed. “Did they show back up? Do we need to coordinate with Officer Magnezone? They didn’t harass you, did they?”
“No, sirree,” Bidoof replied hurriedly, “there’s nothing to worry about there! I haven’t seen their faces turn up around Treasure Town again since the Guildmaster gave them what-for.”
“That’s good,” Eliana murmured. “Were they trying to rob you?”
“Yup yup, my savings,” he said. “I got a mite discouraged with my progress around that time, so I thought about buying a TM to make me stronger. One of them saw it and they tried to ambush me in a secret mystery dungeon they thought no one else knew about. Tricked me right good, they did, but…I got something real special out of the whole thing.”
“And what was that?” Lu asked curiously.
“He got to meet Jirachi, hey hey!” Corphish piped up, his legs tapping the floor as he brought two glasses over brimming with smoothies. “That was his first real mission as a full-fledged explorer!”
“Aw, shucks,” Bidoof hedged, eyes averting and ears curling on his signature expression of embarrassment, “I was just going to say that I found a priceless treasure. I don’t really like spreading that information around a whole lot, you know, since he likes his sleep so much, but since it’s you guys…”
“Right,” Corphish said, setting the drinks down with a clunk upon the table before hauling himself up into the seat next to the normal-type. “I forgot that it’s all hush-hush—I’m sorry, Bidoof.”
“I’m curious, though,” Lu said quietly, leaning closer, “I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned this story, Bidoof. Isn’t Jirachi a Mythical Pokémon?”
“A renowned granter of wishes, from what I’ve heard,” Eliana offered—the trivia case easily, although the reasons she knew it did not…such was the curse of her amnesia, “if they’re awakened from their deep slumbers, that is. I take it that you had a wish granted, Bidoof?”
“He did, hey hey,” said Corphish indignantly, “but he never has told us what it was!”
“It’s sort of personal to me,” Bidoof answered quietly, twiddling his toes. “If you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind at all,” she told him warmly, “I completely understand. You have the right to share something like that or not.” She glanced sidelong at Corphish with an amused look. “Even if others’ curiosity is strong.”
“I never meant anything by it!” muttered the ruffian Pokémon. “I was just curious, is all, hey hey.”
“That’s alright,” Lu assured him. He looked back to Bidoof. “May we at least ask if it came true?”
“It took a little while, but it sure did!” said the normal-type with shining eyes focused on the pair of them. “Even if it got a little scary, I’m so glad I got so experience all that!”
“You said it was a secret mystery dungeon,” Lu continued, tone brimming with that familiar, scarcely restrained enthusiasm he’d always shown information on new, undiscovered places. “Is it really that hard to find?”
“Not really,” Bidoof said thoughtfully, “but it had a passage that no other explorers knew about. The Guildmaster figured it all out right quick.”
That sounded like Wigglytuff, alright. Eliana smiled. “Does the name of that mystery dungeon happen to be Star Cave?”
Bidoof, Corphish, and Lu starred at her, stupefied.
“Why, yes, it is,” Bidoof breathed. “How’d you know that, Eliana?”
“I’ve read about it before in passing,” she explained. “You forget that I spent a lot of hours in the Guild’s library. There’s not a whole lot on this continent that I don’t know at least a little bit about.”
If the trio noticed how she intentionally left out the second half associated with that recollection, they didn’t point it out. She hadn’t spent those late nights combing through dusty tomes, scrolls, and maps alone, after all, and Lu had never been a night owl like she was, so he had usually ended up snoozing away despite his best efforts to be helpful by remaining awake and alert. She could still recall the looming, massive shadow cast against the plastered wall of the last room in the basement level by numerous flickering candles and oil lamps crackling merrily away in the hushed ambience of crinkling paper, notes scratched out with ink quills, and the harmonious layering of rumbling baritone and whispered falsetto indicating points of interest for further study and investigation within the texts in the otherwise undisturbed and cozy silence. The mere image lurking behind her mind’s eye of that pair of broad, pale hands pressing carefully down on the warped, darkened pages to help her track the pacing of the ancient glyphs caused her throat to tighten, so she shook her head to dismiss it.
“I was always told stories about Jirachi growing up,” Lu remarked, sidestepping the elephant in the room with all the grace of a dancer, “but I always wondered whether they were true or not. It’s nice to know that there’s still a little magic in the world.”
“Yup yup, it sure was an amazing thing to witness,” said Bidoof, his onyx gaze glittering in awe in the wake of the (likely far more pleasant) memory. “I think that I’m mighty privileged to have seen it all happen right in front of my eyes.”
Eliana glanced at Lu, noticing a similar expression mirrored upon the aura Pokémon’s face—a sort of childlike wonder that had, to her relief, never been crushed by the harrowing events they’d endured.
By the time they got home that night, they were properly exhausted. Lu cut up some fruit as a late snack for them to eat while they settled down, enjoying the mild salty breeze combing through their fur and tugging playfully at their ears and tails. Neither of them spoke until they finished, tossed their scraps into the compost bin, and got comfortable on their beds. Eliana let out a content little sigh as she curled up on her side, tucking her legs and venturing out with the end of her tail to curl around Lu’s own. It wagged unconsciously in response—a reaction that used to embarrass him.
“Good night, Lu,” she murmured drowsily, her eyelids fluttering shut.
“Good night, Eliana. Sweet dreams.”
“You, too.” That was something with which she struggled, he knew, especially after what she’d gone through with her Dimensional Scream and the nightmares they’d both had leading up to the final confrontation with the perpetrator of her amnesia. It gave the sentiment all the more sincerity.
Eliana did manage to slip into a steady, if light, sleep unplagued by regurgitations of her traumas… but she roused when she felt Lu slip from her grasp and shuffle out of bed. She lifted her head, bleary and confused by her mind still muddled, and squinted at the shape of her partner sitting near the edge of the bluff in the direct park of the wind blasting up the cliff. Her fuzzy gaze passed over his relaxed form, and she picked up on the light thumping of his tail in the dust on the floor and the fiddling of his blunted claws playing with his scarf.
“What’re you so excited about?” she croaked, digging the heel of her paw into the corners of her eyes to dislodge the crust that had gathered there. “The sun’s not even coming up yet, Lu.”
He turned his head, somewhat surprised, and a flash of sheepishness passed over him at the realization that he had accidentally woken her up. “You can go back to sleep,” he told her gently, “I just can’t get my mind to slow down after hearing everything that Bidoof had to say.”
Star Cave, while rarely marked on any save the oldest maps, was one mystery dungeon which they had not yet explored. She had intended to bring it up to Lu eventually, since she kept a list of locations they had been to, but she hadn’t realized that a Mythical called it his abode. She suspected that there was more to Lu’s excitement than the mere idea of investigating a new place, however.
“Do you want to have your biggest wish granted?” she teased with a lopsided grin, turning over onto her front to prop her chin on the edge of the hay pile. “Bidoof made it sound like that guy gets pretty cranky when he’s woken up from his century-long naps—we may not want to fight a sleepwalking Mythical, you know.”
“I’ve already had my biggest wishes granted,” Lu pointed out after a beat, his expression softening as he looked at her. Her flesh warmed beneath her pelt at the fondness warming his crimson irises. “I got to join the Guild, and I got you back. There’s not a whole lot more that I could ask for, to be honest, but the idea of it is still so exciting!” He tilted his head, considering. “Surely there’s at least one thing you’d like to have, Eliana. You don’t ever ask for very much.”
“I don’t know,” she trailed off, glancing thoughtfully out towards the rippling, mercurial sea. One obvious answer popped into her mind, but it wasn’t one she dared give voice to. She shrugged and settled on, “…I’d like to get my memories back, I think…if I had to pick one thing, that is.” She exhaled forlornly. “Even if…if I never see them again, I’d…I’d at least like to remember them.”
Lu turned fully to face her, folding his legs beneath him as his eyes shone with hope at her admission. “…You know,” he said, “we could go check it out, at least. Jirachi might not even be there anymore, since Bidoof found him, or his part of the cave could have been resealed. But if he is there…I think it would be amazing to have our wishes granted.”
“So you do have one?” she queried, quirking a brow.
“I do,” he nodded, “but it’s bad luck to say what they are before they come true.”
“You have a point. Maybe that won’t come back to bite me.” Eliana rested her check on the soft bedding with a gaping yawn. “You should try to get some sleep, Lu. If we want to plan for that trip, we’ll need to get an early start, at least, and get these jobs wrapped up. It’s quite the hike out there from what I remember.”
Lu obediently returned to his bed, and this time he reached out and grasped her paw in his own. “…For what it’s worth, Eliana,” he murmured, “I know it was hard on you, losing your memories, and that it still bothers you, but…I’m glad I got to meet you, despite it all…maybe that’s selfish of me.”
“I don’t think so,” Eliana returned quietly, squeezing the roughened pads of his toes fondly. “I think everything happens for a reason. Darkrai caused it, sure, but…I like to think that our meeting fulfilled some greater purpose in the long run.” She met his eyes in the dark. “I hope you know that I wouldn’t trade it for the world, Lu.”
“I know,” he said softly, and this time they didn’t wake until the sunrise crept over the horizon.
Tumblr media
23 notes · View notes
brick-a-doodle-do · 1 year ago
Text
aaa i forgot this was finished! i guess i could've worked on the actual prompts in my askbox, but who wants that? :'D
every day's a test of our camaraderie
wc: 908
cw: swearing, slight panic, brief description of depression
—–—
Wilbur was exhausted. There wasn’t an exact reason for him to be more tired than he was, for example, yesterday; his day-to-day schedule consisted of the same get-up-and-go mornings, sit-and-scowl afternoons and crash-immediately evenings. The pattern never broke. Occasionally he would take a break to smoke, or treat himself to a fitting meal rather than things he’d swiped from the station, take a bath or a shower, but it never went further than that. 
And, besides, Wilbur hasn’t done any of that today. He got up, went to work, drove home, and now stands in his doorway with a heavy mood keeping his shoulders slumped as he kicks the door closed and walks off into the newly-adopted home.
His re-arrival in Utah had struck up a lot of buried and suppressed memories, but it still felt uncomfortably like home…similarly to the late Essempi. Wilbur’s car had still been nestled in by the one body of water he could find, there was still an extra work uniform buried at the bottom of his hamper, his bedding remained crumpled mess atop his cigarette-burned mattress, and, the most domesticated feeling of them all, there were still half-finished dishes and grimy silverware obliterated by the growing mold on them. Even the walls of the sink looked fuzzy.
It had been a revolting discovery, especially when the waft of the smell drifted his way, though something about it…he couldn’t quite place how he’d felt in that moment, but it was something, for sure.
And something it had been, though decidedly the wrong thing after he’d decided to clean it.
But, now, that was in the past, and the house looked better than it had been when he moved back in. Decades of decay and unkempt plants, utilities, everything, that was in the past! Things were definitely, positively, not-anything-other-than, looking up. 
He smiles to himself and nods in confirmation, the back of his mind unsure as to if he was genuinely convinced he was leading a new life or if he just wanted to put events of his even better, and equally worse, life behind.
The sudden hope dies down like a candle when he reaches his bedroom, he doesn’t even know why he’d bothered to try and convince his mind he was fine. Because even if things had fallen back into a nonchalant routine, it still didn’t feel the same without it. Without Them. 
Wilbur had gotten his closure, yet it still felt half-finished, like a bundle of crushed papers tossed to an overflowing bin. 
He shrugs the thoughts away with a grim huff. 
Pushing the door open, there’s a blur of blue light before he’s instinctively flicking the lightswitch on. The light flickers on and he shuts the door behind him, just in time for his attention to catch on the blue light again. Although this time dulled by the overhead light, it’s still as prominent as ever, because Wilbur hadn’t remembered lighting a candle, much less before he had left for the day. It was a crooked thing he left on the corner of his desk, he was surprised it had such a pristine flame.
That fact didn’t concern him for much longer, because as he took a step closer, what he thought had been a wrapper, was something far different. Far more alive, with a gentle rise and fall of something Wilbur could only convince himself was a chest, one with a fine line of familiarity to it, with a ragged white cloth— 
Tommy.
Wilbur, personally, doesn’t know if he should laugh or cry or…whatever he should do. He’s still, perfectly stiff as he stares at his brother, leant against a soft blue candle, sound asleep.
 And…so small. 
Wilbur’s fingers curl into loose fists. He should’ve expected Tommy to run after him. 
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! 
“Tommy,” Wilbur hiss-yells, still frozen in place. “Tommy!” Wilbur says, again, much louder than the last time. Quickly, the kid stirs, blinking and taking the time to wake up like he’s supposed to be on Wilbur’s desk, tiny and in Utah. Wilbur quickly swipes him off the desk, pulling him into a fist and drawing him to eye level. “Hey, look at me. What the fuck?” he demands. Tommy’s eyes are blown wide, trying to force a smile on his face even though he’s clearly intimidated. The kid squirms in his grasp, giving him enough awareness to loosen his grip. “What the fuck?! There’s no reason for you to be here, why are you here?” He shakes his fist, jarring Tommy enough into responding. 
“Hey! Hey, stop that,” the kid whines. “I was bored! There's nothing to do with you gone, Dream’s having some weird fucking ‘good guy’ phase and I don't wanna be around it!” 
“So you came here?” 
Tommy doesn't respond. 
“Tommy, look, this is my second chance at a new life, and I can't have a new life if my old fucking life is trailing behind me!” 
“Well—I can be your new life! It’s just..I mean–uh, look! I'll be… NewInnit. Tom. Shortened, classy, and oh-oh-so-mature!” Tommy tries, clearly desperate. 
Wilbur sighs, heavy, mild irritation lingering in the huff. He's going to kill this kid. Tommy stares at him, long and hard, quiet and investigatory. The boy yells out in surprise as Wilbur quickly shoves Tommy in the pocket of his jeans, gently pushing his small form further down to smother him in darkness. 
He’s so done with this. 
—–—
taglist: @local-squishmallow, @da3dm, @skullsnbruises, @i-am-beckyu, @nobodywritingao3, @krazycat49 // taglist request
37 notes · View notes
ohmeadows · 1 year ago
Note
I'm curious how can you manage to write something so deranged (complementary) and it's still amazing?? Like I've been trying to write something that's out of my comfort zone but always stop halfway or chickened out because I don't know where or how to write the character. Is there a tip or notes that you can share with us? I love your stories btw and I've read all of them. Thank you so much for sharing 😘 I hope you're successful in everything that you do.
okay let me see what advice i can give!
first tip: pick a work you think does this really well and print it out. grab some highlighters. go over it like a hawk, highlighting the places you think they nailed that you struggle with. is it because they use some special verbs? are they speeding up or slowing down action? skipping over details you think you have to include or it won't make any sense? take note of what verbs they use, how they choreograph, how they set up the space and scene. this is a bit of tedious process but it teaches you so much about how others do it if you're willing to put in the time, and is just a great writing habit overall imo.
second tip: i chicken out a lot too! sometimes i have to turn that shame around. like okay, what's stopping me. i'm posting something online and no one knows who i am irl, check. sometimes i make an entirely new ao3 account just to feel safe about it. sometimes that shame can be utilized in the characters. shame when used right can be really hot, because you want to show how much a character wants something, can't stop thinking about it, even though it makes them melt from shame. and then keep upping the ante until they can't resist the desire anymore.
third tip: contrary to popular belief i think almost any kink i feasibly care about can happen with any character if you build up the setting well enough. the simplest formula is framing it as a problem character A has, and character B offers a solution. limited POV to one character means limited knowledge, so you can also play with "oh my god why are they behaving so annoying/sluttily/weird around me? ooooh oh ok they want to do [nasty kink]" and then comes a period of reflection, wrestling with it. i sometimes straight up project my own thoughts into this zone to process and be able to actually write it hahaha. it's really sexy and good tension to show the internal friction of wanting something and getting just a taste, and realizing ah shit you want it even more now.
fourth tip: if the kink is really far out of your comfort zone, write like a stepping stone guide building up to it (say, lactation might be too far out. okay. breastplay? tit bondage? sucking on nipples really intensely? nipple clamps? oiled up breasts?). and see how far you can go along it. maybe you need to stop halfway in one fic but the next time you can go a little further, and the third time you make it all the way. it is completely fine and actually really cool to explore the same kinks over and over and i promise readers won't get tired!
fifth tip: this is more something i love to read than what i usually write myself, but: character A comes across a kink in media. they begin to research it, think about it, and maybe tell character B or B finds out through accident. turns out, B is intrigued and into it. this formula works really well in building up, pouring research into it, allowing yourself to linger in doubts and details and hesitations... this whole thing, is it a trope? it should be. i love it. and it works so well with so many kinks!
okay i hope even a smidge in here was of use to you, and if you need any help with more specifics or generics my askbox is always open!
19 notes · View notes
darcymariaphoster · 2 years ago
Text
Hey, everyone!
I've been both looking forward to and dreading this post, ngl. But now that the holidays are over and I'm looking at the new year, I've decided to slow down. 👇
What does that mean?
Mostly it just means that I'm not going to be participating in every event that catches my eye; not writing every idea that comes to mind. There's also a flipside to that, though! It means I'm going to be taking the time to finish "Take Me Away", "Check Me Out", and to work on "A Kingdom to Fall". I have another writing project that I'm looking forward to sharing with you, as well.
It also means I'll more than likely open my askbox for prompts and suggestions now and again. It's something I've thought about a lot this year, but I haven't really had the time to commit to doing anything like that. And, honestly, I didn't think anyone would be interested. But I want to continue my involvement in the fandom, and continue to utilize my tumblr for little things like writing prompts and headcanon questions and "get-to-know-me"s.
It also means that I get to make a dent in my "marked for later" rec list on AO3 (if you have a fic you think I should read, send it my way!). I've had a growing list of fics this last year and I'd really like to make sure I have the time to enjoy some of them!
The only reason I've been dreading this is because... Well, it means that I'm promising to commit to the projects I have going and the one that I'm about to start. 😅 But, reminder to myself and all of you, that just because those are my focuses and I'm slowing down, does NOT mean that I'm not going to write other nonsense. Because I don't think I'd function if I couldn't have other ideas going. It just means I'm hoping to have fewer stories put out in one year.
In any case, if you made it this far in my rambling -- I appreciate you guys so much! Like, you've made this experience so amazing and fun. And this decision has a lot to do with everyone who has interacted on my tumblr or on my stories this year.
So thank you a billion! Happy (early) new year! Let's have some fun, yeah?
6 notes · View notes
dellaress · 23 days ago
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
— Alias : Della — Age : 21+ (adult) — AO3 : Dellaress — askbox/DMs : OPEN
Someday soon, I might actually be active here !
Until then, if there are any questions/concerns/thoughts you'd like to share, feel free to drop a message into my askbox/DMs. I'm not available through any other platforms (aside from AO3), which leaves only my tumblr; so if you, for any reason at all, wish to contact me, please do so here (anons welcome).
And as you've probably noticed, I'm not entirely active on this site (at all, really), but that's because I utilize this blog as a way to host images for my written works.
Take care ♡
Tumblr media Tumblr media
1 note · View note
hakurasakura · 1 year ago
Note
how did you do the 1989 edit? it looks so cool
thank you anon!
i took a high-quality image of the 1989 tv album cover and created a template from it. with the 1989 tv label, i utilized a lot of select and mask, brush, and clone stamp tool to perfectly get 1989 by itself. for the 'taylor's version' part, i used a font called Taytex Alt and messed with the tracking settings until it was perfectly lined up with how it is shown on the album cover. then i resized everything according to how the album is designed.
i hope this helps. if you ave any more question my askbox is always open!
1 note · View note
thekingwasfeared · 2 years ago
Text
About
IC Info
Albert Wesker. Altered human. 6'7" tall. Appears in his mid 40s.
My Wesker is a a mix, heavily inspired by DBD Wesker in terms of looks and personality. He is cruel and calculating and won't hesitate to dispose of anyone that gets in his way. He is very motivated by research and data, and is likely to keep someone alive if he thinks there is something interesting about that would make for a good test subject.
Inspired by The Umbrella Chronicles and a little Code Veronica, this is an alternate cannon where Wesker used the data from The Red Queen to rebuild umbrella instead of destroying it. He runs the company from the shadows while Umbrella puts on a public show of reform, all the while still operating their secret testing facilities with Wesker at the helm. Wesker has quietly continued his research into different diseases that have potential for use as bioweapons and control agents. The man himself is a walking collection of his experiments. He is able to utilize ouroboros in a similar manner to his dead by daylight counterpart. Due to his alterations, he has extremely enhanced senses. He can hear heartbeats if he listens for them and see details others may not. As a caveat, the reason he had most of his skin covered at all times is due to an acute sensitivity to touch. When there is nothing else happening to distract, the feeling of the air against his bare skin can become maddening Threads and asks are responded to as main verse (see above) unless otherwise specified
Verses:
Entity (Dead by Daylight): At some point during is research of ouroburos, Wesker became absolutely obsessed with his work, allowing it to swallow him whole. With it came The Fog, which took him into The Entity's realm. It allows him to continue his research and use the Survivors as test subjects between Trials. He tolerates the other killers, to a point.
OOC Info: You can call the mun 'Ghoul', we are 25, pronouns they/them
I write with OCs and Cannon characters. My askbox is open to all, but I can't guarantee I'll answer. I hold the right to choose who I wright with and if we don't happen to vibe that's not either of our faults. I like to play with a lot of fantasy and scifi elements that aren't normally present in Resident Evil and I love AUs. This blog is basically me playing on the playground, except I'm playing as a horrible mean worm man.
There won't be anything sexual on this blog because I'm not comfortable doing that sort of thing, but there will be violence, gore, manipulation, and medical torture. Don't follow if you are not comfortable with violent, manipulative, or medical themes, and if you would like to have your character interact with Wesker, I would highly recommend telling me what you are comfortable having happen to your character beforehand, because it will likely come up anyway.
Overall, I'm here to have fun in a delightfully edgy way and others a welcome to hop on the ride! Askbox is open to mutuals, non-mutuals, and anons. I'm always willing to hop on a thread but I can't guarantee response times. This blog was made after the option to use the legacy editor was removed for new blogs, meaning I can't used editable reblogs, so unfortunately I can't trim blockquote. When possible I use x-kit rewritten's 'Trim Reblogs' add-on
1 note · View note
leafcabbage · 2 years ago
Note
YEEEAAAH OK OK
ranboo would be a tri-slosher main. it is a very easy weapon but SUPER helpful to have on your team which i think they would appreciate. it’s also pretty non-aggressive but it gets the job done.
tubbo would be a splatterscope main, and the only reasoning i have for this is that i feel he would appreciate the scope. it also has a really underrated special called the ink vac, which i think he’d be really good at utilizing.
tommy would be a splatana wiper main. he would like the look of it i imagine, but he just spams the ultra stamp special and would probably have the upgrading-special gear.
dream would be a dualie squelchers main. dualies are Really Hard to play and keep control of but are extremely efficient and have a really high fire rate.
those are all i have thought about at the moment i tried to describe them as best i could, thank you very much for letting me enlighten you
Tumblr media
i have looked up all of these and they all look both hella cool AND accurate just by design tbh. i LOVE these choices and absolutely agree with them 100% thank you so much for this genuinely !!! on point with what tommy would do too btw !! i should make them play splatoon at some point. or maybe just tommy and tubbo i think ranboo would be the "watch other people play" type most of the time but the boys could teach them. anyway fr thank you this is so cool and feel free to send more if you think of them!! or if you just wanna like infodump abt it my askbox is always open for that kinda stuff :D
1 note · View note
void-inked-pen · 2 years ago
Note
UGHHH DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON HOW THEY WROTE MIKEY.. MY BOY DESERVED BETTER. ESPECIALLY SINCE HE WAS CONFIRMED TO HAVE ADHD. as a person with adhd as well it just. idk i try not to think about it just because it doesn’t sit right with me, though it would be a dishonor to just ignore it.
to be honest they ALL deserved better, like you were saying, the character writing *definitely* could’ve done more right by the turtles. they literally make whole episodes based off of a potential personality growth of a specific character or flaws within the family (such as not listening to each other) and then basically backpedal the entire thing for the sake of drama and/or comedy. it’s so painful to see and a lot of fans sympathize with this. this is why i love and hate fanfiction in this fandom, because people either utilize/write their characterizations really well/more properly, or… just make it worse. but i’ve been trying to cultivate my experience so i only see the stuff i enjoy. there is some whacked up stuff out there, i’ll say that!
don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t my intent to neglect anything when just calling them dysfunctional without pointing out specific flaws (not that i necessarily think you’re trying to accuse me of that). i actually talk about this stuff with a handful of friends of mine that i met in a tmnt server. it’s really interesting to dive into, especially because while they would all die for each other in a heartbeat but if they have to properly express one (1) thing that emotionally hurt them they will literally jump through hoops to avoid it.
and lmao yeah, the current reincarnations of tmnt do tend to stray a bit from their roots. not always a bad thing, but i get what you’re saying. i really like the gritty stuff because i’m a sucker for angst, however i think it’s very important to find that good balance between humor and seriousness, which is sometimes a hard balance to strike even for good writers. though, good writing can and does get thrown because of what the producers want. i don’t know if that’s the case for 2012, but 🤷
I try my best to be open-minded, eheh. I’m not the knower of everything, after all. I am guilty of being a little hardheaded and stuck in my ways, but I also really enjoy having these conversations with people who are willing to just be chill about it. I have may have some differing opinions on 12 Leo than you, for example, but that doesn’t give me the excuse to be rude like some people have in your askbox. I’ve been working on getting more out of my shell (heh) and exposing myself to new opinions, so I love this kind of forum! you definitely have a follow from me. also, minor note, I think you should watch the 2007 tmnt movie. afaik it’s a bit more serious, but it’s done really well so i think you might like it based off of what you’ve said so far. cheers!
- sai guy
Appreciate you sai guy~
I would also like to note: im so critical of a lot of the characters in this franchise because I love them too, its not cause I only like one version over the other its cause I like how the different characters are written~
ah fanfiction.... how I both love and loathe thee~
(also on an aside, the character I'm the most upset with for how they are portrayed and written is Donnie because he's my favorite character and they basically made him an incel and also heavily dunked on just as badly as mikey and its so ANNOYING!! let that child rest and teach him how to talk to a girl like PLS)
I may watch that movie too but not rn lol my schedule is currently packed! thanks for chatting tho~
34 notes · View notes
baepsaesbae · 3 years ago
Text
Eclipse
Tumblr media
Pairing— Day Fairy!Hoseok x Night fairy!reader    
Genre— SMUT, fae au, angst, idiots to lovers
Warnings— Oral (F receiving), nipple play, explicit unprotected sex, hair pulling, both praise and slight derogatory dirty talk bc I can’t make up my mind, slight swearing
Word Count— 3.3k  
Summary— The summer solstice is here and it’s time to celebrate. Your favorite part of the solstice is that you get to see Hoseok, or rather, the love of your life. It’s too bad you haven’t told him how you really felt, even though it has been centuries. Maybe this year will be different. 
A/N— This fic is part of The Fabled Collab hosted by @joontopia, @kimtaehyunq, and @whipped-for-kpop-fics. Hoseok is my sunshine, so I just had to write about him! Thank you to @s0seo and @taegularities for giving me motivation to write. Lastly, huge shoutout to Eden from @thebiasrekkers​ for making this awesome banner for me! As always, let me know how you guys like the fic! My askbox is always open <3
Tumblr media
Fae clans have many holidays and rituals, but solstices are by far the most celebrated. Solstices mark the pivotal event that shifts the seasonal responsibilities between the sun and moon clans. The summer and winter solstice are always the biggest events of the year, with about a week of festivities leading up to the final event. 
Sweat ran down your spine as the sun beat down on you. You’ve been holding up a stupid banner for what felt like an eternity.
“Okay wait, you’re gonna hate me but I think we should put it back to where we originally had it,” Sunghoon said with furrowed brows.
“That’s it. We’ve been doing this all morning. Figure this out yourself,” you angrily threw down the banner and stormed off before Sunghoon had the chance to yell at you.
You ignored the friendly calls from other fae that were setting up decor nearby. It was way past your bedtime. Cranky and drenched in sweat, you were definitely not a happy night fairy. Heading straight to the pond, you derobed and found comfort in the cool waters that  washed away your stress instantly. You gazed up at the blue sky while floating on your back. The day truly was beautiful, you couldn’t deny that. However, nighttime was better in your very much biased opinion. The dark sky littered with countless stars that glittered like diamonds was an unbeatable sight. 
“Hey there sunshine!” a familiar voice interrupted your thoughts. You dipped back into the water and turned to the source of the sound.
“Hey there, perv. Care to join me?” you beckoned.
“I wish I could, but I need to go finalize some plans for the handoff ceremony--”
“It’s the same EVERY year. C’mon Hobi, you don’t need to go,” you whined.
“I’ll meet you back here at sunset, how does that sound?” he tried to appease you.
“Midnight. I’m already exhausted, I don’t wanna wake up early,” you blew raspberries into the pond.
“That’s fair. I’ll see you then okay?” Hoseok waved before flying off.
Tumblr media
On top of parties filled with indulgences that would blow the mind of any feeble human, Hoseok was the added bonus that made you eager for each solstice. Admittedly, you two have had some sort of flirtationship going on for the past few centuries. Your friends always teased you about how madly head over heels you were for him. As much as you wanted to believe that he loved you in the same way, something always felt off.  
Hoseok always reciprocated your flirtatious advances, but it felt more like a game between friends rather than something substantial. You’ve even observed his interactions with other fairies, and it didn’t seem like he gave you any special treatment. He was simply a good friendly guy that everyone loved, but not the way that you loved him. 
You were dying to know how he truly felt about you. All these years of playful banter had been fun, but they had also been simultaneously eating away at you. There’s no way he doesn’t know that you love him. At the same time, what if he thinks you’re just a good friend? You needed to know for sure, and you intended to confront him about it at midnight.
Tumblr media
“Good evening,” you greeted Hoseok shyly as you approached the pond’s bank. 
“Good day to you sunshine,” Hoseok called back as he kicked at the water.
“How’d the meeting go?” you asked.
“Boring as always. You’re right, it’s the same every year. But the elders still want to go over everything again to ensure that the ceremony is perfect,” Hoseok sighed.
“Thanks for coming to hangout with me even though you’re so busy,” you said, suddenly feeling guilty.
“Are you kidding? I’ve been looking forward to this all day! You’re the perfect person to unwind with after a long day,” Hoseok smiled. There it was. The radiant smile you fell for the first time you ever met him. 
“You sure I’m the perfect person for that? What do you do when you’re back in your own land surrounded by other day fae?” you prodded, hoping to steer the conversation onto the ‘what are we’ topic. 
“I have my friends there for sure, and I appreciate them too. But it’s different with you. Maybe because I can only hangout with you twice a year. You’re like my super special friend, yaknow?” Hoseok tried to explain. 
“Uh yeah, for sure. Like a special playdate kind of thing huh?” you tried to hide your hurt feelings.
“Exactly! You get it. It’s like you’re my favorite dessert that I can only have twice a year,” Hoseok nodded.
“Right…” you whispered softly to yourself. You spent the rest of the night listening to the unfruitful discussions Hoseok had during his meetings. All the excitement over the festival had drained from you. Now, you just wanted it to be over so you can go sulk in peace. 
“You’re awfully quiet,” Hoseok observed, “You haven’t interjected once about how stupid our traditions are or how you’re looking forward to having long nights again.”
“Hm? Oh yeah, I’m just tired. Sunghoon really worked me to the bone yesterday, that damn day fairy,” you faked a yawn.
“Hey, be nice! Wasn’t it you who volunteered to help us anyway?” Hoseok shook his head.
‘Yeah, because I thought I’d be able to work with you,’ you thought.
“It was a bizarre streak of altruism, that’s all,” you shrugged. 
“Nah, I know you’re a kind fairy deep down!” Hoseok playfully nudged your shoulder. Normally you would welcome this type of physical affection, but for right now it served as a painful reminder that you were merely seen as a buddy. 
Tumblr media
You actively avoided Hoseok for the remainder of the week, counting down the hours to when it would finally all be over. You made up some lame excuse to not hangout with Hoseok every time he approached you. He must have caught on by the final day, either that or he was extremely busy. Afterall, he was the MC for the entire ordeal. 
Apparently, your abrasive reputation preceded you because no one wanted your help with anything. As soon as they saw you coming, they would randomly find themselves very preoccupied with something that made them too busy to talk to you. The only person who would put you to work was Sunghoon, who was one of Hoseok’s best friends. You wondered why he was always so nice to you even when you complained the entire time you helped him.
“That’s the last table! They all look great, thanks for helping with the set up,” Sunghoon gave you a thumbs up.
“You know it’s pointless setting up all these tables. Most of the fairies are just gonna be dancing or fucking all night long, no one is gonna be sitting down,” you said.
“Are you gonna be one of the fairies partying?” Sunghoon inquired.
“Definitely not,” you answered curtly.
“Then I’m happy at least one of these tables will be utilized,” Sunghoon nodded, “Try to enjoy yourself tonight okay?”
“Whatever,” you rolled your eyes.
The entire forest seemed to come alive that night. The trees swayed with the enchanting music while cheers of merriment erupted around the party scene. You sat alone at a mushroom table with your third (or was it fourth?) cup of berry wine. You glared at the fairies who had lost themselves to their pleasures, whether it be the wine or the toadstools, or perhaps even both. Fairies who had given into their more lustful urges could be seen on the outskirts of the dance floor, some in the innocent stages of kissing and others entangled full fledged fornication. Scoffing at the obscene orgy, you stumbled off to get another cup of wine. Even though you weren’t really participating, you had to admit that fairies knew how to throw a party. 
“Hey ___, I noticed you’ve been by yourself the whole evening. Want some company?” someone asked behind you as you filled up your mug to the brim. You turned to see two Sunghoons merge to become one hazy Sunghoon in the blink of an eye. 
“F-ffuck off Sunghoon,” you slurred.
“I wanted to thank you for all the hard work you did for this year’s summer solstice,” Sunghoon continued, unfazed by your harshness, “Wanna dance to celebrate?”
“Nope,” you answered as you pushed him aside.
Tumblr media
“Yeah she seemed pretty pissed dude,” Sunghoon said while taking a large swig.
“At you or in general?” Hoseok inquired.
“Dunno man, she’s always been like that. However, she seemed more aggravated than usual, which is hard to imagine,” Sunghoon chuckled, “Did you do something to her?”
“No! I’ve been replaying everything we talked about at the pond but everything seemed fine! I even told her that she was my super special friend and---oh shit,” Hoseok’s face fell.
“Idiot,” Sunghoon tsked. 
Tumblr media
Both fae clans had gathered by the main stage, intently listening to the same speeches that the clan leaders have spoken for centuries. You watched apathetically as the everlasting flame was being formally handed over. The crowd roared as the flame changed from a deep crimson red to an icy silver color with a blue hue, signifying that the solstice had come to pass. 
If the festival wasn’t wild before, it had only gotten more out of hand after the official ceremony. Seeing the other fairies go wild in every sense of the word made you nauseous. The noise level intensified as you watched your fairy brethren engage in rather promiscuous activities. Someone even beckoned for you to join in the fun, but you just walked away. The only person you wanted to have that kind of fun with was Hoseok. It infuriated you that your thoughts always drifted to him. You filled up your cup one last time and walked away from the ruckus, towards an empty grove. Hopefully you would be able to wallow in self pity in peace there. 
The stars twinkled above you, and dim moonlight speckled the ground around you as it shone through the trees. You could still hear the party, but it was much fainter now and served as nice background noise to keep you from drowning in your thoughts. With a deep exhale, you fought to hold back tears. You felt so foolish. Too many years have been wasted in vain for an unrequited love that you should have seen coming. It was so stupid of you to hold onto a sliver of hope that Hoseok would like you back. 
“The party is that way,” a familiar voice called out to you.
“Then why aren’t you there?” you didn’t try to mask the annoyance in your voice.
“I saw you walk away, I wanted to check up on you.”
“Why the fuck would you even care?” you sat up and hissed.
“Why are you being so hostile? You’re the one who has been avoiding me all week!” Hoseok raised his voice.
“I’m sure you didn’t have much time to spend with me anyway,” you huffed.
“That’s not true. I spent every moment of my free time looking for you, only for you to turn me away. Can you tell me what’s wrong?” Hoseok calmed down.
“Fine. I’m in love with you, okay? How fucking embarrassing. It hurt when you said that I was your super best friend or whatever. Seeing you afterward just reminded me of how dumb I am,” you couldn’t make eye contact with him.
“Oh sunshine, I’m the idiot. I shouldn’t have said that. You’re my special friend because I like you too. I wanted to spend every second with you this week. I didn’t mean to hurt you like that, I’m so sorry ____,” Hoseok got down on his knees and pulled you in for a hug. You were stunned.
“Why didn’t you say anything sooner then!” you pushed him off.
“I thought it was obvious from the way we flirted!” he argued. 
“You’re nice to everyone, it was hard for me to tell,” you pouted.
“My apologies for not being a sourpuss like you,” Hoseok laughed.
“So...what now? It wasn’t really a romantic confession but I guess our feelings are out in the open now,” you whispered as you leaned against him.
Suddenly, Hoseok pushed you back to the ground, straddling your hips. His dark hair nearly covered his eyes as he looked down at you. He was beyond beautiful, his white iridescent wings glittered ethereally in the moonlight. 
“Remember when I said you’re like a dessert I can only have twice a year? I’d like to make that a reality,” Hobi smirked. He bent over to kiss you. It was soft at first, his plush lips pressing up against yours. He gently cupped your face with one hand while the other wandered to your chest, undoing your blouse. Lust overtook the both of you as the kiss deepened and Hoseok fondled your breasts. You let out a small gasp as he played with your nipples, rolling them between his fingers.  
“Spread those legs for me, sunshine,” he demanded.
You complied, slowly exposing yourself to him. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him while in such a compromising position. Hoseok gingerly kissed a trail along your inner thighs towards your core. His hot breath against your pussy made you squirm under him in anticipation.
“So impatient,” he chuckled, “Let’s play a game. You have to make eye contact with me while I eat you out. Every time you look away, I stop.”
“You’re evil,” you huffed before reluctantly looking at the beautiful being perched between your legs. 
“That’s my girl,” he purred approvingly before spreading your folds with his fingers. His eyes darkened with lust as you watched him lick tantalizingly slow stripes. He could feel your need for more, so he moved up to focus on your clit, giving it special attention as his tongue swirled around it. 
You tangled your fingers into his hair, gripping him tighter as he licked your clit faster. All your composure was lost as you looked down at him with pleading eyes.
“What is it? Need more?” Hoseok teased as his fingers traced your entrance.
“Please,” you whimpered.
“Please what?” Hoseok feigned ignorance
“Please touch me,” you said softly.
“We need to work on your begging, but you’re so adorable I can’t say no,” Hobi dove back into stimulating your clit as he slipped a finger inside of you. He smirked at how easily he went in, and immediately added a second finger. The new feeling had you throwing your head back as he grazed your g-spot. Right as things began to feel good, he retracted everything.
“Hobi!” you cried out in frustration.
“You looked away. Remember the rules to our little game?” Hoseok chided. You glared down at him as he immediately picked up where he left off, not giving you time to readjust. Fighting back the urge to close your eyes, soft moans escaped from your lips.
“Ready to cum, my dear ___?” he asked sweetly as his fingers dipped to directly attack your g-spot.
There was no time to give a proper response. Your back arched and your toes curled up as your orgasm overwhelmed you. Drenched in your juices, Hoseok glistened under the moonlight.
“Absolutely gorgeous,” Hoseok praised, “But I’m not finished with you yet,” he leaned in to whisper in your ear.
He unbuckled his trousers, releasing the monster that dangled between his legs. You willingly spread your legs for him, eager for more.
“So needy, you haven’t had enough yet?” Hoseok tsked as he rubbed the tip of his cock along your folds.
Finally, Hoseok began to bury himself into you. He took his time, relishing how your warm walls squeezed him. You closed your eyes in ecstasy, focusing on feeling every inch of him. Once he bottomed out, you wrapped your legs around him in an attempt to bring him impossibly closer. The dark lust that swam in his eyes broke for a second, replaced by the warm smile that made you fall in love with him in the first place. He bent down to kiss you, and you happily reciprocated. 
Hoseok moved his hips slowly as he fucked you at a deep yet gentle pace. Mouths still colliding, you shyly licked at his lips. Taking your hint, Hoseok’s tongue met yours. As the kisses deepened with more saliva being interchanged, Hoseok’s thrusts became harsher.    
“You’re so fucking sexy. Lemme see that ass baby,” Hoseok growled as he flipped you over.
He smacked your ass twice and watched it jiggle in awe before placing a firm grip on your hips. Almost animalistically, he bucked into you. Your body jolted forward with each thrust. You had never been fucked this hard before, and it was heavenly. Hoseok’s control over his body movement was insane. Your moans grew louder as his hips continuously rolled into you. 
One of Hoseok’s hands formed a tight grip on your hair, roughly bringing your head up off the ground. You couldn’t stop your wanton moans from filling the open air. 
“H-Hoseok,” you cried out.
“What is it? Is it too much for you?” Hoseok cooed in your ear as he brought your head back even closer to him.
“Mmm-no,” was all you could make out.
“I knew you could take it all, such a good slut,” Hoseok praised as he let go of your hair.
Unable to hold yourself up, you immediately fell back onto your chest. Your fingernails dug into the dirt as you could feel another orgasm swelling up inside of you. 
“I’m gonna cum again,” you wailed out.
“I’m almost there, wait for me baby,” Hoseok instructed.
With perfect timing, Hoseok let out a guttural moan as he spilled his seed inside of you. Sounds of pleasure bounced around the grove as you came in unison. Hoseok’s cum dripped down the sides of your inner thighs when he pulled out. 
“How did I do, sunshine?” Hoseok asked jovially as you laid on the ground before him.
“You knocked me out. I don’t think I can move for a while,” you weakly answered with a smile.
“Not a problem, we can just stay here for a while, sunshine,” Hoseok laid down beside you, beckoning for you to rest atop his chest. 
“I like when you call me that,” you yawned.
“Sunshine?” Hoseok asked.
“Yeah, that. It makes me feel special,” you nodded.
“Is that so? I’m glad it makes you feel special, because you are. You’ve always been the spunky night fairy that everyone knows but is too afraid to approach,” Hoseok laughed.
“What! I am totally friendly! Just not to those who piss me off,” you defended, “Which...I guess is a lot of people so I suppose I see your point. What made you want to be my friend if everyone thought I’m scary?”
“You treated me like everyone else. It always felt like people put on a fake facade around me since I’m the chief’s son. They’re nice to me to try and curry favor with my father, or maybe flirt with me to try and gain some special sort of status. I don’t know. I’m just me,” Hoseok shrugged. 
“If it makes you feel any better, you’re my sunshine,” you hugged him.
“That makes me feel great. I’ll do my best to see you more than twice a year, okay?” he kissed your forehead.
“I guess I can clear my schedule and come over to visit you too,” you giggled, “Or maybe we can run away and make a clan of our own.”
“Are you serious?” he asked, “Don’t tempt me. I’d love to go somewhere where no one knows my name or expects anything from me.”
“How about we go to where the day meets the night?” you offered.
“Like what? An eclipse?” Hoseok said as he gazed into the night sky.
“Precisely. We can make an eclipse clan. We only have to do festivals for eclipses, and those are kinda rare,” you giggled.
“Sounds like a good dream, sunshine. Let’s seriously discuss it in the morning when we’re both more sober,” Hoseok kissed your forehead.
“Goodnight, my sunshine,” you whispered into his chest.
Published July 23, 2021. No editing, copying, translating, or reposting allowed. All Rights Reserved © 2021 Baepsaesbae.
140 notes · View notes
thecaffeinebookwarrior · 5 years ago
Text
The Dos and Don’ts of Writing Smart Characters
Since I started this blog, one of the most common questions I’ve received has to do with the portrayal of intelligent characters.  This is also one of the most difficult to answer -- excluding questions about characters with specialized knowledge sets, which are fairly easy to answer with source compilations.  Most of the questions have to do with:  how do you portray a smart character believably?  How do you make the audience relate to them?  Can I still make them likable?  How do I avoid the pitfalls of popular media?
Well, I’m finally here to answer, utilizing examples from some of my favorite (and occasionally, not-so-favorite) media.  Let’s jump in to the dos and don’ts of smart characters!
Tumblr media
1.  Do let the audience follow the character’s thought process.  
As demonstrated by:  Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders
Tumblr media
Albert Einstein allegedly once said, “If you can’t explain it to a five-year-old, you don’t truly understand it.”  And the sentiment rings true:  true genius doesn’t need to dazzle with big words and technobabble.  Instead, it makes the complex appear simple.
The same rings true for brilliant characters.  BBC’s Sherlock (more on that later) ceased to satisfy in its later seasons because it began to rely too heavily on visual glitz to avoid actually explaining its mysteries and how they were solved.  Similarly, the biggest complaints with block buster franchises -- Star Wars, The Avengers, Game of Thrones -- is that they became obsessed with “subverting expectations” cleverly instead of leading the audiences to their most logical and satisfying conclusions.
Meanwhile, the smartest and most satisfying media dazzles not by staying over the audience’s head, but by illustrating how simplistic the solutions can be.
Let’s start with my boy Tommy Shelby, the charismatic, swaggering protagonist of the charismatic, swaggering crime drama Peaky Blinders.  Using only his intelligence (and complete disregard for his own life/suicidal tendencies, but that’s not the point here), Tommy claws his way up from the near-bottom of the social ladder (an impoverished Romani in early 20th century Birmingham) to being a decorated war hero, to being the leader of a feared razor gang, to dominating the race track business, to becoming a business mogul, to becoming a member of parliament and trying to assassinate the leader of the fascist party. He’s also one of the paramount reasons why I’m bisexual.
Tumblr media
So how can such a drastic social climb be conveyed believably?  Because Tommy -- as the viewpoint character -- is placed in seemingly inescapable situations, and then proceeds to demonstrate that the solutions to those situations have been there the whole time.  I recently watched a brilliant video on how this is done, which can be viewed here.
Early in season one, for example, he responds to aggressive new methods by the police by organizing a mass-burning of paintings of the king, and uses the press this garners to publicly shame the methods of the chief inspector who’s been antagonizing him.  In the next season, he talks his way into a deal by bluffing that he planted a grenade in his rival’s distillery.  My personal favorite is in season four, when he responds to being outgunned by a larger, American gang by contacting their rival -- none other than an Alphonse Capone.
All of Tommy’s victories are satisfying, because they don’t come out of nowhere -- we have access to the same information he does, each victory is carefully foreshadowed, and we are reminded at every turn that failure is a very real possibility (more on that later.)  So when he wins, we’re cheering with him.
Tumblr media
Other examples:  Mark Watney from The Martian, who explains science in its most simplistic terms and with infectious enthusiasm.  He would make every character on The Big Bang Theory cry.  
Also, Miss Fisher from the AMAZING Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.  The dazzling, 1920s, female Sherlock Holmes of your dreams.  I cannot recommend it enough.
Tumblr media
To apply this to your own writing:  Remember you won’t dazzle anyone if you smack them in the face with a “brilliant” plot twist.  They want to take a journey with your character, not be left in the dust.  
Also, for everyone in my askbox concerned that they’re not smart enough to write intelligent characters, just remember how simple the problems confronting smart characters can be.  Put them in a difficult situation, and provide them with a means of getting out.  Then, just let them find it. 
2.  Don’t assume the audience is too stupid to keep up (or try to make them feel too stupid to keep up.)
As demonstrated by:  Sherlock Holmes from BBC’s Sherlock.
Tumblr media
Say what you will:  there were reasons why everyone was so captivated by this show during its first two seasons.  It felt fresh.  People had yet to become frustrated with the inescapable thirst for Benedict Cumberbatch.  The writing was sharp, and the editing clever.  And it wove a tantalizing web of mysteries that demanded solution.  The problem was, there weren’t any.
The most frustrating for many was how Sherlock faked his death at the end of season two, after which devoted fans spent two years creating intricate theories on how he might have pulled this off.  The creators responded by mocking this dedication in the opening episode of season three, by showing a fan club spinning outlandish theories (one of which included Sherlock and Moriarty kissing.)  This might have been laughed off -- at the time, many seemed to consider it quite funny -- if the creators had bothered to offer their own explanation of how Sherlock survived.  They didn’t.  And so began a seemingly endless loop of huge cliffhangers that promised -- and consistently failed to deliver -- satisfying answers.
The most egregious examples occur in season four, which provided answers to questions no one asked, and withheld answers for things everyone wanted to know.  For example, did you know that the real reason Moriarty engaged Sherlock is because he was hypnotized by Sherlock’s secret evil sister?  The same one who killed Sherlock’s best friend, whom Sherlock convinced himself was a dog?  Yes, that was a real plot point, in the climax of the series.  It’s an effort to befuddle the audience with brilliant and unexpected writing, but instead pulled them out of a story they were already invested in and made them far more critical of its pre-existing faults. 
Tumblr media
It’s pointed out in the brilliant (if bluntly named) Sherlock Is Garbage, And Here’s Why that Moffat can be a great writer, but is a consistently terrible show runner, because he’s more interested in dazzling the audience with cleverness than actually telling a satisfying story.  The video also points out that the show often implied Sherlock’s brilliance, without ever letting the audience follow along with his actions or thought-process in a way that DEMONSTRATED his brilliance.  
I highly recommend giving the aforementioned video a watch, because it is not only a great explanation of how Sherlock Holmes can be best utilized, but about how writing itself can be best utilized.
Tumblr media
Other examples:  The Big Bang Theory.  As Wisecrack points out in their wonderful video on the subject, the punchline of every joke is “oh look, these characters are smart nerds!” which is repetitious at best and downright insulting at worst.
How to avoid this in your writing:  Treat the audience as your equal.  You’re not trying to bedazzle them, you’re trying to take them on a journey with you.  Let them be delighted when you are.  Don’t constantly try to mislead them or hold intelligence over their head, and they will love you for it.  Also, cheap tricks do not yield a satisfying story:  readers will know when you went into a narrative without a plan, and they won’t appreciate it.
3.  Do remember that smart people can be kind and optimistic!
As demonstrated by:  Shuri from Black Panther.
Tumblr media
Yes, brilliant people can be unhappy and isolated by their intelligence, or rejected by society.  But remember that intelligence isn’t synonymous with a cantankerous attitude, or an excuse to be a pugnacious ass to those around you!  
Part of the reason why Shuri of 2018′s Black Panther was such a breath of fresh air was the fact that she subverted almost all preconceptions about how a genius looks, acts, and regards the world.  And it’s not just the fact that she isn’t a sullen, middle-aged white man that makes her stand out:  Shuri has an effervescent attitude, and genuinely loves contributing to her country and family.  She referred to sound-proof boots as “sneakers” (and then explained the pun when her brother didn’t get it.)  She’s fashionable.  She teases her older brother, and cries when he is apparently killed.  She’s up on meme culture.  This makes her unlike pretty much every other genius portrayed in the MCU.
Tumblr media
Except maybe the Hulk.  He can dab now.
Shuri is also allowed to take pride in her genius, and can be a bit insufferable about it, which makes her more enjoyable and rounded.  But she is an excellent example of how genius can be explored and portrayed in fiction, and I will forever be embittered that she was underutilized in Infinity War and Endgame.
Tumblr media
Why, for example, are all geniuses portrayed as arrogant misanthropes?  Albert Einstein battled depression, but he is also said to have enjoyed blowing bubbles and watching puppet shows.  He was kind to those who knew him.  Similarly, Alan Turing behaved little like his fictional counterpart, described as “shy but outgoing,” with a love of being outdoors.  Nikola Tesla fell in love with a pigeon.  Why do we have to portray these people so damn gravely?
Other examples:  Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds.  Also an excellent portrayal of an intelligent person on the autism spectrum, as he struggles to interface socially but cares profusely for his fellow human beings.  He is brilliant, and completely precious.
Also, Sherlock Holmes -- the original version, and all faithful adaptations thereof.  Anyone who thinks Sherlock is an austere, antisocial jerk isn’t familiar with the original canon.  He blushed when Watson complimented his intelligence, for God’s sake. 
Then there’s Elle Woods from Legally Blonde and Marge from Fargo.  Brilliant, upbeat, optimistic geniuses.
Tumblr media
To apply this to your own writing:  If you have a smart character who hates everyone around them for no identifiable reason, ask yourself why this is necessary and what this adds to the plot.  Are they angry about injustice, towards themselves or others?  Are they frustrated with an inability to relate to people?  Do they want to protect themselves or their family at all costs, including politeness?  If not, question why your brilliant character can’t also be kind to those around them.
4.  Don’t make your character perfect at everything they do.
As demonstrated by:  Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Tumblr media
Ah, Wesley.  Some call him the original Mary Sue, and it’s one of the only times I’ve seen the term applied with some accuracy.  He is somehow the most gifted and least qualified person on The Enterprise.  He’s Hermione Granger without the charm, jumping in to answer questions before any of the trained officers in the room have the chance to, always in the right.  His only obstacle?  Why, the boorish adults he’s surrounded with simply don’t understand his brilliance!
As early as the series’ very second episode, Wesley -- inebriated by an alien illness -- forcibly takes over the ship from Captain Picard, only to later save it from a threat with a reverse tractor beam of his own design.  
Tumblr media
Wesley was obviously inserted as a means of attracting younger viewers, but failed egregiously, because he was too annoyingly perfect for kids to relate too, and not cool enough for them to be invested in.  I binge-watched the various Star Trek series in my youth for Spock, Data, and my wife Seven of Nine, not to watch seasoned military and scientific officers get lectured by an adolescent.  Even Wil Wheaton, who had the misfortune of portraying this character, expressed a dislike for him.  
Precocious children are great, if you get them right.  But get them wrong, and they can easily become your most annoying character, marring the face of otherwise great media.  The most important thing you can do for a brilliant character is endow them with weaknesses and flaws -- even something as small as Shuri’s fondness for teasing her older brother made her enjoyable, as anyone with siblings could relate to their dynamic.  
But, what if you want a supernaturally talented character who not only fails to be a ray of sunshine, but is something of an arrogant, antisocial jerk?  Can they still work, especially if they also happen to be a child? 
Yes, under one extremely important condition:
5.  Do keep your characters out of their depth!
As demonstrated by:  Number Five from Umbrella Academy.
Tumblr media
Okay, he’s not exactly a child.  He’s a fifty-eight-year-old trapped in a child’s body, who’s traveled back in time from a post-apocalyptic future to warn his siblings of an incoming Armageddon.  In other news, Umbrella Academy is a weird show.  Unlike the comics, however, the apes don’t engage in prostitution. 
Tumblr media
 The effect, however, remains the same:  a preternaturally talented child who talks down to everyone around him, including his (apparently) older siblings.  So why does he work while Wesley fails so egregiously?
For one thing, it’s demonstrated early on that Five has the skills to back up his sanctimonious attitude, with the delightfully ultraviolent Istanbul (Not Constantinople) sequence.  It also helps that he lacks Wesley’s squeaky-clean moral code, to the point at which he can get drunk in public or kill without remorse.  
But:  the element most vital to his success as a character is the fact that he’s kept completely, and consistently, out of his depth.  He knows the world will end in eight days, but he doesn’t know how this will transpire or how to stop it.  Ultimately, he fails again to stop the apocalypse, and must travel back in time with his siblings for another chance.  
Tumblr media
Most authors have the impulse to demonstrate a character’s brilliance by allowing them to succeed against insurmountable odds, but the Umbrella Academy writers show tremendous wisdom in allowing Five to fail.  This allows the audience to empathize with him, and countermands the effects of his arrogant attitude.
This advice isn’t just true for pint-sized prodigies.  Look back over this list, and take notes of how often the most successful characters are allowed to fail, to have flaws, and to ascend past their comfort zone.  
Other examples:  Virtually every successful example on this list.
Tommy Shelby, a character of limitless ambition, conducts a new, perilous climb outside of his social rank each season, which almost always puts him in positions of mortal danger.  He faces threats both external (rival gangs, evil priests, and rising fascists) and internal (hello PTSD, suicidal tendencies, and crippling addiction) but either way, we understand that his fast-paced climb is not for the weak-willed or faint-hearted.  
Mark Watney is a brilliant scientist who has been stranded in an utterly impossible situation for which absolutely no one could be adequately prepared (spoilers:  it’s on Mars.)  We are drawn in by his plight, and how he could possibly escape from it, and there we come to admire him for his courage, optimism, and humor.
Shuri, though not the main character of Black Panther, is allowed to show off both tremendous gifts and vulnerability, as she is powerless to stop the apparent death of her beloved older brother.  She watches Wakanda’s takeover both as an innovator and a young woman, and a large reason for her success is that she is allowed to be both.  
How to apply this to your writing:  When portraying intelligent characters, take stock of how often they fail, their level of control over their surroundings, their vulnerability, and their flaws.  We don’t want to read about flawless deities.  We want to read about characters who embody and personify our humanity.  So remember they need to fall down in order to pull themselves up.
Tumblr media
Happy writing, everybody! 
922 notes · View notes
jidai · 4 years ago
Text
jidai’s budget mutuals/friends appreciation
Tumblr media
Hi, all! I’m quite late with this but I decided to put a small friends and mutual appreciations post in hopes of brightening up the end of this year a little bit. ❤️ If you were tagged, please make sure to check below for a small little message from me. However, I want to make it very clear that I truly appreciate all of my mutuals. You guys brighten up my dash and always reblog or create so many funny and creative posts. I just wanted to give a few special shout outs to those that have taken out the time to reach out and interacted with me past my ask box or we just see each other often.
The messages are ordered by your URL, so you might have to scroll for awhile before you see your messages. I’m so sorry lmao. 
Happy New Years, everyone!
@25th​​, Nonnie, the Young Genius. bro, remind me how old you are 🧍‍♀️ Like my brain CANNOT fathom the thought that you’re so skilled at SO many things and you’re not even in your twenties??? PLEASE SPARE THE TALENT. i will even accept crumbs. But I’m writing to tell you that you are such a wonderful presence on my dash. I always look forward to your gfx. They’re so SO good and you’re improving from one post to another. Like WOW. Now, you’re even starting an art blog, too? You’re so dedicated to the arts. I respect that a lot. Your hard work and commitment will bring you very far in life, whatever you decide to do. 
I love interacting with you. You’re such a big sweetheart and full of positivity and energy. I look forward to seeing more of your art and gfx ❤️
@biscuitwalk​, Dann, the AK Wiz. Dann, I know you’re not as active on here so idk when or if you will ever read this but I want to say that I miss you and your creations so, so much. I will say it a hundred times over and OVER but you inspire me so goddamn much. You have no fucking idea. Your works are absolutely gorgeous and unique. I can look at it once and I can instantly recognize your style (and your cute lil’ pufferfish <3). The way you utilize colors and implement various techniques, shapes, textures into your work. Goddamn, you’re so good. I always look to your work if I ever need inspiration and they help me brainstorm. God, I wish I could put it into words how much I adore your works.
We didn’t really talk for long but you seemed like such a kind and fun person to be around. I wish you the best in your future endeavors, wherever you are. Stay safe <3
@elriccs, Mirai, the Short King. 🧍‍♀️ ok look I know, I know I’m TERRIBLE at replying to you and I’m so fucking sorry. I absolutely love to talk to you but my dumbass cannot seem to reply in a timely manner LASELKSAL. That’s on me and I gotta do better. Anyways!!! Thank you SO fucking much for always leaving such kind messages on my work. I swear to god you’re one of my biggest hype man and I ALWAYS look forward to reading your tags. They’re so funny and it makes me all tingly and happy inside. Bro, like, you just radiate big fun vibes, bro. I really hope that I can get to know you better so I can just insult you until it’s too late to walk away </3
And of course, let me also remind you that I love your works so much. They way that you utilize your textures and those muted colors... OOMPH *chefs kiss* I will always love--
@lockhvrts​​, Em the Soulsborne GOD. hi em 🥺 it’s been awhile since I’ve had a proper conversation with you and I hope you’re doing okay! I miss you and our conversations where we do nothing but geek out and complain about the game industry lmao. if you manage to read this, I just wanted to let you know I miss your presence here. It’s been kinda dull not seeing your beautiful soulsborne gifs and your game rants. Let’s catch up soon. <3 stay safe and well!
@nathanprescutt, Benn, the Man. BENNNNNNNN.  I love you a lot bro. I know we haven’t had long conversations for some time and I hope I can change that! You were my first friend on this blog and I will always appreciate it. I remember us just geeking out over your works and how I would always send you a gfx request like once a week LMAO. The one thing that I have always appreciated about you was the fact that you’re very opinionated (if not, very vocal on your stance on things) and you hold your ground. There were a few time where you encouraged me to speak on topics that I think I shouldn’t and that stuck with me for quite awhile. I’m still a nervous rambling mess when it comes to debates but just know that the one time you supported me to voice my opinion--I hold it very dear to my heart. 
While I don’t spend much time together, I will always remember our animal crossing session. It was  so much fun just trashing and chilling on your island. Especially the bar :( that bar was fucking AMAZING. Maybe once FFXVI comes out, we can geek out hehe
Also, thank you so much for sending in photos of all your doggos, omg. I miss seeing them so much I hope they’re doing well. Stay hot, my German bro lol. Ich bin sehr dankbar, so eine tolle Freundin zu haben. ❤️❤️❤️
@noxdivina​, Lin the Big Dick Daddy Kind. The church is open for business bitch and I’m here to preach the GOSPEL.
Okay, jokes aside, I’m really happy that we became mutuals. You’ve always give off this like, mysterious cosmic vibe (????? huh). And your selfies just further proves that you are wtf. But you’re always so kind to those that you interact with. You’re an absolutely sweetheart and like I just want to give you a giant hug every time we interact. You’re such a soft human being. It’s so nice being around you. It’s like being tossed in the oven and baked at 250 degrees F for 25 minutes. And to boot you’re really talented, hello? God really said let there be a perfect human being and yeeted you into the universe. Thank you for always leaving such kind messages and words in my DM/askbox/works. I cherish them so much. I hope I can get to know you better in the future bc you’re rad, bro <3
anyways, updated drawing of u and maya:
Tumblr media
i always assume you’re in a black fur parka 24/7 and maya is coatless neck down. also deck me with those jacked arms of yours thanks  🧍‍♀️
(edit: fuck i forgot to draw a PARTY HAT ON MAYA IM SORRY)
@rokuseis​, Sei, the Dumber.
Tumblr media
i have nothing to say to you go away you banana hater ASELKSAEKL
BITCH, you doo bee getting on my nerve 24/7/365 🧍‍♀️ you were an unexpected but a very welcomed addition to my life. I can’t believe we really went 1 fuckin’ year without speaking to each other and then suddenly our friendship blew up because over a stupid BANANA. Now you gotta deal with me and my stupid, random, crude ass messages daily. I cannot. Clown to clown communication. But thank you so much bitch for being there for me and telling all of these funny ass stories and life experiences.
I know I don’t say it a lot because when we talk it’s literally just dogs barking at each other but I want to make it clear now: I love your humor and vibe so much. You never fail to make me laugh anytime I talk to you and I appreciate it so much. I can’t tell you how many times I felt better after talking to you. Even though sometimes your fucking jab hits hard and I end up actually inSULTED BY IT. But thank you for becoming my friend and I look forward to all of our stupid moments together. Looking forward to shitting in your sink when I finally fly to your home <3
@wolfamongthem, Anna, the Grinch. Please don’t hurt me for that title. I'm just saying if someone needs a live casting, it’ll be u. Anyways, did you know that I was so fucking intimidated by you for a long ass time, even before we became mutuals aseljas LMAO. I always see your gifs around on explore and they’re so gorgeous and then I look at your text posts and it’s u roasting people like there’s no tomorrow- 🧍‍♀️ bitch I was SCARED OF U KSKS. Now that I’ve talked to you a few times, you’re really funny like where do you find those reaction memes????? Like bro you and your shitposts is my morning cup of coffee. 
Anyways, in 2021 I expect a full-fledge review of all AAA games from you-- no more shit talking in the tags let it all out BITCH. Thank you for being such a great mutual! I look forward to see what weird shit you will send me the next time we talk lmao
@zenien​​, Selm, the I’m-gay-for-Lady-Maria-or-anything-that-moves-in-BB-Bitch™. ok bitch if I’m being honest I wrote yours last so my brain is FRIED. so everything i say from here is raw from the HEARt cause that’s all I got left. But anyhow, we savin’ the best for last! honestly, i didn’t expect you to barge into my life like that. i really didn’t. i was just gonna keep admiring with my 7 feet (2.1336 meters) pole. I’m glad you made the first move because look where we are wtf 🧍‍♀️ friends??? I wouldn’t believe you if you told me that in 2014 when I first followed you lmao. 
You’re such a kind soul. I know you may disagree but I’m determined to convince you. I can’t tell you how much I want to thank you for taking the time to talk to me during my rough bits. It’s like sitting on a wooden bench in a park during sunset and you sit next to me, just enjoying the vast sky. You radiate such peaceful energy. It’s very calming. Or you know, 2 seconds later i’m suddenly suplexed by your 40 tons of insults like what-- 
Thank you for everything, so far. Truly. It’s been so fun listening to you talk about your Bloodborne journey and see your reactions live. It’s been so fun to see you post your graphics and it continues to blow me away. It’s been so fun hearing about your life and the stories of your adulthood. Every words that we have exchanged, I hold dearly to my heart--more than you ever know. Love u bitch.
17 notes · View notes
beanenigma · 5 years ago
Text
Transitioning from Fan Fiction to Original Fiction
The first thing I want to say going into this guide is that there is nothing wrong with writing fanfiction. It’s fun, it’s a major part of the socialization of a fandom and frankly? Most of it is great writing despite the bad rep (which comes mainly from very young unexperienced people just wanting to have fun). There is no obligation for you to write anything else and you should never feel pressured to.
However, if you do want to start developing your own completely original ideas, but have a hard time not thinking of ideas outside of your fandom, here are some tips I found useful in my own process of transition.
Starting out
Starting out is hard. It’s important to keep in mind that it will never come as easy as fanfiction does. But that is because you’re doing everything from scratch. You have to do a lot of work you didn’t have before: figuring out  characters’ personalities, their appearance, their names, their backstories, their relationships, their environment, etc. That doesn’t mean you are a bad writer or that you should stay in fanfiction forever. Just be kind to yourself, allow yourself time to learn and carry on
Having a hard time thinking of ideas? You needn’t go too far. You have the creativity, you’ve just been focusing it and you can learn to refocus it. Think of your preferred fandom and ship. Think of what makes them so interesting to you, and how you can utilize these dynamics in other contexts. And remember, this time, you control canon from the start. Reality of these characters can be what you always dreamed for them. This is especially easy for AU writers, but others can do it just as easily
Notice I say dynamics, not story: think in general terms. Grumpy character who loves smol character. Found family. Revolution. You can use TVTropes to try and diagnose the dynamics you like about it and get ideas on how other pieces of media have utilized it
If a character still feels too much like a rip off from somewhere else, give them a makeover! Change their name and a little bit of their appearance, give them new habits, a characteristic that’s yours or your friend’s or that person’s you saw on the bus the other day. Shape them until they’re someone new. 
Unlocking previously locked doors
Expand. Crossovers are not a very popular thing in fanfiction anymore, but they can be of massive help for when you transition to original fiction. Think of other things you like. Everything: movies, games, series, comics. Notice the dynamics in them too. How can you merge them? Integrate them into an amalgamate of things you like until it’s unrecognizable from all they used to be and it becomes something completely new. 
Expand more. I feel like I say this in every guide I make, but build repertoire. New ideas can come from everywhere and anywhere. That old tumblr post you read about that mythological creature? What about that article you read about that couple years ago? Pulling stories out of regular things is what humans do. So start pulling on everything and see what comes out! 
Remember where you came from
A large part of our anxiety when it comes to writing original fiction is that our ideas seem silly or weak. It’s hard to shake that feeling. Except if you come from a place where all ideas matter: a fandom. You’ve read through coffee shops AUs and college AUs and AUs that had no right to exist and still they do and you love them for it? You’ve read countless crossovers and you’ve marveled at how they work out things that seemed irreconcilable. You’ve seen meme fanfictions and somehow they work. None of those ideas were particularly strong but they worked because those creators believed in them and the fandom followed suit.  As long as you believe in the work that you’re doing, people will too. It might seem distant when you’re starting out, but it will happen. 
Fanfic tropes can appear on fiction too. Coffee shop AU? That’s something of the past! Why don’t your characters actually work on a coffee shop? Or own one? Or a flower shop? Hades and Persephone AU? How about you have your own set of gods and and underworld and godly love? And the best thing is that the people who read the same things you did will know, but it will be your little secret. 
Fanfiction readers are also readers. Not all of them, of course, but a large majority. They can and will support you in your further endeavors. If you could please them with your fanfiction, you can continue to please them doing something else. 
And don’t forget: just because you’re moving into original fiction, it doesn’t mean it has to become anything other than a hobby. You don’t have to put a lot of pressure on yourself. Original Fiction, just as much as Fanfiction, can be a source of fun, self-discovery and practice of a way of art. 
If you want to talk about your own process, please drop by my askbox! It’s always open <3 And if you would like some more writing advice, you can take a look at my masterlist or follow me for similar content. 
18 notes · View notes