#orange and red are ok but i lack the need for them

[ambagel]

I have finally achieved possession of one of my favorite Obey Me cards

I've been grinding this event for over a month, I hate boxes and will never forgive them for the pain they have caused me. I'd like to thank my motivation for not abandoning me, my LD tickets for sustaining my DP supply, NOT the purple gems fuck you purple gems, and Solomon for making this card's existence possible

[thebearer]

autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place |carmen berzatto x reader|

prompt: target, halloween, carmen, and you. or a short, fluffy work about halloween shopping with target bc why not? 'tis the season.

contains: fluff. that's it lol. mentions to past family memories and some insecure carmen, but honestly just fluff!

“Oh, look at this one!” You coo, snatching the tiny ghost figurine off the shelf.  

“Cute.” Carmen muttered, one hand on the obnoxiously red cart, the other on your lower back. “Put it in.” He nodded towards the cart that was slowly starting to fill up. 

The speakers droned out some dull pop song, your coffee and his melting away in the drink carriers on the cart. Carmen didn’t usually prefer Starbucks, much more of a fan of the local coffee spot a block over from The Bear. They knew his regular, made it for him as soon as he walked in. No fuss, no forced conversation- just the way he liked it. 

But you liked Starbucks, well, in the right circumstance. You liked going to Target, you liked having a coffee to sip on while you “browsed”. Browsed, Carmen had grinned when you told him that. 

“You don’t just go out and browse sometimes? Look at things? Window shop to make yourself feel happier?” You’d asked him earlier in the car, head tilting to the side. 

“No, baby. I, uh, I don’t.” Carmen looked over at you, his hand still holding yours in the center console. “But maybe you’re onto somethin’.” 

Carmen’s lack of decorations was deemed a crime in your eyes, which inspired the trip. Halloween trinkets filling the cart, the sly smile you’d give him when you’d slip another one in, just like you were doing now. 

“It’s my treat.” You’d remind him, with a little wink. Carmen let you think that. Like he’d ever let you pay. And miss out on a chance to spoil you? No way. 

“Where’re you gonna put all this?” Carmen hummed, watching you situate the tiny ghost next to the plastic cauldron and iridescent ornaments- something you saw on TikTok that you were going to attempt to DIY. “My place isn’t that big.” 

“I’ll find a place, don’t worry.” You hum, sliding back in beside him, swiping your cup out of the basket. “You’ve got a bathroom, and the kitchen, and the bedroom-” 

“-Bedroom?” Carmen grinned lightly, his hand snaking to your waist while his free hand pushed the cart. “You gonna put this creepy shit in there?” 

“It’s not creepy.” You huff at him. “It’s cute, festive. Makes the place feel more… homey.” 

Carmen decided then, he’d let you put a full fucking skeleton in his room if it made you feel that way. He’d get rid of all his shit, didn’t need it anyways, so you’d have room for all your holiday stuff. Carmen’s heart fluttered at the thought of what Christmas would look like. Would you put up a tree? He hoped you would. He’d go and chop one down if he had to. Where in Chicago he’d find a tree? He wasn’t sure, but he’d find one for you. If it made you as happy as this did. 

“Ok,” You pulled him out of his thoughts, stopping the cart lightly. You plucked the bright orange bag up. “Did you know these are my absolute weakness?” Pumpkin shaped Reese’s, in their bright orange and purple glory. 

“Yeah?” Carmen grinned. “This is it, huh?” 

“Yes, in any shape too. But I prefer the pumpkin.” You went to set it back, Carmen’s hand grabbing the bag lightly and putting it in the cart. 

“‘M more of a Christmas Tree fan.” Carmen shrugged. “You know Cicero- uh, Jimmy-” You nodded, slipping back into his side. “He, uh, he used to bring a bag of these to Christmas every year when I was little. He’d always have to hide ‘em, ya know? My dad… My dad didn’t want us havin’ all that sugar before dinner. Jimmy would come in where all the kids were, toss ‘em to me or Mikey or Richie when he started hangin’ around. Tell us not to get caught, and Merry Christmas, and hide the evidence. We’d eat them before goin’ to Mass, and he did it every year until I got in high school.” 

You smiled softly, hand sliding down his back. “That’s sweet.” You hum, squeezing his hip lovingly. “You should get him some for Christmas this year. Return the favor.” 

“Yeah,” Carmen scoffed lightly. “Yeah, I think he’d like that.” 

A silence fell between the two of you, chatter from the surrounding people, the scratchy-screech of the cart. Carmen’s heart hammered, mind racing. Why the fuck did you tell her that? Fuckin’ ruined the moment. Stupid, fuckin’ stupid. 

“Hey, uh,” Carmen’s hands shook lightly, fingers drumming on the red plastic over the cart. “I-I didn’t mean to… ‘m sorry, I didn’t mean to say all that, ya know? Ruin the-the… I just, I dunno, you said that and-and I-” 

“-What?” You asked softly, brows creasing lightly. “What are you talking about? Say what?” 

“The, uh, the thing with Jimmy. I-I didn’t mean to make it awkward-” 

“Why is it awkward?” You pressed, setting down the candle you were smelling. “I thought it was sweet.” 

“Yeah? I-I just… I dunno why I said it, I’m sorry.” Carmen rambled, a hand falling over his face, hoping you couldn’t see the blush growing over his face. 

“Don’t be sorry, Carm. There’s nothin’ to be sorry about.” You shook your head, waving him off. “It’s a sweet story. I like that you told me that.” 

“Yeah?” Carmen asked softly. 

You nodded, smiling at him. “You know I do, bear.” The nickname rolls off your tongue so effortlessly, calmly- Carmen’s sure he’s going to melt into the floor. 

“Here,” You twist the lid off the next candle. “This one has caramel. You like that, right?” 

Carmen wasn’t sure how you remembered that. He’d mentioned it once, in passing, that he liked whatever you were burning at your apartment when he was over. It was caramel and coffee, you’d remembered, because you showed up at his house with the same candle the next day. A love present, you’d called it, pressing a kiss to his cheek. You didn’t want anything in return, no strings, just buying him something because you wanted to; because he liked it. It was still a new concept to Carmen, how you could love him without wanting anything other than love in return. 

Carmen ducked down, the brim of his hat bumping your wrist lightly. “Yeah, I like that one.” He nods. “Smells like that other one.” 

“Yeah? Not too pumpkinny?” You tilt your head to the side. 

“No.” Carmen laughs, breathy and light. “I don’t smell any pumpkin. Is there pumpkin?” 

“Caramel Pumpkin Latte.” You tilt the label towards him. “They’re saying it’s in there.” Carmen hummed lightly. “You calling them a liar?” You giggle playfully.  

“No, but I am sayin’ there’s not pumpkin in there.” Carmen snorted lightly, putting the candle in the cart anyways. “Not real pumpkin, anyways.”

“Maybe if this chef thing doesn’t work out, you could be a candle critic.” You tease, falling into slow steps beside him. “Be a candle blogger or something.” 

“Candle blogger?” Carmen repeats with an amused smile. “That’s not real.”  

You look at him, eyes wide in excitement. “Oh, Berzatto, am I about to blow your mind.” 

“No? Really?” Carmen laughed. “You’re fuckin’ with me?” 

“No! It’s a real thing, Carmen.” You laugh, pulling out your phone. “There was this woman that, like, went viral because she was going insane about Bath and Body Works not having her candle or something.” You giggle, typing slowly in the search bar. 

“That’s fuckin’ insane.” Carmen rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah.” You smirk. “Think she might’ve started a trend.” 

“Well, can’t do that then.” Carmen shrugged, loading the items on the small platform at the self checkout. “Don’t wanna go up against her, baby. She’s intense.” 

“Yeah, good call.” You grin, pocketing your phone, opening the bags while he scanned the ghost. “Guess you’ll have to stick to cooking.” 

“Guess so.” Carmen muttered, putting the plush pumpkins in the bag, reaching for his wallet. 

“Eh! No!” You click your tongue, eyes flashing at him. “I told you I was buying it.” You put a hand over the card slot, glaring at Carmen with a frown. 

“C’mon,” Carmen shook his head lightly, pushing your hand away lightly. “You got a number you wanna put in?” He nodded towards the screen. 

You pouted, pausing for a moment. “Yes.” You mutter, typing in your number quickly, pivoting your body in front of the card machine. 

“You gonna move?” Carmen looked at you, already reaching around to put his card in. 

“No, I told you it was my treat.” You mutter, twisting with your phone in your hand. One look at the screen, and you were tapping your phone against the screen. The ding chimed, your smug smile spreading across your lips when the receipt printed. 

Carmen was stunned, card still in his hand. “What- How did you-” 

“Gotta be quicker than that, Berzatto.” You grin, pressing a kiss to his cheek. 

Carmen looked down at his card in his hand, shoving it back into his wallet. Maybe Sugar was right, maybe he did need to actually learn how to use his phone. He grabbed the bags from you, swatting your hand away while you pushed the basket back. 

“Shoulda let me pay.” Carmen grumbled, walking beside you out the sliding doors. It had started to get chilly, leaves tinging with warm color and the temperature beginning to drop. “Stuff’s for me anyways.” 

“Yeah, but I wanted you to get it.” You bump your hip playfully with his. “Besides, I told you it was my treat.” 

Carmen didn’t respond, unlocking the trunk and putting the bags in carefully, but the frown didn’t fade. Brows still furrowed and lips still in a hard line. 

“Hey,” You call, stopping him before he could close the trunk. “I told you I wanted to buy it for you.” 

“Yeah,” Carmen’s brows furrowed. “But you shouldn’t’ve-” 

“-Carm.” You groan lightly. “I wanted to pay, ok? You always get me stuff. Let me get this for you, ok?” You say lightly, arms snaking around his shoulders, looping behind his neck. “Let me spoil you, bear. Lemme be your sugar mama.” 

Carmen snorts, lips curling in a grin lightly. “Shut up.” He mutters, your lips closing over his in a sweet kiss. 

You pulled apart, blushed and swooned in a Target parking lot. “You gotta put the stuff up anyways.” You tease, hands sliding down his toned arms, over his color block jacket. 

“Yeah?” Carmen snorts lightly, pulling the trunk shut. “You’re not gonna help me?” 

“I’ll be directing.” You declare, pinching his butt lightly, grinning at how he jumped and flushed. Sliding into the passenger side, you lean across the console to Carmen. “I’ll make sure the ambiance is there.” 

Carmen nodded, starting the car, eyes bright when they met yours. “Light the candle?” 

“Yes.” You laugh. “And I’ll pick out a movie.” 

Carmen snorted lightly, his free hand moving behind your head rest while he backed out. It made your tummy flip with excitement. “Yeah? Casper?”  

You give him a feigned unimpressed look. “You know I’m more of a Hocus Pocus girl.” 

“Right, my bad.” Carmen laughed, hand gripping your thigh lightly, thumb rubbing patterns over the material of your leggings. Your heart skipped. “Fine. As long as you open those Reese’s.” 

“Deal.” You grin, kissing his forearm gently. 

Hours later, wrappers piled on the coffee table, the candle burning in the kitchen, and the orange lights glowing from where Carmen string them over the TV stand in the living room. One Jack-O-Lantern fleece blanket thrown over both of your legs, your head on Carmen’s while the beginning credits of Beetlejuice played on the TV. Carmen decided right there that you were right. This was more homey. Felt… right and content. He wasn’t so sure it was the decorations, more likely it was the girl who picked them out.

[leo-fie]

Progress Pride Flag Quilt Block Pattern & Tutorial

Don't you just love the flag of our people? Do you have an inner grandma that years to make stuff? Do you want to combine these two things and make a queer quilt?

Well, I've got you.

Behold the pattern! And my lack of graphic skills, so I drew it on paper!

Basically it's a bunch of rectangles, one half square triangle and a fuzzy cut circle. I don't know shit about quilting and I was able to come up with it. Why centimeter, you ask? Because I'm German and that's what I'm familiar with. Why weird measurements and not jelly rolls and layer cakes and stuff? Because I'm German and quilting is not really a thing here.

Onto the tutorial!

You'll need:

A scrap of fabric of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, brown, light blue, pink, white each

additional fabric for the border

Cutting mat, quilting ruler, roll cutter

sewing machine

thread

pins

double sided interfacing

iron and ironing board

fabric sheers

compasses

Step 1: Cut everything. Duh. We'll take care of the circle later, don't worry about that now. The half square triangle is exactly what it sounds like. A square and then you cut it diagonally. That's why I didn't give the length of the hypotenuse.

(Note: I'm making two blocks at the same time, that's why there's so much fabric. Also this is a middle of the night project, hence the lighting.)

I'm using all kinds of different fabrics, different weights and drapes, some stretchy, some transparent, so I needed to interface some of them.

Step 2: Sew the rainbow together. 0,5cm seam allowance on everything, that's exactly the edge of the foot on your machine. Double and triple check that everything is facing the right direction before sewing. The seam of yellow and green does not get sewn fully, only 21,5 cm! That's important later! Also backtack there. Don't forget to iron.

Step 3: Sew the strips to the half square triangle. For this you have to switch between the sewing machine and the ironing board constantly. Attach the shorter strip diretly to one side of the HST, iron it open. The second strip of the same colour gets attatched to the other side of the HST and the first strip. Look at the pictures closely if you're unsure how that works. Also the strips are longer than the triangle. We'll square that up later.

All strips attatched will look like this. See how the two strips meet at the tip!

Step 4: Cut the rainbow part to size. The length between yellow and green is 22cm long. The shorter seam from before plus some seam allowance. The outsides of red and purple are 44,5cm long. These two points are the beginning and end of your cutting line. You will cut a little triangle from every single colour. Do this slowly and carefully. Maybe your fabrics have stretched a bit (mine did). Don't worry, it will be ok.

Step 5: The Y seam, part one. Y seams are tricky, but there's only one for this block. So put your strips part on your rainbow part and line them up so that the tip of the strip part overhangs the seam between yellow and green by about half a centimeter. Remember that it's not about the edges of the fabric, but where the seam will be. But don't sew all the way! Leave 0,5cm at the tip!

You can also mark on your strip piece two lines 0,5cm from the edges of the black. They should form a little square at the tip. There they meet is where the actual tip on the finished block will be. So place this spot directly on the seem between yellow and green and only sew right up to it. Not beyond.

Step 6: The Y seam, part two. Now, fold both the rainbow part and the strips part in half and if you've done the last step correctly, the remaining two edges will allign. Pin and sew.

I can't explain it better than I've done here, I'm sure there are tutorias out there. Good luck!

Step 7: Square up. Iron your block to that everything is nice and straight and flat. Then use the fabric edges of the red and purple to cut the remaining ends of the strips. Use the HST to cut the white. Be careful, the long side of the triangle is on the bias and likely stretched a bit.

I already added borders here. I'm making a pillow case.

Step 8: Fuzzy cut and raw edge applique. Double sided iron on interfacing is essentially double sided tape. It has two types of glue, one gets activated by 2 seconds of heat, the other by 5 or so (depends on the product). The second side is also covered with a paper that needs to be removed before the second gluing. Read the instructions of the product you are using!

Use your compasses to draw a circle on the protective paper side of the interfacing. It's actually two circles from the same middle point, see pattern. Cut it out roughly. Then place it with the rougher side on the backside of your purple fabric and iron for 2 seconds on middle heat. If you've just ironed your fabric before and the ironing board is still hot, wait for it to cool down. Also let the fabric cool down after applying. Then cut out your circle. The interfacing will have stiffened the fabric, so that shouldn't be a problem. Then remove the protective paper, place the circle on the yellow triangle where you want it and iron for 5 seconds. Let cool.

And you're done! The applique at this point is only secured with the interfacing, but it should hold fairly well. The quilting will secure it further.

And that's it. BTW, did you know that this design was made by Valentino Vecchietti for Intersex Equality Rights UK in 2021? Now you do. Happy quilting!

[starhvney]

𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐘

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: fcu garroth x fem!reader

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: even though you and garroth go to the same college, the two of you are sometimes too busy to hang out or meet up. one thing that brings you two back together is your late-night procrastination dates in the college library.

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒: fluff, friends with romantic tension, garroth being a smooth mf, like smooth af, you both need to make out already there’s so much tension

𝐂𝐖: none, unless you’re like, allergic to oranges or something

𝐀/𝐍: garroth’s hottest era, i want to kiss him on the lips. also i definitely got sidetracked and wrote this instead of other fics in my queue but we’re gonna ignore that ok guys?

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

despite having different majors, you managed to catch a class this year with garroth. while high school friendships usually fade with time, you’re glad that yours and garroth’s didn’t. you two weren’t able to talk and hang out every day like when you were teenagers, but every week you both decided on a time and day in the library to study and work together. 

tonight was one of those nights, as the two of you sat across from each other in pleasant silence. it was one of the things you admired about garroth—his ability to be mature and quiet without feeling awkward, unlike other extroverts like him, was commendable.

you tapped on your phone screen, the glass cold from the lack of use over the past hour. your lock screen lights up to reveal the numbers 11:11, and you lean forward, turning it around to show garroth.

“make a wish.”

his lips curl up in amusement as a light huff of air leaves his nose. he leans back in his chair, raising his arms and lacing his hands together behind his head as his eyes close in thought. brown and blonde eyelashes flutter against his cheekbones as he seemingly puts serious consideration into his wish, before he nods and opens his eyes again.

“that seemed like an important wish.” your inquire, voice still hushed.

his eyes narrow as he leans towards you with his elbows on the table, and for a moment your attention is drawn to the small freckle that lies right on the lower lid of his right eye.

“maybe it was,” he whispers back, his voice a deep husk that would’ve physically rattled you had you been any closer. “but i can’t tell you, or it won’t come true.”

“i know that.” you roll your eyes, hoping your cheeks weren’t as red as they felt.

garroth lets out another amused huff of air, this time his lips widening to reveal the perfect set of teeth beneath them. his hands rose up for his chin to rest on, as he tilts his head at you. the dim library lights reflect against his pupils, casting a certain shine that almost made his expression seem softer than usual.

“did you make a wish?”

your eyes widen for a split moment when you realize you had been too busy staring at him to make a wish of your own. the empty twist and growl you feel in your stomach gives you a smooth recovery to your slip-up.

“yeah, i wished for a snack. i’m starving.”

“oh no,” he gasps in faux despair, “now you’ll starve for the rest of the night because you told me.”

“or i’m just too lazy to walk to the vending machine.”

“luckily you have me.” he chuckles. 

your eyebrows pinch together as he leans over, reaching in his bag to pull out a cutie orange.

“my saving grace.” you dramatically bow to him, clasping your hands like a devoted peasant to a generous king.

when you reach out to grab the fruit, however, he pulls it away and leans back in his chair. your lower lip juts out.

“what?”

“do your work,” he whispers, before turning his attention to removing the peel. “i’ll do it.”

you blink at him in confusion, before your eyes trail down to his hands. he ignores your dumbfoundedness, instead carefully beginning to dig his fingers into the peel, avoiding spraying any of the juice onto the table. his nails were short and well-manicured, and you couldn’t help but trail your eyes up to the veins and tendons pulling against his skin as he restrained from using his full strength. and as he begins meticulously removing the extra white strands from each slice he pauses, leaning his head down to catch your gaze.

“surely this isn’t more interesting than getting your work done?” cerulean twinkled against the lights as he gazed up at you through his lashes.

blood rose to your cheeks as your eyes dart back down to your textbook, biting on your lip as you twirl your pencil in your hand.

“i was just thinking,” you mumble.

a deep chuckle leaves garroth’s lips and his head dips into his hand, poorly hiding his amusement with your embarrassment.

“cute.”

his hand comes into your view, presenting the neatly peeled orange right below your nose. his hands practically engulfed yours in size as you scooped the snack from his hands, admiring the perfectly stripped slices.

“…thank you.”

“you’re very welcome.” he smiles, calmly watching as you pop an orange slice in your mouth with a satisfied hum.

“don’t you have a snack for yourself?”

his eyebrow raises. “no. i just gave you it.”

you stop mid-chew, staring at him with round eyes.

“i’m not hungry.” he cuts you off before you can protest, waving his hand before leaning back in his chair and lolling his head back, staring at the white ceiling above you.

only a brief moment passes before his attention lands on you again.

“what are you doing this weekend?” he bites on his lip.

you blink, caught off guard by his sudden question. “um, nothing.”

“wanna go do something?”

“hm? like, just us?”

he nods, a small smile appearing as he continues to worry his bottom lip between his teeth. “we haven’t actually hung out in a while. you, know, without school as an excuse.”

“…yeah, i guess we haven’t,” you trail off, distracted by the expectant glimmer in his eyes. “what do you want to do?”

he freezes, eyes drifting off to the right in thought.

“um… i haven’t thought about it,” he quietly giggles, the noise incredibly…cute considering who it was coming from. “but something fun. whatever you wanna do.”

“okay.”

“okay?”

“yeah, i have something to look forward to now.”

“yeah, ok cool,” he clears his throat, and for a moment you think you see his ears turn red. “are you done with your work for the night?”

you sigh, popping another orange slice in your mouth.

“yup. my brain is fried for the night.”

the two of you back up your things, slinging on your backpack and walking side by side back to the elevator in comfortable silence once again. the library is practically empty at this point, leaving only a few stragglers in the silent building.

“i’ll walk you back.” he says, as the elevator doors close.

“you don’t have to.”

“and yet i do every time.”

you sigh in response, having nothing to refute him with. he had insisted on walking you back anytime you were together and it got dark outside. one time there was a party that you two didn’t even technically go together to, and when you decided to leave early he went out of his way to leave with you to make sure you got home safely.

you’re deep in thought when you look down at your hands to realize you only had one slice left, and you hold it up to your taller blonde friend with an expectant face.

“want the last one?”

“always so sweet,” he tilts his head down at you, smiling warmly before purposefully brushing his shoulder into yours. “no thank you. it’s yours.”

you still insist, lifting the piece up higher to his face. “it’s a tribute as my thanks.”

"your thanks?"

he chuckles as you begin to impatiently wave the fruit near his lips, before leaning down with his torso and taking the slice with his teeth straight from your fingers. despite his previous refusal he still hums in delight as he munches on the citrusy treat. one of his fingers raises to your chin and lightly nudges your head up, thumb brushing your jawline in a fond act of affection.

“thank you, silly girl.”

©starhvney, 2024. please do not steal or repost my works as your own.

[starry-907]

starry swap au woagh

"starry what is this swap au day was friday" yep! and i was late because of work and school so shush and sit down because i'm gonna give you the rundown of my swap au

so who swaps with who?

The basic gist of this au, the "main swap" so to speak, is that the cg have swapped with the hollowheads! there are other swaps it's just that swap is the one that started the au as a whole

here's the designs that i've worked out so far (i haven't done the mercs yet because i don't have much of a basis of design for them right now)

character info under the cut because it's gonna get long haha (i have more info i can give but you'll need to ask me about it cuz i want to talk more about this au!!!!!)

to start with:

alan has swapped with programmer021, who is a 3d modeller trying to work in blender on animating, using both 3d animation and grease pencil (moreso 3d animation, but the 2d animation is nice to get out frustration and oh those sticks are coming to life)

the computer crew came from an old file on programmer's computer that had been sent from a friend of a short stick figure animation with four hollowheaded sticks. sv finds the file during ava 4 and kinda wakes up the hollows. friendship ensues

the computer crew (ss!cg)

silver (victim swapped with blue)

technically the oldest of the computer crew due to having been drawn first in their file, silver is the sort who seems a bit cold and aloof to outside observers, but her family is more than able to easily read their subtle expressions. she often uses her neutral expressions to her advantage to poke fun at people who aren't as familiar with them. enjoys cultivating flowers and trees, as well as making potions.

charcoal (chosen swapped with green)

the second oldest of the computer crew and technically silver's twin (having been copied and pasted from the original drawing symbol of silver), charcoal is more than happy to take charge when it's needed. however, sometimes this desire to lead can turn into overconfidence, which can lead to a bit of a prideful fall. they enjoy messing around with noteblocks, as well as creating complicated pixelarts (that often get knocked down thanks to a certain bright red and orange duo)

cherry (dark swapped with yellow)

the third oldest of the computer crew, cherry has an endlessly curious mind, but often lacks the self-control to keep from doing more... dangerous activities. if you don't hear from him for at least an hour you probably want to go find him. he can often be found messing with redstone, and gets a kick out of figuring out new uses for tnt and end crystals (often accompanied by getting dragged away from their newest creations by charcoal or silver) (basically where canon yellow would watch mumbo jumbo or zedaph, cherry would watch docm77)

amber (second swapped with red)

the youngest of the computer crew, amber might seem a bit airheaded sometimes. truly when they get into trouble though, they often are able to come up with the most out there plans to get out of said trouble. this doesn't stop them from running into danger headfirst though (and often suffering the consequences...). when not drawing as a hobby, they often work on building up new structures for their family to use.

(also for reference ages are swapped/changed as well, so silver and charcoal are both 15, cherry is 14, and amber is 13)

the powered colors (ok i don't have a cool name for them)

prey (blue swapped with victim)

the eldest of the sticks made by [insert username here], prey was made to be nothing more than a punching bag, and nearly died as nothing more than a punching bag, choosing to use her second chance for vengeance. she runs nightshade corp with a warm smile and polite demeanor, but that warm smile can just as easily turn cruel when "testing" her newest concoctions on those she needs information from.

The Champion (green swapped with chosen)

made for a challenge, champion quickly lived up to that goal. champion has a strong sense of right vs wrong, which is why he attacked the websites of humans but changed his mind after seeing that he and hive were hurting other sticks. he has many powers, but his preferred power is his wind abilities! he likes sneaking into music venues sometimes to listen to performances in his free time. (champion has roughly the same power set as chosen, but again he prefers to use his wind powers over the other elements)

The Hive Queen (yellow swapped with dark)

made in an attempt to contain champion, hive instead forged a sibling's bond with her target, the two of them running to the outernet. while champion slowly lost interest in striking back at humanity after seeing the sticks they were hurting, hive thrived in the destruction, enjoying watching the traitorous sticks that lived with humans flee. when not destroying or annoying her older brother, hive works on making various technological creations, her magnum opus currently at the forefront... (hive has more electrical powers)

The Second Victor (red swapped with second)

coming into being by pure accident, sv quickly forged a bond with the computer crew, managing to arrange for him and the cc to stay on programmer's computer in exchange for 3d modeling help. sv can sometimes be a bit more cautious compared to his friends, but when caught up in the moment he's all impulse. despite not showing any sign of powers like champion or hive, he has had the ability to bring 3d creations to life... and a gap in his memory from the showdown...

(again, ages have been changed/swapped for narrative clarity, so prey is 22, champion is 21, hive is 17, and sv is 13)

"what about the avm sticks?"

well this one's a bit more complicated, so let's try to explain that one

Gold -> Purple

gold lived with their dad, a well-known fighter, until their dad got sick and sadly passed. in the aftermath of his passing they could feel everyone's expectations on them, the weight of their father's legacy. they couldn't take it anymore and eventually ran away to a computer that happened to have a minecraft game open. they accidentally saved some villagers and became crowned by them. it was nice to not have any previous expectations on them.

instead of betraying the cc for power, instead gold is a bit of a coward, tending to run away when things start to get hard or overwhelming. honestly the fact that they stuck around purple for so long is testament to how much they believed in purple's words.

speaking of purple....

Purple -> King

purple goes with their mother to the fair, and the workers allow the two of them to go into the minecraft simulator together. but things go wrong, and in an effort to save her child, orchid throws purple through the safety doors before they close and she gets sucked back into minecraft. purple refuses to believe their mother is gone though, and is determined to rescue her from minecraft's code, even if they have to tear it apart line by line... (a ghost lingering around them watches mournfully).

also they totally think gold is older than they actually are cuz gold's pretty tall for a 15 year old.

(gold is 15, purple is 19)

so the avm swap is kinda a circle swap? gold -> purple -> king -> orchid -> gold.

and now for other characters that i don't have designs for yet

the mercs

I decided to swap them with fanon characters because i thought it'd be interesting to see:

agent swaps with freedom guy

hazard swaps with hangman

primal swaps with the one

ballista swaps with the [selected]

[osheynn]

Fellow AvsM/AvsA community

I... Have made... Victim.. I have given Victim some outfits. Honestly I had a lot of ideas for our blorbo however when I drew my first concepts it all turned out very shoddy?? Anyways look at it and maybe choose your favourite, and give advices as I lack skills to make normal designs.

(hidden in readmore as post turns out to be pretty big)

And as bonus i have very first design idea of victim

1 - okay, my first try. Actually turned out pretty good and I love purple hues even with my colour correction on my phone. And this bow on their neck is just detail to add some more red on outfit yet not to make it so visible ok alright-

2 - my most favourite so far. But as I think about this back cape should be blue rather then red. Also I wanted to mention about black legs, can't give them any logical explanation but it looks pretty. I like this outfit the most x)

3 - uhhhh, not so official as you can say, I tried to make callback to their actually first design of mine, when everyone thought they are innocent dead person who happened to live only 2 mins and not... the leader of evil corporation..

4 - the mix of everything i gathered there. Happens to not be my favourite, I guess. I will work on it more.

5 - just decided to do something other from all I have done here. Simple and I love that orange fur coat. But that won't fit him I believe-

6 - WELL UM, THE COLOUR PALLETTE LOOKS UGLY ON MY PHONE DAMN YOU LAPTOP. I will fix it... I promise.

You must think why would they have so much clothes but I'm happy that they now have entire wardrobe and I need only to choose which concept to use further, which outfit will fit them more.

(i love their pose)

As I think it looked pretty much fine, but meh...

End :D

[dizzyisdizzy]

How do you usually pick your color palettes? I love how vibrant your drawings are without been intense to the eyes

I went over a couple things in a previous ask. So I’ll include some different ones this time.

A big part is just having an archive of 'things' in your head that develops your intuition when choosing colors. Not necessarily other illustrations/characters, but also logos, buildings, irl stuff? They all give you not just color palette ideas, but also color distribution. You can simplify both trees and bushes as green/brown, but if you picture their colors in abstract, the distribution of each differs. And that helps a lot in recognizing areas where your colors seem lacking, or areas where they *should* be lacking (and thus not attention-grabbing).

In general though I look at a char and decide on a 'main idea'; usually a 2-3 color scheme based off the original design that everything needs to revolve around. Pink/Blues, Green/Orange, Black/Red, etc.

From there my first pass at colors is splitting the piece into different elements (hair, clothes, skin) and giving them a high-max brightness base color with arbitrary saturation, and the lineart a notably higher saturation (and maybe darker) version of the base, usually hue shifted a bit to the left or right (Note this often won't be enough).

Some elements won't fit cleanly in the 2-3 color palette, or would blend in too much with the surroundings (especially with stuff like accessories or clothing patterns). In those cases I mess with the saturation, or use one of the other hues I've limited myself to in order to make it pop out more (outlining the object or giving it a shadow with the opposing color, coloring the lineart surround it, removing the lineart, etc).

Basic shadow colors is usually higher saturated and hue shifted versions of the base color.

The limited pallette creates situations where I'll use pink to act as highlights on Miku's blue hair. Or the pink is used to create extra hair strands for more volume. Limitations force creativity kinda deal.

Trial and Error 🙃. Get used to putting sets of shadings on separate layers so you can lock transparency and change the whole color at once. Same for having a dozen layers clipped to the lineart. Clip has a 'take me to layer this is on' button under Operations that's quite nice for this.

Choose a base level of brightness (usually max for me) and don't deviate too much. Brightness is a powerful part in how your art 'reads' so making something notable darker/brighter than the rest should be a deliberate decision that you make several other choices around. On that note, when I do make something dark, I make sure the lineart around it feels bright and saturated against it.

A buddy told me this trick where you have a layer of pure black on top of everything else. Have the layer setting to "Color" and it gives you an alright idea of how well your brightness reads.

Ok I wrote a lot.

[tea-cat-arts]

Ranking the “mostly white + 1 main color and maybe gold” designs because I’m trying to collect my thoughts and see which I want to redesign. Also, I’m only going to ranking ones that are currently in game (both because I’m taking how the gameplay interacts with the design into account and because I think lore + execution of lore should be taken into account when judging designs), so no Susannah.

Disclaimer: I’m trying my best to look at these objectively, but this is still art and my subjective biases will probably factor in. I’m not trying to convince anyone to feel the same way as me about these designs. Feel free to argue why you think something should be placed higher or lower. Also, spoilers lie ahead

S tier (excellent, wouldn’t change a thing)-

Strategic placement of black, more battle suit like parts saves all the parts from blending together

Keeps bits of the more mech-like armor seen earlier in game. Helps her look thematically consistent with the rest of Kiana’s designs

Nice range of values. The strong red cape really helps the white dress (?) stand out, while the little splashes of orange help keep it feel unified

Lovely evolution of the Void Drifter design

In actual battle, her mostly white outfit saved her from getting lost in all the glowy fire

I think having most of the colors being reflected off her is a fun application of her moon motif

Lines up well with the lore

Free pass on just wearing a regular dress since in lore, she was never a fighter

White dress with splashes of paint on it plays into the “Griseo is like a blank canvas that takes on other people’s colors” motif nicely

The dark blues and black are eye catching and contrast nicely with her dress and hair

A tier (good design, minor changes could make it a great design)

So the thing about white is though it is used as a wedding color in the west, in a lot of East Asian countries, it’s actually used as a funeral color. Idk if that was hoyo’s intention here, but the double meaning is fun none the less

The purple of the dress and pink of the hair keep the suit looking vibrant and colorful

Same thing with Flamescion where all her skills are very bright and colorful (mostly in origin form? I think that’s what it’s called?), so I think the white keeps her stand out

There is very little variation in tone between the pink and purple. One of them needs to be more saturated

I feel like it could use more variation in fabric texture

B Tier (good design, muddled lore)

Would be ranked higher if I didn’t have to google why this battlesuit exists. Her in game intro was messy

Has the unfortunate timing of being introduced in the middle of a bunch of other lore dumps and buried underneath the more important to the plot ones. I think it’s introduction would be much more powerful if it was just Rita becoming the Herrscher of domination (I am willing to elaborate via asks)

Like, imagine if she got some sort of a string weapon instead of the sword? I think that’d be neat

So basically I was just confused by the space theme till I googled it (and based on my Reddit findings, I wasn’t the only one)

Beginning of the not looking like a battle suit era, but the inclusion of gold bits and a couple under layers keep it from being a full departure from the usual motifs, but it does lack the mech bits

I think there’s more Rita battle suits that lack the mech bits than actually have the, so I’m fine with them being missing here

Good tone variation, clear segmentation

Elegant design for an elegant lady

C tier (saved by the gameplay)-

Her knight for straight up looks like lingerie, but her guardian form looks great

Having her armor switch to black in guardian form was a good call

Unlike Rita, most of Durandal’s battlesuits look like armor, so it’s weird this one doesn’t.

I’m ok with the mostly white color palette since it contrasts nicely with the horse

Speaking of the horse- I have no idea where he came from, but it looks sick so I’m completely fine with it being here

Though for a rewrite, I think a potentially fun explanation would be “unlocking both of her stigmata allowed her to use a divine key at its full potential and said key just so happens to have a horse/armor mode” (cuz if you need weird shit to happen, Vill-V is always a valid excuse)

It’s inconsistency in comparison to Durandal’s other designs + my very mixed feelings about her being the original Kiana and that process of awakening the Kaslana stigmata are mostly why I put her bellow Rita. I don’t really have any huge problems with this design

D tier (even great gameplay can’t save this)-

So for the design where Kiana is “no longer just reflecting others light, and instead becoming the sun itself” (or something like that), the decided to give Kiana the coolest color palette we’ve ever seen her in, take away her signature orange and Himeko’s red, and have her primary colors be Mei’s purple and Brongo’s blue… ok

Yes, I know blue stars exist and that they’re very hot. Honkai is a story set on earth though so it’d make more sense if she was becoming like our sun, not some one billions of light years away

The inclusion of HoV’s magenta accents is kinda nice though

That is a junior prom dress, not battle suit (the Fanny packs are based though). Where’d her mech parts go?

Instead of the skirt and wings by legs, I think it may of looked like a cleaner transition if the put wings it the same shape/area as HoF’s cape

After seeing how brights and glowy her abilities are, I’m ok with this design being mostly white

This designs just a whole lot of “ok, but what does that have to do with Kiana?” Why the junior prom dress? Why the flowers? Why she so urple?

F tier (the only one on this list I actively dislike)-

Since I’ve been pretty vocal about my dislike of Dr.MEI, I just want to start by making this clear: I like Raiden Mei. She’s cool. I don’t just have some anti-Mei bias. She’s at the bottom of this list though because she deserved so much better than this design and story (and I’ve been using her a lot in ER lately, so I’ve had a lot of time staring at her design)

Designs like these are why I have the “wait till it’s introduced in story” rule. I was sorta just “meh” on this design until I saw it in game

I hate this designs introduction. It’s just another case of the writers retconning the PE and glorifying the flame chasers/ forgetting why they existed in the first place

Mihoyo, Elysia’s been dead for 50,000 years! You can stop shooting her now!

Also another instance of Mihoyo forgetting Mei is an independent person and centering her narrative around her relationship to another character. Why’s it gotta be about becoming like Elysia and the other flame chasers instead of acknowledging their mistakes and learning from them so Mei can avoid their pitfalls and forge her own ideal future

Mei is so much fun to watch when she’s thinking for herself and forging her own path, so it’s frustrating to watch the narrative force her to walk down the path Elysia laid.

If I keep talking about this point I’m gonna go into rewrite/fanfic territory, so on to the design from a more technical standpoint:

There is next to no variation in tone (aside from her hair). Everything is just incredibly light. Her abilities in game are also incredibly pale, so she ends up getting lost in all the flashy lights

There’s so much texture throughout the outfit that there doesn’t really end up being a place for the eyes to rest

Though I understand why she’s blue, I think it’s inclusion was incredibly clunky. Including it as gems on the outfit or the underside of the skirt(?) may have helped the distribution look more even

If I went with the underside of the skirt being blue, I’d probably also say make her boots black (or just give her black tights or leggings with white ankle boots)

Orange (or at least Kiana’s shade of orange), blue, and purple are admittedly hard colors to make look good together, but there really needs some orange in there. Maybe sort of a deeper rose gold could’ve worked

I’m thinking like edae98 or fbbc93 (two on the top right)

^These things just need to go. The white skirt(?) over white boots just causes the whole bottom half to bleed together. Having so much weight on the bottom of the outfit also causes her movements to look incredibly clunky. Removing these parts would help to streamline it a bit

I like the idea of Mei sorta becoming Kiana’s dragon, but the wings and tail in the skirt get lost due to all the overlapping textures, and the wing sword doesn’t do anything. Girl has 3 swords but only uses 1. Why

Rather than basing her off a western dragon, I think they should’ve made her an eastern dragon. (Turn her HoT hands into Claws instead of wings, keep the “tail” of the skirt streamlined with a little flair at the bottom, turn her HoT horns into antlers). This way, they could keep the iconic elements of HoT while reframing them into something positive (for those who don’t know: it’s a lot more nuanced and complicated than I can really explain here, but eastern dragons are generally associated with good fortune)

So, ya- that’s all I got for now. If I left anyone off the list, they’re ranked lower than HoO for being that forgettable just let me know and I’ll add them on. Again, this post is mostly just me trying to collect my thoughts

[callm3-q]

WIP

What Defines ‘Eternal’

Angst, Fluff, Homosexuals :D, [LGBT]QSMP, comfort, hurt 

[Chapter 1, Never Will You Ever]

We all know Bad may or may not be a tad bit suicidal, and has been for a good while now. Unknown to others, only known to himself and the voices in his head. However, this secrecy can’t be kept up for forever, one specific person will find out. One person who can read bad like an open book, the one person who would actually do anything in his power to help his friend when he’s at his lowest. Of course, only being so nice to Bad under these unfortunate circumstances… Never on the regular day… But maybe, that would change…

…

…

…

Bad wanted to do anything but get out of bed today… Well that was a lie, he didn’t want to do anything at all. But he figured if he couldn’t be useful when his kids needed him and decided to run away instead of getting his help, he might as well go be useful in any other way he could. Despite not wanting to do anything but deprive himself of all basic necessities, and just rot away, wake up from this awful nightmare he couldn’t seem to shake. So he rolled off his bed with a thud,  with a lack of effort, making sure he fell face first into the ground. Bright blue blood dripped down to his chin from his nose, he just whipped it away and continued to go get ready for the day. He took a shower, not wanting to smell like an actual rotting corpse in front of his friends. Then he got changed, his usual black and “red” rimmed cloak, black shirt, black and “red” pants, and “brown” boots. His attire was obviously only black and gray at the moment to the average eye, but too Bad, trying to wash away all feelings of sadness to look as happy as possible for his friends, blocked it out. He pulled out his map to see where everyone was, seeing that the majority of them were at spawn, that's where he went.

All heads turned to the teleporting swoosh sound they heard, waiting for the purple particles to fade out before seeing who it was. Once fully visible, Bad was greeted by the islanders. A warm welcome despite his unusually cold look, he greeted them back sounding the furthest away from his welcoming tone as they had ever heard him. 

After a couple cruel lonely minutes, minutes that felt like hours to Bad. Foolish had woken up and warped to spawn. As soon as the particles died down, the first thing his eyes darted to was Bad’s abnormally gray look. Now, Foolish has seen every color on Bad, every shade of red, blue, pink, yellow, green, orange, and… white. Not too fond of the white, under the right circumstances maybe seeing him in white wouldn't be so begrudging. But he had never seen Bad so… Gray… Never in the millions of lifetimes they had lived through together, never gray. Foolish was noticeably concerned, more so than the other people hanging around Bad. Foolish couldn’t help but wonder why more people weren’t doing anything to try and cheer Bad up, yes it would be difficult with the eggs missing, but the least they could do was try. Bad had always been there for them when they were at their worst, why weren’t they there for him…? Foolish slowly walked up to Bad, staring him down, never breaking eye contact. Looking at the sad, monochromatic mess in front of him, had honestly pulled at his heart strings, something new… Weird…

Are you feeling ok Bad?- Foolish asked in a more soft tone, way quieter than what the islanders were used to. They had never seen this side of Foolish before, probably because Bad has never been like this in front of them either. But it still shocked them, so much to the point where most of the people at spawn were left wide eyed.

Don’t worry Foolish, I’m alright

You don’t look alright though Bad… You know you can tell me if you need anything

I told you I’m alright, you muffin-head -Bad said, forcing out a weak laugh after wards

Bad, I’ve known you for literally forever. I can tell when something's up with you dumbass…

It’s really nothing important Foolish… -It was bad, he didn’t even ‘language’ him, on a normal day Bad would go out of his way to make Foolish mad at him… Foolish could tell Bad needed some help, he just didn’t know how to get him to admit what exactly he needed help with

Come with me Bad -Foolish grabbed Bad’s wrist and dragged him to the way-stone, ignoring the shocked stairs they were receiving from the other people at spawn. He wrapped his noticeably larger arm around Bad’s waist, and warped them to the dragon

…

…

…

Why did you bring me here…?

Bad, tell me what’s wrong…

There’s nothing wrong… Or... at least nothing you need to worry about me for…

Bad… I know you're sad about the eggs disappearing, trust me...I am to… But they’ll come back, I promise you, everything will be fine and things will go back to normal… -Foolish didn’t know if that would be true, but he had hope, hope that they will come back ok

You promise…? -Foolish’s heart clenched as he heard how weak Bad sounded, no longer being drowned out by other people

…I promise…

…

…

…

Foolish…?

Yeah Bad

Can I… ask you a favor…

Sure

C-... Can you keep me company… Please… J-Just until the eggs get back, then I’ll be out of your hair. And I-

Of course I’ll keep you company Bad, and you don’t need to pay me back for it. But do know that if you were to ask this in almost any other circumstance my answer would have been no

I know… That just makes it even more special…

…

…

No more words were exchanged, they sat on the head of the dragon head looking at the sunset. Bad had leaned onto Foolish’s shoulder, letting out a sigh like a huge amount of weight had just been lifted from his shoulders. An invisible weight, one that seemed to have burdened him for a long time. Foolish wrapped his arm around Bad, pulling him closer, feeling Bad’s body heat radiating onto his skin. It was nice to know Bad still had that at least, compelling his now sad, cold colors. It was sad seeing Bad like this, terribly, terribly, sad. Why did Foolish feel so bad this time, he had seen Bad in worse condition, rock bottom even. Why does this feel different… It’s probably just because he understands his sadness this time, Leo and Veggeta are gone. He lost dapper, Pomme, Richas, and basically all the other eggs. So he understandably is going to take it the worst, so it’s fine that this time feels different. Yeah, that’s why. 

Foolish was taken out of his thoughts by the feeling of tears on his shoulder. Snapped back to reality, he looked over to see Bad silently crying, he was holding onto Foolish’s arm tightly. For dear life, holding on in fear that Foolish would leave him too… Foolish was silent, he has never really been good at dealing with his emotions, let alone having to help others deal with theirs. So he was silent, he pulled Bad closer, resting his chin on Bad’s head. Wrapping Bad in a warm embrace, one that was needed for so long but was never granted to him. So long needed that Bad forgot he needed it, forgot he deserved any sort of affection. He let Bad cry it out, cause who else would if not him. Bad’s quiet sobs hurt his heart, it was easy to tell that he had kept this in for a pretty good amount of time. That hurt Foolish even more, knowing that nobody had checked up on Bad before him. Bad was just sobbing into Foolish’s chest, hugging him so tight that if he were a normal person he could've easily been snapped in half. Luckily he’s not a normal human, he’s made just for Bad to hug the life outta him whenever he needed to do so. He hugged Bad back, gently, rubbing circles into his back. Reaching out his free hand to grab Bad’s hand, this action reserved only for when the other really needs it. Using his thumb to rub Bad’s hand, seemingly calming Bad’s sobs down to small hiccups. Still hugging Foolish, not as tightly, but still enough to snap a person in half. Foolish kept up the same actions until Bad pulled away, still close, in a looser hug. Still not wanting to let go, still having the fear of losing Foolish too.

Thank you, Foolish…

Any time, Bad…

Then silence, Bad moved closer to Foolish, pulling him back into that warm embrace. Foolish, still rubbing shapes into Bad’s hand. Only what felt like lines and circles.  

..   .-..   ---   …-   .   -.--   ---   ..- 

Before reverting seamlessly back to just side to side.

I miss them Foolish…

…I know…

… Why didn’t they tell us they were in danger… Do they not trust us…

I’m sure that’s not the reason Bad…

But what if it is… What if Dapper and Pomme and Richas just di-

Bad stop… You're hyperventilating, calm down and breath… They trust you Bad, they just didn’t want you to get hurt...

They should know by now I and others don’t care if I get hurt...

They [I] care Bad… They wouldn’t like to see you like this...

What do you mean like this, I look perfectly normal...

That’s the problem. Bad, you're clearly suffering and you won’t tell us how to help. We want to help you, we just need to know what to do to help.

I’ll just fix my own problems, we need to find the eggs

Bad the eggs will come back just tell me what’s wrong I want to help you

Foolish don’t bother helping me, I know you would much rather go look for Leo

You know what Bad, you're right. I do want to look for Leo, but I also want to help you. Please Bad… Let me help you.

Oh please Foolish, we both know this is a one time thing. Tomorrow you’ll go back to normal and I’ll just go back to being lonely, looking for any possible solution

Bad, as long as I’m here, you’ll never have to be lonely. I know I'm a jackass sometimes -Foolish paused, contemplating what to say next, love is too much, not that he loves Bad anyways. Care?Yeah

 but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. I’d never leave you to possibly hurt yourself, ever

Even if you do care about me, I don’t want to be a burden...

...

...

...

Never say that again Bad… You could and never will be a burden -Foolish said as he pulled Bad into a tighter hug, hugging Bad just as tight as he was hugging him earlier. That same person snapping grip was oddly comforting to Bad. Foolish was resting his chin on Bad’s head, breathing warm puffs of air into Bad’s long black hair. Again, something Bad found unusually comforting.

Never think that about yourself again

Bu-

Shh...

Again, that comforting silence.

That one type of silence that felt so unknown yet so familiar to Bad, the one that made it known to him that he had someone to seek comfort in. The person he knew would always be there for him, under any circumstance, despite never being willing to admit it. He would also always be there for Foolish, whenever, wherever. Every Monday to Monday, and Friday to Friday. Every hour of every day, Alway willing to put down any task at hand if his friend needed it.

He knew Foolish would do the same, The thought in itself was comforting. Everything at that moment was just comforting Bad in this dark time, the moon and the stars, Foolish’s tight and warm embrace, the warm puffs of air on the top of his head from Foolish breathing. The way that Foolish just held him there, not once loosening his grip, not once even thinking of letting go. Bad hadn’t felt that kind of comfort in years, just glad he finally got it.  His head was hurting from all the crying he did though, not that it mattered in the moment.

All the tiredness from the past 5 weeks was catching up to Bad, he hadn’t been sleeping well ever since the eggs went missing. Staying up all night, nights in a row trying to figure out where they went. Never taking the time to rest, figuring that once he found them it would be worth it. Basically just over-working himself to the point of mental and physical exhaustion, doing everything in his power to get his children back. Even if it meant losing himself in the process, he would still do anything he could. Foolish knows this, probably better than any of the others.

The details don’t matter right now, either way Bad is severely over do on a well earned break. With all the restless nights catching up to him, Bad felt his eyelids getting heavy. Despite the valiant effort, Bad struggled to stay awake.

Foolish could feel Bad shifting around as he drifted in and out of sleep, so he wrapped his arms around Bad tighter. Pulling him closer. 

About a minute later Foolish felt Bad stop moving, other than his chest rising and falling with his every breath. He had his mouth partly open, despite only breathing through his nose. His sharp fangs retracted to avoid stabbing himself while sleeping, but still sharp enough to make someone bleed easily. He was peaceful, for the first time in weeks. 

Cute, Foolish thought it was cute how peaceful he was… 

No. No, Bad is not cute. Not now, not ever… He, couldn’t, and never will be. Nobody in the right mind would ever think that… Hopefully no one… Wait… Why should I care, not that I do. Cause I don’t, I don’t… Care… Ugh! Why do I feel so weird! Why don’t I hate Bad as much as I usually do… It’s not fair… Why? Why now of all the times we’ll spend together, why do I have to feel this now? Not fair… It’s not even like he would even think about… Feeling the same way I do… It hurts… Why… Why, Why, Why, Why, Why… The heavens must hate me, must not want me to have anything good. Leo, Veggeta… Now Bad… It’s just not fair…

Before Foolish realized it it was dark, and the wind was blowing soft, and cool. He looked down at Bad, clenching his fist,

it’s just unfair… 

Foolish could feel the tears trickling down his face, the pain of having nobody there to love him. That’s all he wanted, love, that’s not to much to ask for right?

Ugh - Foolish thought to himself, using his free hand to wipe the tears from his face.- It’s getting cold… I better get Bad inside…

Foolish slowly turned to face Bad, careful as to not wake him up. He got up, grabbing Bad as he stood up. 

Bad’s weight is always shocking, he’s tall, and the cloaks he’s always wearing make him look a lot bigger than he is, making in near impossible to tell just how lanky he actually is. Despite him being one of the strongest people on the island.

Foolish adjusted, carrying Bad in his arms bridal style. He made his way to the elevator, bringing him to his bedroom[Foolish’s]. He laid Bad down on the bed. He covered him with the blankets and went to sit in the chairs, well, more couches than chairs. 

Bad furrowed his brows from the sudden lack of warmth, shuffling around in the bed. The last thing Bad needed right now was to be alone in any way, he’s already lonely enough as is right now.

Foolish couldn’t take it anymore, he got up from the couch and went to sit next to Bad. Bad nuzzled up to the sudden heat source that was returned to him, wrapping his tail around Foolish’e leg. Bad doesn’t do this often, wrapping his tail around Foolish’s leg means he trusts him. Foolish felt his face heat up, he reached down and grabbed Bad’s hand. Interlocking their fingers, rubbing his hand gently, his skin was soft. Way softer than you’d expect from someone who is always fighting something. His hands were also surprisingly small for someone who probably carries the heaviest weapons on the whole island, his hands were way smaller than Foolish’s, not going unnoticed.

He rubbed soft lines into Bad’s hand, feeling himself calm down. He let out a long, quiet sigh. 

He leaned his back against the headboard, closing his eyes softly.

Foolish was tired, he got more sleep than Bad by a lot. But that’s still not saying much, he had gotten less that 2 hours of sleep during the week. Less during the first week of the eggs disappearance.

The bed was comfortable, so, so soft. 

He just needed to sleep, sleep his problems away.

Drift to sleep, and wake up to Leo in her room, back all safe and healthy.

In her now empty room, the room that was once full of all her things. Her things are still there, all of it, but it still feels empty without her there.

Sleep

So, so very tired

Just, drift to sleep

…

…

…

[Chapter 2, True perfection…]

Bad woke up first, still groggy. He slowly opened his eyes. He felt Foolish’s hand on his, it was warm. He looked up to see Foolish’s face, he was calm.

Bad moved further up, moving Foolish’s arm to give him a loose side hug. He leaned against Foolish, grabbing his hand again. His hand was calloced from all the builds he’s done, but they were soft everywhere else. He cuddled up against Foolish’s side, and closed his eyes. Still tired from the restless weeks behind him, so he drifted back to sleep.

He was to tired to process what he was doing, just doing what felt like the best thing to do.

…

…

…

Foolish woke up about an hour later, getting most of the rest he needed. He used his free hand to wipe his eyes, blurt from sleeping for so long. He lifted up his head from leaning on the headboard, still waking up fully. He felt a light weight on his chest, and deep slow breaths on his side, followed by the hot puffs of air on his neck. He looked down, Bad looked peaceful, more so than before. He also looked more well rested, the bags beneath his eyes nearly gone, though they were never really visible to the average eye ever. Foolish didn’t move, not wanting to disturb Bad’s sleep. So he just watched, Watched as the mid-day sun illuminated his face, how soft his face looked, his eyes, gently closed. True perfection…

Those quiet thoughts were put to an end when he felt Bad waking up.

Bad yawned before taking his hand to wipe his eyes, slowly blinking awake.

morning

Hmm…Morning…

You can go back to sleep if you want Bad

Not…Tired

Ok

*Yawn* How long was I sleep for

Not long Bad, don’t worry -That was a lie, Foolish knew it was, but he couldn’t let Bad feel bad for getting the sleep he needed and deserved.

[this-geek]

Hello hello hello! For the weird writing questions: numbers 7, 35 and 40! :)

Hey hey, these are so fun. Thank you for asking them!

7. What is your deepest joy about writing?

Representation. That someone could see themselves in my writing, my words and feel joy.

35. What’s your favorite writing rule to smash into smithereens?

I guess the new speaker new line rule. Sometimes it's nice for an action tag to come before rather than after all the time.

40. Please share a poem with me, I need it.

OK, I'm guessing this means an existing poem because my own poetry is...lacking. I have several favourite poets and you would be correct in assuming they are Scottish. I couldn't decide my favourite so have multiple.

Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy

Not a red rose or a satin heart.

I give you an onion.

It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.

It promises light

like the careful undressing of love.

Here.

It will blind you with tears

like a lover.

It will make your reflection

a wobbling photo of grief.

I am trying to be truthful.

Not a cute card or a kissogram.

I give you an onion.

Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,

possessive and faithful

as we are,

for as long as we are.

Take it.

Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring,

if you like.

Lethal.

Its scent will cling to your fingers,

cling to your knife.

Also try: Eurydice, I laugh every time I read this one

Lucozade by Jackie Kay

My mum is on a high bed next to sad chrysanthemums.

‘Don't bring flowers, they only wilt and die.'

I am scared my mum is going to die

on the bed next to the sad chrysanthemums.

She nods off and her eyes go back in her head.

Next to her bed is a bottle of Lucozade.

‘Orange nostalgia, that's what that is,' she says.

‘Don't bring Lucozade either,' then fades.

‘The whole day was a blur, a swarm of eyes.

Those doctors with their white lies.

Did you think you could cheer me up with a Woman's Own?

Don't bring magazines, too much about size.'

My mum wakes up, groggy and low.

‘What I want to know,' she says,' is this:

where's the big brandy, the generous gin, the Bloody Mary,

the biscuit tin, the chocolate gingers, the dirty big meringue?'

I am sixteen; I've never tasted a Bloody Mary.

‘Tell your father to bring a luxury,' says she.

‘Grapes have no imagination, they're just green.

Tell him: stop the neighbours coming.'

I clear her cupboard in Ward 10B, Stobhill Hospital.

I leave, bags full, Lucozade, grapes, oranges,

sad chrysanthemums under my arms,

weighted down. I turn round, wave with her flowers.

My mother, on her high hospital bed, waves back.

Her face is light and radiant, dandelion hours.

Her sheets billow and whirl. She is beautiful.

Next to her the empty table is divine.

I carry the orange nostalgia home singing an old song.

Also: Divorce

Nae Hair Ont by Robert 'Rabbie' Burns

Yestreen I wed a lady fair,

And ye wad believe me,

On her cunt there grows nae hair,

That's the thing that grieves me.

It vexed me sair, it plagu'd me sair,

It put me in a passion,

To think that I had wad a wife,

Whase cunt was out o' fashion.

Also: this guy is very important we literally have a day dedicated to him 25th January every year.

[number1tailsdollfan]

uh oh I made a mistake in my warrior cats shorts wars au

(Writing this in the middle of the night excuse the lack of effort a dstuff)

shorts wars is filled with tons of jokes, and my au features a giant magical rock. But if there is one thing realistic in my au, it’s cat genetics. Why? Because. It’s fun. I could go on and on about cat colors. But just today i noticed a big mistake with two of my designs. Riggy and Preston. See, their main color is blue. In cats, this is what we call gray, it is caused by something called dilution. Thing is, Riggy and Preston are also tortieshells. They both have red, or orange, present on them as well. Thing is, the dilution would’ve made this color cream instead of orange. I forgot that. So now they’re blue AND red, which I’m pretty sure is only possible for chimeras, which would have some effect on the lore.

how do I fix this problem? Caramelization. Caramelization is a modifier, it changes the dilution to be warmer in color. Using this would have the cream parts appear more orange while only changing the blue slightly, all making Preston and Riggy’s designs only need minor changes. Ok bye

[tmnt-obsessed-ace]

Sunshine Of The Woods: Chapter 5, Familiar Aftermath

"What just happened?" Raph shouted, pushing a large piece of metal away while making a mad dash for the machine.

Or what remained of it.

The metal frame was half scorched, cracked and bent at disturbing angles. Metal shouldn't even be able to bend like that. Orange fire licked at the door frame, casting the entire room in a vibrant glow.

The only thing still remotely intact was the control panel in front of the door, with Leo's odāchi still plugged in.

The blade had a crack in it, shaped like a thin lightning bolt just below the hilt.

However when Raph raced over to the torched remains of the door, he didn't notice that the crack had started glowing.

"Mikey! MIKEY!" There was nothing on the other side of the portal, no burnt Mikey bits or shreds of his gear.

But that was the thing. There was no trace of the box turtle.

No orange fabric.

No Kusari-fundo.

No phone.

No Mikey.

He was gone!

"Mikey are you ok? Mikey where are you!" The eldest turtle continued to shout regardless of all the evidence saying that Mikey wasn't here.

Or lack of evidence to be exact.

"Where is he!" Leo screamed as more rubble began to fall, shaking the warehouse with each crash.

Raph dared to look up, his heart jumping to his throat.

The rubble was coming from the ceiling.

The warehouse was starting to collapse!

He looked towards the portal, Mikey was gone!

Where was he?

"Raph we need to go now!" Donnie yelled, a metal pincer grabbing his mask tails. It yanked the snapper back with full force, causing him to nearly stumble.

He was almost dragged back through the warehouse by Donnie until his legs finally got with the program so he could run.

The same metal-on-metal screaming suddenly started up again, just as loud as it was when the machine was activated. The warehouse began to shake, whining under the stress.

The ceiling caved in, forcing the two ninjas to stop dead in their tracks. Metal pipes and parts of the ceiling crashed down, electrical cables sparking overhead. Raph suddenly noticed that someone else was missing. "Where's Leo! Leo?"

Donnie looked behind, brows pinching together "Nardo what are you doing? Just leave it!" Raph dared to turn his head.

Leo was still at the control panel, trying to pull his Odāchi out from the metal.

The weapon was glowing. A bright blue hue that clashed with the orange flames that grew stronger by the second. The screaming was shaking the building as Leo struggled to keep a grip on the handle.

"LEAVE IT!" Both turtles shouted in sync, Leo whipped his head around.

"NO WAY!"

"LEO!"

"WE NEED IT! WE GOTTA FIND MIKEY!"

"WE WILL!"

"LEO PLEASE WE'LL COME BACK FOR IT!" Donnie interjected as the sparks made the fire grow stronger, singing his legs.

"IT'S ALMOST OUT!" Raph could see tears rolling down Leo's cheeks.

The glow turned white, every other noise drowned out by the Odāchi's wailing.

Raph grabbed Donnie as tightly as possible, surrounding the two of them with a hologram from his tonfas. And for the second time that day there was an explosion.

Burning flames.

Heavy black smoke.

Falling metal.

Shattering glass.

A wail of agony.

Then there was silence.

"...aph?"

"..raph?"

"Raph?"

"Raph!"

"RAPH!"

The first thing the snapper saw when he opened his eyes were two brown ones.

Two panicked brown eyes.

Donnie was sitting to his left, his purple bandana torn up, sharpie eyebrows smudged, bits of broken glass embedded in his right shoulder. His skin was coated in a layer of ash and sweat, far grimier than Donnie would usually tolerate. "Raph are you ok how many fingers am I holding up?" The softshell held up two fingers, though they were blurry.

Raph blinked the haze from his vision "Two? What happened?" Donnie whimpered, looking around at the remains of the warehouse. There was almost nothing left. The walls and ceiling were completely gone. Flames burned every surface with metal and concrete everywhere.

With a pained grunt the red clad turtle sat up, noticing a deep gash on Donnie's right forearm, staining the limb crimson.

"Leo's over there but I can't reach him!" Donnie gestured in the direction of the portal, which was now blocked off by massive metal pipes. The softshell hiccupped, furiously rubbing his eyes dry. "That dum dum! It's common sense that you leave the building that is about to explode! Not run back in! What was he thinking!" There were tear tracks on the younger turtle's cheeks.

The elder turtle stood up, ignoring how everything began to sway and grabbed one of the pipes. He chucked it away, doing the same thing with the rest of the pipes.

A pained whimper sounded from behind the rubble. It was Leo!

When the last pipe was moved…

Leo!

"RAPH!" The slider yelled, though it sounded like a sickening cross between a gasp and a sob. Donnie sprinted over and grabbed Leo.

He gasped, slapping a hand over his mouth. "Raph! Raph he can't walk you'll have to carry him!" When he came over and scooped Leo into his arms, he suddenly understood why.

His eyes widened in horror at the sight of Leo's right leg. The knee was clearly broken, bone jutting through the skin. It was bloody and mangled in a jagged scrape that covered the joint.

Oh god.

Oh fucking god.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" Leo sobbed pitifully in Raph's arms, fear painted all over his bruised, ash covered face.

"It's alright! You're gonna be just fine! Right Donnie?" The purple clad turtle gave Raph an incredulous look as if to say 'Are you joking?' Donnie simply shrugged. Not exactly an answer.

"But M-M-Mikey! We gotta find him!" Leo tried to wiggle out of his big brother's arms, to run back to the control panel and get his Odāchi so they could portal Mikey back home! Maybe…hopefully.

But as soon as he tried to move a scream erupted from his throat as his leg was moved. The slider suddenly went limp in Raph's arms, eyes rolling back into his head.

"Leo! LEO WAKE UP!"

"Raph! The fire's getting worse!" Donnie yelled, trying to shove the larger turtle away. "We! Got! To! Go! NOW!"

The two stumbled out of the remains of the warehouse and into the streets, fire engines could be heard rapidly approaching. Time to book it!

Raph threw open the door to the turtle tank, climbing inside with Donnie close behind. Once the door was shut the purple clad turtle took control of the tank, speeding down the streets. Opposite of the firetrucks they would have to take the long way around to avoid the humans.

"Move it! Outta the way bitch! Watch it!" Donnie yelled, swerving left and right through the road at top speed. Earning dozens of angry honks in response. Raph gulped, his stomach churning heavily.

The constant swaying of the turtle tank did not help matters. One hand was gripping the armrest of his chair so tightly that his knuckles had gone snow white.

The other hand was cradling Leo close to the snapper's plastron, like he would shatter if he dared to let go. Leo's pulse was rapid, but frankly Raph didn't care.

It meant that his younger brother was still alive.

Leo whimpered, shifting around in his sleep, face clenched into a tight grimace. Raph nuzzled his brother's head, churring softly to try and soothe him. It didn't seem to have an effect. "Just hang in there Leo, we'll be home soon and Pops can patch you up!" Those words were supposed to be encouraging, but they felt hollow on his lips.

"Will you fuck off you motherfucking cunt! This is an emergency you bitch ass whore so fucking MOVE!" The turtle tank's horn was slammed, the sound echoing across the city streets. Raph sighed tiredly, normally he would reprimand Donnie for swearing so much.

But after everything that happened today…first Mikey then Leo…

He gets a pass.

There was a soft buzzing from Donnie's side. Donnie grabbed the cellphone, glaring furiously at the screen. From where Raph was sitting, he could see April's profile.

Donnie hit call and put it on speaker "What!" He hissed through gritted teeth before honking the horn yet again.

"Dude what the hell?" April whispered through the phone. "You're scaring my parents!" Donnie suddenly tensed up, looking at one of the cars in front of the one he was furiously honking at.

That car was a blue sudan. A very familiar blue sudan. It belonged to April's parents! The phone fell from his hand and clacked on the floor.

"Donnie! Hello? Answer the phone!" April's voice went up a few pitches at the silence. Using one tonfa, a red hologram overtook Raph's free arm and gently grabbed the phone.

"Hi April! We can't talk now but Donnie's very sorry for abusing the horn. Just come over as soon as you get the chance, ok?" He heard April mumble something under her breath.

"Ok! Just don't do that! My mother nearly had a heart attack!" She hissed, voice barely audible on the phone. Raph nodded and hung up, his heart pounding against his ribs. Donnie whimpered, sending the snapper an apologetic look.

"It's fine Donnie, we'll explain everything when April comes over later!" The softshell looked a little comforted by that.

There was a sputtering noise from the tank, smoke puffing out from the engine.

"What the!"

"Shit! She must've been damaged in the explosion! Of fucking course!" The engine continued to sputter and whine, making Raph cringe nervously.

Donnie turned off the road, ducking into an alley before parking the tank. He climbed out, grabbing a box of tools on the way out. "Shit shit shit fucking son of whore I swear to fucking god." The door to the tank closed, leaving Raph and Leo alone.

The snapper gulped, rocking in his chair while holding his younger brother.

Leo's eyes were half open, completely dull and not at all focused on anything. Raph pressed their foreheads together, tears welling up in his eyes. This day was a complete disaster from start to finish.

First Leo's odāchi was stolen, then a fight against the Foot Clan ended with Mikey straight up disappearing! Gone! Blip! Bye bye!

Then the warehouse exploded. Twice!

Now Leo was hurt, the tank was damaged and they were still so far from home.

Tears dripped down onto Leo's face, Raph shaking as he held his brother. He failed.

He failed.

He couldn't protect his brothers.

He should've got them out of the warehouse faster!

Should've got Leo's odāchi back before it was plugged into that god damn machine!

Should've kept everyone inside for the day so this entire clusterfuck would have never happened!

But he didn't!

He failed!

He failed!

He failed!

He failed!

He failed!

He didn't know how long he was sitting there crying on Leo before there was a knock on the tank door.

Leo was gently laid in his brother's chair. Donnie must've forgotten something.

However when he opened the door he was met with April's worried face.

"Raph what happened?" She asked, taking note of the scrapes and bruises. The layer of ash, the tear tracks. The bloodshot eyes. Her gaze softened before she wrapped her arms around the snapper.

"A…a lot happened, April." He hugged the girl, tears falling into her hair. "Leo's hurt really bad…Mikey's missing." April pulled away, eyes wide.

"What do you mean Mikey's missing?" She asked looking around the tank for the orange clad box turtle. But he wasn't there. Her eyes landed on Leo and she gasped, running over to him.

"Oh my god! How did this happen? Who did this?" She asked, venom clear in her voice. As soon as April found out what hurt her brother there would be hell to pay. Raph shrugged. Where could he even begin? Exhaustion began to cling to his bones. God he was tired.

Raph scooped Leo up, yet again holding him protectively in his arms. "Donnie's fixing up the Turtle Tank, it got a little busted in the blast.

A cloud of black smoke puffed out from the front of the tank, directly into Donnie's face, earning a string of curses that would make a sailor blush.

"What blast?"

"A warehouse exploded. Twice" April's jaw dropped as she gave her brother a confused deadpan stare. God what did she miss?

"Ok, Ok start from the beginning. How did you four get into a double warehouse explosion?" She sat down on the arm rest next to Raph, one arm slung over his shoulders.

The weight was comforting, giving the red clad turtle the strength to actually smile a bit. With a sharp inhale he looked at April. "Ok so it started when the Foot Clan stole Leo's Odāchi from him in the park."

The snapper told April everything, from the fight at the warehouse to the portal opening and swallowing Mikey right up, then the two explosions and how everyone got so banged up.

Once the story was finished, Donnie came back, motor oil coating his upper body and head, much to his obvious displeasure.

"I can't fix the tank." The softshell slumped into his chair, furiously wiping the motor oil from his face.

"You can't?" April asked.

"How bad is it Donnie?" Donnie's face said it all. It was really really bad.

"First of all, hey April, sorry for scaring your parents. I was just in a hurry to get home…for obvious reasons." He pointed at Leo who was still mostly unconscious. April nodded in understanding. It was a stressful situation after all.

"So how are you two gonna get home without the Tank and Leo's sword?" Neither turtle had an answer to their big sister's question.

"We could take the Shell Hogs but I don't want to leave the Tank here exposed. Plus it might not be good to jostle Nardo anymore than he's already been." That was true, all the moving around could make Leo's injuries worse.

"Maybe we could make a sling of some kind on the Shell Hog so Leo isn't getting moved around so much?"

"Perhaps, if I can find the right materials." And with that Donnie left the tank, muttering under his breath.

April's phone buzzed, making her cringe. "I'm sorry it's my mom, I gotta go back."

"Wait, you left your parents?"

"We were going grocery shopping and I've been gone too long. I swing by the lair as soon as I can!" She bounded out of the tank and sprinted off into the streets. Leaving Raph alone yet again.

There was a mumble from the turtle in his arms. "Did anyone get the number of that bus? Ow…" Raph chuckled, nuzzling Leo's forehead.

"Are you feeling ok?"

"No I feel like I got pummeled by a bus, what the fuck happened?" Raph gently covered Leo's knee with his hand. His hand wasn't touching the injury, just hovering above it enough so the blue clad turtle wouldn't see how bad it was and pass out again.

"I'll tell you when we get home ok buddy?" Leo groaned, lifting his head up to look around the tank.

"Donnie's working on something outside…and Mikey's helping him." It was a lie, obviously. But right now Leo needs to rest, not work himself into a panic looking for Mikey.

"Where's the noodle?" Raph blinked at the question.

"What?"

"Y'know the noodle!"

"Leo, are you just hungry? Do you want some ramen or something?" The blue clad turtle shook his head, trying to sit up.

"Oh come on Raphie the scaly noodle! It bites and it hurty!" He gestured with his arms, making biting motions with his hands.

After a few moments the older turtle spoke. "Do you mean a snake?" Leo nodded so hard he almost looked like a bobble head.

"Big! White! Half metal! Baby noodles for arms! She was going to Coney Island! How sick is that!" Raph just stared at his younger brother. Was he serious? The words were half slurred together, the slider's eyes not even focused on anything.

He most likely has a concussion.

"Uh yeah sure buddy." A downright offended gasp came from Leo's mouth. He pouted, crossing his arms. Or at least attempting to.

"You don't believe me! Unbelievable! Our sister is a mutant noodle going to Coney Island and you don't believe me!" Leo pulled his head into his shell with a soft pop. Mumbling the entire time.

"Buddy, April's not a mutant snake-"

"Our other sister, genius!" But they didn't have other sisters. April was the only one!

Donnie came back in, a few bite marks on his arms.

"Stupid fucking raccoons, I got a sling ready on the Shellhog. You get Nardo back home and I'll see if I can get the Turtle Tank underground."

There was a thick sling tied to the side of the Shellhog, big enough for Leo to lay in without being jostled too much. Raph nodded. "Alright thanks Donnie." The snapper carried Leo outside and laid him gently in the sling, even putting his helmet on him. Just in case.

Once Raph got on he looked at Donnie one more time. "Promise you call me if you need any help, ok?"

"I can assure you Raphael that I will not require assist-" At the deadpan stare coming from the eldest brother, Donnie went quiet.

"Promise."

"Alright, I promise that I will call you on the slim chance that I do need assistance, now please get Leo back home or I will start biting." Raph chuckled and drove off, weaving through the back alleys to avoid being spotted.

Leo whined from the sling, his head pulled back out from his shell and once again wearing the pained expression on his face.

Raph frowned as he drove, they would be home soon.

Then this nightmare of a day could be over.

"Ow…ow ow ow…OW!" Another piece of glass was pulled from Donnie's arm.

It was laid down in the tray with the other bloody pieces. A rag was pressed to the cut, stopping the bleeding so it could be bandaged.

"That looks like the last big one." A grumble was the softshell's response. Raph ignored it, covering the wound with gauze once the bleeding had stopped.

"Oh joy, only about a hundred more small shards to go! Fantastic, he said sarcastically."

There was a small laugh from the nearby cot where Leo was laying. His right knee was in a thick blue cast, propped up by thick pillows.

"Aw come on DeeDee! Now you're all spiky like Raphie!" The slider cooed, words all jumbled together and mixed with giggles. So the pain killers are working.

When Raph pulled up to the garage, he didn't even bother to park the Shellhog before scooping Leo out.

"Pops! Pops!" He shouted, so loud that the walls shuddered.

He ran through the garage, his heart in his throat! "Pops! Leo's hurt really bad!" He almost sobbed, holding Leo as tightly as possible. On the ride here Leo had gone quiet, passing out again.

His breathing was shallow, pulse was weak.

And Raph was so scared.

Rapid footsteps echoed across the lair. A door was shoved open, revealing Splinter.

"Red what-" As soon as he saw Leo, Splinter gasped, covering his mouth as he hurried over. A hand was pressed to his neck, feeling for a pulse before resting on his forehead. "Take him to the medbay, now!" Raph didn't need to be told twice.

Once Leo was laid down in the medbay cot, Splinter rushed in with a massive first aid kit. While he got to work he glanced at his eldest.

"Where are Donatello and Michelangelo?"

"Donnie's trying to fix the Turtle Tank…and Mikey's gone."

Splinter froze.

"What do you mean Mikey's gone?"

With a heavy heart Raph once again told the story of what happened, and Mikey's disappearance.

"He just got swallowed up into the glowing portal! He could be anywhere!" Raph buried his face into his hands, hoping to god that the tears welling in his eyes would go away! "Is he ok? What if he's all alone? What if he's hurt? This is all my fault!"

"Red." Splinter's voice stopped the spiral before it could begin. "You couldn't have known what the Foot Clan was planning, or what that doorway would do. This is their fault and their fault alone. Not yours my son." Raph didn't exactly believe those words.

It's hard to believe it when you know you messed up. Your little brothers got hurt and got hurt bad, and the youngest one got sucked into a portal to who knows where.

Was Mikey even alive?

"We'll find him." Raph suddenly said, smothering all the doubt and anxiety. It won't do anyone any good if he worries himself sick. They will find Mikey and bring him home.

"Ok so, how are we going to find our little brother?" Raph asked the twins. Well he really asked Donnie, as Leo was still far too high on pain meds to be of any help right now.

Donnie's eyes narrowed, brows pinching together in what Mikey called his "thinking face." The purple clad turtle grabbed a nearby notebook and pencil and began sketching. "Well obviously that device from the foot clan was some kind of portal generator, using Leo's mystic odāchi as a power source. Or perhaps it was an amplifier to make the odāchi's portals stronger. Either one."

Raph nodded, pulling out a few small shards of glass. "Ok so where did the portal lead to?"

"Who fucking knows? It could've lead to New Jersey-"

"Gross."

"Or it could've led all the way to Asia or something. And that's assuming that the other end of the portal was still on earth. If not…anywhere in the galaxy, The universe?"

"Donnie not helping!"

"That's not even including the possibility that Mikey is even still in this universe!" A flick to the forehead silenced the turtle before he could go off further.

"Maybe Mikey's in Tahiti?"

"Or maybe Mikey's with the noodle!" Leo cooed, waving his arms around while making hissing noises.

Donnie scoffed. "For the twentieth time, there is no snake in Coney Island, you were simply hallucinating after hitting your head when you stupidly went back for your weapon." A raspberry came from the slider.

"No, I saw her when I grabbed my odāchi!" Donnie rolled his eyes.

Raph sighed as he put another bandage on Donnie. "Can you make some kind of tracking thingy to find Mikey?"

A shrug was his answer. "If we can find the odāchi and the control panel, perhaps. Assuming that Mikey is still on Earth and in this universe.

"He is."

The softshell looked up at Raph. "And how do you know that? That portal could have sent him literally anywhere! You have no proof to support your claim!"

"Do you have any proof that he isn't?" Donnie looked taken aback. Leo was laughing.

"Touché."

"Damn lmfao get told!" Of course Leo had to add in his oh so helpful commentary.

"Look until we have proof that Mikey isn't still on Earth, we assume that he is. Ok?"

"Schrödinger's Mikey. He is both here and not here at the same time! What an enigma!" Raph patted his younger brother's shoulder, but it was too late Donnie already went off into a tangent. Leo was staring at him, mouth agape as his mushy brain struggled to process any of the words.

Once Raph finished patching up Donnie, mind you he was still very much ranting by this point and didn't seem like stopping, Raph left the twins alone and climbed on the Shellhog.

He rode off as the sun was rising over the city, thank god that dreadful day was over.

His phone buzzed, a text from Pops.

"Red, where are you?"

"Just checking something out, I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Alright, but please be careful my son."

"Will do!"

Eventually he parked in front of his destination, Coney Island.

The amusement park stood tall overhead, the metal reflecting the rising sun like crystals. Rides and games as far as the eye can see. And not a single Albearto in sight! Mikey would love it here.

Could he? Was he?

Maybe he was just being paranoid.

Maybe this was just a stupid idea.

But maybe Leo was right.

And if he was right, that Mikey somehow ended up at Coney Island, could Raph live with himself if he didn't at least look?

Besides, if there really is nothing then Leo can rest a little easier.

The snapper entered the amusement park, hoping and praying that Mikry could be here.

And that the white snake wasn't.

[golden-rats]

Hold Me Beneath The Stars

I had a several hour crying fit before writing this and finished the most part at 3 am while watching santa jaws with @sweatandwoe and @sherwood-forests. So don't expect a masterpiece.

Pairing: Dewdrop x Rain Warnings: Implied/Referenced SH Tags: Hurt/Comfort, late night conversations, dew always copes alone, but not this time Words: 2.5K

You can also find this on AO3 here

As dark and endless as the night always had seemed, with its everlasting abyss of shadows and sounds, the tranquility. It was no match for how it looked inside the fire ghoul. Mourning. Hurting. All alone as he chose. But not tonight. Not this time. Not when Rain could make a difference.

“Hey, what are you doing up so late?” Voice still sleepy, Rain came out of the kitchen with a glass of water in hand. Ready to snuggle back into bed. When Dewdrop walked by, still fully dressed and with such silent steps he wouldn’t even have noticed him if he didn’t practically walk straight into him. Noticing how he tensed up right away. Tilting his head so his long open hair covered most of his face. “Are you ok?”

He was not. But he couldn’t burden the soft ghoul with this. Anyone else but not his innocent friend. Even though he’d always be the first to aid a ghoul in need. They were his pack. And Rainy only felt complete when he was able to provide help and comfort. But Dew was afraid.

“Just going out for a smoke..”

“But it’s raining?” Furrowing his brows, he didn’t have any time to react before the other rushed by. Dim sparks trailing after him. Chewing on his bottom lip, the water ghoul wasn’t sure how to proceed best. Should he trust his friend and leave it be? It didn’t seem like the right thing to do. Something was up and even if the fire ghoul didn’t want to talk about it now, he should at least know someone was there to have his back.

Rain knew everyone's favorite spot. Where his kin liked to hang out, where they felt most safe and what places they used when wanting to be alone. Knowing to avoid them there if they didn’t actively ask him over. So it was only natural for him to have a guess where Dewdrop might be.

And he found him. Half sheltered by the small roof he sat under. Feet dangling off the garden wall. The only thing illuminating the blackness surrounding him being his cigarette whenever he placed it between his lips. And his glowing eyes. 

His eyes that are usually so full of life, of anger, excitement, mischief. How they sparked up whenever he had passion. How they shifted from the deepest red to a full sunset of emotions, over orange and yellow, a sea of summer petals. They were warmth on a summers day. They were blind rage ready to defend. 

Right now? They were dull. A flickering flame in midst of this tempest of feelings washing over him.

“Why am I so weak Rain. Why can't I be normal?” Even his voice sounded not like his. It was quiet. Almost as if not to scare Rain away like a wild deer. The water ghoul saw it as an invitation to climb next to him, sitting close enough to wrap an arm around the slender shoulders if he wanted to, yet giving him some space.

“...You aren’t weak. You are strong. That’s why you’re still here, that’s why we met in the first place. Nobody is weak, we just have different circumstances in life to start and go with.” 

“I'm not good for you or anyone else.” These kind of thoughts were no stranger to Dew. The important part is, they were always just thoughts.

“Why do you think so?”

He inhaled deeply. Still unsure about all this. “I can't provide anything other than problems. I'm rarely around you guys anymore and when I am, all I do is vent and sulk.” Rain feared for a while now his friend wasn’t doing well. Noticing the lack of presence outside their rituals. “I frequently break promises. I tell people the world and what they want to hear but if it gets too much I just leave, not caring what they might do in that time. I'm so out of touch with my own kin that I show no interest cause it gets too much or I overshare till they grow tired of me always talking and having an opinion on every topic.” The fire ghoul brought one leg up to rest his head on his knee. Not caring it’s starting to get soaked wet. He still loved the rain, the water. Never forgetting where his roots lie. 

“I'm not very likable but you all put up with me cause I'm around. Because I'm a part of this project and they need to get along with me. It has no impact if I'm there or not. I'm a disappointment not only to myself but especially to those around me. Those that think they can lean on me…” Flicking the cigarette away he closed his eyes. Not being able to even look at the one sitting besides him.

“I'm not in a position to do anything or care about my life so how the hell am I supposed to care for people that mean so much more and are deserving of the world? And I do absolutely nothing about the position I'm in. Which is pretty pathetic..” A small chuckle escaped him. Ears lowering and tail swaying ever so slightly, brushing against Rains. He didn’t pull away.

It pained the gentle ghoul to see the complete opposite of his friend. His companion and bandmate. To see him so broken. With so much doubt in his head, his voice, his words. He didn’t deserve that. No one did. 

Waiting a few seconds to make sure this was all for now, Rain spoke up as well.

“It has an impact on me if you are here or not. I care about you and I love you. You are the only one who can change how things are. I'm very happily here to help, but you have to have the will to change this all. And I know you can.” Trying to sound hopeful, he put on a soft smile. Reassuring Dewdrop he wasn’t alone like he thought he’d be. 

“Why hate yourself when you can become the ghoul you can love? While it is true nothing can be done now about your elemental change… That doesn’t mean you’re a different person. You always were and still are you.” His hand found its way to the claw next to him. Taking it to interlace their fingers. It was highly unusual for them to have such a serious conversation. But he was happy. Happy that the fire demon finally spoke up instead of bottling his sorrows away.

Small waves of smoke poured from Dews parted lips. Trying to grasp and find the right words. Looking down on their hands. “I don't know if I want to change even more. It seems pointless. To waste time and energy on myself if all I'll be doing one day is just, retreat back to the pit to free my surroundings of having to put up with more of my insecure and selfish ass. But because of ghouls like you, I just can't do that.” Shaking his head he let go of Rain holding him. “I'm simply overreacting about everything. Probably like right now.”

Tears started to form in the corner of the water ghouls eyes. Listening patiently. Hurting for his kin. What makes him think all of this horrible stuff about himself? He was loved by everyone. Aether would take a bullet for him. Even Swiss loves him more than he would ever let show. Patrolling the hallway in which Dews room was situated to make sure he was fine. The ghoulettes had the most fun with him around, getting some much needed carefree time.

“Dewdrop, you returning to the pit would be the most selfish thing. You aren't a bad person, you are just broken. We all are fucking broken in a way. But hey if we are here already, why don't we glue the shards back together to build something great? I know you want change because you don't like how things are. People are sad when they don't like things the way they are. But the beautiful ability you have as a being is to form the world. Including yourself, your actions, your surroundings. Anything.” He finally closed the distance between them. Nuzzling against the shorter ghoul. “And spending time and energy on yourself is never a waste.”

Rain noticed. Of course he did. He felt the thinly healed scars when his fingers trailed over the fire ghouls hand, wrist, arm. Burned skin under his fingertips. Marks from those times when Dews sadness poured out of him like molten lava. 

He sighed. Wanting to say so much more but being cut off by sharp words. Being convinced Dewdrop could somehow hear his thoughts. Knowing how he thought about the harm the fire ghoul put on himself.

“I feel disgusted with myself. I hate that I enjoy this, but I also don't. It's like looking at someone who finally gets the pain they deserve. As if it's not my body. I see the person and just want to break them, in any way possible, by all means necessary. Till they can't stand anymore.” The more Dew spoke the more his voice began to shake and crack. He wasn’t so sure himself if out of sadness or anger. Anger over his thoughts and what he’s spitting out in front of Rain. Being so vulnerable. Sadness about the loss of his former self. 

Water was gentle. It meant healing and life. Fire was destructive, violent. He didn’t want to be that way. 

…that’s why we met in the first place.

Right. The ghoul next to him wouldn’t be here if Dewdrop didn’t transform. This thought arising made him look up again for the first time since they started talking. Made him look at Rain. See him. Actually accept his presence so near. Going so far as to lean onto him.

“I’m happy you’re telling me your thoughts. It's already great progress and even if you hate yourself, you already became a better person with this. I'm truly proud of you for staying here with me instead of sinking deeper into your thoughts, locked away from all of us. We do notice and care. We all..” Even the water ghoul had trouble speaking straight at this point..

“I can see your view and understand how you feel, and even if I don't agree with how you see yourself it's not like you chose to be like this. We can work on this in several ways. Perhaps finding something different as an outlet. Maybe something that distracts you when you have thoughts like this. So you won’t have to hurt yourself.”

“It feels like I'm not allowed to stop yet.” There it was. The thin line overstepped into sobbing. Dewdrop finally broke. And it broke something in Rain as well. Pulling him against his chest, stroking through his long hair. Trying to pour every ounce of comfort and healing he had in himself into Dew. Squeezing his eyes shut as he cradled the ghoul in his embrace.

“You are. I allow you to. You need one permission to stop something. You hurt the person enough now, believe me.” Feeling two hands desperately grabbing into his shirts fabric. Holding him even tighter. “Do you believe me?”

A few seconds went by. Giving Dew some time to collect his thoughts. To just cry. Neither one breaking the silence. The fire ghouls tears mixing with the sound of the rain. Forming a symphony of grief.

“How do I know it's enough?”

“It was enough since it started. Life hurt you enough already. Hurt it back instead of copying its patterns.”

Rain has both arms wrapped around his friend. Rubbing his back slowly in a circular motion. Feeling his whole body rise and fall. The sobs rolling through him, making Dew shudder and tremble. Trying to get some shaky words out in between.

“It's different when I'm the one in control of the pain. When I can hurt. When I decide how much and deep. It gives me a sense of, well, control. I never know what life has for me and when it'll hit next. Here I know. I don't know where the line is. Right now I just… Kind of hope I won't stop, until I stop.” Mumbling against his companions chest. He rubbed his face against the crook of his neck. Almost crawling onto him, and he probably would if they didn’t sit on a brick wall.

“Stop now. Stop so you can stop again. Stop so you know you’re the one in control. Stop so life won’t push you back and take away your sense of control. And maybe you don’t know when life will hit again, but you also don’t know when it will stand at your door with an apology. And while it happens you can still make your own decisions. You are in control when you form words in such an unique way nobody else could and create a universe that never existed before. You are in control when you write. You control the sounds and accords, you control your moves when you play music. You are always in control when you create. You have so much more power than you realize, don’t let anything take this away from you Dew…”

They stayed like this for who knows how long. Holding each other. Tails entangled. Letting the silent of the night wash over them. It was peaceful. With everyone asleep there was no pressure. No expectations to do or be something. It was the dead of night Dew enjoyed the most.“I'm sorry I'm putting you through that.”

Rain wanted to smack him for that. But at the same time, the fire ghoul rarely apologized for anything. He really had the feeling he needed to say sorry for this? “Don’t worry. I said I’m here and I hope I can help. I’m sorry you have to go through this..”

The soft ghoul pulled back a little. Wanting to have a clear look at the one next to him. Cupping Dewdrops face with one hand and stroking his thumb over the tear stained cheek. Searching his eyes for something.

“I'm proud of you for opening up.” 

“Don't be.” Whispering almost.

“Why not?”

Leaning into the touch, Dew reciprocated the eye contact. Feeling safe looking into his ocean eyes. The calm lake in the middle of his stormy sea.

“It's not an achievement or anything. It's common sense to do that. I shouldn't be rewarded just because I talk.”

“You should be because you made the right decision. And I’m happy you did so. I know it’s not easy for you. We can work on this. Nobody is perfect, you have to acknowledge and accept your flaws and backholds to be able to work on them and improve.”

A quick kiss was placed on trembling lips.

“You just couldn’t heal because you kept pretending you weren’t hurt.”

[sunshades]

HELLOOO 🍁 for tiare, marcus, and persnaps even rovi if u want :3c can be in terms of actual season and/or eladrin season for funsies

[oc asks]

OMG... babe wake up The Controversial Eladrin Question is here...

🍁 what is their favourite season? why?

(👑) well that's gotta be spring no question! (EXTREMELY LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER AND THE LIE DETECTOR GIVES ME AN ELECTRIC SHOCK) okay. actual answer: considering the main real world ref for brasidas maybe they too have a winter that lasts all the way to march... and it'd bother them as a Concept, how it lasts so little and doesn't do nearly enough to change the place. u want it to make the whole place green and warm but it doesn't. symbolically: it was kalan's season and they're trying So Hard to be that kinda person who is unbothered and joyful but they just aren't. NOWWW in season terms. and in eladrin terms. summer is about Action and strong emotions that are sometimes Bad AND it's about the sun being annoying as fuck. and mimi's at a summer point in his life. burning light reflecting off the water and limeade that needs more sugar 🍋 and. he'll learn to like spring again probably. in the eladrin sense of letting themselves be happy bc they feel like it and not because It's The Way I Should Be and also in the literal sense of: they need to go to a big flower field in the middle of spring and see the snow thaw and see that maybe SOMEONE was right and even their home can bloom in its own way and there is something good and worth saving in it. look at it all with brand new eyes. then it'll be spring.

(🍊) oughhh my boy... having barely really met anyone with even a drop of elven blood i def think marcus doesn't really have the... cultural baggage? about seasons that tiare has, which is a little bad and a little good. as we have previously established: he's mostly been autumn all his life literally because he's Like That and hasn't really… been feeling things that deeply, in a sense. not to be always quoting that ask polly post but yk "it's the strongest emotion you've ever felt and you've convinced yourself it's your destiny". actually another: the fucking conan gray song that goes "u don't have to act like all you feel is mild (...) u don't really like the sun it drives u wild" something like that going on. been too long by himself and it's like he's forgotten that he too is... just some guy and can feel angry or attached to someone just like anyone else and there's nothing wrong with it. so that is marcus' lack of eladrin baggage 🧍‍♂️ but similarly to mithra! i think rn he likes spring a lot, all the bright colors that feel so different from him, but he'll probably grow to like autumn as a Thing later on. spring being a symbol of rebirth but autumn too as a sign of a slower change, and a time to value your memories rather than just looking for something different. the backyard covered in brown and orange leaves and his mother's hands red with pomegranate seeds.

(🏞) ROVIIIII ok actually. despite having drawn em wintery to signify that in current times they're not doing well. they actually like winter a lot! they aren't winter a lot because they're just. not pensive and reflective enough, or haven't been most of their lifeSARFDTGHDSF genuinely don't think she has much baggage about it (i'm NOT lying, unlike for the marcus answer) which i guess is the positive point of having grown up in the feywild! they've always been used to change, it doesn't seem to bother them. anyway. i think the season roviere's most aligned with (and probably my favorite color palette for them also DCGHJD) is spring for sunlight til late in the evening and good winds perfect for seafaring. ideal conditions. but if you asked them: summer because they think they're hottest as a blonde. fall is probably nonio's favorite because the red to blue gradient is pretty and to him it means they're not Hyper Spring Mode so maybe they could sit down to relax together. so rovi likes it too by proxy.

[an-act-of-will]

Episode 2 Transcript

Thanks for tuning in to your regularly-scheduled writing journey podcast, An Act of Will. I’m your host, Sydney. Let’s get started.

Ok, so I seriously dropped the ball in terms of keeping up with this podcast, and honestly writing at all. This episode and the next were already written but never recorded, so I’ll just go through them and then the third episode from now I’ll catch you up on the new stuff. I won’t take a month to upload- instead, I’ll post this episode, then the next episode in a week, then the episode for where I actually am in my process a week after that.

I started editing my most-complete novel idea. I’ll call it The Village here. I’m on draft 5.5 because this draft is weaving in scenes more than anything, so it’ll probably be really similar to my previous draft. I took notes on draft 5 in my writing software so hopefully that will make it easier. I’m calling it draft 5.5 aloud, but in my computer it will be version 6 because drafts and versions are different for me. To me, a ‘draft’ is more complete, for lack of a better word, and a ‘version’ is any time you make edits. I rarely have half drafts.

The way I decided to edit is to write every major scene on white index cards and use copic markers to color code the top according to what act the scene is in, plus which major characters are in each scene. I only have five main characters I thought were important enough to have their own color, so that would be few enough that I wasn’t overwhelmed. Honestly, I fell off the ‘denoting what characters’ part. I also wrote in pencil what chapter the scene appears in and numbered the back so I know where I originally had them when I move them. I’ll finalize the order later, but I just need some record because there’s a lot of them, too many for a picture.

I also cut down card stock I had lying around to be roughly color-coded to what I decided to be my act color to be sub-scenes that are still scenes, just not major ones. I also had the transitional scenes between acts written on a different color of card stock so it stands out more to my eyes.

So I used: green for act one, pink for act two, blue for act three, and purple for transitional scenes. I wrote on the back of the purple ones which acts they served as a transition for and numbered those, too. I also had red scenes I know I need to move but can see where they fit in later when it’s time to re-arrange.

I actually color-coded the re-ordering as well. I also added page flags. Look at me, being all organized. I made a key because my brain will look at this later and be like ‘what does yellow mean again?’

Because it’s a mystery, I had blue page flags for general clues, yellow for specific clues, and red for red herrings. I seriously need to add a lot more of those. Then there’s orange for interviews my main character conducts and purple for re-interviews. Draft 5 contained a grand total of four interviews, and no re-interviews, so I knew I would have to write a lot more in to flesh out the mystery more because it felt way too easy and rushed when I re-read it. And, since there’s a romance subplot, pink for that. I need a lot more of those scenes, too.

Sticky notes also came into play. I added specific colors to the scenes that mean ‘move earlier’ or ‘move later.’

It seems super extra, and it took me a little over three working hours minus breaks to do it, but it was so important and so useful. It’s helpful for me to step away from digital and move to real life so I can physically move scenes around without worrying about having to undo any work I copy-pasted. Plus, like I said, I have a record if I need to change it back. Not as easy to do if you’ve moved five scenes after the one you decide works better where it originally was.

I used a thirty minute working session for the first one and forty-five for the rest because most of the first session was spent making a key and cutting down the card stock. I use an app called Forest to time myself because it gives me satisfaction to have a representation of the work I’m doing. Every session I complete, I grow a digital tree and it keeps count of how long I’ve worked that day at the top of the screen. Plus, I can look back and see how productive I was during the week and get the same satisfaction.

I thought I would really dislike editing- I always have in the past- but the process made it so easy, even a little fun. I’m making the story better without a whole lot of effort past the initial one with writing all the scenes down. I think I was avoiding doing this because I knew I would have to write a lot of scenes whole-cloth, but I kind of tricked my brain into thinking that those would be like drafting again. Will it majorly suck that those scenes will be first draft level instead of draft 5.5 level? Yes. But it has to be done.

After the index cards, card stock, page flags, and sticky notes were all finished, I decided the first thing to do was to choose an ‘editing’ candle. Yes, I know, it’s a weird first step. But I had a really little one on my desk that I literally never used, and figured that since scent is one of the most powerful memory triggers, that maybe I could use it to my advantage and light the candle every time I edit and it would keep me focused and not dawdling on the internet. Hey, I’m a candle hoarder and decided to use that to my advantage.

I then got down to the business of actually editing. I made a list of what scenes needed to be moved for sure. I have a picture-laden post on my blog on that I’ll link down below if you’re interested in seeing it. I’ll also describe it here.

So first I went through all my index cards for act 2, writing in my writing journal the scene summary on the red cards which I used to denote the scenes that need to be moved. I started with act two because surprisingly, I didn’t need to move any scenes from act one, though I probably will once I start adding scenes.

I changed gel pen color every scene, then I wrote down the chapter the scene appears in in my current draft in black so it stands out from the summary. I also added a short note to where it could be moved if I had a thought about it, also in black ink. As I did this, I made small boxes to the left of the scene summary matching the scene’s color so I can check them off when I complete them.

I used different colors because a) it looks prettier and b) it can sometimes be hard for me to separate tasks and similar things when it’s all one color of ink. It honestly looks like a wall of text to me if I don’t concentrate.

After I made the list, it was time to get a tri-fold poster board and go back to the index cards.

I arranged all of the act two cards on a tri-fold poster board so it didn’t take up as much room as the floor. Tri-folds are able to be folded away when I’m not using it, which is so useful because I could walk away and not have to clean up and then set up everything again.

So I set up my handy-dandy Forest app timer and got to work. I did two thirty minute work sessions that first day.

I discovered that every single one of my index cards, from all the acts, actually fit on the board. It’s tight, but they fit. This was good, because then I could see all of them at once and move them freely.

I ended up having to move more than just the red cards, which surprised me. But that’s the beauty of this method- you can just move an index card without having to copy-paste a whole scene.

When I thought I had a good re-ordering, I wrote in my writing journal what went where. To do that, I wrote down the original act the card belonged to and the original scene number. I made sure to title it as the first version of the re-ordering so if that changes, I’ll be able to tell which attempt worked the best. Then, the beauty of the trifold came in- I folded it away and leaned it against the wall in my room.

The next day I went at it fresh.

I, again, did thirty minute work sessions with about two minutes in between. Looking back, I should have done five minute breaks because after two sessions, my brain became goo. I took an hour break to let my brain rest.

But, thankfully, before my brain gooified I did some more work. I moved some scenes around and even saw where I could add scenes. I added post its in a different color to the places I thought I could add them and wrote a short description of what I thought the scene could be. By ‘short’ I mean five words or less. Then in my writing journal I wrote the place, the summary, and any more thoughts on what the scenes could contain. Unfortunately, I had few of the last point. But I still wanted to note it down in case I had ideas in the future.

And sidebar- I just realized I never told you guys what this story’s word count is. The latest version- version five- is fifty-seven thousand, one hundred sixty-nine words. Now, most writers know that a novel generally falls around the fifty-thousand word mark. I felt because I was over that benchmark, I was in good shape.

Out of pure curiosity, I looked up what an average word count by genre was. But when I found a source for my innocent query, which I’ll link in the description below, my heart sunk. Now, word count isn’t the only benchmark to shoot for when you’re writing, and I know that. You can have a novel that is outside those bounds in either direction and still be amazing. But according to the source I found, an average mystery is eighty to ninety thousand words. And thrillers tend to be eighty to a hundred thousand words. Mine is a mix of both genres. Ouch.

Now I do have to add scenes as I mentioned previously, but how the everliving Hell am I gonna write at least an extra twenty-three thousand words? That’s a lot of words!

Hopefully as I start to write the scenes I need to add, that gap will slowly close, but thinking about it makes me want to scream. Ah. The life of a writer.

After the hour break, my brain felt refreshed and I was able to go at it again. This time, I learned my lesson. I shortened the working sessions to twenty-five minutes and took breaks of five minutes. Hey, any work is work and the last sessions were hard for me. Take care of your brain, folks, you only have one and it gets tired.

I did two twenty-five minute work sessions and moved a few more scenes, enough to where I actually had to move index cards to fill in space because two or more major scenes had to move, and I made note of a few spaces I could add more. I also realized I had to split two scenes into two, so that was two half-scenes I had to move. Thankfully they’re more or less written, so I just have to add to them and then change them slightly so that they fit in the new order.

Then, because I had work soon after that, I wrote down this order in the same way I did the first re-ordering, including where I thought I could add scenes.

So all in all, I spent a hundred five working minutes ordering all one hundred twenty-eight original scene cards, and thirty-one spaces of where to add scenes, some with multiple scenes to be added. So with the multiple scenes taken into account, I have about fifty three to over seventy-one scenes to add. Ouch. I know, that’s a pretty big spread, but most of them were like, add two or three scenes here or one or two there. A few I had four plus scenes, but those will likely be short bridge scenes. So, if I don’t add any more scenes to my rough plans, which is doubtful, I’ll have one hundred eighty-one to one hundred ninety-nine scenes in total.

I feel pretty good about this re-order. I knew I definitely have some spots where I need to adjust, and way more scenes to add, but it’s coming along and progressing.

After this re-order, I made a list of the locations of the scenes I need to add and what they could possibly be about. I only had a couple of ideas of the content because I mostly just had a feeling that there should be more space between the existing scenes to space out plot points. So I knew they had to exist, but just not what they’d contain.

I’m not doing this purely to boost my word count, though that’s a welcome side effect. I’m doing this because my draft feels a little rushed most of the time and too easy of a mystery.

So not only do I have to add the scenes in the spaces I know about currently, I pretty much have to develop entire subplots with red herrings. My guess is that after I add the scenes in the places I know about currently, I’ll have to use some way to kind of track those red herrings. I don’t have any ideas currently, but I really hope I won’t need a cork board, tacks, and red string.

But I’m gonna focus on the scenes I know I need to add right now and hopefully those subplots will come to me.

Those were my first two editing days after the original scene cards. My grand total for those two days was one hundred seventy minutes, or just under eight hours. I’ll still work on editing, I promise.

That’s all for this episode. Thanks for coming with me on my journey through storytelling. I have a Tumblr at an act of will with hyphens between the words if you’d like to keep up with me there. I will see you in a week. Until then, I wish you well and happy writing.

[tea-and-formaldehyde]

Ok!!!!!!

Tried new shading technique- I love it so far!

This is Marc. Absolutely suffering from exhaustion and having two strange, god like beings with him. I kind of just came up with his looks one day- drawing random doodles, and this strange goober appeared.

Yayayaayayayay

I'm gonna drop more facts about him-

He hates his original blonde hair, so he dyes it. He feels like the blonde just isn't him. It also is a painful reminder of his sister, as she had the exact same blonde. It always stood out. He can't help but think of her when he sees his hair undyed, plain. And the memories he experiences are not good ones.

He doesn't like the bright, intense lights of his flat, so he bought LEDs and dim lamps as to make things less intense, and his curtains are stained with light red and they cast a very nice tint that he absolutely loves.

He's an avid urban explorer. He loves finding old and abandoned spots, delving deep into danger for secrets. It's a comforting hobby for him, as for a large portion of his life, he never got to explore anywhere.

He loves kids. He's always there to help a child in case they need it. He has a part-time job as a caretaker for a kindergarten, and it's the one thing he looks forward to during the week. The kids love him and they think that he's the coolest, when he tells them (slightly exaggerated) stories of his adventures in abandoned spots, but also tells them the dangers of it as well. He's also always got cookies and oranges handy if a kid forgets their lunch.

He tends to put others before himself way too much, and he's a bit of a people-pleaser. He sometimes hurts himself badly trying to protect others. He has a hard time saying no as he lacked social interaction as a kid.

With the cats, he often gets frustrated, especially with Socket. They both argue quite a bit. And when Socket convinces him to let it into his body, it does some pretty stupid things. But, as the balance, Pocket's always there to help out.