#shoutout to the 2 people who reblogged this post at the time of seeing this this is for you

[rageserenity]

It's 2024. Are you still thinking about movieverse!Cherik? Because I am.

For the past several months, there's only been a very slow trickle of posts/fics in the xmcu cherik tag. Let's try to breathe some life back into this incredible pairing!

With one clear winner of my poll, here's thirty prompts for the thirty days of April. (This is a super chill, laid-back event---do these in any order, interpret them as loosely as you like! Create in any medium! Fic, art, gifs, meta, incoherent screaming about the otp…all winners in my book.)

The only rule here is to cherik too close to the sun. Alright. Here are the prompts.

Mutual Pining

Doesn't really even need elaboration! Write that horrifically slow slow-burn. Gif every time McAvoy made insane fuck me eyes on screen. Make a playlist of songs about impossible love.

2. Alternate Meetings

There are endless quotes about how these two complete each other in a way no one they'd met before or after ever did. How else could they have met?

3. Erik Has A Telepathy Kink

This is basically canon. Let my boy get freaky!

4. Canon Fix-It

All the times Fox fucked it up. There are endless options.

5. Hurt/Comfort

Put them in that Situation. Put them in that Blender. Break them apart and put them back together ❤️‍🩹

6. Canon Compliant

Draw that missing scene! Gif your favourite cherik moment!

7. Beach Divorce

Make it worse. Make it better. Show it to us exactly how it was. Break it down in a 3,000 word meta. Go wild!

8. Domestics

Sometimes you just want to see them doing normal couple things. Erik put the gun down.

9. Found Family

The real heart of x-men!

10. Time Travel

There are SO many possibilities here. Stick them in a time loop. Give them a chance to change their past.

11. AU

Love a good AU!

12. There Is Only One Bed

Had to get this one in here. What better way to amp up the tension?

13. Genosha

By some miracle, cherik actually did end up together at the end of 2019s trash bag disaster Dark Phoenix. We aren’t making a big enough deal about this.

14. Declaration(s) of Love

Who says it first? How do they say it and when? Have they said it…without saying it?

15. Jealousy

Need I say more.

16. Reunion

These two have absolutely no chill.

17. Soulmates

Classic prompt, had to get this in here too.

18. The DOFP Aircraft

The TENSION here. Break it down for me. How does Charles feel about his injury? How does Erik feel about his injury?

19. Gay Mutant Road Trip

You already know.

20. Body Swap

SO fun when people have superpowers.

21. First Kiss

When? How? Who initiated it?

22. The Mansion

Mansion!content is a genre of its own.

23. Conflicting Ideology

Give me your theses. Who’s right? Can they ever reconcile completely? Write a fic where it drives them apart.

24. Sebastian Shaw

A trope unto himself.

25. Team As Matchmaker

They had to have known something was going on, didn’t they?

26. Cooking

Charles deserves a good meal. Also, imagine Erik using his powers in the kitchen. The sheer domesticity…

27. Hurt No Comfort

Plenty of scope with these two 🥲

28. Growing Old Together

Giving Sirs Ian Mckellan and Patrick Stewart their props as well!

29. Making Up

*pushes chess board across the table* sorry babe

30. Charles Xavier Did More For Mutants Than You'll Ever Know

Rising to each other’s defense. Only I can insult this man.

I will be tracking #revivecherik to reblog stuff! Here’s a fic collection for the same. Let’s get this ball rolling! Please feel free to send me an ask if you’ve got anything to say! And most importantly, let’s all have fun 😁

*I know a few of you preferred something like a gift exchange because of the commitment factor—I’m super down to organise a tiny one for the handful of us! If this promptathon doesn’t flop horribly, we can hopefully do a whole bunch of stuff :)

If you read this post all the way through, please reblog for reach! Thank you! Hoping you participate come April.

Shoutout to @inmymagnetoera for reaching out and helping with this!

[fairyhaos]

ᜊ : WELCOME TO FAIRYHAOS’...

hello beloved whimsies! we're finally nearing the end of another year, and just like we did in 2023, it's time to review everything that happened in 2024 ^^ here in this post i'll go back over some general stats, some "top (x)" categories, and also a shoutout to all the lovely people i've met here on tumblr <3

but first, the general stats!

the fairyhaos account was opened 603 days ago (as of new year's eve)

crazily, we have a total of 4382 followers already - which is 1505 in just this year,

and the total number of moots has risen to over 40 !

in 2024, ive written 34 works (+1 for tubatu!!),

created 21 gifsets (+2 for zb1!!),

made 3.6k+ posts in general,

received 325 posts in my tracked tag #useryenas (thanku guys so much for that)

and wracked up 62.7k+ notes in this year alone!

(which brings the total note count to 169.8k... LITERALLY INSANE)

statistics-wise, this year has been absolutely incredible, despite how inactive i've been, so thank you everyone!!

now, how about the top post stats?

total word count in 2024: ~87,000 words!!!

top fic of 2024: no such thing as too perfect // jww (2,300 notes)

top fic of all time: 04:15am // csc (4,514 notes)

fav fic from 2024: all mother nature's fault // hjs

top gif from 2024: joshua | arena x barrie (407 notes)

top gif of all time: gyuseokshu | babygirls (658 notes)

fav gif from 2024: yujin | prettiest person in the world

this is all absolutely amazing, but genuinely, this wouldn't have been possible without the support and love i've received from all of you: moots, followers, and everyone else who has been so, so kind.

so finally, here are my thanks!

first port of call is of course, my most beloved writer moots who i've known since day 1! thank you to @blue-jisungs for being so bright and friendly, to @weird-bookworm for being the biggest, kindest supporter i could ask for, to @etherealyoungk for being so lovely all the time, to @icyminghao, @hannyoontify, @wheeboo, @slytherinshua, @haecien, @wollycobbl3-blr @gyuswhore @arafilez @eternalgyu @idubiluv @wonwoonlight @odxrilove @leejungchans @joonsytip @mirxzii @trblsvt @reikaryu for just being so sweet and so fun and making me grateful every day that i found you. i talk to u all with varying degrees of frequency, but still, i love you all so much. thank you!

and ofc, there are my incredibly talented cc moots who have been w me since last year :( our main content may be different, but i'm so thankful to have known u all bc you're all the friendliest, most talented people in the world! to @sugurugetos for always being so kind since day one, to @vcrnons for being the sweetest, to the always friendly @soonhoonsol, to @meowonhao @h-ao @seokmins @joshuas, thank you for being here because you brighten up my dash, without a fail, all the time!

then to all the moots i made this year, hello and thank you!! thank you to @chwedout for being so silly and kind, to @96z for your loveliness and being the caratblr glue, to @jeonwon-wonwoo for being the kindest soul ever, to @planetkiimchi and @eoieopda for being fun and sweet and so, so nice. and of course, thanks to @pookiez, @p1harmonie @rosieposie @y-eontan @fabulaee, because we even though the only interaction we have is reblogging the same stuff and me putting things in your tracked tags, i love seeing you on my dash and you make my day so much better, genuinely. <3

it feels strange to put this in, but i also want to thank the people who i follow, even if they don't follow me back: because i love your posts, and i think it's important that i say it! you all form a key part of my experience here, so thank you: @jeonghanic @soobinies @lee-sanghyeok @yeonjune @db2k @hoshingi @wnjunhui @renjunniez @myungjaehyun !!

but there's no way i'm forgetting everyone else!

to @melodicrabbit @caratsandpotatoes and @minhui896, whose rbs i always look forward to whenever i post; to @chocoreads and @k1eev for being excited about yeoubi since the start, thank you so much. to the people who tagged me in their fic recs post, thank you too!!!

to 🍒 anon, vernon anon, glasses shua anon, 😼 anon, and any other named anons ive forgotten, thank you for popping into my inbox and making my day. to any unnamed anons, or anons who appeared once and then left, or those who came back without an emoji: i see you, and thank you for interacting with me!

and then to anyone who i haven't called out—all of my lovely supporters, beloved yena's fairies, thank you! i see you all, and i'm so grateful for all your love and i'll look to repay it in kind with much more content to be released next year. 2024 has been a busy year, both personally and for fairyhaos, and i'm where i am right now because of all of you.

happy new year everyone, and i hope you're all nothing but happy and healthy in 2025 💗

[sister-lucifer]

Taken To Another World 

⊹₊⟡⋆A Multifandom Fantasy AU Themed 5K Celebration Writing Challenge⊹₊⟡⋆

Special thanks to @ghostboneswrites2 for inspiring this! 

Interested? Keep reading! 

There will be two prompts for each genre; a pair for fluff, a pair for smut, a pair for angst, and a pair for horror. Each prompt comes with its own criteria, so read carefully! 

How To Participate: 

Reblog this post (for reach! thanks!) 

Pick a prompt (or multiple) 

Write your fic 

Post it and tag me (feel free to send it to me directly if I don’t see it!) 

Use the tag #lucifer’s 5k fantasy challenge 

The fandoms this challenge is open to are as follows: 

Obey Me!, Creepypasta, Marble Hornets, Batman (and all related media), Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (all parts), and any original characters/universes.

Don’t see your fandom? You’re still free to use these prompts (and please tag me if you do so I can see it,) but it unfortunately will not count as an entry for this challenge!

Rules: 

Feel free to pick multiple prompts, but you cannot enter more than one fic per prompt! 

The fics can be part of your own ongoing series, but they must be able to stand alone as their own piece without the additional context of the series 

Please state which prompt you chose somewhere on your post 

Feel free to cross post your work to another site such as Ao3, but please, do mention that it was part of my challenge 

Anyone can participate in this challenge, however I ask that minors stay away from the NSFW prompts 

You are free to bend the prompts as you wish, there is no mandatory time period or setting 

My inbox and messages are always open if you need to ask questions, consult me, or just want to discuss ideas!

The fics can be Character x Reader, Character x OC, or Character x Character; relationships can be platonic or romantic as you wish

Some prompts are written with pairs in mind; feel free to modify this to fit in as many characters as you’d like. Poly relationships included!

Absolutely NO incest OR pedophilia under any circumstances 

NO AI, NO using other people’s writing, and NO using a piece you’ve already written

Pay attention to the criteria! Prompt 1 will have a required quote, and Prompt 2 will have a required plot point/action

The Deadline is currently undecided. This will be updated soon 

Winners: 

I will choose up to 3 finalists for each prompt.  The finalists will be presented in a poll, and the readers will choose the winner. 

The winner of each prompt will get their own shoutout/promo post including an analysis of what I liked about their fic, & at least 3 fics I recommend from them and why. 

Does all that sound like fun? Good! Here’s your prompts:

Over The River, Through The Woods…

Fluff + Faeries

Prompt 1:  In a fit of rebellion, a naive royal flees from the castle and into the woods. They stumble upon a faerie who, against all they’ve ever been taught, seems rather…kind. 

Necessary Criteria: “Anyone can do a good thing if they try.” / “Well…how often do you try?”

Prompt 2: Fae don’t often leave their villages, except to gather. Unfortunately, one foolish faerie has found themself entangled in a trap left behind by a human hunter. Even worse, the human has returned to see what they’ve caught; although, they seem far more curious than hostile. 

Necessary Criteria: One of the characters teaches the other a new word in their native tongue. 

Magic Begins In Superstition, And Ends In Science…

Angst + Alchemy 

Prompt 1: The job of an alchemist’s apprentice is rarely an easy one. Magic is a fickle mistress, after all. When the apprentice’s companion tries to pull them away from their work, the argument gets heated, until the pressure becomes too much and causes an intense explosion…literally. 

Necessary Criteria: “You’re not even smart enough to understand what I do, and you think you get to tell me when to stop working?!”

Prompt 2: The alchemist’s work is starting to consume them. Blinded by their pursuit of knowledge, they recklessly decide to slip a bit of their newest experimental concoction into their companion’s meal without their knowledge. The alchemist convinces themselves this is all for the greater good, and surely nothing all that bad could happen, but soon comes to regret it. 

Necessary Criteria: A horrible transformation. 

The Tongue May Be Twice As Sharp And Thrice As Lethal As The Blade…

Smut + Swords 

Prompt 1: A rivalry between two swordsman gets a bit out of hand when the pair decide to make a salacious bet over a duel: whoever loses must play submissive to the other, starting from the moment they drop their sword. 

Necessary Criteria: “Don’t think I’ll surrender that easily.” / “Mm, I didn’t think you would…I like it so much more when you’re fiery.”

Prompt 2: A courageous knight rescues a royal from the clutches of peril, and their majesty simply can’t let their hero leave without thoroughly rewarding them for such bravery. 

Necessary Criteria: The pair narrowly avoid being caught in the act. 

Cursed Is The Man Who Dies, But The Evil Done By Him Survives…

Horror + Hexes

Prompt 1: Foolish explorers accidentally wander into a witch’s garden. One of them can’t resist plucking a berry from a bush, not giving it a second thought as they swallow it down, only for the horrific consequences of a curse to start taking form the next day. 

Necessary Criteria: “Please…you have to tell me you know how to make this stop.” 

Prompt 2: While treasure hoarding is generally frowned upon among honorable bounty hunters, some simply can’t kick the habit. This quickly proves to be a terrible mistake, though, as a cursed trinket starts to warp its owner’s mind and plunge them into a darkness that turns them on the one they love most. 

Necessary Criteria: Creative use of an everyday object as a weapon. 

Final Reminders:

Most importantly: Have Fun! 

Make sure to read the rules carefully! 

You’re always free to ask questions! 

Tag me in your entry + use the tag #lucifer’s 5k fantasy challenge! 

Happy Writing, everyone!

(even if you don’t plan to participate, please reblog and share this post so others will see it!)

[fuckyeahfraxus]

Fraxus Week

                                      is approaching for yet another year!

We haven't forgotten or dropped this event! Due to admins' personal issues, it takes place around a different time this year. Thank you all so much for your patience and your continuous love and support ❣️

Save the dates and please help spreading the word as much as possible. Even if you don't plan on participating, it would be a great help if you share the post 😊. Every reblog helps us to get the information around, so nobody misses the oppourtunity ❣️

As every year we can't wait to see what you guys will come up with for the prompts and thank you for everyone who sent in their suggestions. We made sure to try and mix and match them well!! It's always a highlight of the year and it's so amazing to see that the love and fandom for this incredible ship still very much existent and strong. Newbie or oldie, we welcome you!

The week will being on the 31st of August with the first Bonus day (we call it Fraxus Week Eve) and end on the 8th of September with the second Bonus day, as usual. The rules haven’t changed but please make sure to read them again, especially if this is gonna be your first time participating.

So, the prompts, finally, - here goes!

August 31st/Fraxus Week Eve: (Dancing in the) Rain / Height of Summer

September 1st/Day 1: Learn how to love / Transformation

September 2nd/Day 2: Sports & Competition

September 3rd/Day 3: Hidden moments

September 4th/Day 4: Dusk/Dawn or Moonlight/Shooting Stars

September 5th/Day 5: Solace / Haunted

September 6th/Day 6: Mischief and Debauchery

September 7th/Day 7: Guildmates / Family

September 8th/Bonus day: Mythology AU/Crossover or Videogame/Movie AU/Crossover

RULES:

Everyone is allowed to participate and basically every sort of entry is allowed! Art, a fanfic, edits, headcanons, …everything! Just make sure that it has to do with Fraxus and does not imply something else/negative/other ships/trigger topics like r*pe etc! It also shouldn’t include something n.sfw. Entries bordering on n.sfw or suggestive mentions are alright.

Please put at least one of the tags fraxusweek or fraxus week in the first five tags of your entry! fraxus will suffice, too, if you forget to tag it otherwise but using the first two named tags will just make it easier for us to find the entries for this week! If you have twitter, you can also post your entries there with the tags!

You can also combine prompts, create multiple pieces per prompt or not use the prompts at all. If you’re not inspired by any of them, it’s okay to do your own thing or do something similar to the prompts.

The prompts can take place in the Canon Verse or an Alternate Universe, it's up to you!

Don’t worry about being late/on time! Late entries are always welcome, no matter how late. We know that things can get stressful very easily, so don’t worry about it!

Do not steal other people’s content! That won’t be accepted and that applies not only to this week but in general. Also refrain from reposting somebody's work without permission.

You can also submit your entries to our blog if you want.

If you’ve got any questions, just shoot us a an ask or a private message!

That’s it! We’re super looking forward to the event again. Let’s celebrate our beautiful ship!

The artwork on the banner is drawn by the absolutely lovely @intelligentbiscuit! We used it with their permission and want to give a shoutout for y'all to go and support their artwork! Y'all can find the original artwork post right >here< and they're also currently taking commissions. Thank you again for allowing us to use your artwork for the banner <3 😊

[orbleglorb]

tumblr in the blaseball universe, part 10

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9

image descriptions: the first image is a thick black bar meant to separate posts. the second image is a thin gray bar meant to separate reblogs. they are used continuously throughout the post when appropriate. like right now

☎️ official-jessica-telephone 🔁

☎️ official-jessica-telephone

what happens if the real JT wants this URL. it's a part of me now. who do i become if i have to give it up

🐟 offishal-jessica-telephone Follow

she'll have to krill you for it

☎️ official-jessica-telephone

WHO ARE YOU

102 notes

☕ eyesinthedark11

every day with salmon weather for the past few months, my dad has miraculously "found" fresh salmon for us to have for dinner. should i ask him where he's getting it from

#personal #i know the answer. i just need the verbal confirmation

0 notes

Whoops, looks like this post doesn't exist!

🐍 gamer--gorgon

shoutout to the guy (who i think might be in our shadows?) that goes fishing during every salmon game. you should see if you can get anything from the floods

#if he's a shadows guy it's extra funny because he's gotta come up from new jersey #all the shadows share an apartment there #charla said she thought she knew him but every time she tries to get into the stands to talk to him he just disappears lmfao #i get it king. i really do

41 notes

☎️ official-jessica-telephone

what do you MEAN they're rebooting supernatural???

35 notes

☕️ eyesinthedark11 🔁

☕️ eyesinthedark11

i understand that this is ostensibly a terrible thing to say but i truly do not think parker macmillan did anything wrong. if my mom was the coin i woulda done worse. i wouldn't have only been passively killing

🦆 peripheral-duck

everyone wants to act all gifted kid burn out fleabag mommy issues #coquette #girlblogger but the minute mommy decides murder is okay if it gets her some money it's all "well why didn't PARKER do anything :/" you fake fucking bitches. bro got cursed to bring destruction in his wake and THEN cursed to wander everywhere. we're not going to question that??

☕️ eyesinthedark11

if the coin was my mom i would have burned the whole earth years ago. not even because of firewalker or anything i woulda just done that

#like you are looking at mommy issues supreme. you show some fucking respect #<- PREV #on one hand it feels really weird to say these things about a Real Guy who is possibly still alive #on the other hand. you fake bitches #if you've reblogged a fleabag quote i don't wanna hear shit from you #'maybe the fireballs didn't know what instability was' valid point! #but that does not mean they're not at fault. you know #idk why everyone expects parker to just. fix everything. #if he's in the vault then he's been 19 for like 50+ years. he suffers more than jesus

5 notes

🐶 catgirlfirefighter

it's somehow the league's best kept secret that mike townsend is deaf. people keep coming to me like, "idk how you're friends with the guy, he just ignored me, he's such a dick" bro he can't hear you. and also yeah he is a huge bitch

#right judgement wrong reason #mike if you're reading this. ily <3

112 notes

🦞 marketplace-shellfish

Hey has anyone heard from that guy who was making the "meatcute is not real and can't hurt me" affirmations recently? I can't tell if it's a bit or not but they haven't posted since.

#blaseball #san francisco #san francisco lovers #hopefully it's nothing and i'm just anxious lol

11 notes

[zepskies]

hi! so I had a question, how long did it take you to build a following on tumblr? how long have you been writing for spn as a whole (I assume you started with it but I’m not sure I meant when did you start writing on the app mostly) and do you think it usually takes as long as it did for you for other people? (I hope the wuestion made sense)

Hi there, lovely anon!

Oh, these are great questions, and I'm happy to answer. I'm going to be referencing this post, as someone asked me a similar question.

I also talk a lot about my beginning fanfic/coming to Tumblr experience and building a following in this interview I did with the @idlingintheimpalapodcast.

That being said, here's how I got started in SPN fandom and on Tumblr, and 6 Tumblr Tips related to how I've tried to grow my blog:

Learn How Tumblr Functions

Create a Tag List

Posting Schedules, Announcements, and Sneak Previews

People are Visual (Use Images & Design Elements) + shoutouts to blogs I looked to for inspo

Support Your Fellow Writers! Reblog/Comment on What You Read & Enjoy

When I Do Get Engagement, I Reply to Comments and Reblogs

Deeper dive below the cut:

Writing for SPN & Starting on Tumblr

To be honest, I'm a bit late to the party when it comes to Tumblr. I've written for many different fandoms over the 15 years or so I've been writing fanfic, but I've been writing for Supernatural in particular since around 2015. I wrote on platforms like Fanfiction.net, and later I moved over to Ao3.

I dabbled with Tumblr starting in 2021 while I was working on a Billy Butcher x OC story for the Boys (And So It Goes). But after watching the last season of SPN, I got the SPN bug again, so I started dipping back into the fandom.

But I wasn't really that active on Tumblr until January 2023, when I wrote my first soulmate AU series for Dean Winchester, called Never Say Goodbye (Dean x soulmate!Reader).

That started a very fun journey for me in the Tumblr world, engaging with people and making friends here with awesome people! 💕

Now, here are a few tips on what I've learned in building my following. You don't have to do exactly what I did. This is just my advice based on my personal experience here:

Tip #1: Learn How Tumblr Functions

Everything has been a process of trial and error. I have a professional background in content and social media marketing, so that knowledge has helped me a lot with some elements I'll get into later.

But it took me time to learn the Tumblr landscape. I had to figure out:

Why it's important to reblog -- not just your own work in replying to people's comments, but what you read and enjoy. It's what makes Tumblr go 'round.

The different mobile vs. desktop views and functions.

How to format my posts and use hashtags that would best optimize my fics and posts, based on the most followed tags in the fandom I was writing for.

How to create design elements, like banners, dividers, and headers that matched my aesthetic and the fandom.

Make sure my blog is easy to read, visually, and easy to navigate, technically (links to my masterlists, series masterlists, tag list, my fic library side blog, Patreon, etc.).

I'm still adjusting all these things now and then as I figure out new ways to keep readers engaged, and make my blog as easy to navigate as possible.

Tip #2: Create a Tag List

A tag list is a list of blog users that request to be tagged in your upcoming fics. (See this post on tips for formatting tag lists and optimizing hashtags on posts.)

Some authors don't do tag lists anymore because they find it a hassle (and it can be), but even if you're just starting out, advertise your tag list -- I suggest at the end of a fic and in your bio, your masterlist, and/or navigation page. It will get more eyes on your posts, and hopefully more engagement.

I used Google Forms to build up my tag lists because it's easy to use and it creates a Google spreadsheet for you based on the responses you get (an idea I got from another writer who was doing the same thing). You can also create more sheets within the file to organize the responses by character, for example.

On my tag list, I gave readers options to choose which character they wanted to be tagged on based on the fandoms I write for. I also created tag lists for new series to go with the series masterlist. Like I said above, I created spreadsheets for each of these lists within my tag list form master sheet.

Now, you don't have to do it exactly this way. There are many ways to keep track of a tag list.

Some people may think my approach is too much work, but this was very successful for me in building up my tag lists and increasing my following. Staying organized is key! 🤓✌🏽

I have since created a side blog @zepskieswrites for people to follow with notifications on, since my character tag lists are full.

Tip #3: Posting Schedules, Announcements & Sneak Previews

When my blog started to gain traction from my first SPN series, I knew I wanted to post consistently to keep people's interests. For me, this meant once a week (sometimes more if the mood strikes me), to keep that momentum going. YouTube vloggers do the same thing for this reason. They have a set posting schedule and give announcements.

You don't have to post once a week. You don't even have to have a set schedule. That's just what I did last year to increase engagement, but also because I love to write, I was getting inspired, and I made the time for it!

Remember that writing and sharing your work and being a part of the fandom on Tumblr is supposed to be fun! At the same time, what you get out of something depends on how much time you have to put into it.

Basically what I’m saying is, I’ve put a lot of time and energy into my writing and my blog, but only because it’s been very fun to do it! 😉

Now, going back to being consistent. It can help you! When people know they have content waiting for them by a certain timeframe, and they see that you stick to that deadline, they're more likely to tune in and engage with your work.

Of course, real life comes first, always, and things can derail you, but on the whole I make sure that I keep my word when I say I'm going to post something. Tumblr has a scheduling feature that allows you to schedule posts ahead of time, which I use on a daily basis. That can help you as well.

To try and generate buzz around new stories, I give writing updates or announcements, often with sneak previews, and the dates when I plan to drop the upcoming story. When I'm writing a series, on each chapter I give a preview of the next one, so I can try to keep people invested and waiting for the next chapter.

Tip #4: People are Visual (Use Images & Design Elements)

A huge element of successful content and social media is visuals. The first thing people are often drawn to when they look at a web page, an ad, or any kind of digital content is the picture -- and any other visual elements. Then they look at the title/headline, followed by the rest of the story.

This is why I always lead with the title of the story/headline and a GIF or image at the top of the post for a story. Draw readers in with their eyes to the visual, and then the content. I now create my own design elements, including story headers.

When I got started here on Tumblr, I also took a closer look at how other popular blogs I admired were organizing their masterlists, formatting their stories with banners, dividers, tags/warnings, word count, creating tag lists, and more -- both to create their blog aesthetic and to make it easier for readers to enjoy their work on different levels -- the content itself, and the visual elements.

Shoutouts to some of those writers I looked to, who have a lovely blog aesthetic and organization: @luci-in-trenchcoats @deanwinchesterswitch @deanbrainrotwritings @dean-winchester-is-a-warrior

Form and function is a balance, and they should work together. For example, there are some design/post formatting elements that are getting popular now on Tumblr that I personally don't vibe with, because I think it takes away from the reader's experience.

Like making the entire post or story in small case. Readers that have trouble seeing small fonts won't want to read this.

or making everything in the story lower case. this just bothers me for grammatical reasons. guarantee i will be turned off from reading. 😂

Also, most people browse Tumblr on their phone rather than on desktop. (About 62% according to current Semrush statistics.) So certain things that are small in your desktop version will be even smaller on mobile.

If you have a custom blog design, some design elements may not transfer well visually on mobile vs. desktop, and vice versa. So you'll want to check both versions to see how it looks, and possibly make adjustments.

Now, this isn't to say you have to become a graphic designer if that's not your thing. There are plenty of people who share their lovely designs for free, as long as you make sure to credit them if you use one of their banners, dividers, etc. Check out @cafekitsune and @firefly-graphics, for example.

Some of them even take requests. Just make sure to check their bio to see if they state whether they're currently taking requests or not. (This also goes for writers on fic requests.)

Tip #5: Support Your Fellow Writers! Reblog/Comment on What You Read & Enjoy

This is part of the fun when you start truly engaging with the fandoms you love.

Likes are cool. Comments are wonderful. Reblogs with comments are awesome, because not only do they get that engagement/feedback that they can reply to, but the reblog helps your fellow writers get seen. And while they aren't obligated to, they might be more inclined to do the same for you.

You'll also start to develop relationships within your fandom community. This is how I've made many friends and gained new readers on Tumblr -- by reblogging, sharing, commenting on what I liked about the fics I read. 💜

I try my best to support my fellow writers, no matter how new or how popular they are. Just because a writer has a bigger following, doesn't mean they appreciate feedback any less.

Feedback gives us writers energy and fuels us to write more. It can lead to more inspiration, and to continue the series you might be so invested in.

So if I took the time to read something, if I enjoyed it, I'm usually reblogging it and sharing my thoughts, even if it's just a gif or a couple of lines, or a long raving review. 💖

Tip #6: When I Do Get Engagement, I Reply to Comments and Reblogs

Along with supporting my fellow writers, engaging with the lovely people who read my work is just good fun! It's the best part of sharing my work on here and on Ao3. And it lets them know that you value and appreciate them for taking the time to comment and/or comment in a reblog. 💓💓💓

I hope these tips are helpful! Now, to answer your last question...

Do you think it usually takes as long as it did for you

[to build a following] for other people?

Interesting, but the truth is, I'm not sure. My knowledge of content and social media marketing has probably given me a leg up, I think, even though it took me a while to learn the Tumblrscape. I've also been writing fanfic for a long time. Long before I ever heard about Tumblr.

I've spent years studying literature, creative writing, and screenwriting, and putting it into practice. I've spent years writing for other voices besides my own, outside of the fanfic world. Like anyone else, I can only go by what I've learned, my own instincts, my frame of reference, and what I want to write about next.

Like anyone else, I can only hope that what I put out there vibes with people and touches them in some way, enough that they feel comfortable letting me know what they thought about it. 💜

In the meantime, I'll just keep getting inspiration from this guy (and other characters):

[arcanegifs]

On Gifmaking:

So season 2's coming soon, and I wanna reflect on making gifs ever since I came back to Tumblr. I can't believe it's been 2 years of making gifs for this show!!!!! Look at how large my folder is lmao

And those are JUST gifs lol

Anyways, over time, my style has changed, especially how I color edit Arcane gifs. I kind of strayed away from a stylized filter color into just something that looks a lot more "natural" and works with the original scene.

Initially, I thought I'd save time, but I ended up not using my old arcane preset PSDs and resulted to coloring almost every scene manually. So in the end, it takes even longer to make them HAHAHA. It takes around an hour and a half for me to make a 10 gif set, basically. It also helps that I have a photography background, so coloring/editing is a lot simpler for me.

Here's a lil before and after of a dark scene (hiiiii viiiiiii <3)

Arcane is a REALLY dark show, but it goes for most of TV shows. Many of them are darker and harder to bring up the lights to make stuff look nice as gifs. Some people don't like to color their gifs, and that's okay. I personally just like color edited gifs more.

I've started learning how to upscale scenes myself, so that I have a better resolution and leeway to make things look "HD" more.

If you're wondering why my stuff look so "crisp", it's a combination of the scene's lighting, my sharpening settings on Photoshop and knowing how to upscale everything into 4k resolution. Of course, doing this needs an extremely beefy pc, which I am very lucky to own one.

Here's another before and after of a nicely lit scene. These are much, MUCH easier to do than all the darkly lit scenes because of shadows and lighting (caitlyn kiramman truly the rizzler <3)

I've been very lucky to be able to essentially take a nice, long break for like a month doing nothing after being so damn busy for the last year and a half, so it's nice that I was able to make a ton of gifs and be chronically online for a short while LMAO.

It's been so fun! But it's time to go back to reality lmao. I closed reqs for a bit because I was just so swamped with them the last few days, and I wanted to gif scenes that I like this time. I've done like 2 weeks worth of gifs. And you will see Vi a lot bc she's on my mind a lot heehee 🥰what can I say, she's such a babe <3

Here's a lil sneak peek, just look at herrrrrrr 🥰🥰🥰 and yeah, 4k upscaled resolution really helps making these tight crops, it's why i never went back to 1080p lol. It's how I’m able to make zoomed in gifs look decent (like the kirammountains gifset lol)

Thank you so much for all the support, likes, reblogs, and the nice tags you guys give. Yes, I can see and read all of them (both the nice and nasty ones lmao). If you have nothing good to say about the characters or my editing style, or anything related to the edit, please I beg you, just write a separate text post about it <3 If you have nothing nice to say, don't say it in my edits.

Lastly, thank you to the people who share my stuff outside the site and credit the blog and link them back here. I see you and appreciate you <3 You guys don't know how much I appreciate shoutouts and link backs, because people stealing my gifs is something that I've dealt with after making them for like a decade.

Tumblr is sadly not what it used to be in the 2013-2015 era. There’s definitely less activity as time goes by, so I appreciate all the people who credit and link back to this sideblog. Unfortunately, there’s more people who just repost them and it gets wayyy much more traction in other soc med sites. Yeah, ofc I get a lil jealous, but eh what can you do 😞 can’t really stop em.

I also don’t like putting watermarks because it personally looks tacky to me, but I understand why other people do it.

Anyways, if you reached at the end of this lil rambling of mine, thank you! I sadly might be busy during November because that's usually busy season, but I'll try to make time for making gifs of Season 2! Thank you and enjoy your stay on this lil sideblog :)

[cheriden]

「 txt saying white dad vernacular 」 。。。

𐙚 SOOBIN

• *Eye rolls* “Oh for crying out loud!” • He DGAF. “Welp.” • He thinks he ate. He thinks he’s cool. He thinks the phrase “Go take a long walk off a short pier” is an epic comeback. • “I’ll do you one better” • “Honest to Betsy” Who is Betsy? • Says “To be frank,” too much in arguments. He is losing. • “Christ Almighty!” • “Guilty as Charged” When someone compliments him • "I don't give a darn!" Clearly, he does

𐙚 YEONJUN

• Picks up the phone saying: “Yellow?” • Has ”Livin’ the dream” under as many instagram posts as possible • *Scoffs* “That’s rich coming from you.” • All bark, no bite when he says, “You’re barking up the wrong tree!” • He shakes a fist in the air, saying “Why I oughta!” • “Let’s rock and roll!” And he’s gearing up to do something dorky. • “Get a load of this guy”

𐙚 BEOMGYU

• He hopes you’re ready for a “knuckle sandwich” • “Whoopsie daisy.” • Taunts people by saying “Oh yeah? You and what army?” • Asks for you to “hold your horses” • Overreacts. “It’s got a little kick to it.” It is level 2 buldak. • Hears Yeonjun pick up the phone saying “Yellow?” and thinks it’s the funniest shit ever. He answers the phone with ���Green?” Nobody gets the joke. • Says “I'll be there in a jiffy.” Is an hour late. • “You really screwed the pooch there bud.” So many words, so confusing. Even he doesn't understand.

𐙚 TAEHYUN

• Points at you and says: “You’re on thin ice, pal!” • Offers to make you a “cup of joe”. • “Great work team!” • “News flash buddy!” or “No shit sherlock.” He thinks he’s being devastating • *Salutes* “See you later alligator” • “Time to clock out!” He’s tired, let him have this. • *Shakes his head* “I don’t give a rat’s ass."

𐙚 HUENINGKAI

• Thinks everything is the “bee’s knees” • “(Foreign name)... I’m gonna butcher this” • Claps his hands and says: “Let’s skedaddle.” • You’ve really done it now, you’ve made Kai angry. “That’s it. No more Mr. Nice Guy!” • “What a hoot!” and it’s something mildly interesting. • “Take a hike!” • Will add “bud” or “buddy at the end of each sentence.

Shoutout to white people 🔥😭❓ thank u for these phrases i think abt them a lot

thank you for reading! feedback, reblogs and tags appreciated♡

[sabo-has-my-heart]

1500 Followers Event

*Gasps* Can you believe it? The day is here! The day is actually here! The day of….

Mitsuri: The 1500 Follower Event Poll!!!

Wait, what are you doing here?

Mitsuri: I’m… I’m here for the event poll.

Guest appearances aren’t supposed to be until the event itself…

Mitsuri: w-what? 

Well, I suppose I’ll make an exception this time. So, let’s tell them what the poll options are!

Mitsuri: Yay! Alright, well, with the 1400th follower (shoutout to @audrey-93 for being our 1400th) our wonderful Astra decided that she’d run a poll to let the followers decide what the 1500 follower event would be.

And what a great time to do it! During Election Season (In America)! So the options are as follows:

AU Event 3: AU Event 3 would be exactly like AU events 1 & 2 at 200 and 300 followers. Much like AU events 1 & 2, you will choose a character, choose an AU from those that I will put together, choose a prompt from the lists I’ll put together, and a please, thank you, or other form of politeness/pleasantry. Then you’ll send it in and if it follows my rules, then I’ll write it!

Open my inbox of 3-6 months: So I closed my inbox some time ago because I felt underappreciated. I felt like my followers and/or readers were treating me like some sort of writing machine that spits out fanfics without any sort of care about who I am as a person. This option would open my inbox to regular requests for a period of 3-6 months depending on what sort of requests I get. I would, of course, expect my rules to be followed and patience to be had, but I would open my inbox to requests.

Old Fic Rewrites: pretty self explanatory. You send in a request to rewrite one of my older fics. I’ll make a list of fics that I absolutely will not rewrite as well as a rule of how old a fic has to be for me to rewrite it, but in general, you’re asking me to rewrite a request. Depending, I may or may not add a prompt option to this. In which you, the requester, say “Please dearest Astra, rewrite this fic with this prompt.” and I’ll go, “Awww, how sweet of you to be so kind, alright, let’s see what I can do!”

Top To Bottom: This is a new one that was offered by one of my beautiful followers (named by me). What this means is that it will be reader (or character) x bottom!Character. Please Note that just because they’re bottom, does not necessarily mean they’re submissive. You can be a dom and be on bottom. Furthermore, this won’t be nsfw only. There will be sfw options! Do I serve smut? Yes. But this is an equal opportunity, all inclusive blog, meaning minors are allowed so long as they stay out of the smut!

Other: send me an idea! If enough people vote ‘Other’ I’ll take all of the other ideas and put them in a new poll!

None: you don’t want an event. You don’t want me to run an event. For whatever reason, you think that I shouldn’t run an event.

As a final note! I require 150 votes on this poll to run the event! That’s 1/10th of 1500 followers. I’m asking for a total vote count equal to 1/10th of the total followers to reach the milestone! That’s not that many. Heck, I have no way of knowing who voted and whether or not they’re a follower! You could message 150 friends and tell them “I’ll give each of you $2 if you go on Tumblr and vote this option.” (If you have this many friends and that much money, however, I think you’d be better off paying me, it would be much, much cheaper to pay me to run the event, lol). Or you could reblog this post as go “hey guys, vote on this for me!” whatever it takes to get 150 votes! Anything less and I will not run the event! I don’t care if it was 148, I don’t care if “I didn’t get time”. This poll will be set for 1 week! 150 votes! With that said, happy voting! (And happy voting season to all my fellow Americans. Please vote!)

[climbthemountain2020]

2024 Fic Writer End of Year Roundup

Answer and then tag three or more creators to keep the game going!

(If you're in my answers consider yourself tagged if you'd like to play!!)

1. How many words did you publish on AO3 in 2024?

437,868! 

My goal was 100k hahaha I got a little carried away.

2. How many fics did you complete this year?

14 fully completed and posted!

3. How many in progress or ongoing fics did you start this year?

Woof. Lol, one actively in progress fic of just my own, one surprise sequel for January that's done but not posted, one timeloop that’s still going strong, and countless WIPs because I have no self control. Plus three books in various states of completion.

4. What was your favorite thing you wrote?

I think Hope of Spring is closest to my heart because it was my very first. I kind of picked up writing in January for the first time since high school, and having it be somewhere where people could actually see it for the first time and, more than that, liked it, was so insane to me. Sentimentally, that would be my favorite. 

But I think I had the most fun with Flame of Autumn and Your Eyes Whisper Have We Met!

5. What piece was your most experimental or different from your usual style?

Azris! I have never ever written mlm before, and I took it on as an alt in the gift exchange (If Only In My Dreams). I’ve read SO much Azris, but it was my first time writing it and I had such a blast.

6. Did any fics surprise you - either while writing or their reception?

Absolutely Your Eyes Whisper Have We Met. I was so intimidated to start my little feysand one shot because the big feysand writers were who tempted me into the fandom so hard in late 2023. I felt like there was no way I could do it justice, then the “one shot” became 150k lol

7. Do you have a fic you wrote and loved that went under the radar? (This is your sign to reblog/repost it!)

For sure my Helion x Lady of Autumn fic Love You Like Oxygen. I LOVED writing that fic, I just think it’s in a real niche area, but I’m always so pleased when people find it and like it!

8. Who is an artist that inspired you?

This list is endless

@velidewrites @jadedbugart @witchlingsandwyverns @laxibbeb and absolutely a million more. I have such awe for the artists in this fandom--everyone blows me away!

And in terms of moodboards and other creative joys, @octobers-veryown has a talent for it that I cannot comprehend. Truly--every thing is a masterpiece. Did you see her gift exchange bookmarks??

9. Who is an author that inspired you?

I could not possibly name every one haha.

Before actively joining the fandom, I was busy fangirling over @popjunkie42 @the-lonelybarricade @rosanna-writer @separatist-apologist @thesistersarcheron and many others.

Once I joined, that group became infinitely larger! I will read anything by @witch-and-her-witcher @wilde-knight @missfckingfortune @beesays @cauldronblssd @iftheshoef1tz @chunkypossum @secret-third-thing @acourtofladydeath @tunaababee @belabellissima @shardminds @damedechance @foundress0fnothing

and a trillion others. I will say until my dying breath that I think this fandom has some of the most absolutely insanely talented writers in the world.

Special shoutout to @ablogofsapphicpanic for her brave take on my favorite piece of fiction this year.

10. Who is a new author you discovered?

Okay literally everyone though since I was brand new. I am SO inspired by the talent I see on the daily in the fandom. It’s insane to me what so many of you can do.

11. Did you do any collaborations? How did it start?

Timeloop with the @feysand-hivemindhivemind has been a real joy! We’ve had so much fun running with our crazy ideas this year (shout out to @gaeleria) 

12. What accomplishments are you proudest of?

Everything haha. I was just a new tumblr baby in January. I’ve been reading on Ao3 since middle school, but this was the first year I made my own account to write (I was bookmarking in a spreadsheet in Excel SOS)

My only goal for this year was to write a fic, aim for 100k, and publish it online. 

Art wasn’t even on the table in January, and neither were all the incredible friendships I’ve made here. Frankly, that has been the most important part of all this!

13. What did you learn about writing or creating this year?

That while it IS a wonderful way to improve your craft or should also always be a way to have FUN. I've improved so much this year, but more importantly, I have had such a blast and made so many lifelong friends. That's been the real joy from writing this year.

14. Any advice you’d like to share with new or aspiring writers?

A few things!! First, just jump in!

So much of the fun, experience, and worshipping of writing is just in getting the thoughts on paper. I'm a big outlined, but they're SLOPPY in that first draft. I get an idea and I just brain dump the absolute fuck out of it in a Google doc. There's not a chronological order, not any real storyline yet, just all the things as they come to me so I don't forget them. Having that word vomit step is really vital for me to get everything down. 

Of course I go back later and fix it all up, but oftentimes just getting it on paper is what I need to get going, even if it's ugly on that first draft. 

The same applies to when I get stuck in my writing. Sometimes I get in a space where it feels like nothing is working. Because I hate myself, I'm not one to step away for a bit. Instead I just wrote nonsense until things start taking shape– I don't worry about grammar or anything like that until later. Something about returning to that info dump helps me break out of the funk!

Last but not least, don't worry about the interpretations of others. There are ALWAYS going to be people who don't see the characters the way you do. That's the beauty and joy of reading! But that shouldn't stop you from writing what inspires you! You like a soft Eris? A mean Eris? Do it! You think Azriel is secretly a softie or a huge dick? You want to write the Tamlin healing arc you wish to see in the world? YOU SHOULD. Write what you feel and who cares if there are people who don't like it? 

So clearly my best advice is just to write it, lol. As with all my fics, I could have been more concise and chose not to be 🤣

15. What are your creative goals for 2025?

I really want to focus on not doing a million long projects at once 😅 it won't happen, but it'll be a nice dream. 

Overall, I think I just hit the scene very over excited this year and I burned myself out a bit at the end trying to do everything. I think I gotta set myself some boundaries for how much I'm wanting to do versus how much is a healthy and reasonable amount 😅

I'd also love to experiment with some new pairings and styles too!

[thecomfywriter]

top 10 of 2024

got tagged by @leahnardo-da-veggie. i haven’t done a tag post in a while but womp womp here we are. let’s get into it:

X. the feychild gently trolls

aka the witch-hunt of 2024 ft @ominous-feychild

IX. the festival of magic

lmao aka the promised event of the year that i quickly cancelled once school and life got heavy and i had to go on hiatus. shoutout to @wyked-rebellion and @satohqbanana for not only still participating, but writing a whole scenes and analyses even though i had fully fell off the face of the earth (kinda). real ones frfr

VIII. ‘what inspires you to keep writing’

aka an ask sent by @thelovelymachinery which resonated with a lot of people for some reason? i answered it at 3am so the range of my ask responses from that day were ridiculously goofy. i’m pretty sure the next ask after this deeply heartfelt one was just “chomp chomp” so the emotions were def silly goofy lmao

VII. thecomfywriter’s guide to self publishing

a guide i had made in response to a request from satoh pre-the great tcw purge. got around to it literally months later but at least she liked it!

VI. the 25k words

such a simple post and yet people still reblog it. thank you fools for congratulating me so much. fun fact! i did it again LMAO

V. the tov personality quiz

aka the alan lovers united and the hunt for morreial because literally only 2 people got morreial if you excluded the time i rigged my own results to get him

IV. ocs with dogs

i asked a question. more people than i imagined responded. turns out a lot of you don’t have dogs, but kept trying to convince me that having a wolf was the same thing. i asked about DOGS. DERPY WOLVES. NOT WOLVES THEMSELVES.

III. 12 days of askmas

fun fact! i wrote this post as a meme, kinda. ye know the memes where the format is “the buttersock from icarly, but i just fill it with eggs”. something stupid like that. but then @inseasofgreen reblogged with a “what if 👀” in the tags, then a LOT of people took it as a serious suggestion, and then i ended up doing it myself during exam season lmao

II. my first book signing

i genuinely don’t know why this did as well as it did, but it was so sweet to see how many people were kind about this little achievement i was so proud of. the signature was peng and purple, just as i like it

I. breaking hiatus booktok discussion

i said i’d break hiatus for two seconds to give my thoughts of a video essay i watched. i stayed for the endless reblogs and comments. then broke hiatus entirely because of this post lmao. L for me. W for the discussion we had, esp that one guys who responded with so much compassion i genuinely adored that response

—

cheers! thanks for a great year!

i’m tagging pae pae alone because pae pae @paeliae-occasionally

okay fine i’ll tag ain, sol, and smihi too. anyone else who wants to chip in, or if i’ve mentioned you above, feel free to scoop in and make your own list

@an-indecisive-nerd @sm-writes-chaos @thelovelymachinery

oh and here’s the website they suggested

[musings-of-a-rose]

I Don't Want to See Tomorrow (Unless I See It With You) - Chapter 2

Pairing: Benny Miller x f!reader nicknamed "Juni"

Word Count: 3200+

Rating: Mature - 18+ ONLY!

Warnings: Just like ao3, “creator chooses not to use warnings.” If you click Keep Reading, that means you agree that you’re the age to handle mature themes. Also by clicking Keep Reading, you understand warnings may not be complete in order to avoid spoilers for the story. 

Notes: I've had this idea in my head for well over a year and with the Fallout show being dropped (and absolutely AMAZING), I figured now was the time to post it! So this is a Triple Frontier/Fallout crossover au. Huge shoutout to @mermaidxatxheart for listening to probably hours of audio at this point of me talking myself through this fic. And to @deathbecomesnerds for listening to me prattle on about video game fics and giving me her own advice.

**If you want to be added to the taglist, join here or let me know!

❤If you enjoy the fic, please consider giving me a warm beverage! (It is not required in any way!)

→Tell Tumblr this should be shared with others by reblogging! That's what the algorithm loves (it's how it works here. I don't make the rules!)

**Reader is not described

Main Masterlist

Benny Miller Masterlist

I Don’t Want to See Tomorrow (Unless I See It With You) Masterlist

As my brain starts to wake up, the first thing I notice is that I'm cold. Like, really cold. The aches in my body feel like when you fall asleep and don't move the entire night, your muscles and bones stiff from a few hours of inactivity. How long does decontamination normally take? And why is it so cold?

Slowly, I pry my eyes open, blinking as rapidly as I can, feeling little icicles on my eyelashes. My head had been slumped to the side, the slight crick in my neck making itself known, the ache radiating down into my shoulder. I gasp, my lungs burning like they hadn't had a good breath in a long while. What the fuck was happening?

Slowly, I start to feel my limbs so I give my toes and fingers a little wiggle, managing to make them move. Then I work my way up my body. The more I can move, the more I start to panic. There's nowhere to move in this metal box. I weakly move my hand into a fist, pounding pathetically on the glass window in front of me. Oh God, what if it doesn't open? Isn't there someone who will open it?

Before I can spiral further, the door in front of me hisses and opens up with a loud groan, metal grinding against metal. I fall out, my hands coming up just in time to slow my fall as I slam against the hard floors. I cough, gasping for fresh air as my body starts to warm up. I manage to get up and sit on my knees, chest still heaving as I take in gulps of air. Where are the labcoats? Surely they didn't forget about us?

My eyes start to focus and I stare at a point in front of me until my vision clears. I blink hard a few times before looking around, a nervous tension starting to ball itself up in my stomach. The room is dark, save for some emergency lighting. The paint on the walls is chipped, dust covering some of the machinery that I remember being bright and shiny. I look around, slowly standing to my feet when it hits me.

It's completely silent.

No hissing of the machinery, no beeping, no sounds of people. Nothing. I take a tentative step towards the machine next to mine, catching myself on the little computer panel as I stumble. Glancing up into the pod, I see someone in there, eyes closed, still, and silent. I tap a few buttons on the panel but nothing happens. I reach out and knock on the window but the person inside doesn't move. I repeat this process on every pod in the room and get the same results, my heart thumping, the rate increasing rapidly with every pod. No one is awake and judging by the lack of sound, I'm not sure they're even alive. Not anymore.

I shake my limbs out, working some of the final stiffness out of them. Where is everyone? Why hasn’t anyone come around to check on people? Surely there are systems in place for this? I cautiously approach the door to the room. To my surprise, it's already open. I pop my head out and look in the hallway. Completely empty. I find another 5 rooms like the one I was in, every one exactly like mine. My body is fully awake by the last room, my breaths coming out quick and shallow to match my racing heart, panicked tears falling down my cheeks that I furiously try to wipe away. Am I the only one left alive?

Through my increasing panic, I finally find a computer not attached to a pod and somehow, it's still on. I sit in the chair and wipe at my eyes with my sleeve. I click around and am surprised it wasn't better locked down. The scientist that used it kept a very detailed journal of what happened. I read all of the entries, my heart sinking and blood boiling with every new one.

Apparently, they were not decontamination chambers but cryo ones. As in they froze us. Which would explain why it had been so cold. They were going to keep us under for varying degrees of time, to test the effects of cryo sleep on humans. Test? What the fuck? But they had only planned to be down here about 10 years or so. When it was reaching the end of those 10 years, rations started to dwindle and there was no communication with Vault-Tech outside of the vault they were in. People started to lose it. There was a mutiny and the Overseer was...wait did I read that right? Killed and fed to everyone still here? Eventually, it looks like everyone died and the generators were to continue on running until they couldn’t. The logs all say there was a malfunction in life support. So I was right - everyone except me is dead.

The feeling of being alone, completely alone, closes in on me, and oh my God what if I can’t get out of here? There’s no one here to let me out. I sit back in the chair, absolutely stunned at what I just read, my mind starting to spiral down a dark path. But...wait. If they froze us, and the mutiny had happened within 10 years...what year was it now?

I lean forward, clicking around to find the slot for a new entry and hit automatic date.

June 10th, 2277

That can't be right. I tap the button again.

June 10th, 2277.

I stare at the date. It's not the months that bother me but the year. 200 years have passed? This has to be a malfunction of the computer. There's no way that's the correct date. But something in the back of my mind tingles, a new feeling of dread deep in my gut. Benny. If it really has been 200 years, then even if he got to a vault and survived, there’s no way he’d be alive. Bile threatens to spill from me and I swallow, trying to prevent it. The computer is wrong, though. Benny is alive still. He has to be. 

I stand up and look down at the skeleton with a labcoat on the ground, wondering if that was the same man who had smiled creepily at me as I got into that frozen coffin. The bones are twisted into an inhuman shape, the arm bent at an odd angle. Right before I look away, I see it. The small computer wrapped around the skeleton’s arm. I kneel down, hesitating for a moment before reaching over, trying to pry the Pip Boy computer from around its forearm. It's like it's stuck on the bones and I gag a little as I slam the arm down, the hand bones scattering. But the Pip Boy slides right off.

I pick it up, dust it off a little with my hand and slide it onto my arm, feeling the slight pinch of the sensors embedding themselves into my skin. I turn a few buttons, having used one at the university when I was studying, and the screen lights up, my face washed in the familiar green glow, giving me some small bit of comfort in its familiarity. I navigate to the map section and it shows me the layout of the vault. Using the little light on the side of the Pip Boy, I follow the map towards the front of the vault, slowly making my way past debris and other corpses, some in very violent positions. One of them has their boney fingers wrapped around a large knife. A machete. Holding back another gag, I manage to pry it from the person's death grip, shifting it from hand to hand. I hold it in the opposite hand from the Pip Boy, just in case I need to swing. But surely nothing is down here, right? The vaults are sealed shut. So I should be safe. I think…I hope.

Everything is so fucking quiet it's almost deafening. I feel like the walls are closing in on me, trying to lock me away forever in this tomb, just like my fellow vault occupants. What was Vault Tec thinking?

I make it to the front entrance, the giant, heavy metal vault door securely closed. My eyes scan the room and land on a small control panel, more skeletons in labcoats scattered around it. I walk over to it, staring down at the simple panel. How the fuck does this work? I smash the big button but nothing happens. There's a round slot on the left side and I remember the Pip Boy has a sensor module. I pop out the sensor cord and plug it in, the panel lights immediately light up. A small sigh of relief escapes me. Thank God there's power! My Pip Boy lights up, telling me the remote door access is ready. But I hesitate before hitting the button again. Assuming this door opens, all I have is a machete. And if that computer is anywhere close to being right, I have no idea what the surface will even look like.

I unplug the Pip Boy and look around again, spotting a room off to the side labeled SECURITY. Thankfully, the door opens to a small room with a couple of desks and several lockers. A few of them don't open but others do and I'm quickly furnished with some sort of hand gun, a shot gun that I sling over my back, and some ammo. I also score a couple cans of purified water, some Fancy Lads Snack Cakes, a Salisbury Steak, and some Yum Yum Deviled Eggs. It's not much, but I'm better than I was. I just won't think about how old this food is, even if the computer is wrong. One of the dead security guards was holding a backpack. I take it, shake off some dust and find more ammo inside and another purified water. I put all the food and ammo into the bag and secure it, sliding it around my back, and moving the shotgun to my arm.

I decide to do one last sweep of the small vault before heading back to the main access vault door. I find a small blanket and an axe, along with another couple of boxes of food, half-eaten, and some old comics. Grognak the Barbarian. Benny loved these. Tears well in my eyes, that bile rising in the back of my throat at the idea of him being gone. I shake my head, pushing the intrusive thoughts aside, and slide the comics into my backpack. 

I repeat the process at the panel, with no hesitation in pressing the large, red button this time. The heavy metal of the round vault door groans, sparks flying from some of the unused gears helping the vault door to spin open, revealing the elevator we came down on. My mind flashes back to that moment, just barely escaping with our lives. It was mere minutes ago to me and I haven't really had a moment to process it. Any of this. I just need to get somewhere safe. Or at least familiar, to get my bearings.

I head down the walkway and hesitate for a moment before stepping onto the platform. I punch the button on the cage wall surrounding me and the gate door I came through closes. Slowly and with creaks and groans, the floor starts to rise, leaving the cage and vault behind. Again, I'm thrust into darkness for a short bit, my breath coming out in heavy pants. I'm not even sure if it's safe up here, but if I'd stayed down there I'd have died anyway so what does it matter?

Pure, blinding light breaks the darkness as I'm lifted up, the platform settling onto its original spot and locking in place. I lift my hand to shield my eyes from the bright sun, momentarily blinded by it. I blink rapidly, squinting a bit more before things come into focus and now I have to blink back tears.

Destruction. Everything is sort of grey and leveled, some occasional muted green popping up in weird angles, like weeds coming through a sidewalk. I can see the skyline of Boston in the distance, the buildings mostly gone into piles of rubble or mostly rubble. Some still stand, like broken scraggly fingers that were too stubborn to fully fall. Benny had been there and if he survived, he was buried underneath all of that.

I tear my eyes away from the horror and turn to head back down the path that will lead me to my parent's home where I had been when....no. I can't think about that until I'm in a safe place. A faint, high-pitched squeak brings me from my dark thoughts and I turn just in time to see something fly at me. I react on instinct, trying to dodge but fall, the thing managing to clip my shoulder as it comes at me. I grip the machete tight in my hand and bring it up just as the world's biggest fucking roach jumps on me, its pinchers at least the length of my fingers, its body easily half the length of me. Its legs scramble as it screams, my machete having ripped through it. I yell as I push with all I can to move it off me, tossing it to the side as I scramble backward as fast as I can manage. What the fuck is that thing? It's still moving so I stand up and promptly kick its head in with my boot several times, continuing to do so long after it had stopped moving. My skin crawls as I look at the size of this thing.

Of course. Everything would've been radiated. Deer with two heads, giant fucking bugs, apparently. Weren’t roaches supposed to outlive us all, especially in the case of nuclear war? It only makes sense that mutations would've happened. But if this happened to roaches, what else has happened?

My body shudders at the thought and I tuck that one away for later. I yank my machete out of the giant fucking roach, flinging off its gooey guts and wiping it off in the dirt before starting back down the path. Fortunately, no other wildlife crosses my path as I step back onto the street that runs past my parent's house.

The neighborhood is...gone. Most of the houses are either completely destroyed or half crumbling, the previously perfectly manicured yards no longer exist. New plants have taken over, their foreign petals and colors intriguing the scientist side of me, but I keep my distance, not knowing what fresh hell they could bring upon humans.  Besides, that's not what I'm here for.

I turn and walk slowly down the street, my eyes sweeping from side to side. I spot movement and as my eyes focus on it, I nearly scream with excitement. I start to run towards it, almost crashing into the Mr. Handy robot that had been my family's.

"Hawthorne?" I gasp, my eyes wide with wonder.

His large metal head spins towards me, his round metal eye widening as he takes me in. "Ma'am? Miss Juni?"

I can't help but cry tears of joy. Something, someone that remembers me! For the first time since I woke in that vault turned tomb, I don’t feel alone.

"It's me! I can't believe you're still here!"

Hawthorne launches into a retelling of his time here, how the bombs pretty much destroyed most of Boston, how our fellow neighbors that didn't have a spot in the vaults died within hours of the initial blasts, although some took a few days. Others...I'm not sure what he's talking about. Ghouls? I’ll have to ask him more about that later. But then he's on another topic, discussing how hard it is to maintain the property for the last 200 years and how lonely he's been waiting for us and- wait. What?

"Hawthorne?"

"Ma'am?"

"I...I am sorry you had to deal with all of this alone."

"Thank you, ma'am. I do understand that humans are fragile things and had you remained with me, you would not have survived. I am very glad you did not die."

"Thank you, Hawthorne. I'm glad you're here too. But.. to confirm, did you say 200 years?

"Yes ma'am."

"200 years… since what?"

"Since the bombs fell, ma'am."

I can feel the blood drain from my face. "What's the date?"

"June 10th, 2277."

My legs start to wobble and I slump to the ground, putting my head in my hands as I rest my elbows on my bent legs. 200 years? I thought the computer had malfunctioned. But it all makes sense. The state of the vault, the way things look, that radroach thing...I feel my breathing picking up, hyperventilating as realization dawns on me.

I was right before. It doesn't matter if Benny made it to a vault. He would've lived a full life and died a long time ago.

The scream erupting from my throat is the last thing I remember before my vision fades to black.

When I wake, I'm in a bed. Well, on a mattress anyway. I look around without moving and realize I'm in my old bedroom, the one my parents never quite remade into anything else. Most of the walls are intact, only the one with the window is missing half the panels. And the roof only has a few holes in it. Nothing that Benny and I can't-

Benny.

I turn to my side just in time, throwing up whatever was in my stomach for the last 200 years onto the floor. But that's nothing compared to the hole in my chest, the one that ripped itself open at the realization that I would have to face this new, broken world without my other half, my anchor. My stomach doesn't settle, still churning at the thought, the tears pouring from my eyes as I curl into myself. I don't even say anything to Hawthorne as he comes in and cleans the mess, setting down one of the bottles of purified water and some snacks from my backpack on the cracked nightstand.

What's even the point of going on if I don't have him with me?

Unless….

General Taglist:

@frankie-catfish-morales @chaoticgeminate @janebby @astoryisaloveaffair @balekanemohafe @greeneyedblondie44 @hoeforthefictional @marvelousmermaid @hauntedmama @icanbeyourjedi @wretchedmo @sunnshineeexoxo @livingmydreams13 @adventures-of-a-noodle @sara-alonso @theewokingdead @punkerthanpascal @giggly-otter @f0rever15elf @phandoz @gallowsjoker @lovesbiggerthanpride @booksarekindaneat @charlispersonallyhell @xoxabs88xox @amneris21 @gooddaykate @avengers-fixation @paintballkid711 @harriedandharassed   @ladykatakuri @practicalghost @withakindheartx @batdarkladyvampir @justanotherkpopstanlol   @mermaidxatxheart @alexxavicry @justreblogginfics @kmc1989 @veryprairieberry @mysterious-moonstruck-musings @heartpascalispunk  

[hajihiko]

Hey. So, I saw your Chiaki & Fuyuhiko comic that I like to call "Look on the Bright Side" (since it didn't have an official name in the post itself), and I loved it. I loved seeing Nanami & Kuzuryu interact with each other with the former comforting the latter on Peko and complimenting on how brave he was to save his friend, the scene between Fuyuhiko & Peko during the latter's execution, and then the scene of you making a throwback to your DR3 rewrite from your Talky Talky Tuesday content where the DR2 cast witness Human Chiaki's death and chose not to help her because of how awful Junko's influence on them was. It was heartwarming, bittersweet, and terrifying all at the same time, and as @/self-in-dulled-gent put it in their reblog of the comic, the 4th & 5th panels depicting your DR3 rewrite is a cool and visceral indication of how far the DR2 cast had fallen into despair. Heck, both the comic & the rewrite even serve as inspiration towards my au/rewrite/reimagine of DR3's Despair Arc & how Junko corrupts the DR2 cast into despair. So, thank you so much for the inspiration. I really appreciate it.

With all that in mind, I have some questions I wanna ask you regarding both the comic & DR3 rewrite, if you don't mind.

May I have your permission to do a review on your DR3 Rewrite post for my Advian Reads & Reviews content (which in case you're curious about, AR&R is reading review series where I read something, like fanfiction for example, while also doing a review on it at the same time, giving my thoughts on whatever I'm reviewing as well as potentially even sharing my own stories)?

Will you ever showcase the bonus panel of the rest of the class witnessing Chiaki's death that you mentioned in the comic's tags?

Who is the 5th person on the right between Kazuichi & Hiyoko in the 4th panel (I'm assuming it's Sonia based on the hairstyle, but I thought I'd ask for some confirmation)?

Will we ever get to see the dialogue of Chiaki not resenting Hajime/Izuru for not helping her you also mentioned in the comic's tags?

Follow up on that previous question, do you think it's possible that we might also get to see if Chiaki resents her classmates for not helping her, or if she would also get it with them like she did with Hajime/Izuru?

How exactly does Junko kill Chiaki in front of her classmates? Does she still have her go through her execution like in canon, or does she kill her in a different way, and if so, then how? I ask because I saw Nanami had blood coming from her eyes & mouth (making it look like Junko literally pulled her eyes out), there's blood on her hoodie & left thigh, and she appears to have been stabbed on her right side.

And those are my questions. In regards to gaining your permission to review your DR3 rewrite, if you do grant permission, great! I'll be sure to credit you and give you a shoutout too if you do. And if you don't, then I'm content with that and will understand and respect the reason behind your refusal, whatever that reason may be. Feel free to respond back to me whenever you get the chance. Thank you and have a wonderful day/afternoon/night. 🤗💕❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💖💕🤗

that's one heck of an ask so I'm using a readmore:

Thank you! I remember that comment hehe I'm really glad people like it

1: sure! Just know that I'm like, you know, just a fan and a hobbyist and not even really a writer so I'm not saying my rewrite is more right than anything else!

2: the bonus panel was actually everyone else's deaths (in SDR2) since they all sort of died alone, too. But it didn't feel relevant enough, I prrrrrrrrobably don't have the sketch anymore

3: yep that's Sonia

4: I'll be totally real i don't remember what I was thinking there at all. Sssssorryyyyyy

5: I think Chiaki, if she got to see the events of SDR2 as the AI, wouldn't resent her classmates so much as feel sorry for them and be disappointed. At the same time though I think she might be shocked at what they're capable of. Maybe she can't help but be a bit bitter, who knows. Hajime/Izuru is a different deal since that guy literally got his brains scrambled, can't really blame him. (sort of like deleting all the save data, maybe?)

6: the blood and amounts of it was more about the drama lol. But I thought the obstacle was like, a little too fantastical, not serious enough, so in my rewrite she straight up beats Chiaki to death with some kind of instrument. I think the image of Junko doing something so realistic (and slow) while everyone watches passively is even worse.

Thanks for asking beforehand! 💙

[kitmoas]

WOAH im 2 on this wonderful hellsite?

First off I wanna start out by saying I know that this year I've been a bit MIA :( I basically ended TGU Season 1 and left you guys pretty high and dry until I started posting some Halloween fics (no one look at the fact that I'm missing a couple of those)

I have had a pretty busy year but I wanna just do a lil backtracking and talk about it. Ive gotten to do some amazing things this year. I got to meet and be with my gorgeous girlfriend @themidnightcrimson <3 (hi lil sickie). I got to meet daddy, mommy, and Dragon Mommy with my best friends @maximotts and @belovaskitkat (the 4$ water at con truly did something to us). I got a few promotions throughout the year even if my job literally makes me want to die (Im frantically typing this BEFORE i go into work even though its Christmas Eve and my tumblr birfday)

I got to get closer to so many people and I just know that even though so many shitty things happened this year and so many things really tanked most people's year that I have some of the best people that surround me.

I just want to thank you all for being here and being part of my lil chaos community. I want you guys to know that even when Im being a lil cryptid that I do remember you guys and will always come back!

That being said I am going to give a shoutout to some lil gay people in my phone and then also theres a poll right there that you guys should vote on, cause I am going to give you guys a gift even tho its my 2nd birfday

HI LIL GAY PEOPLE IN MY PHONE. IM BEING GAY AND LOVIN ON YOU

@bunplushyy @crescent-witch @caroldantops @wandasdolly @scarlettwlw @didujustcallmedumb @didntalwayslookthisrough (Lain wtf it won’t let me tag you) @softlymaximoff @inkblot-inc @furys-eyepatch there’s prolly more and I suck and am running out of time so if you see this and we have spoken even once this year. I fucking love you lil gay person

Also. All my lil nons. I love you guys so fucking much. Okay? I know I don’t know who you are exactly but thank you 🥺🥺🥺💖💖

[fyeahaudiodrama]

Any tips for staying connected with your audience and reaching new listeners during a long break when you don't have new content to post about?

P.S. very excited for Act 2!!

Ooh, let’s see…

1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

It’s always morally acceptable to repost your old content again. In this day and age when social media platforms try to bury anything that isn’t new and shiny, you have no concept of who saw your new thing in the first place, or if your new followers have seen it, or if everyone who did see it even had context for it the first time. So put the things you already made out there again!

2. #Aesthetic #Goals

Keep up with reblogging things that relate to your show’s general vibes. Share gifsets from movies or quotes from books that helped inspire your show or troll through the tag of your characters favorite foods or slap some together in a moodboard. Just keep the vibe going.

3. The End

Advertise specifically based on the fact that you currently have completed season(s). Some people want to wait until there’s a whole bunch of something to binge or are more comfortable listening when there’s already a whole thing. You can also submit shows with finished seasons/series to The End to be featured in their newsletter.

4. Non-Spoilers for Fun & Profit

Get publicly excited about your own production process. Share bits from your script out of context, post a vague “I just wrote that part 😬,” keep a running total of production goals accomplished. Give both audiences and yourself a sense of how much you’ve done already, so that neither of you forget how much work goes into a season.

5. Ethical Stealing

See something fun another audio drama blog is doing? A funny joke or meme format? Do that too! People are generally cool with copying things for social media, especially if you give them a little shoutout, and you can always ask someone “Hey, is it okay if I also do this?” if you’re unsure.

6. Sharing is Caring

Try doing feed or promo swaps with other shows whose audiences might crossover well with yours! It helps keep your own RSS feed active, and helps build relationships across shows.

Okay, that’s about all for now, go support Starfall kthxbai

[stellarstarcelios]

☀️ "The Sun is Home" - Chapter 1: The Sun's Stubborn Light ☀️

☀️ Fandom: Overwatch 2 🔴 Pairing: Illari x Juno/Solarmars ☀️ Characters in Chapter: Juno, Illari, Venture 🔴 Word Count: 1380

☀️ Hiiiii, guys! Going back to this post I made the other night, I started and finished writing my first chapter of my Illari x Juno/Solarmars fic! I really do like how it came out even though it's a little shorter than usual for chapters I write in my stories!

🔴 I like this ship a lot, and besides that pairing, this story will also feature Juno and Venture being besties! I really like that idea as well. I hope you like this first chapter!

☀️ If you don't like this ship, do not reply/reblog with hate or mean messages. Just don't interact if you don't like it. I have nothing else against most other Illari or Juno ships.

🔴 Divider used made by me in Canva! Art above by me as well! I will try to put out a new chapter of this fic every Friday or Saturday, if I can! :D Shoutout to @whackacole3 for the ship name!

It was a little too much sometimes.

Juno had wanted nothing more than to learn everything she could about the world her parents once called home. Earth sounded like such a lovely place, a planet with people, fauna, places she had only imagined and seen in movies and books. The space ranger never would’ve thought she would be able to touch down on the blue planet, see the stars and her home as lights far above her head in the deep blue sky.

Juno had enveloped herself in what she could learn about Earth’s culture, its people, its many places and types of life. Things that her home planet was so devoid of. As much as she loved the new sights and sounds and smells…

At times, it was too much.

The sound of her mattress shifting with her weight followed Juno as she sat down on her bed. She laid her hands with one on top of the other on her lap, with her head ever so slightly bowed downwards. She let her lids fall over her tiring eyes, and a very soft, almost inaudible sigh escaped her.

The martian had been doing everything she could have today. After finally getting into the atmosphere to find her family friend, her, “Auntie Mei,” Juno’s journey led her to Watchpoint: Gibraltar, the Overwatch headquarters. Though there were brief tales of the organization back home, Juno had almost believed them to be of legend, of something that once was and never would be again.

Imagine her surprise at seeing Mei, looking as young as the pictures with the space ranger’s mother, with so many others around her.

It had been… a week or two now, she thought? Juno wasn’t quite sure. It seemed a lot longer than it had probably been. As much as she was excited and sure about Mei and Overwatch being able to help her family, the changes were so much.

Maybe too much.

Maybe she needed someone to ground her.

“Hey, you okay there, chica?”

A voice found its way to her ears, and Juno’s head tilted back up as she looked to see who had spoken. Their fluffy brown hair framed their tan skin, big brown eyes, and chipped teeth. They wore a yellow tank top, brown shorts, and a pair of big white boots.

Juno found herself taking a moment to think. What was their name again?

“Um… I… I think so?”

Venture leaned an arm against the doorway with their other hand on their hip. “You sure? You look pretty tired to me.”

Juno’s brows furrowed a bit as she realized how visible her exhaustion must have been on her face. She sighed again and rubbed her right arm with her left hand. “I guess so… um… I apologize, but, what is your name?”

“Sloan Cameron. You can call me Venture, or Sloan works too. I’ve got a billion nicknames though, so call me whatever, amigo.” A soft chuckle escaped their lips, one that made Juno feel a bit at ease. “So… Juno, right? What’s wrong?”

The space ranger moved her gaze away from the archaeologist, not wanting them to see her distress longer than they had to. “I am just… thinking. That is all.”

Venture’s lips pursed as they folded their arms over their chest. “It seems like more than that, Juno.” They straightened up their posture. “Too many thoughts bouncing around in your head?”

The martian blinked in surprise. “How did you…”

“Well, you’re not the only one.” Sloan pointed over their shoulder with a thumb, gesturing to a nearby room down the hall. “Illari seems to be just as tired and anxious as you are. I already talked a little to her.”

Juno nodded. “Illari,” she spoke, testing the Peruvian name on her tongue. “She is… she is the sun warrior, as I heard her be called, correct?”

“Yep. She’s an Inti Warrior. They were a group of ancient warriors in her country that could harness the power of the sun.” Venture shook their head a little. “But… she’s the last of them, unfortunately.”

Big brown eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

Amber eyes moved away. “I’m… not exactly the person to talk about that.” They tilted their head. “Maybe you can talk to her? She seems to be going through a lot like you right now.”

Juno furrowed her brows in concern, before averting her gaze again. Maybe talking with someone about her situation would help clear her thoughts, especially someone who seemed to be having as hard of a time as she was. The space ranger nodded after glancing at the archaeologist again. “Is she… which room is her’s?”

“72-S. She’s been in there for a while, so she probably needs someone to talk with.” Venture let out a little laugh, followed by a snort. “Heck, I think she’d do better with some company, amigo. Just… be gentle with her. She’s… been through a lot.”

*****

A soft knock came from the door of Illari’s room, her yellow eyes opening slowly. She didn’t want to talk to anyone right now, especially after her little spell of emotions. She vowed never to let anyone see her like this, not again.

Not ever again.

Another knock had her sighing as she stood and straightened up her posture. A thumb wiped her tears as she spun on her heels and walked to her door. “Who’s there,” she questioned.

“It’s… it’s Juno. I… I wanted to talk.”

The timidity in the space ranger’s voice made her widen her eyes a bit, but Illari soon narrowed them. “Leave me be. I don’t want to speak to anyone right now.”

As she turned to leave the door, Juno spoke again.

“I… I apologize. Sloan said you were in great distress, and… said you might need company.”

Those last few words made the Inti Warrior stop in her tracks and look over her shoulder at the door.

Juno clasped her hands in nervousness as she heard Illari’s footsteps stop. Maybe she had said something wrong? The last thing she wanted to do was upset one of her new acquaintances. When there was silence for a few more seconds, the martian began to turn around. Maybe this was a bad idea after–

The sound of a door sliding open made Juno turn her head to the side. Illari had a hand on the control panel of her door, face reading frustration.

Juno hadn’t really taken a long look at Illari before, but now that she was able to… she was beautiful. Her long, dark hair was braided as it usually was, and it framed her face so well. Her long lashes and deep golden eyes seemed to look into her soul and read everything about her.

Illari wore blue pajama pants, a blue top with long sleeves, white slippers, and a pink blanket draped over her shoulders like a cape. She looked comfy, but in an amazing way. She was… so pretty.

“What do you want, Juno?”

The stern voice of the warrior snapped the space ranger out of her trance, and she clasped her hands behind her back. “I–I didn’t mean to stare! I didn’t–I mean–”

Illiari folded her arms over her chest. “What did you want to talk about? I’m very tired and would like to rest before the sun goes down too far.”

Juno cleared her throat. “Well… Venture said you were… needed someone to talk to. I wanted to see if you needed someone to… what was the word I heard? Vent to?”

Illari pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh. “Persona curiosa, Venture never sticks to their own business.” She could see the martian looking at her with a great deal of apprehension and she lightened her tightly folded arms a bit. “Did they say anything else?”

A shake of Juno’s head was followed with, “No. They just said… that we both seem to be thinking too much. There are many thoughts in my head, and I just… need someone to talk to, I suppose. Someone who can understand my plight.”

There was a heavy silence for a moment, before Illari gestured with a hand for Juno to enter. “I suppose you can come in. I… I’ve been very curious about you.”