#so obviously i needed placeholders

[katsdynam1ght]

i am too burnt out to be a person i think today i need to be a dog

[hautarche]

going insane playing Path of Exile 2 I haven't hyperfixated on anything this hard since, well, since the first game. My brain is firing a million miles an hour on an utterly time-wasting hobby once again, fuck me

[cherrywriterrr]

fuck it, i need a minute

bsf!rafe x reader

warnings: angst, jealousy, pining. soft heartbreak. language, emotional repression, one-sided feelings (maybe), friends-to-limbo situationship. aching, near-love. miscommunication. too much feeling. slow-burn breaking. final breath before something whole.

sarah’s the one who says it.

not directly—because she knows how you get when people bring up rafe—but soft enough that it hits like a fucking hammer.

“oh c’mon now,” she says, handing you a drink.

“just accept it. you love rafe.”

you scoff. louder than you mean to. and it’s definitely not because it’s true.

“shut the fuck up,” you mutter, eyes avoiding the part of the dock where sofia is sitting real fucking close to him.

he’s laughing at something she said, that tilted smirk you know better than his last name.

it’s the smile he only gives when he’s flirting.

or trying to get away with something.

you’ve seen it enough to know.

seen it enough to hate it.

you take a sip of the drink—too sweet. too warm. not strong enough.

“i don’t love him,” you say. sarah raises a brow.

“then why do you look like you wanna throw her in the fucking water?”

you clench your jaw.

truth is…

you saw sofia sit on his lap. and for a split second, your chest did that ugly little flip thing it does when he hooks up with someone who isn’t you.

you ignore it. obviously. you always ignore it.

you’ve always called it overprotectiveness.

he’s your best fucking friend. your dumbass bsf since you were fifteen.

of course you don’t want him tangled up with someone fake.

it’s not jealousy. not really...right?

you dig your nails into the cup, eyes still glued to him.

his hand brushes sofia’s thigh. she leans in.

and your body does that thing again—tightens, stiffens, throat dry, blood hot.

he’s not even yours. he never was.

so why does it feel like you’re losing something?

you drop the cup.

“fuck it,” you mutter, stepping back from the group, heart racing, voice cracked. “i need a minute.”

you don’t even know where you’re walking.

maybe toward the shore. maybe toward the edge of this delusion.

your fingers shake a little. sarah’s voice echoes behind you,

but you keep walking.

she doesn’t get it. no one fucking does.

because you were the one who stayed up with rafe when he came down off a bender.

you were the one who pulled him out of fights, bandaged his knuckles, let him sleep in your bed when his house felt too fucking cold.

you were the one who let him see the softest parts of you—your crying-in-the-dark parts.

but now, he’s smiling at someone else like she’s warm sunlight and not just another fucking placeholder.

you wipe your cheek.

you don’t cry over him. you don’t fucking cry over him.

you said you couldn’t want him less. but god—you just want him more.

you want his laugh. you want his midnight voice. you want him to want you back.

and isn’t that the most pathetic part? he probably doesn’t even notice you walked away.

”hey.”his voice comes from behind you, low and out of breath. “why’d you disappear? topper told me to come find you.”

you don’t turn around.

you stare at the water instead—still, dark, indifferent. the way you wish you felt.

you blink once. twice. let the burn behind your eyes cool.

and then you scoff, sharp and dry, like your chest hasn’t been aching for the last twenty minutes

“you can go.” you don’t even try to hide the bitter twist in your mouth.

“if topper wants me, he can come find me himself.”

and you don’t mean it. not really.

you just, you don’t want rafe here because topper sent him.

you want him here because he noticed. because he cared.

because he couldn’t fucking help himself.

but that’s not why he came.

he’s quiet behind you. you can feel him standing there though—fidgety and warm and close enough to knock the air out of your lungs just from being near.

he shifts a little. you hear gravel crunch under his boots.

“why’re you mad?” he says, voice lower this time.

you finally glance at him.

and it pisses you off how pretty he looks in the fucking moonlight—messy blonde hair, sunburned cheeks, beer in hand like he’s not the reason your entire body feels like it’s overheating.

you look away again. “i’m not mad.”

“yeah, you are.”

you exhale.tight. sarcastic. “whatever, rafe.”

he tilts his head. his eyes narrow a little. “you only call me ‘rafe’ when you’re pissed.”

you feel your throat close up.

god, he knows you. every tick, every habit, every defense mechanism.

you can’t look at him.

not when your chest feels like it’s about to split open and spill every feeling you’ve buried for the last few years.

you hear him take a step closer.

you back up a little, arms crossing automatically. distance. you need fucking distance.

“you good?” he asks. soft. confused.

you’re with sofia, you want to scream.

why the fuck are you asking me if i’m good?

but instead you say, “yeah. i just needed a minute.”

he squints at you. “you’re lying.”

you almost laugh. “and you’re an asshole,” you shoot back, eyes stinging.

his jaw clenches. you don’t know if it’s the beer or the jealousy or just being so goddamn tired of pretending, but your voice cracks.

“you should get back to your little girlfriend,” you mutter.”she’s probably wondering where you are.”

he frowns. “what?”

you wave your hand. “forget it. i don’t care.”

but he doesn’t walk away.

he just stares at you. hard like he’s finally fucking seeing it. “…are you jealous?” he asks.

you laugh. sharp. like broken glass.

“jealous? of sofia?” you smile. bitter. fake.“you think i give a shit who you’re flirting with?”

he looks at you for a long second. then?

he steps forward again. “i didn’t want to flirt with her.” his voice is quieter now. closer.

your breath catches.

“i just…” he rubs the back of his neck. “i don’t know how to flirt with you.”

your heart thuds.

he continues.“it’s easier when it’s someone i don’t care about.”

you swallow.

you’re not breathing. you can’t breathe.

and rafe is just standing there. looking at you like you matter. like you’re not just the best friend he leans on but the person he wants to lean in to.

you love him.you fucking love him.

and it’s terrifying.

so instead of saying any of it—you shake your head. “fuck it,” you mutter, stepping back. “i need another minute.”

“you always fucking walk away.” his voice cuts through the night, harsh and trembling and real

you freeze.

his footsteps hit the gravel again behind you, a few rushed ones like he’s afraid if he doesn’t say it now, he never will.

“that’s why i never say anything,” he growls “goddamn it, come back.”

you stand still. completely still. your hands are cold. your throat is a noose.

slowly, you turn to look at him. eyes wide. angry. wounded. “…what the fuck do you mean?”

his jaw tics.his hands ball into fists, like his body doesn’t know what to do with all the feeling”

“i mean every time i try—every time i try to tell you how i feel, you walk away,” he bites.

you blink.

he takes a step closer. his chest is rising and falling too fast. like it hurts him to say it.

“you disappear. you brush it off. you change the subject or pretend like you didn’t hear me. or you say some shit like ‘i need a minute’ and leave me standing there like a fucking idiot.”

his voice cracks a little. just for a second.

you don’t speak. you can’t.

and then he adds, quieter now— “that’s why it was sofia and not you.”

your chest caves.

he looks at you. straight in the eye. no smirk. no cold walls. just all the messy, breaking parts of him that only you ever saw.

“because at least with her, i knew she’d stay.”

your stomach twists.

and suddenly, you hate him and love him at the same time. because he’s right.

you do walk away.

every time it gets too close. every time it starts to feel like more. every time your heart does that thing it only does around him.

and maybe he’s an asshole. maybe he shouldn’t have picked her.

but maybe you were never there for him to pick.

you swallow. hard.

and you whisper, voice barely holding together “i didn’t know you meant it.”

he looks at you. like you just broke his whole world in one sentence.

“you never told me you meant it.”

his jaw softens.

your eyes are glassy.

the air between you is a landmine.

neither of you steps forward. but neither of you steps away.

not this time.

“you never told me you meant it,” you whisper.

and you hate how soft your voice sounds. how small. how fucking raw.

but it’s the only thing left in your throat.

he looks at you like he’s been waiting years to hear that.

like he’s been waiting years to say this.

he steps closer. slow. careful. like if he moves too fast, you’ll vanish again.

“i meant it,” he says, quiet but serious.

your heart stutters.

his voice is low. nothing like the way he talks to anyone else. only you. “i meant it every fucking time.”

you don’t speak. your hands start to shake.

he keeps going. “when i’d drive you home and tell you i didn’t want the night to end, i meant it.”

“when you wore that stupid hoodie and i said you looked like shit but smiled like a goddamn idiot anyway, I meant it.”

“when you drank too much at sarah’s birthday and i held your hair and kissed your shoulder after you puked… and i told you i liked it when you needed me, i meant that too.”

his voice is shaking now.

“fuck, when you walked away from me that night at the beach and i said ‘go, i don’t care’—i meant the opposite.”

you feel your lip wobble.

his chest is rising, falling, like he’s been holding all of this in for years. like he’s afraid this is all a dream. like you’ll disappear if he says it too loud.

and then, finally—“i always meant it.”

your heart breaks open.but it’s too much.

all of it. the truth, the timing, the way the night air feels thick between you.

“why didn’t you ever say it like that?” you ask, voice barely there.

he laughs, bitter. runs a hand through his hair.“because you’re you,” he says. “and i’m… me.”

you shake your head. “that’s not an excuse.”

he steps forward. one more inch. one more heartbeat.

“you’re the girl that makes everything feel like summer,” he says, rough and honest. “and i’m the guy that ruins everything i fucking touch.”

the words land like a bruise in your chest.

you whisper, “rafe…”

but he just looks at you. and for once, you don’t walk away.

you whisper, “i didn’t know.”

“i know.”

“i thought i was protecting myself.”

“i thought you were too good for me.”

you’re both silent. too much said. too much felt. and then, you whisper, breath hitching,“i’m still here.”

his eyes lock with yours. red. glassy. breathing hard. “yeah,” he says, stepping close enough to feel your body heat, “but for how long?”

you don’t answer. you don’t know.

and it hits you like a punch.

how long you’ve both been scared.

how long you’ve been circling each other. like satellites. like idiots. like cowards.

and still, you can’t move. his eyes drop. he thinks you’re walking away again.

you see it in the way his jaw clenches, the way his chest caves inward. his face shuts down like it always does right before he pretends not to care.

like it’s easier for him to beat you to it.

you finally whisper, “fuck it.”

his eyes flick up. wide. tired. bitter.

“yeah,” he scoffs, voice cracking. “fuck it, right? just leave again.”

you blink. your voice is shaking when you cut in,“no.” a step closer.

“fuck it…”your chest rises. “kiss me.”

he stares.

like he didn’t hear you. like the world stops spinning for a full five seconds.

“what?” he chokes.

“kiss me,” you repeat, stronger this time. more sure. “before i change my fucking mind.”

he exhales like it’s a prayer. like it’s salvation.

and then he’s on you.

grabbing your face with both hands, pulling you in like he’s needed this for years, like you’re air and he’s been drowning. it’s rough. messy. too much tongue, too much ache, but it’s perfect.

you kiss him back like you’re trying to memorize every second.

like you want it burned into your skin.

his fingers tangle into your hair, his mouth pressing hard, then softer, like he’s afraid he’ll lose you mid-kiss. like he thinks you’ll vanish the second he lets go.

you don’t. you stay. you melt.

you moan into his mouth and he nearly fucking loses it.

your fingers grip his hoodie like lifelines.

your lips part just enough to whisper, out of breath, “i hate you.”

he smirks against your mouth. “i know.”

you press your forehead to his. his nose brushes yours. “but i want you,” you whisper.

he swallows. closes his eyes. “then want me,” he says, voice barely audible, “for longer than a minute.”

you’re still holding onto him.

your fingers are clutching the sides of his hoodie like you’ll fall through the earth if you let go. his breath ghosts over your lips, heavy, uneven, stunned.

your voice is quieter than it’s ever been when you whisper, “what if i want you forever?”

you swear you feel him tremble.

his hand grips your waist harder. he pulls back just enough to look you in the eye, and there’s something wild there, like hope and disbelief are at war.

he breathes, like he’s steadying himself before jumping. “then fuck,” he says, “you better mean it.”

you don’t say anything. you just stare at him.

so he goes again, softer this time, “you think i haven’t wanted that?”

his hand touches your face. his thumb grazes your cheekbone. “you think i haven’t been losing my fucking mind every time you’d come around and act like we’re just friends?”

his voice breaks—just for a second. “i’ve wanted that, you. all of it. for years.”

your throat burns. “so why didn’t you ever tell me?”

his lips twitch. bitter. “because every time i got close, you’d disappear. you’d call it overprotectiveness. you’d say he’s just rafe. and then you’d hug everyone but me and laugh with everyone but me and—”

“rafe,” you cut him off, gently, your hand curling over his.

he pauses. he’s trembling again.

“i’m right here now,” you whisper.

his eyes flicker over your face. desperate. careful. reverent.

“and i’m not walking away.”

he lets out the softest, most broken laugh, more like a breath of relief.

“then fuck it,” he whispers back, leaning in, voice trembling against your mouth. “don’t let go.”

“i won’t.”

and this time, when he kisses you, it’s slower. deeper. full of everything neither of you said for years.

and everything you finally did.

->bsf!rafe taglist masterlist

tags: 🏷️ @rafesbabygirlx @viqtoria @k4yr14 @sc05 @devoutedlover @iconiccolo @qversazex @t0x1cfaerie @mrspuffdriving @silkylovey @purplerose291

[girlinterupptedsblog]

Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?

Pairing: situationship!Rafe Cameron x Reader

Warnings: Smut, toxic relationship dynamics, emotional manipulation, drug use, swearing, angst, possessiveness, late-night phone calls, obsessive behavior, heartbreak, emotionally charged themes, sexual tension, mentions of drinking and weed.

It started like most things on the island did—after midnight, under a haze of weed smoke and red Solo cups. Rafe wasn’t looking for a girlfriend. You weren’t looking for whatever this was. And yet, over a year later, he still hadn’t let you go and whatever you two were.

You told yourself it was just sex.

But it wasn’t just sex. Not anymore. Not after 15 months of whispered nothings, of him pushing your hair back and saying he’d never been like this with anyone else. Of late-night joint sharing, tangled in his bed in that goddamn house that always smelled like rich boy apathy and weed. Of him holding you in the dark when no one was around to see.

But never once—not once—had he asked you to be his girlfriend.

You weren’t stupid. You knew what this was. He called you when he was bored, when his ego was bruised, when he got too high and needed something to cling to that reminded him he still had control.

“Baby,” he’d slur into the phone, his voice low and scratchy, “I was just thinkin’ about you. Fuck, I miss your body. Wish you were here. Wish you were underneath me right now, i would fuck you so good baby.”

Same thing. Every time.

Tuesday, 2:48 a.m.

Your phone buzzed against your nightstand. You were already half-awake—he had trained you like a dog with a bell, conditioned you to expect him around this time. You didn’t even need to look. You knew it was Rafe.

RAFE CAMERON

3 Missed Calls

1 Voice Message

You stared at the glowing screen. Your heart pounded—annoyed, expectant, aching. You wanted to ignore him. You wanted to pretend you didn’t care anymore. You hit play.

“Shit, hey. It’s me. Obviously. I just—uh—fuck, I don’t even know why I’m calling. Just miss you, okay? Been thinking about your mouth on me all goddamn day. Can’t fuckin’ sleep. Feel like im gonna explode if you wont suck me off. You still got that picture I sent you? Bet you do. You’re probably touching yourself to it right now. Jesus… call me. I need to hear your voice.”

You threw your phone across the room.

He wouldn’t remember this in the morning. Or maybe he would. Maybe he’d just pretend not to.

You didn’t text back. Not this time. Not again.

You met up with him again three nights later.

He had this pull—like a magnet made of sin and privilege and some raw part of your heart you didn’t want to admit he still owned.

The second you stepped into his room, he grabbed you by the waist and pushed you against the door, lips on your neck like he was starving.

“Where the fuck have you been?” he mumbled between kisses, his breath heavy with whiskey and kush. “I’ve been going crazy.”

You rolled your eyes, but your hands still found their way into his hair. “Maybe you should’ve called me when you were sober for once.”

“I did,” he lied. You both knew it was a lie. “You just didn’t pick up.”

You wanted to slap him. You wanted to kiss him harder. You bit his lip, shoved him back onto the bed, and rode him like he didn’t own your thoughts every hour of every day.

It was always like this.

You’d go days without speaking. Then he’d come knocking—or worse, calling—at 2 or 3 a.m., voice rough, stoned out of his mind, saying the exact same thing.

“Miss you.”

“Need you.”

“I wanna fuck you.”

But never, never:

“Be my girlfriend.”

“Come to this party with me.”

“Let me take you out.”

You weren’t a secret. People knew. Everyone knew. Rafe made sure of it when he’d drag you into bathrooms at house parties or pull you onto his lap in the back of his truck.

But you weren’t anything real either.

You were a placeholder for whatever he needed at the moment. A fix. A warm body. Something to text when his high went sideways and he got too in his head.

Monday, 3:02 a.m.

Incoming call: RAFE CAMERON

You let it ring.

You let it go to voicemail.

He called again. And again.

3:17 a.m.

RAFE CAMERON (Voicemail)

“Y/N. C’mon, don’t do this. I fucked up, okay? You mad ‘cause I didn’t say the right shit the other night? You want me to say it? I’ll fucking say it. I want you. I need you. No one fucks me like you do. No one gets me like you do. You win, alright? Just… just answer. Please.”

You were crying by the time it ended. Not because he meant it. But because part of you still wanted to believe he did.

You confronted him once—after a week of silence, a week of blue ticks and cold shoulders.

“You only want me when you’re high, Rafe,” you said, standing in the doorway of his kitchen while he lit a blunt. “Do you even know what I mean to you sober?”

He blinked at you, slow. Stoned. Emotionless.

“You’re overthinking it.”

That was his answer.

"And you arent thinking at all because all the drugs eat your brain away"

You almost walked away that night.

But he looked at you like you were the last fix on Earth and dragged you onto the counter, fingers bruising your thighs, voice in your ear, whispering every dirty promise he could think of to make you stay.

Because he held you after. Because he called you baby sometimes. Because he said he missed you, even if it was only when his eyes were glassy and his mind was fried.

But deep down, you knew.

You werent his favorite drug.

Saturday, 4:06 a.m.

Your phone buzzed. Again.

Again.

Again.

RAFE CAMERON:

You up?

Pick up.

Wanna feel you.

You always ignore me when I need you the most.

Don't do that shit to me.

I’m outside.

You peeked through your blinds.

His truck. Parked crooked. Headlights off. Him in the driver’s seat, head tipped back like he was praying to some god that never listened.

You didn’t go outside.

You let him wait.

You were his constant.

His always.

But he was never yours.

[sl-vega]

SWEET N’ SOUR ! - a scaramouche celebrity smau

˚୨୧⋆｡ synopsis:  the bright lights of fame and fortune aren’t for everyone, and you’re starting to think you’re part of that majority. You just can’t seem to catch a break! Every movie you’re in goes straight to DVD, every album you drop just barely gets any streams. From child star to sub par popstar, it seems clear that the world has some kind of vendetta against you and you love to blame it on a certain rising musical sensation; Scaramouche. Thanks to your godforsaken luck you happened to go out with the wrong guy at the wrong time because he just so happened to be Scaramouche’s ex, next thing you know you wake up to truck loads of death threats, your record label dropping you, AND a whole album labelling you as the ‘other woman’! After what seemed like a never ending onslaught of straight bullying and harassment, you had long since retreated from the limelight, the only thing left from your music career being ever so occasional covers on YouTube that only your few close friends watched religiously. However, after writing a heartfelt original piece and uploading it from your humble bedroom, it goes viral! A single song has thrusted you head first into stardom once more, and face to face with the person you ruined it for you.

genre: rivals to lovers, enemies to lovers, enemies/rivals to friends (?) to lovers, celebrity smau, singer smau, social media au, modern au, gn! reader

warnings: cursing, kms/kys jokes, mentions of death threats, brief slut shaming, just parasocial fans and weird behaviour towards celebs in general (much like irl unfortunately), photos are used as placeholders and are not meant to depict reader's appearance

status: ongoing!

side ships: lumine x ayaka, beidou x ningguang, kokomi x gorou

additional notes:

so um, THIS smau will get consistent updates trust me this time (no click bait)

i actually had to physically restrain myself from posting this the second I made it, so by the time the masterlist is out i'll probably have most of the first act planned out/maybe even fully planned out

inspired by the sabrina carpenter and olivia rodrigo drama!

^^ not a one to one creation ofc I obviously took some creative liberties

i'm aware this isn't really a trending topic anymore, but I thought it would make a damn good fic!

taglist is open! comment/ask to be tagged!

[🍬] means the chapter contains written content!

PLEASE let me know if I can use your username as a fan, the main reason I can't mass produce chapters is cuz I need fan names T^T

dividers by @nicodefresas and @aquazero

-> OPENING ACT

TEASER 001 // TEASER 002 // PROLOGUE

˚୨୧⋆｡ STARRING:

0.1; winx club on crack // 0.2; d1 y/n haters

ACT ONE; that's that me espresso!

01; it's brutal out here // 02; caffeine high // 03; hot cacao in hotter weather - [🍬] // 04; have you ever tried this one? // 05; you'll just have to taste me // 06; in my good graces - [🍬] // 07; bleeding me dry like a vampire // 08; not in my time zone but you wanna be // 09; it's been a cruel summer - [🍬] // 10; good 4 u // 11; dancing with the stars - [🍬] // 12; two steps back // 13; twiddling my thumbs // 14; looking at me - [🍬] // 15; in another life - [🍬] // 16; on air! // 17; don't just stand there staring honey - [🍬] // 18; floatin' through the memories // 19; short and sweet - [🍬] // 20; maybe we could've been friends

ACT TWO; girl, so confusing

21; - // 22; - // 23; - // [TBA]

ACT THREE; i'm so obsessed with your ex

[TBA]

ACT FOUR; you make me wanna make you fall in love

[TBA]

🍬 (open) taglist: @shrii-kk @freyao7 @analiee6 @thetwinkims @bellflower1257 @blvdmrcnry @bloukoup @yuan1819 @yourstrulymauki @fungaltoehehe @enrions @atlatcaheart @mywillt0live @myeomiz @adornavia @automaticpatroltragedy @scaraenthusiast1 @sesamemin @syunifu @blueberrybxba @fishii28 @a-sorrowful-tune @emvss @jiminscarmex @mwaiu @lloversss @d4y-dr3am3r @usagiarchive @idaissupercool @raytoebiter @lizzie-harper @anqelkoz @blue-moonies @lalalaloveallmydays @jinjjjia

[vaadazen-codes]

How To Get Started Making Visual Novels

Wanna make a visual novel? Or maybe you've seen games like Our Life, Blooming Panic, Doki Doki Literature Club, etc. and wanna make something like that? Good news, here's a very basic beginners guide on how to get started in renpy and what you need to know going in! Before you start, I highly recommend looking at my last post about writing a script for renpy just to make it easier on you!

LONG POST AHEAD

Obviously, our first step is downloading it from their website

thankfully, its right on the home page of their site. Follow basica program installation steps and run the program. I highly recommend pinning it to your task bar to make it easier to access.

From there, you're met with the renpy app, it's a little daunting at first but let's talk about what all these buttons are for.

Projects

This part is simple, it just lists the current projects in the chosen directory. You probably won't have any in there of your own. You should still see Tutorial and The Question!

Both of those default projects are super helpful in their own ways, i highly recommend testing out the tutorial and playing around with it just to get comfortable with some of the basics.

Create New Project

The first step to actually making your game into a game!

You'll be met with a prompt letting you know that the project is being made in English and that you can change it. You can click Continue.

From here, you'll be asked to input a project name! Put in your games title, or even a placeholder title since this Information can be changed later! (this is also the title the folder will be in your file browser, be sure to name it something you won't overlook)

Now we get to choose our resolution!

If you have no idea what to choose, go for 1920x1080! This is the standard size for most computer monitors and laptops, but it will still display with moderately decent quality on 4k monitors too!

You can choose 3840x2160 as well. This is 2x the measurements of the default, with the same ration. These dimensions are considered 4k. Keep in mind, your image files will be bigger and can cause the game to have a larger size to download.

Now we get to choose our color scheme!

Renpy has some simple default options with the 'light mode' colors being the bottom two rows, and the 'dark mode' colors being the toop two rows.

You can pick anything here, but I like to choose something that matches my projects vibes/colors better. Mostly because depending on how in depth you go with the ui, it minimizes the amount of changes I need to make later.

Click continue and give it a minute. Note: If it says "not responding" wait a moment without clicking anything. It can sometimes freeze briefly during the process.

Now we should be back at our home screen, with our new project showing. Let's talk about allll that stuff on the right now.

Open Directory

This just opens that particular folder in your local file explorer!

game - is all the game files, so your folders for images, audio, saves, and your game files like your script, screens, and more.

base - this is the folder that the game folder is inside of. You can also find the errors and log txt files in here.

images - takes you to your main images folder. This is where you wanna put all of your NON gui images, like your sprites, backgrounds, and CGs. You can create folders inside of this and still call them in the script later. EX: a folder for backgrounds , a folder for sprites for character a, a seperate folder for spirtes for character b, etc.

audio - Takes you to the default audio folder. This is empty, but you can put all your music and sound effects here!

gui - brings up the folder containing all of the default renpy gui. It's a good place to start/ reference for sizes if you want to hand draw your UI pieces like your text box!

Edit File

Simple enough, this is just where you can open your code files in whatever text/code editor you have installed.

Script.rpy - where all of your story and characters live. This is the file you'll spend most of your time in at first

Options.rpy - Contains mostly simple information, like project name and version. There aren't a ton of things in here you need to look at. There is also some lines of code that help 'archive' certain files by file type so that they can't be seen by players digging in code however. Fun if you want to hide some images in there for later or if you just dont want someone seeing how messy your files are. We've all been there

Gui.rpy - where all of the easy customization happens. Here you can change font colors, hover colors, fonts, font sizes, and then the alignment and placement of all of your text! Like your dialogue and names, the height of text buttons, etc. It more or less sets the defaults for a lot of these unless you choose to change them later.

Screens.rpy - undeniably my favorite, this is where all of the UI is laid out for the different screens in your game, like the main menu, game menu, quick menu, choice menu, etc. You can add custom screens too if you want, but I always make my own seperate file for these.

Open Project - this just opens all of those files at once in the code editor. Super handy if you make extra files like I do for certain things.

Actions

last but not least, our actions.

Navigate Script - This feature is underrated in my honest opinion, it's super handy for help debugging! In renpy you can comment with # before a line. However, if you do #TODO and type something after it, it saves it as a note! You can view these TODO's here as well as easily navigate to when certain screens are called, where different labels are (super great if your game is long, and more. It saves some scrolling.

Check Script (Lint) - also super duper handy for debugging some basic things. It also tells you your word count! But its handy for letting you know about some errors that might throw up. I like using it to look for sprites I may or may not have mispelled, because they show up in there too.

Change/Update GUI - Nifty, though once you start customizing GUI on your own, it isn't as useful. You can reset the project at any point and regenerate the image files here. This updates all those defaults we talked about earlier.

Delete Persistent - this just helps you delete any persistent data between play throughs on your end. I like to use it when making a lot of changes while testing the game, so that I can reboot the game fresh.

Force Recompile - Full disclosure, as many games as I've made and as long as I've been using Renpy, i have never used this feature. I searched to see what it does and this is the general consesus: Normally renpy tries to be smart about compiling code (creating .rpyc files) and only compiles .rpy files with changes. This is to speed up the process since compiling takes time. Sometimes you can make changes that renpy don't pick up on and therefore won't recompile. In these cases you can run force recompile to force it. Another solution (if you know what file is affected) is to delete that specific. rpyc file.

The rest of your options on this right hand side are how you make executable builds for your game that people can download to extract and play later!

Sorry gang! that was a whole lot of text obviously the last button "Launch Project" launches an uncompiled version of the project for you to play and test as you go! Hang in tight because my next post is about how to utilize github for renpy, so you can collaborate easier!

[moonyasnow]

Blank TWST Logos / Character Icons

Individuals + guide tips for how to use them under the cut!

EDIT: I've updated the Ignihyde one to make the triangles less pixel-y and added one based on Fellow Honest's coffin!

Please tag (@) me if you use them for a post; I really wanna see what everyone makes ^^

Just like with the blank Birthday Boy Card templates I made, I decided I wanted blank ones for these...whatever these icons are called. So I made them!

First of all!

Here's two transparent ones, so you can sandwhich your drawing layer between them without fearing messing up the frame.

I added two because not all drawing programs understand the whole 'transparency' thing with pasted images, and will make any transparent part of an image black, which would kinda ruin it

So with the white you can just remove the color. Or alternatively, since I made the frame with a pixel tool, while it might be time-consuming, you can still remove all the white by hand without messing up the frame at all

I made two for Heartslabyul, so you can either have a Card Soldier one, or just a blank one

With the details on Octavinelle and Pomefiore's, I suggest copying them, placing them to the side and covering up the holes with the background color, so you can place them wherever you'd like once you're done with your own drawing

So you don't have to work around where I placed them 👍

And if you want differently-shaped bubbles, the bubble color is the same grey as in the frame

The Scarabia one is sadly pretty empty :/ but meh, they didn't give me a lot to work with, and I wasn't gonna add something 'just because'

Bright blue one is obviously Ramshackle. I have a feeling people are gonna get a lot of use out of that one haha

And the NRC Staff ones are...a bit of a special case. They're all slightly different but it seems the general theme is:

For teachers: grey background with beige/gold pattern

For other staff(for example Crowley and Sam) gold background I just used the square as a placeholder so you can eye-drop the color in the first one. And in the 2nd and 3d I included all the colors I've seen used in the staff coffins. red and the lighter shade of beige are usually only for the actual images INSIDE the coffins though.

I also added Vargas and Crewel's ones without their individual images (for Vargas a head of some kind of animal with antlers and for Crewel a dalmatian) by comparison, kinda like a 'this is what it could look like' thing

And here's some examples of my own coffins I made for if you need inspiration

And here's ones for Noble Bell College, and one for whatever Fellow Honest's got going on too. Just because I could

I'll probably end up adding Skully too if he gets his own card one day

Anyway bye!! ^^👋

[unhakies]

00:00:00 . k. woonhak

synopsis — everyone’s born with a countdown timer for when they meet their soulmate. yours hits zero in the middle of a boring school day.

pairing: nonidol!woonhak x fem!reader, highschool au, half smau half written

genre: one-shot, comedy, fluff

warnings: none!

wc; 470

notes — not proof-read! reader face placeholder as asa (babymonster) , mentioned idols; boynextdoor, wonhee (illit) eunchae (lesserafim) sakuya (nct wish)

you always thought meeting your soulmate would be this dramatic display with fireworks and the cheesy 'stare into each-others eyes' segment. or maybe your heart would skip a beat, and the world would tilt a little.

well, safe to say the world did tilt, just not in the way you would've expected.

keep reading under the cut!

more writing under the pictures!

you groaned, eyes squinting up at the culprit. "i am SO-SO SORRY!" he started off before she could get a word in, "my brakes weren't working and-" you cut him off before he could continue spewing nonsense.

"it's you.." you muttered, staring at the 'tattoo' on your wrist that previously showed a random time, which now read '00:00:00'. it burned with a stinging sensation as it flashed multiple zeros.

"yes, i know i was the one that hit you but-" woonhak continued, kinda annoyed. he was obviously apologizing!

honestly how stupid was he? could he not feel this burning feeling on his arm?

"no- i mean-" you were cut off when your brother, taesan, came running from around the corner. "are you okay?" he glanced at your slightly disheveled person,

he helped you to your feet, making you lean on him. "woonhak you are so dead later." he glared at his younger friend who gulped.

"once again i'm sorry!" he bowed at a 90 degree angle as the siblings walked away.

"you idiot-" he started, hitting the back of your head. "ow! i was the one that got hit!" you shoved him, momentarily forgetting about the soulmate situation as your older brother dragged you off to the nurses office.

the two of you sat on the swings of some empty park. "so.." you started "should we address the elephant in the room?" you bit your lip awkwardly.

woonhak cleared his throat, rolling up his sleeve, as you did the same. "i never thought i would meet my soulmate via bike crash." you scoffed lightly.

"hey! for how long will you bring that up?" he whined, you laughed at him.

"just teasing!" you giggled, "what should we do?" you asked, your smile slowly falling.

"let's just go slow, theres no need to rush into things" he started, "well figure things out together." he looked at you.

"together." you repeated with a smile.

a few months later

the two of you walked hand in hand, wandering around the school, your feet taking you anywhere.

you stop at a familiar spot. "oh hey, do you remember this place?" you glanced at woonhak, who sighed. "yes, I hit you here.." he playfully rolled his eyes.

"you know.. maybe getting hit wasn't all that bad." you gave a cheeky grin as he complained "you dragged it on for a while year just to say that now?" he whined.

"If it means i get to spend forever with you."

"how cheesy." he complained, but he blushed nevertheless.

[guesswhoisofftheirmedsagain]

A Dead Birds Chick

Instead of wanting to kill him, Jason goes to recruit Tim instead, because what could be more poetic than the first bird you lost, taking away his own replacement, and keeping him happier, healthy, and safer than you ever could?

(Jason would learn of, and weaponize Tim’s hero worship of him back when he was Robin.)

——- (little snippet)

Jason hesitantly placed a hand on the kids shoulder, his body stiff. “By doing this, by doing nothing but giving him a placeholder Robin, you’re not fixing the issue. What happens if you get hurt, or worse, who’s left to keep him in check? To really make things better in the long run, you need to get to the root of the issue, or else everyone looses.” Tim’s eyes stayed trained on the city below them, the wind bellowing in their ears. His legs swung slightly as they both sat at the edge of the building. “But I can’t just leave him! What would happen to Gotham? Batman needs a Robin, he needs- one.” The eyes of Tim’s domino mask gave away his feelings as he spoke. ‘Me’ was a word the kid couldn’t bring himself to say.

“He lost Robin, putting yourself through this type of treatment is only going to end up worse for both of you in the end.” Jason hoped to whatever god that was out there that whatever bullshit was coming out of his mouth sounded halfway decent, god why didn’t he prepare for this more? “How can you be sure of that?” Tim sounded hesitant, and a bit weary. He knew who Jason was, Jason had told him on their second meeting. It was a bit of a gamble, but the kid had kept quiet. Slowly building a relationship with the kid was key.

“I was Robin, remember? I’ve seen it first hand. I remember the freedom it gives you, and I am not asking you to give up that freedom.” Tim was, quite obviously, neglected by his parents both growing up and now, it was so easy to tell, even from an outsider’s perspective. Jason could imagine that taking Robin away from this kid would be taking away his lifeline. “But- how could I be Robin without Batman?” The kid sounded defeated, this was it. This was the moment Jason been building up to. God, he can’t fuck this up.

“Be my Robin.”

A beat of silence.

“What?” Tim’s voice was almost blank, confusing leaking through his failed attempt at masking it. “You heard me Tim, be my Robin. Whoever said that Robin had to be Batman’s partner?” Jasons smirk could be heard in his voice, by the kids change in body language, he got him. Hook, line, and sinker. Or well, floater? He was trying to save the kid, after all. “I could work with Robin?” Yes that’s it, distract him from the original goal of this conversation. The pure hope in Tim’s voice almost made Jason regret manipulating him a little bit during their meetings, but all would be made up for in the end.

“Yes, how would you feel about working with your predecessor?” Jason latched onto that, he knew the kid looked up to him, especially back when he was Robin. He would use it against the kid without him knowing. Tim lit up, his whole body turned to face Jason. “I- I would be honored-!” Tim’s mind ran so fast his words couldn’t keep up. Jason genuinely smiled, this was going perfectly. “Great. You’re coming with me.” Jason stood up, dropping the last of the Robin suits trackers onto the ground and crushing it beneath his boot. He had been subtly snatching them during their conversation, and was sure the big bad bat had been on his way sense Jason broke the first one.

“Wait, like now?” Tim was frozen to his spot on the roof, staring at Jason as he started walking away. “Yep, let’s go.” Jason didn’t look behind him, and satisfaction took over as he heard the sound of Tim scrambling behind him, and the soft taps of small steps rushing to catch up to him. Tim was his bird now, and he was going to do a much better job taking care of him than Bruce could ever dream of.

[jimblejamblewritings]

Okay, but picture the party finally makes it to Baldur's Gate and they go to confront Gortash first and maybe stop the coronation (if they can do so without bloodshed or at least without killing Wyll's dad accidentally). Gortash of course spills the beans all about Resist!Durge and the companions are upset. Honestly, this might be a hot take but I think they should be even more upset.

There's something so deliciously angsty (and human) about the companions being upset despite knowing that Durge has no memories of who they were before the tadpole and has actively been working to be a better person. They should try to help them and work through this revelation together but they just can't shake the betrayal long enough to see past themselves. Maybe the character they're romancing (I always feel like Halsin and Astarion work best for Durge so they'll be my placeholders for the rest of this but use whoever you romance) is less irrational. But instead of being fully on their side, they're trying to convince Durge to just give the others time and space to come back.

Maybe even Jaheira and Minsc are struggling because to be a Bhaalspawn is one thing but Durge created this entire trouble they're in now.

Durge is feeling utterly alone as they are avoided at camp like the plague. Even when the group moves into Elfsong Tavern, nothing has changed. Karlach who is normally this wonderful bubbly person is the worst of all. Gortash fucked her over majorly and not only was Durge his ally but was clearly involved with him. She can't find it in her to be reasonable.

(more under the cut)

This leads to Durge still being their leader but with essentially no real respect past how they work... until Haarlep. Durge is actively still trying to be a good person although it's getting harder. But that means they don't want to fight and kill at every inconvenience. When Haarlep gives the ultimatum, they choose to give themselves to the incubus to save everyone from getting hurt. It doesn't work and they still have to fight after all is said and done but at least they got the hammer and Raphael is dead. But now, Durge has no respect.

The first time Haarlep uses their form, the companions are disgusted and making jokes at their expense (kind of in line with game dialogue). And Durge is just going through the motions at this point. Now, this kind of needs Yenna in the camp to work but Orin takes Yenna and confronts Durge when they are alone buying supplies to bring back to camp.

Durge decides to go to the Temple of Bhaal alone. A final show of bravado if you will and a final attempt at keeping everyone safe. They defeat Orin. They say no to Bhaal. And they die on the cold stone floor of the temple all alone with nothing but the random Bhaalist member walking about on the upper floors.

Withers shows up but he can't do anything. Not here. If he plays around with Durge's death in this domain then Bhaal might swoop in and take their soul again. Or worse Bane or Myrkul. Durge has to be in a safer place away from the temple. So he summons a hireling to grab the only alliance member Durge truly has at the moment.

One of Gortash's Steel Watch collects Durge's body and takes it all the way to Gortash's mansion in the upper city. The instructions the hireling delivers from Withers are clear: Do not bury the body. Do not tamper with the body in a harmful way. Leave Durge in a safe room until he returns with what he needs. Collect the party.

Obviously, the party is on edge when a steel watcher shows up with Yenna but they aren't being arrested and the alliance is real even if they don't like it. The watcher doesn't say much in case others are around. The message is cryptic but sounds urgent. They arrive in the upper city and Gortash is completely stripped of all the bravado from earlier.

He's stressing how he isn't responsible for this and "that bone man" left them these messages. Feeling like his life won't be in immediate danger anymore, Gortash finally takes them to Durge's bedroom — his master bedroom and the one they used to share many moons ago. All hell breaks loose.

They try everything. Shadowheart's healing. Any spell Wyll has in his repertoire. Halsin's druid magic. Weird githyanki potions from Lae'zel that they've never heard about before. Karlach using up every soul coin she's got to try and just do something. Astarion stays at the foot of the bed just listening. Everyone keeps watching his face and hopes he'll hear a heartbeat or the faintest of breaths but his facial expression never changes. The revivify scrolls don't work. Gale figures this sacrifice is worth it and uses his scroll of true resurrection. It doesn't work.

Jaheira has to pull them away and say there is still work to be done. The alliance with Gortash is now at its peak with everyone bonded through this tragedy. No one even objects when he takes all three Netherstones. It subdues the brain for now, allows them to plan accordingly. Karlach pushes aside all her pain and lets Gortash know loud and clear that Durge is the only reason she doesn't murder him where he stands. He doesn't even have a quip for that, just nods before getting back to work.

Everyone is concerned about Astarion the most. They all shed tears, screamed, were right messes. He's been void of any visible sadness. It's strange how he's acting like nothing happened. Absolutely nothing.

They all keep checking on Durge, late apologies always spilling from their lips. Withers finally returns. They abandon all missions and plans and huddle in Durge's room. But it isn't dramatic. There's no roaring back to life, no huge gasps of breath, no sitting up or calling out. It's like nothing has changed. But Withers did everything. Yet there isn't a difference. Until Astarion sees it. Not a heartbeat to be heard yet but blood begins to warm Durge up. Withers encourages them all to return to work and leave his Chosen to rest. Durge has to stitch themselves back together before their soul can settle in and they can rise.

Halsin and Astarion are the worst at following his instructions. They only half pay attention to plans and never leave for missions at the same time even if the party would benefit from both being there. Halsin refuses to let a steel watcher continue to take care of Durge. He can clean them up from any sweat or dust that acquires on their resting form. He'll change their sleepwear every other night. Astarion is the one to watch them all night, needing the least amount of sleep out of everyone.

The companions start thinking of how to apologize to Durge's face once they finally awaken. It could be any day now. A tray of food and a pitcher of water are left on the nightstand and switched out daily in case Durge awakens while no one is home. Clothes that get washed more frequently than needed are folded neatly and placed on a chair right by the bed. Every garment belongs to Astarion and Halsin even though they know where Durge's wardrobe is.

Astarion actually starts thanking whatever gods are listening when Durge's heartbeat finally reaches his ears. It's not as strong as before but it's there. Everything might be alright he thinks as he calls everyone in. Then the tadpoles connect. Durge isn't even truly awake but the parasite is already back in business. And everyone sees what Durge is going through as they try to wake. Everyone relives the temple, Haarlep, Kressa, every vulnerable moment of Durge. They see the horror of when the urge first appeared. And then a realization that while the others are nightmares and memories resurfacing, Haarlep is now. Durge's form is still being used because why would an incubus care.

It's not an apology by a longshot but the companions decide they can at least take out Haarlep. They've killed a devil. An incubus isn't a threat. For once, both Astarion and Halsin leave.

Breakfast the next day is a lighter affair. Not pleasant, not with them having to tolerate Gortash, but light. And then in Durge's room, they finally awaken. It still isn't dramatic. Maybe because no one is there to make it feel so. Durge gets up, changes into what was folded up in the chair, and shakily exits their room.

The dramatics finally start once they make their way downstairs and into the dining room. Before Durge has a chance to process what all is happening, they are being seated and having a plate set in front of them. Without question, Gortash hands over Orin and Ketheric's Netherstones. Maybe in some fancy accessory or weapon for ease of wielding. Withers appears to look upon his Chosen, happy (as happy as he likes to let on) that they seem to be relatively healthy already.

Karlach begins to apologize first. It's heartfelt and profuse and completely cut off by Durge. That's fine, anger is to be expected. But Durge isn't angry. They aren't even addressing Karlach. Instead, they wearily ask Withers why. Why couldn't he just let them enjoy death in peace. Everyone is shook to their core because they heard Withers' entire resurrection speech. Durge wasn't in the heavens or hells. They were walking in purgatory forever yet somehow that was peace to them.

It's obvious now that Durge isn't tired from having to crawl back to life essentially. They're fatigued from everything, life itself and the cards they were dealt. Durge doesn't even eat the breakfast laid out in front of them. They don't want to hear any plans about anything and especially not about elder brains. All they want is quiet. So they ask Gortash if he still has that garden and that's where they go.

The party takes their time so as to give their leader space but eventually make their way into the garden too. Durge is just sitting there. And they stay there until the sun sets. When they finally do come inside, they only address Astarion and if he needs to feed. He's thrown off guard as he says no. Durge retreats back into their new shell at those words, only going to their lovers' room after being asked.

In the middle of the night, Durge wakes up to find Halsin's arms protectively around them. They turn their head to see Astarion awake and just staring at them. His processing was delayed, a gift of years of disassociation at the hands of Cazador. But now he feels it in full effect and has to make sure Durge is actually alive. He has to hear their heartbeat and watch their chest rise and fall.

Him trying to murmur sweet nothings so Durge can go back to sleep only wakes Halsin whose arms get tighter around Durge before relaxing as he finally comes to his senses. In the dead of the night, Halsin and Astarion are the first to apologize to a living Durge and be heard out. Quietly, Durge accepts it. For a moment, they think they might have been dreaming that something was said. But Durge repeats themselves just a tad bit louder before falling back into deep slumber.

[evertidings]

Hello~ I have a question about the writing/development process, if that‘s alright? What method do you use to keep track of choices/branches? I‘ve been debating on writing an IF, but the choice/branch thing seems almost more daunting than the coding 😭

I’ve answered this before but I love talking about this haha so I’ll explain it again.

I should start off by saying I’m not very Type B, so I don’t really need a rigid outline before I start writing. A lot of my best scenes are happy coincidences, and I come up with a lot of ideas on the spot. That said, having a vague idea of what you’re doing is always nice, especially since an IF is not a linear thing.

— FLOW CHARTS

When it comes to planning out various branches, I think the easiest way is to see it visually. I have a dedicated notebook for WTS, so when I start a chapter, I whip it out and conjure something like this (the flowchart above). Mine don’t go into detail about every choice that I want included in the chapter, but at the very least, I get a rough idea of how I want the chapter to begin and end, as well as how I am getting to that final checkpoint.

I also tend to write jot notes on the side of various topics I want to cover and scenes where that can happen. Again, I’m very flexible with my writing so having the freedom is useful to me, but it may not be for you.

— CHOICES & IF STATEMENTS.

Then, the writing. I start all my chapters in Word, which to most people will look crazy, but once you get used to it, you’ll find it’s actually quite organized. I’ve attached my layout above. The “Choice Placeholder” is, as you can guess, where I’d put the text for the choice players would choose. Everything in the bullet point would be text that only that route sees, and anything after it is common text that all the routes merge into.

I also included an example of how I set up my ‘if statements’, aka flavour text, in my Word document. While I usually write it in code, but for the sake of simplicity, I left it out. These aren’t reallyyyy necessary when you’re first figuring things out, but having flavour text can be nice for customization reasons. Like having your MC bump their head if they’re too tall for a doorframe, for example. I write these in a slightly different shade from my choices and on a different bullet point line just to make it easier on my brain and eyes.

Word (I’m not sure about Google Docs) allows you to create headers and collapse them, so if this looks a little too crazy for you, that’s always an option.

— CHARTS

If you need a little more structure and can’t just, like, freestyle your choices in a document, you can also make a chart. I do this to keep track of my variables. This one, for example, is from Chapter 8. I obviously crossed some things out, but you get the gist of it. While I’m not sure this would be the best method for organizing branches, it definitely helps in other areas.

Either way, I find that having a spreadsheet like this is the best way to keep everything in one place. If you have a lot of flavour text like me, it’s also good for when you want to reference something from a previous chapter. Because of that, I only really include variables I think will be useful for the future; if I put every variable I’ve ever created in a chart, I think I’d explode.

— OVERALL

I don’t think branches should be something that intimidates you. It’s very different from the traditional, linear way of writing, for sure, but I think as long as you keep it simple, it’s not that difficult. First chapters tend to have a lot of choices on customization and there is little space for flavour text since you have no previous text to reference, so you can always use that as a ‘trial run’ before getting into more complicated things.

If you decide to go through with it, good luck!! Let me know if you have any more questions too (and hopefully this answered your initial one).

[yanderenightmare]

How do you decide what characters fit an AU headcannon? I have so many AU ideas, but I cannot figure out what characters would actually suit any of them lmao

On Character Fitting

Hmm, I've actually never thought about this, but I'emme see...

Just Imagine It?

This may be dumb advice, but simply going through the character roster and just imagining them in the AU you're thinking about is probably the most common way to go about it if and when no one immediately comes to mind.

Write First, Rolecall Later!

Don't think about it too much! This is what I tend to do, at least. Just write whatever AU scenario you're thinking about first with an insert in place of a named character, then see later on whether that insert passes for a named character—again, just by going through the roster.

Simply Leave It As An OC!

If you're having issues assigning a role to a named character, you might as well just stick with whatever original character comes naturally.

I know some authors tend to steer away from OCs because it somehow suddenly feels a little more complicated, or they're afraid it won't hook readers the same way a fandom name would. But OCs can really be as simple and as catchy as Cowboy Crush or Yandere Landlord—especially if you're writing headcanons!

Fuck Around and Find Out!

When you think about it, any character will fit in any AU. As the author, it's up to you to make it work. Obviously, some characters fit some roles better, but it's all about the angle you take when you write. So, just let loose and see what happens! Suddenly, you may stumble upon something you'd never thought would work!

When in Doubt, Stick With What You Know!

This might be a cheap trick, but obviously, it's way easier to write the character you know best. For me, that's Bakugou and Gojo. So, anytime I'm stuck writing something and struggling to characterize the character interacting with the reader, I'll find myself asking—what would Bakugou or Gojo do or say here?

So, if you have a fave, I'd suggest using all that character knowledge you have of them for what it's worth.

Sometimes, all an author needs is a placeholder character to get things moving. Then, after you've made a draft, you can tweak those things that stick out until they all fit better, and then suddenly, you'll be left with this whole other perfect character.

And who knows? Maybe this new character reminds you of another named character you can now use!

Hope it helps!

♡ NIGHTMARE'S HELPDESK

[strangetomato]

"It's What I Do."

"Zoe and Jasmine invited me to their bachelorette party."

"Don't call her Jasmine, okay, she hates that. Jax or Jaxy is good."

"Okay, sure. It was nice of them to ask me, though, don't you think? I bet that will be fun."

"Yeah, we'll have a great time."

"You're going?"

"Yeah of course I'm going."

"But you're a guy."

"Thanks for noticing."

"Are you sure they want you to go?"

"Yeah of course they want me to go."

"Isn't a bachelorette party supposed to be a girls thing?"

"Yeah... and me. Not only do they want me there, they expect me to show up and do something incredibly stupid. This is a fact. It's a bachelorette party! It's my duty to like hire a stripper or something. If I didn't they would be so disappointed."

"Are you sure?"

"Phi, listen. I am contractually obligated to be a fucking dumbass. You know this. That is what they expect. It's what I do. This is what I bring to the table. I'm giving a speech at the wedding, writing a whole song to play at their wedding, but also at the minimum I have to take my ass out or something at the bachelorette party. I don't make the rules!"

"I find it very hard to believe they haven't seen your ass before..."

"No, of course they have. Obviously that's just a placeholder."

"Wait, I've got it... Oh man, yeah I don't think they'd see that coming at all."

...

"... But I'm gonna need your help."

[yourdragonisinanothercastle]

"One Half of a Whole" Meta

One Half of a Whole is a fic that really sent the hamsters in my head spinning. Before I even started writing it, I had theories coming out my ears about how ORV's world would work with this setting. All the changes to canon I ended up making, I made for a reason.

And since I’ve had readers on other fics tell me that what I wrote sometimes helped them understand ORV and its characters better, I figured I could expand a bit on the meta behind this one!

I’m going to explain from the point of view of somebody who’s finished the novel, so obviously

SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE ORV NOVEL

Chapter 1

Kim Namwoon

One of the big differences in chapter 1 is that Kim Dokja ends up sparing Kim Namwoon. You might remember that Kim Dokja, in one of those rare moments of honesty that come to him in the late novel, explains at some point why he hates Kim Namwoon so much.

"When I was young, I really hated you." When I was still absorbed in reading the 'Ways of Survival', Kim Namwoon was the only character that I couldn't sympathise with. If every person appearing in that novel was my hyung, my father, my dongsaeng, and my noona, then… …Then, the character 'Kim Namwoon' was the cautionary tale for me. […] When I thought about it, the reason why I hated Kim Namwoon was pretty simple in nature. "Yoo Joonghyuk always took you in as his companion." Out of everyone from the 'Ways of Survival', Kim Namwoon most closely resembled me. "Even though he knew that you are an evil bastard, even though he knew that you did evil things… Even then, he took you in." If I was him, how would I have turned out? — Chapter 480

Kim Dokja hated Kim Namwoon because he saw himself in him. He asked tls123 multiple times whether Yoo Joonghyuk could, pretty please, not make Kim Namwoon his companion in this round; or the next; or really, in every round, please just skip that guy Author-nim!

So when ORV started, Kim Dokja jumped at the chance to do away with a character he had always deemed evil, and who forced him to confront some pretty dark things about himself.

But in One Half of a Whole, Kim Dokja’s opinion on Kim Namwoon is naturally different, because while he still dislikes the way Kim Namwoon acts and he still feels ill at ease with the similarities between them… Kim Namwoon is not filling a space where young Kim Dokja was trying to project himself. Because young Kim Dokja could always see a space for himself by Yoo Joonghyuk’s side, and that was the space reserved for Yoo Joonghyuk’s soulmate.

If anything, I expect young Kim Dokja would have vehemently hated every character who tried to pass themselves as Yoo Joonghyuk’s soulmate (at least until their deception was revealed and he could bask in the violent vengeance Yoo Joonghyuk enacted on them 😏).

But as for Kim Namwoon, in OHoaW, Kim Dokja didn’t have as much resentment for him, and he also cared far more about making a good first impression on Yoo Joonghyuk, and so Kim Namwoon lived.

Weaver of the Twin Threads of Fate

OK, so. Weaver of the Twin Threads of Fate is a problem. For me, at least. 😭

I knew heading in that I would need to flesh out a bit the soulmate setting, because I always flesh them out. I find it’s not much fun for me to write a soulmate AU where the canon worldbuilding doesn’t change at all.

So Yoo Joonghyuk’s world would naturally have mythology pertaining to soulmates, and constellations derived from that mythology seemed a given. I only needed one constellation to make my point, and I didn’t really need to give her a name outside of her moniker or to dig into her backstory, since she was just a placeholder. Having her be friendly with Uriel seemed like a nice humorous touch. So far, so good.

The problem came when I dug too far into the meta. Because ORV is, at heart, a story that asks you to think about stories, about their relationship to us, about the bonds between writer and reader and character.

And so I made the mistake of asking myself: who is Weaver of the Twin Threads of Fate to ORV? And the answer is: the entity who added soulmates to TWSA.

Me. Weaver of the Twin Threads of Fate is me.

And I want to make one thing clear, here: I’ve been writing fanfictions for 20 years. In that time, I have never written a self-insert. Never even had the temptation.

Figures that ORV would be the fandom to make me do it without even realizing. 🤣

Abyssal Black Flame Dragon

Yep, he ended up not offering to sponsor Kim Dokja in this fic since Kim Namwoon is still around and is, after all, at least 10% more chuuni than Kim Dokja. At least.

Now, constellations can technically have more than one incarnation in ORV, but from what I understand it dilutes the power a bit. It's hard to tell since it's not much shown on-screen in the novel. I should do some research on that before I decide what to do about Han Sooyoung... (If anybody can remember more, feel free to tell me! I'd also welcome any information on this subject that'd come from the ongoing side story, but keep it as vague as possible because I still haven't started it.)

Secretive Plotter

I don’t think I need to explain why Secretive Plotter is throwing wayyy more money around in OHoaW… but I want us all to take one more moment to contemplate the utter chaos that is N’Gai’s Forest right now. ♥

[gamma-ghoul]

"I love you too, Robby."

So, I need to vent. But I just have to say that I find a portion of the fandom to be incredibly obtuse about Miguel's reaction to this line.

I don't know if it has to do with the fact they don't have step-parents and don't understand the type of insecurities that come with it. But for anyone who believes that it is wrong for Miguel to be upset that Johnny is expressing love for his "ACTUAL SON", all I have to say is:

YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT.

Holy moly, his reactions isn't about that!

During Prom Night, Robby hits Miguel's biggest insecurity on the head.

Miguel is just a replacement goldfish, and Johnny doesn't care about Miguel as a person but as someone who is a convenient placeholder until his actual son returns.

While Johnny has failed Robby in numerous ways, Johnny still exists in Robby's life to a certain extent and will always be connected by blood. Johnny being Robby's dad isn't a question, it's a FACT.

Miguel doesn't have the same claim. It isn't a comfort he is afforded. Johnny could literally leave at any point, and he would have no obligation to stay. Miguel's insecurity about his place in Johnny's life is what drives this reaction.

I mean, Miguel's actual father is entirely out of the picture. He honestly believes that his biological dad didn't love him enough to stop what he was doing so he could be a father. (Since he isn't privy to the fact that his dad didn't know Carmen was pregnant before she left him at that point in time.)

Every time Johnny and Miguel talk about Robby, it's always about how Johnny feels regret for not being there for his SON but is glad to be Miguel's TEACHER. These are two different types of relationships. Johnny unknowingly conditioned Miguel that he views him as a STUDENT, not a son.

Johnny saying, "I love you too, Robby," after an earnest "I love you" from Miguel just reaffirms his insecurities about their relationship.

I agree that Johnny and Robby's relationship is tragic and that the writers have failed to develop it properly. It's also a shame that it has been regulated to off-screen status in season 6.

But man, you can empathize with Miguel without being like, "Well, actually, Robby's life is worse, and he is Johnny's BIOLOGICAL SON. His TRUE SON. So why is Miguel even Bugging."

This was obviously going to upset him. Imagine hearing a monologue about how someone wants to protect and care for you like a son/daughter, and it turns out that those sentiments weren't meant for you, and you don't know if they ever will be. It is heartbreaking.

Like, let the kid feel his own emotions. It doesn't always have to be compared to Robby.

[mama-qwerty]

Loving your analysis on the Sonic 3 lore. May I request a deep dive into Agent Stone’s character? I just think he’s neat and had some character development throughout the films.

In talking about Agent Stone, we have to talk about Robotnik's mindset and dynamic in relation to him. Stone doesn't exist in a vacuum, and it's his relationship with Robotnik that helped shape him over the course of the movies.

Gonna get looooong. Again. Because I just can't shut up when I get started.

In the first movie, Stone's simply an assistant, an over achieving second to Robotnik. (Possibly the only agent who could stand to put up with him for so long.) He was a little brown nosey, and portrayed the stereotypical characteristics of a really good assistant that we see in other media, going back as far as Radar from M.A.S.H. He anticipated his boss' needs, and supplied them almost before they were requested.

Robotnik obviously didn't respect him, even if he liked how Stone made his latte. Although I'd be hard pressed to think of anyone Robotnik actually respected or liked, honestly.

But it was curious why Robotnik then created a likeness of Stone to keep him company on the mushroom planet. It could be explained away that Robotnik was used to talking about his plans out loud, used to spouting about how brilliant he was, and what he felt were clever quips and barbs at those he deemed 'lesser' than himself, and needed an audience to do so. Not to mention, having a 'companion' of sorts helped keep him focused. Since Stone had been his latest lackey, the most recent sycophant to hang on his every word, he simply went the most convenient route and used him as a placeholder for this required role.

But was that all there was to it?

Robotnik went to the trouble of carving a face onto the rock. Carrying it with him wherever he went as he traversed the planet, seeking out sustenance and shelter and concocting his Rube Goldbergian machinations to make himself a cup of mushroom coffee. As a man of science, a man who prioritized his own survival and logical nature over useless sentimentality, it's curious he would go to the trouble of not only creating a likeness of Stone, but 'wasting' precious energy and cargo space carrying it around.

Which indicated that Stone's presence had a greater impact on the doctor than he admitted or realized, even to himself.

This is further reinforced by the doctor's manifesto, as referenced in the Sonic 2 pre-quill comic. In that, we learn that Robotnik left this as a sort of instruction manual for Stone to "rebuild [Robotnik's] glory on a mass scale". It guided Stone to "rebuild [himself] as an instrument of pure science", and helped Stone to infiltrate the Mean Bean and rise through the ranks to ultimately own it, and create that as a home base for further operations.

This indicates that Robotnik saw promise in Stone, and trusted Stone more than he'd likely trusted anyone else. Yes, it was all to build a society that Robotnik orchestrated, but the fact that he created the manifesto, with the intention of having Stone read and implement it, showed a greater reliance on Stone than previously indicated.

So Stone is in place, having transformed the Mean Bean into a secret base worthy of the best super villains. And now he waits.

And waits.

And waits.

All the while having to deal with the public.

As anyone who's worked in any kind of customer service job can tell you, dealing with the public day in and day out can drive anyone to thoughts of villainy. That last customer Stone deals with is a prime example of this, with the rude looks and actions, and overall disdain and contempt for service people in general, and possibly him in particular.

He misses the doctor, because he understood the doctor. Robotnik was a big thinker, someone who had higher aspirations and goals than anyone he'd ever met before. He didn't hold a high opinion of the general public, and the more Stone deals with them, the more he understands that mindset. And through the manifesto, Stone likely felt even more connected to Robotnik.

It's possible that Stone's feelings for the doctor didn't start out as a more personal, emotional kind of love. It's possible, and likely, they were simply admiration, because Robotnik was incredibly intelligent, and never let anything stop him from achieving his goal. In Stone's experience, it was possible that the previous people he worked with didn't have that level of dedication. So when he got with Robotnik, it was refreshing to see someone taking his position seriously, and not simply 'doing a job'.

But when Robotnik was bested by the hedgehog, and sent to the mushroom planet, Stone may have felt a little rudderless. Since he was working with Robotnik, and Robotnik himself had been wiped from GUN's database, Stone may have been a casualty of that as well. He was simply a 'lowly agent', so it wasn't that much of a loss to wipe him, too.

Either that, or he intentionally kept himself hidden to avoid being captured and grilled regarding anything else Robotnik may have been doing. Stone strikes me as the kind of man who can blend in with a crowd, and disappear at will.

He knows the system, and knows how to exploit it.

When the doctor returned, Stone was thrilled. Everything he'd worked for up to this point was finally going to be recognized, and he wanted nothing more than to pick up where he and the doctor left off, working together and striving for a better world.

Since Stone had been working at the Mean Bean, a place within Green Hills, he likely saw Sonic on and off. He couldn't blow his cover, no one knew he'd worked with Robotnik, after all, but GOD, seeing that hedgehog would have made the bile rise in his throat. This little alien, this cocky little furball had bested the doctor and sent him away, as though he were in the wrong. And this entire town supported it! And here was this blue rat, living here on Earth as though he belonged.

That fact alone would have pushed Stone even further to the side of Robotnik, thinking that the general public is nothing but "primitive, sport-cheering, social media-scrolling knuckle-draggers". They'd cheered the defeat of a genius, one who was simply trying to capture this unknown alien element that has proven itself capable of destruction on a mass scale, and call him the bad guy. Yes, his methods had been maybe a little unorthodox, but when dealing with such an enemy as an alien with super speed and the ability to create large blasts of energy, you had to think outside the box.

But he was finally back, and he'd brought yet another little spiky furball. And had left with it, leaving Stone behind yet again. But that was okay. He would return. Stone was sure of it.

And he had. But he'd been . . . different. Gotten the Master Emerald, and was . . . changed. And when GUN showed up, Robotnik had put his genius on display, and taken Stone with him this time. It was glorious, but had taken Stone a little bit to catch up. (Thankfully there was a manual!)

Then everything had gone pearshaped again, and those furballs won.

No matter.

Stone was a patient man.

He knew GUN's procedures and it took hardly a moment to infiltrate their ranks. He used their own technology and manpower to find Robotnik amid the rubble, and scurried him away to heal and regroup. One of the things included in the manifesto was blueprints of many machines and creations, and Stone had put Robotnik's drones to work building a giant crab bot.

GUN may have had eyes everywhere, but the ocean was still a mystery in may ways. And it hid may a secret.

But as the doctor healed, he fell into a deep depression. Being bested by the blue rodent not once, but twice, had done a number on his psyche. He'd lost all drive for world domination. His access to any of his drones and bots had been all but severed, and there were only a scant few satellites still in orbit with them aboard. Hardly enough to wage an all out assault, especially with THREE alien vermin on Earth to challenge him.

No. Robotnik was utterly demoralized.

But Stone stayed by his side. He kept Robotnik comfortable, and tried to reignite that spark within him. Tried to suggest heists and schemes to keep his spirits up. But it was to no avail. Stone stepped up, assuming a caretaker role, and offering support whenever he could.

He kept tabs on GUN's comings and goings, and when the board lit up after Shadow was released, he went to investigate. He found those rodents pinned down by drones, but not just any drones, Robotnik drones. This wouldn't do. If anyone was going to use those drones to take out these annoying little furballs, it would be Robotnik himself.

So he killed the drones--with the annoying side effect of saving the rodents--and returned to base. The aliens had followed, but he was keen enough to realize they had a common enemy.

An alliance was formed, and Stone had to admit that it was good to see the doctor more like his old self. Unsurprisingly, Robotnik very quickly narrowed down the source of the hijacked drones, and the group quickly went to investigate.

But then they'd found that old man. And Robotnik had tossed Stone to the curb because suddenly he had found his 'real' family, someone who would love him unconditionally.

And it hurt.

Stone never fooled himself to think he was ever on Robotnik's level. He was nowhere near as smart as the doctor, and couldn't even comprehend how the man thought. But he'd thought they were more than simply villain and henchman. Robotnik trusted Stone, more than he'd ever trusted anyone else. Stone had seen Robotnik at his lowest. At his most vulnerable. And didn't care.

Typical henchmen wouldn't stick around when the boss is defeated. They wouldn't drag his body out from under a felled robot and keep him safe. Help him heal. Fetch him burritos and cheap novels and steal cable to hook him up with episodes of La Ultima Pasion to help him pass the time.

Stone was still following Robotnik's manifesto, even when Robotnik himself had given up. Because he had faith that the doctor would eventually snap back to himself. That he would realize that the world needed him to correct it.

And that someday, maybe, Robotnik would see Stone for being the one person who'd stood by him, from the very beginning.

And he had.

When it was too late.

Robotnik's message to Stone as he managed to stave off the final explosion of the ARK gave Stone that validation he'd been looking for. Told Stone that, even though Robotnik was terrible at expressing himself, he had, in his own way, loved Stone right back. Appreciated Stone. Valued Stone.

And that's all Stone had ever wanted to hear.

And maybe, that gives Stone the encouragement he needs to continue with Robotnik's manifesto.

~~~

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