#sorry for rambling btw i get nervous when i make original posts

[beachbears]

I made these like a year ago for a friend group presentation and I never had the guts to post them until now

[levbolton]

It is I, anon from earlier today and I can now in confidence tell you that your fics have broken me down into nothingness.

Not only am I stupid and cannot read tags but I repeatedly let myself be comforted by your writing only to be hit with the sad truth at the end. You can’t keep getting away with this /j .Your style is so unique and I can feel the passion you have for the characters as you can see their inner turmoils on the writings. I love how you bring them to life

My personal favourite is Monologue (which is highly underrated btw). I love the dynamic between Fumi and Maki plus Fumi talking about her day made me smile so much. Then cane the gut wrenching feeling about Maki. Honestly you managed to balance the fluff with the angst out so well and I really adored it.

To conclude this annoying fan’s rambling, you are my favourite blue period writer and such a great storyteller. I know how you’ve stated that the fandom is quite inactive (cause it is) but your presence manages to be so outstanding to me. I don’t know why I was too nervous to follow now but I might as well write my letter of appreciation so it can be covered by the bots.

I hope you are able to continue doing what you love and have a great rest of day. 🙃

thanks op, kinda figured bcs i have emails from ao3 and your usernames match

personally 'monologue' is quite the lackluster for me, i wanted to use the concept, i think i wanted to make it about ytyt with yotasuke that would tell yatora about the summer festival only to reveal at the end that yatora was unconscious the whole time so yotasuke wasn't talking with anyone, i got the idea while working on 'a psychological take' (where i wrote already a summer festival so it felt unnecessary to do it again) and at the same time i wanted to write fumimaki (bcs there's literally nothing for this married couple, almost canon i'd say, more canon than ytyt), so i combined both, i was still in a phase where i wanted to kill all characters and make them suffer which i think i did a lot and now i just want to write them relax and be happy (writing depression is hard), so it's not really that original inside my head, but im glad at least someone else likes it (for me billy of tea was way more fun to think about)

tbh i've been thinking about moving on from blp for quite a few months already but i simply can't find something else to interest me the same way ytyt does, which sucks bcs if i don't write then no one will write stuff, rn i want to finish this fic i'm sorking on (i hope i get to 100k), then a oneshot about ytyt soulmates and another oneshot about miki and ayano only, then idk, i think it would be good to retire (not to be petty actually, but i did write 40% of the words in the yatoyota tag on ao3)

fandom isn't really only inactive, it is now a bit (i continuously try to collect blp fans here and on twt, the more the merrier), but i just felt ignored since the anime was airing, again maybe it was the bad timing bcs i started posting my first fic towards the end of the anime when people lost the interest bcs that adaptation is horrible, then in february yamaguchi had covid and from march to july it was complete hiatus and then the whole dj drama (which i'd lie if i said the mob mentality to drop it didn't affect me too although i was the one to uncover the doujinshis on my own weeks before it got to twitter, anyway my idea was: this isn't a piece of media i care about and i am already deeply in love with blue period so whatever, my respect for yamaguchi decreased and i got a passive aggressive attitude towards her until she posted the new year ytyt picture with bunnies this january, now i seriously don't care abt whatever else she drew - also damn i'm really side railing with this)

thanks again for your support, sorry for the long unnecessary text lmao, i have too much free time

[riisinaakka-draws]

Progress gif of this:  “Would you still recognize me?”

The quality isn’t the best possible, but hopefully you get the idea how things evolved... It’s made from “the preview pics” that I saved in this painting’s draft/wip folder whenever I took a break or wanted to compare/remember something special - and also so that I’d know where I left things and wouldn’t have to open the actual psd file every time, lol. To make the gif size smaller and to have it flow better (and be less eye-hurting), I left some of the frames out.

I admit it, it’s quite fascinating to watch now after everything :D *pats myself on the back*

So that the post doesn’t become too long on the dash, I put some additional notes under the cut, mainly about the refs and wips if you want to take a look! Please, do not repost elsewhere :)

(Btw, you can just read the bolded parts if you want a quick version or get tired of the rambling.)

I want to point out that the main work always happens underneath all kinds of adjustment layers because I like to test things a lot during the process before sticking on something if I don’t quite know yet what I want. Like the colour scheme or where the light comes (or if there are multiple light sources) or if something needs more contrast etc. So I paint with simpler colours first, but already have some ideas/adjustment layers over them, but hidden and waiting until the basics are done. Then I merge things and continue to paint with the “new” colour palette.

I also often test filters to have more texture or bring out some things better - or just to find something interesting to incorporate! Accented edges, crosshatch and watercolor are things that I often test in some way over my sketches and wips at some point when the basics are done or when I need/want some kind of further effect/texture or just something to knit them together better and for balance. And also just for fun!

Then I flatten the things I like (or I am “certain about” at that point) and continue painting over that ...aaaand end up testing something else, keep different versions or parts of things on separate layer groups (to compare or to bring back some earlier things that I liked or alternative lighting solution or object/body part placement, or...) and so on...seriously it’s always a mess controlled chaos! aahahahaha *face palm*

But mainly the things keep building on top of each other instead of having neat groups for sketch, lineart, colours, lighting etc. I mean, I always try to start with that but never have been able to actually keep it very long... And on the other hand I’m too nervous and indecisive to paint with only single layer/canvas from the beginning with (like a traditional painting would be painted). Or with just a few layers for background, character(s), effects on their own and so on... So I have this chaos that swirls towards that something that I had preplanned or wanted to achieve/practise until I’m happy with it.

ANYWAY, BACK TO THE ACTUAL ART :

The original “spark” for this work was Flint at the end of the episode 1 with his bloody face and white shirt, and that nice splash of light, which made me think about the aftermath and him cleaning himself in the privacy of his cabin with some nice morning light painting his beard fiery and him lost in thoughts :) At some point that made me think of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s beautiful painting “The Laundress” which I have liked since I was a kid, so I started to steer towards it.

See the resemblance? (˵ ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°˵)ﾉ ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Some of the refs for the bowl and Flint. The angle/posture ended up being a bit different and I had more refs for Flint’s face and shirt and hand etc.

Some wips:

1) basically the idea and items that I wanted to include.

2) after a break (weeks? months?) and after I had searched some more references to help. The eyes were at this point (accidentally) absolutely awful so I censored them for the sake of my own peace of mind here, lol (not sorry!)

More wips along the way, although not much difference can be seen as the pics are quite small.. :

3) I mirrored/flipped the painting constantly, to see the mistakes and also because I couldn’t decide which way I wanted him to be! This stage was aaalmost ready but I got stuck and forgot let it be for several months doing other stuff again.

4) I continued it, fixed lots of things with fresh eyes and experimented more with lighting and texture but nothing too drastic stuck in the end. I have two monitors and either (or both...) are calibrated a bit off atm, so it was quite frustrating to navigate and to know which one had the right colours that I was after... and I still don’t know but it looks nice on both screens so  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯   At this stage things were basically nitpicking and a bit too much honing.

The finished piece:

In the end I lost some of the things I actually liked more in the earlier versions (for example some had more of a dreamy feeling or better texture or more emotions/wearyness/anger showing that didn’t quite reach the end result again) and I overworked some other things, but nevertheless! I’m very pleased how this turned out! I reached the vision I wanted and learned a lot again :D

Thanks for reading <3

[agustdomain]

hey! i lost in interest in kpop and all but this came to me the other day. since evermore came out, i was binge listening to most of ts's prev albums. i payed extra attn to new year's day cuz a friend said that it sounded like the prequel to champagne problems. when i listened to nyd, i rmbrd ur mark fic. how long ago was that posted? i can't believe it took me this long to make the connection smh. btw how do u like the new album? i'm a little obsessed tbh.

Acxjkxklnc oh my gosh you don’t know how much excitement just coursed through me to get an ask about taylor. PLEASE let’s chat about her music if you’re up for it. I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions!  I’m gonna add a line break bc apparently I wanted to write you an essay...

Wow... I am utterly speechless. And you remembered Glow? I AM SO LUCKY. Ugh. Okay so I went back to double check and I posted Glow on 2019′s New Years Day. Random story related to nyd that may or may not entertain you. Sorry if this is a bore. So originally when Reputation came out, I didn’t pay much attention to the song. It was nice but I was more into other songs on that album. Then I watched her perform it live and it transformed my entire opinion on the song. It immediately became a favorite and she has this way of painting an entire movie across your eyelids, pulling emotions out of you that you only experience in real life. She’s a mastermind storyteller. 

So that ^ is how Glow was born. A whole story about finding a lover on New Years but not being able to express that you want to love them not just in that one blissful moment. 

Okay this is a longggg ask. Apologies! I have to answer your question, though. I think Evermore is so gorgeous. It reminds me of a movie soundtrack. I think it’s a strong sister album for folklore. Folklore is really set the bar and I was nervous to see what evermore would be. But I think it stands on its own and the two give off very different vibes. So far, my favorites are Gold Rush (all bc of that one catchy part “Everybody wants you, everybody wonders what it would be like to love you- walk past, quick brush” LIKE UGH HOW DARE SHE), long story short, closure, and evermore. What about you? I rambled on so much geez. But this is so exciting to me.

[san--shine]

My fansign experience (10.04.2019)

Soooo after 2 months here finally comes my fansign experience. I will try to keep it short but still it will be way to long so I will place it under the cut after Hongjoong. I hope I don’t make anyone sad or something and it can make you smile a bit maybe~

Hongjoong

When I came up to him and told him that I am nervous he instantly told me not to be nervous and tried to make me laugh. When I asked him why he said that I am cute when I laught. He then proceed to laugh with me about my post-it question which was telling me the mental ages of the members. Afterwards we still had time since Seonghwa was still busy so I let him guess my age. He asked if he should guess in korean or german age and I told him that he could decide and he decided on german age. He then leaned back and proceed to drag his gaze up and down until he settled on my eyes. And guess what. He said 23 which is kinda right since I tun 23 later this year. We were both so surprised since normally noone guesses my age right and he was surprised probably that he got it right and that I am older than them ^^

For the general vibes he gave me during the fansign: He has such a calm and funny vibe. He was nervous, you could tell, but he was always sure of himself and about what he was saying to you. Truly the perfect leader who did everything he could to calm you down or make you laugh depending on what he thought would help you more ~

Seonghwa

Let me give you something of his trained english: “HI, oh you bought shiber with you. How are you.” ... “Nervous? Me too, so nervous.” He leaned so close while we were talking. His post-it question was about his favorite korean food. And he asked me if I have ever eaten Ramen in the end and I was like “Yeah yesterday before the concert.” He was so surprised, happy and excited and was telling me that he actually ate ramen 10 minutes before the fansign and that I shouldn’t tell anyone ^^ In the end he gave Shiber a pat and said that I should come to Korea to eat with him. Poor baby was wearing so much make up tho. 

Seonghwa has such a calming vibe. Like, I literally thought I would freak out while sitting in front of him. But he hold eye contact all the time and let me tell you, you could see his eyes shining with happiness. He was so happy and it managed to calm me down instantly. I don't know how often he told me how nervous he is too. It makes you feel so much better knowing that they were struggling with nervousness too.

Yunho

The first thing after he read my name was saying how muched he loves my name. He also loved that I am becoming a teacher. Though he guessed that I'm a English teacher since my english was so good. When I tried to explain him what I am studying he was struggling to understand what I mean with the word math but he understood biology. After he read my post-it note (where I asked him to write down some encouraging words for studying) he asked me why. So I told him that I was struggling with university and was scared to actually fail it in the end. Yunho said that I should always study hard and that whenever I feel that it gets to much that I should know that he will think about me. I told him that he is cute when I got up to get to Yeosang and he got so shy ~

Yunho gives the BIGGEST boyfriend vibes! Idk. It's so hard to describe actualy. But he was so curious about my studying and teaching. And I think he kinda felt bad that he didn't understood a word, but hyped me up anyway. I got the feeling that you could tell him everything and anything and he would listen to you! He always looked to endluged in whatever atiny was telling him. If you ever need someone to just listen to your rambles and then tell you that everything will be alright you will love him!

Yeosang

He. Is. So. Cute. And.. he didn't shave^^ He had so much make up on his face trying to conceal it but you could see it clearly. It was so adorable. And he was wearing blue contact lenses. Oof. I asked him to sort all member into Hogwarts Houses (because I knew from a gc beforehand that Yunho would get that question like 3 times already) and he was so eager to do it. He struggled with some word but I had written the house names in the original colors so that helped him. Actually he asked me to help him sort after a while and it was so much fun (San was watching me while doing it because he was bored but I will scream about it later). It was especially funn when we had written down 7 members and we both were looking down left and right wondering who we forgot to sort (it was Jongho btw) :D

Yeosangs vibes are just.. He is so cute. The cutest. You could actually see in his eyes how nervous he was, but he tried his best to talk to you. His english might be broken but he was so sweet trying so hard to make you understand what he was saying. He used up so much time talking to Atiny, the staff in the back almost always tapped him on his shoulder and saying that he was taking too long. And he gave me and others such a good and calming vibe because of it. Like a rock in a waterstream or something. If I ever had a problem I would go to him and he would just hold me and tell me it's fine.

San

OMG San. First of all, before I even got a chance to meet him, he- ugh. Let me tell you something. I was sitting first row, number 17, when I had to get up to start getting in line he still had no one sitting in front of him. So he saw me picking up Shiber and getting in line (I didn’t saw that). A bit later when I was waiting in line I watched the members one by one because I felt like somebody was watching me. San.. He was starring at me. Because he saw me waiting there with a Shiber plushie. When we locked eyes he made a sign like “I am watching you, just you wait until you get here” and was smiling so brightly. When he had to look away because atiny sat in front of him I broke down. I actually found myself sitting on the floor you can’t fcking believe! 

Okay so when it was my turn to talk to him he was waiting for me (Later in pictures and videos I could see that he actually really was waiting. He looked at me and even had the fcking decency to tilt his head and everyone says his eyes screamed “cute” while he was watching me talking and discussing with Yeosang). The first thing he did was scolding Shiber: "Hey Shiber. What are you doing? You are supposed to be in my bed! What are you doing in her lap, hmm?" It was so funny but I got a bit defencive I guess because I answered: "he's here to protect me because I'm nervous" He just looked up to me and smiled?!! And then to Shiber again: "Good Shiber. From no on you protect her and make her smile for me yeah?" I DIED. When he looked down to write in the album he had his hand open on the table for me to hold it, like an open gesture, but I was so shy. I took it tho after a short while and he smiled and HAD THE FCKINGASLJHDFALSJD sorry.. he pulled his fingers in so my hand was touching him more (what freaking fanfiction is this). And actually, it helped so much to calm me down. He wasn't surprised at all about the kkt groupchat I am in and he was happy about it translating everything he wrote down so I could tell them in the groupchat how much he appreciates them. I had a second question prepared, because I am selfish like that where I basically told him that he is the dimple kind and if I could be his dimple queen (since I have dimplse too) San just smiled and said that I can be his queen ~ He high fived me, smiling down at our hands and even continues talking to me while I was already sitting in front of Mingi (I’m sorry Mingi sweetheart).

Now his vibes: Like.. oof. You just sit in front of him and get all kind of different vibes from him at once. Cute. Handsome. Maybe even get a bit scared if he comes to close. Boyfriend. Soft. Respect. But his voice is so soft, it makes you feel all kind of things. And he respects you so much. Like, the others hold their hands up so you can touch and high five them and he just hold his on the table in front of me (I actually didn’t saw him doing it for anyone else) and let me choose if I wanted to hold hands or not. Such a happy vibe

Mingi

Mingi sunshine I’m so sorry again ^^. But still so much fun honestly. The first thing he did was greeting Shiber and then got cut of by San because he still wanted to talk to me (I’m so sorry Mingi, I couldn’t help myself. How should I say no to San?!) While San and I were talking he signed my album silently. He was so glad that I translated the question and wrote it down in english and korean (my question for him was to list his 3 favorite things to do in his spare time). He was so happy about his question and so he wrote down his answers way to fast. And then he tried to translate them for me (Eat, listening to music, going to the sauna). He asked me which ateez concept of the album I like more the red or the black one. I said black and he was surprised and tried defending the red side ^^

He has such little lost baby kitten vibes. Mingi has so much energy in him and you could see he wanted to just run around. Especially in the end it seems to get really hard for him to just sit still. He was so active he even managed to knock over his water bottle while talking to one of the first atinys xD

Wooyoung

My baby Wooyoung. He was so nervous and looked so scared and insecure. I just wanted to hug him, but of course I wasn’t allowed. When he read my name he was confused because I wrote it normally and in korean. But instead of a “j” I used an “i” in the korean version because it sounds like an i if you pronouce it. I tried to explain to him why I wrote it like this, but I don’t think he understood. While he was signing he started to sing to one of the songs playing in the background but stopped when I joined quietly. I felt so betrayed ^^ He smiled about the question (I asked him what I could do to make him happy) He didn’t translate what he wrote down and I needed 2 weeks to get it translated (work on your fcking handwriting woo baby) Sadly we didn’t talk at all while he was writing. Of course I don’t know the reason for it. I actually think it was because I was one of the first and he was still too nervous, because I saw him smiling and opening up more and more while the fansign went on. When he gave me a high five he intertwined our fingers and said he is happy just like this. I told him that he is cute especially when he smiles and that he is loved by me and Atiny. He got so shy and said thank you ~

Wooyoung was so shy. You know how he always acts so confident, but he is such a shy bean and insecure. And he is pure. So we two were actually just two shy beans sitting in front of each other that didn’t know what to do. But he still has much more confidence than I do. The bit we talked were all initiated by him ^^

Jongho

Jongho is so precious. And he just basically overflows with confidence. I was a wreck when I finally came to him but he was so nice and understandable. His english is really good and you could see that he knows what effect he had. His post-it not was to rank his members from the funniest to the lamest. He started but then decided he want my opinion too. So we sorted them together when he struggled with deciding who was funnier. He smiled so much at me and holds deep eye contact while talking actually. We laughed together about his hippo head and the choices he made on the post-it. When I needed to get up he told me I was cute (this btch). I told him he was cute too and he didn't believe me (maybe because of the hippopotamus head). Since he was sitting in front of me we had some cute moments when he was bored. Looking and smiling at me, encouraging me to take pictures of him

Jongho gives really down to earth vibes. He was so calm. Sure he was confident but he was bubbling with energy and happines you could see in his eyes how he was containing himself. And the respect he gives you. I was red as a tomato when I finally reached him (I saw that on video, so no one can tell me otherwise), but he talked normally with me ignoring my internal struggles. He only broke when I told him that he's cute :D

Final words

This fansign was THE best day in my life so far. 

If you ever get the chance to meet them or you are struggling to decide if you wanna try to see them just do it. Its worth the stress and the money and your time. (The fansign actually cost me less than the concert ^^)

They ruined my biaslist those 2 days completly. Yunho at the concert and everyone else at the fansign. San is still on top and will forever stay there tho.

I hope you had fun reading my little rant ~<3

[rated-r-for-grantaire]

Jay Gatsby has AVPD

the titular character in The Great Gatsby is an AVPD icon, which I shall explain under the read more. It’s sort of a longish post - I’ve copy/pasted the DSM symptoms and showed examples of when Gatsby displays them, so it may be a bit rambly, sorry.

Heads-up: A good number of the points involve Daisy and it’s a bit repetitive. 

I have identity issues, which include low self-esteem. I find myself unappealing or inferior to others. - When he was originally trying to get back with Daisy, he was incredibly insecure and nervous about everything. True, it could be contributed to general nerves, but it could just as easily be contributed to a PD as well.

I set unrealistic standards for myself, and I am reluctant to pursue any of my goals or take personal risks or engage in new activities which involve interpersonal contact. - Um yes this is pretty much Gatsby’s entire character! His dream of being with Daisy and being the perfect man for her is incredibly unrealistic and yet he holds himself to that standard everyday. He also never makes an effort to contact Daisy (until Nick shows up to support him), just stares at the green light.

I am empathic, although I focus more on negative feelings which are directed at me. I am sensitive to criticism and rejection. - Gatsby is so terrified of being rejected and/or criticized that he makes a huge fake life so that people like him. Ironically, he ends up getting criticism for his fake self just as much, if not more, than for his true self.

I am reluctant to get too close to people and maintain a distance to keep people from knowing me too well. - Gatsby has very few true friends and doesn’t really make an effort with anyone, except Nick. Readers (correctly!) say that only three people come to Jay’s funeral (his dad, Nick, and Owl-Eyes) bc they didn’t actually care about him and only liked him for his parties, but rarely have I seen people acknowledging that this is more than just assholes being materialistic partiers...it’s Gatsby being lonely.

I experience intense feelings of nervousness, tenseness, and panic in reaction to social situations. I worry about the negative effects experiences, and I am afraid of embarrassing myself. - This is the whole reunion scene with Daisy. 

I detach myself from social contacts and don’t initiate anything in order to avoid embarrassing myself or ruining the relationship. - See again: His awkwardness when first reuniting with Daisy. I say it can apply to other people too, though, as we never really see Gatsby initiating much - maybe a bit in the beginning with Nick, but that’s all. In general, he’s a very detached man. 

I find myself unable to fully enjoy myself or properly engage in experiences which should make me happy. It’s hard for me to take interest in things. - Gatsby is not a happy person at all. He doesn’t have fun at his parties, and he doesn’t seem to have casual interests either - just obsessions, and not even many of those if we’re being honest!

I avoid intimacy and getting too close to people (romantic relationships, friendships etc). Hiding away from everyone during his own parties? Staring longingly across the bay instead of going to East Egg and trying to talk to Daisy? Seems avoidant to me!

I avoid activities that involve significant interpersonal contact because of my fears of criticism, disapproval, or rejection. - Again, he avoided pretty much ALL (legal) social activities until he met Nick. Even around Nick he was still nervous. And this really applies to so much more than just Daisy and the “hiding from people at his own parties” thing. After he got rich, Gatsby never truly put himself out there. He’s so nervous about everything. And he hates criticism! He either gets self-deprecating or destructive towards others when he is criticized. (I’d say self-deprecating more so. He gets destructive towards Tom once i think and that’s more about rage and fear over his cover being blown than anything. But...it still happens.)

I’m pretty unwilling to get involved with people unless I’m certain they’re going to like me. - Given all of my other points, I don’t think I need to explain this one by now. 

I hold back in personal relationships because I’m afraid of being shamed or ridiculed - He never tells anyone about his true self. He created his fake and glorious persona because he was ashamed of how he really was, when it’s really nothing to be ashamed about. It’d be one thing if he was actually a bad person who deserved to be shamed (like Tom, who is a literal white supremacist, unloyal, sexist dick), but he isn’t.

I’m preoccupied with being criticized or rejected in social situations. - Once again, my other points apply here. I can’t think of anything Gatsby fears more than rejection. He NEEDS people to like him and this could not be more obvious.

I feel uncomfortable in new interpersonal situations because of my feelings of inadequacy. - He is literally awkward as hell with EVERYONE. I've already addressed how he is around Daisy, but tbh he's awkward around others too, even Nick. When him and Nick first start to become friends, he keeps fumbling around with his words and he's really not smooth at all. It is in part due to all the lies that he is telling Nick, but Gatsby lies a lot in general and he doesn't ALWAYS act that way while telling his lies. Otherwise people would’ve suspected that something was up with him sooner than they actually did.

I see myself as socially inept, unappealing, or inferior to others. - Gatsby may act cool and confident, but he doesn’t feel that way about himself in reality. He truly does not see himself as good enough.

I’m reluctant to take personal risks or engage in new activities because I may embarrass myself. - Gatsby is an outsider in his world, and he's not a risk taker at all (at least not in a social aspect). He hopes and waits for good things to happen to him, rather than taking action and doing new things.

So that’s my analysis. Maybe a small part of this headcanon is projection, but I do truly see canon avoidant traits in Gatsby. He fits some parts of the criteria more than he fits others, but no one needs to fit ALL the criteria to have a diagnosis. I just think Gatsby does...to some extent.

You can reblog this whether or not you have avpd btw, i’m putting it in the tags for other people to see and for my own filing, not because I ONLY want avoidant Gatsby fans reblogging it. And if anyone - avoidant or not - has any feedback and/or more evidence supporting this I’d love for you to share it in the reblogs or replies! There could very well be some stuff I’m forgetting.

[iamthegaysmurf]

I saw your follower post. It’s so deserved! Your Spooky Road Trip fic was AMAZEBALLS. How did you pull all of that research together? How did you even write it? It’s so great.

Thank you so much, anon!  I just feel truly grateful to have such wonderful followers.  You guys give me feedback and encouragement and ask me important questions and even send me silly things from time to time.  Honestly, it’s more than I ever could have hoped for!  :D

The research for Spooky Road Trip was definitely a process.  lmao

When I first got tagged to write this prompt, I knew I was going to have my work cut out for me.  I wanted to give Waverly and Nicole sort of a standalone, monster-of-the-week type adventure for just the two of them, because I’ve always felt like they make an incredible team when working together.  Both intellectually and physically.  The “brains vs brawn” thing was an extremely important concept I wanted to include.

So, with that being said, it was time to start looking for the right monster.  I studied up on myths surrounding desert environments, the majority of which were primarily grounded in Persian mythology.  The one that stood out to me the most was the ghoul, which I definitely liked, but then the question was…  How do I make this fit?

And that’s when I began searching legends and lore specific to the region where they would be road tripping.  And I discovered that the American Southwest is flooded with incredibly rich folklore.  Some of the stories I read were fascinating.  I worked as many of them into my story as I could – even as red herrings – but, seriously.  If you ever get the chance to read up on some of the history and legends surrounding the deserts and the settlers and the Civil War and the gold rush, I promise you won’t be disappointed.  :)

When I found the three legends that all had such similar elements, that’s when I knew that I’d found my story.  Obviously, they wouldn’t all fit together in their original form, but I thought that with a bit of tweaking and modification, I could blend them into one single, larger tale that would make for a good story.  Then it just became a matter of filling in the blanks.

I think one of my favorite parts of the research was going in search of an acceptable fiancé for Marisol (credit to @piratekane for choosing her name, btw).  He was originally going to be just a standard guard for the stagecoach.  And then for a while, he was going to be Pinkerton, hired by the people that had lost their haul.  

But then an amazing opportunity presented itself…  What if he was a U.S. Marshal?  I knew that I didn’t want to actually turn this adventure into a BBD case.  That would have been too coincidental, even for me.  But I thought it would be a really neat lead-in for the story of the ghost being held captive.  Plus the extra added bonus of him having heard of Wyatt Earp.  ((I’m aware the dates are a little off for that to have actually been true, but.  As I said.  I had to take a bit of creative license with the rest of the story, so I figured a little wouldn’t hurt here, too.))

And that’s when the hunt began.  Because, sure, I could have just fabricated a U.S. Marshal.  But, honestly…  where would have been the fun in that?  lmao

I researched pages and pages and pages of Marshals from roughly the right time period and roughly the right area.  (Pirate laughed at me because at one point, I randomly screamed into our chat “WHY ARE ALL OF THE GOOD AND INTERESTING MARSHALS FROM ARIZONA?!”)

But then I found him.  The perfect Marshal.  John Hicks Adams.  He was from the right time frame.  He was from California.  He served time as both a Sheriff and a Marshal.  And he already had an incredible history with the Mason Henry Gang, known for robbing stagecoaches.  

He was more perfect than I ever could have hoped for.  His own personal built-in nemesis just added that much more weight to the story I wanted to tell with the ghostly legends.

I never really dreamed that I would get so attached to his character.  But the more I wrote about him, the more I began to see the opportunity to have him be a parallel reflection of Nicole.  It just…  I felt like he (and his literal undying love for Marisol) made my story so much stronger than it started out to be.  I would be lying if I said it wasn’t difficult for me to write the part when he was killed.  I accidentally got more attached than I thought.  lol

Anyway.  I’ve rambled on long enough about this.  Sorry for that.  But needless to say, the rest is history.  Once I had all of my players lined up and fleshed out, and the legends pieced together to make a single cohesive story, all that was left was actually writing it.

I was a little nervous about being able to pull it all together.  About the pacing, and keeping things interesting for you guys without revealing too much of the facts too quickly.  About building the suspense in a natural and organic manner.  About the payoff of the major action scene not being a let down after all of the build-up. ��And, of course, about the resolution and breaking of the curse.  (And then also the bonus epilogue, and whether or not you guys would feel like it belonged, or if it was an unnecessary addition.)

But, thankfully, I got an incredible amount of support from @piratekane, who did everything from help me iron out some of the smaller details of bringing everything together, to kicking my ass daily to make sure I would hit my deadline in time.  And also some amazing encouragement from @belikebumblebee, who didn’t get to know the story in advance, but still took the time to just help keep me motivated and encouraged when I was doubting myself.  This story seriously wouldn’t have happened without the two of them.  So be sure to drop them a little love, too.  Tell them the Smurf sent you.  ;)

And that is how the Spooky Road Trip came to be.