#story musings

[tfseeds]

Hello, I really like your art and I have a question. In your dungeon AU will the three characters find a way to break their curses?

Thank you

Hello!! Thank you so much for enjoying the development so far!

To answer your question, the theme of the 'story' of this AU revolves a lot around the character's sense of self, both with the trauma of losing their grasp on it as their bodies transform around them, and gaining self-acceptance with the support of their friends.

If there will be at any point where they are able to regain their human forms is unknown right now! Their initial changes are very slow, happening over the course of many encounters/weeks, and I do want to have plenty of time to explore both the mid forms as well as their fully changed bodies.

That's probably not as 'yes/no' as you were hoping for, but there's still a lot of development going on for this whole AU. XD Thank you for the question!!

[ae-fond-seeker]

"We will find our way, Venat."

She wasn't sure what would happen. Everything went by in a whirlwind, it seemed, but somehow the outcome was both unexpectedly sudden... and yet achingly familiar.

~ * ~

Or, once again SE has me beating up characters I care about for the sake of the plot. It's okay, I'm fine.

I will say, though, that I am glad it wasn't a "well, now I'm evil/your enemy, so you must destroy me" sort of deal.

We've known her presence has been waning for a long time--like, for most of the story, really--so the idea of her going out on her own terms, using the last vestiges of her power to be absolutely sure we are ready enough to pull through in the end.... yeah, I can be okay with that (though am definitely still processing the idea that she is in fact gone, and what that means in the grand scheme of things... and so is Li'daen)

[forestofdragons]

I lied. I am going to talk about the spoiler part.

So when watching she-ra I wondered what would happen if Adora had been correct in how the Horde was. Like what if there was one Horde that was just a normal kingdom with dark aesthetics. And another one that was the actual Evil Horde.

That’s basically what i’m going to do with my evil empire

It’ll start off similar to how it did in voltron. A group of planets discover magical mana stuff. Things happen. Magic Mecha are made, Evil Emperor rises, and a couple planets are destroyed.

But where it differs is that the Evil Emperor was taken down relatively early. He still ruled for a few hundred years but a resistance group was able to kill him much sooner then Zarcon was.

After that the system still faced consequences from his actions. Mana sickness spread after the Emperors death. During that time those still loyal to the Evil Emperor leave the galaxy to create the ‘true’ empire.

Eventually the man sickness disappeared as suddenly as it began and the Actual Empire re built and expanded in a less colonial way.

The Evil Empire put enough distance between them that most people don’t know about the Actual Empire. The two areas are also mostly unable to interact due to obstacles.

So when people see this species they’ll assume they’re apart of the Evil Empire.

Drakes make up the Evil Empire. While they are taller then most others, they average shorter then Dragons. They’re generally very lean and muscular. With dull scale colors and few extra features.

Dragons are the originals and retain the features that Drakes have lost over the years. Wider variety of colors, hair, wings, and other such things. They also have extra features due to the interbreeding with the other species in their empire.

[thebeckster]

The fun/challenging part of writing a Hobbit fic which includes The Ring without it being immediately clocked as what it is or simply thrown away, is trying to tread the line between staying true-ish to the book and hinting at its true nature.

Because in the book it's just this lovely magical trinket of great convenience but no consequence because the concept of The One Ring and Sauron did not exist at the time JRRT was writing The Hobbit. I know after the fact he went back and retconned the Riddles in the Dark chapter to match the story in LoTR, but he really didn't touch anything else to do with it elsewhere in the book. It remains a benign magical tool for Bilbo to use whenever with no ill effects or weirdness. (At least that we are told about by Bilbo. Who is writing the book)

And the movies leaned heavier on the sequel-prequel foreshadowing that there was something sinister about The Ring and its powers growing as Sauron's powers grew and he revealed himself and all that. Which again was not a thing in the book because the idea of Sauron didn't yet exist, but something audiences would have expected. And because they were trying to tone-match The Hobbit to LoTR and make a sequel-prequel, obviously the Ring couldn't just be ignored or treated like a toy.

And then there's me reading LoTR and getting a better picture of the Ring's powers as Tolkien wrote them (compared to the version we see in the movies) and just getting Ideas about the ways The Ring can change things for Bilbo in my fic.

And I'm trying to walk this line between knowing this is The One Ring and there is Something Wrong with it, but it's not yet at the height of powers it has in LoTR, when Sauron has had 70+ years to regain more power, and the ring is physically getting closer to Sauron and becoming more powerful. And also have it still be a mostly benign tool for Bilbo to use. Though not without side effects. But Bilbo can't Know that there is Something Wrong with the ring because otherwise it would not be brought back to the Shire to hide for 60 more years. So anything the Ring does has to be subtle enough.

Mostly I'm trying to figure out if it is within the Ring's powers at the time of the Hobbit to give Bilbo a temptation of power, like it does to Sam in RotK and he sees the greatest garden in all of the world that he could plant if only he would use the ring, only to be denied by Hobbit Practicality. Probably not as intense a vision, but if it gave her just a suggestion of an idea...

But also i have to wonder if the Ring would risk exposure in the presence of a Dragon. Who, if Smaug didn't take the ring for himself, could potentially destroy it. (Iirc dragon fire was able to destroy other rings of power). Maybe it would decide in that moment that the hobbit was the better choice of bearer and not offer the temptation at all.

But gosh the image i have in my head for the idea of temptation for Bilbo is so much fun! Very much along the lines of "use the ring and controll the dragon" sort of power trip.

[metamorphesque]

"Good morning, Jack. How was your night?", Vardges Petrosyan (translated by metamorphesque)

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

Idea for an animated kid's movie/comedy.

So there's this dinosaur park that's a thinly veiled Jurassic Park knock-off (call it Cretaceous Island), and it's a bit of a toy story situation, in that the dinosaurs can talk and communicate when the humans aren't looking, mostly at night.

The dinos don't really want to break out since they like their cushy zoo lives and five-star treatment from the staff, so they're willing to get oggled by a bunch of twelve year olds to keep the food coming.

Out main characters are a T-Rex, two raptor sisters, and a wise old triceratops. The raptors are bored with their lives and long for adventure, the triceratops is a wise-old mentor figure, and the T-Rex is lonely since the park won't engineer any other T-Rex's for safety reasons.

Through magical shenanigans they get sent back to the actual Cretaceous period.

Now these pampered genetically engineered dinos have to survive in the savage dinosaur era. To underscore the differences between them, the future dinos are animated as pretty standard cartoon dinosaurs, a la Land Before Time, while the dinosaurs from the past are animated to be as scientifically accurate as possible.

The dinos go through shenanigans, amke friends in the past, evade predators, and eventually make their way home through magic portal stuff, except for the T-Rex who elects to stay behind since he's fallen for a female T-Rex he met in the past. His friends are sad to leave him behind, but go to the present anyway.

Back in the present, the dinos think nothing has really changed, but they find that the exhibit in the visitor's center, previously a single roaring T-Rex skeleton, has been replaced with two T-Rex's, famous for being found fossilized together called "The Deadly Lovers", and its their friend and the mate he found in the past. It ends on the bittersweet note.

[stories-of-the-nrm]

So I decided that the best way to introduce Tornado is to have Gordon make updates while Scott was under. To me it would be easier to mention Tornado in bits and pieces throughout my Time Doesn't Heal All Wounds series.

Since Scott won't be able to wake up until after his "insides" are properly functioning, he wouldn't be able to meet Tornado himself until many years later. There's a lot to write about with Gordon in the meantime since he has to watch Tornado get a brand new boiler with relatively no issue, while Scott is stuck in a state of near death for years.

If you're still out there looking for this story anon, my next installment for this series will introduce Tornado.

Have you ever considered a story where Gordon or maybe Scotsman meet the A1 Trust's Tornado?

I was aware of Tornado being built and think it's an interesting concept. The only thing I need to dig into is where Tornado being built and introduced to steam aligns with Scott's 12 year overhaul. If Tornado was introduced to steam while Scott would've been under, I can totally see him being confused on how there's a living Peppercorn.

Definitely a good story idea idea, but I'm not sure how long it would take to finish it. With the research involved and my other series needing to be updated, it could be a while before it's published. Still keep an eye out for it and thank you for the request!

[maelancoli]

i cannot stress enough how important it is to write at your own pace. to give your mind and spirit room to breathe, to process your creativity and allow it to come organically to you. goals and discipline are a good and necessary part of any hobby, especially writing, but so is rest. rest prevents burn out. and if you push yourself until you burn out you will wind up taking even longer to complete projects or meet goals. even if you are already burnt out that's okay. this is your sign to give yourself the grace to take breaks. your story, your muses, your brilliant ideas will be waiting for you to pick them up with proper enthusiasm when you're ready.

[physical-manifestation-of-spite]

We all love Arthur playing the piano. But I think a lot of people forget why Arthur stopped playing in the first place and why it's so important that he won't easily return to it with the same fondness.

Music was Arthur's passion. It was what he invested in to get past his parents' death, and it was a healthy coping mechanism that blossomed into a well-earned career. He loved it. And his daughter died because of it. He was so absorbed in his passion (and himself) that he forgot about his own daughter and she drowned to death. It's a horrifying, distressing way for a toddler to go. And it was absolutely Arthur's fault.

So his love of music and piano specifically has been tainted by the grief and guilt of his daughter's death. When John asks if Arthur misses playing the piano, he says, "No," without hesitation.

How odd that something you've divulged your career into is not something you miss. But then when you learn how Faroe died and how Arthur ignored her--or "dismissed" her, according to him--it all makes sense. So when I read these snippets/fanfic stories where Arthur plays the piano eagerly, it gives me pause because I know something is missing.

The piano is tied to his daughter's death. That will never go away. In the same way that the music he has written will never leave him, even when he loses all memory, including his own name. The piano is tied to his grief of Faroe. It is tied to his grief of his parents. And his grief is so interwoven with Arthur that he can never escape it. He can only continue on with it as a constant tune in the back of his head, something we hear nearly every episode of Malevolent. Arthur isn't fond of the piano anymore. But the tune he wrote for his daughter, who died because of it, plays in his head every day.

[creation-help]

Getting to know your character better

Here's some (hopefully) less basic things to think about when deepening your character.

- What would they be embarrassed to admit about themself? What would they deny about themself?

- Opposite to the above: What would they proudly admit, and what would they like to claim about themself?

- If caught in an inconsistency or a hypocrisy, how do they react? How would they go about fixing it, or alternatively, how would they go about denying and deconstructing it?

- How much, and how deeply do they think about other characters' opinions that aren't about them specifically? For example if they knew one of their friends liked or disliked another person, how much thought do they give it?

- Are they able to perform something 'Quick'? Do they prefer to sacrifice time over quality, or vice versa? How do they dispense effort per task?

- How patient are they with themself vs. Others? Why, and how so?

- How seriously do they carry other people's worries? How much does this impact their actions?

- What would make them focus on themself more?

- What would they Not want to change about themself? What parts of their self do they cling to, desperately? Even when those things would be already gone?

- Do they think of something as "Their thing", even though other people would disagree? Why so? Are they just not as open or upfront about it as they think? Or do they have gaps in self perception?

- Opposite of the above: Are there some things that others would consider "Their thing" in relation to your character, but they disagree? Why?

- How do they tread around controversial opinions? Is it case by case, or depending on company? In what way? Are they assured in their worldview or unsure? Are they open minded?

- How easily do they relate with other characters?

[charmingwinds]

I read somewhere that the act of peeling oranges for someone is considered love. I found it stupid.

Then one day, I was home after a tiring day and there were oranges sitting on the counter. I knew they had to be eaten that day, a day later, they’d be rotten.

I was just too tired.

I completed my chores, and the oranges were still there, colourful and nudging, hoping I’d pick them up.

I walked past, and found my bed. My head comfortably rested on the pillows.

Those damn oranges.

I got up, sat on the counter and peeled them grudgingly. As I ate in silence, I understood what they meant. It was love alright, not peeling oranges but being taken care of.

[coochiekrab]

my period started and i have hardcore baby fever rn so bless u for all the baby and kid pics recently im so in love with freak thang and the lebeubies 🙏🙏🙏💕💕

does this help

[nothatsmi]

3/4

Please

This shit impacted me dearly. Lets say Andrew and I share some demons. I absolutely love the slow way Andrew manages to let his guard fall around Neil, how the trust grows between them, how Neil listens and care for him so much. It makes all the difference.

Here's the Museless version, cause I honestly like both..

[forestofdragons]

So I've decided to try and make a ""rip-off"" of the voltron reboot. It's not like an actual rip-off or even re-write. More like when you make a fan oc and they become a real oc?

Above are some studies of a couple sets in the show. Eventually I want to make the architecture more noticeably different. Potentially. Under those are some sketches of some alien designs. I want them to be space elves but not just elves?

As for the actual story and characters, a lot of what my brain is focusing on is extremely spoilerific. Because of course it is. (Actually it's based of a neat idea thing I had while watching the she-ra reboot so that show will also influence this.)

But I have a few things that aren't spoilers…

First is that I think I'll have the team start out as just Shiro and Allura, or Leader and Princess as I'll call them until I make actual names.

Leader will still have the backstory of getting captured by the Evil Empire. But it won't be quite the same. Not sure how yet.

Anyway, he'll be stuck on an Evil ship when a castle space ship is brought in. He gets aboard that, hijinks ensue. He and Princess met, he bonds with Magical Mech kept within and they escape.

After that they'll slowly amass the others as they find/bond with their Magical Mechs.

Haven't quite gotten inspiration for the others yet. Partly because I'm not sure of what species I want them to be yet. I'd like to have more then just humans but there is something about the members of a hero group being all this generally unknown species that's neat.

I do know I what to play with Lance's, or Dude, whole double lancer thing. And how he's a six wheel to the other's five man band. And I think I still want Pidge, Nerd, to be looking for their family.

Also debating how I want the role's of leader and the heart to go. Do Leader and Princess share equal halves of those rolls? Or have Leader actually be more the heart and the Princess does most of the leading?

But yeah that’s what I have so far.

[sukirichi]

dusk till dawn drabble : thinking about a future where kiyoomi marries you and rintaro is married to iris, but rintaro still has feelings for you. and how kiyoomi is the definition of cocky knowing he was the one you chose in the end

note: this is for the team kiyoomi peeps !! but please know that this is not alluding that he is endgame, this is not a spoiler at all 😭 this is just a soft lil something for our prince 💓 (slightly suggestive, light angst for rintaro)

“omi...” treading to where your husband is, you sit yourself on his lap. his face is obscured by the newspaper he’s reading, but he hums in acknowledgement, unbothered as you gently push the paper down with your finger. you smile the moment you’re greeted by his handsome face, still in awe after years of marriage that he was yours now.

“hi, there.”

“hello,” he smiles, soft and tender. folding the newspaper and tucking it at his side, he drags you closer to him, his large hands drawing circles at your hip. “what does my lovely wife need today?”

“you make it sound like i’m only being sweet to get something out of you,” you playfully swat at his chest, “can’t i just come over because i wanted your attention?”

the chuckle that erupts from him is free, unbothered ― as he has been ever since you’d settled down with him and left the past behind. “you always have my attention, darling, but you only ever call me ‘omi’ when you want something else. so tell me, and i shall give it to you.”

your heart flutters at his words, but that same wave of giddiness dies down as you scrunch your nose. “well, you see. . . rintaro’s coming over with the kids later. they said they wanted to play with the horses again.”

you expect your husband to complain, or to refuse your request to welcome them. he isn’t oblivious to your ex-husband’s longing glances at you, or how he takes every opportunity to strike up a conversation on how ‘back in the day . . .’

rintaro’s lingering feelings never dissipated within the years, and you doubted it would anytime now. he had a bad of habit remaining in love with the people he couldn’t have when he was already with someone else.

much to your surprise, kiyoomi only leans back and nods, once. “okay. i’ll let the cook know to prepare dinner for all of us.”

okay . . . that’s it? it was that easy?

“you’re not worried?“ you pout at him, “or jealous?”

kiyoomi snorts, offended by the implications. “why would i be? i am the one you fell for, the one you married, and last time i remember ― if my memory does not fail me, of course ― it was my name you were screaming last night loud enough for the staff to hear―”

you slap a palm against his mouth, feeling his grin and laughter vibrate under your skin. “fine, i get it, you’ve made your point!” removing your hand, kiyoomi tenderly circles a hand around your wrist. your frown deepens, though its lighthearted and unserious. “you’ve been really cocky since i confessed to you. i liked you better when you were still shy around me.”

“forgive me, darling,” your husband grins, effortlessly tugging you to him until you’re stumbling right into his firm chest. “i couldn’t be humble when the woman i’ve pined over for years finally said she loved me, too. but i’ll be more subtle about it,” he amends with a thumb caressing your lower lip, his dark eyes already hazy with want. “your wish is my command, afer all.”

[protect-namine]

this is so funny. this is how we get a "dance track that's not a tearjerker (lie)" song