#tell me your secretssss

[sketchncanto]

Another Encanto art dump yeaaaahhhh!! It’s been I while 🥲

Back at it again with the ✨ family fluff ✨

I would say that I missed drawing them but— I didn’t— because I never stopped 😂

I just take forever to finish and post things nowadays

[aleksikesa]

icl the the wasteland with the empty energy nodes in Time Breaker really reminded me of Slidescape 36

Even more so after reading this description

Thinking about the rest of the burnt slides again and what Mr Door thought of the slide projector if he was aware of its existence

[rileyh20]

Haha, literally one of the only fanfic's that made me cry

@paul-ster how do you do this? Tell me your secretssss

[pluck-heartstrings]

IT'S HER IT'S THE PRINCESS AAAAAA

I'm being attacked with love!!!! I love how you draw her I'm so obsessed aaaaa

I saw your comment on artfight and I knew right away it was you from the thumbnail, your art is so iconic I'm so raaahhhhh /biting the pillow

The soft colours and her graceful demeanor?????? How you capture it? How do this? Tell me your secretssss

Thank you for this attack/blessing <3 <3 <3 I'll getchu back I swear

art fight attack on @pluck-heartstrings I truly cannot resist drawing fancy dresses lol

also tumblr image compression my absolute mortal enemy </3

[maybege]

how do people take n*des that actually look good?

[cronchy-dumbass]

watching these assholes play “what the fuck is up with that” is just me perpetually chanting “BACKSTORY BACKSTORY BACKSTORY”

[essercipertuttienonperse]

oh harry does million-dollar skincare for sure. you look at hq red carpet pics and there is not a single fine line in sight with an absolute GLOW.

fine line eheheh sjfhgjhj not but yeah I've noticed it too! and eyebrows always done !

[reallyromealone]

Ok I just wanna know how y'all got such smooth and beautiful faces cuz what the fuck?! I'm out here looking like a troll and y'all look so good??? Does God have favorites? Cuz it's definitely not me! what skincare products do you guys use??? And how's your skincare routine? Tell me your secretssss

Right now my skins a nightmare

I tried a new skin cleanser and it is now in recovery

Drink lots of water and invest in good skin products designed for your skin type

I use the original

They have options for skin types and such and even sell sets for decent prices

[alukaforyou]

Girllll I'm so in love with your hair, tell me your secretssss >< !!! ❣❣ How do you take care of it and how long does it take to wash it? owo And do you have any product recommendations? 🙊

hiiii babie!!!! ty this is sooo cute & sweet hehe! umm i dont really do anything special cuz im lazy ToT i wash it every 4-6 days? like i used to do every 3 or 4 days when i was in school, but tbh my scalp doesnt really get oily fast, and during quarantine im mostly at home so i've found out around once or twice a week is fine! i usually have my hair tied in a bun with a big claw hairclip instead of hairbands cuz they sometimes pull ur hair out / snag a few strands as you remove them? this minimizes tangles! i dont brush my hair often, but i use a detangling brush, it has spokes that are different lengths? like this:

and it seems to work? and always brush your hair from the bottom part and move up as you detangle! dont start from the top and rip a brush through! my shampoo / conditiner is whatever my fam happens to buy, its dove at the moment so idk abt any special recs there ToT i have this silicone scalp brush / massager thing tho, the spokes are soft it doesnt hurt! i thought it was supposed help exfoliate(?) ur scalp which might be true? but ya it feels nice when you rub in shampoo, make suds, and give ur scalp a lil massage with this baby:

i have bleached hair so i feel like hair masks / keratin hair products / hair oil might be good for it but idk i never do them ToT i try not to further damage it with heat styling tho at least? i only curl my bangs when i go out (not a lot these days haha) always on the lowest heat setting! dont forget the heat protectant spray! my hair is super flat & straight out of the wash so to curl it, i dry it and do the robe curls method (you can just youtube and it comes up) and bam. heatless curls. i should try rollers or something someday but for now, the robe hack™ works decently!

but ya thats about it >_< sry if it wasnt rly that helpful im not super knowledgeable on beauty products / routine TT also i feel like its also genetics like i bleached my hair so hard lol like at least 2 times in one day with 40 vol developer rip to go from black -> blonde properly but my hair isnt... super fcked??? like its dry and damaged For Sure but its not really That Bad so idk fam hope this helps ToT

edit cuz i forgot this part: it doesnt take that long to wash! concentrate the shampoo on your scalp area and just use the suds or "leftover" and bring it down to the rest of your hair i dont think the lower parts of your hair rly get oily anyways? i have to condition the whole everything tho cuz.. bleached hair... conditioner makes it softer haha esp after the shampooing! doesnt take long at all to wash but drying it is FOREVER!!! lol

[soobinies]

the boy concept photos are making wonder what the mv is gonna be like. how are we fitting regular ol boys with ice princes in a frozen wasteland? im so intrigued. im over here like "pspspsps tell me your secretssss"

Ikr! and we still have to wait for the YOU version, I wonder what that will be like. This also makes me wonder what the mv will be like too, in WORLD they were frozen and in this one they were giving off 90 vibes so I wonder what YOU will be like

[ask-fitz-vacker]

tell me your deepest darkest secretssss

Well, I really don’t know you, and Sophie is the person I trust the very most, so she wouldn’t be asking this. Of course, Keefe does know a lot about me, so... interpret that how you will.

[rockynfriends]

Tricky Treat

(This is a commissioned story from the fantastic @incaseofart​, just in time for the spooky season! Hope you all enjoy -- we have another post coming out later today so don’t touch that dial ;)

Two voices shout in unison “HALLOWEEN! HALLOWEEN! HALLOWEEN!”

“Alright, alright, hang on a moment. Before we leave, we need to establish some ground rules.”

“That’s right. Fugue and I want to make sure no one does anything that puts them in danger.”

“But Rocky -- you said that Halloween was a dangerous season!”

“I SAID that it was a season of intrigue and danger. I also said that it was a good reminder to be aware of your surroundings and not let yourself into situations with unnecessary risks.”

Fugue smirks as he listens to his friend talk about the merits of avoiding risk and describe the other ‘ground rules,’ thinking about the many and various ways in which Rocky has personified unnecessary risk.

“What? You don’t agree with me?” asks the latter, looking at Fugue with a coy grin.

“You know that when it comes to reducing danger I’m always in favor,” replies the Ampharos with a shake of his head. “I just never thought I’d hear YOU telling someone else.”

Rocky scratches his head and chuckles. “Well, a year ago neither of us expected me to be taking my little brother trick-or-treating either.”

“Like my costume?” asks Pizzicato gleefully.

Rocky smiles. “Absolutely. It’s very fitting, sweetie.”

“If he’s not careful he’ll end up being another dad friend,” Fugue thinks to himself as the younger mons grab their baskets.

“Ready to go, everyone?” Rocky asks.

“What about Cynthia and Deneb and Cassie?” asks the Azurill quickly, apparently noticing their absence for the first time.

“They’re gonna stay home and watch Arsenic and Old Lace. It’s one of Cass’s favorites – apparently they’re in it, though they’ve never told me where,” Rocky replies with a shrug and a smile.

Fugue stifles a chuckle at this. “I imagine Deneb will get a real kick out of that one. It’s the one with Boris Karloff and the psycho great-aunts right?”

“Psycho what?” Riley tilts his head.

“I’ll explain later,” Rocky replies. “For now, let’s get some candy.”

This is met with cheers from all sides.

“Now then,” Fugue begins, as they make their way to the first house, “Is there a reason you wanted to help chaperone instead of look for candy yourself, Rocky?”

“Uh, well…to be honest, I liked the idea of watching Riley more than getting extra treats for myself. He’s my brother and I wanted to just be there for him, I suppose. I’d like him to have a normal Halloween. No monsters, no villains, just candy and family and friends.”

“That makes sense. You’re pretty good at this big-brother stuff.”

“Ha, thanks. I’m learning that apparently it means being the responsible one, which used to be Cynthia’s job, but now I find myself trying to stop her from getting him into mischief! She loves him to death, honestly. Personally I think--”

He pauses as they stop at the first house.

“Uh, Fugue? Has this place always been…creepy?”

It’s a fair question. The building seems to loom over them with its spiked tower in the center leaning slightly forward and a dimly lit porch.

“Let’s uh, skip this—” but before Fugue can finish, Pizzicato has smacked the door several times with her tail.

“Ding-dong ditch?” asks Rocky nervously.

Fugue nods. “Normally I’d say no but let’s—”

He’s interrupted by a hissing sound, and then the air fills with smoke.

“Uh…what’s happening?” Riley says with a mixture of confusion and nervousness in his voice.

“Welcome travelerssss…” replies a voice with an unusual tone. “You’ve found my housssse of secretssss.”

“Great,” Fugue mutters. “Weird neighbor. Probably just pranking would be candy getters. Alright, then, thank you for the excitement but we have to go now.”

“Ssssooo ssssooon?” asks a Seviper, appearing in the doorway through the smoke. “Sssssurely you’re here for Halloween treatsssss!”

Riley looks at Seviper skeptically. “Yeah, without the smoke and scary expression, thanks.”

“Jussst sssstaying in the sssspirit of the ssseasssson,” laughs the Pokémon, “I like to keep trick-or-treaterssss on their toessss.”

“You don’t have toes though,” says Pizzicato innocently.

“True, ssssmall one,” replies Seviper with a chuckles.

“We appreciate your time, but I just remembered something important,” Rocky says. “We have to go get it. Sorry to disturb you.”

“Yeah…you’re creepy,” Riley chimes in.

Seviper laughs again. “Yesss…but that’ssss the point of Halloween, issss it not?”

A moment later, the Pokémon vanishes. Fugue shakes his head.

“Come along, then, onwards to—” his sentence is cut off when turning around makes him aware the group is now suddenly IN the house despite never making an effort to cross the threshold.

“Okay…” he frowns. “Rocky, any thoughts?”

“I’m thinking we just went straight to the trick part,” replies the Pikachu, looking around the large foyer into which they seem to have been transported.

“How do we get out?” asks Pizzicato. “We haven’t even gotten any candy yet!”

“I like her,” says the voice of the snake, though the direction from which it comes is no longer clear. “If you can find your way through thissss place, there will be a very big treat. Your firsssst clue issss to figure out which of you issss the odd one out.”

“Odd…one out?” Riley frowns.

“That’s me!” Pizzicato giggles. “I’m water and you’re all electric!”

Rocky nods slowly. “That sounds about right.”

Fugue shakes his head. “Yes, but there’s another interpretation. All of you are mouse Pokémon, and I am not. So it might be me too.”

Riley shakes his head. “It’s Rocky.”

Everyone looks at him surprised.

“Why me?” asks the Pikachu.

“You’re the only Pokémon that can use a move normal Pikachu can’t. I’ve seen you do it.”

Fugue pauses for a moment, then agrees. “That’s a good thought, Riley.”

“Indeed it isssss,” comes the hissing voice of the snake. “Up ahead there are doorssss with your facessss on them. Pick the door that you think hassss the ansssswer.”

Sure enough, a variety of doors appear out of the smoke.

“How did he get our faces…?” Fugue begins, but is interrupted by Riley marching to the door and throwing it open – only to nearly be tackled by Rocky.

“Careful!” the Pikachu nearly shouts. “Let’s at least see if we can figure out what is going on in there!”

So saying, he peers into the door…and a light comes on, revealing a wooden staircase leading downwards into a darkly-lit basement.

“Good choice, Riley,” the snakey voice says. “You’re on the right track.”

Fugue shakes his head. “Me first. I can light the place up.” The orb on his tail glows bright, showing the whole room – inside there appears to be a Rube Goldberg machine of sorts.

“What does this thing do?” asks Pizzicato as the rest of the troop follows Fugue downstairs.

“I dunno, but I want to find out!” Riley says excitedly. “After all, this is the right door.”

Rocky pauses. “How do you know?”

“Because it was your face, Rocky. I haven’t gone wrong by following you yet!”

The Pikachu is not expecting this reply, and sniffs slightly to hold back sudden happy tears.

“Well, how do we trigger it, do you think?”

Fugue looks it over. “I think that’s our next obstacle to clear. Figuring it out, I mean.”

No one notices that Pizzicato has wandered up to a small bowl and hopped inside. A moment later, it lifts into the air, taking her with it.

“Whee!” she shouts, much to everyone’s dismay.

“Pizzicato!” Fugue cries, but the machine continues to whir to life.

Her weight counters another weight, thereby knocking a lever over. It smacks into a cup with dice, which roll across a drum of some sort, which lets out a sound that fills the room and causes the plunger below it to pump once or twice, pulling a block of wood down a pipe and letting another ball roll down a ramp until it smacks a plank, which seesaws into the wall, knocking it down.

“All that effort just to open a door?” Rocky frowns.

“Sssssometimessss it’sss about making ssssure the participantssss are paying clossssse attention,” says the voice. “The next room will require ssssome extra thought. Better sssstay alert! Sssso far the young onessss have been more obsssservant. Can the adultssss catch up?”

The others exchange a look before Fugue reaches up and picks Pizzicato out of the bowl.

Rocky shakes his head. “This feels like a sort of game, but what kind of prize is there for winning?”

No answer comes, and Fugue shrugs. “All I know is that the kids seem to be having fun.”

“Yeah, but I’m missing out on candy,” Riley pouts a bit as they enter the next room. Suddenly carnival music plays and they find themselves surrounded by mirrors on each side.

“Did it suddenly get hot in here?” asks Rocky, shuddering.

“Who knowssss thissss ssssong?” calls the Seviper with a hissing laugh. “You’ll find your exit in the rhythm!”

“I don’t know this song,” Riley shakes his head.

“Me neither,” Pizzicato chimes in.

Rocky shrugs. “I’m lost, personally. Any ideas, Fugue?”

The Ampharos pauses. “Hold on a moment…I think…I think I’ve heard it before…”

“Holding on” proves to be a somewhat difficult task, as it only continues to get hotter in the room. It’s not long before everyone’s sweating.

“Fugue, no rush, but uh, if you have any ideas, we’d love to hear them,” Rocky says in a dry whisper.

The Ampharos’s eyes are determined – and suddenly they look inspired. He claps twice, stamps his right foot, then spins a somewhat clumsy circle – and the room almost instantly cools down as the mirrors fall away to reveal another door.

Pizzicato cheers. “I knew you’d figure it out!”

Rocky tilts his head. “What was the song?”

Fugue smiles, shaking his head. “Someone I care very much about sang it to me when I was younger. We had a dance we used to practice for it too. You know, like kids like to do? What you saw just now was part of it – it took me a while because I hadn’t heard it in years. I haven’t the faintest clue how Seviper knows it.”

“Sssome ssssecretsss ssstay that way,” replies the hissing Pokémon. “But you’ve done well. Can you ssssolve my lasssst puzzle? It’sssss a real doozy.”

“Last puzzle?” Pizzicato frowns. “I was hoping there were a few more.”

The others all give her a “you’ve gotta be kidding me” look, but only Riley says it out loud.

“Sure it’s fun but we’re missing out on all the treats!”

“Come on,” Rocky shrugs. “The more we stand here, the longer we’ll be missing out whatever’s out there.”

The group makes their way into what appears to be a great dancing hall, with portraits of Pokémon clad in formal, almost Victorian style attire, hung on the walls. It’s not long before they recognize their own faces in some of them.

“Hey that’s…” Fugue has to stifle a laugh as he notices Deneb, wearing a frilly collar and a somewhat dour expression. “I uh…I wonder what the puzzle here is supposed to be.”

“Hey, isn’t that your trainer?” Riley asks, pointing to another painting.

Fugue nods, perhaps even more baffled. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but that puffy wig actually looks pretty good on her. How did they get her likeness, though?”

Before they can discuss it further, the snake interrupts, suddenly appearing in another burst of smoke.

“You’ve sssspeculated plenty. It’ssss time for the main event! If you can bessst me in a fight, then I sssshall releasssse you!”

Rocky frowns. “Well…that’s sort of disappointing. I had hoped you planned a real mind-bender, not just a throwdown.”

“Ah, but you ssssee,” laughs the snake. “I will not be battling you directly. I have insssstead devisssed a battle of the witsss unlike any other!”

Another puff of smoke fills the room, and before them stands a perfect facsimile of Cynthia!

“What the heck?” Riley practically shouts.

“Don’t worry,” she laughs. “Your challenge isss to determine what move you have that could bessst counter an attack I ussse. If you win, then you will try another opponent, then another, before the tessst endsss.”

“So it’s a simulated battle,” Fugue thinks. “Well, I don’t have everyone’s movesets memorized just yet but—”

“I do,” Pizzicato says happily.

“Then it fallsss on you to determine the bessst courssse of action,” smiles the Eevee with her strange enunciation still in full force. “I trussst the othersss will not regret having you in charge!”

“Uh, Fugue? Are we floating?” Rocky asks calmly, but with a certain tremor in his voice.

“Quite suddenly, yes. Except Pizzicato,” mutters Fugue. “I guess the final test really is all hers.”

“The adultsss never quite caught up, did they?” laughs their Halloween host. “Nonethelessss, here’ssss the firssst tessst! Cynthia approachessss and ussesss ssswift! What do you do?”

“Riley! Use Protect!” Pizzicato says with confidence. Riley complies, though a moment later he looks quite confused.

“I didn’t know you could do that,” Rocky says.

“Uhhhh, neither did I?” he replies.

There’s another puff of smoke, and this time it’s Deneb facing them off. As if to remain in character, this time the Pokémon does not speak, instead presenting them with a Psychic attack.

“Fugue, try Rock Throw!” The Ampharos does so, but his confusion is even more evident.

“Um, I can’t…actually do that,” he whispers. “I think Pizzicato doesn’t actually know what I can do.”

“Well now’s not the time to correct her,” Rocky says quickly. “We’ve KINDA got to rely on her so—”

He’s interrupted by the sudden appearance of Cassiopeia where Deneb was.

“Crap,” Riley mutters, only to quickly apologize when Rocky gives him a look.

“Here’sss a Ssshadow Ball!” they declare, only to have Pizzicato immediately say “Rocky! Bug Bite!”

For a moment the older trio all exchange a look of despair – but then Rocky stirs, looking as lost as he possibly can, and executes the move with perfect precision.

“Okay….” Fugue says, scratching his head. “I assume this means we win?”

As if to answer his question, Seviper reappears and smiles. “Well done, travelerssss. You’ve defeated my obssstaclessss and proven your ssskill. I presssent you with your reward.”

A golden plastic card appears in front of each Pokémon and Seviper vanishes, revealing the exit just ahead.

“What’s this?” Pizzicato asks plaintively, apparently bummed that the game has ended.

“Well, it’s…10,000 poke worth of candy – or rather, a gift card for that – for each of us,” Rocky says with a half-stunned expression.

“Candy? You mean that weird snake gave us free candy? And we get to pick it out?” Riley asks quickly.

“That is…indeed the case,” Fugue says, scratching his head again, this time with a smile.

“Wow! What a prize! Hey, can we play again?” Riley wonders out loud.

“I had fun too! I don’t even need another prize!” Pizzicato adds, only for both of them to find themselves half carried to the exits and into the night.

______

“That was pretty fun, Cassiopeia. I didn’t know you were such a prankster!” laughs Cynthia as they make their way home.

“I believe Halloween is an opportunity to enjoy the chance to give others a bit of excitement. I couldn’t have pulled it off without your help. Your portrayal of a Sevipers’ accent is quite convincing, Cynthia.”

“Ha, well, Deneb here had it the hardest, but she still pulled it off wonderfully!”

The fusion Ampharos grins and wobbles with delight, nodding in agreement.

“So they’ll probably need to go do more trick-or-treating, and tell us their story when we get home. In the meantime, shall we actually go watch Arsenic and Old Lace?”

“Sounds like a plan to me. I’ll pop the popcorn!” Cynthia grins.

So, having finished their own trick, they make their way home to enjoy their treats.

[deathvalleyusa]

2, 12, 13!!! -Xoxo Alias-b ❤️

2) What fandoms do you write for and do you have a particular favourite if you write for more than one?

Stranger Things, Yu Yu Hakusho, and That 70s Show. the last two i’m not very active in anymore, but i love dearly! i’ve actually done more rping in different fandoms than actually writing fics lol

12) Who is your favourite character to write for? Why?

already answered here :)

13) Who is your least favourite character to write for? Why?

i’m gonna put Steve Harrington in the least favorite category. sorry Steve. nothing personal, but he’s SO hard to write for and i always second guess myself with how i characterize him. WHO ARE YOU STEVE, TELL ME YOUR SECRETSSSS

[faelapis]

my wishes for “change your mind”

it seems pretty obvious at this point that the show will continue well beyond this season, but one thing that’s been on my mind for a while is whether the crew knew they would get more seasons at time of writing. 

what i’m really asking is - if they didn’t know, then that gives them a very good reason to heal the corrupted gems right now. 

it would also make complete sense with the other occasion the show could have ended, from a season-renewal perspective: “ocean gem”, the season 1A finale. 

this episode has a natural end point. the identity of the corrupted gems is revealed, they are given hope through steven promising to heal them one day. the town is saved. lapis is freed and disappears into space, and the series really has no “villain” at this point. everyone has hope, and no one is truly left behind. 

obviously, there are things that can (and should) be explored - all four core crystal gems have unresolved issues, but there is a sense of unity between them, despite the events. when an uncomfortable truth is revealed, that helps steven’s resolve to mature and devote himself to helping others. 

it wouldn’t have been a perfectly satisfying finale, but hey, that wasn’t for the crew to decide back then. what matters, on a thematic level, is that there is an attempt to give some hope to everyone. 

i wonder if the same mentality will present itself in "change your mind”.

there are still plenty of things that can be explored in later seasons, but if i were to let my own “instant gratification monkey” go hog-wild and give it whatever it wanted Right Now, to make the potential ending satisfying... 

i would ask for three things. i’ll let my inner child speak directly to you:

1. BLEASE heal the corrupted gems. i need it. i want Jasper. i want her Now. i Love her. its been So Long i Want JaspeR i also want nephrite i lov her but mostly jPSPer R 

2. give white diamond some depth... i want steben to Reach Deep and find why shes scared of losing control :o Was She The First Gem? Experts Are Divided. give her one (1) person who Gets It even if they disagree or hate her. tell mom she can Chill and yeah her system sucked but she doesn’t Have to control everyone. its Ok. they’ll survive on their own, even if it felt like pink couldn’t handle herself. that might be how she ~metaphorically~ feels about All Gems. 

3. hhhhhreference everyone else blease. want to see the zircons. and topaz and aqua. fwee the human zoo. fwee the off colors, let them be On Earth Today. ruby squad?? famethyst? jades?? hmm yes i like all of them. i want Hope. i want uhh Lars. and Emerald. teach me all the diamond secretssss i wanna see Connie’s Sword is bismuth gonna bring it? show me!!! OUTFITS.

thank you very much for listening to my inner child. he would be very happy, and feels that doing these things would be uhh... good. 

i would be happy with any one of the three, as long as it’s the first one. 

[mikepemulis]

Hiya Kath, a question if you're in the mood, how do you plot your stories usually? Tell me your secretssss (For real like that shit's hard)

Hi there! I’m always in the mood for questions, so thank you! 

This ended up being really fuckin’ long so I’m gonna put it under a read more.

I plot stories... very loosely. I tend to think more in character arcs than in plot beats, I sort of build things up around the characters that will force them to grow. I’ll also sit on an idea before I start to write it and get a few Major Plot Points that I’m emotionally horny for so I can throw in some foreshadowing and look like I know what the hell I’m doing. 

I also like to get a sense of about how long something is going to be so that I can work on pacing, which I think is really important for making stories feel tightly plotted. Like, if you have a story that’s 30k words and the first 15k are spent on the first scene while the second 15k move through four years that’s... bad (most of the time). It’s gonna feel wonky and lopsided. I like to work with word counts, so I usually have a rough word count that I’m going with from the beginning so I know about how fast I want the story to move. 

Another thing that helps me is chapters. This is more of a thing in fanfiction than in original fiction. I publish my fanfic as I go, so there are stretches of time between when people are reading them if they’re reading along with me (ugh that was an awful structured sentence but w/e). So my fanfics are sort of serialized. While I try to stick to the overarching plot, each chapter is kind of a like a little episode. I try to keep chapters a consistent length, 2-4k words is my preferred sweet spot, although as I write more chapters have been getting longer and longer lol. I try to have each chapter answer some questions but as more, and either reveal new information about the characters or progress character relationships (ideally both). 

In addition, I really really love The Third Act Twist. Ofc, I don’t mean something here where it’s like “X character DIES and it was UNTAGGED on this FLUFF FIC because FUCK YOU” or “thEy wERe All drEAMing the WhoLe tiME” cause those, mmmm, suck, but something that is just, unexpected. Once upon a time in ye olde 2017, I wrote a fic called Black Hole and in like chapter 31 out of 35, the main ship broke up. They got back together in the last chapter and they all lived happily ever after and such, but no one in the comments saw it coming. 

The thing was, though, it made sense. Because I had been planning it for like 20 chapters by that point. And upon rereading, it’s a natural progression of the character arcs and of the relationship. My favorite kind of Third Act Twist is ones where you reread the build-up to them and think to yourself “how did I not see that coming?” Because once it’s pointed out it seems like the only natural payoff from all of the build-up and narrative tension. 

And then I always resolve everything because I’m a sucker for a happy ending. 

My last thing is to always follow through. I find that my stories fall apart if I try to make them seem more tightly plotted than they are. Leaving vague statements and unclear allusions to things that you don’t actually have planned is a death sentence. I try to make sure to only foreshadow or vaguely reference things that I actually have weight behind. I always have more backstory/worldbuilding/plot threads/whatever in my head than I do on the page so that the world is rich and consistent and makes sense. Trying to seem like you have everything figured out when you don’t will leave your story feeling hollow and cliche. 

TL;DR: I work in character arcs, I like to give myself a few strong pillars to lean on, and I make the rest of it up as I go. In grade school, I was the kid who did their outline after they wrote the essay. 

Also! What works for me might not work for other people. I don’t claim to be a paragon of narrative writing or to have the perfect writing process, I’m just having fun and writing stories.

[littlered-123]

(Shoot forgot tumblr doesn't let me send asks on my side. I'm @seashellsandrainbows ) Can I request seeing my lucitor boy Edmund in some cool fashion? (Also tell me your fashion secretssss)

Here's your smexy boy