#the nitty-gritty is chapters 2 and 3

[bearsbeetsbeskar]

how is everyone feeling about joel and therapists interactions so far?!

Excited to write more for these two as we see Joel start the actual therapy process. Hopefully I can sit down and get a good chunk of writing today for the next chapters 😇

[plantyberry]

Cloudcuckoolander Tally Part 3: Chapter 1-3 and 1-3-2: The Fencing Club, or, 'If I swallow Excalibur, does that mean I'll become invulnerable?'

And we are back for the newest installment of the Cloudcuckoolander tally, this time featuring the fencing club. And I'm definitely counting this thing as part of my NaNoWriMo wordcount tally goal dammit.

Now, for the sake of simplicity, the following factors are preferable (but not necessary) for your cuckoo MC

-Friends or more with Adrian -Gadgetry as a hobby -NOT have the following fears: Blood, Fear, Attention -Greed will help

Additionally, the Fencing Club is the only pick that allows you to have a mute MC while still grabbing the 'Keikaku' achievement.

On the way to the club:

I double-check to make certain that the passing university student isn't actually a zombie in disguise. cuckoo +1

The Adrian conversation (topics about clothes are mostly identical, with a few differences):

Red Cape + Frame = 3 or height = tall: -"Little?" I wonder if Adrian has suddenly gone blind. --"Aye, Aye, fairy godmother." +1 Cuckoo

Vampire Cape: +1 Cuckoo -Strike a stereotypical vampire pose. +1 Cuckoo --"I never bite and tell" +1 Cuckoo --"Lies and slander! I've got my own superior vampire teeth for that!" +1 Cuckoo

Spandex Tracksuit: -"I was thinking about wearing this instead of my uniform today." --"If we switched to plastic swords we could totally do naked fencing!" +1 Cuckoo -I say nothing, I merely start dancing the Tango de la Muerte. +1 Cuckoo (and the Keikaku achievement)

I launch right into the meat of the matter.

-"There was a murder during my last work shift…" --(if police)I begin to describe my brilliant werewolf culprit theory. +1 Cuckoo ---I'm not joking. +1 Cuckoo --(if reporter, paramedic)"All I have to say is… zombies." +1 Cuckoo ---I'm not joking. +1 Cuckoo --(if lab technician) In the end, this is the work of werewolves/zombies… +1 Cuckoo --(if wildlife biologist) I elucidate in great detail upon the nitty-gritty details regarding my genius mutant bear theory. +1 Cuckoo ---I'm not joking. +1 Cuckoo (Whenever applicable) I'm not joking but I pretend that I am in a brilliant double-blind maneuver. +2 Cuckoo

-"So I was recently mauled by an invisible poltergeist…" -- Show your bruised arm to Adrian ---"What? I find this situation perfectly normal." ----I'm not being sarcastic. +1 Cuckoo (Note: If your cuckoo score is under 5, you gain +1 Denial instead)

-"It seems that my apartment may be a little bit haunted…" --"I don't know, man, that bedroom ghost sounded pretty sexy." ---Obviously, I'm not joking. +1 Cuckoo

I launch into a long involved story regarding my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. -(follow the 'recently mauled by an invisible poltergeist' answer line) --"I blame the poltergeist. Also the werewolves, potential zombies, and I've got a sneaking suspicion that mutant fairies may be involved," you ramble. +1 Cuckoo

I believe actions speak louder than words

-I silently whip out my thirteen-page description of my past day including all details regarding my past work shift, my nightmare and strange injury, as well as the current haunted atmosphere of my apartment. --I wave my arms around in my best impression of a haunting ghost. +1 Cuckoo ---I reenact a scene from an earlier Knights of Our Lives episode that just so happened to appear in my dreams before. +1 Cuckoo (MC needs to know who Caleb is) ----I spin in a circle while twirling my arms. Surely Adrian will understand my meaning. +1 Cuckoo

Outside / Event prompts:

-"I'm on to you and your zombie ways, Sefu. No mercy shall be given by me or my flamethrowing sword!" +1 Cuckoo

-Perhaps it was the werewolf that ate Caleb Degaré? +1 Cuckoo (You need to know who Caleb is)

About the swords breaking: -(If you've got the stats or a high enough cuckoo score) "Don't worry, I've got the stats to save everyone." +1 Cuckoo (The Stats: Body >=30 or Body+Magic>=30 or (Talent=Agility + Body>=20) or (Interpretative Dancing>2 and Body>=20)

Post-Adrian Greetings

Talking about Arthur: "I just want to know if he's secretly a zombie/werewolf/mutant. He is, isn't he?" +1 Cuckoo I wonder if I accidentally left my apartment on fire this morning. +1 Cuckoo I wonder if an African swallow could really carry a coconut? +1 Cuckoo I hold up my phone with a Monty Python and the Holy Grail meme about coconuts on its screen. +1 Cuckoo I wonder if one of those sword swallower people could gulp down Excalibur? It'd be handy to be your own sheath. +1 Cuckoo (Requires Arthuriana fanatic)

Asking about the Apocalypse: "Pure unfiltered meta knowledge." +1 Cuckoo

Ask how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood. +1 Cuckoo

Changing your clothes:

-This is it! The perfect time to start a strip tease right in the middle of the practice hall! +1 Cuckoo (fear mustn't be 'attention')

Weapon Choice:

-Never mind the sabre, foil, and épée fencing swords. I really wish that I could use Excalibur to sword fight instead. Just like in the old tales of might and magicry. +1 Cuckoo (++)

Before the spar:

Talking to Hjordis about the swords breaking: -In the end, I can't help but suspect toilet gremlins. +1 Cuckoo

Tell everyone about what happened to you in the restroom: -"If there's something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!" I burst out singing in a very thematically-relevant manner. +1 Cuckoo

When finisheing to prepare for the spar: -It's time to do the Dance of Joy +1 Cuckoo

The color of your sword: -…the color out of space. +1 Cuckoo (++)

Entering the piste: -I throw my extra glove straight in Sefu's face. That's what they're meant for, right?! +1 Cuckoo -I AM Michael Jackson. I put on a single glove and moonwalk to the piste. +1 Cuckoo

-I strike a delicately posed stance, balanced on one leg, knee bent and lifted above my hips, arms extended at my sides like the wings of a crane, as my sword points at the unseen heavens above. +1 Cuckoo -I gravely inform the audience that only masked eyes are allowed to behold my full splendor. +1 Cuckoo

-Frosty the Snowman dances seductively down my spine. +1 Cuckoo

The sword shower incident:

Note: Aside from the stats, you may succesfully pass the sword dance checks if you are a changeling or possess the Lucky talent if your dice roll goes well, though it's an obviously unreliable method to succeed unless you intend to save scum this until you force a pass.

Unwilling rescuer: -I duck and cover and- no, why are my feet moving forward?! No, no, no I'm not trying to 1v1 an entire shower of sharp shrapnel! --I wonder what I should have for dinner tonight? +1 Cuckoo

If the rescue failed, but the people wore masks -Now it's definitely time to do the Dance of Joy +1 Cuckoo --No unmasked eyes are allowed to behold my glory indeed. +1 Cuckoo

Wrapping up (Post good end)

-I launch into a statistical analysis of the causes, probability percentages, prevention methods, and data anomalies found within all train derailment accidents within the past twenty-five years. Yes, most certainly this is an appropriate conversational topic right now. Cuckoo +1

Changing area: Armory -"Don't let the darkness consume your soul or the splinters find your throat," I enigmatically tell my departing clubmate. Cuckoo +1

Changing Area: Men's restroom -"Don't let the darkness consume your souls," I enigmatically call out as my two squabbling clubmates leave before me. Cuckoo +1

Changing Area: Ladies' Restroom -"Don't let the darkness consume your soul." Cuckoo +1

Changing Area: Universal Restroom -"Don't let the darkness consume your soul," I enigmatically tell my cheerily departing clubmate. Cuckoo +1

Changing Area: Corner of the Fencing Hall -"Don't let the darkness consume your soul," I enigmatically reply. Cuckoo +1

It you're possessed (Just… Why?), there is one option right before the sparring match -He's coming! He's coming! He's coming! Cuckoo +1

Out of these options, the Tango de la Muerte (Interpretative score helps succeed the check) and Masked Eyes (Will and Magic +1) option are good picks, in my opinion. Getting the good end is a bit harder in this club that in the polo club because you have to pick the right options to make it happen. Additionally, an important thing to note is that successfully fending off the splinter shower will injure your ankle slightly, which will make escaping the hydra more difficult, if you wish to avoid Merlin forcefully healing you later on.

[organizechaoss]

"We're Professionals" - a HuskderDust fic

Prewritten. Updates on Tuesday’s

Blurb

"Well you just gonna stand there? Open it." Cherri glared at him across the kitchen counter.

Gingerly, Anthony unfolded it reading over the first few paragraphs. He dropped the rest of the papers to the floor.

"I got the part."

A Hazbin Hotel Actor AU that gets into the dark nitty gritty world of publicity, fame, and love centered on HuskerDust. Husk is known to be Helliwood’s Sweetheart who’s tied up in a lot of contracts and people he has to please. Anthony is an up and coming actor from the theater world, who just got his first big break.

It’s a love story.

See more below ;) or just start reading here <3

CONTENT WARNINGS FOR WHOLE FIC, PLEASE READ: This fic contains elements of coercion, non-con drugging, sexual assault, and false assault allegations (not my proudest moment — pls believe all allegations in real life). If you have concerns, feel free to message me or comment any questions you may have.

Now onto a more polite introduction:

Hello and welcome! This is a self indulgent fic I started months ago that sort of possessed me and I haven’t been able to get rid of it since. It’s a HuskerDust Actor AU set in the Hellverse but not as dystopian (i.e. no extermination). Essentially, the actors Anthony and Husk are playing the characters Angel Dust and Harley in the show Hazbin (which is shockingly similar to Hazbin Hotel in our world, lol). Husk is already famous and known to be Helliwood’s Sweetheart. Anthony is from the theater world and at the start of his career. 

It’s a love story.

Some minor warnings before we get into stuff:

I started this when I was newer to the fandom and used a bunch of throwaway names from both Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel to try and limit OC’s as much as possible

I don’t know much about the acting industry or anything. Pls chalk up inaccuracies to this being a Hell thing.

I’m not really a smut writer (yet), so there’s no fun spice here. I’m an ace writer who’s used to writing ace love stories — which this ended up being one, sort of…

On the other hand, I am an angst writer so while this is going to start out like a classic actor au, this fic can get a bit dark starting around Chapter 10 — but has a happy ending <3

Here’s some world building stuff and how posting this fic will go:

I’ll be posting weekly on Tuesday’s

This fic is approximately 250,000+ words in total and is fully written

There are 3 main arcs and I added one more bonus arc pretty much full of healing to atone for the hurt I inflicted <3

Arc 1 (Filming): Chapters 1 - 17 (~100,000 words)

Arc 2 (Post Production): Chapters 18 - 24 (~50,000 words)

Arc 3 (Premiere and After): Chapters 25 - 37 (~60,000 words)

Bonus Arc (Healing): Chapters 38 - 46 (~30,000 words)

This is set in Hell where there’s no extermination. Heaven and angel’s aren’t mentioned and angelic weapons are not real

All characters are demons, not human sinners, they were born and raised in Hell and don’t have a past human life. Everything they deal with is here and now and in the context of show business

Demons can be killed like humans can

All characters maintain their name in ‘real life’ and I gave them new ones for the ‘show’ — this is with the exception of Angel Dust who is Anthony in ‘real life’ and Angel Dust on the ‘show’

Characters do not have the ‘powers’ you see in the show. They are just normal people that can heal a bit quicker than humans? Maybe?

Still interested? Start reading here ;)

[ao3feed-jonmartin]

Get Down Mr Magnus / I missed...

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/JzyT64H by Mischeviousscamp While Jonah Magnus is giving a speech to all the nitty-gritty avatars of the new world, Jon has a choice to make. Words: 728, Chapters: 2/3, Language: English Fandoms: The Magnus Archives (Podcast) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: M/M Characters: Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Martin Blackwood, Elias Bouchard | Jonah Magnus, Peter Lukas Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Elias Bouchard | Jonah Magnus/Peter Lukas, Jonah Magnus & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist Additional Tags: Elias Bouchard is Donald Trump, Warning: Donald Trump, Jon has to assassinate Jonah Trump, Author has too many regrets to count, Peter Lukas is Joe Biden, Peter Lukas lived, triden - Freeform, LonelyEyes, Jonah Magnus Being Jonah Magnus, more or less, No beta we kayak like Tim read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/JzyT64H

[roseaesynstylae]

Star Wars: Republic Commando: Triple Zero, Chapter 6

I had a nice vacation.

I visited family. I soaked up the sun. I created an AO3 account and have been collecting bookmarks and posting short fic, so when I feel confident enough to link it, there'll be something substantial. I began reading my way through the High Republic. I started refining OCs that I might post fic about in a year.

And now I'm coming back to this.

(Hand to God, instant burst of rage when I opened the book.)

"In five millennia, the Mandalorians fought with and against a thousand armies on a thousand worlds. They learned to speak as many languages and absorbed weapons technology and tactics from every war. And yet, despite the overwhelming influence of alien cultures, and the absence of a true homeworld and even species, their own language not only survived but changed little, their way of life and their philosophy remained untouched, and their ideals and sense of family, of identity, of nation, were only strengthened. Armor does not make a Mandalorian. The armor is merely a manifestation of an impenetrable, unassailable heart.

-- Mandalorians: Identity and Language, published by the Galactic Institute of Anthropology"

That right there is complete bullshit.

No culture exists that long and interacts with others without being influenced in some way. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, they would pick up something. I know Star Wars doesn't necessarily involve itself with the nitty-gritty of worldbuilding, but...

Part of this feels like I'm overreacting to something small, but over the course of my vacation, I have lost what little willingness I had to be nice to Karen Traviss, her Mando Sues, and all the bullshit in this series. I'm sorry, but I'm going to be a bitch going forward.

Anyway.

There's something about this excerpt that really makes me feel like it's lording its (unrealistic and impossible) linguistic "purity" over everyone else. This is a case of "If this were a different author/book/series, I wouldn't be bothered."

Mando-Shilling: 2

I haven't even gotten to the actual content of the chapter yet and I'm metaphorically throttling this book. This is a bad sign.

"'General,' he said. He paused to nod formally at Etain, which -- given Skirata's general contempt for anyone not in armor -- seemed quite an encouraging start, Fi decided."

We are not pleased.

"'In here, ma'am.' He could make ma'am sound like girl somehow; he could do the same with General. But as a Jedi she had no right to feel affronted by the lack of deference. She realized that she simply wished he would like her. 'Just a little chat and you can find General Jusik and catch up on events.'

Yes, Skirata gave the orders."

Okay!

This isn't lack of deference; this is just being an asshole.

Oh, he can make ma'am sound like girl? Well, I can make Kal Skirata sound like eat shit and die.

"'In urban operations, a woman is always useful, Jedi or not. Another aid to invisibility -- old di'kute like me and females like you.'"

I hate you so fucking much.

It's a Man's World: 2

Like I said above, I have lost all patience for this series' bullshit. I'm going to go look at some pro-Jedi/Bad Batch content (my version of touching grass) and possibly assemble romantic prompts.

My last comment on this chapter?

Jedi-Bashing: 9

Mando-Shilling: 2

It's a Man's World: 2

Shut the Fuck Up, Kal: 1

Deltas, Move Out: 4

Mird, My Beloved: 3

Is This The Bad Batch?: 2

Main Post

[lmchaptertitlebracket]

Volume I, book iii: The Winners

To give the Volume 1 polls time to run through fully before starting on the next volume, I’ll be cataloging the winning translations/translators as well as some of my favorite observations on the posts!

I.iii.2

FMA's "Double Quartet" is far and away the winner, at 59.6%. There was def a preference towards quartet/quartette over foursome.

I.iii.3

Rose wins with Four by Four at 47.3%. Interesting choice by Donougher here, @blatherby looked into it a little bit-- it's still a little mystifying to me but I get where she's coming from!

I.iii.4

Wilbour and Walton's "Tholomyès is so Merry That He Sings a Spanish Song" won with an impressive 54.3%. I'm guessing some of the appeal is the good alliteration

I.iii.5

The translators' consensus appears to be our voters' consensus as well, because "At Bombarda’s" (from Wilbour, Wraxall, Hapgood, Walton, Rose, and Donougher... that's a mouthful!) got 62.7%.

I.iii.6

This vote was a lot more split than most of the others this book-- it's a little difficult to translate satisfactorily, it seems! Hapgood's "A Chapter In Which They Adore Each Other" won out with 34.3%.

Also, some really great notes from @ineffable-gallimaufry here that get really into the nitty-gritty of the French-- thanks for providing so much information :D

I.iii.7

Again the translators' consensus is agreed with; Wilbour, Wraxall, Hapgood, Walton, Denny, FMA, and Rose's "The Wisdom of Tholomyès" absolutely swept with 92.1%.

I.iii.9

This one was more divided as well, but Hapgood and Donougher's " "A Merry End To Mirth" won out at 38.5%.

The votes in this book seemed a lot less divided and with higher winning percentages than in previous cases, though by no means without disagreement.

Wilbour: 3

Wraxall: 2

Hapgood: 4

Walton: 3

Denny: 1

FMA: 2

Rose: 3

Donougher: 2

This is the third Hapgood win in a row-- folks really are Hapgood Enjoyers, aren't they! I again wonder to what degree familiarity has to do with it though.

[theomnicode]

How I write metas? A meta about metas

If this deconstruction post is going to be useful for any aspiring meta writer on this OPM fandom that I currently follow, then be my guest. :D

Warning: Semi-long post.

Step 1: Inspiration

Nope, really can't get into my head all the time to write stuff as much as I would love to but when I do, it's because I get a good inspiration from something. It does not really matter at this point if it's short or long, just the subject matters. Then if I get inspired, I will usually stew on that idea for a while and think about the points in the manga that fit.

Unfortunately inspiration does not strike all the time so there's always that. I'm going with the route that "you can't force inspiration to come to you, you want the inspiration to become you" or something like that. Take that with grain of salt, I just made it up on the spot.

Step 2: Practice

I've personally been writing fanfics since I was...a teen I believe and meta is just a subsection of writing school essays, except it's actually fun. So writing something has been quite a lot of work put behind it, but nobody says one cannot start from scratch today and the meta doesn't need to be immediately impressive, we're just writing it for fun yanno? For other fandom peeps who maybe wanna hear our thoughts. Just gotta start from somewhere yanno? My earlier metas are prolly a fair bit different than my current metas.

Like they say, practice makes perfect.

Step 3: The creative process

Ok so to the nitty gritty of the meta making... PLOT NO JUTSU!

I oftentimes either discuss the meta on discord channels with likeminded peeps and then start gathering some images from the manga to use as my images to enhance my point and make my texts also visually interesting to look at and make some clarifying points. I tend to find some good relative image to use as my first image because it'll show up in archive search like so:

It'll be easier to search for my metas even without searching for my tags from my archives if they look similar.

Next, I keep a folder for all my meta images in a neat pile and I use paint ms to cut me nice images to post into my meta and I also have cubari , the one site which hosts all the chapters so far, open where I can just grab images whenever. Basically any kind of image tool you got from paint to gimp to photoshop can help you crop images you want to use if you want to use images in your meta.

My brain can sometimes be pretty hard to follow apparently, so I do try to parse a lot when I write my texts and keep it somewhat coherent. Parsing information via the canon timeline can help form a coherent timeline to follow in a meta.

In general, you want your writing progress to be seamless and disturbance free creative process, not unlike drawing. Sometimes ambient music on the background can help focus on the actual meta writing process (currently listening to Ardenweald from WoW), which can take me from 1 hour to all the way to 5 hours in a single sitting, which is quite long but remember, tumblr drafts saves your progress even if you save it nowhere else and it's entirely possible to finish the thinking process another day when you have more time.

Sometimes I include links to either my own metas or some outside source, which I then briefly quote on my text, like in the Saitama mental health meta where I citate depression effects on memory recollection. The quote sources can also be stated at the very end like in a real essay, but to me personally I'm fine without the citations at the end, long as I state my sources and then put quotes into indented text.

Step 4: The writing itself

Paraphrasing helps make your text look coherent and easier to read to just about anybody, so avoid pure walls of texts. I usually write longer texts, but that is up to the writer to decide how short, long or how abridged they can/wanna make their work, which frankly is not one of my best skillsets lmao. Just gotta make sure to put that warning in the front if it's long post.

Nowdays, I also include chapter names and numbers about the relevant information I'm writing meta about in between () marks and itallics to further separate it from plain text, which might be helpful to people if they search for that specific plot point from the manga itself. Then if it's a particularly long meta, a tl;dr at the bottom if I can form a proper tldr.

Sometimes I also get struck by random thought and I just have to write it out haha. Sometimes I ask for aid and opinions on discord channels.

Any long metas should definitely have that "readmore" cutoff in the beginning, else entirety of tumblr or wherever you'll post the meta will hate you.

Step 5: Revision & Tagging

You can hold on from posting the meta the very same day and just keep it revised for a bit longer if you want to correct spelling mistakes or if you think you can maybe adds some more to it. Revision is just as important in writing meta as in writing something like fanfiction and I personally do a fair bit of both.

When tagging, I just use "opm meta" for all my opm related metas and then tag in fandom and characters that apply to the current meta and then some other related subjects like "mental health, character study" etc. I prolly haven't tagged my earlier metas that properly but eh... if you write on another platform and then copypaste it to tumblr, make sure that the plain text shows properly and doesn't create any weirdness.

Closing thoughts...that's about it folks, that's how I write meta and how I wrote this piece as well. Which took me roughtly 1hr 45mins to write down at my current writing speed but I've been thinking about this since yesterday haha.

Tl;dr: Inspiration, practice, creative process by saving images and thoughts as they go, writing and paraphrasing, revision and tagging properly.

[rubitheracoon]

HEY PEOPLE IVE GOT A SILLY PROJECT THAT I WANT TO SHARE

I hope that got your attention :]

Anyway, Hi! My name is Rubi (not really) and I'm a young budding artist of many different flavours (some more developed than others).

I wanted to share a passion project of mine that I've been casually working on for the last year today (21st March 2024).

I've been trying really hard to get it out to more people, advertising it wherever I was allowed to do so. It still hasn't gained many follows. so since I have a larger following on tumblr, I thought this would be my next best option.

This project is a Spotify playlist by the name of "I'm all alone", which is inspired off of liminal spaces and how they make me feel.

From the moment I created the playlist I knew I wanted it to be a 'choose your own story' type deal, where the listener can infer from the songs listed to any capacity (specific or basic) and the playlist is just a base idea. I want to see other people draw their own creativity from my playlist. There is no right or wrong story.

Though, this playlist is far from finished. As of writing this, the furthest I've gotten to it being fully organised in a way I feel sounds right is down to the song "over population at the end of everything..." (I'm not writing the full title). If I continue treating it casually like I Currently am, it will be a long time from being a fully fledged playlist. But there's still information you can take from the unorganised songs!

This is the link to the playlist

PLEASE BE SURE TO READ THE TITLE ALONG WITH THE DESCRIPTION

ALSO DO NOT PUT IT ON SHUFFLE

I'd also like to add that for the people who want to get to the nitty gritty, I have accommodated titles, album covers and a certain song repeating to act as chapters, keep a look out! (All of these were entirely unintentional but very useful)

Please @ me when you talk about any theories, I want to hear all of it!

Lots of love,

- Rubi 🧡

The amount of likes I have as of when I'm writing this is 3. 2 of them are my other accounts

turns out my other 2 accounts didn't have this playlist liked after all this time so all 3 likes count. I'm now up to 7 as of 23rd May 2024 including those 2 accounts

Please reblog with all tags and if I missed any be sure to add them :)

[saikokirakira]

Part 1 of 2: Pagtingin (Feelings) [Steve Harrington x Reader]

a/n: let's pretend this hasn't been sitting in my completed list since ferbruary. it was initially a 3-parter, but i decided the 3rd one to be part of the sequel. guess who's the dumdum who doesn't have a title for it? i'm using the Ben&Ben song I listened to while writing this chapter. it was either this or "baka sakali (Maybe, just in case)". it also annoyed me because "pagtingin" means "look; gaze" but in its context it means "(hidden) feelings," so it's neither wrong or right. language, ammarite?

summary: based on this blurb on a hanahaki au/flayed!reader

word count: 2.1k (brace yourself because the next chapter is almost 5 times long. yep. you heard me.)

warning: steve is an oblivious himbo; unrequited feelings / pining; minor violence; implied underage drinking (it's season 2, ykyk?); stranger things season 2 canon

You had a crush on Steve “The Hair” Harrington. Then again, who didn’t have a crush on King Steve?

Growing up with Steve, albeit shy of two years from the senior, had you following him around like a puppy. You watched him jump from one girl to the next before he surprisingly settled with Nancy Wheeler last year. “She’s different,” he had said before asking you for help on how to woo her.

Stop flirting with other girls around her. Actually listen to her and try to be interested in what she says. Get to know her instead of treating her like another girl. Surprisingly, he listened to your advice – everything you wished he would do for you – and got the girl.

Steve always got the girl.

However, something strange happened when Nancy’s best friend, Barbara, went missing, not much later since Will Byers as well. With your overprotective parents dropping a curfew on you, you barely hung out with Steve anymore. You knew nothing good will happen when you left him too long with Tommy and Carol, and you were right.

Much to your surprise again, Steve and Nancy lasted until his senior year. You couldn’t argue that being with her made Steve want to better himself. You even got to know Nancy for a bit, and for someone quite reserved, you actually liked her.

“Haven’t you ever considered dating?” she had asked you once.

You hummed for a bit, pondering on your answer. “Steve knows most of the nitty gritty on the guys on Hawkins High,” you explained. “He scares the bad ones away, and the ones that are decent are too intimidated with him being my friend since forever.”

“You never thought of dating Steve?”

You laughed lightly. You had a crush on Steve, but you didn’t like him enough to act out on it. “What an odd question from his own girlfriend,” you pointed out, and interestingly enough, it made her uncomfortable. You guessed a lot of Steve’s exes were also pretty intimidated by your friendship with Steve.

“Nope,” you lied smoothly. “Steve never asked me, and we never had the conversation on crossing that line in our friendship.” Still, the pinched look on Nancy’s face remained, and you began to wonder if it was more than just jealousy… or if she was hiding something else.

That inkling you had took form in Jonathan Byers half-carrying a wasted Nancy during a Halloween party. You asked around for Steve only to find out that he also ditched you. You aggressively poured yourself a glass of spiked punch before catching yourself, pouring the contents back in the bowl.

“Smart move.”

You didn’t need Steve to tell you that Billy Hargrove was bad news.

“Harrington ditched you, pretty girl?”

“What do you think?” you shot back. You walked out of the kitchen to find a house phone, only to find a couple making out right against it. “Seriously?”

Billy snickered right next to you.

“You’re still here,” you sighed in exasperation to show your annoyance. “Why?” You narrowed your eyes at the blonde.

“Oh, please, no need to be short with me, pretty girl,” Billy said, flashing you what he probably thought was his charming smile. “Harrington isn’t here for you to be his loyal lapdog.”

“What are you talking about?”

Billy stepped closer to you, and you were overwhelmed by the smell of beer and cigarettes from his person. “From what I saw earlier, Wheeler and Harrington seem to be over,” he whispered in your ear, “so you might actually have a chance this time.”

Rage quickly filled your veins, and you shoved his bare chest, pushing him away from you. Your reaction only amused Billy further. “You don’t know anything about me,” you spat out.

“As a matter of fact, I know everything just by looking at you,” Billy retorted, giving you a once-over. “I don’t often help out girls like you, but you’re just pitiful. Pathetic even.” He continued, “Guys like Steve don’t stay single for long. Takes one to know one, pretty girl. Best make your move soon.”

You hated how you knew Billy was right. Nancy clearly had feelings for Jonathan, and it wouldn’t be long before Steve would be looking for a rebound. Maybe if… maybe if he could see how you and him worked so well over the years, Steve might also see you as someone worth long-term. Even longer than Nancy.

For the next two days, you muddled over how you would tell Steve how you really feel. You settled for simplicity. Just give it to him honest and straightforward. With a motivated resolution, you drove to his house and caught Steve just in time as he was leaving his house.

“Oh, perfect timing,” Steve smiled, pulling his keys out. “Come with me. I need your help picking out something. I’m driving.”

Ten minutes later, you and the florist locked eyes, seeming to have an understanding with each other, while Steve fawned over the bouquet that you chose for Nancy.

There’s just something fucked up over choosing a bouquet you want for your crush to give as a reconciliation gift for his ex.

Mysteriously enough, Nancy wasn’t at her house, but Dustin Henderson, a friend of her younger brother’s, was. You observed how the boy dragged Steve over to the car, where you were waiting, and talked about “a baseball bat with nails.” Steve succumbed to Dustin’s demands and opened the trunk of his car.

“Why the hell do you have a baseball bat mace, Harrington?”

Dustin directed his attention to you. “Are you good with pets?” he asked randomly.

“I used to have a cat and a dog?”

“Perfect. You can come with us.”

For the next three hours, you and Steve followed the boy in his storm cellar, finding a tunnel dug by an animal too big to be a dog. Dustin explained to you about a monster he cared for as a baby, until it ate his cat. Now, he made plans that you and Steve would come back the next day to find it before it was fully grown.

By that point, you simply indulged Dustin and his games. It was all just bad unskippable side quests on your way to confess to Steve. … right?

When morning came, Steve picked you up, telling you that Dustin called him to buy meat to bait his rogue monster pet. Again, you indulged them and came along. If Steve was losing his sanity over his breakup, so were you by still trying to confess in these conditions.

“Why are you still friends with me?” Steve asked all of a sudden, his eyes were focused on the road to the way to Dustin’s house. “I’m no longer popular. My girlfriend broke up with me. I’m currently hanging out with my ex’s brother’s friend finding a cat-eating monster.”

Tell him. It’s the right time. But what if it’s not? Of course, it is. What if he’ll think I’m only taking advantage of his situation? What if he’ll think I’m only friends with him for that reason?

“Don’t be full of yourself, Steve,” you snorted, picking at your chipped nail polish. “I’ve known you since you were a loser. It isn’t so different now.”

“You’re such an ass.”

Your heart mellowed at the sight of Steve’s soft smile. Maybe I don’t have to tell him. These quiet genuine moments didn’t have to change. You loved it as it was.

~~

“You kept something you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl who... who you just met?”

“You have to admit, Steve, that’s pretty metal,” you commented, bumping Steve’s shoulder.

“What does that even mean?” Steve asked while still tossing pieces of chopped meat along the abandoned train tracks.

���It means it’s an awesome gesture,” you said, patting Dustin on the back. The boy smiled at you, preening from your support. From the past hour, you held a soft spot for Dustin who lacked in confidence but still put himself out there for a crush.

He’s younger but definitely had more guts than you.

“I just feel like you’re trying too hard,” Steve admitted.

“Hey,” you elbowed your friend in the side in warning.

“Well, not everyone can have your perfect hair, all right?” Dustin said quite glumly.

“The key with girls is just…” Steve trailed off, while you cut in, “Oh, I’d love to hear this.” He continued, “… just acting like you don’t care.”

And you burst laughing. You laughed for a good minute with tears leaking from the corner of your eyes. “Oh, for goodness’ sakes,” you said, “stop giving the boy bad relationship advice, Steven.”

“Are you telling me you never chased after a boy who didn’t show that much interest?” Steve asked, but just as he shot the question, he immediately followed with, “Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

“I wanna know,” Dustin piped in.

“Just one boy,” you whispered in the boy’s ear but still loud enough for Steve to hear. “It doesn’t matter because he doesn’t like me that way.” Before anyone could catch your hidden meaning, you added, “Besides, I only go for guys who genuinely adore me.”

“As they should!” Steve exclaimed, pointing a finger at you. “Remember what I told you: Never take less than what you deserve.”

“As I was saying,” you emphasized, pointedly looking at Steve for interrupting, then crouching to meet Dustin’s eyes, “just be true with your feelings and yourself, and the right girl will come around for you.”

“I mean, that works too,” Steve mumbled. “Some girls are just special.”

“Like Nancy?”

… and that was your cue to walk ahead of them. You should’ve known that a wholesome moment wouldn’t last. Unfortunately, it would only go downhill from there.

In the next few hours, you were being chased by reptilian dogs, rendezvoused with Chief Hopper and the Byers, and met a punk kid who had mind powers. If you weren’t constantly fighting to stay alive, you would’ve demanded context from Steve. And now, you were in a tunnel under a pumpkin patch farm that led to an evil alternate dimension.

Some side quest for romance.

Steve led the group while with you last in case something snuck from behind. You were all careful not to breathe too hard, and you made sure to avoid touching anything on the walls, keeping eye on the kids as well. Doing so proved more difficult the further you went down the tunnel looking for what Mike called “the hub.” The vines and plant bulbs for some reason looked aware of your presence in the tunnels. In fact…

“Dustin, watch out!”

You shoved him to the side only to be sprayed with spores from the flower bulbs. Coughs and wheezes broke uncontrollably from your mouth as you tried to expel what seeped through your kerchief mask. You just hoped that you managed to get most out when you did.

After the little mishap with the flower, your group – much more carefully this time – finally succeeded in setting fire to the tunnels. You ignored the burning in your lungs when it did, especially when you ran back for Mike who got caught by one of the vines as its last resort. Running on instinct, you snatched Steve’s bat and rushed over to the boy.

“Grab him!” you barked at anyone. You stomped the offending vine with the heel of your boot and swung over and over. You screamed and cried out, not knowing whether it was out of aggression or from the burning in your lungs, until Mike was freed and the rest of the vines retreated back to God knows where.

Steve stared at you in awe and slowly approached you, retrieving back his bat but keeping his other hand locked with yours. “That was awesome,” he chuckled, squeezing your entwined fingers.

Unfortunately, the moment didn’t last because a pack of demodogs came barrelling down the tunnels in pursuit of us. Interestingly enough, one of them still managed to listen to Dustin – D’Art. So, he was real... Their reunion and goodbye were enough time to escape to the opening of the tunnel.

Steve climbed out into the farm first, and you began hoisting them up, saving yourself last. You barely managed to get Dustin out, who was putting up a fight to see D’Art until his last moments. Then the strangest thing happened…

The demodogs just stared at you.

It remained that way until they dropped dead, signalling the gate finally being shut.

You were frozen and was only pulled out of your stupor when Steve hoisted you out himself.

The way those monsters clicked and growled at you felt familiar. As if they knew you. Yet you didn’t have to worry about it anymore.

It was over.

[kurishiri]

it works, i managed to solve it by completely reinstalling the app!! yaaay!!! say, do you know how much money do you need to spend to be able to complete the event and get jude's card? if I have about 18 sent hearts by now? Im wondering if its worth it to spend money or not, hehe

hi anon! sorry i couldn’t get to your other ask, but that’s awesome! as for how much money you need to spend, it depends on how much resources like tickets, coins, and cocktails you have saved already — and how much you’re willing to expend. i’ll put more under the cut!

what i will say is if you have prepared or saved for this event for a while, you can pretty comfortably complete the event or get jude’s card as the ecb by getting the 💎6,800 package (15 story tickets, 15 cocktails, 🩷6,000), which is avail during the first 80 hours of the event.

also if you’re going to get any gem pack, i would always opt for the highest package you can get, as you pay less per gem, the more you spend. for example, if you get the 💎380 gem pack for $2.99, that would make the cost per gem $0.78. but if you get the 💎6,400 gem pack for $40.99, you will pay $0.64 per gem. other than that, it’s hard to pinpoint an exact cost, so let me give you some references # of times sent each set can give, along with the price you’d pay assuming you have 💎0 and no resources saved prior, so you can make the judgment for yourself. also note:

listed prices do not include tax and are in usd, so you may be paying a bit of a higher amount. there are also other ways to combine gem packages, which may result in lower prices than what i listed.

prices may differ if you choose to sort of purchase multiple packages at once.

the minimum number assumes you use the items in the set during no lucky times, while the maximum number assumes you use the set items’ cocktails during 3x escort lucky time and the story tickets in the most optimal chapter during 2x lucky time.

sorry for any numerical miscalculations; this really is meant to sort of give a general picture, so to speak.

i’m assuming completing a route gives you 10 hearts, but don’t quote me on that.

for reference, jude’s card is the 280 times sent reward if you send that many within the next now-around-59-hours, or is also available if you send 570 times and didn’t make the ecb. the pink hairstyle is the 350 times sent ecb.

first 80h package — 15 story tickets, 15 cocktails, 🩷6,000 : 💎6,800 (= $45.98, with 💎260 overflow) : 107–204 times sent, or 174 times if you expend the 15 cocktails during 2x lucky time escort

any of the sets with a plushie — dr. 〇〇 plushie (★3, 140BP), 10 cocktails, 1 closet, 🩷600 : 💎1,980 (= $14.98, with 💎80 overflow) : 26–66 times, or 46 times if you use the 10 cocktails during 2x lucky time

platinum set — 15 cocktails, 15 story tickets, 🩷1,000 : 💎4,000 (= $29.98, with 💎400 overflow) : 57–156 times, or 126 times if you use the 15 cocktails during 2x lucky time

gold set — 10 cocktails, 8 story tickets, 🩷500, 3 closets : 💎2,500 (= $19.99, with 💎500 overflow) : 30–95 times, or 75 times if you use the 10 cocktails during 2x lucky time. and this leaves 3 story tickets over

silver set — 4 cocktails, 5 story tickets, 🩷200, 3 closets : 💎1,300 (= $9.99, with 💎100 overflow) : 15–56 times, or 48 times if you use the 4 cocktails during 2x lucky time

value set — 1 cocktail, 2 story tickets, 🩷100, 2 closets : 💎490 (= $3.98, with 💎10 overflow) : 3–7 times, or 5 times if you use the 1 cocktail during 2x lucky time. this also leaves 2 story tickets over

again i apologize for any nitty gritty errors, but i hope this gives at least like .. a general idea! 🙏 lemme know if you wanna know anything else and i can try to help!

[boltedfruit]

How I Outline/Plot: Including Author Resources for Developing Characters and Self Publishing

First and foremost, everything I’ve included in this doc that references resources (such as the plot outline below), is also available for free on the authors’ respective websites. I just wanted to recreate the template Scrivener file I use when starting a new project as I’ve collected everything in one master file.

MASTER TEMPLATE GOOGLE DOC: https://tinyurl.com/boltemp

I recently posted the chapter count for my upcoming Mafia MM romance I'm writing for NaNoWriMo this year and was asked how I plot by @duckyreads

Below, I've included screenshots of the first couple beats of my process and how much detail I usually include when outlining. The template I'm working from is an edited one of Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes, who offers her beat sheet for free on her site and in a Scrivener Template.

Using Romancing the Beat, I first went through and made a separate page for each story beat for my protagonist, Zac. I can't do just normal three act structure as it's too vague for me. I need Too Much to work with, then I can whittle it down later. I then did the same for the love interest and Mafia boss, Joe. (name might be changed idk yet.)

The colored dots represent which act of the story I'm in. Light pink= Act 1: Set Up, Dark Pink= Act 2: Falling, Blue= Act 3: Retreating, and Purple= Act 4: Shake it Off.

I also want to note that even though the epilogue is written in for both characters' POV, I'm only writing it once, from Zac's POV. So not every single beat necessarily translates directly into its own chapter. A few from Joe's POV are definitely combined more than once.

So Chapter 1, Scene 1: Zac's sister Riley has made him a dating profile and set him up on a date with who will soon be revealed as a crime lord.

I'm repetitive, because I've gone back in at different points and added little notes here and there. But my basic points I want to convey right off the bat: Zac is a hot mess who drinks to excess at times, has a sister who loves him but he is always putting her in a hard position, and has issues with money and violence from his childhood.

I also like to include some dialogue or rough snippets for scenes because it helps make the scene feel more concrete to me. I don't always do this though.

This is Chapter 1, Scene 2. Very short and to the point. (This was something I originally started writing as a fic btw.)

This is Chapter 2, Scene 1 and is the first from Joe's perspective.

It's plotty compared to the first chapter. I haven't done any nitty gritty location research yet so I put stuff I don't know yet in asterisks or brackets or in something like "XXX", because XXX is easy to find and change with ctrl+f > replace.

This is from Chapter 3, Scene 1. Just vibes.

This is from Chapter 4, Scene 2, from Joe's POV after the date.

This is what I ended up with. I'm sure as I work through it, the chapter count will go down. I don't really want my romance book to be so long, but I saw recently that 50 Shades is apparently over 500 pgs, which is wild to me. I'm also doing alternating POV, so it'll be switching between my protag and the love interest.

My outlining/plotting steps:

Decide on genre and type of story structure I want to use.

Decide on my protagonist and lay out a new page/note for every story beat of whatever structure I'm using.

Go in order or jump around and write a little per beat based on how I want a scene to go. For me, feeling is more important than knowing exactly what's going to happen. I'm not naturally a plotter, so I still like to not be constrained when I'm actually writing. (ie I'm not adhering to some rigid word count per chapter.) And if I changed something or added a thing while writing, I go back to the outline after and add it in so it all lines up and I don't forget something I did.

If a beat doesn't fit its own chapter, I make it a scene. It's also okay for multiple beats to happen in one chapter too.

Do the same for any other POVs involved in the story. Try to make each character have their own arc as well, no matter how small.

Really my main advice is go with your gut first because you can always add on or retract later. Write what you want (with some awareness of genre tropes/audience wants if you're trying to write to market to some extent). All book publishing is fickle and mean a lot of the time. And honestly unless you're one of the few who gets picked up by traditional publishers and offered an amazing deal, you'll be expected to pay for all the things you'd be paying for with self publishing, except with fewer rights to your own work. I'd rather pay and manage my own website, ads, and ARC readers and retain total rights to my own creations than give my rights to a publisher who might hold my book up for years, and still expect me to fund my own advertising, book tours etc.

And besides, if you self publish, there is no rule you can't have another book (and then even your backlog) traditionally published later on. You can have both.

[edynsgarden]

The Orchid

Chapter 2

There had been whispers of an American Jujutsu sorcerer with a cursed technique that rendered them unstoppable. No one could identify this sorcerer by face, but they were recognizable by photos of each cursed spirit with an orchid beside it. Typically, gossip about foreign sorcerers did not carry across the ocean to Japan, the pillar of Jujutsu, but it seemed that this American sorcerer dubbed “the orchid” was the only topic of conversation in the Jujutsu world. While many higher ups and special grade sorcerers feared the arrival of The Orchid, Satoru Gojo was excited. Finally, a rival, an equal, or maybe… a lover.

Story Warnings: heavy smut, breeding kink, spanking, spitting, violence, mentions of abuse, blood

Chapter Warnings: none <3 (no smut this chapter)

Author's note: Sorry for all of the filler :/ I want to establish to storyline a little bit before we get into the nitty gritty

Chapter 0.5 - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

Chapter 2

“Ryomen Sukuna!?” the girl said aghast.

The Jujutsu community in America is fairly small, but names such as Satoru Gojo and Ryomen Sukuna are powerful enough to traverse the ocean. In America, Sukuna was known for the trail of bodies he left before his separation into the 20 fingers. 

“Mhm, but don’t you worry your pretty little head about it. With you working with me, he should be an easy kill.” Satoru stated. “Oh by the way, I don’t remember you telling me your name girl.” reaching out his long slender fingers to shake your hand. 

The Orchid froze. She had never seen Gojo anywhere in the press, not expecting such a muscular, yet lean figure and sculpted face. But, she did wonder what his eyes looked like under that thick blindfold of his. *The strongest? More like the hottest* she thought to herself. 

“Ehem” Masamichi cleared his throat, signaling for her to shake Satoru’s outstretched hand.

“My name is Shiloh Fields, but you can just call me Shy.” Shiloh said strongly, firmly gripping Gojo’s cold hand, an attempt to distract from how her heart was racing at the right of him. Something about him made her not want to let go, and neither did he. However, their trance was broken by Masamichi also extending his hand for a handshake.

“Nice to meet you Ms. Fields, we are grateful to have you as an asset to our team.” said Masamichi. The two shook hands briefly, a noticeable difference between the handshake she previously held with Gojo. Something about it was different, almost as if there was a familiarity to the touch, a spark igniting a lost flame. 

“Alright, well I think we should probably try to train together sometime.” Gojo mentioned. a good point because Shiloh and him were going to be working in combat together now. 

“Yeah sure, but first where do I move in?” Shiloh asked.

“Oh– well, there is one faculty living space open.” Masamichi answered, sharing a short, yet unmissable look with Gojo.

“Great!” Shiloh replied, slightly confused by the glace the men shared.

“I’m sure Gojo wouldn’t mind escorting you to your living quarters. He is very familiar with the room” Masamichi mentioned with a slight smirk. 

Gojo’s attitude was different now. For some reason, he was not the playful Gojo that was just trying to get closer to Shy. He didn’t seem angry, or sad, but he almost looked annoyed? Not at you, but at Masamichi. One thing about Shiloh is that she hates conflict, so even this slight tension in the air made her uncomfortable. 

“So… we might as well get going!” Shiloh said, attempting to lighten up the mood. 

“Sure.” Gojo stated boredly, “but where is your stuff?”

Shiloh’s face fell into a ‘are you serious’ type of face. Speaking no words she conjured a suitcase out of thin air with her cursed technique simply to prove her unspoken point. 

“No need to get all sassy on me Ms. Fields, I don’t appreciate the attitude.” Gojo said, his eyes rolling in an unenthused manner. “Follow me.”

And with that, the Orchid and the strongest were perusing through the halls of Jujutsu high, only to stop at one of the faculty dorms. 

“This is it!” Gojo sarcastically exclaimed, Shiloh couldn’t help but wonder why he was so unhappy with your rooming situation. But that curiosity was soon answered when Gojo slid the door of the dorm open. Clothes riddled the floor along with other uncleanly items, if it wasn’t for the many photos pinned of Gojo and friends Shiloh would have thought the room belonged to a homeless person. 

“Uhm, I think this is your room Gojo. Where is mine?” Shiloh asked uneasily.

“Nope, this is right roomie.”

“Where is my bed?”

“Oh, my bad” Gojo quickly moved a pile of clothing to reveal a twin sized bed in the opposite corner of the room.

[plantyberry]

Cloudcuckoolander Tally Part 2: Chapter 1-2 and 1-2-2: The Polo Club, or, 'Carrots save lives, but have you tried the apples yet?'

Coming in hot with the second part of my.. Thing (I'm not sure it can be called a guide), here are the many CuckooPoint-granting options there, although with some caveats. Some fears will lock you out of some picks, and so will your relationship with Adrian (As I mentionned in the previous part)

Therefore, for the sake of maximum point granting, please take care to keep those in mind:

-Friends or more with Adrian -Gadgetry as a hobby -NOT have the following fears: Blood, Fear -Greed will help

And now, let us move on for The Points!

Adrian and your past relationship: (Already mentionned last segment, but a reminder doesn't hurt)

If friends (or more) with Adrian + Gadgetry as a hobby: -I just did what the Magic 8-Ball told me to do. +1 Cuckoo

After that, check your MAGICAL GRIMOIRE (You phone) and you will see a message from Adrian (need friends or more) about the horses being spooked. -Do you think its the werewolves? Its always the werewolves. I'll bring the wolfsbane. +1 Cuckoo

Adrian reacting to your clothes: (Already mentionned last segment, but a reminder doesn't hurt)

Red Cape + Frame = 3 or height = tall: -"Little?" I wonder if Adrian has suddenly gone blind. --"Aye, Aye, fairy godmother." +1 Cuckoo

Vampire Cape: +1 Cuckoo -Strike a stereorypical vampire pose. +1 Cuckoo --"No promises" +1 Cuckoo

Tuxedo: -"Actually, I was planning to wear these clothes during practice." --"It will totally be worth it to see everyone's reaction to me riding around in a tux." +1 Cuckoo

Spandex Tracksuit: -"It's a tracksuit, Adrian. Why would I change my clothes again?" I ask 'innocently'. -- I say nothing, I merely start dancing the Tango de la Muerte. +1 Cuckoo (and the Keikaku achievement)

And now, for the conversation topics…

I make some light chitchat to break the ice.

-"So, how has your day been?" I ask Foreshadow. +1 Cuckoo

I ask about something that's been bothering me.

None! It is woefully bereft of cloudcuckoolander points and therefore may as well not exist.

I launch right into the meat of the matter.

-"There was a murder during my last work shift…" --(if police)I begin to describe my brilliant werewolf culprit theory. +1 Cuckoo ---I'm not joking. +1 Cuckoo --(if reporter, paramedic)"All I have to say is… zombies." +1 Cuckoo ---I'm not joking. +1 Cuckoo --(if lab technician) In the end, this is the work of werewolves… +1 Cuckoo --(if wildlife biologist) I elucidate in great detail upon the nitty-gritty details regarding my genius mutant bear theory. +1 Cuckoo ---I'm not joking. +1 Cuckoo (Whenever applicable) I'm not joking but I pretend that I am in a brilliant double-blind maneuver. +2 Cuckoo

-"So I was recently mauled by an invisible poltergeist…" -- Show your bruised arm to Adrian ---"What? I find this situation perfectly normal." ----I'm not being sarcastic. +1 Cuckoo (Note: If your cuckoo score is under 5, you gain +1 Denial instead)

-"It seems that my apartment may be a little bit haunted…" --"I don't know, man, that bedroom ghost sounded pretty sexy." ---Obviously, I'm not joking. +1 Cuckoo

I launch into a long involved story regarding my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. -(follow the 'recently mauled by an invisible poltergeist' answer line) --"I blame the poltergeist. Also the werewolves, potential zombies, and I've got a sneaking suspicion that mutant fairies may be involved," you ramble. +1 Cuckoo

I believe actions speak louder than words

-I silently whip out my thirteen-page description of my past day including all details regarding my past work shift, my nightmare and strange injury, as well as the current haunted atmosphere of my apartment. --I wave my arms around in my best impression of a haunting ghost. +1 Cuckoo ---I reenact a scene from an earlier Knights of Our Lives episode that just so happened to appear in my dreams before. +1 Cuckoo (MC needs to know who Caleb is) ----I spin in a circle while twirling my arms. Surely Adrian will understand my meaning. +1 Cuckoo

Outside / Event prompts:

For a moment you think you see something dark and hulking lumbering behind the nearby red trailer, but the image vanishes within a single blink of your eyes. -Perhaps it was the werewolf that ate Caleb Degaré? +1 Cuckoo (You need to know who Caleb is)

If you deny foreshadow some treats twice (No treats for Foreshadow, those are meant for my own horse.), he will start chewing on your duffel bag. -I chew on the duffel bag myself. +1 Cuckoo

Not to mention part owner of the entire stable of polo ponies

-But the more rodeo clowns, the better. +1 Cuckoo

Post-Adrian Greetings

Talking about Arthur: "I just want to know if he's secretly a zombie/werewolf/mutant. He is, isn't he?" +1 Cuckoo I wonder if I accidentally left my apartment on fire this morning. +1 Cuckoo I wonder if an African swallow could really carry a coconut? +1 Cuckoo I hold up my phone with a Monty Python and the Holy Grail meme about coconuts on its screen. +1 Cuckoo I wonder if one of those sword swallower people could gulp down Excalibur? It'd be handy to be your own sheath. +1 Cuckoo (Requires Arthuriana fanatic)

Asking about the Apocalypse: "Pure unfiltered meta knowledge." +1 Cuckoo (Note: This one also gives +1 Corruption, be careful if you play some specific combos)

Ask how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood. +1 Cuckoo

Approaching the trailer

-"You ever wonder what the color red would taste like if you could eat things with your eyes?" +1 Cuckoo

After the trailer

-I tell everyone who'll listen about the strange sounds in the trailer. --(If vice = Greed) I wonder if I could learn to juggle the polo balls? +1 Cuckoo

The Polo Match begins

-I wonder if a polo mallet could be used to eat crabs? +1 Cuckoo

The runaway horse

Most of the options here are tied to having a good end to the incident (which relies on having a non-possessed MC), make of that what you will~

If you didn't try to rescue Pippa, but you fed a treat to Foreshadowing (Adrian does the rescue)

-"WHOOO!" I loudly cheer the arrival of the other riders. --(If cuckoo and silent > 7) At least I don't have a gaping maw. +1 Cuckoo

If you didn't try to rescue Pippa, but didn't feed a treat to Foreshadowing (Adrien gets injured)

-I hurriedly trot over to where Adrian lies prone in the middle of the polo field. --If we'd been riding Velociraptors, I bet this never would've happened. +1 Cuckoo

If you go Rescue Pippa (Need Greed or Fear level < 10, and fear must not be 'fear') -I start humming the theme song from the original Batman TV series. +1 Cuckoo

If you are unwillingly rescuing Pippa -I'm not screaming, I'm yodeling! +1 Cuckoo

To avoid faling off the saddle during the attempt if you ride Knight Rider or Midsummer Knight Dream, after the creature attacked the trailer, wait a few times until the narration says the poney exhales.

If you slip from the saddle (Knight Rider or Midsummer Knight Dream): -I wonder what I should have for dinner tonight? +1 Cuckoo

If you fail the second stat check to rescue Pippa: -GERONIMO! +1 Cuckoo

If you ride Knight Rider/Midsummer Knight Dream or (Queen of Knight/Fly by Knight fed at least once), and (Body>=30 / Charm + body >=50) and unlock the following option:

Once more… -"I AM THE TERROR THAT FLAPS IN THE NIGHT!" +1 Cuckoo

If you ride Queen of Knight/Fly by Knight or (Knight Rider/Midsummer Knight Dream fed at least once), and (Body>=20 / Charm + body >=40) and unlock the following option:

Whatever happens, don't let go. -Da da da da da… Batmaaaaaaan! +1 Cuckoo

If you successfully rescued Pippa: -Rodeo rider, hmm… I see the possibilities. +1 Cuckoo

Post Rescue:

(If not mindcontrolled) "Did anyone else see that strange thing on the hill?" --"…a zombie wolf?" +1 Cuckoo --"…a werewolf in wolf form." +1 Cuckoo --"…a mutant wolf-bear-shark hybrid?" +1 Cuckoo

If you slipped off the saddle with either Knight Rider or Midsummer Knight Dream: -"Come on! I believe in you, Willy! You can do it! You could be free! Come on! You can jump it!" +1 Cuckoo Negligence in equipment maintenance? Manufacturing error? Or… -Or the perfidious work of trailer gremlins? +1 Cuckoo

If helping Ash with the cleanup: -I wonder if we could train dung beetles to do this work instead? +1 Cuckoo

Going back to the trailer:

-I wonder if this horse ramp's good for skateboarding? +1 Cuckoo -If the trailer turned into gingerbread, would we still need to give hay to the horses? +1 Cuckoo (also gives you +1 Magic, the cloudcuckoolander MC does synergize well with magical shenanigans in general)

Go check with Amnay -"All I can say is…" (+Crazy theory) (You need to have thought about the same crazy theory at least 2 times) +1 Cuckoo --The proof is in the pudding! Which is wobbly and very delicious. +1 Cuckoo ---I know the truth. I know that I know the truth. And one day, I'll show them all! MuahahahahaHAHAHAâ-ahem. +1 Cuckoo

[syrupsyche]

Chapter 5 & epilogue of "Even If There Are Monsters" Director's Commentary

I wrote a Les Mis x Dracula AU! You can read the other commentaries here:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Now onto the last chapter!

“Monsieurs,” I said firmly. “I would like to think that I am just as much of a friend to Enjolras as you all were to him. As such, I believe that I deserve to help solve this mystery too, and help him rest in peace. Do not keep me from any secrets; tell me all that you know.”

One of the big reasons why Cosette feels so similar to Mina for me is bc of how often they were left out of their respective narratives. Cosette is never told anything from Valjean and Marius and Mina isn't told anything from Jonathan and co. either. (Un)fortunately when tragedy strikes in Dracula, Mina gets the full story, but Les Mis ends without Cosette's narrative being truly resolved 😢 Hope this part makes their connection even more obvious, and allows Cosette for a little more agency to demand a space in the narrative.

“That is good,” he repeated. “Cosette, love…I do not want you to get hurt.”

“Nothing will hurt me.”

“I do not want you to get hurt, but I do not like lying to you, either.” Marius looked devastated now.

And Marius, similar to Jonathan, didn't even think about keeping secrets from Cosette in the first place, though he does so more readily than Jonathan. In this fic, I gave him a mix of both feelings: torn between protecting Cosette and not wanting to lie to her either

“You must rest more yourself, Marius,” I said as a response, slightly alarmed by how much he had changed.

“I am,” he insisted. “You need not fret over me; I am more sane than I look.”

He did not seem to want to talk about his own being any longer, and seemed impatient when I tried to push.

There aren't a lot of emo/goth!Marius moments and for that I apologise; still, I loved writing the moments where we get Marius all grumpy and this 👌 close to snapping.

“Cosette, Cosette!” I cried, attempting to console her but she simply held me away at arms length, shaking her head and continuing to wail.

Rereading this made me realise how much I'm torturing poor Combeferre. First he gets rejected by his childhood friend and crush pre-fic, and then said friend dies TWICE in agony, and then another close friend is starting to become a vampire, and by the end of the fic, ANOTHER friend gets killed. Being Dracula AU!Combeferre sucks....

Cosette’s revelation stunned the men into silence, but I had known of my wife’s wonderful mind all along. I gathered her in my arms and kissed her cheek tenderly, unable to stop my smile from shining through.

Once again, it was hellish trying to figure out the timeline myself. And ngl, I feel like my compression of the timeline makes it incredibly easy to figure the whole plot out so the Amis are a lil inattentive in this fic tho tbf, they're also grieving the loss of Enjolras. It would still take sharp eyes and a good memory to piece them all together though, which Cosette/Mina manages to do wonderfully 🥰

If I'm not wrong, I also brought this conversation forward from a later moment, and squeezed it all in this scene. Mostly to save time bc GOD i am not (re)writing all the nitty gritty details of setting out for Transylvania. They are all well and good for the OG novel but you guys came here for angst!! And so angst I shall fast forward to. Still, I wanted to include this convo in the fic for basic plot reasons + another Smart Cosette moment 😌

“I understand,” Cosette replied at once. A look of curiosity now came over her. “Though- do you think this spell works conversely too?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he may occupy my thoughts, but who is to say I cannot occupy his? To hear of his plans; do you think that is possible, M. Prouvaire?”

Courfeyrac has confided that he has written a similar will, and I am sure most of the men have done the same. I cannot bear to lose any more of my brothers…but if we must die, I cannot say that I would prefer to die any other way: to be surrounded by those that I love, and whom I know loves me too.

This is the last we hear of Combeferre!! And he ends off reflecting about his friends 🥺 Hope he gets a good, peaceful life from here on out because God does he deserve it.

“You will have my word that you shall not have to deal a single blow upon Madame Cosette. I do not make such promises easily, especially those that I know I must keep, and so you can trust me in this: I will not allow her to die. I will not allow you to die. Whatever it is Enjolras and I have suffered, I shall see that you both need not face it as well.”

Literally the most obvious way one can say that they don't intend to make it out of the fight alive, but alas Marius doesn't really pick up on that. And even if he did, Grantaire would have still found a way to die and be with Enjolras, anyways.

“Only allow me this,” he interrupted. “I know that your thirst for vengeance is great: for you were the first to be tortured by that monster, and that your wife has too been tortured. You deserve the killing strike, no doubt. Only- will you allow me to deal a blow too, together with you? For Enjolras’ sake.”

I was happy I was about to make this a plot-significant thing. I haven't really understood why Quincey was the one to get a hit on Dracula and die by the end of the OG novel (maybe someone can tell me their own theories/analysis?) but for my fic, Grantaire getting a hit and dying to join Enjolras makes much more obvious sense for his character

And to lift my spirits, he quietly sang a song. I had not known that I quite missed his music and his playing, ever since those first few days in Cette where he had performed and we had all sang along…I did not sleep, but my heart certainly felt much lighter. I am comforted by the knowledge that the men around me are good and brave, even in the darkest of times.

A little Prouvaire and Cosette friendship moment!! And a singing Prouvaire too, to harken back to his reciting of verses moment on the barricades in the Brick. Thankfully, unlike his canon version, Prouvaire doesn't die afterwards :DD

I raised my pistol as such, and soon saw the glint of a large dagger, swinging down towards Marius’ back.

“Marius!” I cried, and aimed my pistol.

I did not put Cosette in a binding circle like Mina because I was already fist-fighting the OG Dracula lore and logic and I didn't need another thing to worry about 😭 so yay Cosette can fight! But like most of the Cosettes I write, I don't want her to ever have to shoot or hurt anyone, so thankfully she doesn't have to pull the trigger. Still makes for a sick mental image though!

Promise me, madame, that you and Marius shall live a life full of mirth. Whatever happiness Enjolras and I could have had, I pass them all to you. You both shall live for us, and be happy.”

“I promise,” Marius and I said in unison.

One last Enjolras/Grantaire and Marius/Cosette parallel! exR takes on the tragic Gothic ending for themselves, and Marisette is gifted the chance to live on and experience the future 🥺. Kinda like their canon counterparts!

“Thank God, it has not been in vain. The sun is going, it is almost gone. Ah, I see the great Apollo disappearing over the mountains, in that bright chariot of his. I must follow him, and bid you all…my friends…a farewell for now. The beautiful Apollo is waiting for me. Shall I join you, my love? Will you permit it?”

Of course I had to include Grantaire’s iconic OFPD lines 😔 Quincey watching the sunset as he dies is also such a good scene that I had to have Grantaire do so as well, and it's a perfect way to link it to Enjolras's Apollo imagery too....

Cosette firmly believes that our boy contains parts of Grantaire and Enjolras both. His bundle of names link all our little band of men together, but we call him René.

God help Marius and Cosette to raise a child with both of exR's qualities. Also, baby Quincey's name in OG Dracula is already clowned on in the fandom by having all the men's names, who knows how long baby René's full name is when it's made up of ALL the Amis's names??

In time, he shall learn of all the love that we have, and will continue to have, for each other. To know that, despite it all, there will always be good men in his world, even if there are monsters.”

Ending off with the title, which is one of my favourite quotes, and as one Tumblr post points out, quite possibly the thesis statement of Dracula. And fits very well with Les Amis's friendship, IMO! There will be monsters to face, but there will always be friends to fight alongside with them too :')

And this is the end of the director's commentary!! 🥺🥺 Thank you to those who have read the fic AND all of these commentaries; this AU is very near and dear to my heart and I'm glad so many of you like it too!! <33 and as always, feel free to send an ask about anything in this fic anytime; it is always a joy to talk about it

[animehouse-moe]

Kowloon Generic Romance Volume 3: The Walled City

Yes, I know I was at TCAF a week ago and I'm only now reading Kowloon volume 3, but it's just not been something I was really itching to read until this weekend. And I feel like letting it sit was worth it because this volume really grabbed me and made it feel like we were moving at a million miles an hour with its foreshadowing, timeline shenanigans, and the steamy but ill-fated romance between Kujirai and Kudou.

⚠️Warning: Volume 3 Spoilers Ahead⚠️

It's been quite some time since the last volume so a lot of this work feels fresh. One of the things that remains a talking point is of course the art, but I still really like the paneling and layouts of the manga. It feels plenty dense and full, mimicking the surroundings the comprise the walled city of Kowloon, but it all feels deliberate, as the space is used to its full potential in conveying character reactions or details.

Things as simple as a smile beginning to crack in a character's face.

Or grasping finer details and character acting with smaller panels to form an almost storyboard.

And then there's of course the spreads that Mayuzuki includes, which are just beautiful. Simple at times, for sure, but it doesn't detract from the wonderfully expressive and unique character designs, or their sense of motion throughout.

Anyways, hurtling towards the story, I'll certainly say it's not as "fun" as the first two volumes. It's not got as many curveballs as it gets into the nitty gritty, and admittedly that might be something people out there won't be a fan of. It pivots to a more central idea of focusing purely on the romance between Kujirai and Kudou, but rather than relegating any foreshadowing or theories to the background, just places them directly in plain sight. Though that doesn't mean Mayuzuki's hitting you over the head with a sign, as there's plenty of pieces that only poke their heads out. Take this first chapter for example.

There's two pieces that separate this groundhog day-esque situation. The first, Kujirai on the right doesn't have glasses on. And the second is that Kujirai is referred to as a senior in the left panel, while a junior/underling in the right.

You can see something similar with Kudou's observations vs the current Kujirai's circumstances.

This actually has a few pieces of importance placed in it. Obviously, first and foremost, is the little Gene Terra plushie. Kudou's observations of the old Kujirai mention that there's "nothing cute" in her apartment, whereas the plushie disqualifies that.

Additionally, and this is a massively out of left field, tinfoil hat theory, the flowers are different. I wouldn't have thought much myself if the meaning of a sunflower wasn't brought up in this volume. Anyways, I'm not an expert, but I think I've got 2 of the 3 flowers down. The bigger of the two flowers in the first arrangement is a Calla Lily, but I don't know what the other smaller ones are (the leaves are on separate stems). Regardless, a white Calla Lily is a very common and popular flower, and is used to represent beauty and purity. A bit of an interesting yes/no piece, as Kudou certainly sees Kujirai as pretty, but the purity part not so much. As for the second flower, there's a chance that it's a Spider Chrysanthemum, which is a flower that in Chinese culture (sorta works because it takes place in Kowloon) represents things such as a new life.

On to the second arrangement now, we've just got a hibiscus flower, whose meaning changes based on color. If it's orange, it's all about luck and good fortune, while red is centered around romance and love. Both of which work for Kujirai, so it's hard to really pick the correct one out.

So, to finally get to the point, there's a chance that Mayuzuki is using the flowers to tell a story of the two Kujirai's, the one that Kudou was infatuated with, and the one that is infatuated with Kudou. Hardly something that's a huge reveal or is important, but if true, is a really cool little detail to add.

Moving onward, there's a lot of very literal symbolism in how we approach the story and the characters this volume, with Gene Terra at the center of it consistently, thanks to pages like these.

Putting Kujirai into a diamond isn't exactly some abstract idea, as Gene Terra itself is represented as this shape. Similarly speaking, this volume continues the trend of an inverse person occupying somebody's space and life. Xiao Hei gives us a great example, but in a different direction than what we're used to.

This is the first time that a shadow/inverse character has spoken, so it's interesting to see how they speak. Xiao Hei uses the third person regardless, but they don't talk in the past tense.

What is it? The feeling of nostalgia personified, that chains a person to their surroundings? Their other half that arrived in Kowloon first and exist in some format on Gene Terra? It's hard to say, but it plays similarly into the whole conversation on sunflowers.

Kudou's immediately averse to them, and in a sense, sees them as someone watching him. Could it be true, or just a superstition? Another unanswerable question, but one that can help contextualize these inverse characters.

Speaking of Kudou, as I fly all around the place in terms of story, this little detail. A simple throwaway line, but one that fits perfectly considering the differences that Kudou's picked up on in regards to the differences of the two Kujirai's.

And the knowledge of that difference comes to a head with Kujirai in this volume, as she can no longer take the swings in mood and personality that Kudou exhibits. I think overall, it's an interesting conversation that a lot of people end up tackling in media, what comprises the self.

Kujirai contends that she chooses what to wear and how to act, but Kudou fires back. Before the conversation can be concluded though, it's cut short by Kujirai fainting. A very weird twist of fate that makes it feel like the mask of Gene Terra is slipping.

And, before this volume you'd think, "Nah, there's no way that Gene Terra could do something like that", but it's hard to discount with what we know now. A futuristic city lurking outside of Kowloon, a discussion and desire of the absolute. Doppelgangers and/or lookalikes that slink away from the walled city. Hallways and passageways that shift and seal to hide away changes. There's a whole lot of sci-fi that seeps its way into the story, and establishes another interesting concept atop it.

A fight against nostalgia.

[thatfanficstuff]

Sigh.

I'm going to go into detail below the cut but the TLDR is life sucks sometimes and takes the creativity out of you. Hope to write soon.

For those that want the nitty gritty...Hello friends! I hope your life is going fantastic and that you enjoy your holiday season, whatever holiday you celebrate.

This has been a horrible year for several reasons. Up until June it was mainly things happening to my nearest and dearest that didn't affect me other than empathizing with them.

In June my mom, whom lives with us, had spinal surgery. She was able to do more for herself than anticipated but she helps take care of my family due to my stroke. But it was fine. We got her recovered and things went better than anticipated.

Then the last day of July my husband woke me from a sound sleep at 3am in tears and said I needed to take him to the ER. It took four weeks of doctor appointments every 2-3 days, scans two ER visits and a hospital admittance to get him diagnosed and treated for shingles. It started internal then went external. He was in excruciating pain. Tomorrow is his first day back at work since August 2.

In the midst of that on September 13 I had ankle surgery. Non-weight bearing for 4 weeks.

But I started feeling better. I posted a couple of chapters. Asked for soulmate requests (which are all plotted out, btw). Was ready to put my head down and write.

The very next day we got a call from my in-laws. My FIL who has stage 4 cancer had decided to end all treatment. They live 3 hours away and we have been physically unable to visit. Once we could, he no longer wished for visitors. At this point he hasn't eaten in four weeks and grows weaker every day. We're waiting for him to die and god it sucks. I'm working on an obituary for a man that's still alive.

Needless to say the Christmas spirit is noticeably absent this year.

So if you've read all this...yeah. I want to write, I'm hoping to write but life. But I'm around and have no plans to disappear any time soon.