#way bigger than the main doc LOL

[schoolidolnecromancy]

LMAO I JUST ADDED MY PROMPTOBER ENTRIES TO MY PLANNING DOC SO THEY'D BE EASIER TO FIND AND THAT ADDED LIKE 9K WORDS

[piko-power]

So, the Knuckles Show...

It was a hassle to attempt and find the show somewhere else (pirate if you wanna watch), and also I had a lot going on that day, BUT!

I have finally finished all six episodes of Knuckles, and my final thoughts...!

...It was pretty good.

Honestly, nothing to ground-breaking and outstanding but it was fantastic and such a lovely treat to hardcore Knuckles fans. Like me lol. (It may not look like it, but TRUST ME THIS SHOW TURNED ME INTO A HARDCORE KNUCKLES FAN.)

All of my thoughts are under the cut, but to make a long story short, I really enjoyed it! (Forgive this post and me I'm not the best at sharing reviews DX)

Now, some things I wanna point out... (MASSIVE SPOILERS AND PERSONAL HEADCANONS AHEAD)

THOUGHTS ON CHARACTERS

I really liked Wade Whipple. He's goofy, and dorky, and he was fantastic for saving his family and Knuckles. His character arc was really interesting to watch, and he's got a lot of funny moments. Him and Knuckles also make a great team. I believe he would make a great Uncle for Knuckles. XD

Knuckles' arc was fantastic too. I was hoping that he realizes that Earth is his home, and he did. The Movie Series version of Knuckles is definitely my favorite version of Knuckles. EVER. Love this character to death. Number one favorite character right now.

The story was pretty good, too. Interesting that Knuckles isn't the only main focus, but I was onboard with the idea that Wade is also in the spotlight. I liked Wade but I love him A LOT.

The whole drama with Wade's family was something that honestly caught me off guard, but in a good way. It's just great to see more of his extended family. (And Wade's mother and is just so sweet and cool.)

Mason and Willoughby were fun to watch. Almost better than Orbot and Cubot, honestly. XD

The Buyer... I kind of forgot about him until the last few episodes. XD Cool villain, though!

Pachacamac... Never thought I would actually enjoy this character. Really wish he got enough screen time, dude is so hilarious. So much better than the Pachacamac we all knew from Adventure 1 pffffft. And hearing Doc Brown's voice coming out of Mac's mouth was the best part. He fits the role perfectly.

WACHOWSKI FAMILY CRUMBS! WE GOT TO SEE MORE OF THE WACHOWSKIS! It was only for one episode, but it's just so refreshing to see Knuckles with his newfound family, especially Tails. (Even though he didn't get enough screentime.)

No Donut Lord... 😔

MY HEADCANONS OF THE EVENTS DURING THE SHOW (and afterwards)

The house is still in construction after the second film. I have a feeling that the Knuckles show took place probably a month or two after the second film. (Or at least after the baseball field scene from the movie.)

And if that's the case, then it's probably why Sonic and Tails haven't called Maddie "mom" yet. Sonic JUST made Donut Dad official, but not hearing Sonic calling Maddie "mom" didn't surprise me, actually. Since he had a mother figure once before, and now she's gone. Sonic is probably still struggling to make Mama Maddie official after that whole mess. 🥺

And also I think Tails does look at Tom and Maddie as his parents, but calls them by their first names because that's what he's most comfortable with for now.

Sonic mentions that Tails and Knuckles are his roommates. ...Something tells me that he hasn't realized the bigger picture yet. 😈 Once the realization hits, it's over for the middle child.

I seriously don't believe Knuckles is sticking with the Whipples. He's got a bed at home, and "pretzel woman" is a motherly title of sorts for Maddie. I just think Knuckles and Wade have formed a really strong bond. Wade is more of a uncle figure for him, but the Whipples are part of the Wachowskis regardless. 💕

I bet Knuckles' grape stash that the moment Knuckles walks back home with Wade, Sonic, Tails and Maddie (and Tom if he came home) freaks the hell out because he just straight up left home without an explanation. Especially since he's grounded and shouldn't have step foot out of the house. But all that matters is that Knuckles is at home with his family. Did this calm everybody down? No, and yes. It's hard to explain. (At least Sonic knows now that Knuckles can finally relax.)

Ever since the events of the Knuckles Show, seeing visions of Pachacamac is pretty normal for Knuckles, whether he needs to be guided for something even if it's small, or he just casually shows up in his dreams just to say "hi." I feel like since he visited Wade while he was unconscious, I think Pachacamac would also visit other people's dreams or visions. It be so goddamn funny if this dude just randomly show up in Sonic's dream, scaring the living daylights out of him, and when he explains it to Knuckles, he's like: "Oh, that's just Mac, he's cool." and Sonic is like: "???????"

THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODES - Fair warning, I've only seen these episodes ONCE (Including some clips I rewatched on Tumblr.) so some things here might be fuzzy or wrong, so bare with me here...

Episode 1 was a great start. I love the dynamic Sonic and Knuckles has. Bummer that we didn't get to see more of them together, but with the power of writing, that problem can be solved! (HUZZAH!) I love the small bit with Knuckles and his mother Maddie after he got grounded and how he just, took it okay with the fact that he's grounded. And I love Sonic trying to help his new buddy out, he's an absolute sweetheart for that. Pachacamac's appearance in the episode took me by surprise and he was such a joy to watch. Love the elderly goofball. Seeing Knuckles and Wade interact was nice, too, even when he gets to talk about his dad. It was a nice moment. And Knuckolas Cage. Best nickname ever, how dare Knuckles decline such a title for a perfect warrior XD

Episode 2 was great. Absolutely love the daydream scene with Wade's plan on saving Knuckles from the G.U.N. agents, and Holding Out For a Hero playing in the background. GOLDEN. Don't remember much else other than that and Knuckles and Wade rocking out to so music. (And Knuckles breaking the radio again.)

Episode 3 is when we get to see Wade's family members, and it was nice. Wanda is one of those siblings that we had and Wendy (is that her name?) is just so lovely. We got to know more of Knuckles' dad, and once more, it was a tender moment between an Echidna and a dork-ass Uncle. 😊 And we got a EPIC fight scene with Knuckles, Wendy and the goons. It was AWESOME. Also, love Wade's room. He's got good taste.

Episode 4... Oh, my God. It was a fever dream. Literally. It was so RIDICULOUS but it was the greatest thing I've ever seen in a long time. XD I love musical numbers that just come out of NOWHERE, and this was one of them! Adam Pally (Wade) in a Knuckles costume is just the most elegant thing. AND ECHIDNA MUPPETS ARE REAL! I WAS HOPING THAT THEY WOULD ACTUALLY BRING IN THE ECHIDNA MUPPET!! Jokes aside, it was a strangely epic episode of Wade going through Knuckles' past in a unique way. And the songs were pretty great. ...You think that's where all the budgeting went? On this gorgeous musical number? /j Also we got more of my boy Pachacamac, being one of my favorite characters besides Knuckles lmao GOD I wish we got more of Pachacamac. I love him so much XD

Episode 5 Is when they arrive at Reno. It was alright. We got to see Wade meeting his dad finally (also Knuckles is using a phone no problem I guess??) I think that's all I remember. WE GOT KNUCKLES WITH THE HAT THOUGH SO YEAH!

Episode 6 is the last one of the mini series and it was pretty kick-ass. More cool fight scenes, with Knuckles and the Agents, him against the Buyer, which was short and sweet, but still pretty intense. Wade and Pete was competing in bowling. Kept forgetting about that, but it was cool regardless. And Wade being the best uncle ever and protecting Knuckles while he was out. Also kind of forgot a lot from this episode, but nonetheless, badass way to end the mini series. Complete with the classic freeze frame of Knuckles and Wade getting a high five! Knuckles realizing that his home is on Earth was such a powerful scene. It was the first Sonic movie all over again.

And yes, there was a pretty quick post credits scene where Knuckles found a song and claimed it was his jam. It was really cute. XD

Really wish there was a scene where Knuckles came back home to the Wachowskis with the family flipping the lid over the fact that he left the house, but in my heart I know damn well it happened. I know this series too well lmao

That's pretty much all I wanna say about how this show made me feel. It was a fun time. Not was insane as Movie 1 and 2, but still as enjoyable.

Honestly, after watching this, I hope we get a Wachowski family TV show, where it's just the family on misadventures, and moments together that are comedic, fluffy, angst, any emotion you wanna feel watching it, and it's just a good time. I just wanna see more of this goofy little growing family. (Also it'd be cool if season 1 was after the first movie because I wanna see Sonic adjusting to his new life with Tom and Maddie and spending traditions and holidays with them before the sequel.) I love this series too much. 😅

This show got me really ambitious to work on my stories and I really wanna show the community how amazing these characters are. (I just need to get an AO3 in the future...)

It feels good to be back on the Wachowski bandwagon.

The Knuckles Show is flawed, but it was a fun time. I love the characters, I love the story, I love the choice of songs they used, and of course, I love Knuckles. This is the best we've ever seen of Knuckles, and I'm proud of how far this little, tough guy has came.

The Echidna Warrior made his debut 30 years ago, and he's never been stronger. Keep on punching, Knuckles! 😎💕

[nevadas-night-time-novelist]

Holy fucking shit your askbox is open

I have been waiting for this

Ahem ahem...

So, I have been fangirling too much on one of your oneshots (SQ x Knocked Up Reader)

And now I shall request more fics about the children.

Thank you!

Main 4 - Raising the babes

Started this ages ago and finally got it to a finished state lol. my apologies for the wait, anon. I hope you're still around.

HANK Lilith (she her)

"Steady." Hank grumbled in their usual husky, gravelly voice. Lilith's arms shook, the gun was heavy in her little hands.

"I-it's really heavy dad." Hank let out a sigh through his nose, or what was left of it.

"I know, but you need to learn how to use it, and how to be safe around it." Being involved with Hank was dangerous, but being his family put a target on your skull. Child or not, if the agency found you or Lilith, you'd be executed just to spite the man.

As much as Hank was devoted to their family, they knew fine well that they couldn't be around them all of the time to protect them. Even the SQ couldn't guarantee your safety every second of the day. Learning to fight back was the only way you two would have a fighting chance.

Being Hank's partner meant he'd already trained you up to be a threat to anyone, and now it was your daughter's turn to learn the harsh world she was born into.

"I'm scared." Lilith looked to you, her eyes the same blood red as her dad's own.

"So was I when I first picked up a gun," You knelt to her level, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "but you'll learn that it's just a tool, like any other. You learn how to use it correctly and you'll be safe." You kissed her forehead, and adjusted her arms, Hank carefully putting his large hands over her's as well.

"Hold your breath, steady your arms,"

[ B A N G ]

One of the glass bottle Hank had lined up shattered, and Lilith dropped the gun in fright. "That was scary!"

"But you did it. Overcoming challenges laid before you... First step to becoming strong and unkillable like me." Hank felt pride, and they picked up the gun. "Just... Don't drop it again."

SANMOS Mars (he him)

Baby Mars was a blessed little guy, having not just two parents, but three, and their whole support system to fall back on. Both your lovers are dutiful dads, but Sanford rarely ever wants to put his lil man down. He's got one of them baby carriers custom fit for his bigger frame, and Mars is his spitting image.

With curls of black hair, a chubby build and pout, it was like San was carrying his little mini-me. Mars had mixed skin, a dark grey, but slightly lighter than Sanford's, as well as dark freckles across his full body.

"Think we can find some tiny round sunglasses for babyford?" Dei joked to you while he was warming up some formula milk. "Totally, we could get him a little tank top, grow his hair out and make locs with them." You replied and laughed.

Sanford rolled his eyes, but smiled as well. "I just wanna protect my babe."

"A." Mars weighs in his opinion, throwing his arms up at Deimos as the smell of warm milk hits his nose. "It'll be ready soon yah little monster." Dei smiled and softly pinched his cheek, making Mars squeal happily.

"Let me get him ready." You took Mars from Sanford and set him on your lap. "You should get some sleep Fordie, you've been up with him all night. Relax and cool off, Dei and I got this for now."

"I'm not tired." Sanford lied, immediately yawning and taking his sunglasses off. He had dark circles under his eyes. "You're absolutely tired." Deimos snorted, handing you the warm bottle.

"Relax wonder-dad. Go get comfy and rested, the three of us will be waiting for you when you get up." You gave the big man a kiss, and he finally agreed to get a few hours sleep.

2BDAMNED Rhea and Phoebe

Raising twins was a handful, everyone in base had to chip in a little now and then. Doc was sitting on a soft cushion on the floor, trying to not give himself back ache with shrimp posture, as Rhea chewed on the arm of her stuffed dog toy, and Phoebe was playing with wooden blocks Sanford had kindly made for the girls.

"Hey handsome," Doc arches his back slightly as your smooth hands rub against his shoulders, a pleasant shiver runs up his spine. "you three having fun?"

"Of course, they're engrossed in their own little worlds, and watching them develop is fascinating. Pheebs is working on her hand-eye coordination, which is wonderful to see, and Rhea is... enjoying herself."

Rhea raised her arms up to you, always happy to see her parent. Luckily each girl had their own favourite parent, you being Rhea's, and Doc being Phoebe's, so juggling toddlers wasn't an issue for one of you.

You embraced the little troublemaker, picking her up into your arms and giving her a cheek kiss, earning a happy squeal. "Damma!" Her chubby fingers grabbed your neck as you cuddled her into you.

They'd been born looking similar, but developed differences as they aged. Rhea took more after Doc, dark grey hair tied in little twin tails to show off her pretty face, maroon monolid eyes and a crooked smile. She'd be the spitting image of her dad, if she didn't have your skin and nose.

Phoebe on the other hand was like the opposite, her hair was like your natural colour, tied back as well to keep it out of her face. Her eyes were mirrors of yours as well, and looked wonderful when the light caught them just right. She had Kyle's paler complexion and thin nose.

"Hello my little moon~" You cooed sweetly to her, Doc had insisted on naming both girls after moons, which Deimos laughed about at the time. 'Three moons in one base, you building a solar system here old man?"

Rhea yawned widely, little white puppy teeth lined her mouth. "They've been up for a while, I've already fed them, and was hoping to try and educate them a little bit, but it looks like someone's ready for a nap." Doc smiled to you, making his deep set crows-feet more apparent, each wrinkle in his face seemed to get more and more defined as the days went on.

He made a very handsome DILF. "Perhaps I'll take Phoebe and work with her one on one, and give Rhea a lesson later. Shame, I was going to talk about the stars with them." Rhea's head perked up, all signs of fatigue suddenly removed.

She loved space, Doc had even gotten the lads to paint the nursery into a galaxy, with bright glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the ceiling. "Staaars." She reached out for her father, heart set on looking at pictures of the night sky over sleeping.

Phoebe was slightly more grounded to earth, interest in the things in front of her, as opposed to those miles and miles above. "Blocks." She pointed to her cubic toy, heart set on continuing to destroy and rebuild with them.

"How about you teach in here? You can read to both of them, I'm sure they'll both enjoy it. Rhea can look at the pictures, and Pheebs can just listen." You sat with Phoebe, offering her another block.

"Thank you Damma." Phoebe smiled to you, finishing a star shaped tower using coloured blocks. Doc sat down, Rhea on his lap and he laid a book in front, starting from the beginning.

"The constellations are patterns of stars formed in the sky, there are many to discover...."

...

From a distance, a star faced figure watched his nieces with a softening in his heart. He found it strange when his brother had told him he was going to live a mortal life for a while, and he couldn't understand it, not at first. But now, seeing the family he'd made, Maker couldn't help but smile.

[the-owl-tree]

not to be cringe but do you have any advice for running a character ask blog? Aiming for something kinda lowkey like with Bean (also I love bean. I love to see what she’s up to)

not sure how helpful some of these will be since they're just what i do for my personal projects but for sure!!!

uuuuhhh basic overview stuff

if you're doing an oc blog, chances are it probably won't receive as much attention as a canon character/story blog. just sort of the way things go! if you want to draw some attention, you might want to think about non-ask related stuff you can post (clangen blogs do this with the mini event posts, keeps the world moving!)

even with canon character blogs, giving pieces of character lore, worldbuilding, mini stories can help keep the world more alive. but that's when you got time and if it seems fun, you should just do things if you want to tbh

i keep all my stuff in a doc and add and edit whenever i put new info on the blog to keep things consistent. i just put them in little sections to help me find things (beanie lore, worldbuilding, spirits, etc.) but simple bullet points are easy.

if you're doing an original character and world, i would highly recommend giving your readers some worldbuilding and lore to help them invest themselves. people don't know the boundaries of things and while you can have them ask, a little nudge definitely helps.

for a canon blog, i'd pick a specific time period. it'll save you grief if you know who's alive and who isn't, as well as the grief that comes with trying to figure out what you want to change (if you want to change things that is. i like fucking with canon but it really is up to you and the story you want to tell).

you can improvise it as you go, but i do recommend jotting them down somewhere after the fact so you can keep things consistent. up to you though, i just have a piss poor memory lol

figure out if you want to try and do an overarching story, mini stories, or no stories. you don't have to decide right away and you can even decide after you start the blog and get a vibe of what people are interested in, but sometimes it is good to jot them down if they come to you right away.

you're supposed to have fun if you're not having fun don't do it, take a break from the blog or steer it in the direction you want. no one is paying you (i think) so everything you do you should do because you enjoy doing it.

art for an ask blog (if ur doing art if not skip this)

your main character should be easy to recreate on model and most importantly: fun to draw!!! overly complicated character designs are fun in the beginning but after five or more you're going to start to hate them.

i'd also recommend against doing too many tiny "floating" bits, keeping things attached to a body part or in proximity to a space easy to recreate them will save you grief. i learned this the hard way after i kept forgetting all those damn tiny scars i put on my fallen stars!firestar design. in comparison, beanie's design for the blog has a few scars but the placement makes it so they're easy to recreate and draw.

(how i style my reference sheets. do not be me. do not fall into hubris and add so many damn floaty scars to a character that is the main damn character of your goddamn big ass au blog. fucking icarus move lol)

if you introduce a new character, make an easy quick ref sheet for yourself. it'll save you grief and keep things consistent.

i'd also figure out if you want to do colors or no colors. no coloring means you have more time to put effort into sketches and can just move faster if you're looking for something breezy and easy. but colors look good, they make it easier to tell cats apart and are just much nicer on the eyes. if you also have a bigger cast in mind, you can rely on colors a little more than body shapes to make sure everyone can be told apart

i color my sketch lines different colors for different characters on the beanie blog but there are plenty of other ways to make sure characters are told apart! @/askcinders does distinct shapes and different base colors for different characters and lines distinct markings so you can tell whose who.

backgrounds are...difficult. i'd recommend simplicity over complexity and save big backgrounds for "big moments", but it's up to you if you like them! i would just say go simple since the focus of these blogs are the characters.

theeeeennn speech bubbles or no speech bubbles. i like doing doing speech bubbles within the text because it gives me more control of the order the reader will read the dialogue, how they read it, the emotions i can elicit from it, and more fun with how i can place the dialogue. buuuuuut that does mean spacing them, and spacing dialogue bubbles can be a pain since it takes up room if you forget to sketch their placement in the original sketch (which i do. a lot).

so the other option is art and then dialogue underneath directly in the post. this saves you room, makes art probably a lot easier, and circumvents the issue of difficult to read speech bubbles! i do both but it's up to you, both methods are tried and true.

aaannnndd that's all that comes to mind? really it's just about having fun. as you work at it, chances are you'll probably figure out your own individual work style. best of luck (and i'm very excited to see what you come up with)!!!!!!!

[farharbour]

you've been talking about your ocs a lot and i'm curious to who they are/what they're like! if you don't mind me asking, anyway!

i've been looking at this ask all day like a rabid beast waiting to get off work so i could answer it LOL it's so sweet of u to ask ily 🥺💖 i do have a lot of them but i think you might just be talking about jesse? he's the only one i've really been talking about lately

jess is my sosu & main oc; he's a doctor, a synth lover, and tbh he's about as close to a pacifist as you can get in the post-apocalypse lol. i'll talk more at length about some stuff under the cut (this got pretty long so feel free to skip it):

he's high intelligence/perception and low strength/luck. kind of the typical long-range stealth sniper build but it doesn't revolve around crits. truly hates killing anything, even raiders (he still sees the humanity in them despite what they do). he prefers to stay out of combat if at all possible and takes the long way around/will move at a snail's pace if it means he can avoid a fight. his main weapon is a sniper rifle he modified to be able to take custom tranq rounds (mgs3/mgsv tranq sniper my beloved). he has a 10mm sidearm and a knife on him too for close combat should he need it. like he Does know how to fight, he grew up in a military family, but he doesn't like it and would rather exhaust every other option before resorting to violence.

his story is ... complicated lol, it revolves a lot around some of my other ocs/npcs and i still haven't worked out all the nitty-gritty of it even after five years BUT basically pre-war he's a med student getting his doctorate in radiation medicine and his dissertation revolves around studying the new plague. his wife teressa was in law school at the same uni and had a part-time gig as a waitress.

post-war in game world he's aligned with the minutemen until around the time he finds virgil. that's when he decides that all of this is bigger than the minutemen can realistically take on even with his help building them up so he seeks out the railroad and joins up with them. he tries to broker peace with the other factions while working undercover but dez isn't having it so in the end both the brotherhood and the institute get fucking owned and he hates that he wasn't able to find a less violent solution. he breaks away from the railroad post-game and takes doc sun's place as the resident doctor in diamond city with curie as his assistant and nick as his malewife.

he's a synth too! some sort of experimental-type that shaun was working on in secret. he's kind of obsessed with the idea of this family he never had (see synth shaun) and not only wanted to meet his parent but he wanted to test the theory of a synth/robobrain hybrid if that makes sense? like. a whole human brain plopped in a synth body. still thinkin' about this bit tho and the intent/science behind it. mind changed! he is no longer a synth.

i think he's a more interesting character if he gets this idea in his head that he's this synth experiment, succumbs to the fear that plagues the commonwealth, reads too deeply into what kellogg and shaun do and don't tell him... but it's all subtle manipulation, on all sides. in the end he finds out the truth, though, no eternal "what if" question. it still makes the interaction with dima pretty awkward which i like, i love that tension.

a lot of this i've never talked about... and honestly there's a lot more i'm embarrassed to say right now LOL he's such a part of me and a bit of a self-insert in a lot of ways too. and there's a perfectionist streak in me that wants everything to be laid out and perfect before i talk about any of it publicly. but. idk this whole post feels like baby steps to talking out my process publicly instead of just hiding it away.

since you asked about ocs (plural) tho i do have others that aren't jess that are integral to jess' story like bec (my lw who's mainly just a fo4 npc at this point, she's a mechanic who lives at the red rocket and she owns dogmeat) and her girlfriend peaches (she basically takes over for jess when he leaves the minutemen). there's also the mojave gang... simon my dumbass courier, tex the escaped synth cowboy, cyrus the freelance (and recently ncr-contracted) hitman, and um. some other ones too that live in a different oc universe and that's a whole can of worms that i won't even touch right now because this post is absurdly long as-is nfkdfhsf

anyway THANK UUU for asking abt them it's nice to ramble a bit! hope this wasn't too annoying lol.. and i hope ur having a nice day today 🌻🧡💜💛

[namelessvoid77]

I'm curious about your rankings, like what are your favorite songs of her ? and how you did got into Taylor's music ? Tell us more 👀( if you want of course )

oh my god i would love to tell you more LMFAO

so i mean when i was like. A Child like legitimately like seven years old i was like.. obsessed with some of her bigger hits at the time (love story, bad blood, 22, etc. all of which i stand by being rly fun and good songs though i know her actual fans dont like them as much LOL). so when i like.. actually started developing a music taste beyond what my parents put on the radio in the car it was like right around when lover came out, which i listened to in full and REALLY REALLY liked tbh its still my third favorite album of hers.

but then for whatever reason i never fully listened to folklore or evermore when they came out (honestly i think because at the time i didnt appreciate more slow/chill/sad music i was more into faster "edgier" stuff but my music taste has. broadened since then) and then i didnt rly know what was happening when fearless and red tv released lmfao. and then once midnights was announced stuff about the album was like, ALL OVER all of my socials so i decided to try listening to it and again i found i actually pretty good (its still my fourth favorite album).

(god this is getting long sorry) so then i decided to just like fuck it go through and listen to all her albums, and i started ranking them mainly just bc i saw so many other people sharing their opinions about her albums i thought it sounded fun. i actually only finished this task this weekend because listening to new music is like. a LOT of effort for me but i finally did it lol, finishing off with fearless tv which i liked a LOT more than i thought i was going to tbh.

for a while i had reputation at the top of my list, but since its shifted to folklore, but i honest to god love all of her albums lmfao.

album ranking:

folklore

Reputation

Lover

Midnights

evermore

1989

Fearless

Speak Now

Red 

Taylor Swift

and i suppose for now ill give you like, my top seven songs (totally not just bc thats how many i can easily fit in a ss from spotifylol). i actually have a playlist of all (most. i left some out but the ones on her main studio albums should all be there) her songs organized from best to worst in my opinion that i can post if poeple want lol, i also have all her albums ranked individually in a google doc (i have become seriously obsessed i know).

(ID: spotify screenshot showing my top seven albums. the order is

this is me trying

right where you left me

All Too Well (10 Minute Version)

Would've, Could've, Should've

Getaway Car

the lakes

Cruel Summer

end ID)

oh, and for fun, before i listened to all her albums i predicted how i would like all of them. so heres that. its quite different lol

Reputation

Lover

Midnights

Red 

folklore

Speak Now

1989

evermore

Fearless 

Taylor Swift

i really thought i would like Red way more than i actually did lmfao. again its not a bad album just a lot of it isnt quite my taste.

rant over. lmfao

[shrimplymoray]

Creepypasta au post? (without the Self Insert par of them, because I will make a separate post for it lol)

Okay so, apparently there are at least 2 or 3 of you that????? really want to know bout my creepypasta aus???? so I guess this is like, me rambling bout them now lol if you don't mind long rambles, it is all below the cut

I have my main creepypasta "kinda canon compliant?". It is in quotations cuz like, it is a slender mansion au, but I also tried to make the characters as believable of being killers since their teens as I could and just incorporated all my headcanons into it. Imma call it Slender Manor Au. So, basically slender is... a cryptid older than life on Earth or maybe even Earth itself! He is from a species called by humans "operators" (every slender brother I include is one. I don't include the nasty one ofc cuz I hate his guts teehee) And each subspecies of them seems to be capable of living by draining life energy and by consuming some form of emotions from the beings around them. In Slender's case, it's fear and other variations of it. So, no one really knows his intentions, they just know he chooses to appear to the broken and insane to make "deals" with them in return for work. That is how every CRP met him, he appears to them or in some cases, he talked with them through BEN, and made deals with them. The catch, since he is such a malicious creature? he dictates when they did enough work to get their part of the deal. Which... no one alive did yet! So basically he manipulates them. If they break any rules, he also is not afraid of doing any form of torture to get them "in line". He is very strict with his rules, but besides that, he really doesn't care about the pastas, so they fend for themselves by gaining a bit of money Slender steals from his brothers. They just can't kill anyone in the manor, but hurting, bullying, etc. is nothing to Slender. He is evil, like really evil. The manor is in its own little pocket dimension controlled by slender, which can be teleported at will to any woods that are part of his domains, which are the Americas. The Manor has non euclidean properties, like rooms that are in the same place as other rooms, but they don't connect in any way, just like being capable of creating new rooms depending on who Slender makes a deal. Example: When X Virus made his deal with Slenderman, a laboratory appeared in the Manor.

You think I'm done after that? YOU FOOL I HAVE OTHER AUS MUAHAHAHAHA

I have a Cyberpunk AU too! The basics of it are: In the year 10023, humanity lives in a new Pangea, where humanity is scattered across some walled-up metropolises. Due to the rotting process of the Earth, thanks to pollution, supernatural beings had to flee their homes and are trying to invade the metropolises. The government can't let the media find out about this, so what do they do? They make a contract with the mysterious leader of an underground organization who specializes in taking down these supernatural beings, and now the Creepypasta organization works alongside the government as much as they can continue their old methods of killing innocents if needed for their purposes. I am working on a Google doc, which includes: the basic world-building (what I just said but bigger and with more details), a hierarchy, areas of specialization, and a bit about all the characters I include in my CRP universes.

The next AU I have is a Post-Apocalyptic AU. In this AU, due to humans being little bastards that have to mess with every single species they come in contact with (and maybe a bit inspired by Shadow of the Colossus), humanity woke up just a very dangerous and maleficent species that is the fallen angels on earth (aka Slendy and his operator pals). So slowly, in a matter of a decade, maybe, most humans are dead, and the ones that aren't have to scavenge, hunt and kill to survive, some even falling into cannibalism! Fun! Joking aside, in this AU the CRP people are survivors in certain factions, some having been mutated by being in contact with these fallen angels. Also working on a Google doc of it, and it will include a little explanation of each faction, and the characters too. I have changed some of the characters so they can be part of the universe, since it wouldn't make sense to have, for example, Sally as a ghost from a long period of time ago.

The last one I can talk about is pretty self-explanatory, so I may just delve into the character change choices for it too, but it is a Furry AU. It's literally just CRP but the characters are Furries (or more like Anthros but whatever). The characters I have designed are Jeff, Nina, Jane, Slenderman, BEN, EJ, LJ, Toby, Sally, Lost Silver, and Cody (X Virus), though I do have ideas for Jason the Toymaker and Liu. Jeff is a Sphynx cat cuz haha, burned man is the bald cat. Nina is a Spanish Moth, mostly cuz of the colors fit her being a scene queen. Toby is a Racoon cuz... He already looks like a raccoon. Sally is a Cub of a Brown Bear, which is due to Mr Death, her plushie, which btw i turned into a little human plushie. EJ is a vampire bat. Bats are nocturnal and have evolved to know where they are without seeing. also the vampire part is cuz... he eats people. it fits lol. BEN is a Sand Gazelle, cuz they live a long time without water and that is fitting. Jane is generally a black and white moth, i don't have the name of the species yet. Slenderman is a Praying Mantis cuz it looks fucking cool, i don't accept any critique of that, imagine a 10 ft tall praying mantis? so fucking terrifying. Lost Silver is a Black and White Banded California King Snake. I thought it would be funny for the character with no limbs to be a snake, i'm so sorry. Cody is a Deathstalker scorpion, because it stings. and it is venomous. it fits. LJ was a ride to make a choice but i love it, he is a Red Macaw,, because of Rainbow Jack. The red macaw has a lot of color variations in it, and since it follows canon lore for LJ, LJ turned black and white later, so it works. The others i had an idea to were Jason, which would be a peacock, and Liu which would be a Savannah cat to match Jeff, in a certain way. I have more "aus" kinda, but they are Self Insert and Shipping focused, and one of them is my Fanfic au, which ofc i can't talk about due to being spoilers for it, but if you are interested in being "part" of the Slender Manor AU in a special way, follow @curse-you-slenderman , my fanfic blog, and read Curse You, Slender Man! On AO3!

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

I want to know more about your Prada Me to Hell WIP. That sounds interesting!

Fanfic WIP Game

omg so this was a novel length RP thread I was writing with a friend over discord. (they’re not on tumblr anymore but they used to post as victorianho). I decided to turn it into an actual fic but its been sitting in my docs as a WIP for literal years because it’s so long

the premise was basically a modern corporate AU with vampires?

so it opens with Dracula, having never been captured, showing up back in England for the first time in years, and by a strike of luck/misfortune discovering Integra, descendant of Van Helsing who he had a personal grudge with bc of Dracula-the-novel’s events. his brilliant plan is to slowly terrorize her in revenge, and apparently the best way to do that is to… become her personal assistant? and like ofc she’s horrible so she’s also making his life hell lmao. cue equal parts shenanigans with Actual Dracula attempting to hold an office job and straight up psychological horror

meanwhile Integra is like CFO to Hellsing, which is now an arms manufacturer. Arthur was CEO and chair but upon his death, Richard kind of took over everything. so she’s trying very hard to prove herself and/or usurp him somehow where he more favors Maxwell, who clearly has it out for her

Maxwell is also spearheading negotiations for a deal with Iscariot, which in this verse is like a fanatically catholic paramilitary organization that also handles monster hunting on the down-low. Anderson’s the main person Maxwell’s been talking to, so Integra attempts to poach the deal by building up more personal rapport (lmao) with him…. but he’s still very much a vampire hunting priest. and by speaking to him for extended periods of time that puts him in the same vicinity as her vampire assistant…. which is a way bigger problem than you might think! because he’s just ordinary Dracula here and not like fuck off eldritch abomination powerful because of Hellsing’s experiments. and uh things just go downhill from there

today I would honestly compare it a little to Succession but this was several years ago and at the time we were like “lol this is basically Drag Me to Hell meets Devil Wears Prada” hence the title

anyway pretty much the entire main cast features. Pip is Richard’s personal bodyguard. Seras is still a fledgling vampire, having been turned in Cheddar during the 90s as per canon, and she’s unwillingly been roped into her Master’s ridiculous scheme. Yumie and Heinkel worked for Iscariot. and Makube we actually placed in Hellsing as one of Richard’s underlings, who Seras tries to keep as a Renfield for information. but he ends up having a meltdown in front of Anderson, really tipping him off that supernatural shit is going on.

I’d include an excerpt but honestly this already got way too long so I’m cutting myself off here lol

thanks for the ask!

[nancydfan]

So I have been a fan of resident evil for a while now and I have to say without a shadow of a doubt Ethan is my favorite protagonist. I feel like the rest of the protagonists in the series are kinda the same, you’ve got the police/army guys (Leon and Chris) who are determined to save the world, and then with the rest of them they’re kinda the same, badass people willing to give their all to get rid of evil and return the world back to normal. And that’s fine, except it’s a kind of story that’s been told over and over again and not just in resident evil.

That’s why I love Ethan so much. He is a breath of fresh air that the series needed. And while yes, you can argue that his type of storyline has also been used a lot, it’s something that has never been explored in resident evil.

With the rest of the protagonists, they choose to fight. They volunteer to put themselves in horrifying scenarios for the greater good.

Ethan isn’t like that.

He’s literally just your typical average dude. He has a normal job, and has a relatively normal life which he was happy to spend with Mia until she went missing.

In RE7 Ethan doesn’t volunteer to deal with the horrors that he faces. He just wanted his wife back, and even after 3 years he still loves her enough to drop everything and rush out to find her.

When I finished RE7, I liked Ethan as a main character, but it was RE8 that made me fall in love with him. In RE7 there were a lot of times when he just didn’t respond or kind of reacts underwhelmingly, but I think this is less of his character and more of Capcom trying to make you feel more like Ethan and having him react too much might take you out of feeling like the main character is you.

Of course his actions are still very reflective of him, like when he first enters the house and has to “kill” Mia the first time, when she reaches out to him he reaches right back, implying that he regrets what just happened and that he still wants her to be okay, no matter what is wrong with her.

I know Jacksepticeye said one of the reasons why he doesn’t like Ethan is because he doesn’t have a character arc, but I disagree. Like I said, Ethan goes from not being very vocal at times/ underwhelming reactions in RE7 to I feel the exact opposite in 8; he talks a lot more with lines that make sense, and you can feel his emotions at times even with just seeing his hands. Now one can argue that Capcom just wrote Ethan differently, which I can see.

But I feel as though Ethan has changed- in the first game, he’s scared and confused, and finally ends on frustration as the game nears its end. In RE8 he is angry, angry that his life keeps getting turned on it’s head because of some stupid mold. He is angry, and fueled by his grief and determination to save the only family (he thinks) he has left. He is 100% done with everything and has honestly given his last fuck a long time ago.

And again, this is what makes him special- he doesn’t necessarily care about the mold, about Miranda or any of the “bigger issue” things- he just wants his family. In 7 he just wants to get his wife and get out of there, and In 8 he just wants to save his daughter. He didn’t sign up to be a hero, to save the world from it’s own creations. He just wants his family.

And honestly that’s what makes him more human and alive to me than the rest of the protagonists- the rest of them kind of just feel like characters with their (almost cheesy) need to take on insurmountable problems to save the world. But Ethan is different, he’s just a man who probably just wants to do his taxes in peace and have a normal, quiet life. The rest of the protagonists, though I’m sure would love to quit, wouldn’t change their jobs or their situations because they know someone has to do it and it might as well be them. But not Ethan. If he had the choice than he’d make it so none of this ever happened, and that he and his family never have to be involved in something like this again.

Which is why I think this is what makes his sacrifice so much more tragic. With any of the other protagonists yes we would be sad but we’d find comfort in knowing that they died doing what they loved (saving people), and wouldn’t have it any other way.

But Ethan is different.

He didn’t want to sacrifice himself- we can see that in the way he struggles with Chris to get out, to stay in one piece for his daughter because he wants to be there for her. He went through hell and he just wants to see his little girl grow up. And when he hears Mia’s alive that want only grows more because he has a chance to have his family back, but I think he knows he can’t. He’s falling apart, his body has dealt with so much and kept him alive but not for much longer. And so even though he desperately wants to go back with Chris, after hearing Mia’s alive he knows he can let go. I think another part of why he was fighting so hard to escape with Chris is because he didn’t want Rose to live without both of her parents, but when he hears Mia’s alive he realizes that Rose will be okay, she will at least have one parent. He is so tired, so tired of fighting that even though he hates the fact that he can’t go back with her (you can physically hear the pain in his voice when he says “Goodbye Rosemary”), he knows that it’s something he has to do.

And he isn’t happy or content with sacrificing himself. In fact this is the last thing he wanted, which again is what makes it so heart wrenching. After all the pain he’s been through he doesn’t even get to see his daughter grow up, doesn’t get to grow old with his wife, his painful adventure to get his family back ends just as painfully as he pulls the trigger to destroy the mold.

This is why Ethan is special to me. Ethan is just a man who wanted to be happy with his family, not some stereotypical stone cold hero who would gladly give up his life for the greater good. He is truly unique and in a way I saw myself in him and his personality, which is what crushed me so much when he died. I wanted him to have a good ending and he got handed a shitty end. I really hope Capcom gives him a good resolution, one where he doesn’t have to be a main character at all but at least give us something where we know he’s okay and reunited with his family.

Sorry for getting weepy and deep lol, it’s just I really love Ethan and have no one to talk about how upset I am at his ending lol. Thanks for listening to my rant!

Oh my dear nonnie you’re always welcome to rant in my inbox. Long or not, thoughts, etc. that’s why my box is always open :)

And just so you know, I’m currently crying in an airport lobby over Ethan Winters 😆

I’m on mobile so I won’t be able to properly respond probably except to say you are absolutely right on all of these things. He really is such a stark contrast to the rest of the RE heroes and that’s what makes him so special to me too. He is just a man. A man who does everything he can for his family. All he wants to do is be left alone to love his wife and raise his daughter. I keep thinking of that scene in re8 where he’s talking to the doc. That is the Ethan Winters Capcom refuses to let us see all that much. Easy, happy, carefree moment. There’s a lightness to his voice. He doesn’t care about the problems of the world. That isn’t his job too. And it’s unbelievably tragic that not only does he get pulled into this twice (with three years of suffering for Mia before Dulvey and then the heartache of her “murder” and Rose’s kidnapping), he then dies in the end???? He doesn’t even get the reward to live with his wife and daughter? WHAT DID ETHAN WINTERS DO TO YOU, CAPCOM!!?

also overcome? Miss me w that bullshit. Y’all blew him to smithereens.

I swear if Capcom doesn’t bring him back in some way I don’t know how I’ll proceed w this series. I love Leon and Claire and Jill a lot too but nothing like Ethan. And I’m super not interested in getting my heart ripped out every few years. Especially w a new protagonist.

Ethan is just the perfect representation of deserved better. He pays his taxes on time, probably helps that old lady down the street whose husband just died. Tells the same joke we’ve all heard a thousand times to the point only Mia and him are laughing at it. He would be there for every parent teacher conference and up at 130 with a flashlight chasing away the monsters from Rose’s closet. The world may be crazy somewhere but he’s content to just be here with his family.

And Capcom took all of that away. I don’t think I’ll ever not be angry about it.

[igarbagecannoteven]

2021 Writing Self-Evaluation

thank you hazel ( @allsassnoclass ) for tagging me for this!! 😊 putting the answers under a read more bc y’all know my answers will be not be consise lol

1. number of stories posted on ao3: 7 :))

2. word count posted for this year: 20,232

3. fandoms i wrote for: i’ve only posted 5sos fic, but i have worked on/fiddled with a couple of old hp wips this year!

4. pairings: i’ve only posted cake, malum, mashton, and lashton, but i did finish a fic for every pairing (not including ot3/ot4) this year!

5. story with the most kudos/bookmarks/comments: the answer to all three of those is by far don’t let me drown in my mind! i could delve into the reasons why i think it’s my most popular but the night is not-so-young and also that’s not the question lol.

6. work i’m most proud of (and why): oh goodness that’s a hard one! i’m proud of everything i’ve posted for various reasons (i wouldn’t have posted them if i wasn’t) but i think today i’m particularly proud of we gotta make a decision (leave tonight or live and die this way) for a lot of reasons. it’s set in an au that i have much bigger plans for and i love the characters so much, which in some ways made it a lot more difficult to write and stressful to post bc i wanted it to do well. while it’s set somewhere very similar to where i was born, it deals with a lot of things that i have zero experience in, and i think i pulled them all off semi-decently! also, this grew a *lot* from the first draft to the final one (mostly thanks to the fact that i turned in a het version for my prose class and used their critiques to shape the fic lol) and i’m very proud of the way i was able to take the notes i was given and make a much better work because of them. i think it’s leaning toward more of my “literary” style instead of my fic style which is my only quibble with it, but i think that works for the content of the fic.

7. work i’m least proud of (and why): most of the works i’m not proud of have not seen the light of day tbh. every work over 1k that I’ve posted is the result of weeks of stressing and editing and pulling my hair out because i really do my best to make sure i don’t post something i’m going to regret lol. that being said,,, i do wish that if i bleed you’ll be the last to know was just a touch more polished. like, it has a lot of stuff i’m proud of and i think overall it’s a decent fic, but i’m not confident that the pacing is up to scratch and the ending isn’t the best, although i always struggle with endings. but i do love it! and it’s really not bad! i’m just very picky lol. beyond posted work, i’m not proud of how many wips are less than a quarter done. i’ll be the first to admit i’m a slow writer and i do try to keep my expectations of myself realistic, but i do think i could have gotten more done.

8. share or describe a favorite review you received: i’ve recieved several reviews that i carry with me in a special box next to my heart so it’s really hard to choose! i will say that when i sent bella the doc for don’t let me drown in my mind asking her to beta read and her first reaction was something along the lines of “i’m so relieved you’re a good writer” was really affirming to me because i am a little insecure about my writing and that felt like a very honest comment bc idk about everyone else but i’ve def had the feeling of like, reading someone you know’s writing for the first time with your fingers crossed chanting under your breath “please be good” bc it’ll be so awkward if it’s not dsjflkdsjf so yeah it just gave me that moment of like “okay i’m not a shitty writer” lol. honorary mention to helen sending me a message about a specific line in what if i’m weak (and i need you tonight) bc when i received the notification i’m pretty sure i actually squealed kjsdflkjdslkdsjf

9. a time when writing was really, really hard: writing is tremendously hard for me about 90% of the time, and i mean miserable, pulling-my-teeth-out hard lol. (don’t ask me why it’s my main hobby because i still don’t know how to answer that lol) writing seeing things in a different light was especially stressful though because it was my first time writing for someone else and when that someone is as talented as adri that makes it extra scary lol. it was also my first time writing fic on a deadline, which mean it was the first time since middle school i was expected to have a final draft at a specific date (most creative writing classes only ask for your next draft, not necessarily your last). it was also my first foray into fluff, *and* my first time writing something that would only really work as a fanfic, so there were a lot of learning curves. but i’m pretty proud of the finished result, and adri left a lovely comment on it that i go back to whenever i need a pick me up, so it was definitely worth it!!

10. a scene or character you wrote that surprised you: i know i legit just posted this but i did not expect to write a bee au. like, i know i love a hyper-specific au but that’s a bit much even for me ksjdfljdskfj also the fact that the bigger au for we gotta make a decision features a subplot revolving around the opioid crisis is insane. like what was i thinking when i made that decision. (i know what i was thinking but still. craziness.) 

11. a favorite excerpt of your writing: listen. on a craft level i find this to be one of the most heavy-handed things i’ve written, like i really stretched this in a way i maybe shouldn’t have. it is not something i’d ever include in a work for class. however. i am so in love with the dissected frog metaphor in if i bleed you’ll be the last to know it was just so fun to write and while i’d probably dislike it if someone else wrote it, it makes me smile just thinking about it. part of me says not to quote it here but as a treat for myself here it is:

Calum felt like a dissected frog, like his insides were all neatly lined up on the table on top of his English notes, each organ pinned with a little label. If it were anyone else seeing his guts laid out in the open, he was certain he would start desperately attempting to shove them all back in, not even caring if they went in the correct spot as long as they were safely hidden again, but since it was Michael, there was no surge of fear. He knew Michael would gently put everything back in its proper place, that he wouldn’t take pictures or type up a research article. Calum never would have thought it was possible to feel safe inside-out if he hadn’t met Michael.

12. how did you grow as a writer this year? i posted my first ever fanfic! i *finished* my first ever fanfic!! i’d never actually finished a work of fiction before this year, can you believe it? never reached that final draft. and now i have! multiple times!! wtf!!! i also think my decision in august to hold off on posting fic and instead squirrel them away until i get 24 complete fics was a big moment for me. like i said before, writing doesn’t actually bring me a lot of joy, so it’s important to me that i make sure the parts that *do* make me happy continue to do so, and my hope is that this challenge thingy will help me do that. i’m very proud that i was able to recognize the way posting fic was starting to turn sour and nipping it in the bud before it could do that.

13. how do you hope to grow next year? hopefully finish more fics! i think that writing is very much one of those skills where the only way to get better is to do so, and i’m hopeful that my writing will continue to improve as i go. i’d also like to stop comparing my writing process to other writers. it can be hard to be a slow writer in a fandom where so many great authors can churn out longer fics in a matter of weeks or even days and still have the work be amazing, and it’s also hard when you’re someone who takes multiple drafts to get a fic where it needs to be when there are people who can ace it on the first draft. i’d really like to shed that habit of thinking of my writing process in comparison of others but instead simply in comparison of my past self. also, on a less writer-y note, i’d like to get better at leaving comments on fics i enjoy! part of the reason i don’t comment very much is because it does take a certain amount of spoons to do so, but there are also other reasons that i’m going to try to get out of the way. january is apparently a month where some people try to comment on every fic they read so i may try to do that! 

14. who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc)? i mean i can’t *not* mention the fantabulous @clumsyclifford because not only is she the reason that i started writing for this fandom, she’s also a wonderful beta and so so good about me randomly talking to her about my fic problems, even if it’s for a work that’s really not her thing. also hazel has been so encouraging and kind about my writing and is *also* a great beta as well as someone who shares my excitement for niche aus!

15. anything from your real life show up in your writing this year? yep! i really did cut a watermelon in half with an oyster shell for seeing things in a different light (sometimes research can be fun!) and i’ve also written two fics heavily inspired by my hometown (seeing things in a different light and we gotta make a decision) *and* there’s don’t let me drown in my mind whose first 1k is very heavily inspired by real events. like, i changed some of the things i was freaking out about but all of the descriptions and intrusive thought/executive dysfunction stuff was written from memory. 

16. any new wisdom you can share with other writers? join an irl writers/critique group that isn’t mainly for fic. no, i’m not saying this for some elitist reason or just because i love critique groups (okay, maybe a little for that last reason), but because it’s just a very different experience than having beta readers or people in your doc. i’m of the firm belief that listening to other’s work being critique can help you with your own, and i also think that critique groups are more likely to tell you if something needs a more drastic change. beta-ing and having people in your docs has a lot of positives, many of which you won’t necessarily get in a critique group, but getting critiques irl can offer you lots of positives as well. it doesn’t have to be one or the other! and you don’t have to disclose that you write rpf; i definitely don’t! finally, i do think that writing and critiquing are two separate skills, and if you want to build up your critiquing muscles you’ve got to exercise them (not that you have to if you don’t want to! there are plenty of brilliant writers who are terrible at critiques and there are some mediocre writers that are great at critiques, you don’t need one to do the other.)

17. any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year? so many it’s actually ridiculous. i would commit actual crimes to finish tis the damn fic this year, i started it in february and it is still no where near done and while i am absolutely in love with the characters and the world i just want it all to be on the page so i can share it with people already!! my new year’s resolution is actually to make some major headway on my fic challenge, and while i doubt i’m going to reach 24 i’d like to get semi-close. 15? 20? among those, i’m looking forward to several 5(ish)+1 fics i’ve got sizzling (faking the moonlanding au, mer!ashton au, another crackfic i won’t spoil), plus i’d love to finish up/start some more driving is for lovers fics because my brand is not going to make itself :)) 

18. tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read: i’m not sure if other people have tagged new people (that makes zero sense but hopefully y’all know what i mean lol) so i’ll just tag a few peeps: @cringeycal , @pixiegrl , @werewolfashton , @valiantnerdtm , @burstingsunrise , @kaleidoscopeminds , @tirednotflirting , and anyone else who wants to! (and if i tagged you and you don’t want to that’s totally fine! it’s not obligatory!)

[sevensided]

how did you get into writing fic? i'd love to start but idk even where to begin! I loved adats so I was wondering do you have any advice?

Oh my goodness! I am so flattered you’ve asked me this. Yes, I can absolutely help. I’ll throw a bunch of rambling under the cut.

I started writing fic probably when I was... sixteen years old? A lot of my early works were oneshots. I couldn’t figure out how to do anything plot heavy for the life of me, so I just stuck to AUs or whatever I felt like. I wasn’t in any particular fandom -- I really wrote whatever I had ideas for. I remember I tried once to do a plot-heavy story and I received a review absolutely ripping it to shreds. Like, it was so cruel I cried lol. I ended up deleting the fic. Years later, I get what they were trying to say (basically, more substance, less style), but at the time it cut to the quick. Really, it was only when I was in my twenties that I started writing work that was longer and/or better.

The fandom that helped me actually write plot heavy work was a historical-based fandom. As I’m a historian, it was perfect. I got to use my research skills and knowledge to create works that, above all, aimed to feel authentic. I mainly read historical fiction, so I was familiar with how that genre worked. Miraculously, people loved my work. I think I wrote about ~200k in the period of a year? These were several short stories (20-40k) and a few oneshot filler fics. While I was part of this fandom I also helped organise a Big Bang which was a lot of hard work but was extremely rewarding. Along with that, I interacted mainly with other fic writers, so I spent a lot of time chatting to people about ideas and encouraging other writers, and it just created a lovely medley where no concept was impossible or any line of dialogue too difficult. We supported each other and it was truly like a little commune. I gradually stepped away from the fandom mainly because it was just a part of my life at a very specific time, and almost as soon as that time was over, my love for that story/ship faded, but I firmly believe I figured out a lot of how/what I do now purely through that experience.

Regarding ADATS

With ADATS, it stemmed entirely from wanting to “explain” three months in canon (at the end of season three). I was interested in the idea of season four setting up Will/Mike in canon, and I wanted to test the source material to see if I could draw from what already existed to create something authentic. I began with that simple idea: what happened from July to October in 1985? Then I thought about the major themes I wanted to hit -- family, friendship, coming of age, sexuality -- and I nested them around the bigger concept: how do I get Mike from being ostensibly straight to realising he is gay? That meant thinking of two steps: Mike discovering his attraction to guys; Mike discovering his attraction to Will. Those two concepts were separate “arcs” that needed addressing in different ways. Balance was key to weaving them together and making the reader feel like they knew what was coming (and that they felt smart for putting the pieces together) without just rushing through and going “now kiss!” That’s partly why ADATS needs a sequel, lol: because it’s not finished!

Writing process

The first thing I do when I start to get an idea is I write it down. Sounds obvious. But when you have a killer line of dialogue come to you in the shower and you think “I’ll remember that” -- reader, you will not remember it. You gotta get it down ASAP! I do that the whole way through, as generally I’ll be thinking of scenes I’m stuck on and then it’ll just come to me and I’ll quickly jot it down.

The next thing -- or what I do in the meantime -- is start structuring. I plan. I try to plan a lot. Sometimes it’s okay to write “and something happens here to get them here”, because you’ll figure it out later, but for the most part I’ve discovered that planning is like gold and you can’t get enough of it. I break my work up into generally 3-4 parts/sections, and I treat each section like a mini story. So each part needs a conflict and resolution, and it needs to flow into the next section. You need to have a feeling of things evolving and maturing. Once I’ve planned those little bits, I start thinking about the bigger plot arc and how I can drop in hints along the way. I’m probably not a subtle or skilled enough writer to yet pull off that sort of gasping twist you get in really excellent books, but I’m trying to get there. It’s hard, is what I’m trying to say, but that’s okay, because we’re all learning.

Then I generally do aesthetic stuff. Sounds stupid, probably. But nothing helps me get more into a mood than doing a Pinterest board or -- most of all -- making a Spotify mix. I start thinking about the vibe and the general atmosphere, and then I almost exclusively listen to that mix when I’m working. Sort of like muscle memory? Just to get the creative juices associated with that particular selection of songs.

Another thing I’ll do along with plot structure is character structure. This is a biggie. I mean, a story is nothing without characters. So I’ll just jot down a bunch of bullet points of characters and particular aspects that I want to highlight or remember. I hate continuity errors in fiction. Like, if someone says they work on Maple Street but later in the fic they’re working on Pine Street. I hate that. So I keep note of specific things that my main character might notice at repeated points in the story (colours, places, smells, names, sounds -- so they’re all consistent even as the narrative evolves). That’s another thing -- your characters’ motivations. Not everyone is going to be a huge player, but they all do serve a purpose. The most important character is obviously your main character. I personally think it’s important to let your M.C. be an arse at times. They’re going to be mean, they’re going to misinterpret things or fly off the handle... just let ‘em. Let them be wretched humans, and then bring them back and make them realise what they’ve done. Let them learn! I love consequences in fiction, lol.

At the same time, I’ll probably start writing. We’ve already written down some snippets of neat dialogue or descriptions, but now we should start the actual process. For me, I used to start at the beginning. Usually this was the most fleshed out anyway: I’ll have a clear idea of the beginning and the end, but nothing in the middle. These days, if I have a scene in mind that I can’t forget, I’ll just write it. It will possibly get scrapped or rewritten, but that’s okay, because at least you’ve got it down and now you can devote your brain power to something useful (like figuring out what the middle is supposed to be). I’ll have half a dozen of totally out of context scenes just littered in my Word document that I’ll add to as I go along. Eventually, though, you’re going to start writing properly, and that’s when you write your opening scene.

Opening scenes: super important. Every time I write a scene I think: what is the point of this? What do I want the reader to learn or takeaway? Sometimes you do have filler scenes, but they also serve a different purpose (perhaps to establish a group dynamic or to explore/describe a character’s surroundings). Mainly, though, every scene should push something forward in some way, whether it’s character development or a plot point. So, with an opening scene, I always think you have to establish: where you are; who you are; what they are doing; where they’ve come from (in a philosophical and practical sense); and where they’re going (ditto). That doesn’t have to happen in the first paragraph -- that would be silly. But if you sprinkle that information in over time it’ll gradually build up a picture of your character and that way the reader can get an idea of who they are. You basically need to give a snapshot of what your story is about. This also goes back to the character creator stuff: where they are at the start should be different to where they end up. How that happens is, of course, because of plot, and because you’ve structured everything to the nth degree, we’ve got a very clear progression of that character’s growth (/s easier said than done lol).

General advice

Write down everything: every idea, a bit of dialogue, a description, whatever. Write it down. Doesn’t have to be neat. Just has to be on paper. You can’t remember everything, so if you’re spending time trying to hold those things in your head, it’s taking up space for new ideas to come along.

Structure, plan, structure, plan. Sometimes it’s boring and I hate it. Other times, when I’ve not written in a few days and I open the Word doc and think wtf is this supposed to be, I am very grateful for Past Me for leaving such detailed notes. Seriously, it helps so much. Oneshots don’t really need planning, in my experience. You just get those out there. But multi-chaptered stories really do, even ones that “just” focus on a relationship.

Whatever you want to write, commit to it. Space goblins invade Hawkins? Do it. Eleven and Max find themselves in a cult akin to Midsommar (2019) and must escape? Yes. Just... whatever you want to do, remember that you’re writing it for you. Write what most interests you, what makes you when you reread it go AHHHHH I LOVE THIS!! Because that makes it a thousand times easier to actually get on with the writing when you enjoy what you’re doing.

Write a lot. Every day, if you can, or at least at designated times. Occasionally I have a very specific headspace/vibe I have to be in, but sometimes it just hits me and I’ll say to my partner “I need to write now” and just disappear, lol. The more you write the more you write. It’s so, so, so true. Cannot emphasise this enough. When I wrote that ~200k in twelve months? It was because I literally wrote every. day. Or near enough. Remember that some days you’ll write 200 words, and other days you’ll write 20k (this happened to me with ADATS -- part of the reason I finished it so quickly was because I had sprints of writing 10k+ at a time that only happened because I was in the rhythm of it). Write, write, write. Who cares if it’s crap! No one will see it until you are ready. In the meantime, just write!

Probably last of all (although I could go on and on) is connect with other writers. If you’re struggling to start, sometimes just talking about it can help a huge amount. I hope it goes without saying that you can message me whenever you want, anon or not, and I will talk to you. We can talk about ideas or I can beta stuff, whatever you want! Find like-minded people and talk to them about what you want to do. Another thing this helps is in advertising your work when you do publish. I see a lot of first time fic writers get super down because they publish their magnum opus on AO3 but no one comments. Honestly, it’s because no one knows you’ve published! You don’t have to be tooting your own horn every which way, but just actively talking about your work and even collaborating with other content creators with get you hyped and other people too (and the input and encouragement other fandom members give is just... out of this world. Anon messages helped me finish ADATS when I was really worried I wouldn’t [that’s the truth]. Seriously, support is everything). When you have people excited about your work, you get excited. It’s really as simple as that.

I could go on but this is already horrendously long. I hope even a bit of this helps! If you want to chat or have any more questions, just hit me up any time.

[spooky-activity]

Just a little update on Cassandratopia 2: Electric Boogaloo (Or as it stands in my Google Docs folder rn, A Helping Hand). I’ll put it under the cut cuz it’s kinda long. 

I just wanted to say that I’m still planning on actually doing it, despite all evidence to the contrary lol 

I did Cassandratopia in a haze of graduating from college(where I was studying animation) and just having ended my first dnd campaign as a dungeon master (which went 3 years!). I was fishing around for internships, but since the pandemic had just kicked off I wasn’t having much luck. So I had a lot of creative energy that wasn’t getting channeled anywhere, and a lot of free time when I wasn’t applying to places. Which is how I did 4 pages a day several times per week. Which was insane. 

As it stands, I’m running 2 dnd campaigns(one meets weekly, the other every other week or so), and just scored a full-time internship at a video game company! The campaigns I’m running are a homebrew open world, which, for those of you who aren’t too familiar with dnd, is a metric fuckton of work to prep for each session because I have no idea what my insane friends and siblings are going to try and do every time we play. 

Anyways all this to say that my storytelling itch is kinda. Sufficiently getting scratched atm and I have a lot less free time. I’m still plucking away at the setting/refining the story of A Helping Hand, but it’s largely on the backburner. Cassandratopia was also, uh, like the first story I’ve ever told in any sort of format besides the give-and-take of dnd, so... I’m not used to having so much control over the narrative. Oddly. I’ve never thought of myself as much of a writer of stories; my main focus is character animation, so someone else is usually writing the stories I’m telling anyways, which is super cool with me. Honestly I’m surprising myself with how much I want to tell this story, which is why I’m still sure I’m doing it. Just. Slower. Than Cassandratopia got done. 

But I’ll share a bit of the lore I’ve been cooking up! Specifically about Zhan Tiri and The Drops. The story will be told in an extremely dnd type setting, because that’s the kind of narrative I’ve told before and am comfortable telling: hard magic rules, neat fights, scary monsters, a dash of eldritch horror, and huge emphasis being put on magical artifacts(kinda like in the show!). Here’s some stuff that’s basically locked-in. 

Zhan Tiri

Zhan Tiri is one of the many Demon Lords of the Abyss. She’s kind of a mashup of two of my favorite Demon Lords, Zuggtmoy, the Lady of Rot and Decay, and Pale Night, the Mother of Demons and Queen of the Night(with just a dash of Hannibal Lecter because who doesn’t like helpful, polite, manipulative-ass bitches lksjflkja;fj). Her domain sits almost exactly between the Sundrop and Moonstone, largely being the new growth that comes from death, and the endless cycle of life and death. Places where her influence is strongest includes the cracks in... Well anywhere really, from society to the planet’s shell, where metaphorical or physical rot could grow; musty, mostly ignored places where something could fester. Iconography related to her would include endless mazes, fungi, grasping skeletal hands, and rotting/blooming corpses. Her spores can animate corpses, which she likes to use as mindless minions when she doesn’t feel like sending one of her Acolytes. She shares a scrap of her power with those few mortals she likes. She appreciates ambition and the desire to Grow to be bigger than what you were to start with, as those are qualities she herself possesses. 

Incredibly intelligent and merciless to those she deems her enemies, her main thing is pulling the strings from the shadows and seeing just how far she can push people to act with as little prompting from her as possible. She does, however, have the power to kinda bulldoze her way through things if she needs to, but she doesn’t like to because where’s the fun in that? 

She first gained interest in the Material Plane when a Wizard with too much hubris from said Material Plane(Named Demanitus) contacted her trying to figure out more information about The Drops and how to control them. After indulging him for a bit, she started preparing to make a summer home on the Material Plane because it’s New and Fun here and Wow These Mortals are Really Fun to Mess With! And some of them she even genuinely liked! Demanitus then realized his mistake and locked her away in Pandemonium for what he hoped was forever, but turned out to be only around 1,000 years, due to the efforts of her followers. Her little stint in Pandemonium magnified the more... Chaotic aspects of her personality, so now she wants to cover the Material Plane in blooming mazes of fungal crops that she can break people with at her leisure. 

The Drops

The drops are two semi-sentient pieces of one original artifact, whose original purpose was to be a tool of creation for the gods. Which, through some great calamity(still deciding that one), got sundered and settled into the two basic aspects of creation: the nearly unlimited well of life-energy which organizes stardust into planets, cabbages, and kings, and the “you gotta crack a few eggs to get an omlette” destructive force which breaks down what the sundrop makes so that it can make more. 

The main goal of the drops is to reunite. I would want to as well if I was ripped in half! This manifests as a... General tug in the direction of the other drop. A desire in the host to Go That Way. It can be resisted, and even ignored for a bit, but it’s always there. Like being hungry if starving wasn’t a danger. Just a bit uncomfortable if you aren’t going That Way, but ignorable. 

Both drops generally try to be as helpful to their wielder as possible, as originally they were a tool of creation to the gods. They are innately obliging. They’re also REALLY UNSAFE FOR MORTALS TO BE MESSING WITH. The Sundrop is a little safer because the most it can do is kinda. Overcharge you into something distinctly not human but still alive, and King Fredrick was lucky he made the Sundrop into soup before giving it to Arianna. But King Edmund got his wholeass arm blasted off for touching the Moonstone. 

The Sundrop

Best I could whittle it down, the Sundrop has power over life energy, like the sun’s light. It also has power over the energy derived from geothermal activities, so deep sea creatures Are Not Immune To The Sundrop, which was a funny thought that crossed my mind that they could be, but that will likely never come up anyways salkdjf;ljsf It is, in its basest form, Growth and Progress. 

It’s a little sentient, but very much entrenches itself into whoever is holding it at the time. Like another mind looking through your eyes and seeing what you see/feeling what you feel while still retaining a bit of individuality from the host. It’s not... Parasitic because it’s in its nature to give, but it’s generally pretty firmly attached to whoever is holding it until they die( which isn’t usually for a WHILE. It ’infects’ a new host when one dies, usually a plant near their grave...) or until a solar eclipse. It wants what they want, but it’s very fussy so they have to ask it for power exactly correctly(like singing an incantation every time you want to heal someone, or doing a Ritual involving lots of very specific ingredients, Celestial Alignments, and Secret Words) or it won’t listen, like an orchid dying if the ph balance is off in the soil by a little bit. But it’s generally pretty intuitive to use, because it wants what you want and (as long as you ask right) is willing to help. 

Anyways basically under the influence of the Sundrop you get a few things: 

Basically limitless energy coursing through your body while you’re in a place with sunlight, which equates to rapid healing, mostly, because every cell in your body is being supercharged with free energy. Never getting exhausted in direct sunlight. (If Rapunzel lived in a place that was sunny 24/7 like near one of the poles she wouldn’t have to sleep like. until it started to get dark in the opposite half of the year. Then she’d have to sleep like a regular human being)

You stay at your prime, or if you are past it, revert to your prime. Someone who is holding the Sundrop, or who has regular access to the Sundrop’s magic can’t die of old age or illness. They have to be hurt beyond the Sundrop’s ability to heal or have it taken away from them. 

The ability to share this rapid healing with others (if you ask right)

The ability to freely draw on the raw, near-limitless energy of the sun to shape into things like cool-looking energy blasts (only if you ask right) 

The Moonstone

The moonstone has powers over varying levels of destruction: from destroying things by ripping them apart/ to Not Letting Things Be Destroyed(also known as protecting) by freezing them in indestructible rock. Like the moon, it can ‘reflect’ a bit of the sundrop’s power, so it can kinda provide energy, albeit a lot less than the sundrop can provide. It’s the inevitable march of The End of All Things, fertilizing the fields of time with the ashes of the old so the new can take root. 

The Moonstone is a bit more in the dark(pun intended hehe) when it comes to bonding with someone, it can only try to figure out what is going on based off the emotions of its wielder, and through anything directly touching the Black Rocks. Because of this it’s... Kinda dumb? It tries to do things to help(Like shooting red fear-rocks to try and scare away whatever must be scaring its wielder so badly) but often fails spectacularly at helping. 

Under the influence of the Moonstone you get: 

Mortals get Neat Body Armor that’s actually just you being turned into a rock! They are very fragile! They need to be protected! The best the Moonstone can do to try and preserve you is to Stop All Destruction by.. Pausing all bodily functions indefinitely. Rocks don’t need to eat, sleep, or breathe, and almost nothing can destroy you if you’re solid Black Rock. The weak reflection of the Sundrop’s energy keeps the host animated, but they’re not exactly alive anymore. Like cryostasis. Wounds (if any) acquired in this state won’t be a problem because they’re not messing anything up, because nothing is technically working in the first place, but they will be a problem when you’re not protected in this way anymore. It’s a cosmic ‘I’ll deal with that later’ button, essentially. 

Like the moon, the Moonstone can reflect the light of the sun. It uses its rock crystals to do so, which can even split the sun’s power into different shades, like a prism. Essentially, different colored rocks can mean new and exciting power sets. 

Blue Lightning! The Moonstone can reflect the Sundrop’s power, so it also has access to pure bursts of energy, even if it is weaker and colder. 

The Moonstone is very helpful, but usually has no idea what you want. ‘Asking’ the Moonstone for more control over its power in the same way you would Ask the Sundrop for more power reminds it of the perfect bond it used to share. The Moonstone’s incantation deepens the bond between wielder and Moonstone in such a way that it actually knows what you want from it, giving you near perfect control of its powers.

*This is kind of just a side note of the Drops: While the Moonstone is weaker than the Sundrop in an head-on fight, it could hold its own if it were on the defensive. Redirecting the power instead of trying to overpower and such.

** Cass made of rocks means I get to draw her skeleton :) not in every picture that would be fucking nuts and way too much work alskjdf;lkjs;fv

[rigelmejo]

I approach self studying language learning similarly to how I learned my own native language growing up. Especially as far as how I learn new vocabulary, learn grammar - I may read dictionary entries, and rules in books. But a large portion of how I learn and remember words is “general synonym/similar word to this one” and “general feeling this word gives me” which yeah, for new words I learn is quite vague! But it’s enough to “make a guess of the meaning in context” and “comprehend context it’s in” and then over time come up with a nuanced specific idea of it in my head. But the key is that I start with a general idea of new words in my head - they are NOT highly specific. So I can start reading new words MUCH earlier than by the time I fully understand their nuance and remember it. It means I can read and hear a word and generally follow it’s meaning long before I’m comfortable using it myself (since I don’t know the nuanced specific meaning yet and it’s specific collocations well).

For vocabulary tests? This means I do exceptionally well in reading vocabulary questions where you “pick the right word” because I know a LOT of words to a degree and unless there’s super close synonyms AND I’ve barely seen both of them in context, I’m unlikely to pick the wrong word. But vocabulary tests I do awful on? Ones where you type in the unknown word. Because again: I have a smaller active vocabulary I feel certain I’m using right, and so I hesitate to use words I “somewhat know” in case they’re used wrong, and an over-tendency to use a word I know well that “works” over a word that is more specifically fitting. All of this is true in English or any language tests honestly - if it’s recognition based on reading context cues? I do super well. If it’s based on my production skills, specific recall with only a small sentence for context to guess which word to put in? I do way worse (this includes English where only in essays where I can right click “synonym” and find bigger words I know in word/Google docs do I tend to use bigger words, otherwise I greatly prefer using more common words more likely to be understood by more people).

I took a French test based on production and it was horrific lol. I’ve glanced at the HSK tests and I know an issue I would have is distinguishing between similar words. It makes sense they test it - one should know it if those words are truly in a persons active vocabulary being used correctly (I don’t have as big of an active vocabulary). But on the other hand? I can read a LOT of words outside of HSK and a reason for that is i can tell the word distinctions - if I have a couple sentences of context. Which is always true when speaking and I have my environment to give me context, a show with visual context, or a novel with paragraph context. Radio is one of the only times those words become more of a “guess which one” for me. But if I have a single sentence only and two nearly-the-same words? Like on a test? Then I will have a much harder time distinguishing.

It’s like for the use of passive comprehension - learning my way is fine, and active production skills are fine they will just lag somewhat (exactly how my English improvements went growing up). But for tests, it means I’m very much not up to par depending on how they’re structured.

Examples:

突然 - sudden/unexpected/abrupt (I generally think of this word as the overall sudden/unexpected word)

猛地 - suddenly/abruptly (I think of this word MORE as abrupt personally because 猛 can mean fierce/violent so like ‘violently sudden’ is more ‘abrupt’ in my head).

恍然 - sudden (I think of huang as flurried/indistinct so it’s sort of a fuzzy/less aware sudden, like you were caught unaware suddenly or didn’t expect things suddenly - this is a word I know less well that is in the dictionary as sudden).

兀突 - sudden/abrupt/unexpected (yet another synonym! This one I know less well, because of the characters 兀 - to cut off the feet/rising to a height/towering, and 突 - to dash/move forward quickly/to rush out, I see this as a very fast paced sudden more like abrupt but ‘fast moving/darting’ is the vibe I get when I see it).

A lot of words I get their main meaning (above is sudden) and then based on their characters/how they keep getting used in context I get their specific emotional nuance if that makes sense? Like for English when I was young? Melancholy and angst meant the same as sad to me at first, then melancholy got more nuanced as “long lasting/lingering/an atmosphere” and angst got “dark/heavy/a sort of intense sad” the more I read. That’s still how I define those words in my head even though now I can use them in writing and there’s a more specific definition for those things. Happy and joyful and ecstatic used to mean the same thing to me, then later happy (mood) joyful (particularly happy usually for an occasion) ecstatic (Super Happy usually having a great time/doing something they are passionate about). That’s how I learned my native language words. But just knowing joyful and ecstatic were “generally similar to happy” was enough to start reading those words in stories/hearing people use them.

[writing-the-end]

Loving LoL so far and was curious if you could give a complete list of every hermit and their magical affinity or if there was one somewhere ^^

So @theguardiansofredland is the genius that came up with all this but was too lazy to answer this himself so here’s what he copied and pasted to me. First failing in discord and then google docs. We share one braincell.

Check under the cut!

Wizards and their powers

Xisuma: Void magic. A catch all destruction magic. Can create small black holes that can suck up and destroy most anything. He can even specify what can get sucked into it. That way he doesn’t end up killing his friends.

EX: Supernova magic. Able to create light and giant bursts of hot plasma and gas. Like a sun but more light. Also can use more light based magic. Like creating a shield of plasma balls around him so whatever touches it will get hurt. Or can send out little homing missile balls of light.

TFC: Mineral Magic. By touching or ingesting metal or crystal he can gain different powers based off what the mineral is. For example Lapis lazuli can give him water breathing and malachite can give him water/storm magic. However these only have a max limit of an hour before he has to touch a charged crystal or metal again. He can charge crystals and metals in the moon light

Joe: Poetry magic. An inscription magic. He can make spells or summon creatures by making poems. The longer the poem the more powerful the spell. However what gives it true power and strength is the passion poured into the poem. He has to physically write the poem on paper for the spells to actually be cast

False: Blacksmith magic. Anything that can be made in a forge she can summon and control. She can also summon liquid, molten metal and burn people. And can heat the metal of the things she summons. The more things she summons the more energy it takes.

Stress: Ice magic. Can make and create anything out of ice. Even living statues of ice that can fight for her. Also can summon icy winds and snow. Can frost over the floor to make it ice, and create huge ice sculptures and icicles.  She herself however is not immune to the cold. And enough fire can easily put her power to shame.

Cleo: Underworld magic. Has control of ghosts, ghouls, skeletons, the undead, and anything pertaining to the underworld. Can make things rapidly decay and die if she so chooses. But she has to touch them in order to do it. She can release a terrifying scream that paralyzes any who hears it for a few seconds. Up to a max of 1 minute. However it does mean everyone, even allies.

Zed: Shepherd magic. Basically like the pied piper. Can have any animal or creature aid him Disney princess style. He can also have them fight for him like Pokémon. This is all creatures, even the mythical ones. He can even use his magic to control people. However this takes a lot of energy.

Tango: Hellbound magic. He can summon demons and other beings from hell. But his main thing is calling upon the power of the demons and can transform into something like a demon. With increased power, new abilities and power, but most importantly (to him) wings that let him fly and fire magic.

Impulse: Detonation magic. Explosions motherfucker. He make things go boom. Can create a myriad of bombs and explosives. He can also create explosions from his hands. Charging explosions and then letting them go boom right when he needs them to. However it is limited to his hands. But with this powers he can propel himself forward and up and all over the place. Launching himself through the air. He can however run out of juice very easily and fast. It’s like sprinting at full speed. You can practice to do it for longer but it still wears you the fuck out. If he gets too drained he can end up passing out or throwing up.

Cub: Portal magic. Can create portals to other places. (Like wormholes) Can even jump dimensions with enough studying. However the longer the distance the more power used. He needs to concentrate or else the portal will end up someplace random.

Scar: Terraforming magic. Can manipulate any element and thing to his whim. He can make mountains out of molehills, and change and terraform anything. But he really is only good at terraforming Earth, Flora, and Water on a large scale.

Doc: Puppeteer magic. He can puppet/posses creatures and objects. It’s like Zedaph’s but not as limited. And it’s powerful. Able to control people and things like machines. He can even give them buffs and powers. Even see through their eyes and control them like a first person video game. However this leaves him standing in a trance wherever his true body is. Leaving him open to attacks. And for the people he’s puppeting, he has to have line of sight on them.

Ren: Imagination magic. Can make up spells and create anything using his imagination. Oh you want a water bottle? He’ll just summon one with his mind creativity. His most powerful ability however is to copy and use another person’s magic. He can only use it for about an hour before it disappears. And he has to make contact with the person he wants to copy. He can do this by touching them or gaining a small bit of them. Like a hair, a piece of their clothing. As long as it has come into contact with the person he can use it. However he has to use it carefully and not too much or else it can backfire bad. He has Wolf ears and a tail cause he copied someone with werewolf magic but he performed the spell wrong. But instead of starting over he pushed on with the botched spell. And now his canine parts are a consequence of that.

Jevin: Slime magic. Can create warriors of jelly to fight for him (like lapis does with creating warriors out of water) as well as create walls made out of slime. Or slow down people by shooting it at their feet. He can use extra sticky slime to stick people or objects to walls and surfaces. But other than the sticky slime, the slime can be easily destroyed. Having the consistency of Jello

Keralis: Insect magic. Can have abilities of insects! Giant moth wings, venom, spider legs, able to have ant strength (like lifting 10 times his own body weight). However he can only use the powers if he eats the insect. So you’ll see him just drinking mango and moth smoothies and nomming on baked crickets.

Bdubs: Plant magic. Able to grow, control and take on the abilities of plants and fungi. He can even turn his limbs into vines and tree branches. The bigger sized and more plentiful amount of plants take a more concentration. And plants are not immune to fire or blades. And if the plants are coming from bdubs’ body, if they get cut or burned it hurts him. The plants sprouting from his body acting like extra limbs.

Iskall: Radiation/Nuclear magic. Can create a nuclear substance (iskallium) that can burn through things like acid or thermite. Can also channel this into bolts of radioactive lightning or fire. He can’t overdo it tho. He’ll end up getting weaker and even at points be paralyzed for a good bit if he uses too much energy/magic

Mumbo: Redstone and Electricity magic. A rare thing to have 2 types of magic. But he has it. He can create almost anything out of redstone (both animated and statue like Stress) and can use it as a conductor for his electricity. But he has poor control over his magic. Going into magic surges where his magic goes out of control. If he gets more worked up or overwhelmed the problem only gets worse. 

Grian: Sky Angel Magic. One of the rarest magic in the world. He has extremely powerful wind and storm magic. Summoning storms and creating blades that shred through everything. But he also has tremendous healing abilities. Able to make people feel energized again or physically heal their wounds. He can sprout wings that allow him to fly and he can create currents under his wings so he goes even faster. A last ditch power surge is his archangel mode. Gaining a boost in power and radiating blinding light from himself. It’s like looking at the sun. His powers are boosted and he gains light magic. However afterwards it leaves him completely drained and he is usually asleep for a few days. Grian is also very fragile. A glass canon if you will.

Etho: Shadow magic. Can slip and disappear into the shadows. Can use the shadows around him to create temporary weapons and diversions/illusions. With enough power he can even turn his physical body into shadows, making it hard to strike him. However, shadows need light. And he is powerless in darkness.

xB: Whirlpool magic! Can create whirlpools and small typhoons. To either harm or suck in unsuspecting people and ships. He has the basic Kipling abilities of water bending (I couldn’t think of a better explanation). But as a deep water Kipling, his eyes are very sensitive to light. At night he glows brighter than a sea lantern. Sharp claws and teeth allow him to draw in prey.

Beef: Taurus magic. Able to use the powers of the mythical bull as well as transform into it. He can also transform into more powerful beasts. However he needs to keep his emotions in check or else he’ll lose control of himself and become full beast, losing sentience and will. It takes a while for him to return. His kind nature conflicts with his magic, making it hard to stay in control when using lots of magic

[commander-spaceboy]

Sorry I've posted some of this writing to here already, but a large majority of it is sitting in a google docs that none of you have access to lol, comments and feedback are welcome and encouraged

I’m Finally starting on my rewrite of the Star Wars sequels, I’m literally throwing away everything that happens in the actual movies and just starting out with my own shit, Basically,,, instead of more bull shit first order and “jedi” centric stuff, I’m throwing in a bunch of bounty hunters into the mix

Since the movies follow the skywalker bloodline, I’m starting off by creating children for Leia and Han,, They are both force probably force sensitive, since they are part of the skywalker lineage, but neither of them have trained to harnesses it, instead the younger brother learns about the senate and helps out his mother and grandfather organa anyway he can senate wise, while his sister is off doing god knows what with their father, (probably keeping him in check honestly)

So basically u get a Ben solo and a ray skywalker but they are already written in a better way because they are siblings, we know who the girls parents are, and you can’t ship them because that would be incest!!

Changed my mind already on the roles of the siblings, they're both probs force sensitive, but like, neither of them really care all too much, like they think it’s cool and all, but not for them, instead the younger brother is helping his mother and grandfather organa in the senate, and the sister keeps their dad in check lol

Which, working in the senate is a *very* easy way to get a target on your head, and also being anywhere near Han Solo is a very easy way to get a target on your back, which would give bounty hunters a reason to have a bounty on them

It would have to get more specific but you get the jist

A Jedi probably comes in the form of a padawan Luke has been training who hears of the bounty on the kids heads and takes action to alert and protect them (only to find out both of them are perfectly capable of handling themself

I think it would be funny though if the padawan was the one who ends up getting kidnapped or something by bounty hunters and the person who made the bounty is like “is is very obviously not the fucking kid I put a bounty for???” And then the siblings have to save the Jedi’s ass

I think a Nautolan Jedi padawan would be cool

Bounty hunters am I right????

Lol can take place over the span of like 15 years like the prequels did, orrrrr it can take like 3 or 4 like the og’s did

Have to have some mention of commander Cody in there, otherwise, how will people know it's my fanfiction?

Have something similar to the prequels happen where someone in the senate is sending out bounties for people who oppose them and their ideals. Throughout the movie you are led to believe it is this specific senator, but after they have been taken to jail another bounty hunter shows up and shoots a main character, and that's how the first movie is left off.

WHAT IF:

THE SIBLINGS START TO HAVE AN ANAKIN AND OBI-WAN LIKE RELATIONSHIP, BUT TOWARDS THE END OF THE MOVIES ANAKIN AND OBI-WAN SHOW UP IN ALL OF THEIR SEXY GHOST GLORY AND ARE LIKE, “FIX THIS BULLSHIT OR YOU WILL END UP IN THE SAME PLACE WE DID.

(but it would be more like younger brother perfect and can do no wrong because he is mothers favorite, older sister who does things her own way and at her own speed and because she sees her brother as being the better sibling she feels she cant talk to him about anything that she's going through)

(obv. Not everything between them is going to be solved with a couple of nice words from their sibling, but it would set things in the right direction, and they would know that they are able to confide in each other if need be [say if one of them were to be having a panic attack while mace windu is confronting the senate ™ and need to be comforted and stopped from intervening in a bad way], its important to know you have someone there basically)

At the start the younger brother is like 15 at the least and 17 at the most, but he is very much into the senate and trying his best to become a senator when he gets older, but he gets dragged into gun fights with his sister, father and the stray jedi they picked up at some point

The sister is probably min 19 max 21 so like a 4 year difference between the siblings, even if her mother wanted her to follow in her footsteps and be a peacekeeper and a senator, she followed her father right out into space to cause some ruckus at a space bar and gather more bounties on their heads.

Once again bounty hunters play a big part in this set of movies, I want to have a couple of prominent ones show up, (like not ones that have been seen before in the franchise but like ones that will stick around for a while like a gross piece of gum to your shoe)

Maybe at some point after one gets a little too close to the siblings and realizes they are literally just kids who are scared for their lives and not trying to cause shit they r like “must protect these children!!!” then they get shot and now the heros have a massive fucking problem with people!!!

Obv they will have a bigger role than just trying to kill the main kids, but like, that's their endgame goal.

So I guess in the first movie they would be completely separate from each other, only getting to hear from the other through holos and word of mouth. They still have a somewhat decent relationship with each other at this point, friendly banter as per use.

The second they would spend more time apart then together, but they are together on screen at some points, tension is always high with them. the relationship ship isn't the worst at this point, but as per usual with the skywalkers they def. Dont communicate with each other like they should. And fight with each other verbally a lot.

And in the third they spend most of it together till they get to a tipping point with each other and fight with the intent to actually harm each other, n then the ghosts of obw-wan and anakin show up and r like “Hey what the fuck???” and they realize that they are both having problems they need the others' help to take care of.

Think it would be really funny if one of the two of them marries the jedi during like the second movie, and just like,,, does not tell the other, like skywalker did with padme and obi-wan,,,, i could do so many parallels,,, so many

[starsandstormyseas]

hi hello it’s me and im wondering if you’d be willing to share your writing routine/process?

Hey, thanks for asking! I’d love to talk about it

Sorry this is long, I already tried typing this out once and then Tumblr had an error and didn’t post it >:(

SO I usually start with an idea. Can’t write unless I have an idea. A main character, a fandom (or setting), and a main physical and/or emotional conflict (preferably both). From there, I have a basic plot that I can put into an overarching outline. When I’m using a movie or TV show, I use those events to help create milestones in the outline and figure out where best to place the events of my character’s story. I flesh it out from there, from subplots and stuff to help build up to the bigger events. Set-up and payoff, as it were. It also helps when I go on hiatus and then want to jump back in, and I don’t have to worry about forgetting where I was or where I wanted to go.

For me, the most important part of my outline is figuring out the beginning and the ending. By the time I’ve published the first chapter, I already know how the fic is going to end. The outline itself can shift and move around, things can get taken out and replaced, but the ending largely stays the same and everything serves to reaching it in a believable way. No “””subverting expectations””” or making shit up on the fly just because someone figured out my twist before I could reveal it. This also REALLY helps with foreshadowing, which I like to do a lot.

From there, I start actually writing. I almost always write in chronological/sequential order, Chapter 1, 2, 3, etc. Occasionally I’ll be inspired and write a later scene for the fic, but I’ll save it and come back to it a few times as I continue writing the rest, make sure it still fits with what I have planned, or if I need to change anything.

When I’m writing chapters, I write a little synopsis at the top of the page of what I want to happen in that chapter (referencing my outline), how I want it to begin and end. Because of this, my chapters tend to end in cliffhangers lol.

Then, when I’ve finished, I theoretically proofread (but I usually don’t lmfao). My proofreading mainly is to check to make sure I didn’t forget to write a transition shot or whatever. When it comes to individual scenes within a chapter, I’ll usually jump around as I see fit/where the muse takes me, then go back and stitch it together. I’m very loose with what happens in the micro elements of the story, as to the macro (outline) which more or less stays the same throughout. In my opinion, makes it fun and keeps a bit of spontaneity in my story that writing by the seat of your pants is known for.

And, when I finished writing a chapter, I open up a new doc and write down the next synopsis of what I want to happen next while it’s still fresh in my head. Then I let it sit for a day or two if I’ve got no muse left to write.

Aand that’s all I can think of right now, hope that reads better than a fever dream. Thanks again!