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Darkness
It was the darkness that broke his heart. Years ago. Ages ago. What was nearly a century ago and might as well have been more. On the side of the road his kindness made him vulnerable and the darkness overpowered him. It tricked him. It schemed its way into his heart and began an infinite lifetime's worth of manipulation from kindness to cruelty. From weakness into power.
Now it had ended him.
As Rumplestiltskin, bent on hands and knees, felt the grit and pocked hardness of the paved road beneath him, he wondered if his fate was to be controlled by roads. At once powerful and sure of its destination, a road could take you to what you loved most: a long lost son, a friend, the person you loved... They were meant to be signs of hope for the future. Yet this night was proof that for him roads insisted upon continuing to do just the opposite: a son lost on his journey, a friend walking away to his distant mansion... and now he cowered in exile, sent to his heart's final demise by the woman he loved.
There was no way of knowing if she lingered or if she had quickly walked away, heels tapping out a rhythm of pain equating to a hammer driving nails through flesh. He imagined the sound for a moment, knowing he deserved the pain of each tap. Magic kept him from seeing her, kept him from hearing her, but it could not remove the anguish. All he knew now was the darkness and the empty road, leading to a place he would never again see and a heart he would never again feel beat against his own.
Darkness and the road. This was his fate.
He lingered for what felt like an eternity, weeping her name, knowing it would never bring her back. She was lost, just like everything and everyone he had ever loved. All he had left was the pain and the pitch black of the night that he wished would swallow him whole.
Forever.
Taken from the Monthly Rumbelling post here:
Sorry to use February. I didn't see one for March.
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In Class
Belle glanced at the piece of paper taped to the craft store's window and squeezed Rumple's hand. "Why don't we give it a go?"
He blinked at her, tipping his head back in surprise before making a gesture at the shop and then the sleepy city around them. "You want to give up our evening stroll for painting?" Mirth mingled with the words, making each become a sound of pleasant disbelief.
"And why shouldn't we?" Belle thrust her hands to her hips and tilted her head to the side. It had been a while since she and Rumple had time to be on their own. Even longer since they'd had an evening stroll like the ones they used to take in Storybrooke. The atmosphere only served to fuel her playful banter. "Unless you think you couldn't do it."
"Of course I can do it." Her husband wrinkled his nose as he would have back when she first knew him. The mask didn't stay on long, however. After a breath, his eyes had softened. "I just don't want to take away from our limited time together."
Belle gave him a warm smile. "We can hire more sitters for Gideon," she reminded him. "All you have to do is ask."
He looked at the store, eyes narrowing at the activity happening beyond the glass. "I suppose we could see if they are still taking students."
With a giggle, Belle reached for the door and gave it a gentle tug. It responded with a rattle so loud that every head within the craft store turned their way.
One woman, brows knitted tight, strode forward and pointed at a sign in the window opposite to the one the Golds had been focused on. "Sorry. We're closed."
"We were hoping it wasn't to late to sign up for the lesson," Rumple called out kindly. "We're traveling through town this week. We'd be willing to pay full price for whatever you have left to teach tonight."
A thoughtful hum could be heard on the other side of the glass while several of the students leaned close to whisper to each other. Eventually the lock clicked and the door swung partially open.
"I think we could allow that exception."
* * *
The golds learned a lot about the town that night, and a lot about Miss Lanette, their instructor. They also learned a lot about each other and themselves.
It turned out that Rumple was the better painter, which had surprised him, but not Belle, who insisted that his talent came from years of flourished hand gestures. Belle was much more capable of sketching, making short work of copying the form of the flamingo they would be working on. Deciding to work together on one piece meant that they were able to catch up to the rest of the class quickly and were soon as comfortable with the others as if the class were taking place in Storybrooke.
"Now, these lighter feathers should pick up a little of the darker color, but not much. We want a brief, gentle blending, not something muddy."
Belle tucked her lip in her teeth and studied the work they'd done so far. It looked good, or was at least recognizable, but what she liked most about it was the true blend of technique. It was obvious that the painting was a collaboration. Her strokes clashed in look with Rumple's. Yet the spread of their work, the way her strokes and his gently alternated, made it beautiful.
"I'm going to ruin this," she said.
Rumple shifted position so that he stood beside her and reached out to take her hand and the brush in his own. He pressed close and murmured into her ear. "Then we'll do it together."
"I think we found a new hobby," Belle whispered as he helped her make the first, careful stroke.
Her husband's chest vibrated as he let out an approving hum. "Perhaps we have indeed."
* * *
"Where'd that come from?" Alice pointed to a painting of a pink flamingo leaning against the wall. It clashed so horribly with the rest of the house that she couldn't imagine it had ever belonged in it.
Gideon turned to see what she was pointing at and his eyes instantly clouded over, filling with memories Alice would never know. "My parents brought that home after one of their dates. I was too little to remember everything, but I know we were in a small town and they found someone to watch me while they were out. When I woke up the next day it was in our hotel room and they couldn't stop looking at it."
Alice imagined Rumple, the way he would melt at the mere thought of Belle. She could easily picture that expression again; a man dissolving at the thought of whatever romantic moment caused the purchase of such an interesting item that was not at all his style. It was harder to picture Belle exactly, but she could piece together something from all the stories Gideon had told. She would be sipping tea, elbows on the table, one arm brushing Rumple's. As Gideon munched on his morning oatmeal, his parents would lean into each other until their heads touched and stare at the haphazard feathers that made up their bird...
And everything would be whole in their universe.
Based on the flamingo and city at night images at the Monthly Rumbelling post here:
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March Prompts
Moodboard:
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Non-smut: relation, painter, hiccup
Smut: Choosing to do nothing is still a choice after all.
Random: (song lyric): "I'd rather be a hammer than a nail." Simon and Garfunkel - El Condor Pasa
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A reminder for all:
If the prompts are 3-5 words you don’t have to include all of them. Imaginary bonus points if you do :) but zero stress they just have to include a couple in some fashion so it fits the prompt.
If the prompt is a quote you can include it at any point, it doesn’t have to be the opening line.
If the prompt is the image moodboard (multiple images) you can be inspired by one of them, be inspired by two, be inspired by the lot, get a feeling from the thing and not one of the images specifically - it’s all good. There is no wrong way to approach this.
If the images on the moodboard are of Robert or Emilie’s non-rumbelle characters (eg Rush, Macavoy, Claire, Heiro…), don’t feel you have to use that character. They’re just there for a bit of variety.
Anyelle and anyem are welcome if you do want to use them, though!
if you are inspired by the gif prompt, similarly, your creativity is your only limit. It’ll be a real treat to see you might come up with.
Happy Rumbelling!
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a-monthly-rumbelling · 2 months
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February Prompts
Yay, we survived January - Let's make February a good month for fics!
Moodboard:
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Non-smut: Game night with friends
Smut: Battle, berry, sports, hypnotize
Random: (Movie quote): "The key to a woman's heart is an unexpected gift at an unexpected time." - Finding Forrester (2000)
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A reminder for all:
If the prompts are 3-5 words you don’t have to include all of them. Imaginary bonus points if you do :) but zero stress they just have to include a couple in some fashion so it fits the prompt.
If the prompt is a quote you can include it at any point, it doesn’t have to be the opening line.
If the prompt is the image moodboard (multiple images) you can be inspired by one of them, be inspired by two, be inspired by the lot, get a feeling from the thing and not one of the images specifically - it’s all good. There is no wrong way to approach this.
If the images on the moodboard are of Robert or Emilie’s non-rumbelle characters (eg Rush, Macavoy, Claire, Heiro…), don’t feel you have to use that character. They’re just there for a bit of variety.
Anyelle and anyem are welcome if you do want to use them, though!
if you are inspired by the gif prompt, similarly, your creativity is your only limit. It’ll be a real treat to see you might come up with.
Happy Rumbelling!
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a-monthly-rumbelling · 3 months
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Are you frustrated you can't leave second kudos on AO3? or third kudos? or whatever-who's-counting kudos?
Well, have I got the html for you!
Plop any of these in a comment (by copy&pasting the code) to make an author's day and show your appreciation!
Second kudos: <img src="https://i.ibb.co/tHMjbb6/second-kudos.png" alt="second kudos">
Third kudos: <img src="https://i.ibb.co/52bggQH/third-kudos.png" alt="third kudos">
nth kudos: <img src="https://i.ibb.co/6y7qGtC/nth-kudos.png" alt="nth kudos">
yet another kudos: <img src="https://i.ibb.co/wKtcj0s/yet-another-kudos.png" alt="yet another kudos">
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It will look something like this (and will be transparent with white outline on dark backgrounds):
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Feel free to spread and use these as much as you like! (and if you have ideas for other variations, let me know ✌️)
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a-monthly-rumbelling · 3 months
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January Prompts
Welcome to 2024 - let's make it a good Rumbelling year.
Moodboard:
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Non-smut: Positive, banish, drain
Smut: She borrowed the book from him many years ago and hasn't yet returned it.
Random: (Book quote): "People who love downy peaches are apt not to think of the stone, and sometimes jar their teeth terribly against it." - Adam Bede by George Eliot
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A reminder for all:
If the prompts are 3-5 words you don’t have to include all of them. Imaginary bonus points if you do :) but zero stress they just have to include a couple in some fashion so it fits the prompt.
If the prompt is a quote you can include it at any point, it doesn’t have to be the opening line.
If the prompt is the image moodboard (multiple images) you can be inspired by one of them, be inspired by two, be inspired by the lot, get a feeling from the thing and not one of the images specifically - it’s all good. There is no wrong way to approach this.
If the images on the moodboard are of Robert or Emilie’s non-rumbelle characters (eg Rush, Macavoy, Claire, Heiro…), don’t feel you have to use that character. They’re just there for a bit of variety.
Anyelle and anyem are welcome if you do want to use them, though!
if you are inspired by the gif prompt, similarly, your creativity is your only limit. It’ll be a real treat to see you might come up with.
Happy Rumbelling!
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a-monthly-rumbelling · 4 months
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AMR Reboot: December Prompts
We're back! It's been a minute, but I have missed having these prompts for people to use, and I've definitely missed reading the fun fics that folks submit.
Please try not to post until it’s the correct month has started somewhere in the world. This helps to avoid confusion - for a time this isn't going to matter too much, because we'll be posting month by month anyway.
As is tradition, prompt reminders will appear at the halfway point and one week out reminders will also appear. So, without further ado…
Moodboard:
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(Many thanks to @peacehopeandrats for help with this month's moodboard).
Non-smut: A character reacts to an unexpected question
Smut: well, potential, spend, burst
Random: (movie quote) "Our survival instinct is our greatest source of inspiration." - Interstellar (2014)
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A reminder for all:
If the prompts are 3-5 words you don’t have to include all of them. Imaginary bonus points if you do :) but zero stress they just have to include a couple in some fashion so it fits the prompt.
If the prompt is a quote you can include it at any point, it doesn’t have to be the opening line.
If the prompt is the image moodboard (multiple images) you can be inspired by one of them, be inspired by two, be inspired by the lot, get a feeling from the thing and not one of the images specifically - it’s all good. There is no wrong way to approach this.
If the images on the moodboard are of Robert or Emilie’s non-rumbelle characters (eg Rush, Macavoy, Claire, Heiro…), don’t feel you have to use that character. They’re just there for a bit of variety.
Anyelle and anyem are welcome if you do want to use them, though!
if you are inspired by the gif prompt, similarly, your creativity is your only limit. It’ll be a real treat to see you might come up with.
Happy Rumbelling!
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a-monthly-rumbelling · 9 months
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July Prompts
Moodboard
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Non-smut: A perplexing pumpkin growing competition.
Smut: inn, bell
Random: Find your inspiration from any moment in Once season 7, episode 18, The Guardian
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A reminder for all:
If the prompts are 3-5 words you don’t have to include all of them. Imaginary bonus points if you do :) but zero stress they just have to include a couple in some fashion so it fits the prompt.
If the prompt is a quote you can include it at any point, it doesn’t have to be the opening line.
If the prompt is the image moodboard (multiple images) you can be inspired by one of them, be inspired by two, be inspired by the lot, get a feeling from the thing and not one of the images specifically - it’s all good. There is no wrong way to approach this.
If the images on the moodboard are of Robert or Emilie’s non-rumbelle characters (eg Rush, Macavoy, Claire, Heiro…), don’t feel you have to use that character. They’re just there for a bit of variety.
Anyelle and anyem are welcome if you do want to use them, though!
if you are inspired by the gif prompt, similarly, your creativity is your only limit. It’ll be a real treat to see you might come up with.
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a-monthly-rumbelling · 11 months
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Extra Voting Round is now open!
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The fandom expressed an interest in having more things to vote on during the Showdown. Ask and ye shall receive. The Submit box is now open for voting on Best Pseud and Best Eliminated Fic from Round One. The ballot looks like this:
On this ballot, the fandom will vote on the Best Secret Pseud, and The Best Eliminated Fic from Round One.
Here are your choices for Secret Pseud:
Ace of Hearts Ancient Architect Beast of Gold Fabletales Home Alone Lucretia Victrix notasponsor onelastedit Rose Daughter Smokey Willow Sonnenblume Spindle Squizzel TheMostDisturbed
Here are your choices for Best Eliminated Fic:
To Love Most Late by Beast of Gold Rags to Riches by Sonnenblume Evening of Judgement by Smokey Willow Untitled by Lucretia Victrix In the Dark by Ace of Hearts
In the Submit box, type your one choice for Best Pseud, and your one choice for Best Eliminated Fic from Round One. Voting will close at 11:59 pm, Eastern time, on Saturday May 20th.
I linked the eliminated fics for your convenience here, but they are not linked in the Submit box. You have a little less than a week to vote on these two topics. Please signal boost this post, and submit your ballot before midnight on May 20th.
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a-monthly-rumbelling · 11 months
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Authors -- the schedule has been updated. Your Round Two fics will be due on Saturday, May 20th, at 11:59 pm (Eastern time). The word count requirement is the same as last time -- 1K to 1.5K words.
The Round Two fics will be posted on Sunday, May 21st.
Questions? You can email me, send an anonymous ask, or message me privately here or on my personal blog, @jackabelle73
I hope everyone's having fun with their Round Two prompts.
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a-monthly-rumbelling · 11 months
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May Prompts
Moodboard
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Non-smut: Two people have to survive a natural disaster together.
Smut: cylinder, unlikely
Random: (song) Ariana Grande - One Last Time
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A reminder for all:
If the prompts are 3-5 words you don’t have to include all of them. Imaginary bonus points if you do :) but zero stress they just have to include a couple in some fashion so it fits the prompt.
If the prompt is a quote you can include it at any point, it doesn’t have to be the opening line.
If the prompt is the image moodboard (multiple images) you can be inspired by one of them, be inspired by two, be inspired by the lot, get a feeling from the thing and not one of the images specifically - it’s all good. There is no wrong way to approach this.
If the images on the moodboard are of Robert or Emilie’s non-rumbelle characters (eg Rush, Macavoy, Claire, Heiro…), don’t feel you have to use that character. They’re just there for a bit of variety.
Anyelle and anyem are welcome if you do want to use them, though!
if you are inspired by the gif prompt, similarly, your creativity is your only limit. It’ll be a real treat to see you might come up with.
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a-monthly-rumbelling · 11 months
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Summer Quarter Prompts
Apologies that these are a week late in coming, life has been a little bit crazy of late.  However, here are the prompts for May, June and July.
Please try not to post until it’s the correct month somewhere in the world. This helps to avoid confusion.
As is tradition, prompt reminders will appear at the beginning of each respective month, and halfway points and one week out reminders will also appear. So, without further ado…
May
Moodboard
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Non-smut: Two people have to survive a natural disaster together.
Smut: cylinder, unlikely
Random: (song) Ariana Grande - One Last Time
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June
Moodboard
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Non-smut: A group of friends go to group therapy (You can include any other ‘friend’ characters that you would like).
Smut: danger, terrify
Random: "Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?" —Rush Hour (1998)
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July
Moodboard
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Non-smut: A perplexing pumpkin growing competition.
Smut: inn, bell
Random: Find your inspiration from any moment in Once season 7, episode 18, The Guardian
gif:
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Just to remind people (though it is on the FAQ):
If the prompts are 3-5 words you don’t have to include all of them. Imaginary bonus points if you do :) but zero stress they just have to include a couple in some fashion so it fits the prompt.
If the prompt is a quote you can include it at any point, it doesn’t have to be the opening line.
If the prompt is the image moodboard (multiple images) you can be inspired by one of them, be inspired by two, be inspired by the lot, get a feeling from the thing and not one of the images specifically - it’s all good. There is no wrong way to approach this.
If the images on the moodboard are of Robert or Emilie’s non-rumbelle characters (eg Rush, Macavoy, Claire, Heiro…), don’t feel you have to use that character. They’re just there for a bit of variety.
Anyelle and anyem are welcome if you do want to use them, though!
if you are inspired by the gif prompt, similarly, your creativity is your only limit. It’ll be a real treat to see you might come up with.
I hope you have a lot of fun! I really look forward to reading and sharing what you come up with.  Happy Writing!
Questions, comments, concerns? The askbox is always open.
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a-monthly-rumbelling · 11 months
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Our ship loves books... and we love fic about our ship. Our fandom was gifted thirteen brand new fics today. If you haven't already read them, go forth and read!
The reading period for Round One will last till May 4th, and then the voting period will start. More on that later.
Once again, thanks to @chippedcupwrites for all the wonderful gifs.
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a-monthly-rumbelling · 11 months
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Encounter.
One evening Belle French meets a strange man.
Hello everyone this is my little contribute to @a-monthly-rumbelling for April :) :)
It's a silly little thing with no context, just something that popped up on my mind lol.
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Belle French had read about many strange things in her books but she would have never expected to see something like that in real life.
Now she was looking at that strange man standing still in front of her under the light of a streetlight.
"What are you?" she asked in disbelief.
The man raised the index finger in front of his lizard like face and smirked.
"It's not really polite of you, I'm not a what" he said.
Belle realised she had been rude.
"I'm sorry it's just like I have never seen someone like you before... where do you come from?"
The man looked at her with interest.
"I'm from another world dearie" he said.
Was him a bit insane?
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Rumplestiltskin" he told her with a bow.
"Rumplestiltskin? Like the fairy tale character?"
"I don't know what you are talking about dearie" the man said.
Belle had to admit she was kinda interested in him, she had always dreamt about adventures to escape her ordinary life and it looked like she had found it in the end.
"Why are you here?" she asked.
"I'm looking for someone"
"Someone?"
"Yes" he walked closer to her until his face was almost touching hers.
Belle was a bit intimidated by his strange skin but she didn't back off.
"Who?" she asked.
"Why do you want to know?" he asked.
"Because so I can help you, if you are not from this world it will be difficult for you to orient yourself here without any help"
The man seemed to think about it for a bit.
"I suppose you are right, I'm looking for my son, Baelfire" he said.
"What a curious name, I have never heard of him" she said.
Rumplestiltskin shook his head.
"I see" there was disappointment in his voice.
Belle smiled.
"I can help you finding him, we can search his name on internet" she said.
Rumplestiltskin looked confused.
"What's internet?"
Belle raised an eyebrow.
"You don't have internet where you come from?"
"I have never heard of it, is it some sort of book?" he asked.
Belle giggled.
"Well, I suppose so but it has way more information than a single book" she said.
"Is it a magic thing then?" Rumplestiltskin looked interested.
"Not really magical but it's still amazing"
"I'm curious to see it"
"I have a computer in my library, come" she said with a smile.
The man seemed a little unsure first but then looked at her smiling face and smiled too, a genuine smile and followed her.
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Can you believe, we are 7 years old today!
Get those stories in - lets make it a great 7 more!
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Sign-ups are open!
The 2023 Rumbelle Showdown is open for sign-ups, and will continue through April 15th. All those wishing to participate should send an email to [email protected] with two pieces of information:
Your Tumblr name
Your super-secret Showdown pseudonym.
That's it! I'll send you a brief confirmation that I received your sign-up, and then you just wait for further instructions.
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April Prompts
Pardon that I didn’t post them yesterday. I tend to not post much on April 1st.
Thank you to @peacehopeandrats​ for this month’s moodboard.
Moodboard
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Non-smut: "Hand me my pants,” ― Michael Grant, Hunger
Smut: “These four constants are Life, Death, the Purpose and the Random.” ― Stephen King, Insomnia
Random: Find your inspiration from any moment in Once season 2, episode 21, Second Star to the Right.
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A reminder for all:
If the prompts are 3-5 words you don’t have to include all of them. Imaginary bonus points if you do :) but zero stress they just have to include a couple in some fashion so it fits the prompt.
If the prompt is a quote you can include it at any point, it doesn’t have to be the opening line.
If the prompt is the image moodboard (multiple images) you can be inspired by one of them, be inspired by two, be inspired by the lot, get a feeling from the thing and not one of the images specifically - it’s all good. There is no wrong way to approach this.
If the images on the moodboard are of Robert or Emilie’s non-rumbelle characters (eg Rush, Macavoy, Claire, Heiro…), don’t feel you have to use that character. They’re just there for a bit of variety.
Anyelle and anyem are welcome if you do want to use them, though!
if you are inspired by the gif prompt, similarly, your creativity is your only limit. It’ll be a real treat to see you might come up with.
5 notes · View notes