#been brainstorming an art piece like this for weeks xD | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sakarrie-creates · 1 year

Text

2022 Fic Round-Up/Reflection

Am I over a month late? Yes. Is that going to stop me? Nnnnnnope.

Another year gone and another end of year summary! Yeash, it’s been a rough creative year haha. I’ve practically done nothing but school and work, which has certainly been problematic for writing. It’s been a productive adulting year though, so hopefully this dead period will help me find more opportunities down the line. My gosh I’m ready to be done with school already.

Since I’ve really not written much this year, this will be an abridged version of my reflection from last year’s template. That being said, I’m still very rambly so you can see the details below the cut!

2022 Stats:

Fics Started: 11 Fics Fully Written: 3 Fics Posted: 2 New WIPs: 7 Total WIPs: 20 (ish?) Words Written: 25,950 (33,176 if including documents of pure brainstorm ramble lol) Words Posted: 9,541 Fandoms Written For: 2 Events: 2 (+1)

Posted Fics

Carmen Sandiego (Gen): 1

So Long As You're With Me (7,804): It's been several months since Team Red rescued Player from the clutches of VILE and snapped him out of their control... mostly. His base personality is back, but he still doesn't remember them from anything other than the false memories VILE created for him. And it's just their luck that VILE painted Carmen and company in such a way that Player thinks that their attempts to help him is all some elaborate form for torture, and it doesn't help that he's currently recovering from an injury she caused. Carmen is near her wit's end, but she refuses to give up on her oldest and best friend.

Supernatural (Gen): 1

Still the Same (1,737): After a hunt, Sam and Dean watch the stars for the first time since Dean came back from Hell. Things are finally starting to fall back into place between them, but it's impossible to ignore the ways things have changed.

Specifics:

Events Participated In:

SPN Summergen, Player Appreciation Week (Fic and Art), Code Secret Santa (Art), Miraculous Magic Zine (Revamp Fic), and Fandom Trumps Hate (Offered Art/Fic).

General questions:

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, less than you thought, or about what you predicted?

Oof, hard to answer. Definitely less than I’d hoped and maybe still a fair bit less than I expected, but I did know that my life was about to get swallowed by school and I wasn’t wrong. I definitely wish I had been able to participate in more events for sure and I’ve had a lot of inspiration for all sorts of stuff that I just haven’t had the brain power for unfortunately. What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted last year?

I mean, looking at posting, I only have two options lol. In general though, I stuck fairly close to my norm for all that. I poked around time travel AUs which was fun but most of that was brainstorming/animatic storyboarding rather than writing.

What’s your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest.

Definitely So Long As You're With Me! That AU lives in my head rent free and boy howdy I’d love to share it all one day but there’s just so much to it. I swear, the pieces I have shared are hardly recognisable as the same story haha. Anyway, it’s definitely a little rushed at some points, but it was a very crammed piece that just kept getting longer, so I’ll take it!

Okay, NOW your most popular story.

Since I’ve only posted two new works this year, we’re going to go overall. Which would definitely still be Fragmentation. It’s got 20.3k views!! That’s only 400 less than it’s total word count and it seems like the hit count keeps going up slowly, which is wild to consider it’s on FF.net in a faded fandom and has been complete for like a year. Next up would be The Problem With Good Intentions at 11k, which also blows me away a bit cause Merlin ended a decade ago but I’m proud of the fandom for staying alive! XD

Story most underappreciated by the universe?

Probably still A Letter to Never Be Read on FF.net. It’s a pretty niche fic, so I can’t really be surprised but I felt artsy writing it way back when lol.

Most overdue story?

Welp, It’s Only Natural is certainly overdue, but I don’t think anyone is really following that one so it’s not in a rush. A Long Ways Home on the other hand drives me crazy cause I’ve actually been wanting to write for it, but brainpower’s been too low from school. Can’t believe it’s been a year. :’(

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

Tbh, not really? I pushed myself in what I did, but it was all relatively in my comfort zone. I guess I tried writing in S4 of Supernatural in Still the Same, but that doesn’t feel much like a risk. I also tried out some writing from screenshot prompts which was super fun and interesting, but unfortunately that was sniped by lack of time/energy too. So I guess not really this year.

How’d this year compare to your goals of last year?

Oh boy, I’m so intimidated to read these paragraphs haha. I bet I did like none of them. We’ll start with the bullet list though since that should be fairly straightforward. -Unfortunately, prioritizing school is honestly my biggest writing goal this year. So if I do that all successfully and get through any more than like, 1-2 of these, it will be a success haha.

-A Long Ways Home (Gonna break it up into Chapter 3, Chapter 4, and if that’s not the epilogue, then an epilogue. I’m determined and really think it’s doable, I just need to be careful not to overestimate again) WIP Bang if not done by Summer. -SPN Summergen -PAB if enough interest -February week event -Loyalties AU Plotting/Drafting -SQZ Zines -Comments

If crazy inspired year: -Gencest Bang -WIP Bang with It’s Only Natural -Post More CS One-shots -Other Zines

Okay, so some of those crossings are a little generous, but I wanted to at least check off the school one haha. Tbh, though, it wasn’t as bad as I expected! I did a decent job of having low expectations lol.

What are your fic writing goals for next year?

Oh boy. See I wish that this last year being so sad would mean this year would be back to creative rush, but I’m already a month in and I haven’t even tried writing anything other than school papers. I’ve been getting surprisingly into Huntlow (omg, Sakarrie having a romantic ship that she’s like legit into????? whacK), so it’d be fun to experiment with some fic there! Willow needs more angst fic to balance out our traumatized golden boi. Trying to find some zines would also be fun! And I’ll be sad if I ever have to miss Summergen cause it’s 100% my favorite event of the year. Oh, and of course I’m hoping to be able to participate more in Player Appreciation Week this coming month!! Shameless plug.

I’d also like to make some progress on A Long Ways Home, so hopefully in my Summer break I’ll finally have a chance to sit down and write. I’m not going to be dumb enough to put time frame estimations on it again though haha. I also am not a huge fan of having WIPs just sitting out there so if I could knock off It’s Only Natural sometime, that’d be great, but it’s honestly not a priority and I haven’t been feeling Voltron for a bit.

As for other plans, Loyalties AU and EverYOnE is bROkeN AU both haunt me at night and then there’s the time travel au that just has my brain zooming whenever I think about it. They just all get so intense and I WANT to share that intensity cause I know they could be epic, but first I gotta finalize the details, then I gotta have the skills to pull it off, then I gotta actually write sooooooooooooo we’ll see where those get me.

Okay so comments. Bah that project is such a mindset monster haha. I want to be supportive and express thanks to those who write and comment, but also the more pressure I put on it, the harder it gets. I feel like it makes reading new fics very intimidating and makes leaving chill comments harder. I think it would be nice to get through, but I think my goal for this year is to let my 1000 tabs go and just comment/respond in the moment whenever I can and not overthink it. I do want to catch up on replies though so that can be my comment goal for this year. In terms of my numbers, though, I did meet my generous goal of 20k written and 10k posted this year! (Rounding a little but close enough.) And I met my ultimate wc goal if brainstorming essays count!

Bullet list time!

2023:

-Unfortunately, keeping my scholarship has to be my biggest goal this year again so gonna put that here in case it's the only thing I can check off come December. -A Long Ways Home (at least 1 new chapter) -SPN Summergen -At least 3/7 Player Appreciation Week days -Catch up on comment replies -At least do some more brainstorming for bigger CS aus -Huntlow/Owl House fics? -One zine?

If crazy inspired year: -All of A Long Ways Home -All Player Appreciation Week Days -WIP Bang with It’s Only Natural -Post More CS One-shots -Write out more big AU scenes -Other Zines

So with that, I’m gonna set my word count bar pretty low again haha. In fact, I think I’ll just leave it as it was last year.

Easy Goal Word Count Goal: 20k (at least 10k posted)

Stretch Goal (aka, if I don’t die from school): 40k (at least 25k posted)

Ultimate 2023 Word Count Goal: 30k

#sakarrie's fic #carmen sandiego #supernatural #gen #ao3 #fic list #2022 fics #end of year reflection #2022 fic roundup

2 notes · View notes

fandommemequeen · 1 year

Text

my 2022.

alright gamerz itz that time of year again 4 Gamerz Yearly Retrospective!!!

so uhh im not gonna sugarcoat it: this year rlly sucked. a lot of stuff went down this year that id rather not go into detail abt here, but its been rough and unfair and sometimes i felt like it was never gonna get better. add onto that skool being mega rough, facing tons of imposter syndrome over my identity, anxiety, World Events, and fricktons of executive dysfunction, and youve got urself a total recipe for disaster.

but amidst all the doom and gloom.. i had better days. i played videogames and arcade games, i hugged the stuffing out of plushies, i anticipated release dates for new videogames, i got my hands on the g3 monster high dolls and relieved my childhood, i still luv siivagunner and wii deleted you and invader zim and deltarune, i got into just shapes & beats, i discovered the tourney community through mashup week: megamix and made some amazing friends, i got into creepypasta and yfm and osu and taiko no tatsujin and arcane and tmk, i got kirby and the forgotten land and splatoon 3 both on launch day and have had SO MUCH FUN with both of them, i luved watching ghost files and puppet history s5 after school and catching new toh and g3 monster high episodes,,

ive also acomplished some milestones too. first time getting an award for one of my cosplays, coming out as arospec [and proceeding to fall in platonic luv with my irl bestie xd], getting a compression top/binder, getting the awesome short emo hair i wanted for months, first time cosplaying at a convention, getting diagnosed with adhd and finally confirming what i had suspected for so long but never outright said due to self-doubt and fear of faking, starting medication, being in counseling/art therapy, trying sodas and monster energy and starbucks frappucchinos with no coffee, and learning to luv being "cringe".

but overall the best thing i did to make it through 2022 was,, just being me. i wrote. i drew. i roleplayed. i cosplayed. i scrolled through social media and chatted with friends far away from me. i read and wrote fanfics. i crafted. i brainstormed. i coded. i listened to music and cranked the volume on my gamer headset with cat ears. i was so very Not Normal about fictional characters. i made new friends and still kept up with old ones. i revisited old fandoms. i vibed in the front yard while listening to music. i checked the mail pretty much every day, secretly hoping one of my pieces of fandom merch would be there. i supported my family through the hard times, and they always supported me. i imagined scenarios and animatics and animation memes while listening to music. i listened to fandom lofi while trudging through overdue assignments. i rocked out to skrillex and monstercat and camellia playing beat saber at 8 in the morning for my virtual p.e. class last year. i learned the absolute beauty of platonic love. i started making unironic mary sues just for the heck of it. i felt so many emotions. i cried of happiness and of sadness. i hugged. i made vent art on my phone. i had complicated feelings. i felt like a faker at times. i was [and still am] learning to overcome climate doomism and death anxiety. i was weird, i was imperfect, i was cringe... but i was so cool for embracing my weirdness, my imperfection, and my cringiness, and i wouldnt have it any other way.

i know i can survive whatever life throws at me. ive got my friends and family by my side, and just being me in the face of.. well, everything, is the strongest thing i can do. im tired of lying down and just taking it. im tired of feeling hopeless. i will fight. i will persist. i will find ways to cope with anxiety and executive dysfunction. and above all, i will continue to love. i will love my family and friends who always have my back, i will love my interests and hobbies, no matter how weird they may seem to others, and i WILL learn to love myself.

after my 2019 retrospective post, i always hesitated a bit to look to the new year with confidence and resilience and hope, in fear of my hopes being crushed and being miserable. now i see that no matter what, lifez gonna be hard sometimes, but i am strong and i will NOT BACK DOWN.

so, for the first time in years, ill say it again. and i rlly, TRULY mean it when i say this:

BRING IT ON, 2023. this scenekid and tourney-obsessed geek can and WILL handle WHATEVER U THROW AT ME!!

#long post #yearly retrospective

2 notes · View notes

roast-ifs · 3 years

Note

Sorry if this is a bit odd, but how do you find the inspo/time to sit down and write? I want to write "normally" and create stories of my own but I struggle doing it alone (I learned to write through roleplay, replies going back and forth and such) ;; your story and how you write is something I enjoy so much so hearing your input would be awesome :D thank you!

Not odd at all! I learned a lot through roleplaying too and even when I was a kid writing linearly I still shared it with friends. Building/entering a community of other authors or people wanting to read and support your work helps A LOT. Writing really doesn’t have to be as lonesome as classic authors/media/whatevs makes it out to be! In fact, it shouldn’t! You can’t create inside a vacuum-sealed bubble.

A lot of the time I use to write is also bc I’m lucky and can write during my job if it’s slow. I also only work part-time, and school takes up a lot of time, sure, but not a full 8hrs/day. It also helps that my workplace shut down from March to July and now we’re shutting down again until the end of the year lol so this has been a very very unique year in terms of free-time :’D

As for inspo--other people! Other IF games have been a huge inspiration, the original spark for snv happened years ago after listening to a Kaleo song and badly misunderstanding some red dead redemption online access thing (idek what it was bc my internet was so slow I couldn’t properly play it). Consuming media gives you ideas, art and writing and anything creative is always born of that which is around us and that which we consume--whether its art, tv shows, if games, etc. So if you’re running low on inspo, go through some other author’s WIPS, peruse unsplash/pinterest, read a book, etc. etc.

Another tip, especially when you’re starting out (at least it worked for me lol) I set a time limit on how long I would worldbuild and story build before writing anything. I’d built the plot and story and world in a few months and made a deadline to when I would start writing because, for me, I get sucked into the worldbuilding and would never write a thing.

A lot of my past projects failed because of that, because I spent so long working on fleshing out every piece of detail that eventually I just didn’t want to write it anymore.

Second tip, and again, only if it works for you, I set myself a low manageable daily word count goal. Setting yourself up with large daily goals is a very quick and easy way to get disheartened and frustrated. My goal every day is to write 500 words, because that was a manageable goal for me that wouldn’t overwhelm me. And, usually, when I start writing with that goal in mind, I wind up writing more bc the biggest block to writing is the whole ‘getting started’ bit.

I’m also treating snv like the first draft it is. I proof read a little as I’m writing but there are a ton of edits I want to make and scenes I want to polish, but doing so on top of that 500 word count goal would exhaust me so I don’t. At least not yet. I’ll probably set aside a week or something for just editing but otherwise, once a scene is written, I don’t sweat it (or try not to lol!! Unless it’s really broken then I’d work on it) bc I know a lot of other authors struggle with this too. They agonize over scenes until they’ve been written to death. If you’re re-reading a scene over and over again you’re not going to see how to make it better.

Leave it alone, let it ferment, and come back to it later (much later in my case). Imo the best proof reading is when I’ve forgotten what I’ve written XD

TL;DR Don’t write alone! Alone is no fun! And you won’t be able to suss out problems/bounce ideas on your own.

Make small manageable goals, try not to spend too long on the planning stage (in fact, plan while you’re writing if you like. I’ve only got most of chp. 3 outlined and I didn’t even outline chp. 1 and 2)

Treat your drafts just as they are--like drafts! They don’t (and shouldn’t!) be perfect! If you’re agonizing over a scene, let it go, let it sit, come back to it later.

Know (or learn!) your limits, be kind to yourself, and find people who will support you and help you with feedback, brainstorm, and constructive criticism. :)

#I am SO GLAD that the hundred or so pages of fanfic I shared with my friends never made it online though XDDD #it is lost to the ether and no one shall ever perceive it again #author asks #writing advice #and again!!! Find stuff that works for you!!

36 notes · View notes

rmg91 · 4 years

Text

The Woes and Antics of Living Together-18

AAAAHHHH!!!!! I've gotten to another chapter I've been dying to write!!! And while the part I was most excited for didn't come out quite like I wanted (Curse me for never writing things down when they happen five months ago) I still like the way that it happened. I'll admit, I'm a little bit mean to Poppy in this chapter but Branch helps make it better.

Enjoy!

Also Friendship Goals-When you and a friend have similar-ish ideas without talking to each other XD

Previous Chapter/Next Chapter; AO3;FF.net

@writerofberk-I feel bad for what I’ve done to Poppy but I also much enjoy the fluff I wrote to make up for it XD

~*~*~*~*~*~

The sky was cloudy but bright with a light breeze as Poppy happily walked back to the apartment, Planning Clipboard in hand. A bag a of fresh, blank invitations hung from her wrist, ready to be customized for the upcoming event. Creek's surprise birthday party was coming along and she couldn't be more excited. Of course, everyone knew Poppy always threw her friends' parties, ever since she was young, but the how, when and where was how the surprise came in and boy did she love to throw surprise parties. They were her jam after all! And she had to make sure this one would be perfect for Creek. She was finally going to tell him how much she really felt about him and ask him to be her boyfriend. There was never any rule that said she couldn't be the one to ask and she was tired of waiting.

Poppy flipped through her list of party essentials as she hummed a love song, check-marking things off as she went. Suki had told her the music was set, a mix of songs to dance to and more mellow ones to set the atmosphere. Alongside some of Creek's favorite instrumental scores from movies. Decorations were all gathered, the usual collection of balloons, streamers, tablecloths and fairy lights, with some more unique additives to fit their theme. They had small Buddha statues to set around, lotus flower cutouts to hang up, scented and non-scented candles, a few incense burners and some pretty gem stones to sprinkle around. Next was the menu, which thankfully they had found a happy medium for, tasty but healthy snacks. They'd have various dips, hummus, guacamole and a Greek yogurt one Poppy found a recipe for, with a host of vegetables and baked chips. Dried fruit and nuts to nibble, fresh fruit parfaits, homemade fruit punch and some of Biggie's infamous deviled eggs. They'd also have a few more traditional party snacks and, of course, the six dozen carrot cupcakes Poppy was going to bake. She also had plans to make Creek a full sized cake too.

Last but not least, was the venue and Poppy couldn't be more excited for it. The university had the perfect outdoor area, trees and flowers surrounding an open area that could host tables and decent sized dance area. There was even a covered area, a pretty wooden pergola, built close enough where they could set out the food! Poppy had checked with the school and had luckily been able to rent the place for the night and she just couldn't wait! It would look so pretty all lit up with twinkling lights and candles. It was going to be magical.

Poppy nodded to herself, seeing just about everything checked off, the only things were whatever last minute details that always popped up and of course her present for Creek. She had thought about going along with the Pack's idea of just her being his present but she wanted to gift him something as well. Trouble was, she couldn't decide. She had seen a really pretty incense burner at the shop they got all the stones from but she also knew he had a tiny collection of them, so she felt like she could find something different. There was also the necklace she saw with the small charm of a mandala but Creek really wasn't big on wearing jewelry besides the friendship bracelet she had made him. She could just always find him a new pair of flip-flops, at least that's what Branch had said when she had been brainstorming out loud. Then it hit her! The perfect gift idea! She could make up a basket of all his favorite bath products! Creek always loved to talk about the benefits of good hygiene and Poppy knew long, hot baths were the only guilty pleasure he really allowed himself. It was perfect!

The pinkette made a note about her idea, listing what she'd need to get alongside a reminded to look up some DIY bath-bombs. She'd always wanted to try making some and that just seemed like it would help make her gift just a little more special. Giggling, she danced a happy jig, her excitement and inspiration overflowing before heading inside her building, an invite decorating storm was about to take place!

~*~*~*~*~*~

Branch was not amused to come home to what could only described as an explosion of paper and glitter. Scraps of construction paper littered the floor around the coffee table, with said surface overflowing with Poppy's collections of craft supplies. Small buckets of shaped scissors, stamps, stamp ink and shaped hole punches were stacked across the far side, various ones Poppy had already used laying loose. Her extensive sticker collection was spread out around her, the folders she kept them leaning beside her on the couch, with a few empty sheets on the floor. There were various types of glue sitting in places and the table sparkled with the tell-tale sign of glitter having been spilled out of its container. A pile of invitations sat completed on the farthest corner, ready to be given out by a smiling Poppy, who was just finishing up another colorful piece of art.

“Welcome home~!” The pinkette sang, grinning up at him happily as he came inside.

Branch had to try very hard not to look away as she flashed that beautiful, happy smile at him. After her little drunk incident, it had been even harder to look at her without blushing but he had promised her he'd try not to act weird around her after that. But it could be so damn hard, she was just too gorgeous when she was in a good mood and it almost, almost, made him want to spill his guts about his affection for her. Add in he could now recall her saying she wanted him well...the last few weeks hadn't been that easy for Branch when he was alone with her. Especially since Poppy had spent a good portion of them planning out a party for Creek.

“Hey.” He finally said back, turning to go find something in the kitchen. What he really didn't know but he couldn't take the risk of just staring at Poppy, “I see you've made a mess of our living room.”

“Oh shush!” Poppy giggled before throwing her arms out wide and shouting, “Art knows no bounds! And invitations won't make themselves!”

Branch rolled his eyes before mumbling, “Could always just get pre-made ones...” Even though he knew she would never, Poppy adored making custom invitations and, if Branch was being honest with himself, he liked seeing her creations. Even if he didn't show it.

Poppy gasped dramatically, having heard him, “Nonsense! I would never!” She giggled before perking up and flipping through her finished pile, “Speaking of...” She pulled one out and scurried over to Branch before thrusting out a colorful, sparkling envelope at him.

“Poppy...” He warned, of course she would try to invite him to the party she was throwing for Creek.

“Please?” She begged, eyes wide and she held out the invitation, “I know, I know. You 'don't do parties' but I promise it's not gonna be a loud, crazy, super amazing one. It's gonna be a little more calm, no flashing lights but still a lot of fun one. Pleeease? You'd have fun~”

Branch doubted that. There was no way he was gonna watch her, and everyone else, fawn over Creek. “No.”

Poppy predictably pouted before she gently shoved the small packet of paper into his hands, “Just think about it, okay? There's time to change your mind.”

Branch wasn't going to but she didn't need to know that. He just took the envelope without fuss and made to go to his room, saying something about having some homework to finish. In reality he was going to add the newest invitation to his collection after opening it. He just hoped she passed on the glitter bomb this time.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The day of the party arrived a few days later and Poppy could barely contain her excitement. She had spent all of the previous afternoon baking and frosting cupcakes, so now she had four dozen carrot cake cupcakes, alongside another two dozen of vanilla. The vanilla ones she had decided to bake at the last minute for some variety and so she could use sprinkles. Sprinkles made everything better. She had also baked up a vanilla bean cake just for Creek and now that it was cool, she just had to work her frosting magic on it but first she was heading to the university. She wanted to get a head start on the decorating before handing off the duty to Guy and Biggie.

Poppy took a look around the courtyard they would be occupying when she got there, grin wide as she pictured how wonderful it would look when they were done. Gathering all the supplies she would need, she stacked all of the streamers, paper hangings, lights, lanterns and all the other bits on a table, organized for easy handling. Then taking a roll of light purple crepe paper, the pinkette looked around for a good starting point, deciding to start with twisting it around the pergola's posts. Once finished with the purple streamers, Poppy grabbed a roll of a pretty aqua green to wrap around the alternating posts and from there started to hang long, twisted rows across the beams. By the time Guy and Biggie showed up, with Suki and her DJ equipment in tow, she had a good base of things started.

Her friends quickly jumped in to help her, so Poppy took a quick moment to film them while they worked before placing her camera back on it's mini tripod. They worked together efficiently after years of doing this and soon they had more streamers stretching overhead with lights intermingling. Suki had her DJ table set up under an awning where it would close enough to hear but out of the way so no one would trip on any wires and Poppy was standing on a chair hanging paper decorations when Smidge rolled in with Cooper. They had the coolers and bags of food with them, so Poppy directed them to store it all inside the small kitchen of the building the pergola was connected to. Said building was part of the Home Economics division and had a few kitchens, one of which they were allowed to use. Once everything was looking like Poppy had envisioned, she left the Pack to complete setting up the tables and such while she headed home to decorate Creek's cake and grab his gift.

Coming home, she wasted no time gathering up the ingredients for buttercream frosting, calling a greeting to Branch who was reading, and threw them all in her stand mixer. Carefully, she pulled the cake out of the oven, where she stored it for safe keeping, and divided it in two. Once satisfied with her frosting, she split it in half and dyed one lavender and the other mint. She then spent the next hour and a half making the cake look how she wanted it. It would have been quicker but she'd wanted to make sure that her crumb coat was fully set in the fridge before continuing, that particular cake recipe was always crumbier than others. She had just piped some frosting flowers around the edge and was piping 'Happy Birthday Creek' on top when she decided to ask Branch again if he wanted to come along.

“Are you suuure you don't wanna come?” She said, focused on her cursive, “It's gonna be fun~”

“Yes, I'm sure.” He grumped at her from his seat in her chair, eyes not leaving his book, “I told you the weather report said it was going to rain today and I am not getting stuck out there in it.” The other reason, of course, was because he didn't want to see Poppy hanging off of Creek and listen to whatever crap the 'guru' always spewed.

Poppy rolled her eyes, setting her piping bag down to gesture outside the window, “It's not gonna rain, Branch! It's sunny and clear,” True it had been a little breezy but that was nothing, “The weather report has been wrong before.”

Branch scoffed, “Still not going and don't blame me when you get rained out.”

Poppy was just about to reply when Satin and Chenille came through the door, “Poppy!”

“We came to get you and save you another trip,” Satin exclaimed, “Are you ready?”

“Just about!” She quickly added a few finishing touches to the cake before sliding it into a box and grabbing Creek's gift basket, “See you later, Branch!”

“You're gonna get rained on!” Was his parting reply.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After arriving back at the venue, Poppy slipped the cake into the fridge for safe keeping until it was time to serve it before placing her gift with the other few. She then took in all of what the Snack Pack had done while she was gone with a grin. Tables were set up, the white tablecloths fluttering in the breeze, with candles and small flower centerpieces adding charm and whimsy. Some of the incense had already been lit so there was a faint aroma of lavender and vanilla in the air and the lights had just been turned on. Poppy was ecstatic with the way everything looked, especially with the setting sun starting to cast a pinkish glow over everything. Taking her phone out, she quickly snapped a photo to post later before turning to her friends.

“This look amazing, you guys!” She clapped before pulling them into a group hug, “I think Creek's really gonna like it!”

“Oh for sure,” Guy agreed, smirking playfully, “You planned it after all~”

“Stop,” Poppy giggled, “You all helped.”

“But you did the majority of it,” Satin said, wrapping her arm around one of Poppy, “But we'll admit, it needs one more thing...”

Chenille wrapped her arm around Poppy's other, “You to look amazingly stunning~! Come with us!”

Poppy laughed as she was dragged away to the nearest bathroom for a patent Couture twin style up.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Almost an hour later, Poppy twirled in front of the bathroom mirror, once again impressed and proud of the fashion sisters. They had sewn a brand new dress for her that was a dark aquamarine in color and in the halter top style she loved. It had a sweetheart neckline and the straps wrapped around her neck, leaving her back bare for her tattoo to show. The waistline was cinched slightly under her bodice with a small decorative bow off to the side and it was knee length with a sheer overlay of sparkly organza. Her hair had been pulled up into a higher ponytail with the ends curled so they bounced when she moved alongside the tendrils that framed her face. Her make-up matched with glittery eye-shadow in the same color, light pink blush and strawberry pink lipstick. A matching headband with one silk flower and silver, strappy heels completed the look.

“Girls...” Poppy awed as she spun again, loving the way the dress spun around, “This is beautiful! Thank you so much~”

“You're welcome!” The chirped in unison.

“Now there's absolutely no way Creek won't ask you out tonight.” Giggled Chenille.

“Yes! And we'll all make sure he gets a chance to!” Satin added.

Poppy giggled with a nod, “Right!” She then spun the face them with a clap, “Now let's get out there! Guests should be arriving soon and after that the birthday boy himself! You guys made sure to tell him to meet us here for something right?” It was a safe bet Creek already knew there was a party happening, Poppy was never subtle about that sort of thing but she still hoped it would be a surprise anyway.

“Guy texted him at lunch saying he needed to see him for some school thing.”

“Great!” Poppy clapped, smile wide, “Then let's get out there!” This was gonna be awesome!

When they rejoined the rest of the Pack, Suki had started up the tunes as a few people had already started to show up. Poppy greeted them happily, trading hugs and thanks for coming. She got lots of compliments for how pretty she looked and was even pulled in to some selfies with Guy, since they were both looking gorgeously fabulous. As more and more people began to arrive, Poppy could barely contain herself as she eagerly awaited Creek's arrival, excited for when he'd come to see what they'd put together for him.

The sky was turning progressively darker as time went on, dark clouds moving in and blocking out the few visible stars and the slowly rising moon. Poppy couldn't help but bite her lip as she looked up from lighting a few candles. She hoped they would just blow away soon and that Branch wasn't right about the weather taking a turn for the worst. Her friends tried to assure her it would be alright, if it started to drizzle they could just take the party into the hallway of the Home Ecs building. She had nodded but a tiny knot of worry was starting to form in her stomach, especially when there still wasn't any sign of Creek.

She was trying not to let it show how much she was starting to fret, it wasn't like Creek to miss something without saying anything, when she felt the first rain drop hit her nose. She glanced up at the clouds as more drops began falling, the peppering of rain hitting the sidewalk echoing around her. She and the Pack quickly directed guests indoors before the rain got too bad, snacks and gifts being grabbed to save them from the water. Poppy hoped it would just a quick little storm, nothing bad enough to delay the party too long but as the rain began to fall harder and faster, soaking all their hard work, the pinkette couldn't help but be disappointed. It also didn't help that there still hadn't been any word from Creek.

Poppy looked down at her phone, hoping to see some missed notification or something indicating Creek had reached out but all that greeted her was her lock screen's picture. She tried not to frown, tried to interact with everyone but as time went on and people started to leave before the storm got any worse, she couldn't help it. It was so unlike him to not say anything, even if he didn't know they were throwing a party for him, he knew they wanted to see him so for none of them to have a message from him...Poppy didn't know what to think. Suki had suggested calling him but before Poppy could try, Guy mentioned he already tried that with the call going straight to voicemail.

Poppy sighed, thoughts and feelings a turbulent mess, “Let's just...call it a night then...” She didn't want to, she hated canceling parties but there was nothing else to be done with the weather the way it was and with the guest of honor missing.

“Pops...” Suki exhaled, reaching out to place a hand on her friends shoulder. She knew how much Poppy had been looking forward to this.

Poppy forced a smile at her orange haired friend, trying not to let it show just how upset she was, “It's okay, Suks'. It's getting pretty bad out there anyway.”

Suki nodded slowly before pulling the pinkette into a hug. Poppy sighed softly and hugged her back, soon enough being engulfed by the rest of the Snack Pack. When they disengaged, Biggie and Guy helped Suki gather her equipment, Cooper went to look for something to store and carry the small pile of gifts, and Smidge went to break the news to the few remaining guests. Poppy peeked outside from the door, looking out into the storm and knowing that they'd have to come back in the morning to clean up when Satin and Chenille approached.

“What do you say to a sleepover tonight?” The younger twin offered, smiling hopefully at her.

“Yeah, yeah! We can give each other Mani-Pedi's, facials, watch trashy romance movies~” Chenille' chimed, hoping the allure of some girl time would help perk Poppy up.

“Ah...” Poppy stalled, not wanting to hurt their feelings but not feeling up to all that, “Thanks you guys but...I think I'd just like to go home...”

The twins shared a concerned look before nodding at Poppy, “Alright...”

“At least let us drive you home?”

Poppy quickly shook her head, “No, I won't let you guys do that. You live almost on the other side of town from where I do and I won't have you out in that for longer than you have to be. I'll just take the bus.”

“But Poppy-” Chenille started.

“Guys, really, it's okay.” Poppy really didn't want to try and explain that she...just didn't want to be around anyone right now. She kind of just wanted to cry really but she didn't want that happen in front of her friends, she was sure it wouldn't help them feel any better about this situation either, so she'd rather have it happen when she was by herself.

The twins frowned and huffed slightly but relented, not liking letting Poppy be by herself tonight. That was when Milton approached, an umbrella in hand, and smiling softly, offered to escort Poppy to the bus stop. She accepted and after another group hug, and promises she'd meet them tomorrow to clean up what was left outside, Poppy and Milton left to reach the bus stop before the next bus arrived.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Poppy waited for the bus for possibly a little longer than she had to after she waved goodbye to Milton. She had been thankful he hadn't tried to talk her into going home with him and Smidge and had just shared a sympathetic smile before leaving her. She shivered under the awning as she sat there, thinking maybe she should've changed but unable to fix that now. The pinkette stared down at the ground as she waited, frowning at the cement as she hugged herself for warmth. She couldn't accurately describe just how she was feeling at the moment, disappointed that the party had gotten rained out and that all their decorating was now ruined; sad, upset, hurt that the person this was all for hadn't shown up or even called! It was so unlike him too... And the more Poppy thought about it, the more she felt the prickling of tears in her eyes, but she wouldn't cry...not yet at least.

When the bus finally pulled up, she scrambled up the steps and, after disposing of some change, took one of the many empty seats. Poppy leaned her head on the cool glass and listlessly watched the scenery go by, wondering if there had been anything she could've done to change the night's outcome. Of course she knew she couldn't have controlled the weather but maybe she could've been the one to tell Creek to come or maybe even tell him they were throwing a party for him. That would've ruined the surprise sure but...maybe he would've shown up. Sighing, she really didn't know, she closed her eyes tightly to prevent tears from falling as the urge to swelled. She really didn't want to cry here on a public bus, she'd rather wait until she was surrounded by her many stuffed animals and could muffle herself in her pillow.

It was weird to see the streets of town so empty, she thought once the urge passed, the storm having forced everyone home or inside. Poppy watched the rain run in thick sheets down from the sky, the wind blowing it at an angle and sparing nothing from getting drenched. She sighed, wishing for nothing else that she was at home and curled under a warm blanket. Well...she also wished Creek had texted or called or something because it was so unlike him not to and she couldn't figure out why. She knew he wouldn't allow his phone to run out of power or be turned off, it also wasn't like him to misplace it and he would never, ever, just not show up. He always made sure to let someone know if he couldn't make it or if something was wrong. Poppy had worried briefly if maybe he was hurt or had gotten sick but that was silly as he was always safe and was as healthy as can be. There was no way he couldn't have gotten sick, he was fine when she had talked to him that morning.

Sighing once more, the young woman just couldn't come up with a reason as to why he hadn't shown up. Looking out at the dark streets, Poppy noticed a few familiar shops and realized she was close to home, a few more blocks and she could go curl up in her room. However as she was picturing herself cuddling the stuffing out of Fuzzbert 2, the bus started to slow down, with no bus stop in sight. Looking toward the driver, Poppy saw him struggling with the controls before the bus came to a complete stop. The driver tried to turn the bus back on by turning the key a few times but nothing happened.

Sighing, he turned to face Poppy and the two other patrons, “Sorry, folks. Looks like we've run into a little engine trouble. We'll be stuck here until help comes.” He then turned back around to make a phone-call for help.

Poppy leaned back against her seat, frowning, before thinking about what she could do. She really didn't want to sit here... Glancing outside, she knew the thought in her head probably wasn't the best idea but she really just wanted to be home right now. Plus a little rain never hurt anyone. Getting up, she went to the front of the bus and asked if she could be let out here. The bus driver gave her a skeptical look, tried to tell her it would better if she just waited on the bus but she assured him she didn't live that much farther from where they were. Shrugging, he said alright and opened the door for her. Poppy said her thanks before rushing out and under a convenient shop awning.

Bracing herself, she continued to race under awnings and overhangs of shops until she was around the corner and out of sight of the bus. She then took a moment to lean against the side of the building she was by and stare out into the rain. Okay, so yes, this was a bad idea, to walk the rest of the way home in the pouring rain but she was already wet now. Closing her eyes, she let out a little whimper, finally breaking and letting her tears fall. Stepping out into the rain, Poppy let it wash over her, flattening her hair against her skull and ruining her make-up. She really didn't care all that much though, but she did hope the twins would forgive her for soaking the dress they'd made. The dress they had made for her to impress Creek, Creek the person they had been trying to throw a birthday party for, the person that hadn't shown up...Poppy let out another whimper as she thought about everything again, but just wound up more confused and hurt than she had been already. This night had been a disaster.

Finally reaching home, she went inside to the elevator and shivered as she rode it to her floor. She hoped Branch was occupied in his room or maybe even asleep because she really didn't want to listen to him lecture her. Digging out her keys with wet, shaking fingers, she unlocked the door and let herself in.

However the universe wasn't on Poppy's side at that moment as Branch was standing in the kitchen. He looked at her as she came in with wide eyes at her drenched state, hair and dress clinging to her, the flower on her headband dropping and creating a puddle from where she stood. She watched him open his mouth to say something but she held up her hand to stop him, “Please, Branch...just...don't.” She sniffed and hugged herself, head dipping low, “You were right, okay? It rained, enough said, I don't need you to lecture me...”

Branch blinked at her, shocked not only at her coming home so early and admitting she was wrong but also at her body language screaming that something else was the matter. Wanting to ask what was wrong but not wanting to upset her more, he ran a hand through his hair, he was out of his element here, before growling, “Just...stay there.”

He hurried to the linen closet and pulled out two of Poppy's biggest and fluffiest towels before coming back and finding Poppy had only moved to drip on the kitchen floor. Ignoring the way her dress clung to her curves, he wrapped one around her shoulders and after she took hold of it, draped the other over her head. He began to rub the towel over her hair, frowning when she didn't make a noise of complaint. Branch had figured she would be disappointed when the party was ruined by the storm but the way she was acting...something else had to have happened. This wasn't the usual Poppy he dealt with.

When she sniffed quietly under the towel, he couldn't help but ask, “...What happened?”

She was silent for a long moment, and he wasn't going to fault her if she didn't want to answer, when she softly murmured, “...Creek never showed up...”

Branch stilled, unable to comprehend what he just heard but also completely able to believe it. That absolute bastard! Poppy hadn't been subtle with her planning, never was when it came to something for her friends, he had to have known, but for him to not show up?! That was low, even for him. Wanting to go find the jerk and rip him a new one with the sudden, overwhelming urge of protectiveness, Branch's attention was brought back to Poppy as she sniffed again. Taking a deep breath, he'd contemplate what he wanted to do to Creep later, right now Poppy needed to be taken care of.

Carefully tilting her head up so their eyes met, he spoke softly, “Hey, listen to me, okay? Go take a warm shower, nothing too hot or you might shock your body. Then blow-dry your hair, okay? You shouldn't go to bed with wet hair and I am not dealing with you if you get sick.”

Poppy blinked, taken slightly aback from Branch's soft tone but nodded anyway, “Okay.” She then carefully stepped back and shuffled around him to head to the bathroom.

Branch watched her go, concern written clearly across his face before sighing roughly and running his hand through his hair again, there had to be something he could do to cheer her up, right?

~*~*~*~*~*~

When Poppy emerged from the bathroom almost an hour later, wrapped in her comfiest pajamas and feeling...well not better, she was still pretty upset but the overwhelming urge to just cry had left, she was met with the sound of whip-cream being sprayed and the delicious aroma of hot chocolate. Wandering back down the hall, she found Branch by the counter, spraying a large dollop of whip-cream into his mug, one of hers sat next it with a smaller dollop flouting on top. Branch glanced up at her and almost dropped the can before smiling awkwardly.

“Uh, hey,” He greeted, rubbing the back of his neck, “I-um..made some hot chocolate.” He carefully held the mug out to her, “We were out of marshmallows though, so I hope you don't mind the whip-cream... I, um, also plugged your phone in and texted everyone you were home.”

Flashing a very small smile, Poppy took the mug gratefully, “That's fine... Thank you.”

“Ah...no problem..” Branch mumbled, feeling just a little uncomfortable doing this, he wasn't use to doing things like this, “I-uh...” He cleared his throat and tried again, “I also queued up a movie if you...felt like watching something...”

Poppy looked over at the TV and sure enough there was Tangled, one of her favorites, all ready to be played. She felt another small smile grow across her face before she took a sip of her drink and glanced at Branch, “I think I do actually. Thank you...” She paused before asking, “Do you...wanna watch with me?”

“Ah, well...” Branch grimaced, hating to disappoint her more, “I actually have to finish studying and writing a paper,” He gestured toward the table that was covered in his text books, “But I'll be out here...”

Poppy nodded and shrugged, “Okay.” She then shuffled over to the couch and, finding Fuzzbert 2 already there waiting for her, snuggled in to watch.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Poppy watched the credits roll, a soft, content smile on her face as she leaned on Branch's shoulder. He had come over and watched the last few minutes with her which had made her glad. She twisted her head to look up at him, arm wrapping around his in a show of thanks and affection as she thanked him. While she still didn't feel better, she was starting to feel less sad.

“Not a problem,” He answered her, not bothering to remove his arm as he watched the credits. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye before asking, “Want to watch anything else?”

Poppy thought for a moment before nodding, “Yeah, I think I do.”

Branch moved then, getting up the switch movies, “Any requests?”

“Hercules, please.”

The blue haired man nodded and loaded in the movie, joining the pinkette back on the couch before pressing play. She snuggled back into his shoulder, arm wrapping around his again and happily waited as the movie started, all while the storm raged on.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When Poppy awoke later on, she knew it was later in the night; or early in the morning; and the storm was still going hard, rain and wind rattling the window. The TV was the only light source, casting a dull glow around the living room, the start screen for the movie still showing. She blinked blearily for a moment before realizing she was warm and that her pillow was moving. Glancing upwards, she found Branch sleeping soundly and that she was cuddled into his chest. Smiling, she shifted slightly before crossing her arms and resting her head on them, watching her roommate sleep.

He was the absolute sweetest, even if he didn't want to admit it, having done all he did for her when she came home wet and upset. Grabbing towels quickly for her and drying her off, making her hot chocolate, watching her favorite movies with her until they fell asleep in the couch, it was everything she hadn't known she'd wanted to be done. Sighing softly, feeling content and safe in his arms, Poppy was happy to fall back asleep but not before carefully leaning up and softly kissed his cheek and whispering, “Thank you.”

She then happily snuggled back down, sighing blissfully as Branch unconsciously hugged her tighter to him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Morning came and with it's dull, gray light filtering into the apartment, woke the two on the couch. Poppy's eyes fluttered open before she yawned, noticing the storm had passed and was now just a steady pitter-padder of rain. She rubbed at her eyes as Branch shifted beneath her and let out a large yawn himself. He groaned slightly, not bothering to open his eyes and tried to sink farther down into the cushions.

“We've got to stop falling asleep on the couch...” He mumbled, uncaring that his arms were still wrapped around Poppy's waist.

The pinkette giggled sleepily, gazing up at him, “Want some coffee?” After Branch hummed his affirmation, she shifted to get up, placing her hands beside his head as she hovered above him.

Branch opened his eyes then to look up at her with a drowsy expression, “Hey...You feel better?”

“Yeah...” She answered quietly.

He smiled then, something small and sleepy, before unconsciously raising a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, “Good...Like seeing you happy...Suits you.”

Another soft giggle and Poppy gently nuzzled her cheek into his hand where it rested, “It suits you too.”

Branch snorted before letting his hand fall away and his head lull backwards, grunting, “Coffee.”

Poppy giggled once again and got up, letting her hands trail through his hair as she walked away to start the coffee machine. Humming the tune to 'I See The Light' softly, she filled it with some of their shared favorite brand before turning back to see if he had sat up, only to find he had instead fallen back asleep. Watching the steady rise and fall of his torso, Poppy decided to let him sleep a little longer, it was the least she could do after all he'd done for her. She would always be thankful for that and for having such a caring best friend.

~*~*~*~*~*~

GUYS! YOUR FEELINGS A SHOWING!

And, Poppy, gurl, you still don't see it yet? Okay, I did that on purpose but still XD Anyway! See told you Branch helped make it better! And Creek's a real creep not even texting to say he's not showing up but that was all planned and we're getting really close to the climax of this fic! I can't tell you how excited I am for that!!! I've been waiting to write these next few parts since January!!!

So I hope you all enjoyed and look forward to the next chapter!!

#Dreamworks Trolls #Branch #Poppy #Broppy #Fanfiction #Human AU #Modern AU #Roommate AU #dreamworkstrolls #Snack Pack

5 notes · View notes

signor-signor · 5 years

Text

2018 - My contributions to SaveWOY

And so, another year without complete knowledge of Wander Over Yonder’s shelved third season has gone by. Sometimes I compare the show’s current situation to the backstory of Dave, the octopus and main antagonist of the 2014 DreamWorks film, Penguins of Madagascar - you can guess which TV shows represent the penguins in said backstory. Rather than getting revenge on the successful shows or getting back at Disney and the viewers for not showing any affection for WOY, we fans develop our own means to let them know that WOY still means a lot to us. As 2018 draws to a close, let’s look back on the stuff I made to build more awareness of the show to the world since I joined Tumblr. The bolded text has a link.

LEGO Star Nomad - After getting a Volkswagen Beetle and Camper Van LEGO, I was inspired to do something no other Wander fan has ever done before. I started working on it with LEGO Digital Designer in December 27th, 2017, and I got the overall structure done in ten days. I did have to fix it up at least couple of times afterwards, but it’s quite an amazing sight nonetheless.

Lord Hater’s little rant - Made just in time for Keith Ferguson’s birthday, this illustration drew some inspiration from what Tamatoa says after the credits of Moana. It’s also to give the executives and most viewers a subtle note regarding their obsession with Gravity Falls and the effect it has on WOY.

Fan-Made DVD/Blu-Ray covers - Released on May 4th (Star Wars Day), these pieces are patterned after the pictures for the Star Wars trilogy (IV-VI) on VHS. If WOY had a third season, it would be cool to have a perfectly complete set in this format.

WOY S3 Prediction Polls - Much like SaveWOY Thought of the Week (ongoing since June 2017), the polls are exclusive to Twitter. 27 have been made so far, one of which was about the choice for a company that deserves to own the rights to the show (most users voted for Netflix owning the rights).

The First 5 Years - One of my biggest achievements made with Adobe Illustrator to date. With more than 140 faces/figures and a few indicators of the existence of a third season, this image could very well be crown jewel of every fan art I’ve ever done. If this isn’t enough to convince Disney how much I care about the show, I don’t know what is.

Summary of my prediction of the 3rd season premiere - You’d think that with all the hints we’ve accumulated, we’d have someone coming up with an idea of how S3 would play out by now. The crew are still tight-lipped after more than two years, so I had this “fine, I’ll do it myself” moment. I brainstormed this idea for a hypothetical S3 premiere in order to appease the fans, inspire them, and motivate them. I also came up with the three new mains (not official) and a song to go with my summary.

Lastly, since September, I’ve been uploading close-ups of characters on my First 5 Years fan art on birthdates of the voice actors who performed them. So far, only four of them noticed and appreciated what I did (Charlie Adler, Kevin Michael Richardson, Ken Marino, Josh Sussman).

So there you have it.

@crackmccraigen, @suspendersofdisbelief, @owner-of-wendys, @atalkingmagpie, @benbalistreri, @skulptduggery, and those who were involved in the show, I know you’re all busy working on other projects, but stopping a show after two seasons when one more season was planned out to close it out right was most definitely an imbecilic move on Disney’s part. No question. The executives didn’t think giving Fish Hooks a third and final season would be a mistake - it ended perfectly when it got three seasons and hence no SaveFH/SaveFishHooks. Anyway, you just keep going about your business while the fans continue to spread awareness.

Fans of overrated shows, all I ask is that you show some sympathy for Wander fans and help them talk some sense into the executives. I know it’s a long shot, but any world that leaves something ominous and unexplained until the end of time just wouldn’t be right. It’s plain to see that nobody asked for WOY to get canceled. In fact, if every Disney XD viewer had shown even the slightest interest in the show, we’d know everything about that third season by now. Nickelodeon gave Hey Arnold! closure, Cartoon Network gave Samurai Jack closure (albeit on the Adult Swim block), so it shouldn’t be that difficult for Disney to give WOY closure, or at least get some other company (maybe Netflix) to do it for them. You don’t have to abandon your favorite fandoms to save this show. I’m currently interested in Steven Universe and OK K.O., but that doesn’t preclude the fact that I want to see what happens after WOY’s second season. So go ahead, show your support in every possible way.

As for me, something new in my life will be happening. In the next four months, I’ll be attending a four-month long class learning to be an engineering technician, so my posts won’t be as frequent as they were before. Every now and then, I’ll continue to check on the status of SaveWOY as well as provide Thoughts of the Week and S3 Prediction Polls on Twitter (if possible). And guess what, in March of 2019, it will have been three years since SaveWOY launched. That’s longer than the period between the S1 premiere and the S2 finale (2 years and 9 months, if you count The Greatest to be the true premiere)! Maybe some of you might come up with something to commemorate the occasion.

Keep your chins up, keep your patience and sanity, and keep the campaign going!

@disneyanimation

@disneytva

@disneyxd

#Wander Over Yonder #SaveWOY #Long Reads

24 notes · View notes

styomi · 6 years

Text

Flowers and gemstones | Chapter 5 | Sweet Pea/OC

In the spirit of new content in the fandom… I’m updating early! I hope you guys enjoy Sweet Pea being a ‘lil shit’ and ‘a conflicted piece of hotness’ as my dear fellow author Vulvarity put it so colorfully xD Thanks for the beta-read, hun!

Info:

Rating: T Word count:4118 Chapter count:5/? Faceclaim: Ruby Wolfe – India Eisley Jo Wolfe – Adrian Paul Mattie – Elle Fanning

Yes, I am complete Abba trash with this title but damn, does it fit!

Ah-hah, honey honey

The Twilight Drive-In was not quite what Ruby had expected. She’d entered the truck, only to see Fred driving and after an awkward conversation about Archie’s lack of a permit, where the girl and his father laughed about it, the three worked out an easy plan. Fred would drive to his office, since he needed to get some work done, still, and Ruby would take the wheel from there. At the end of the movie, they were supposed to call Fred and see if he was done, in order to pick him up. Then, the Andrews could drop her off home before calling it a night. It all seemed like a solid plan to the teens. Both of them were glad that they wouldn’t be left to beg Archie’s friend Jughead to get them a couple of chairs once Fred drove off.

When they got to the Drive-In, Ruby took her time looking around. She’d never had a proper date, much less an occasion which would take her to a place like that. The only movies she’d watched was with Mattie or her father, either in the girl’s room or at the cinema. And then, Mattie had insisted on huddling together in a couple’s seat like two idiots, because she’d been too curious as to what booking a space like that meant for her own good. Afterwards, it had become tradition for the two girls to sit in a loveseat at the cinema, just for kicks. But, the Twilight Drive-In was definitely not a cinema.

Archie had carefully instructed Ruby where to drive the family truck, which she only struggled with for a bit due to the stick that was a tad different from her trusty old Mustang. And, once they pulled into the southernmost part of Riverdale, he directed her to get off Main Street and enter the small parking lot in front of a large screen. Sure enough, there was a sign which spelled out that evening’s showing, Mamma Mia, right in front of the turn. As Ruby parked the truck, turning the front towards the small booth in the back with drinks and popcorn like Archie requested, she had a chance to look around some more. In essence, it was a parking lot. There were a few more cars and a couple of motorcycles in the back, people buzzing around before the showing. But, other than the booth and a large screen on the other side, it was just that, a parking lot.

“Popcorn?” Archie asked, nodding towards the booth.

“Oh, yeah.” Ruby eagerly agreed and the two friends walked over, Archie instantly perking up when he saw the server behind the counter.

“Hey, Jug!” he greeted the boy in an odd beanie, which Ruby was certain seemed familiar to her for some reason. “This is Ruby, who I told you about. The girl from the Wolfe house,” the boy behind the counter examined her with a surprisingly analytical look in his pale eyes. But, he didn’t seem hostile. “Ruby, Jughead.”

“The one who’s writing a book?”

“Novel.” Both boys instantly corrected.

“Right,” Ruby nodded sheepishly. “It’s very nice to meet you, Jughead. I’ve heard a lot about you,” the boy gave his friend a look which seemed accusing, more than anything. “I promise that I pressed him for details and that everything he told me was good.” The girl tried to diffuse the tension.

“Um, sure, yeah,” Jughead sounded a little awkward. “Welcome to Riverdale.” He didn’t seem to mean it. Regardless, Ruby chose to take the high road there.

“It would be awesome if you could join us for the movie, unless you’re working the whole evening?” She asked, looking between him and Archie. “I got only one side of the story, after all,” Ruby gave Jughead a mischievous smile. “I’d love to hear some embarrassing tales about this one.” She nudged Archie with her elbow and, instantly, the atmosphere changed. Jughead gave her a smirk right back.

“I’ll see what I can do,” he promised. “What will it be, guys? You’re holding up the line.” Despite Archie telling Ruby that it was unlikely that Jughead would join them, the beanie-wearing teen did. They huddled together, with the girl in the middle, in the back of the truck, a few buckets of popcorn in between them and a blanket over their feet. While Archie had actually been paying attention to the movie, as he hadn’t seen it before, Jughead and Ruby took the time to whisper and get to know each other a bit better. Unsurprisingly, the boy had plenty of funny stories about his childhood friend, making the girl giggle when she wasn’t singing along to the soundtrack.

By the end of the evening, Ruby had the awkward boy’s number memorized in her phone with a promise to hang out at Pop’s sometime soon. While they didn’t have a lot in common, they did realize that there was a long list of movies both had watched and desperately needed to discuss with someone. All in all, it had been a fun evening for her, despite it definitely not being a date in the end. Ruby, in all honesty, had preferred it that way. She liked Archie well enough, but she wasn’t one to dive into anything romantic before getting to know a person better. He seemed only interested in hanging out platonically, which was right up her alley.

Ruby had always gotten along with boys better than girls. When she counted the schools she’d attended, she realized that her only real girl friend was Mattie. The teen in question wasn’t exactly girly material, either. Ruby suspected that she had her father and their mutual obsession with martial arts to thank for her ease with befriending boys, even though Jo had voiced his worries over only boys coming by their home on a number of occasions.

Mattie was awake when Ruby got home from the Drive-In and called the girl after texting her half a dozen questions to make their conversation easier. There was just something lost in the voice messages and typing for her.

“So, spill. How was it?” Mattie’s voice was eager, even though she had dark circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep.

“We watched Mamma Mia!” Ruby eagerly supplied and the two girls started singing to each other, hitting some painfully shrill notes that made Jo pop his head into the kitchen to check on the situation. When he saw that it was just a facetime call, he retreated again, not wanting to disturb the two. And then, Ruby started telling Mattie all about Archie and the odd new character in her life, Jughead.

The last day of the Southside Serpents working at the Wolfe house came all too soon for Ruby. She’d built a nice friendship with Toni, a strange combination of pun exchanges with Fangs and the usual push and pull with Sweet Pea. Ruby had spent more than a few hours with Toni in her room, deciding on color schemes, furniture positions and various decorations together. While the purple haired Serpent wasn’t a fan of the girly setup the room had been steered towards, she was still a huge help. She had a whole bunch of fashion and DIY magazine subscriptions on her phone, showing Ruby various options which could change her room in different ways. Mattie was ecstatic to see all the new ideas and demanded that she meet Toni one day, hopefully in person. All of their brainstorming on decoration ideas got FP to send Sweet Pea to hunt down the girls more than a few times with a disgruntled expression.

Fangs and Ruby, on the other hand, had a different dynamic. While Toni was the perfect design and clothing advisor, the boy turned out to be gossip central. Ruby had always known that most boys had an affiliation for sharing funny stories, but he was in a whole league of his own. Fangs had plenty of stories from his time with Toni and Sweet Pea as kids which he was eager to tell. By the third day of hauling stuff around the house and painting walls, the two had a number of inside jokes which pissed off Sweet Pea to oblivion once he figured them out. That was without even mentioning Fangs’ love of bad puns. If there was a person who could make Ruby crack up at a bad joke in a single second, it was definitely him. Her retaliation had required a bit of Googling, but pretty soon they had been separated when it came to carrying heavy items around due to their tendency to lose their grip on them while laughing.

The only thing Ruby regretted over those few weeks was not spending more time with Sweet Pea. He always seemed to look for an escape when they were with other Serpents, so that he wouldn’t have to talk to her. The few times they’d been forced together by a food run or Ruby directing traffic in the house their conversation had been a bit strained. For the life of her, the teen didn’t know what she’d done to cause that kind of reaction from the tall boy. At times he would be doing their usual push and pull, piling on ridiculous nicknames that made fun of her height, and then, he would be frowning angrily down at her and grunting out one-word answers to her eager questions. Ruby was definitely miffed. But, also, intrigued. She couldn’t help her own curiosity sometimes. She liked things with character, after all.

When the last day of the Serpents working at the house arrived, Ruby was on a mission. She didn’t know if she would see some of the bikers again and she wasn’t sure what kind of a situation she would be facing at school with the younger Serpents. Ruby definitely wasn’t going to be pledging a gang and she’d already heard from numerous sources that South High was very segregated. So, she remembered Mattie’s request and started her work as soon as the bikers arrived.

“Hey, Toni,” Ruby entered the kitchen where the purple haired Serpent had made herself at home with a cup of coffee. “Look good for the camera!” And she snapped a photo as soon as Toni gave a soft smile.

“Am I finally getting a contact picture?” Asked the girl.

“Sure!” And Ruby bounded off with a small wave. She’d already tricked FP and Tall Boy into snapping a photo of them, which they’d laughed off. Now, she had an image of the Serpent King and his second in command standing side by side at their bikes, looking quite intimidating. Next, she needed Gorgon, Fangs and the dreaded Sweet Pea. She was honestly fearing the last name on her list. With the quicksilver temper he had, her phone had a fifty percent chance of flying out a window or something. Gorgonhead was easy enough, the teen eager to make a scary face and point at the camera like Uncle Sam.

“Fangs,” Ruby addressed the boy, sneaking up behind him as he was attempting to open a drawer of an old wardrobe. “I’d offer my advice on that,” she pointed to his current problem. “but telling a demolitionist how to do his job is destructive criticism.” There was a moment of silence before the two completely lost it. Ruby took the chance to snap a quick picture of Fangs trying to gather himself in front of the tall antique wardrobe.

“Oh, man,” the biker didn’t even notice. “How am I going to live without you when the job’s done?” He asked, shaking his head.

“You can always text me and we can hang out?” Ruby helpfully supplied. She saw Fangs’ eyes go to the side, avoiding her gaze. That was a telltale sign that something was wrong. But, when he just shrugged and nodded, Ruby decided to give him some time and space to figure it out. “C’mon, give me your phone,” the girl asked and Fangs obliged. “Here, text me whenever so I have your contact, too.” She smiled at him and bounded off, looking for a certain tall biker. The short teen didn’t see the way Fangs’ eyes stayed on her back until it vanished behind a corner, almost sad.

Sweet Pea was glad to get out of the Wolfe house. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with the home in any way. He just didn’t think that he could stand Ruby being around him any longer. In the short few weeks, which seemed like months to him, Sweet Pea had worked beside her on numerous items in her new home. She’d been nothing but kind to him, he had to admit. Nothing but nice. However, a single glance at her clothing, the house which surrounded them and the items they were carrying out had Sweet Pea’s vision going red and his brain muddled with anger.

Ruby Wolfe was nice enough, sure. But, regardless of her personality she was a rich Northsider in the end. While she might be slumming it down with the bikers who were working on her property during summer vacation, Sweet Pea knew how their little ‘friendship’ would end. She’d shown him that by repeatedly ditching cleanup in order to hang out with her little Northside boy-toy. As soon as Ruby started school at Riverdale High, she would become one of those girls. Head held high, daddy buying her expensive things and occasionally wandering over to Southside for a thrill. She’d forget that Toni had put hours into helping her pick things out for her room. She wouldn’t remember that Fangs had lent her a hand in carrying almost all of her belongings upstairs while exchanging jokes. She certainly wouldn’t recall him driving her for a food run on his bike in the afternoon. Sweet Pea reminded himself a number of times that Ruby was a privileged kid. It was best not to form any kind of attachment. Except maybe to her dog. He could be attached to Chili all he wanted, because the pooch was a wonder.

On the last day of their work at the Wolfe house Sweet Pea’s suspicions were confirmed, though. With an eager look on her face, Ruby had told all the bikers how they could take whatever item they wanted from the maybe or discarded pile, like some kind of a charity dump. He didn’t need her charity, much less her trash. Sweet Pea hadn’t taken a single thing from the Wolfe house, despite eyeing a couple of old bike parts from the garage longingly. Instead, his temper had flared and he’d sat on his bike, listening to Fangs and Toni talking excitedly about repurposing some of the items and restoring others.

It wasn’t that Sweet Pea didn’t like doing that. In fact, he’d always been good at fixing things. As a young boy he’d helped his father with numerous old bikes and cars. Then, he’d somehow gotten roped into a number of DIY projects by Toni. She’d been surprised at how good he was with his hands and sworn to secrecy by Sweet Pea with a menacing threat of bodily harm. To that day he still enjoyed working on old things. There was just something about working on an old carburetor that made his fiery temper cool down. He could spend hours playing with a piece, figuring out what exactly was wrong and tailoring odd parts in order to get it back into action. However, Sweet Pea was above charity from a rich Northsider. He wouldn’t take a single thing.

He got pissed when he saw Toni restoring an old lamp Ruby had personally given her, despite wanting it for herself according to the purple-haired girl. It was an antique which looked pretty darn good when the female Serpent was done painting it with glassware-friendly substances. It now sat on her school desk at her trailer, a constant reminder for Sweet Pea of the dump it had been taken from. Fangs, on the other hand, hadn’t said no to acquiring a new kitchen table for his abuela, calling it the score of the summer. Sweet Pea had stopped going to his place for dinner, the telltale dark wood of the charity item making his blood pressure skyrocket. He wouldn’t be a pity case for some rich Northsider.

Yet, Sweet Pea still hadn’t gotten rid of the small piece of paper with a few digits on it. He had found it in the pocket of his denim vest with the Serpents logo on the back when he’d been checking the contents before putting it in the washer. Apparently, Ruby had managed to slip the small note with her number on it and a message to ring her sometime at some point. It wasn’t that Sweet Pea hadn’t tried to get rid of it. In fact, he’d tossed it in the trash bin in his kitchen a number of times, only to fish it out later. Now, it sat in his math book, a thing he’d gotten from one of the Serpents’ juniors for his sophomore year at South High. Frankly, Sweet Pea didn’t know what to do with the number. Or, if he wanted to do anything with it.

Days passed rather quickly for Ruby. Before she even knew it, her father was pulling into their driveway with a whole bunch of fireworks in the back of their old Mustang, singing a happy tune. One would think that, being a former army man, he wouldn’t enjoy the 4th of July. However, ever since Ruby was aware of herself, Jo became utterly giddy during the holiday. He bought so many fireworks that they barely managed to set them all off in their backyard during the night. True enough, he jumped whenever someone else used their own colorful ammunition, his hand flying to his side, where his gun used to be. Yet, he still set up his own arsenal and set it off with complete glee.

“Are we going to war?” Ruby asked, leaning in the doorway and watching her father jump around the car, deciding which monstrosity to take out first. He looked up at her and smiled wide.

“Oh, we’re going to war, honey,” Jo shot back. “I’m going to announce to the whole town that I’m back in my all former glory.” Ruby shook her head, but walked down the front steps regardless, Chili following. He eagerly rushed to the car, sniffing and trying to see if anything inside was meant for him. Jo took out a ball from the front seat, showed it to the eager dog and then chucked it as far as he could towards Fox Forest. Chili tore after it, wheezing in happiness.

“You’ve unleashed the monster.” Ruby chuckled, grabbing one box of fireworks and taking it to the porch.

“He likes it and we both know it.” Jo retaliated, carrying his own load of colorful tubes.

“You’re an unleashed monster, as well.” His daughter shot back with a grin.

“Says the girl who scared all the kids away from our building on Halloween.” So, Ruby went a little crazy on Halloween. So what? It was normal to do so. It was completely normal to scare kids during the holiday. It wasn’t her fault that the youngest ones couldn’t take it and ran back to their mothers, crying. It wasn’t her fault that the others were cowards and couldn’t pass her maze of horror doom and get to the good candy.

“They were spineless,” Ruby grumbled. “You’re supposed to scare them on Halloween.” Jo sighed as they continued to carry fireworks to the porch.

“Not enough to cry,” he was using his fatherly voice. “And certainly not enough to make them avoid our home on their second run.”

“Hey, you were happy eating all the candy.” She shot back.

“That I was,” Jo grinned, letting sleeping dogs lie for once. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with my workshop.” And he bounced away with a devilish smirk. Ruby slapped her forehead, knowing that her father wasn’t up to any good.

Ruby’s suspicions were confirmed when Chili started barking like mad, running at the iron gates of their property that afternoon. She poked her head out of the window, seeing the Sheriff’s car parked out front.

“Chili! Be cool!” The girl shouted and rushed down the stairs to greet the policeman. By the time she had the door open, the Sheriff was already walking up the front steps of their porch.

“Ruby, hello,” Tom Keller greeted with a friendly smile. “Is Jo around?” He eyed the pile of fireworks on their porch with a wary look. Ruby had a feeling that she knew what this visit was about.

“He’s in the shop out back,” then, she tried to diffuse the situation. “I swear that they’re all legal.” When the Sheriff gave her a dubious look, Ruby sighed. “He does this every year. I checked all of them, God’s honest truth.”

“Where is this shop exactly?” Sheriff Keller asked. Ruby smiled, waving him over and started leading the way. Chili followed them, his new ball in his mouth, slobbering happily.

“Jo’s secret shack of wonders.” Ruby introduced in a deadpan voice when they reached the small building, similar to a garage, with closed doors and an ominous sound of metal being cut coming from inside.

“God, he hasn’t changed at all.” Sheriff Keller sighed. Then, he pounded on the door with his fist, making them shake.

“He’s worse, if my mom’s stories are anything to go by,” Ruby laughed. “I’ll leave you to it. If you’d like coffee after that, I’ll be at the house.” She tossed over her shoulder. The last thing she heard before calling Chili to come back with her was the Sheriff asking her father if he was mad. Ruby could answer that question without thinking. Yes, on the 4th of July her father was quite mad.

Ruby had texted Toni first, asking if the girl had any plans for the holiday. And, she’d gotten a quick reply, as always, saying how the purple haired Serpent was planning on setting off some fireworks down at the quarry with the guys. Regardless, Ruby invited her over if she wanted to hang out later. Toni didn’t make any promises, saying that the guys usually brought booze and stayed the night at the quarry, not being sober enough to ride until morning. For some reason, the image of Fangs, Toni and Sweet Pea drunk got Ruby giggling.

Next, the girl texted Archie and the new contact in her phone, Jughead. The former never replied, but the latter told her that he could come over if she wanted to pick him up at Pop’s, because he was on foot and the Wolfe house was on the other side of the town. Ruby readily agreed, after yelling to Jo that she was having a friend over for the evening. The man offered only a muffled agreement from his workshop, hammering stopping for a second. So, Ruby grabbed the keys to the Mustang and allowed Chili to hop into the front seat.

Entering Pop’s reminded her of all the times she’d gone there with Sweet Pea. She had to open the door herself this time, after all. The teen easily found Jughead on the far left of the small diner, sitting with his laptop open. And, instantly, her memory clicked into place.

“I remember where I know that beanie from!” Ruby exclaimed, sliding into the seat on the other side of Jughead without a proper greeting. He looked over the top of the laptop, face illuminated by the light of his screen.

“Hello to you, too,” he sarcastically remarked. “Wait, you know my beanie from somewhere?”

“Yeah, I came here with one of the guys working on our house,” Ruby chose to leave Sweet Pea’s name out of the whole mess. She’d gotten the feeling that Jughead wasn’t a big fan of the biker gang. “I remember thinking that it’s a cool beanie when I saw you sitting here.” She laughed, shaking her head.

“Oh, um,” the boy was as awkward as always. “If you say so.” He replied with a small shrug. Ruby nodded.

“Super cool,” she told him. “Dad and I were gonna get some burgers for dinner, have you already eaten?”

“Do you really need to ask me if I want food?” Jughead laughed, finally in his element.

“Silly me.” Ruby hopped up, waving off his offer to pay for dinner. She just asked him what he wanted and went to the counter to order takeaway.

That’s all for now folks!

How did you guys enjoy the premiere? I found Archie’s car totally bitchin’ and I’m a bit sad about the dog abuse (Poor Hot Dog and poor Vegas!)

Here if the taglist (still open): @enticinghell@projectcampbell@sweetscamille@xoxodege@mlvgren@this-is-the-way-it-ends @yerawizardharry99 @dinglemember

And, you can find the other chapters and my other work by visiting this Masterlist.

Let me know how you liked it!

#styomi #fanfiction #writing #riverdale #riverdale oc #riverdale aesthetic #riverdale drabble #riverdale fanfiction #sweet pea #sweet pea x oc #sweet pea oc #sweet pea drabble #sweet pea aesthetic #sweet pea fanfiction #ruby wolfe #ruby wolfe aesthetic #bansheehime #the wolfe series #flowers and gemstones

13 notes · View notes

lovenikkilibrary · 6 years

Text

the great, big popnikki contributors post

Greetings from Miraland! Love, the POPNikki Team

That’s all of us. All 30+*. This is the team that’s worked (for a lot of us daily) since May to brainstorm, draft, and bring life to this crazy vision-turned-project.

Now that we’re literally 30 days from Zine launch (and two weeks away from launching Site + our YouTube channel), I want to introduce you to everyone because POPNikki is not just the simple FanZine Project I started out asking fans to join. It’s since become a collective of like-minded creators, and don’t you think you’d like to meet all of us?

*NOTE: Our FanArt Team Co-Lead Kira is technically missing from this group shot, but she’s with us in spirit and despite a busy schedule WILL make an appearance in our Summer Zine after all! ^^ Also not pictured is Site Team’s periidote and IRL Team’s Luna-- also with us in spirit!

Team Leads

POPNikki is divided into three divisions and each has its own subdivs requiring, well, WORK. The following group of Contributors help me keep each sector running smoothly (including a Contributor named Lilly who you’ll meet in the next section!).

The Librarian: Editor-in-Chief of POPNikki Zine and the founder of this operation, I have a toe in every division if I really think about it. But my personal skillset lies in brainstorming, cheerleading, and editing, which is why I head up the FanFic Zine Team and Co-Lead FanVid with Sea. ^^ Follow my blog for LN Resources. I archive them neatly so we can find them all again later ^^

Clow: Site Team Co-Lead, Developer, and Zine Editor (read: my partner-in-crime), Clow is a great collaborator who can take a vision, no matter how messy and turn it somehow into exactly what you need + want. Clow’s creative but modern style (and way of thinking) is reflected in the Site she’s helped design (can’t wait for y’all to join and see! ^^). You’ll want to follow Clow’s blog for all sorts of LN related posts, my faves being the lovely Starry Corridor photos found from all over.

Yoko: Unfortunately Yoko is taking a break from Tumblr, but when Site opens, we’ll update with a way to reach her! Yoko is the other Site Team Co-Lead and Developer whose incredible patience and research skills have helped bring Site to fruition.

Ms. Loki: Ah, Loki... What can I say that you don’t already know? When I can’t find my head or my glasses (which often leads to me consistently uploading the wrong things), Ms. Loki is right there going above and beyond the call of IRL Team Co-Lead. Not only does she manage a group of Contributors (and I swear, most days, me!), but she also finds time to Contribute, herself! Look forward to her art and articles as she’s become a key part of our FanArt and IRL Teams. (And if you’re not already following for ALL OF THE LN THINGS... ^^ Ms. Loki is usually the OP!)

Val: FanArt Team Co-Lead Val has really had to step up this season due to an unexpected scheduling conflict. "Single-handedly” juggling a whole team of artists using a collaborative leadership style, Val has shown not only her skill as an artist but as a leader this term. Follow her art blog for a peek at her versatile art style or her personal blog to reciprocate the support she’s shown to POPNikki this Summer~

Sea: My FanVid Co-Lead and one of our three video editors, Sea is just amazing to work with. Perhaps it’s her eye for beauty (or the fact that she can find the beauty in everything), but every conversation ends in laughter and every problem finds a solution. She’s always ready to cheer our team on, so please do the same for her (and we’ll be sure to link you to her personal YouTube channel after Zine Launch!).

Dayan: IRL Team Co-Lead and Artist, Dayan’s ideas and participation have both played integral parts in the fruition of this project. Dayan almost bursts with creativity and an energy that really keeps you going. Did you know that in addition to her LN Blog, she also has another blog for her art? I’m such a fan of all our Contributors, but there’s something so lovely about Dayan’s style that I can’t help but share every post. I feel so lucky to have her on board, and y’all are lucky too because you won’t have to wait for Zine before seeing some of her work. She’s also been working on a very fun Site Feature that will meet you guys once we launch! ^^

*Kira: FanArt Team Co-Lead (and supposed to be on break for this issue, Kira did a few of the background illustrations for Zine articles I know you are going to LOVE! If you don’t follow her LN blog, you’re missing out on a wealth of .png and background resources.

Site + Social Media Contributors

Lilly: Despite a busy schedule offline this season, our Social Media Manager Lilly still managed to pull off a very special project, complete IRL and FanFic write ups, edit, and head the Social Media subdiv by some miracle over the past few months (thank you so much). Lilly’s eye for detail has been extremely valuable and so when you go to follow her LN blog, be sure to note how you’ll only be getting the good stuff over there ;) You may also get to chat with Lilly at some point if you follow us in her domain-- the POPNikki Tumblr (and soon, our other social media).

Red: Our IRL, Site, and Social Media Contributor, Red, has been such a gift to this project. In Fall, we can’t wait to show you the fun project he’s been working on, but in the meantime, look forward to his Game Guides. Are you counting down the minutes with us? Red can be found here and here on his LN specific blogs!

Royce: Royce recently joined POPNikki but has hit the ground running. Now our go-to for Site graphics, we can’t wait to hear how you like the awesome visuals Royce has whipped up! You may already know to follow his LN blog for only the best Royce RP aesthetics on the block. Blue roses to anyone who does XD (or check out his OCs RP blog)

Clark: Part of our Social Media subdiv and working on a super fun, super secret FanFic project for a future Zine edition (why yes we are thinking about Fall...), Clark’s been a supporter of this project from the get-go. Follow him for fun from a slew of different fandoms (Monster High meets LN, anyone? I’m just sayin’).

periidote: periidote is a Site Team Contributor who will be helping with Site FanPOP Features starting end of Summer/ early Fall! Follow periidote’s LN blog here and get ready for great content from her~

YouTube Contributors

Legs: My go-to video editor in a pinch (whether it’s for advice or for help or to make sense of this vision I had in a dream...), Legs always returns a product above and beyond expectations. July 18th, y’all. Be ready! And in the meantime, follow Legs, for game-related jargon (including but not limited to Love Nikki)

Haley: FanVid Team Contributor and YouTube Channel manager. Haley is always full of great ideas, but when YouTube opens, feel free to drop us comments with even more!

Brittany: FanVid Team + FanFic Team Contributor Brittany is also one who’s always brainstorming. We can’t wait for you to see her tutorials and meet her ideas in Zine when it drops this August!

LittleAvalonia: I’m very excited for what the future holds with an actress like LittleAvalonia on our team. Funny (and having fun), LittleAvalonia brings a new element to LN FanPOP that we can’t wait to share with you.

Witchy: IRL + FanVid Team Contributor, Witchy, is a gem in the POPNikki Contributor pool. Look forward to Halloween (feels so far, I know!) when we debut their sketch(es ^^) and articles. In the meantime, follow Witchy to check out their art and more.

Joltik: Our newest video editor thanks to her enthusiasm and helpfulness after our latest Open Call, Joltik is already hitting the ground running in her new role! Full of ideas and ready to work, I feel so grateful she’s joined our team! ^^ Don’t forget to give her a follow for LN related tips, tricks, and info.

twinklebear: Joining us with awesome content come Fall, twinklebear helps out where needed, particularly in Site Team and of course, here in the FanVid group. ^^

Zine Contributors:

Donsveertje: Donsveertje (known as Beetle to me) is a phenomenal artist who answered a POPNikki Open Call. Happy to help with any project when time allows (and actually working a few zines at the moment!), Beetle has great energy, ideas, and can really bring your vision to the page. The laughs are a blessed bonus. ^^

Fishbone: The more I work with Fishbone, the more I fall in love with her work. An artist who’s willing to try different things (no matter how crazy they sound) until they work, Fishbone is such a dedicated and positive team member. With like a million Tumblr accounts XD (follow them all here and here and here as well!).

ArtisticArmoury: Another Open Call gem, ArtisticArmoury has been so great to work with. Every part of the process is not only well done but also fun as we’ve been having a blast adding even more expression and visual color to the FanFic Feature he’s now a part of. Check out ArtisticArmoury’s art or personal blogs to get a sense of his work.

Inky: Also finding the time between a tight schedule, Inky has jumped into this project as an artist from an Open Call. You may recognize Inky as the artist of that awesome piece re: the doctor. But Inky has another, strictly LN blog that I hope you’re following because it is full of fun LN stuff (like important update infos but also MEMES y’all).

Zemiki: Zemiki is a Feature Artist in the POPNikki Zine Summer Issue. Already known for her great work, Zemiki’s providing several original pieces for fans to enjoy to accompany our second FanFic Feature! Get a feel for her style by following her art or personal blogs.

Astie: IRL Team Contributor Astie has an unstoppable energy that brings life and joy to the POPNikki Team. Look forward to the article Astie has prepared for y’all in Zine this Summer (while we work on finding the link to the Tumblr-- we’ll update you on Site after the launch! ^^).

Roulette: Roulette is such a hardworker for Zine I cannot. Contributing content to both IRL and FanFic Teams, Roulette writes articles and provides Spanish translations for our guides. Give her a follow! (EDITED TO UPDATE: her blog link! Here’s the best account to reach her at~)

Sophie: My writing buddy, I could honestly send all of the virtual hugs to Sophie. Working together on her FanFic Feature story has shown me both her dedication to the game and being a writer-- two of my favorite things in the whole wide world! XD We also share a love of tea (which is besides the point, but still). While you await Zine launch to get a taste of her words, check out her Tumblr and say hi to my hardworking team member (whose mind and articles are split between FanFic and IRL)~

Yasjupe: Another FanFic Team Contributor (and Feature writer), Yas is a writer whose gorgeous ideas flow into gorgeous thoughts and words on paper. I think you’ll truly enjoy the story she’s been working on. Check out her Tumblr while waiting for Zine to drop!

Megaera: After reading a fic by Meg re: Prehistory Lord, I knew she HAD to be a part of POPNikki’s FanFic Team this first issue. Megaera’s Summer Feature does not disappoint, and I count my blessings that I get to work with so many talented writers-- and read their work early, of course ;) Be sure to follow Megaera’s LN blog in the event she posts more fiction! She also has a personal blog you’re welcome to follow.

Rev: For this summer’s issue, IRL Team Rev teamed up with FanVid Team to create a sweet tutorial for you all. Honestly, you’ll be amazed, I think when Zine drops! In future, we might also see articles by this Contributor as Rev is known for helpful guides and great Starry Corridor pics! You can also check out Rev’s personal blog.

Iri: Many of you might recognize Iri for her helpful event guides and suit breakdowns on YouTube. We know her as apart of the team (and seriously, what a joy ^^)! Despite a hectic schedule, Iri has Contributed an article and exclusive interview for you guys this summer. Can you imagine what Fall will bring? If you’re already hype, subscribe to her YouTube channel to hold ya over to Aug. 1st ^^

Contributors Debuting this Fall

Jace-Darkheart: Officially part of FanFic Team as a comic writer and artist, we hope you’ll get to see Darkheart’s work come Fall!

Ile: Though scheduling conflicts mean you won’t be seeing our Artist, Ile’s work this Summer, we hope you can find some in Zine this Fall!

Luna: Though scheduling conflicts mean you won’t be seeing IRL Team Contributor Luna’s work in Zine this Summer, we hope you’ll be able to see her fun article on Site or in Zine by Fall!

Our Team is huge so following everyone might seem like A LOT. But don’t forget that you can follow @popnikkiofficial on Tumblr now to ask questions about the project and officially become part of the POPNikki Community here on Tumblr. In all honesty, y’all already are part of that Community, and I mean, so are we! So if you can’t follow all, here’s the best one! We’ll see your lovely comments and someone will be checking the POPNikki Ask box later this week to answer questions. (And, I mean, I’m always down to fangirl about this project lol!)

To all of the Contributors on this list (and to come), thank you all so much for making this thing happen. ^^

#love nikki #love nikki dress up queen #popnikki #the librarian is grateful #thanks y'all #secret project

78 notes · View notes

ff7central · 6 years

Text

Creator Spotlight: Kizunatsudoishi

Miri here, with the next entry in our Creator Spotlight series. This time the random number generator has summoned artist Kizunatsudoishi (Kizu). ( http://Kizunatsudoishi.tumblr.com )

Want to be on a future spotlight? Sign up on the FF7Central directory to get in on the list: https://goo.gl/forms/u0h5rJXmgv40zX9m2

Miri: Which of your works is the most memorable to you? I don’t necessarily mean favourite or best work, it could be the work that taught you the most making it or that holds a special reason in its creation.

Kizu: Hm, for some reason the sleeping elves!Sefikura popped up in my head. It was certainly one of those that took me weeks to finish. I learned so much about coloring doing that piece. Seph's thighs were thickened with layers of white and purplish white and blueish white and orangeish white because I couldn't get the pale tone right. I even beat myself over it for days. Thank god it turned out... not so bad...?

Miri: Comments on the reblog, or in the tags. Do you have a preference?

Kizu: Comments ANYWHERE. But anyway, from what I've seen, people are less likely to comment on the reblog because they feel like it's rude or something, but if you feel like that, please comment all the craziest thing and reactions in the tags. UwU I dare speak for all of the creators out there that WE LOVE COMMENTS. Especially the squeally over the top ones.

Miri: Who is your favourite character from the FFVII setting? What do you love about them?

Kizu: Aside from the obvious choices (the blond angry smol and the silver-haired mean assholery tol), in terms of characterization (and in-game stat), Cid Highwind is my lowkey favorite. Those moments featuring Cid Highwind is either hilarious or super inspirational. His speeches about his dream, the power of mankind and science, the planet Gaia, the goddamn tea... gosh. Cid Highwind gives the most powerful speeches and the most hilarious profanities.

Miri: Favourite media to work in?

Kizu: I actually have a love hate relationship with it but, pencil and paper.

Miri: Inquiring minds have asked if you have any tips for dealing with art block/slump.

Kizu: Hmmmm. Maybe... try to brainstorm exactly how you want to draw the thing. Come up with keywords that you can search by (aka finding references). Read/watch something visual and may inspire you to draw the thing since references can pop up in those visual media.

If nothing of the above works, force your stupid hand to at least draw *something* (Like, if you draw something that would involve a human, sketch their head first with a circle, and try to expand the face, where the face is facing towards, then expand pose from there with skeletal-ish pose.) If you don't know how poses work then feel free to look it up. At least, learn how to *sketch* poses with stick figures since that will save you from so much pain.

You can also listen to music that put you in certain moods.

Miri: Is there a character/idea you haven’t gotten to yet that you really want to do?

Kizu: I suppose most of the stuff I had always want to doodle *cough* frillysmexykinkydressesandflowyconcubineoutfitsandfancyhairdosforCloud *cough* I have done... to some extent. There's so much more Emperoth x Cloudcubine thing I want to do though... :Q_ I-I have this... constant need of putting Cloud in dresses. He just... looks too gorgeous in dresses. Mmm, Cloud in dresses...

Come to think of it, I kinda want to try doodling something fluffy or... school life-ish too...?

Miri: Any remake thoughts or hopes you’d like to talk about?

Kizu: 1. Have a section of land that looking towards Midgar that can trigger a flashback cutscene of Zack's final stand... and maybe his yellow flower...

2. Keep the W-Item glitch ;D

3. Explorable Midgar, maybe SOLDIER private quarters with snippets of the SOLDIER boys...?

4. Keep Cloud riding a dolphin. And the CPR part.

5. A dressing up montage of Miss Cloud with pink background and hearts flying while everyone ogles "her". (A thing that ACTUALLY HAPPENS in FFRK so I'm looking at you Squeenix you WILL give us a Miss Cloud dressing up montage).

6. We get to Omnislash """Executioner""" (a synonym for half naked) Sephiroth with Miss Cloud. In a purple dress. With a big bow. Wearing perfume. And diamond tiara. Yeap The Great Sephiroth was defeated by all of *that*.

7. Kinda overlap with the above but... maybe an attire option like we can change the party member's clothing (much like FF15). We can have a bunch of Shinra infantrymen and sailors running around in dirt.

8. Steve Burton and Takahiro Sakurai saying "Warrrk!!". If Lightning can say "Kweh" then of course Cloud has to be a chocobo whisperer.

9. After seeing the giant ass Diamond Weapon in Kingsglaives... I actually look forward to the Weapon boss fights.

Miri: Throw a headcanon at us that you’d like to see more of.

Kizu: I don't know... most of the headcanons I enjoy are all from you guys, like Sephiroth being a Scorpio, or he being the one breaking Ifalna and smol Aerith out of Shinra back then, or Cloud being a little shit... Usually I would think more about AUs. If it's an AU then I'd like to see more school life AUs. Listening to Bolbbalgan4 songs makes me think of a Cloud doodling stick figures on Seph's notebook in the library and they're playing footsies under the table ughf.

Miri: Favourite party idea when playing FFVII? They don’t have to actually work, so much as you like the idea of them together as a fighting party.

Kizu: I usually go for the OP team or the most practical so... Cloud Aerith Cid in disc 1 (I usually have Cloud as the healer/tank/everything else XD Aerith as main magic damage bc she is stronk with spells, and Cid). After that the team is Cloud Yuffie and Cid because of Yuffie's morph ability and her agility is stupid. Nothing can hit Yuffie... ever.

Miri: Do you have a favourite/easiest character to draw? Or a character you tend to draw when you need some comforting/relaxing art time?

Kizu: CLOUD.

Drawing Sephiroth, albeit very satisfying for the eyes, is a great burden. That ridiculous man has a too high standard for his face alone. And then there comes that stupid, geographically mountainous plane of a body, and his 84 miles of legs. Not to mention that unbelievable luscious hair. And don't make me rant on those *eyelashes* that stabs through the fabric of space and time itself.

Miri: Are you open for commissions right now? Drop your link.

Kizu: Well guess what, I AM. Poof: http://kizunatsudoishi.tumblr.com/post/161768170836/3-commission-open-%CE%B5

Miri: Anything you’d like to say to the community?

Kizu: I used to be in a too active fandom and it was a nightmare. I used to be in a dead fandom and it was so sad. But then... this FF7 fandom is by some magical blessings, is still an alive submarine after all these years. I know some may have been sour grapes to some other, but the people I found in my little trash can corner, I can say that you guys are one of the greatest creators and people I've ever met. You guys... are the best. UmU

Miri: Here’s a few pieces picked out with some help from friends) to share with everyone

Sefikura Ballet: http://kizunatsudoishi.tumblr.com/post/177615867741/ballet-dancerssefikura-performing-swan-lake

Sefikura: http://kizunatsudoishi.tumblr.com/post/172478852401/art-based-on-asreoninfusions-whiskey-kisses

Sefikura Week Art for a fic by RadiusZero: http://kizunatsudoishi.tumblr.com/post/170107270506/sefikura-week-day-1-showing-up-unexpectedly

NSFW Cloud for a fic by AsreonInfusion: http://kizunatsudoishi.tumblr.com/post/161495409636/oviposition-tentacles-au-this-is-based-on (NSFW)

NSFW Sephiroth Images: http://kizunatsudoishi.tumblr.com/post/165607580006/sephiroth-in-chain-lingerie-commission-for-anon (NSFW)

http://kizunatsudoishi.tumblr.com/post/165966347761/another-kinky-ukeroth-in-chain-lingerie-for-anon-u (NSFW)

http://kizunatsudoishi.tumblr.com/post/166560946871/ukeroth-commission-for-anon-xd-this-time-i-went (NSFW)

http://kizunatsudoishi.tumblr.com/post/167444208926/ukeroth-commission-for-anon-this-time-with-lace (NSFW)

And my personal pick, my Christmas card for my discord group (This one IS safe for work): http://kizunatsudoishi.tumblr.com/post/167932312851/a-merry-asgzc-christmas-for-asylos-and-the-folks

#creator spotlight #kizunatsudoishi #fanart #community

2 notes · View notes

rockmiyabideusexmachina · 6 years

Text

2018 Megaman Valentine’s Day Contest Rules and Info! *CLOSED*

How do I follow up a 10th Anniversary contest blowout that had tons of prizes? I really can’t, can I? Especially in terms of the sheer amount of winners. So, things will be a little less flashy with this year’s contest, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a few surprises in store, either!

Here is the rundown for this year’s contest:

PRIZES:

It’s the usual get-what-you want option for the top 3 artists in each category. If you prefer a cash prize through Paypal, that’s always the easiest and quickest option to get your reward.

As always though, I will be flexible and work with the winners to purchase Megaman-related prizes, if there’s something you’ve really had your eye on and would like ordered. Be it a 4-inch Nel, Nendoroid, Megamix manga, or some other trinket, if I can find it within your prize price range and order it to be shipped straight to you, I will do all I can to make it happen!

The winners for both the Talent and Humor categories will receive the following:

1st Place: $100 USD or an item(s) up to that value.

2nd Place: $50 USD or an item(s) up to that value.

3rd Place: $25 USD or an item(s) up to that value.

RULES:

Two categories, in which you are allowed to submit one entry for each category, if you would like. If you place in one category, you will be automatically disqualified from the other, for reasons of fairness, and to give other people a chance to win a prize.

CATEGORY 1: If You Like It, You Should Put a Ring Boomerang On It (Talent)

Content Requirements:

* A romantically simple, or extravagantly over-the-top proposal scene between the Megaman characters of your choice

When thinking of a more romantic, but creative Valentine’s concept I haven’t really done yet, about the only thing off the top of my head was that of a proposal. While there aren’t a ton of actual married couples or even canon romantic relationships in the Megaman Universe, I think it still is a concept that will produce a lot of variety and unique ideas!

As always, you have creative freedom as to how you want to approach this theme. Perhaps you want to draw a nervous character picking out some bling at Ms. Millions’ jewelry shop. Maybe the proposal involves a fusion of Jewel Man and Ring Man surprising the fiancée-to-be. Want to draw a proposal fail? Make it on the jumbotron of Strike Man’s stage, and she’ll probably be too embarrassed to say, ‘Yes!’ Wedding proposal not your thing? You’re fine to make it something like a prom proposal even, if you’d like.

As the talent category, judging for this theme will focus on the technical skills of your piece. Just as guys throughout history have had to brainstorm the most creative and surefire way to get her to say, ‘Yes!,’ your goal for this category is to create a unique and outstandingly well-drawn proposal scene to get me to say, “You win!”

CATEGORY 2: Beauty and the Beastman.EXE (Humor)

Content Requirements:

* Awwwwww…Beast Out! At least one Megaman character turned into a monsterous, beastly form. But looks are deceiving, and there’s a curse that needs to be broken.

* A beautiful character who hopefully has learned to love this other character shunned by society…or maybe not.

* Other various Megaman characters cursed into the form of household items or a handsome, vain, muscular suitor who can’t read books are purely optional.

Tale as old as Time~Man, claws like Greiga Rock~man, Beauty and the Beast…man.

Yeah, song with great rhyme, that is not. XD

In the EXE series, we had a gimmick in EXE 6 known as ‘Beast Out,’ where Rockman took on a more animalistic form, either that of the Cybeast Greiga or Falzer. In the anime, this concept was utilized on other characters, giving us beastly “Zoanoroid” versions of classic Navis. So there has been some precedent of turning Megaman characters into beastly monsters.

So, let’s combine that idea with a popular fairy tale/Disney classic! Your goal for this category is to create a hilarious scene with a mismatched couple of a beautiful Megaman character and the less-attractive, beast form of another character of your choice. You are welcome to draw something alluding to your favorite part of the original tale or any of the numerous versions based off of it. You certainly can just use Beastman.EXE as the title alludes to, but you don’t have to. You can get creative and make a beastly form of whatever character you’d like.

For this category, show me how beauty is only skin-deep, in the funniest way possible!

PARTICIPATION PRIZE RAFFLE:

Back once again, with much less sadly, I am going to give away 3 rare participation prizes. There is not a separate wildcard category this year. In order to be eligible for the participation prizes, all you need to do is enter a pic for either the Talent or Humor category!

Like last year, if there is a prize here you are NOT interested in, please note that when you send in your submission(s) to me. Otherwise, you will be automatically entered in the raffle for a chance at each of these 3 items.

If you draw a pic for both the humor and the talent categories, you can double your chances to win! (Odds of course, depending on how many others enter and also draw two pics.) You will be able to add your name into the drawing a second time for just 1 of these prizes.

So, what are these raffle prizes? I’m sticking with the art theme, so you could come away with any of these special, historic pieces of Megaman art!

Raffle Prize #1 – Rockman 8 Anime Mid-Game Cutscene Cel (with Genga)

Yes, you are seeing that right. Just for drawing, you could come away with this cel from the mid-game cutscene, where, Rock runs out of Dr. Light’s lab after being told that if he ‘fwinds dat meatey-oar, we’wll fwind Doctah Whywee.” Yes, you can have a piece of that scene!! As you can see in these samples, the cel is not stuck, so you can proudly display each piece separately if you prefer!

It’s this scene, only not covered by the lab wall. Probably the first time we’ve seen this art fully unobstructed!

Raffle Prize #2 – Archie Comics Worlds Unite Inked page (Sonic Universe #77, Page 8)

Inked and signed by Gary Martin, this page showcases that rare brotherly interaction between X and Rock, with the sneering, evil trio of Wily, Robotnik and Xander Payne all behind bars immediately after they portal-escaped from Sigma’s grasp. Although their sentence only lasted like a page, before X let them out…

Raffle Prize #3 – Captain N Robot Master Height Chart

Ugly and poorly constructed? Yes! But that’s what’s so great about Captain N production art. From season 2, here are 3 of the 7 MM2 Robot Masters used in Episode 5, The Big Game: Wood Man, Heat Man and Quick Man. Why are they taped on like that? Apparently, when making these height chart references, the animators just reused other height charts as a base. So underneath these 3, you’ll find the original height chart for the people of Kongoland, a Smurfy-blue-bodied-Thundercat hybrid tribe of Donkey Kong worshippers. Yep, that’s a real sentence I just typed.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

When you submit, I would prefer you to include the following information in this format, along with your entry:

(Your name/preferred alias) – As much as I usually know who you are, there’s always someone new or somebody who has a different preference from what their email name says.

(Category this entry is for) – You can either say 1 or 2, or Talent/Humor·

(Participation Prize Eligibility) – Just write “All” if you are interested in the chance to win anything. Write: “Exclude from #__” if you do not have interest in winning a particular participation prize.

In the event you are submitting your second entry, please specify which prize # you would like your bonus chance in the raffle to be put towards.

Only submit your own work, as usual. Any character, major or minor, from any series is allowed. Pairing characters from different series is totally allowed. Same-gender pairings are completely fine.

As always, participants are allowed to submit from all over the world. It’s easier for me to get prizes to US entrants, because international shipping is complicated and pricey, but I’ll do what I can for you guys who aren’t in the States.

Paypal is still the preferred method for cash prize payouts. Please have a valid account to receive your winnings.

Youngin's, get your parents permission before entering.

Entries do not need to be colored, but it is preferred. The more effort put into things as always, the better chance you have!

Entries can either be e-mailed to me at rock2125[at]hotmail[dot]com, or you can just PM/note me a link to your pic.

DO NOT post your pics in this journal, your dA galleries, tumblr blogs, other sites, etc. until the contest is over. This is the fairest way for competitive reasons. I prefer to keep them all secret until the deadline has passed.

I'll edit a confirmed entry list in this thread when I receive them. So you won't be in the dark about whether or not I've received your entry.

DEADLINE:

The deadline for this contest will be Monday, February 12th, 2018 by 11:59PM CST. This gives you a little more than 5 weeks to finish your entry!

MISCELLANEOUS INFO:

As usual, If you don't plan to enter, but would like to help me judge, please let me know through DM or mention so here. Never hurts to have extra opinions on all the entries.

Bug me with questions if you have any. Please join in, and good luck to everyone who enters!

Heed the Heel Navi’s message...

Confirmed Entries:

Category 1 (Talent): @borockman, @pandapanic0, @drewblossom, @wintesm, @hyperbole1729, @jb-artist, @digitallyfanged, @tianura, @lightlabs, @peach35, @iris-sempi, superbasket5, @shikai-the-storyteller, @yugiohlesbian

Category 2 (Humor): @frankenchio, @erekisaiko, @drewblossom, @prar-draws, @amiable-apparition, dark-dullahan,

#Rockman #Megaman #Mega Man #Rock Miyabi's 2018 Megaman Valentine's Day Contest

82 notes · View notes

hothoovesgaming · 6 years

Text

Developer Update #2

DISCLAIMER: Hot Hooves Gaming is an indie game developer with no ties to Hasbro or any of its properties. We don’t own any of the characters featured therein, save for the individual Original Character (OC) who has been created for this non-profit fan-made game project.

Welcome everyone to Hot Hooves Gaming’s second developer update for our My Little Pony Visual Novel Project. It’s been a crazy March for HHG, what with our “Spring Heat” event taking place during our Spring Break (probably not your Spring Break XD), and a lot of story to progress with alongside some more character portraits that have increased the cast of characters to nearly overwhelming numbers. No time for April Fool’s jokes here, so we’ll be diving straight into the update.

Let’s put a number on the project’s progress bar: 7%

Script

The main arcs that we worked on in March were the romance arcs for Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. As far as the story goes, our main character Dusk and Twilight have gathered the Mane 6 and traveled to Canterlot to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Their search for answers took the group to the Canterlot Library, but with no clues and no leads to clear up the mysteries of the Crystal Crisis, everypony returns to Ponyville to do their own thing.

Twilight’s side story has presented a unique problem that’s stumped our writers and for good reason: we don’t know how to rhyme. XD Hahaha, as silly as that is - it’s an excruciating issue when you are attempting to write for Zecora the Zebra and one finds that it is impossible to rhyme words like a pro. Her lines have been written as if she is speaking normally, but at some point, we will have to come back and address this issue.

Surprisingly enough, Pinkie Pie’s story worked like a charm from beginning to end with no hiccups. Character development for the Pie family is on full display in this romance arc, and we are very excited to continue the second half of her story later.

Fluttershy’s story underwent a couple of rewrites, beginning in the brainstorming phase. Not only is the final draft different from the original brainstorm, but we actually started writing a completely different story (according to our best synopsis), but it was way too convoluted and confusing! During a time when were already progressing very slowly, we made the hard decision to scrap the chapter altogether and start over. This gave us a chance to come up with a different story that took away a major element we were trying to push from the start: Flutterbat. I guess we’ll have to give that another shot later if we want to include them in the story at all. Sorry ya’ll. However, we feel that the final draft for Fluttershy’s romance arc will not disappoint, and it is actually super duper sweet. Wait till you see it. >_O

With April coming into full swing soon, we have been reviewing where the story is heading now that we are going to the Crystal Empire. When we return to Ponyville, Dusk will be able to engage with Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash in the first half of their respective romance arcs.

Art

Some of our greatest efforts in the form of art has come in the form of a special set of pictures called “Spring Heat”. The challenge we had for our artist was to draw at least two pony fan art pieces every day during Spring Break. One picture would be a pony engaging in some SFW activity with a Spring theme attached to it. The second picture would be the same pony in a more unconventional NSFW situation O////O Oh my! The challenge was a success, with 12 pictures being produced over six days. Featured here are some of the SFW pics that are color sketched and ready to continue onto the coloring phase before completion.

These will be the first pieces of official fan art produced for public consumption by our artist at HHG, and if ya’ll could see what his first attempt at fan art was a few months ago… ~CRRRIIIIINNNNGGGEEE~ We try not to think of it.

This art pack will be posted once all of the pictures are completed with one set for the SFW pics and one set for the NSFW pics.

The cast of characters for the game has gone up by a few mares (and perhaps one or two stallions) thanks to the romance arcs that are being written along the way. Future additions may include Flim and Flam, Photo Finish, Vinyl Scratch, and Octavia. Featured below are a couple of new supporting characters who will be joining the story for the Mane Six’s romance arcs.

Programming

This is the area that has seen the least progress recently, and it’s thanks to the work that we have already completed up to this point. We already have a prototype menu for the pre-alpha version of the game, along with a message box, and in-game menus for the load game screen, the save game screen, the backlog, etc. HHG has other obligations that keep us from dedicating our time exclusively to the MLP VN project, so we do our best to progress a little bit in each field at a time. Preparing the script and assets for TyranoBuilder to use in the future takes priority over working on any builds of the game.

We’ll be doing our best to produce a proof of concept in the coming weeks in order to better showcase how the game is going to work and what features it will have such as the in-depth story, branching dialogue paths, and dramatic CG scenes.

We’re hoping to focus on one very important thing in particular this coming month and that is the SCRIPT. It is through the completion of the script that we will be able to identify all of the characters who need base character portraits; and with all of the major events and scenarios mapped out, we will be able to better plan for the CG scenes that will need to be drawn out.

Completing the script will also allow us to enter the Script Review/Editing Phase to examine dialogue and plot consistency through the entire main campaign. Allow us to emphasize this one more time in case our readers may be unaware: the My Little Pony Visual Novel Project is a narrative story centric dialogue-based character driven visual novel experience. Probably the most extensive of its kind, and we here at HHG are dedicated to bringing the fandom an experience that they will not soon forget.

Thank you everyone for coming to see our Developer Update for April. It is thanks to the inspiration of this series and its passionate fanbase that we are able to continue doing what we do best - creating deep stories and visual spectacles our audience can look back on with excitement and a thirst for more.

See ya’ll in the next post. And remember -

A crisis is coming…

#hothoogesgaming #twilightsparkle #starlightglimmer #developerupdate #springheat #indiedeveloper #mylittlepony #visual novel #narrative #fanfiction #applejack #rara #coloratura

3 notes · View notes

makesureee · 7 years

Note

1-30 ty~

omg no thank yOU ogm ur so swe e t im sorry if i’m not able to answer all of them cause my memory is an actual pile of shit and my favourite songs are constantly changing but so HERE SO WE GO

*viewer discretion is advised because this user is annoying as shit on adderall*

1. what album do you feel best describes your mood?at the moment, i am like, OBSESSED with the album “my bad” by Good Dog. like. i relate to EVERY. WORD. EVERY. SONG. in that album. i just. i cant cant cant nope.

2. if your name had to be a song title which song would it be?“Oh.” ~courtesy of Good Dog

3. what is your go to sad song when you need to cry?i don’t have a go-to sad song. i don’t cry that much anymore either. like, my pain is like, background noise that bubbles to the surface for a second (and on the rare occasion explodes) but usually like literally 2 seconds later im like im good whats up lol. as far as the last song i had a good ass cry to…..i think it might have been A Song For the Late Night People by Kate Micucci. literally not sure tho

4. what band would you want as the rest of your superhero team?the FUKIN FRONT BOTTOMS

5. if you had to live in the world of an album which one would it be and why?i think this question is asking which one album i would want to listen to for the rest of my life? to that, my answer is, fuck you my good sir(in middle school and freshman year of high school my ipod had one album on it. one. on repeat. for years. i literally knew the SHUFFLE by heart that shit was miserable and i do not want to listen to those songs anymore)

6. what song best describes the person you think your soulmate would be?i don’t believe in soul mates, but as far as a compatible partner goes (based off of my most recent song obsessions) i would choose Scarred Pinkies by Walter Mitty and His Makeshift Orchestra. i’ll just drop a few lines riiiiiight here damn this post is gonna be long.“Ah, here lies all hope of being normal, all chance of an epic fate,bussing tables in Lake Tahoe, eating scraps off stranger’s plates.Ah won’t you cure me? Take me to your bug out location off the grid.I’ll tell you how I scarred my pinkies,and we’ll await Armageddon,or take a long nap.Then teach me to write well,and clean my lungs.Watch the love of my life sewing dresses on fireflies.Go and get me some real drugs to paint my blood,All while the thighs of women have lost their church,and the hands of men are shaking in the search.”“straight to hell, might as well clock out now and rail that cinnamon.”“The cops knocked, someone soon might let them in.They’ll find our strawberry cough. They’ll find the secret voice that shepherds towards the droughts in our thoughts until it snows, listen i know you know this,i’m losing it.”sry i posted like, all the lines in the song i relate to in regards of a romantic partner. but basically, in this moment i want a girlfriend i can do a lot of drugs with and shit (permitting they’re not into harder shit than i am), but i have so many problems with drugs that i’d also want that person to help me but also no. idk. in the long term i’d like someone who can help me heal from this shit but in the short term, i want to experience the romance of doing drugs with someone because i haven’t experienced much of life at all

7. create a poem out of song titles.far away, aimless, (johnny goth/johnny goth)i have no idea what is going on. (sweatertooth)the kids on the bus with their heads against the windows, (movies)straight kids playing dress up, (the official suckers)and a body washed ashore. (johnny goth)face down, share the blame. (sweatertooth/the official suckers)no choice. (major persuit)fine, thanks. (walter mitty and his makeshift orchestra)wow that one was depressing and political lolol i just went with the flow

8. which album art would you get tattooed?a question i dont have to write a paragraph for cause i already know the answer!!! the knife on the front bottoms album cover for talon of the hawk. i don’t want it to be my first tat tho. still brainstorming.

9. is there a song that you feel could have been written about you?BRUH I JUST CAME ACROSS A WHOLE ALBUM WRITTEN ABOUT ME SHIT. well, obviously it wasn’t written about me but i relate to e v e r y word fukin hELL. again it’s “my bad” by Good Dog. but i think the song i relate to the most off that album is “Oh.”

10. if you could only speak in the song lyrics of one artist who would it be?walter mitty and his makeshift orchestra. his new album is one i also hella relate to. my previous obsession before Good Dog came out with their new album XD

11. if you could have your favorite artist sing one of their songs to you which song would it be?well this one is just impossible. my favorite artist changes and my favorite song changes like every week like fuck

12. describe where you want to be in ten years with a song title.booger storm by walter mittynah jk how bout Set Phasers To Fun; Alarm Clocks To One by sweatertooth. you know they only have one album but it’s chill af

13. which song would be the national anthem of your country if you ruled one?attention class….please stand for the pledge of allegiance…….. COLT 45, 2 ZIG ZAGS, BABY THAT’S ALL WE NEED.WE CAN GO TO THE PARK AFTER DARK, SMOKE THAT TUMBLE WEED,AND AS THE MARIJUANA BURN WE CAN TAKE OUR TURN SINGIN THEM DIRTY RAP SONGS.STOP AND HIT THE BONG LIKE CHEECH AND CHONGAND SELL TAPES FROM HERE TO HONG KONG.SO ROLL, ROLL, ROLL MA JOINT. PICK OUT THE SEEDS AND STEMS!WE’RE HIGH AS HELL FLYIN THRU PALMDALE SKATIN ON DAYTON RIMS

14. what is your go to happy song when you need to feel betteri never really go to songs to feel better but kimya dawson is really comforting. she’s like, my song mom. her music is like a warm hug until you get sad cause you’re alone and all your problems are still there

15. is there an album that feels like a friend to you?yeah actually. Hard To Be Around by Lovers Turn To Monsters

16. what is the album that you always blast too loud?usually all but ESP my drinking album XDD it’s called Too by FIDLAR. i dEF recommend a listen next time ur drinkin

17. which album do you always listen to with headphones?i don’t use headphones in my house unless i’m so upset and relating to the music so hard that it needs to be as loud as possible. which again, most recently, has been “my bad” by Good Dog

18. what song are you unable to resist dancing to?none of them. i do not dance, have never danced, and will never dance

19. what song do you always have to sing along to?every song i know the lyrics to. im a singer. i cant…not….sing….

20. what song do feel would be a beautiful painting?if i knew i woulda goddamn painted it XD i actually used to think that way about a specific old instrumental pink floyd song once but i can’t remember which one

21. what album do you wish you could unhear and discover again?all of them!!!!! i love them so much but when i relate to music so hard i can’t stop listening to it and then its mundane and i have to go bandcamp hunting again

22. which album do you want to be the soundtrack to your life?i don’t rly listen to positive music but as far as my life is going right now i’d say the soundtrack is Well Soon by Walter Mitty and his Makeshift Orchestra

23. which band would you want to be your family?i can’t answer that because i do not know any of them personally XD

24. what song do you think of in association with beauty?what

25. what song do you think of in association with pain?like???? all of them???? i suck ????

26. what lyrics do you feel were written especially for you.none specifically FOR me. i’m the writer :p i can write songs about/for people and i’m kinda jealous that i’m not on the other end cause idk who the fUCK i am. but as far as lyrics i’ve found that are mE on the dot:“I’m an artist. No, I fake it. I repeat myself all day.I tell the same sad storiesin the same pathetic way.When I’m sober I am boring, when I’m drunk I talk too much,When I’m stoned I finally like myself. I shouldn’t just becauseI’m a filthy fucking liar. I think I’m nice when I am not,And I only feel like I can talk when I am smoking pot.”“Oh.” by Good Dog

27. what lyrics do you want to doodle on every piece of paper?none that sounds boring

28. what music do you listen to at 3 am?the same music i listen to all throughout the day because i get fixated on music i relate to

29. pick three albums to take with you into the afterlife.none because the afterlife doesn’t exist fools get wit tha program

30. what is music to you in one word?music

like, do you even read this? like homie it’s so long i feel like i get charity asks but like, I DON’T MIND I LOVE ASKS but holy fuck i’m annoying and i would stop being so specific and rambley if people just told me to shut up

#finally finished!!!!!#that took forever!!!!#but the adderall kicked in and im bored and asks make me happy and thank you #i feel like i got one homie out there that just sends me all tha asks #u gr8 #<3 #anon #anonymous #answered #good dog #lavapocalypse

1 note · View note