OKAY BABE HERE ARE SOME UNHINGED ASKS. Starling. Tell me about it. Is there a scene that shines like the starling's wing?

THIS FIC IS MY BABY. this is my "Steph goes through some stuff and takes on a new mantle outside of anyone else's legacy including her own" fic. this is my darling (hah — starling? darling? hehe) my beloved it touches on Steph's relationships with every other member of the fam and one of my favorite things is Steph and Damian, so —

Steph didn't do sleepovers much as a kid. Most of her school friends lived in the same poor area she did and they often had shitty family situations and so- sleepovers, or getting together at people's homes, wasn't really a thing. The few times Stephanie had spent the night at someone else's place, though, she found that she was usually the first person awake.

She's not a tremendous night owl, is the thing — oh, she handles nightlife just fine, working through the night as Spoiler-Robin-Batgirl, but in her own free time? She prefers getting up early to staying up late, the opposite of both Tim and Cass. So even when she stays up late into the night, like last night sleeping over with Cass, she tends to get up early.

Which is why she's now alone in the kitchen at the Manor, hunting around for something to snack on while she tries to define herself in a visual way — aka, Pinterest boarding for new costume and/or identity ideas. Her dad is dead, so Spoiler is a thing of the past. Robin was... never meant to last, not for her. And the Batgirl mantle has never sat right on her shoulders. It's a question of what she wants to convey, visually speaking, as much as it is a question of who she is. She pulls a box of trail mix bars from a cabinet and picks through to find a yogurt-dipped one before retreating to a sitting room at the outside edge of the house.

There's sunlight here, streaming in brightly through the tall filigreed windows onto plush velvet seating and soft cream colored carpet that her feet sink into almost like sand. Steph sits down in one of the chairs and pulls the tablet from underneath her arm, tapping in her security code before pausing to open her granola bar. She loses herself in the unusually mindful scroll for a while, idly enjoying the quiet stillness of the huge house before anyone else is up. If mornings here are like this, she thinks she might need to stay over more.

She lifts her head from the thumbnails of violet fabrics and combat boots to stare out one of the windows. It looks out on the garden, filled with light and growth. This room must not be used as much as others, because there's a thin layer of constantly-moving dust in the air, shimmering in the clear beams of morning light.

There's a sound of movement at the entrance to the room and Steph jolts from her reverie to see Damian standing there, arms crossed over a Nightwing-themed t-shirt and cardigan she's pretty sure was stolen from Tim's closet. "'Morning, little bat," she greets cheerfully. Usually, Dami moves silently, even on the creakiest of floors; he must either have meant to alert her to his presence, or else is far more at ease than normal.

"I didn't realize anyone else was awake yet," Damian says, confirming the latter of Steph's suspicions. "Good morning, Stephanie." He looks quizzically at her, then at the tablet in her lap. "What are you working on?"

Steph gestures him over. "Trying to figure out where I'm going next. I can't go back to Batgirl," she says. "I need to try something new." A fresh start, she thinks, and if anyone can understand that, it's Damian. It shows on his face, too, the childish enthusiasm he so rarely shows lighting up in his eyes as he glances over her screen, scattered ideas and plans laid out across it.

"Yes, I knew you were exploring new options in your vigilante career," he says, then fixes her with an intense, almost excited look that makes her want a camera, because Damian looks his age and she thinks it's precious. "Do you know European starlings?" He asks.

"Can't say I know any personally, no," Steph says, probably too deadpan considering that Damian is an animal-loving little nerd who might actually have made friends with the birds in question. "But yeah, the crazy little guys that fly in huge flocks. They're everywhere."

Damian nods, ignoring her joke. He reaches for her tablet, pauses to look to her for permission. "Be my guest," she says, scooting over in the huge chair. "Come on, plenty of space. Your artistic eye might help," she adds, watching him quietly preen as he moves to sit beside her.

Dami taps at the search bar on the screen, pulling up a series of pictures showing small birds that look like they've been painted by someone practicing their pointillism. "European starlings are known for flying in murmurations," he explains, "But even on their own they're quite striking." He turns the screen toward her, zooms in on the picture of a bird, seemingly-gold-tipped feathers fluffed out to show a film of shimmering jewel tone colors lighting up the black plumage. It looks, primarily, purple, with holographic blues and greens swirled in.

Steph stares at the picture, then at Damian. "That's a real bird," she says doubtfully. "Not computer generated or retouched?"

Damian nods sagely. "Look," he says, scrolling past countless more pictures of birds with the same color scheme, understated-yet-bright jewel tones, tipped with lighter spots at the edges. Steph can feel her face lighting up as she considers the possibilities of shimmering through the night.

"Dami," she says, grinning, "You might be a genius."

"Well, of course," he says haughtily in reply, but falters. "I could... draft some suit designs, if you like," he offers, a touch tentative.

Steph ruffles his hair. "I would love that."

This movie is very important to me <3 so I thought I'd do a spread of my fav character, Bruno!

bro 👁👁 if u wanna talk more abt jodi and her parenting i would LOVE to hear it :D honestly you worded it much better than i could asdmsbf ty!!

THANK U SO MUCH IVE BEEN DYING TO TALK ABOUT THIS FOR A HOT MINUTE ok im gonna bleed this in with some of MY headcanons personally and some of the canon dialogue!! i’ll bold my headcanons so its easier to differentiate what im talkin about bopbop also this is SO long im sorry

also this makes it seem like i don’t like jodi i do!! (thats my mom in law hehe) but like... just some of the stuff she says points to deeper insecurity issues. 

so in short: this is kind of a jodi analysis.

it’s def touched upon by multiple people that she doesn’t seem happy (her dialogue is full of ‘i wants’ and ‘i wishes) but i do think that’s not entirely the case, it’s just a classic mother thing to feel sort of (lack of a better word) trapped into motherhood and her responsibilities. and i def think kent being away probably worsened that.

with kent being away she was pretty much a single mother, and as seen in sam’s canon character, he has to do a lot to make up for kent’s absence... financially and emotionally, for both her and vince. vince needs a positive male figure to look up to to inspire him to be the best he can be, and jodi needs stability and help with her own responsibilities. sam tries to fulfill all of that and even some of his marriage dialogue (and his three heart event) it definitely puts stress on him.

so, sam tries his best! but in some dialogue and sam’s heart events you can see she still gets on him for things that makes him like :/ she still views him as a child occasionally despite being a full adult who is also sorta-parenting vincent, acting as some sort of doing-good role model for him, and i believeeee he says he tries to be his best specifically for vincent’s growth.

jodi still treats vincent like a child, but she still treats him better than she treats sam often. which kinda ties into the point i made about sam being the trial/error kid. i’ve headcanoned and i’ve seen others also say that kent and jodi got married straight out of high school. u kno typical military stuff. this also kind of explains her sort of ‘trapped feeling’ dialogue since it seems like she didn’t get much time to explore the world or maybe even explore herself as an individual. caroline likes gardening, marnie loves animals to death, and robin knows woodworking/a trade but jodi... just has regular ‘housewife’ things like cooking and cleaning.

^ like this doesn’t sound like someone who had a CHOICE in what her life has turned out to be. and i think sam got the BRUNT of that.

and here ^ she’s kind of immature in some of her dialogue, esp since (like u said in ur post!!) that sam caught on to it and has reacted negatively to it. i would venture to a point and say she most likely suffered with post-partum depression for sam especially if she felt trapped with kent as she does in game. i def think that with this and in canon, sam was probably used as her guinea pig for parenting. obviously no one is a natural born mother but if kent had just gone away in the military and she had sam, i can definitely see where some resentment for kent and sam would come in... along with resentment for herself for getting herself into that situation.

which that kind of train of thought could be an explanation for some of her self-deprecating/wants and wishes dialogue. once the issues of raising sam had kinda smoothed out, and he became old enough to realize exactly what was going on with his father/the war and his mother’s reactions to that stress, she probably already figured out how to parent vincent. esp since sam and vincent seem so similar (adhd imo) what didn’t work with sam jodi was able to figure out.

but going back to how she treats sam! i do think she would still kind of hold some resentment. obviously she loves sam but she still views him as a child, despite how mature he really is... like in his marriage dialogue and his three heart event. i honestly think his whole sunshine/golden retriever boy personality is ofc true but. partially true. i think he does it as a save face for how he really feels, which is anxious (about his fathers return and vincent growing up).

but one of the first tags i put! def more headcanon-y just from the stuff i mentioned above. jodi definitely gives me the ‘weaponizes basic needs’ in an argument type of mom. u kno the whole “i feed you, you have a roof over your head, i put clothes on your back” kind of manipulation. which.. yeah jodi you should! i think she’s very insecure about herself and very anxious over her situation and is at a constant state of trying to prove to herself her own worth. like.. the only thing she is/does is be a mother so when sam (or not so often vincent) fuck up, she takes it personally because raising those two is the only thing she really does. if she sees herself as a failure there... then what as she spent her life doing (instead of travelling/having hobbies/etc)

kids naturally fuck up she learned through sam!! one of the things my mother told me all the time while growing up was that it was “her first time ever being a mother” and i think jodi would honestly... have those same thoughts. she’s tired and overworked and on top of that has to raise two boys as a ‘single mother’. i think she’d snap easily on sam from too much pressure, whether he was younger (by accident) or as he got older (on purpose). it seems like there’s little room for accidents on anyone else’s part in her house.

like sam’s four heart event. ignoring the obvious why-the-hell-are-you-handing-me-an-egg issue, sam very obviously drops the egg on accident, and jodi storms in and creates an issue out of it. which... it’s an accident. it seems out of character for sam to drop the egg on purpose and cause an issue for his MOTHER. obviously he does stuff that makes lewis mad on purpose, but he doesn’t do stuff like that to jodi. but she still gets upset over... his hand slipping.

and his ten heart event. why don’t we talk about that more often? from her dialogue its hinted at that she thought he was ... y’know... but still had said if i recall correctly!! “i’m coming in”. there was no question and it gives sam no option to tell her no. so it seems she has that kind of ‘control’ in their house where she can just invade sam’s privacy (granted.. she knocked but still) even when she thought he was doing THAT. idk i don’t like the “i’m coming in”... it seems like she is not giving sam the further consent for her to enter his room (or private space)

ok this is long i need to wrap this up but bottom line she loves her kids. of course she does! but i think sam definitely gets treated ‘worse’ and kinda has as the firstborn/oldest. jodi, with her kids, finally has some control of her life back since she is their mother and they have to listen to her. she doesn’t know exactly what she’s doing still, and once one of the boys (sam) messes up she takes it as a personal attack since the One thing she does in her life is be a mother. this was very long but thank u !!!! i love doing a lil character analysis

Boneafide Gamer (A Reverse Harem Fic)

Chapter 1, Signing In

Quotev Link

Welp- Guess who’s joining the skeleton train?!

Note: When it's in your perspective, it's more than likely going to use the boys Usernames instead of their Nicknames since they legit just met so… here's a list of the usernames I've come up with-

Blue (Underswap Sans): Magnificent Blueberry

Stretch (Underswap Papyrus): Carrot

I'll add more as the boys are introduced. (Also for the horror bros I'm using ratsoh-writes nicknames.)

Finally, after a year of waiting, you have it!  Basic MMORPG VR edition! You squeal before thanking the delivery person and closing the door.

You tear open the packaging as you enter the room, open the case and put the disc into your computer. You gently place the case onto the desk before setting up your V.R set. The game boots up as you put on the VR goggles and you begin the intro. 

"Welcome to Basic MMORPG VR edition. A world that was heavily inspired by Sword Art Online, but our game is much better in so many ways! Would you like a list?" Snorting, you select yes.

"You do not have to fight any creatures in this game.

There are many skill sets to choose from like cooking, fishing, farming, bounty hunting and many many more!

A world that gets updated throughout the seasons.

Create, craft, or find many items the world or players around you provide.

You are not strictly assigned to a specific class, want to be a mage that wields a sword? You can BE a mage that wields a sword!

There are-" Holy crap, this list is long… you'd review it later, you wanted to get to the good stuff! Gameplay!

You enter the character customization screen and make your persona. Then came the most difficult part of making a character, giving it a name!

You tapped your foot as you thought of what to name them… do you want something funny? Something normal? Or something stupid? Man, this is hard…

You go for the grandest name of all "fart." You snicker as you accept the name, knowing you could change it whenever.

Hitting "confirm," you wait as the game loads on a public server. And when it loads in, there aren't a lot of people on… Wasn't there a lot of hype for this game?

You shrugged and went to the infamous Quest Master to receive your class, first weapon, and first quest. 

After all was said and done, you were "fart," jack of all trades (because you couldn't choose just ONE of all these cool classes!) And off you went to the fields to complete your first quest, kill/befriend/collect 5 slimes. 

Holding your multiweapon tight, (Again, you were VERY indecisive and basically created a multitool for weapons.) You venture into the fields to see a lot of slime and very few people.

Legit, there were only two people here. Skeletons, one named "Magnificent Blueberry" and the other named "Carrot." Very fitting considering their choice of armor/robes.

Intrigued, you decide to focus on your quest conveniently close to the skeletons, waiting for the chance to jump in their conversation and make friends! Haha! Genius!

While you slashed more than the acquired amount of slimes with your sword, the short skeleton was reading all the features this game held while the tall one was trying to figure out the controls.

"OH WOW! PAPY, DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE CREATURES?!" Blueberry exclaimed using voice chat, turning to his struggling younger brother.

"Really? I think we both know who'd like that," Stretch says amused, Blueberry huffing before helping Stretch with the controls.

"INDEED! OKA WOULD LOVE TO MAKE A SLIME FARM! (THE TRIGGER IS TO ACTIVATE STUFF LIKE GRABBING AND DROPPING ITEMS) AND I THINK EDGE WOULD BE MORE THAT HAPPY TO HAVE A CAT 'ARMY,'" Blueberry exclaims, happy that there's so much to do in this game! (Even if it is a waste of time according to Edge.) 

Stretch nods, finally getting used to the controls and thanking Blueberry, who enthusiastically welcomes him.

"What other features are there?" Stretch asks curiously, peering at the cybernetic screen on Blue's arm.

"OH LOT'S! THERE'S HUNDREDS OF FEATURES IN THIS!" Blue exclaims before scanning the list to look for one Stretch may like.

"Oh wow," Stretch comments amazed, he knew there was a lot but HUNDREDS?! It's every gamer's dream! (Red may enjoy that.) 

"LIKE THIS ONE! IF YOU HOVER OVER A PLAYER, YOU CAN ADD THEM TO A PARTY! LET'S DO IT!" Stretch shrugs.

"Sure, why not?" With stars in his sockets, he hovers his disembodied hand over Stretch and adds him to a party which Stretch accepted the request for. Blue then renames the party to "THE AMAZING DUO!" Stretch raises a bone brow with an amused smile.

"Really?"

"REALLY! OH LOOK, A POTENTIAL FRIEND!" Blue exclaims, finally noticing you. However you were focused on the slimes.

"They've been there forever though," Stretch points out.

"WHA? PAPY, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" Blue says sadly, Stretch shrugs again.

"They seemed busy," Blueberry looked at you again and you were still focused on the slimes.

"WELL, MAYBE THEY NEED A BREAK!" Blueberry exclaims before approaching you. Stretch sighs before hesitantly following his brother. 

"GREETINGS FART!" He exclaims, causing you to burst out laughing.

"Ahaha! I knew that name was a great choice!" You say before turning to the smiling short skeleton.

"[Insert pun here] MWHEHE!" You hear a groan come from the taller skeleton that just arrived.

"Hehe! That was a good one! As you know, I'm Fart. And you're…?"

"I'M THE MAGNIFICENT BLUEBERRY, MWHEHE! BUT YOU MAY JUST CALL ME BLUEBERRY OR BLUE!" Blue exclaims.

"I'm Carrot," Stretch says afterwards, causing you to snicker.

"Those are great names! Say, what are your classes?" 

"WARRIOR OF PEACE!"

"Mage, You?" You chuckle sheepishly at the question.

"I… chose all of them…" You admit, making Carrot snort.

"Couldn't settle for one huh?" Stretch asks amused, you cross your arms and huff.

"Hey! It's not my fault there's so many choices!" You exclaim.

"I THINK IT'S NEAT!" Blue chimes in making you smile.

"Thank you Blue. Hey, are you guys new to the game?" You ask and they both nod.

"Well, so am I! How about we explore together?" You suggest, Blue lit up like a Christmas tree.

"THAT'S A GREAT IDEA! LET'S GO NEW FRIEND FART!" Blue exclaims before leading the way, you and Carrot snicker and follow after.

So you spent the entire day exploring the HUGE town made for beginners and it's also a hangout/meetup area for experienced players. You got witty remarks from Carrot, puns and fun little facts and features from Sans as you explored. Before you all knew it, night had arrived and you had to log off.

"Oh shoot! It's 8 already?! I gotta go guys, thanks for exploring with me!" You announce making Blue jump.

"IT'S 8?!" Blue yelled before quickly logging off, leaving you with Carrot.

"He… doesn't play games a lot. He usually works hard," Carrot explains, you nod.

"Makes sense," You say before you go to log off.

"Wait a minute," Carrot says before you press the logout button.

"Could I get your discord? I have some… cousins that could use some social interaction from someone like you," You smile.

"Is this your way of telling me you want to hang out more?" You ask in a teasing tone, Carrot snorts.

"Yes and no," He answers simply with a smirk. You exchange discord usernames and codes (Cheesepuff ####) before saying your final goodbyes and logging off. 

You take off the VR headset and wince from the lack of light and strain on your eyes. You shut off everything and begin your nightly routine. Once done, you scoop up your phone and check your messages on discord. 

Cheesepuff: Yo, it's Carrot. I came to wish the jack of all trades goodnight. And to tell you Blueberry says he's sorry he left so suddenly.

You snicker before replying.

(Username): Thank you Carrot. Tell Blue I said it's okay. Goodnight to both of you!

You then go to message your friend hoping they weren't asleep already.

(Username): Dude! I made friends! :D

Totally not the writer: Oh? Do tell.

And so you do, telling them EVERYTHING! 

Totally not the writer: Woah. I gotta get that game. And they sound nice but keep on your toes okay? Not everyone is who they seem.

(Username): Don't worry, I will! Good night you night owl. (You better go to sleep once you send YOUR good night.)

Totally not the writer: No promises. Night.

Sighing, you shut off your phone and head to sleep and dream of Slimes, Carrots and Blueberries.

Holy shit! That took a while to write. One pair of boys down, 4 to go… Will the other chapters be as long as this one? It honestly depends but let's hope not for both our sakes.

So we got ourselves a new series! Huzzah! I’ll try and post the chapters here with links to the next as the series goes on but I could also post it onto quotev or something if you guys prefer that.

Next Chapter

Speaking of the rain... I really liked the feysand apocalyptic au and i would looove a follow up...i know u said u dont plan on updating it but maybe talk about it a little where you wanted it to go? Or like a time jump further into the future hehe

If not that's fine just thought I'd drop by❤

Ooooooh Nonnie thank you so much for this ask!!! First of all because it made me realize that I never put this fic in my masterlist, so that reminded me to add it there ^^ But also because I loved writing this AU so i’m so glad you’re interested!!!

Indeed, I don’t plan on updating it because it would require actually doing some world-building, and deciding what I want to do with the other characters apart from Rhys and Feyre. I have a lot of original projects in mind (that I also don’t mind talking about, by the way ^^), plus I also plan on finishing Staying Afloat, so I don’t think I would find the time to develop this fic the way I would like to. But it was really fun to write. I’m honestly rather happy with the way the one-shot turned out in any case! I do think it was easier to write for me because one of my most developed originals is a post apocalyptic story, so I’m more familiar with the genre, which made it easier to write than other styles.

Anyway!! I’m gonna put my thoughts under a cut because I have no idea how long it’s going to get hahaha

So the idea I had would be for the two groups (the Archeron sister on one side, Rhys, Cassian and Rhys’ little sister (who would be like, 11 or 12 at the time, also her name is Lyra because it’s what i called her in I made you a promise)) to join and travel together.

For what happens directly after the scene I published, I figured it would be Feyre convincing her sisters to follow Rhys to where his group is hiding. It would be harder to convince Nesta to follow Rhys (I figured she would finally relent because Feyre would be like “I’m going there and if you don’t come you’ll starve to death” ladjflkajlfaj just some sister shit, you know xD), but Elain would be willing to go because in this universe she’s a nurse so she wouldn’t want to imagine a little girl suffering if she could help.

Then they would reach Cassian and Lyra, and what follows would be basically Elain doing some gross medic stuff, a LOT of pain and of crying little girl x) I had this idea in my head of Feyre and Rhys talking, like, she can see he’s distraught so she tries to reassure him by saying something like “your sister is strong. She’ll make it.” and he answers like “she shouldn’t have to be that strong” you know, some classic apocalyptic stuff hahahahaha

So anyway, after this they would all head out to try and get to Velaris together, because of course they would be stronger as a group than separately (plus maybe Lyra would still need medical attention at first) and what follows would be all of them growing closer and Feysand falling in love, as well as Nesta and Feyre starting to have a better relationship, and the sisters growing close to Lyra, too, somehow in a “older sister” kind of way! And obviously, Cassian and Feyre being buddies immediately because their friendship gives me life, okay.

I honestly don’t have a lot of ideas as to what I wanted to do with characters other than Feysand apart from these largely underdeveloped ideas.

The big question I had to and didn’t solve, was whether or not it was true that Velaris was a safe haven. I like both possibilities of this, because both could create tension for the story. So it’s basically Schrödinger's plotpoint lmaoooo is Velaris just a pointless dream? Is it an actual safe haven they can hope to reach? Who knows? I certainly don’t lmao

So anyway, here below I just put all the notes I had for random scenes between Feysand (again, they were the center of the ideas I had so that’s why I have much more for them than any other characters). Those ideas are mostly in chronological order as to when it would have happened in the story. I literally copy-pasted this from my document, so it gives you a pretty clear idea of the complete mess that are my outlines in general  ( @staticpetrichor​ loves my outlines cause they make her laugh lmao they really are a true reflection of the mess going on in my mind at any given time)

They're on the road, one of them is standing guard and the other comes to see them, cliché (but cute so who cares) post-ap dialogue ensues: "you should be sleeping." "I couldn't, so I figured I'd keep you company." Then they talk quietly about their life and what they did before. Feyre tells him about how she loved painting. Maybe she thinks again about how his eyes remind her of the sky (but she doesn’t say anything because we love some good emotional unavailability lmao)

They find a small lake or a river or something and everybody goes in to bathe and have fun, Rhys looks at Feyre stripping down to her t-shirt, bra, panties, and he's like "fuck me up she's so gorgeous” ajldkfjladjlfa he’s so smitten already

This one is a weird idea but lmao I don't care, also this would be an actual problem in a post ap world sooooo I’m valid: Feyre has like the worst bra, it's really old and it's not a sports bra, it's like a classic one that doesn't really fit her anymore (she probably lost like a size because of hunger). And Rhys knows this because she's complained to him a couple of times about her back hurting (big boobs problem lmao can relate). And at one point they're in another city and he finds this sports shop and he finds a sports bar that should fit her, so he gifts it to her. And like at first she's acting as if he's being weird (like she's teasing him about staring at her breasts so much) but really she's glad. And then she's like "okay I'm gonna try it on but don't look" so she does, but then she looks up and watches him, his back turned away, and she's like overwhelmed with feelings (AS YOU ARE) so she tells him to turn around and she's showing off the sports bra, like they tease and flirt and stuff, and they almost kiss then but someone interrupts them lmao

They start having sex at some point, it's like raw and hot like "without feelings" *looks at the camera*, they convince themselves that they don't care about the other that way, and it's just physical. But really it's only because this world is so brutal and dangerous that they're both scared of caring too much and losing the other.

This goes on for a while, they grow closer without realizing it, they're always standing close together and talking at night and touching each other casually. They think they're being very subtle, but really everybody around them know what's going on lmao

Later on, they all settle in an abandoned building for a few days (because Reasons lmao it’s not important I just love this idea) and Rhys spends a lot of time alone and Feyre wonders where he is. And then like the second or third night, Feyre is still awake when Rhys comes in and he's like "follow me, I want to show you something" in a very excited voice, like his leg is fidgeting with anticipation and he looks like a little kid and Feyre smiles, she's really puzzled as to what's going on but she follows him. It turns out he found like a good mattress on their first night when he was exploring, and then he spent the next days cleaning the room and looking for pretty blankets (that one was hard and he's embarrassed that they're all so mismatched), and he lit up some candles. And he's like all embarrassed and blushing because he tells her he doesn't want to assume anything is gonna happen, he just wanted to do something nice for her. But Feyre is like "shut up" and she kisses him and then they make love in the makeshift bed and its romantic as hell. ALSO I need this quote to happen: "When I'm with you I forget to be scared."

Hi hi dear! Hope you are doing well☺❤🌻 After i saw your matchup i couldn't resist asking for one! ☺🌻❤ can i pretty please request an Ikevamp match up ☺ i am super curious to see which vampy boi u think would suit me best hehe 🌻thank a million! Sending ya lots o hugs🌻☺ hope ya keeping safe and warm❤

The Art of  Love & War

Context: Finding yourself in an unknown place AND back in time wasn’t an easy experience for you. It was only natural for you to be overtaken by a strong sense of unease because of the unfamiliarity of your surroundings. A mansion full of so-called vampires, a bunch of historical figures that you’ve read so much about but were now all before you, in the flesh. It was a lot to take in and no one could blame you for keeping to yourself and isolating yourself from others (unless you were coaxed by the gentle Comte  [kinda forced by Sebastian] otherwise). 

Fitness has always been something that you indulged in and engaging in physical activity allowed you to focus solely on what your body is doing, pushing away where your thoughts would usually wander (sometimes unnecessarily in very dark paths, considering your situation). 

It was not safe for a woman to go about in the city all alone, let alone, jogging and running which is something unspoken of during those times. Sebastian knew what you were doing and could only think of one way to remedy this situation without causing any inconvenience to your routine.

One day, you woke up at the crack of dawn to find Napoleon leaning on the grand door of your mansion, blocking your exit.

“Bonjour petite nunuche, Sebastian and Le Comte have taken it upon themselves to bestow on me quite an interesting chore. They believe I’m spending way too much time sleeping. I hope you’re worth the sleep I’m wasting on you.”

He had no intention of sounding harsh but his teasing was meant to get a reaction out of you. And they certainly did. Those words were enough to earn him some snarky remarks from you and it earned you a most glorious smile on Napoleon’s face. He knew that there was much more to find under that shy exterior of yours. 

Sebastian couldn’t think of anyone else who would be able to keep up with you but Napoleon. Jean was also a candidate but considering his state of mind, it would take some time before he even agrees to be anywhere near you. 

Your relationship started with the morning jogs that he joined you on. He was unfamiliar with the notion of women engaging in strenuous physical activity and he was definitely impressed and curious to know more about your time. 

He was the yin to your yang, his personality not necessarily opposing yours, but complimenting it, filling in the gaps that closed the distance between you. His extroverted and easy-going nature was more than enough to get you to loosen up around him, almost too easily.  

Napoleon is an extremely charming man and was eloquent, adept enough to make you feel at ease around him. You spent your mornings talking about your time, how your life was like, how invested you are in your studies, how you enjoyed working out and allocated enough time to do the things that you loved. 

You never seemed to notice it but his eyes would shine with admiration the more he got you to talk about yourself. Your ambitions in life, your intelligence and your wit unconsciously made him grow very fond of you.

Even though he led a life full of bloodshed, fear and treachery, he saw in you the peace and the beauty of simplicity that he ached for. He felt that maybe, if he were able to be your friend only for a short period of time, he might be able to live a life that he would be satisfied with (one where he wouldn’t have to escape through long hours of sleep).

He found your sense of humour endearing and he was one of the few to laugh at your jokes (along with Arthur, Dazai, Leonardo and even Theodorus sometimes). You certainly brought more life to the mansion, especially when you would sometimes butt heads with Theo, who would take your sarcastic demeanor as a challenge. (that man is just to easy to rile up)

Having evaluated your physical capabilities, Napoleon deemed it fit to teach you fencing and invited you to join him and Jean during their sparring session. It was challenging, fun and extremely exciting and the adrenaline rushing through your blood was like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. You found a new passion and the smile drawn on your face was one of pure contentment (and Napoleon found it absolutely ravishing).

The blood would rush to your face, sweat dripping from your forehead and your cheeks turned tomato red when the other two men would chuckle and seem like they didn’t even lift a finger. Napoleon often teased you about it and would say “Nunuche, your cheeks look red enough to bite.” (and he secretly did want to kiss them and nibble on them)

Leon couldn’t help but notice the type of food that you ate and he was practically appalled. The man was on a mission to feed you and stuff you, especially after your intense training together. And when he discovered how much of a good cook you were, he was awfully confused. “How is it that a woman of your talent for food cannot feed herself properly? What a nunuche you are.”

If you weren’t spending time together in the training room, you were both most probably in the kitchen, making a mess that Sebastian was going to have a hard time cleaning up on his own. The residents were more than happy that you and Leon spent so much time bonding in the kitchen and cooking together (they got lots of yummy food without even asking for any).

Whenever Leon wasn’t around, Jean was your sparring partner. He was your silent friend and you definitely enjoyed his presence. Even as the man was burdened with such somberness, he was a soothing presence and he appreciated your company as well.

For some reason, Leon feels his chest tighten whenever he sees how close you’ve gotten to his dear friend, Jean. He knows that there is nothing between the two of you but he can’t help but feel a bit jealous. That was when he realized he began developing romantic feelings for you.

He ended up sparring with Jean and the winner would get a kiss from you. In the middle of the fight, he realized that he was on edge and maybe a bit too aggressive. In that moment of hesitation, Jean was able to win (and whispered something in your ear while he left the training room).

Leon was completely unfazed until you meekly walked closer to him, earning you a sly comment “What’s wrong? Has the thought of kissing Jean scared you, nunuche?”. You completely wiped off the smirk off his face when you kissed his cheek and walked away, saying. “Winner decides what to do with their prize. Jean was feeling generous today.”

When Leon noticed that you were cooped up in the mansion for too long without exploring Paris, he took it upon himself to show you around: tasting local delicacies, visiting local monuments and recounting tales of the past.

During your outing, you discovered his side-job which was teaching the less-fortunate children and orphans in Paris. It was a bit hard for you to hold your tears back when you saw their eyes shining with excitement and fascination as Napoleon and Isaac took the time to teach them about the world and give them the knowledge that they needed to survive.

The children loved having you around, looking up to you as their “older sister”, confiding in you and looking for comfort whenever they needed it. They would sometimes come to you for hugs and even take short naps in your arms because they felt very comfortable being near you.

You treated them as equals and not as children (you didn’t necessarily have to be good at dealing with children to be able to support them), just like Napoleon and Isaac did, which made them very fond of you and also the assistant teacher! (Leon would demonstrate how to spar with you and showing the children, both the boys and the girls, how to defend themselves) 

Napoleon would often watch you, without you noticing (but Isaac did notice it and even Jean): whenever you teased and spoke to Arthur, the gentle way you dealt with the children. Appreciation for beauty and he saw you as a flower in full bloom that was hiding in the shadows. He wanted to see you under the bright light of day and marvel at how special you are.

During one of your lessons with the children, it was pouring cats and dogs and there was absolutely no way you would make it to the mansion without getting soaked and sick. Renting the only double room available in a nearby hotel, you decided to spend the night there until the rain subsided.

Your body was shivering almost violently from the cold as Leon tended to the fireplace. He gave you his back while you stripped out of your damp clothes, as he ordered you to (while he also did the same [only removing his top though]). He gathered the cover of his bed and turned around with his eyes closed, wrapping it around you to cover your body and pulled you against his body. He held you tightly in his arms, and hummed in approval  “Les petits ont raison. Your embrace is quite delightful.” (that was more than enough to make you turn beet red)

The next day, the sun was up and illuminating your room, announcing that it was time for you to head back home. Unknowing of Leon’s bad habit, you sat on the edge of his bed and nudged his shoulder to wake him up, only to have him grip your shoulders and pull you down for an unexpected kiss.

Zeta: *squeals and turns red* What was that? Leon: Hm? That was a kiss. Zeta: I know what a kiss is, Leon! What was that for?

Leon: It’s a sign of love and affection, ma belle.

Zeta: ... what exactly are you trying to say?

Leon: Exactly what you think I am.

He sits up and pulls you in for another kiss, a bit longer and a lot sweeter. He cradled your face so gently and kissed you with a tenderness that brought tears to your eyes. “Allons-y, mon amour. I’ll make sure you have the thermae all to yourself today.”

Leon was never the type to be clingy but he has a strong protective streak, without being overbearing either. He doesn’t have to be with you 24/7 but he likes to be informed of your whereabouts, to make sure that you are safe and sound.

Considering his past, you couldn’t really blame him for being the way that he is and whenever he tried to apologize to you, shutting him up with a kiss would be the best way to make his heart flutter with happiness. You calmed him and reassured him that there was nothing for him to worry about.

Public Display of Affection is his thing and he likes and wants everyone to know that he is yours and you are his. You are his Queen and this man might have ruled France back in the day, but you were much mightier than he was, since you ruled his heart.

He’ll kiss you every single time he’ll get the chance: on your cheek, your hands, your hair and sneak a kiss on your lips too (especially when he wants to see that gorgeous blush on your cheeks).

NSFW Ahead ~ 

He mostly sweet talks when you’re in bed but says the dirtiest things in the most eloquent way which makes you sometimes giggle out of shyness.

Your first time together, Leon kissed, licked, nipped, explored and tasted every inch of your body before claiming you. He was gentle as he made love to you (and his body lightly trembled with the height of his emotions).

He likes to be playful with you, even when you are getting down and dirty so he sometimes tickles you out of nowhere and ends up laughing together before his fingers find their way between your legs, making you gasp and moan for him.

He enjoys teasing you to no end and makes you say and demand the things you want him to do for you before he actually does them. The sight of you frustrated, trembling and almost furious for his touch is absolutely mesmerizing.

He likes spending some quality time with you in the thermae. Just enjoying the warmth of the water and the vapor cleansing your skin. He would massage your body and help you wash and ask you to do the same for him. He would definitely sneak in a few kisses here and there (and would sometimes turn into heavy make-out sessions or a bit more than that). However, he simply enjoys being physically intimate with you (even without the sex).

Leon doesn’t really moan in bed but his soft grunts and groans are very arousing and enough to make you dripping wet when you’re servicing him.

He could spend the entire night with his head between your legs. He relishes the taste of you and the beautiful sounds that you make.

His favourite place to bite you: your inner thighs and wrists (so you can watch him as he feeds on you and see how much he needs you).

He growls at you whenever you try to cover your mouth or bite your lips, depriving him from hearing the moans ripping from your throat. Your pleasure fuels his so you will absolutely succumb to your desires and his needs.

You sometimes feel like he does it on purpose so that the other residents can hear you and make them know that he is the one responsible for making you lose your wits.

Favourite position

In front of a mirror: he likes to take you from the back while holding you up from your waist so he can have easy access to your neck and also turn your face around for a kiss and stimulate your breasts and clit with his hands. When you’re laying on your back: he loves locking eyes with you, seeing every single reaction you make with each touch of his hand and every thrust that he makes. He likes to have your legs over his shoulders so that he can sink deep into you and stimulate your sensitive nub with his thumb, driving you over the edge multiple times and make you tremble before he reaches his own climax.

He has the most irritating and beautiful smirk on his face when you have trouble walking around the mansion or have to excuse yourself from fencing practice.

His absolute weaknesses:

When you call out his name (whether you’re moaning, whining or just asking for his touch). He adores you more than anything and knowing, feeling and seeing how much you need him and love him in return is enough to make him lose control.

When you initiate physical contact and show any sign of neediness, clinginess, desire/yearning. He intentionally drives you into a state of frustration so that he’s able to see how you would be if you were to take things into your own hands, throw him on the bed and just claim him.

He’s a huge cuddlebug after sex and whispers the sweetest things in your ears before he falls asleep with you cradled in his arms. Your warmth is his safe haven.

Kinks: mirror sex, overstimulation, bondage (mostly blindfolding you and tying your wrist over your head), sensory stimulation (using feathers, arousing your senses with heat and cold [example: ice or melted chocolate]), edging, outdoor sex (where you could get caught).

Drive

Billy Hargrove x reader

Word Count: 1.4k

Warnings: smut, cuss words I think

Author’s Note: I haven’t done a Billy smut and I think this turned out in some type of way (I think I like it) so I hope you like it!

Requested: by anon, Hello! Can I request Billy Hargrove where he’s falling for the super sweet girl at school who wears pretty dresses and has a super kind heart and Billy is just completely head over heals for her innocence, if u want there could be some smut hehe x I adore your writing sm! Thank you 🥺🥰

Summary: the request!

Genre: smut, fluff, scandalous themes

Song:

(not my gif)

Billy watched you move across the high school parking lot. By staring at you he secretly hoped it would catch your attention. Your dress flowed behind you, today it was a pretty pink one with a pattern on the top that he loved. He loved you.

It was hard not to.

Ever since he had come to that school he had learned that every girl there but you were just trying to get into his pants. Granted that wasn’t really a bad thing in his book and he hadn’t denied many of the girls who had gotten into his car but he always secretly hoped it would be you that got in his car next.

You reminded him of innocence, when he was a kid and was able to like girls without wondering what they looked like naked. To be fair, he had thought about it, but he also wanted to have a relationship with you, to treat you well, to take you to a family dinner and get a place with you. He spent most of his classes thinking about you. It took him four whole days to realize that he was in love with you, which wasn’t ideal.

He had barely spoken to you.

Unusual for king of the school Billy Hargrove.

You put a piece of hair behind your ear and laughed at something one of your friends had said. You clutched your books with your other hand and then looked up at him. You caught eyes for a moment before he panicked and looked away, pretending horribly that he had been looking at the hood of his car. Class had just finished up for the day and while Billy hadn’t actually came to class that day he stopped by to see you leave.

You pursed your lips and waved goodbye to your friends and started a walk into the parking lot. He knew you took the bus rather than driving home so when he saw you walking over to the parking lot he began to mentally freak out. What if you were coming to yell at him for being stalkerish?

“Hey, Billy right?” Your voice sounded like honey if honey had a sound. He looked up like he hadn’t noticed you were there.

“Oh, yeah. Y/N?” Hs voice sounded choppy and he tried to calm himself down, giving you a signature easy Billy smile. It was charming, you had to admit.

“Yeah. You weren’t in class this afternoon, I grabbed you the paper. Figured you could choose what to do with it but I didn’t want you to be behind.” He nearly fell to his knees in happiness. You had not only thought of him in class but you had also grabbed him a paper knowing you would see him before class tomorrow.

You had noticed him just as he had noticed you.

“Thanks sugar,” he managed out with a smile. You nodded and looked at your shoes and then back at him like you were waiting for something. After another moment you looked back up at him.

“Hey that new place in the mall just opened, that coffee place. I could help you with the paper if you want, over there.” You looked nervous and that was all that Billy needed to know you liked him too. He smiled widely.

“I’d like that princess. Can I give you a ride?” You breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Yeah please.” He slid off the hood of the car and you got into the passenger seat. The drive to the mall was filled with Billy's music and, after the initial introduction, an easy conversation. You joked about the teachers you both had and talked about the classmates you hated and the crappy school you went to.

When you ended up getting to the mall there was barely any work being done. He talked about how much he loved your dresses and you explained to him you would kill for his jean jacket. You talked about everything and anything, making fun of passersby’s, talking crap about the coffee. Eventually you gave up on the work all together and just explored the mall. You found Steve at Scoops Ahoy, your friend and Billy explained his distaste for the boy. You ended up getting ice cream anyway because Robin was running the counter and you had always been really close with her.

“Is it really 7? There's no way,” you said, looking up at the big clock in the plaza. He raised an eyebrow, following your gaze.

“Woah I thought it was like 3:30. I should get you home.” You both grew a little sad at the prospect of leaving the other but tried to hide it as you walked to the car. You let him try your ice cream before you finished it up. You got into the passenger's seat and you told him where your house was so he could drop you off. After a while, when you got near your house you looked at him as he looked for your address.

“This one?” he asked, pointing to your house. You looked at your house and the lights that were on. Your parents were home. You looked at him again, his hair that was curled carefully over his shoulders. He turned to you when you didn’t answer.

“No. Keep driving.” He kept going. “That is my house but I don’t want to go home.” He raised his eyebrows and you tried to catch his emotions.

“Wanna drive? It's not like I’m going to school tomorrow. My house isn’t an option.” You didn’t ask why.

“How about we just pull over somewhere,” you suggested quietly. His eyebrows went up higher. He wasn’t expecting you to say something like that but he wasn’t opposed to it.

“Scandalous,” he whispered with a smile. You shrugged.

“I never do stuff like this. I feel free,” you muttered. He pulled aside outside your neighborhood in a hidden spot while also being able to see the houses so that you wouldn’t get lost. He turned the car off and you looked up at the stars outside the window.

“You need to get out more,” he whispered with a laugh. You rolled your eyes and turned back to him, connecting your lips. You grabbed him by the jacket and he moved the seat back more so that you could crawl on top of him. He was surprised to find you were a really good kisser and moved swiftly on top of him.

“Take off your belt,” you whispered, leaving marks down his neck and rubbing your hands on his chest under his button up shirt. He did as he was told, amazed at you taking charge. You slid off him briefly, taking off your underwear under your dress as he undid his belt and his button, sliding his pants of eagerly. You leaned over him, kissing him softly. You continued to amaze him.

You moved back on top of him and put him inside of you. He let out a long breath and you put your hand on the window that had begun to fog with your heavy breathing. He helped you rock up and down at a slow pace, savoring the moment.

You stayed that way for a moment, kissing periodically. Billy had never felt so blissful and you had never felt so free. You brought out the best part of the other.

You came together after a few minutes, shaking in each others arms. You stayed there, lips brushing his.

“I don’t want to go home,” you muttered and he gave you a charming smile.

“Lets drive princess. Lets just drive.”

OC #4 - Vittoria Marcello

Pinterest board 🥀 Tag on OC blog

AH okay here we go, my next OC, I know I’m going slower than I’d originally hoped but what can you do, slow progress is still progress and I have a lot of stuff going on in the rest of my life as well right now, but here’s another gal of mine. She’s the other protagonist of my novel.

Vittoria is Giovanni’s sister, I talked about him before so I figured it made the most sense to discuss her next. Admittedly I can’t really tell all of her story without spoiling my novel some but it’s fine, I still wanna be vague as possible and in a perfect world my novel will get more traction than just the handful of people reading these, AND hopefully my biggest supporters would wanna read my novel even if they have a basic idea of what happens in it hehe. Anyway, like everyone else so far she’s from my alternative universe in the 2080s.

Basic info is that Vittoria is a heterosexual cis woman in her late twenties. She’s the youngest daughter and youngest child of the Marcello family, and although she has seven older siblings her only full brother is Giovanni, since they share a mother, although he’s seven years her senior. As I mentioned before, the Marcellos are the owners of the Marcello Candy Company, a corporation that pretty much has the monopoly on the pharmaceutical industry due to their drug-infused and heavily addictive candies.

Vittoria was named after her father, Vittorio, which was a last attempt by her mother to hopefully convince Vittorio to accept her as his own. The truth is Vittorio had not wanted another child, having already found Giovanni a disappointment and blaming his wife Camilia’s genetics (because his elder children are so perfect - I’ll discuss them later, some of ‘em are important), and when Camila got very sick during childbirth and, despite the riches of the Marcello Empire she was mysteriously unable to be cured, fowl play was suspected to be involved, but nobody was ever caught or exposed. Camila named Vittoria in hopes that Vittorio would see her as his child and want to raise her with pride, but this didn’t really work, and Vittoria spent a large portion of her childhood almost entirely alone. All of her siblings were significantly older than her, and not only did Giovanni have plenty of his own issues to worry about, but he felt a great deal of resentment towards Vittoria, blaming her for his mother’s death due to the fact that Camila’s death was officially ruled as complications in childbirth. Vittoria had no one around but servants given measly raises to watch over her, and by the time she was as young as four she had made a habit out of trying to sneak off, although she was always caught and returned.

Unlike Giovanni, who was forced into homeschooling, Vittoria was allowed to go to school, although it was a very prestigious private school that bored her to death. She tried again to run away while there, and this time pulled off a multi-day disappearance, but when she was found, her father, frustrated with the negative press that her sneaking off had caused the company, threatened to pull her out of school and keep her homeschooled and under house arrest with her brother if she pulled something like that again. So she sucked it up and got through grade school, although she grew increasingly standoffish and cold to others around her. Her largest solace came from art of all kinds, although especially dark and provocative art, art that gave her an outlet for her frustrations and anger. She loved loud abrasive music and weird looking art that used lots of contrast and lots of dark colors. She ended twelfth grade with no friends to speak of, although she quickly decided to pursue university as her next step in hopes that it would give her what she needed to find a profession of her own and escape her father’s house once and for all.

But Vittoria found herself in a new dilemma, which was that very little actually brought her much joy anymore. Depression had kicked her ass hard through school, and by the time she was in college (which her father paid for, something that frustrated her to no end as she was aware that she was still entirely stuck in his debt and helpless without his assistance) she had very little motivation or interest in anything. She switched majors a few times and eventually settled in on art history, because of her aforementioned love for art, although this decision angered her father, who told her she would be able to do nothing of use and find no success out in the world with a degree in art history. Scared that he was correct, Vittoria ended up giving up halfway through her degree, dropping out to instead jump correctly into business, still using her father’s funds as a startup. She started a fashion line, then a makeup line, then a perfume line, all of which she felt no connection to whatsoever, opting to go with easy, mainstream, and accessible products in hopes of generating sales rather than focus on anything that she cared about. With each of these expeditions, she quickly lost any sort of interest or passion and sold the companies for very little, which quickly led to her creating an image for herself in the public eye that she was unable to finish or stick to anything.

Vittoria grew older and still had little to show for herself and her efforts. She was still trapped in her father’s home with no direction, desperate to prove herself but lacking any sort of support system or internal confidence or drive to get anything done and scared of failure. Her only other sibling still living at home was Giovanni, who she wanted nothing to do with, and seeing his life plateau into a steady stream of nothing, just lounging around and living on his father’s money, terrified her. She finally decided to pull herself together and dip her toes into the music industry, since music had remained one of the few things she loved through everything, although she wasn’t entirely sure what direction she would go in these endeavors, and if she would actually have the courage to explore the darker themes and sounds she liked so much.

After announcing her intents and beginning to contact record companies, Vittoria heard back almost instantly from Anubis, the Rock God of Death, an aging, extremely famous and successful, as well as extremely mysterious, industrial rock musician, who was also the owner of Embalmed Records as well as the Golden Jackal Nightclub. Anubis, in his mid sixties at the time, offered her a partnership with Embalmed Records. Soon after, Vittoria and Giovanni were kicked out of their father’s house, disowned for their incompetence and constant embarrassment of him and his company. Vittoria would accept Anubis’ offer, and learn that he had much more in mind for her than only a simple contract: He wanted her to be his personal protégé. Vittoria accepts this offer and begins to train under his wing, which is where a majority of her story within my novel takes place. Over the course of the novel they also become lovers.

I want to be a little vague here, because I don’t want to wildly spoil every aspect of the novel now, but in the end, Vittoria undergoes some pretty extensive body modification that leaves some large scars on her body and her organs rearranged inside of her, and Anubis dies under tragically under mysterious circumstances, leaving all of Embalmed Records to Vittoria for the taking. She now runs the company as the CEO of Embalmed.

Vittoria ends up in a relationship with one of her employees (who she met before she took over, when she was still training under Anubis), named Cosmo Halloway, who will definitely get a post as well. He’s sort of a musical renaissance man (and the frontman of the industrial metal band Heat Pit) and he adores her. He helps her manage the Golden Jackal.

Vittoria and Giovanni view themselves as polar opposites, and in the way many of their issues manifest, they are. Giovanni overeats and Vittoria starves herself; Giovanni is an insomniac and Vittoria spends most of the time depression-sleeping. Giovanni loves color and elegance, Vittoria loves blackness and harshness. Giovanni’s trauma manifests in a very childish nature and he tries to suppress any negative feelings inward, while Vittoria tries to be mature and lets out any negative emotions on others, constantly lashing out and yelling at others around her. However, they have a lot in common as well, including both loving art and finding solace in it, both struggling deeply with identity issues and insecurities and finding a sense of self, and both having serious long-term trauma related to their family circumstances. She likes to commission artists to draw portraits of her, because she has a great dislike of herself and struggles so much with her own identity, and conceptualizing herself through how she’s depicted through the eyes of artists gives her a more solid sense of self. She hates sweets, mostly due to her family’s involvement in them. She drinks a shitton of black coffee to try to stay awake but still tends to fail and oversleep. She loves dark colors, leather, and silver. She has a horrible temper and is typically very cold and can easily turn aggressive, although this is something she gets marginally better at as she takes over Embalmed and becomes more assertive in her control of the company.

I love Vittoria. I think she’s a really fun character and she’s spent a LONG time in development, I’ve reworked her a huge number of times because she began as a very vague concept (actually, she originally was a guy and her entire character was hugely rewritten to be a woman early on in development lol) that I’ve spent a long time evolving to fit the role of protagonist in my novel. I have a lot more about her (and Giovanni) I’d love to share, but like I said, I don’t wanna give away too much about the novel!!

Constellations Ask Game: Andromeda, Aquarius, Aries, Corvus, Draco, Gemini, Hydra, Libra, Lyra, Pyxis, Taurus, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Canis Minor, Crux, Indus, Lupus, Puppis, and lastly Virgo

hehe

Project Asks:

Andromeda - Describe your main charactersahhh im so bad at thisary: scarred, pstd-ridden, 25 year old mage. cold, calculated, a compulsive liarcyri: my bby sunshine, naive and kind, living up to unrealistic expectations set by his fatherash: a kings daughter, confused between whats right and what she has to uphold, snarky, gaycaena: old, short and angry about it, princess, last of her house, thinks herself above all other rulers Aquarius - Who’s your least favorite character to write?ash because i havent explored her as much as the others. like i know her, but since i dont know a lot about politics or royal happenings shes hard to figure out. i have a lot of qs about her in my notebookAries - Share a line that you’re proud of!i have to open my fuckn docs grumblegrumble“Z looked extremely young for her age, as though she had spent the last decade soaking in a bath and eating fruit instead of leading her men into battle like the warmongering tyrant she was.”Corvus - Who or what is the villain of the story?there are multiple, everyone in any sort of power tbh. rebel!Draco - Who’s your favorite character to write?i have a soft spot for cyri bc his softness and kindness is so rare to find in real life and i jus wanna protect himGemini - What inspired you to write this project?well, i was sitting at the dining table eating back when i was 17? and i was thinking about prisoner tropes. then i thought how it would be cool to have an opening scene where the mc is released from prison. and there u go.Hydra - Tell us why you love your project.ive been working on it for 5 fucking years now if i didnt love it id be crazyLibra - Which relationship dynamic do you enjoy writing the most?ary and cyri. originally they were lovers and some of that instant close connection still lingers with them, ary is v soft with him lmao but so are the rest. those damn green eyesLyra - Give us a few songs that fit your project!unbecoming-starsetmasquerade-tokio hotelblue-troye sivanPyxis - Are there any major themes or messages you’re writing to show?i mean theres the typical writing themes, but ive never been able to write messages or morals. maybe just that ‘the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb’Taurus - Tell us why you hate your project.it just keeps evolving and has so many subtleties and nuances that i dont think im good enough to write ughUrsa Major - What scene are you looking forward to writing?some bonding moments between the crew! i dont have friends so idk how to write group friendships but im gonna try Ursa Minor - What’s the setting?high-fantasy, medieval inspired

Writer Asks:Canis Minor - Share an excerpt of old writing and new writing to see how far you’ve come!oh shit ok okokokone of the earlier drafts:They packed, for they would not return. Ary shovelled everything in messily, while Cyri took his time. They tramped down the stairs after Cyri had insisted straightening the beds to look neat. The bar was empty, as it was midmorning, only the barmaid stood wiping the bench. She glanced up once, caught Ary’s eye and looked away fearfully.Ary’s heart skipped in her chest. Had the beggars frequented The Badger’s Inn and told tales of what had transpired? Would soldiers rain down on them? Yet nothing came. Cyri opened the door and gestured for her to go first, with nothing but a pleasant expression. She nodded thanks and slipped into the bright daylight. The city had not changed.new stuff:In the centre of the city, visible from all angles Ary guessed, were three huge obsidian towers, knife points against the sky. The Queen’s towers. From what she had heard by Arch prisoners, was that she never left those towers, appearing only through a balcony for celebrations of worship. Gargoyles littered buildings, cracked and weather-beaten. As they walked, they came across numerous churches and places of worship, all depicting Queen Z in various poses suggesting dominance, power, and wealth.The fountains were iced over, overgrown vines dipping into the water and stuck there. Debris and rubbish covered the ground to the point the group had to pick their way across the street, jumping over things.ive tried so fucking hard to improve my description sobCrux - Villains or Heroes?uh both, both can be done well. i dont really have a preference anymore, especially since anti-heroes are so big rn. its more about the character than the archetypeIndus - Are there any characters or stories you miss writing? Tell us about them!lmao well my ol girl cara who was in a comic when i was 13 never stopped pestering me so i put her with some other newer extra characters from another project into a new project but idk what that is yet.Lupus - Have you abandoned other WIPs? Tell us about some and why you abandoned them?what HAVENT i abandoned holy fuck. i had several vampire things, dystopian things [i started writing regularly when those themes were popular], a lot of contemporary things??? i dont write contemporary the fuck.Puppis - Give us a piece of advice! (about anything)anything you say?????? youre always overestimating the consequences. theyre always less than u think. now go commit arsonVirgo - Describe your favorite tropes.uhhh do i have any? lol. hmm i like the found-family, ensemble cast trope. i like characters with an established reputation before the book starts. i cant think of any ahhhh

What I want to hear more than anything is any and all of your thoughts involving Kushinada? Because I LIVE of them I need all of your ramblings about her and every AU she is currently apart of. You could type out thousands of words and I'd still want more.

since you did write about that hot fenrir X kushinada stuff in your latest fic (which was the most adorable thing btw omg) i figured i might provide a few scenarios for that (a few meaning 1000+ words of cute stuff oops! never mind it’s 2000+ hahaha fuck)

high school au

i know i said it in the dating sim route for fenrir but him giving his leather jacket to kushinada when they go out and it’s cold??? that’s one of my fav tropes omg

also kushinada accidentally comparing fenrir to a loyal dog when talking to aphro and light hel and him overhearing that and being all embarrassed about it bc he can’t deny that he’s literally a dog in human form

he has a very strong sense of smell, always noticing all the flower perfumes that kushinada wears and he always compliments her about how nice she smells even when she’s come back from her garden (he likes the smells of nature hehe)

also he’s very protective of her and gives people the nastiest stares if they say anything remotely negative about her. when kushinada opens up about having an unrequited crush on cu chu and her past with relationship with susano she has to drag away fenrir and get him to promise not to fight those two on sight

also it’s a lil nsfw but i think he’s totally into leaving hickeys around the place so when kushinada shows up at school on a super hot day with a scarf aphro is like “so things must be moving nicely between you and fenrir huh?” and kushinada is just a blushing mess and silently nods

oh, and him just resting his head on kushinada’s when she’s gardening and wrapping his arms around her UwU

so when they start dating i really like the idea of fenrir learning how to grow stuff with kushinada (and him actually having a decent green thumb after learning the basics)

also i couldn’t get the idea out of my idea about fenrir trying to grow kushinada roses/or forget-me-nots/camellias(they all mean love apparently?? that’s cute n sappy hehe) and trying to keep it a secret from her

so while he’s checking some plants during club time, fenrir just snatches a seed packet from her collection and takes her gardening equipment and other materials when he needs them

bc he’s just a beginner he fails pretty badly and goes around asking for help from tyr (as he’s been talking about kushinada w/ tyr who serves as a sorta personal confidant and a father figure who is more stern w/ fenrir than loki). tyr’s all for this as that’s how he wooed ullr over on their first date (and promptly got laid as well) so they both read a few gardening books and search the internet for info…

…unfortunately tyr’s pretty shit w/ gardening as well so they ask chiron for help and, although he’s got the knowledge, it somehow doesn’t work out either…

…so they ask for inari’s help which who suggests that they just hire a professional gardener or just buy some really expensive and rare flowers for her(which they’ll pay for; inari is all for fenrir trying to be romantic and trying to cater to kushinada’s interestseven if it doesn’t turn out)

fenrir eventually decides to come clean and presents her with what he’s got and kushinada kisses him for all his effort UwU. she really appreciates the effort even if she was aware that he was stealing from her the entire time (she’s gotta keep a tight budget with the club, the school only gives her a certain amount of money to run the place and it’s she may be forgetful at times but her equipment disappearing every time fenrir was around was a lil convenient)

also if we’re going full cheese then i want fenrir to confess his love to kushinada all anime-style w/ cherry blossoms and everything :’^)))))) like kushinada would be the first to say that she loves him but it’s really hard for him to say, like he’ll just say “i do too” and avoid saying “i love you”

also just in general they’d probs both like going out to parks, botanical garden or go hiking and have peaceful walks when kushinada points out all the plants while fenrir listens, he likes hearing her ramble on bc it’s cute seeing her so excited about something

so they’re at some botanical garden place and kushinada is really excited and basically dragging fenrir by the arm to point out all the different flower types but all he can think about is how much she’s changed him for the better, how he doesn’t deserve her at all. he’s just smitten with her, with how adorable she is when she’s ranting, even if he’s heard all the information before - he just wants to listen to her beautiful voice. and, wow, she looks so stunning amongst the blooming flowers and he thinks, no, he knows he’s in love with her and how he wants to marry her and that sorta mushy stuff hehe

kushinada snaps him out of his thoughts by asking if she’s boring him with her explanations and then he just blurts out that he loves her and it’s just silence between the two for a moment before kushinada, as the sappy bitch she is, starts crying tears of joy and leaps into his arms :’))))))) (yes i’m the world’s softest bitch, what about it)

mafia au

fenrir stumbles into kushinada’s bakery after a street fight with a rival gang, all bloody and bruised and telling her to not touch him before promptly passing out. kushinada tends to his injuries while he’s out and drags him into her beroom falling asleep beside the bed bc she was so exhausted from work + this incident

fenrir wakes up with a nasty headache, only made worse by him not knowing where he is - he’s still alive, probably due to the beautiful japanese woman uncomfortably lying on the side of the bed with bandages in her hands. he knows he could snap her neck with ease, but something in the back of his mind tells him not to - tyr’s words and actions ring in his ears

also on a side note i’m imagining that fenrir has a rough childhood bc of loki being involved in shady gang operations and that fenrir was preened by him to succeed him but fenrir was betrayed by the norse gang and left to get caught by the cops during a major heist. i imagine that tyr, a cop (duh), went onto the scene and tried to communicate with a scared and furious fenrir. fenrir probably lashed out at him, scarring tyr’s arm (and then it later being infected or something? i’m not here for arm severing lmao) and then breaking down in his arms while tyr comforted him.

fenrir spent some time in prison after that and got out due to tyr lobbying for him and he’s trying to separate himself from his family and old ties to his gang although it obviously catches up with him here :^)

the attack was probably bc in the past fenrir was an asshole and very cocky, brash and abusive to others and he made a lot of enemies bc he thought we was untouchable as one of the norse gang members with really high connections bc of his father

anyways fenrir explores the small apartment before hearing the ring of the bell downstairs (i imagine the bakery to underneath a small apartment like this). he walks to check that out, hiding on the stairs just in case the gang members have found where he ended up

fortunately (or rather, unfortunately) for him it’s not the gang members - it’s inari, wanting to get a pastry and tea from her favourite bakery. when they can’t see kushinada or smell anything being made that’s when they decide to check on her

fenrir makes a mad dash for kushinada’s room, pretending to sleep once again while kushinada is in the shower. she gets out and greets inari, trying to nicely introduce the topic of the strange and ruggedly handsome man resting in her room (it just hit me that this is essentially just that scene from tangled but inari isn’t an evil hag lmao)

inari is really annoyed - they don’t want kushinada to get further involved with any more gang acitivity than she already is and they know about fenrir’s past and what he’s done. they fight for a bit before inari relents, knowing that coddling kushinada and treating her like a defenceless child isn’t going to help her out any.

fenrir is shitting himself - he never expected to get so close to the elusive and destructive inari and it doesn’t help that inari ends the conversation with “if he does anything to hurt you i’ll make sure to put that mangy mutt down and make him regret ever stepping out of prison” before asking kushinada to have a cup of tea with her

after they’re done, kushinada comes up while fenrir pretends to wake up for the first time. she checks on his injuries and she asks about what happened to him but he shuts her down before she has to chance to speak and tries to leave - of course, in his injured state he just makes things worse and falls over. kushinada scolds him for trying to move in this state, and says that even if he won’t co-operate that she’s still going look after him just to prove inari that she can handle looking after herself when dealing with the mafia business.

she leaves for a bit and brings a breakfast tray for him. he wolves it down, reluctantly saying thanks and apologising for his manners - kushinada finds him kinda cute when he’s all blushing and red (although she won’t admit it). she tries to more subtly ask what happened to make him so ravenous but he brushes her off again. fenrir asks for some coffee instead of the tea she’s brought and she makes sure that he uses his manners this time.

she goes down again, leaving fenrir to his own devices. he eventually walks around the apartment for a bit, taking special notice of all the greenery around the place. she pops up behind him while he’s admiring some lillies. he asks how she gets the plants to look so nice - she says that you can gorw anything as long as the conditions are right

then their usual routine sets in - kushinada will get up before him and they’ll eat meals with each other while she runs the bakery downstairs, popping up whenever she has the time to see him.

when he can walk without major discomfort again then kushinada gets him to man the counter and when his arm heals she starts teaching him about how to bake to tend to her plants - he’s not half bad at either activity and when he’s polished his skills enough he makes breakfast for her UwU

of course y’all can imagine as many fluff moments as possible while they fall in love and that cute stuff like

fenrir talking about his tats and what they mean

talking about his past, maybe a lil bit of angst and comfort bc i’m a sucker for emotion support scenes

cute baking moments, fenrir licking the spoon and kushinada getting on his case about that

i’m sure you can think of a few dramatic situations to progress the plot but i’m just here for fluff hehe

or maybe something about fenrir running into some old gang members and them giving him shit about losing his edge and how pathetic he looks manning the bakery - he’s barely keeping himself together but he does for his and kushinada’s relationship together but he snaps when one of the group starts talking about kushinada and threatening to attack her to coax the old fenrir out. it probs gets into a bad back alley sprawl with the gang needing a large ambulance as a result of his anger (i like to imagine that inari was watching around the corner ready to back him up and they’re like “good job kid”)

and maybe fenrir’s family comes to see him?? at the very least i want light hel to work for kushinada at the bakery bc i want Dramatic™ family reunions yo and she’d fit the role p well

tagged by @hailkuvira and @amillionsmiles. thanks!! <3

tagging uhhhh who have i somewhat interacted with that writes and hasn’t been tagged already uh @magical-merlance, @cosmicdusttrails, @tiredgaykeith, @rueitae, @elby9001, @ anyone else that wrote fic this year and wants to take a stab at it??

STATS:

Fics posted:  they’re all...VLD

Tumblr exclusives:  my fic tag for your viewing pleasure. but here’s a list of everything (i think) that i didn’t also post on ao3 (with the exception of a few that will be posted probably within the next week):

Misnomer, a crack fic

a euphoric plance kiss that i just wrote on a text post i reblogged

a Cupid AU plance ficlet i also wrote based on a text post

ficlet about Acxa, Ezor, and Zethrid after Lotor escapes them

Pidge getting Love Advice from Lance, also an addition to someone else’s text post

How I think Hunk learned Pidge is a girl, with a teeny tiny bit of plance because it’s a section of a plance fic i meant to finish that i’ve since lost this is why you save/back up your work often

Outtakes from ‘Howl at the Moon’

A The Wizard of Oz AU (honestly bless the anon that prompted this)

A shallura hurt/comfort prompt fill

Whatever the hell this is, all i know is that it’s gen but still involves kissing and is kinda a crack fic

FF.Net:  N/A

Archive of Our Own:  i’ll just go with oldest first like i did in the last section

Give a Little (5859 words), fake dating, my first posted plance fic

Ship to Wreck (3544 words), gen (despite the title hehe), sailor/age of (western) exploration-type Pidge-centric AU

Spectrum (9562 words), gen, a Wheel of Time/fantasy AU

Winging It (2187 words), gen, fun canon-verse fic where they race paper airplanes

A Slip of the Thumb (18697 words), plance, wrong number/text modern AU

Break a Leg and Other Cliches (29293 words), plance, modern ballroom dance competition AU

Incompatible Schedules (1025 words), plance, canon-verse fluff

All’s Fair in Love and Gaming (653 words), plance, canon-verse fluff

Be Gentle (4881 words), plance, canon-verse body swap AU

If Wishes Were Fishes (1167 words), plance, canon-verse vaguely bittersweet beach fic

Lightning Round (3003 words), plance, canon-verse battle couple in training fic

Build on Shaky Ground (3337 words), gen/plance (platonic), kinda angsty Garrison era

Unknowable (562 words), plance, canon-verse philosophical fluff

Wisdom of Hindsight (1344 words), plance, canon-verse angst

Caught (2727 words), plance, canon-verse lovebug AU

In Time (724 words), pallura, canon-verse hurt/comfort

The Art of Seduction (2075 words), plance, canon-verse fluff

Falling’s Not the Problem (26179 words), plance, future canon angst with a happy ending sorta thing

Smuggle Your Heart (21931 words), plance, Star Wars-ish AU

Pocket of Space (6203 words), kallura, a Vorkosigan Saga-ish AU that’s kinda...languishing at the moment

Howl at the Moon (10271 words), plance, future canon undercover fake marriage thing

Failure to Launch (1740 words), gen, Sam & Coran hurt/comfort and feels in general

Specter (18325 words), plance, future canon AU, and, um, major character death fic

What Not to Do in Chemistry Lab (2458 words), gen, modern/college AU with my chemist Hunk headcanons

Search and Rescue (1684 words), gen, pre-canon baby Holts fluff

Shopping for Disaster (6108 words), gen, canon-verse Allura & Pidge bonding-gone-wrong fic

Ink on a Page (8807 words*), gen, Pidge-centric Inkheart AU

In the Making (8184 words), plance, canon-verse/future canon ~over the years~ kinda thing

Strangeness and Charm (73407 words*), plance, a collection of prompts cross-posted from tumblr so they’re really a bunch of individual fics but i’ll count them as one for now

*word count not entirely accurate because subsequent chapters are complete but not posted

Total number:  39 (counting S&C as one fic) Total word count:  288,132 part of me wishes i was making this up

Ship/Character breakdown: Ship breakdown:  plance, undoubtedly, wins; gen stuff takes second place. then there’s the odd shallura/kallura/pallura stuff (i like all Allura ships so) Character breakdown:  hmm. Pidge and Lance dominate, obviously. Pidge also tends to dominate by gen stuff, with Allura possibly coming in second. Poor Shiro and Keith (though i still love them) kinda......lose

Characters that had the main focus: Pidge in much of my plance and gen stuff, Lance in much of my plance stuff, Allura in a decent amount of my gen stuff as well as in that languishing kallura fic

Specifics:

Best/worst title? Best title:  None really jump out at me, but I think‘Build on Shaky Ground’. Also before i suffer some serious post-posting (hehe) embarrassment, I’ve titled this brand-spanking new fic ‘The Start of Something New?’ (the question mark is compulsory) and i’m way too proud of myself for that reference to HSM at the moment. Honorable mention to ‘Search and Rescue’ for sounding more serious than the fic’s plot actually is

Worst title:  I’m actually displeased with most, but only ‘Smuggle Your Heart’ makes me cringe every time I see it

Best/worst first line? Best:  not sure but as i look now the first line from this fic gave me a good laugh:

Lance thought that after two years in space fighting furry purple aliens while flying a sentient robot lion that merged with four other sentient robot lions to form one large robot man nothing could possible surprise him.

Worst:  if i actually took the time to look through all my fics, i’d probably find so many awful first lines, but i’m too lazy so this one is a weak first line from my one and only shallura fic:

Shiro had never seen Matt and Pidge happier.

Best/worst last line? Best:  uh to be honest i think they’re all kinda bad but here are a couple funny ones (from this and this) that don’t require much work on my part sorry i’m lazy:

Lance watched him go for a tic, shrugged, and went off in search of someone else to bother, preferably someone he would not mind kissing.

“It was strange enough that I actually don’t want to forget, so listen closely, because I won’t tell it twice.”

Worst:  point at any one of my fics. i’m never happy with the Last Line. but here from Shopping for Disaster (it makes sense in context):

He still wrote the ticket.

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?

I wrote...way more

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted last year?

definitely VLD in general, because i was still...hesitant to get into it?? i didn’t watch it till spring of this year 2017 a few months after season 2 came out, i think What’s your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest.

There’s this one (named ‘Siren Song’) that has yet to be posted into my collection on ao3 and it’s a concept i very much want to expand into a fully fledged long fic. and, to be honest, i thought it would get more notes than it did

Okay, NOW your most popular story.

By tumblr notes, this one ('A Sticky Situation’ on ao3) takes the cake with 168 notes

By kudos/bookmarks/comments on ao3, that would be A Slip of the Thumb with 225 kudos and 31 bookmarks

Story most underappreciated by the universe?

Me, constantly:  I write gen fic too guys (in all seriousness, my Inkheart AU is going to be great)

Story that could have been better?

Can i say all of them?? No?? Okay, taking recent fic into account (because i do think i’ve improved overall even in the last few months), i wish i’d spent more time and put more effort into ‘Shopping for Disaster’, especially with making the action scenes more plausible, making the Druid scarier (because i want to get better at writing horror, believe it or not), etc. Pro tip though:  don’t write while you have a headache

And actually now that i think of it, I would scrap all of ‘Wisdom of Hindsight’ because it’s awful and uses a trope i really hate

Sexiest story?

sex?? in my fanfic??

but anyway!! hmm...’The Art of Seduction’ probably had the most graphic (except also not really) makeout scene. ‘Propriety’ (part of the collection) was almost definitely the most suggestive. ‘Howl at the Moon’ had the double whammy of a fakeout makeout and a fake marriage along with the kiss at the very end of the fic. so i dunno, i guess it’s in the eye of the beholder??

as far as vibe is concerned though, i actually think ‘Smuggle Your Heart’ is kinda...sexy?? *shrugs* Saddest story?

‘Specter’ without a doubt. *cue evil laughter* Most fun?

‘Smuggle Your Heart’ was actually wildly fun to write. i was really into action scenes at the time

Story with single sweetest moment?

not sure, but in my humble opinion it would the majority of ‘Burnout’ (also from the collection), particularly this sizeable bit:

Pidge would never admit it to anyone - except to Lance himself, maybe - but she liked it when he clung to her like this, or when she latched herself onto him. There was just something soothing about having another human body pressed against hers, a balm for the mind and a relaxant for the muscles.

Some of the tension trickled out of her as she leaned back into Lance, and his arms tightened around her, sensing her need.

“Guess what?” Lance said, voice soft and close to her ear.

“…did Coran get his hand stuck in something weird again?”

Lance rubbed his nose - scratching, probably - against the side of her head, then chuckled, the vibration reverberating from his chest into her back. “No,” he said. “Try again.”

“Hunk figured out a way to imitate peanut butter?”

“All right, you get one more guess before I tell you.”

Pidge rolled her eyes but said, “Did you finally find out how to swim in the upside down pool?”

“Oh, ha ha, very funny, Pidge,” Lance grumbled.

For some reason, that made her giggle, if only because the image of Lance’s last pitiful attempt to swim laps in the Castle’s pool cheered her.

“So…what?” Pidge said, turning her head slightly so that Lance could see her frown. Of course he would dangle a mystery in front of her without giving her a chance to solve it…

“I love you,” he said, pressing a doting kiss to her forehead.

Pidge’s face flushed, pleased and embarrassed all at the same time, her worries dissolving as easily as sugar in hot tea. “So?” she said, trying to show him how unaffected she was. “I love you too, so it’s not that special.”

“But you are, Pidge,” Lance said. He buried his face in her hair. “You’re special, and smart, and confident, and we wouldn’t be able to function without you. And anytime you’re faced with a challenge, it bows down to you, its queen - wait, no, it’s empress.”

Pidge laughed and rubbed her face. “Oh my God, Lance,” she said. “That’s the cheesiest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“But it’s true,” Lance insisted. “And I know for a fact you love being praised.”

“Well…”

Lance let go of her and moved away, and Pidge missed him instantly…at least until he knelt on the floor next to her, putting him at below eye level in relation to her. He cupped her face, gently, and made sure she met his eyes. “You’re amazing, Pidge, and when you crack this code, we’ll all sing your praises.”

Pidge rested her forehead against his, reaching behind him to bury her hands in his hair. “But especially you, right?”

He smirked. “I’ll be the loudest one.”

Lance then kissed her, so softly it wasn’t much more than a warm brush of lips, and he pulled back before her eyes even closed. “Also,” he added, with a slow, sly smile, “it wouldn’t hurt to take a break, right?”

Hardest story to write?

This borderline crack fic that had a shippy premise but the prompter challenged me to write gen for it. i succeeded (i think), but was it worth it?? probably

Easiest/most fun story to write?

They’re all fun to a certain degree, but this The Wizard of Oz AU was great fun once I hit my stride. also honorable mention to ‘Smuggle Your Heart’, of which i wrote about 17k words in one day in a hyperfocusing haze (i didn’t sleep till 3 AM that day and i would’ve skipped dinner if my parents hadn’t reminded me).

(i haven’t had a day so productive yet inefficient since)

Did any stories shift your perceptions of the characters?

I actually....disliked Lance until i started shipping plance, and then my love for him only grew the more i wrote him lol. even season 1 Lance can be fun to write now, if only because he’s so ridiculous

Most overdue story?

hmm, perhaps something like ‘Failure to Launch’ because there’s a lot to explore in the adultier adults important to Team Voltron, particularly what Sam - the dad - might feel about his pretty young children getting sucked into a fight like this. but *shrugs*

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

not really?? i...kinda played it safe?? perhaps ‘Ink on a Page’ is my riskiest venture to date because it’s a long fic and i have a poor track record with long fic that i start posting before finishing. hopefully i’m learning discipline and like actually finishing things

also i think ‘Specter’ was pretty risky, as would be writing anything i really have very little experience in feeling, plus people tend to feel very strongly about major character deaths and i was unsure how people (particularly people i interact with) would receive it. and i guess i learned that it’s okay to take risks?? i was pleased with the way the fic turned out (even if it broke my heart to write it), and it was sorta begging me to be written (you know that itch you get when a story wants out??). and ultimately i’m writing for myself...but it’s still nice when other people like your writing too

What are your fic writing goals for next year?

Finish ‘Ink on a Page’

Finish and post my definitely unconventional The Holiday AU that’s currently languishing as a Word doc of about 20k words

Write something amazing for the plance zine

Expand/write my sailor AU (of which ‘Siren Song’ is the prelude)

Write a slow burn plance fic (to be fair, The Holiday AU and the sailor AU are looking to be slow burn, of sorts)

Maybe...not write so much by the seat of my pants, be less impulsive and more thoughtful, outline more but remain flexible, be more efficient so i don’t burnout, push myself to write even when i’m not feeling ‘inspired’

Not compare myself to other writers (sad but true)

write for a different fandom/pairing?? who even knows at this point

Hi Hello

Neighbour!Kang Daniel AU

Note: this is what happens when you spend too much time at home, often meeting neighbours and have a soft spot for Kang Daniel

EDIT: you guys, this has gotten so many notes i am honestly shooketh™. thank you so much for reading and do look forward to my next one! you can request if you want anything’s cool really hehe

it was the start of the summer break and instead of flying back home, you decided to stay and make use of the time to explore the city a little and let loose

it has been a while since you last clean up around the apartment so you decided to get to that to kick start the long break

the moment you stepped out of the apartment to throw out the trash, you were greeted by a baby girl (her name’s Luna) waddling towards you and giggling

you were familiar with her, your neighbour would babysit her almost everyday, you often played with her whenever you see her outside of the apartment

“Luna!” suddenly a tall figure came and carried her in his arms

he had such a lean body, the muscles on his body were defined

HIS BROAD SHOULDERS

you then realised that he didn’t have a shirt on and quickly kept your eyes to the ground

“hi!” you looked up as he greeted you with a smile

oh boy was he cute

“oh hello?” you could stare into his eyes for ages

“erm… oh right, sorry i need to throw myself- i mean the trash” he giggled while you quickly made your way to the rubbish chute

way to go ______, you made yourself sound like an idiot

when you came back, you see that he was still walking around hand-in-hand with Luna

“Luna? hello” you said as you crouched down to match her height and she walked right past you, classic

“don’t worry I get the same treatment too,” he laughed

both of you exchanged smiles once again before you went back to your apartment

you looked into the peephole and saw that he was still playing around with her

it made your heart skip a beat, seeing that he was so good with Luna

you kept remembering his laugh, how does one laugh so handsomely? and his smile. his eyes! you could look into them forever

you realised that you’ve never seen him around before

was he a new tenant? or is he the repair man?

or maybe even, he’s the father to the child? this was something you wished wasn’t true at all

you suddenly remembered how your neighbour mentioned that the father of the child worked overseas and he doesn’t come home as often, so you thought maybe he indeed is the father

maybe that’s why he's so good at taking care of the baby

you decided to get over it before you fall way in too deep

a few days later, you decided to head out for awhile

you’ve been cooped up at home for too long, it’s a good way to get some fresh air

when you locked the door behind you, you heard a familiar voice greeted “hi there!” and you froze, recognising that voice

it was that cute, broad shoulder guy - the guy who is possibly the father of Luna

quick, pretend that you don’t remember him!

“oh hello?”

“you don’t remember me? remember the other day? you were throwing yourself, i mean the trash out and I was out here with Luna?”

oh my goodness how can I forget that I indirectly said that I was the trash? fml something i would say irl tbh

“oh right! couldn’t recognise you there for a moment with the shirt on. wait, just, never mind,”

smooth move _______

he just laughed it off as he stood beside you in the lift

“your daughter’s really cute. Mrs Kang takes care of her really well,” you said to break the ice

“wait I’m sorry what?”

“Luna? She’s your daughter, right?”

he started laughing hysterically, his eyes turning into crescent moons

“you’re a really funny person, you know that? Luna’s not my daughter,”

you blinked your eyes in shock at him

“wHAT?”

“and Mrs Kang is my mum. My name is Daniel,”

something just clicked in your head

your neighbour have mentioned once that her son’s coming home, she probably told you during one of your late night conversations when you just got home from school

“OMG I am so sorry. You know what, just ignore me okay. I’m such an embarrassment,” you said as you got out of the lift

“hey, you’re not an embarrassment. c’mon, how about we grab coffee and maybe start over?” he quickly stood in front of you

“I’ll even pretend that nothing happened before this"

you pondered over it for a bit and thought, a little company wouldn’t hurt so you took up his offer

Daniel got really excited and held you by the wrist then led the way

he told you about wanting to go to this cafe that he has been eyeing on ever since he got home

the moment both of you reached the cafe, you were like !!!

“i used to always go to this cafe!” (back when you were free from the craziness that is school)

both of you ordered your drinks and sat by the window (aka your usual spot) and talked about almost everything

about school, family, work, Peter and Rooney - the cats you often see around which apparently belonged to him

that was also how he learnt that you are a cat lover like himself (he even sneakily suggested on bringing you out on a date to the cat cafe)

he also brought up the time when both of you first met which made you face palmed yourself (mentally)

“it was so hot that day, i just had to take my shirt off. i’m so sorry our first meeting had to be that way,”

“no no it’s fine really! i didn’t mind the view- IT, I MEAN IT”

your habit of accidentally verbally relaying your thoughts = the reason why you are single TRUTH

“i am so sorry. i am so embarrassing. if you don’t wanna hang out with me anymore, i totally understand”

“no! you’re actually really funny. i don’t think you’re embarrassing.” he laughed, showing off his bunny smile

“actually… i wanted to get to know you after we first met. i was waiting for you to head out of your apartment again but you didn’t. so i thought maybe it’s not meant to be till today, when we coincidentally met. I’m really happy that you said yes,” Daniel smiled shyly

you buried your face in your hands, touched by his words

“anyway what did you do in your apartment the whole time?”

“OH well you know… just lazing around, trying to recover from that embarrassing moment”

note to self - stop blurting out your thoughts

from that day onwards, both of you spent a lot of your days together, gradually being more and more comfortable with one another

you even shared inside jokes and gave each other nicknames

“why do you call me kid?” you asked him

“because you’re small and cute” lowkey want to fight him but you know you can’t coz you’re smol

both of you too enjoy going to the cafe, cat cafes, watching movies, going for karaoke sessions

sometimes you would just hang out at his place or at yours (did i say sometimes? i mean MOST of the time)

his mom is always glad to have you around, since you often help her with some work

“you know the other day, mom called you her daughter in law. you know what that means?” Daniel starts wiggling his eyebrows at you

“wha- KANG DANIEL STOP”

actually you weren’t sure if you were dating or just friends, you were stuck in that grey area

both of you didn’t really declare it as it is, you just went along with whatever you were feeling

though there were times where he seemed very boyfriend-like, it really made your heart flutter

like when he helps you to put on your shoes (even when you insist that you could do it), giving you his hoodies when you’re cold (it is now a growing collection in your wardrobe)

and especially when he's taking care of Luna and helping his mom

you genuinely do like him but you were too shy to express it

but when you do try to express it, you end up blushing so much and he’ll start teasing you about it

one of the days, the doorbell kept ringing in the early morning, disturbing your deep sleep

annoyed by it, you dragged your feet to answer the door in your just-rolled-out-of-bed state

when you opened the door, you see a sleepy Kang Daniel (looking REALLY adorable) with messy bed hair and a giggly Luna in his arms

“change of plans, let’s stay in” he said with a yawn as he sat down on your couch, while Luna played with his hair

he later explained that his mom had to run some errands so he has to take care of Luna for the day

you didn’t mind it, after all you love spending time with Luna

both of you decided to head over to his place since most of Luna’s things were there

while he gave Luna a bath, you prepared a quick meal for the three of you and fed the cats

after entertaining Luna for a bit, both of you decided to bring her to the swimming complex nearby to cool down from the crazy heat

so with Luna in your arms and Daniel carrying the bags, the three of you head off to the pool (ngl you guys look super cute, very family-like)

you guys had fun teaching Luna how to swim and stuff like that

halfway through Daniel decided to take off his top claiming that he was ‘feeling warm’, subtly showing off his arms and muscles

you knew he did that just to get a reaction from you, in which HE SUCCEEDED

you couldn’t even look at him properly and blushed so much to the point where Luna started patting your cheeks in attempt to rid of the redness

after a long day, it was time to head back home

on your way back, a lady approached both of you, offering you a handheld fan to keep Luna cool from the hot weather

“what a sweet couple! your baby is very cute”

“wHY THANK YOU! we should get going. let’s go babe,” Daniel replied as his arm wrapped around your waist

(you lowkey started using the fan coz it was getting HOT all up in here)

istg Daniel will use every opportunity he gets just to see you flustered

“hey wifey” he winked

“KANG DANIEL”

when you got home, you started cooking dinner while he gave Luna a bath

you were cleaning up in the kitchen when you felt someone brushing your hair back

when you looked back, you see Daniel smiling sweetly to you

“hey kid” he held onto your shoulders “it smells good!”

“well i tried my best. where’s Luna?”

“she’s drinking her milk at the living room. she’s gonna sleep soon”

“i’ll check up on her once i’m done here. you can go ahead and shower then eat dinner”

“thank you so much” he gave you a side hug, his lips almost touching your forehead

if anyone saw this moment, they would think you guys are a married couple, being all cute and domestic (yES I APPROVE)

you quickly snapped out of it when your heart started beating like crazy and went to check on Luna, without realising that you ended up falling asleep

when Daniel stepped out from his room after freshening up, he was greeted by your peaceful self beside Luna

he brushed your hair away from your face, silently observing your features

“beautiful” he whispered to himself

little did you know that he shared mutual feelings with you

after spending the day with you today and seeing how you took care of Luna (and also him), he knew he wanted to spend his life with you

even just seeing how you helped his mom, he knew you were the one

every time he thinks about how it’d be like if both of you got together, it’ll never fail to make his heart flutter

but the thought of you possibly not returning his feelings made him hesitate

this was the first time he felt so strongly towards someone, he didn’t want to mess it up or lose the spark that the both of you have

in that moment, his mom just got home and saw that scene

“oH MOM! haha when did you reach home?” he quickly stood up

“i just got here,” she went to the kitchen to check out the dishes “wow, something smells good"

“________ cooked for us earlier. She’s really good,”

“as expected from my daughter in law” she smirked, as she started scooping out some food for herself

“mom… do you really think of _______ that way?” he slowly approached her

“of course! i wouldn’t have called her that for nothing. why? wait... do you also see her that way?”

he nodded shyly then let out a soft giggle as he buried his face into his hands

“well you better tell her before it’s too late”

since it was getting pretty late, Daniel decided to bring you back to your apartment

(being the gentleman he is) he carried you bridal style to your bed

you started mumbling and wrapping your arms around him, he wanted to melt coz of your cuteness, he ended up grinning so widely

he managed to tuck you in bed without waking you up

he sat beside you, running his fingers through your hair when you suddenly held his hand

“can we please stay like this Daniel?” you hugged his arm, which shocked Daniel (he thought you were awake)

then realised you were just sleep-talking when you started telling him to stop stealing Rooney from you

but it did make his heart flutter, knowing that you were dreaming of him

the next day, you woke up even earlier than usual, surprised that you were back in your bed when your last memory was being at Daniel’s place

you made your way to the kitchen to grab a drink when you saw someone asleep on your couch

when you realised that it was Daniel, you figured that he probably brought you back, got too tired to head back so he resorted to sleeping on your couch

you crouched down by his sleeping figure, watching as he breathed in and out

you pushed his hair back, letting your fingers run down his facial features slowly as you admire his sleeping state

“i wish we could stay this way forever” you whispered to yourself

just as you were about to walk to the kitchen, you were being pulled back down to the couch, now face-to-face with Daniel

“me too” he smirked as he cuddled up to you

you stayed that way for awhile, enjoying the peace and serenity and the comfort between the both of you

“________” you love the way your name rolls off his tongue

“you know, I really wasn’t lying when I said that. I really want us to stay this way forever. by that, I mean us being together,” he started playing with your fingers, not making eye contact

you were speechless, only knowing now that he shared mutual feelings

Daniel, on the other hand, took your silence as a sign that you didn’t feel the same way, not knowing that you were just too surprised to even say anything

“you probably don’t feel the same way. that’s okay. i totally understand if you don’t feel- ”

“shut up and kiss me Daniel” you blurted out, which made him turn to you, seeing you grinning to him

“gladly,” he leaned in and gave you a peck on your lips

ok blurting out your thoughts might be a good thing

I had a very short update on my Facebook, but since there's NOTHING to do today at work (or for the rest of the week, for that matter), I figured I'd do an entry here. The weather hasn't really continued warming up that much. I'm still cold in the office and we still have the heater on (or the "stove" as they call it...). Warm coffee is a necessity to stay awake and keep warm. The coffee here isn't that great but I think I've gotten used to it and it isn't the worst thing anymore. The coffee at Pearson was still WAY WORSE. That stuff was poison. And yet, I still drank it...every day. We've been quite busy these days. I got to lead classes on my own for about 2 weeks. The end of the year was kind of "anything goes" in my first year classes. So I did a St. Patrick's Day presentation and a few activities that prompted the students to speak on their own - which was honestly the only time they could, since my JTE for that class isn't very creative and just went through the main dialogue of the chapter over and over until the class fell asleep (seriously, one day I stopped him and said - they're too sleepy to continue. Let's do a short activity to get them awake. We then played Simon Says for 2 minutes.) Anyway, my classes went amazing. We studied 2 songs together, described photos, did word jumbles and drew emotions. And all the students were engaged. My JTE was amazed. I was just like, well it makes sense. They are also all relaxed because they know that grading is over. Really, at this point of the year it's like anything goes. Now the students are on Spring break. I still have to come into work even though there aren't classes. It's whatever, I guess. At least I get paid to sit here and think about literally anything I want and type things like this. Last week, the transfer announcements were made. A few of the teachers I liked are moving to different schools. This happens once a year. The teachers who have only been here for a short time weren't really at risk of transfer, but those who were here for anywhere between 2 to 5 years got picked to move. I never really thought about how hard it would be to transfer because at home, there is such a clear line between work and home life. At 5 you leave and forget about work until the next day. And maybe you don't spend so much time with co-workers. Here, the teachers are assigned for a few years to a school who houses them in teacher housing, and the only people they know are the other teachers and the students. Those people become their life. Their friends. Some of these teachers already live apart from their spouses and children. Sometimes the transfers move them FURTHER away from them. I think it can be really hard to deal with. So I understand why there were so many tears at the goodbye ceremony. While I think it's good for the overall educational system to have an even division of teachers and experience, this is really hard on people. But they're used to it. It's just the way it is. And it will probably be this way for a very long time. Meanwhile in the States, you get teachers who have been there for 30 years who have lost passion because they aren't respected by students and they're just getting worn down. They don't like their co-workers or their students and have a hard time controlling their classrooms sometimes. At this point, I don't know whether or not the Japanese educational system is better or not. In ways, I think it is. But in other ways, everyone just works too freaking hard here! Like, after 5 PM GO HOME AND RELAX! Some of my teachers don't go home until 9PM every day. Like, why? They don't get paid overtime to be there, either! Huh, this became a ramble about education in Japan. Somehow. Recently, Philip and I have been getting out more. Last weekend we made it out to Arita with our friend who is in the Navy and stationed nearby. I have never seen so many pottery shops. It was insane. I definitely want to go back there and explore. We also visited a nice shrine and had a good talk with the priests there and they explained how to buy the fortunes (which had an English translation! They must get a lot of tourists). We talked a lot about how we came to Japan and the charms they were selling. The entrance to the temple was up a set of stairs with a train track at the top, then after you cross the train track you can enter the temple. I found it kind of strange. At the top, it just looks like there are train tracks and then an edge you could fall off of. Philip's cousin came to visit this week. He's a college student studying in Tokyo. He's super full of energy so this week is gonna be fun. We certainly had fun yesterday after we picked him up. We spent all afternoon in Sasebo looking around. I found a flute I had never heard of and decided to buy it. It was sort of an impulse buy, but it wasn't that expensive (until I decided to buy a book to learn with, then things got pricey...the book was more than the flute!). I discovered that I got like a learner's flute, and that these flutes come in bamboo. I really want a bamboo one!!! The flute is a shinobue and it's used in festivals. Also, it turns out that it's the mystery flute from Vampire Princess Miyu that I always loved!!! I may have downloaded that soundtrack when I got home...hehe We found a koto concert in the middle of the shopping strip, and the guy who runs the souvenir shop where I got all my souvenirs for family recognized our Navy friend and we got to clarify where his shop was so we could take another peek. We were met by his son on the corner where we needed to turn (he called him!!), and we were shown inside. We were able to ask questions and explore the shop. I asked about the flutes because I noticed they had more than before. Turns out that they now had the flute I had just bought at the other shop, but the real versions. The shop keeper let me try the flutes (which really surprised me!!!) and I discovered that the one I got was SUPER high pitched like a piccolo. I thought "Great, my neighbor will be so happy..." But actually, I'm thinking of practicing at the beach around the corner from my house. Anyway, I discovered that i LOVE the sound of the flute that has one less finger hole. It's such a nice sound that I can enjoy more by myself without killing anyone's eardrums. He offered to sell one to me for half price. I just could not believe that. Really. What?! I was ready to buy it right then and there! But he said I can take some time to get used to the instrument first. What a nice guy! Not like other sellers who are just like "BUY IT NOW". I truly felt cared for as a customer. They also gave us free plants! I was like Okay! Plants are cool! I'm actually terrible with plants. Philip got me an orchid on our first Valentine's Day and it just died. I got a small flower that was placed in a stone at the culture festival here back in November and I haven't watered it once. I think it might still be alive somehow, though. So...we'll see how long these guys last under my care! They also gave Philip a little squirrel because he asked how much it was and they just said "Please take it!" I think maybe no one was buying it lol. He gave it to me as a present. Oh, and the week before hand I got a deal on some Sailor Moon merchandise at this second hand store in Sasebo called Y.Y....something. Y.Y.Boueki I think? The guy there collects a lot of things, including American things, especially Star Wars. He even has autographed things on display. He let me take a picture with a rare Sailor Moon statue he had. I did make it to GU for the Sailor Moon collaboration, but things sold out VERY fast there and I couldn't choose exactly what I wanted beforehand. But I did get a good amount of things! 3 shirts and a Luna purse! I also decided to snag some pants because I needed some. I now own white pants and they frighten me (I'm going to stain them, I just know it...). also, I'm the biggest size there. That's just unreal. And actually, these pants are slipping a little now that I'm moving around a lot >.> But, I'm just saying, the range of body types here must not be large because if I'm the biggest size, I feel sorry for anyone bigger than me trying to shop for pants. Really. That must suck. I was going to wrap this up but I just remembered the enkai on Friday night that we had. We had a big going away dinner party for the leaving teachers. I had to eat fish and I'm starting not to look forward to the food at these gatherings because I have to force myself to eat a lot of things I don't like. I ate some sort of clam thing, I don't even know what it was. But it came in like a conk shell. Is that even what it's called? God, not growing up near the ocean has never been so apparent as it is now that I'm living by one. I don't know a lot of things about ocean life. Anyway, so each leaving teacher gave a speech and then other teachers would stand up and give a speech back. And it was nuts. They all did a Japanese cheer that I had never heard of. It was actually quite educational. And then the gym teacher who was basically the guy who kept order in this place with the kids, is leaving. So the other gym teacher gave the speech to him. But, not before stripping off his top first. Oh, boy. And then he stood there giving his speech topless and crying. And it was sort of charming to see two men who were such good friends have such a heart to heart moment. Even though one of them had stripped beforehand. XD We went to an after party at a VERY SMALL BAR near my apartment. It was so fun! There was karaoke and it was the most fun I've had with co-workers here. Everyone was singing and cheering and just being totally silly. It was really cool. I'm kind of disappointed that my base school is switching to my other high school now. I'll be there 3x a week. So I'm not as affected by the transfers as the other teachers, but I still feel kind of sad? I don't know the teachers at the other school as well, or the students. It's a bigger school. They're awesome, though. Full of energy and the students are generally pretty smart. Plus, there's a rock band club...so there's that. I think it'll be okay. WOW THIS WAS LONG BYE

D&D Shenanigans #1

So here’s this thing that regrettably took ages, my apologies, just wanted to write some fluff and it took me ages to get through, not sure why I found it so hard. But yet it was still enjoyable. Hope this thing is enjoyable to you to. Doubt I’ll be doing one again for a while, even when we get the others in. I’ll put character sheets down at a later time when I get around to it. Have a good day. P.S: Because I did like half of it on my phone the formatting on the start looks very, very different. Instead of changing it, I’m going to keep both formats in and I want an actual opinion on which you think reads better because I think I’ve seen people use the first one before, so please let me know if you will. 

Sci and Asgore both stopped dead in their tracks as they walked into what had been the dining room, not expecting to find the table they were used to eating on to be so different. The table in question was now covered in a purple tablecloth that reached to the floor, the edge of it having rune symbols sown into them with gold thread, the same had been done to the very centre of the cloth with a larger circle like symbol. Alphys was sitting at the end of the table, peering at them from under an emerald cloak that matched her eyes. In front of her on the table also stood a Dungeon Master’s screen that hid her notes and dice from sight, on it was an illustration of a group of adventurers surrounded by undead spirits of various descriptions. Alphys’ expression turned worried as the other two remained in the same position for a long while, taking it all in. “Wh-why’re you l-looking at m-me like th-that, I j-just wanted to p-put some effort into y-your first s-session”, her face portrayed a combination of worry and defensiveness.

“Nah Al, we’re just impressed with what you got here, I mean did you have all this just stored away out the back somewhere?”, he chuckled lightly as he tried to quell her worries.

Both of them went ahead to the table each taking a seat to the side of the table, opposite to each other.

“I uh didn’t have th- this the entire t-time, only g-got it d-done a few days ago.”, she gripped part of the table cloth and held it up a little before dropping it.

Asgore started to grin as he gave a suspicious gaze, “But what about that cloak, did you only just get that?”

“I uh umm”, embarrassed she looked down and turned lightly red before looking back up again, “um yeah, I m-may have h-had th-this for a little b-bit.... stop giving me that l-look, th-this is l-like the only opportunity I g-get to use it ok?”

“I’m not judging you, just very curious hehe, you’re not embarrassed around us are you?”

“N-no just.... lets j-just get started”.

Alphys cleared her throat as she appeared to be looking down at her notes from behind the board, “So umm d-do we want to introduce o-our character... who w-would like to g-go first?”

Asgore gleamed and stood up in a dramatic fashion, “I’ll go first if that’s alright”

“Of c-course it is, f-fire away”.

With a smug smile he started to tell his narrative, “I’m a Goliath Paladin who comes from a family steeped in Royal heritage and blood. After all my training I decided to leave home to try and live my life as much as I can before my responsibilities keep me there for the rest of my days. So here I am, travelling and going on wild adventures”.

“W-would you l-like to say your characters s-strengths and w-weaknesses?”

“But you helped me make it, you know them already”.

“Y-Yes but for Sci’s sake”.

He let out a sigh, “Ummm he’s real strong and takes a lot to keep down, apparently has a lot of charm and.... isn’t the smartest supposedly.... like that?”

She gave a reassuring nod, “P-Perfect, also last thing, d-did you end up d-deciding on a n-name for him?”

“Oh yes, his name is Asgore Dreemur”, he gave a confident thumbs up in exclamation.

Alphys looked a tiny bit confused, “Y-you’re using your own n-name?!”

“I sure am, I figured that if I need to get into perspective for my character, I should make him similar to me in all ways, including my name. So then I can give you the most accurate of representations.”

She nodded, thinking over it for a moment before returning a smile back to the confident goat, “Well that sounds wonderful, I’m glad you’re really thinking about how you’ll put more effort into this.”

Quickly Sci interjected with a hurried sentence, “I uh think I’ll go by Sci then. I think it’ll fit in much better and make things easier on everyone”.

She gave him a curious look, “Really? Y-you know it’s fine either w-way?”

“Yes I know, but I’m Sci”

“What name did you have p-planned?”

Sci scratched the back of his head and gave a slightly nervous smile, “Oh umm... it’s silly really but... Balthazar Hallowwind”

Alphys covered her mouth as small giggle sounds came from within before finally bursting out laughing, grinning ear to ear as slowly she started to struggle for breath.

Sci started to look annoyed, “Is it really that bad?”

“B-bad? N-no not at a-all, j-just it’s heh so f-fantasy and a b-bit cliche in a good, loveable way. It’s uh j-just very you, I l-love it, I promise, I’m n-not trying to m-make fun of you... would you l-like to t-tell us about... Sci?”, she let out a long exhale while wiping a few tears from her eyes as she gave a kind look towards him.

The skeleton took a deep breath and started to smile, cliche or not he supposed it at least made her happy, “Well Sci here is a Half Elf Wizard that is with Asgore to explore the world as studying everything up close is the best kind of research, the most valuable discoveries are the stuff that you can do first hand. He comes from a middle class family in the city and was eventually sent away to magic boarding school where he was supposed to learn the tools of the trade so to speak after finding out about his natural knack for it all, when it came to his strong studying skills and general intellect, but eventually the books weren’t enough and now he’s broken free from those chains of simple, tertiary education to learn about things on his own terms. His intelligence is very high and his very good dexterity allows him to be a very nimble fellow. How ever he lacks quite a bit in strength, a tad in constitution as well as having basic charisma. Will that do Al?”

“Yes th-thank you. F-finally I’ll introduce m-my character-“

“But wait, aren’t you the dungeon master?”, Sci inquisitively questioned

“Well yes, b-but I um wanted to h-have a character too, plus also th-the party needs a h-healer and it’s easier to b-balance with th-three people as opposed to two”.

“Oh ok, continue then”

With a grin that wasn’t all to dissimilar to Asgore’s previous, she giggled, “Alright, my character was meant to be the l-like the m-middle ground wh-when it came to names, I was going t-to call her Phys, but you c-can do whatever”, she looked down at her notes for a moment before continuing, “I’m a Gnome C-Cleric that l-lacks the a-ability to s-speak, a mute I g-guess you’d c-call her. She serves the god Omoikane-

“Hey wait a seco-“, Sci tried to interject, but Al didn’t give him a chance to continue.

“- and servants of th-this god wish to h-help and provide good c-counsel and h-help for all. Phys here i-is with your party b-because sh-she believes she can s-spread her g-guidance and h-help further in a t-team than all by herself. Phys is h-high in Charisma especially when it c-comes to performance. Her main weakness is a lack of Dexterity m-making her quite clumsy and not v-very nimble.”

After a short pause to just make sure she was done, Asgore encouragingly exclaimed, “Wow she seems really cool, Phys is a welcome addition.”

“Wait so we’re using her character’s name?”

“Y-you want t-to change y-your mind Sci?”

He tensed up slightly and shook his head, “N-no of course not, my name is fine.”

Alphys rubbed her hands together with a giddy gleam in her eye. “A-Alright, a-are we a-all good to g-get started?” The nods from the other two was all she needed.

This tale of adventure, danger and general hijinks takes place in the land of Grangelow, to be more specific it starts in the city of Filota, the third biggest city in the country. Sci and Asgore both met first in the city during a nighttime card game at a pub, both of you realising you had similar goals you decided to team up so there would be a higher chance of you two being hired as ready to go adventurers. Unfortunately you’d both been running into a problem, the fact that you chose one of the busiest cities in the land did mean more potential customers, but also much more competition, lots of it having much more experience and reputation than you, some even being part of prestigious guilds and the like. One night you thought you’d caught a lucky break when a Gnome Cleric by the name of Phys asked to hire you which of course you accepted, unfortunately your hopes were dashed when it turned out she thought she needed to pay people to be her friend so she could create a party... as well as she was going to run out of gold in a very short amount of time. Taking pity on her and deciding that maybe having a bigger group would make people consider you, she was allowed to join the group. So now the three of you have spent the last few days, wandering, asking, investigating and even begging to strangers for a job all while the gold between us all slowly dwindled. If nothing changed you were going to have to sell your equipment and head home in shame, but then one fateful night it all did indeed change.

���S-so what is i-it that you two w-want to do?” Alphys softly spoke in her shy tone.

“Oh where are we exactly?”, Sci returned with a question as he pondered scenarios in his head.

“Th-the tavern if y-you want? Unless y-you have any b-better suggestions”.

Asgore hit the table with both of his hands in an enthusiastic manner, “Asgore is going to do a drinking contest, that’s what happens in taverns all the time in the stories and we might even be able to make some money from it”, a small prideful smile showed up at his idea.

“O-oh y-yeah, that’s actually a g-good idea, b-but you’ll have to r-roll against your o-opponent.”

“Oh which die is it?”

“The D20, t-the ‘really big one’ as you call it”, she said as she passed Asgore a red and gold dice she had spare.

Quickly he rolled it, putting almost enough power for it to bounce off the table, but to everyone’s relief it stopped at the edge, a result being shown on top.

“8? Is that a good one? Is that a win”, he said, putting on a hopeful smile.

“J-just g-give me a second...”, the sound of a dice rolling behind the DM screen could be heard, “...o-oh d-dear... y-your opponent g-got a umm 20”. The lizard monster sighed and briefly face palmed.

Asgore’s positivity dropped as even he was looking worried, “Wh-what does that mean? Is that really bad?”

“L-let me describe it f-for you”.

Asgore was having another one of his drinking competitions in an attempt to gain coin and most importantly, bragging rights. So far overtime he’d been very successful and many a person feel to intoxication before him. The unfortunate thing for him was that his reputation was growing and Asgore was soon face to face with a well known drinking champion, a bulky looking Dwarf that held a fire in his eyes that looked to be able to burn through stone. When the two of you locked eyes and got served multiple tankards of Mead, the duel went underway. Drink after drink disappeared down your gullets, a mighty battle it was. But as with all great fights, one must fall. Asgore, barely able to even see the world straight went to grab his last tankard, before the world went black and the Goliath collapsed to the floor in defeat. The dwarf took his spoils and left, but not before giving a respectful farewell to the non-hearing loser.

“Oh umm well crap... that’s not good is it?” The prince sighed, his mood deflating.

“Umm y-yeah, n-not really, I-I’ll just h-have you b-blackout for a l-little bit maybe?”, Alphys winced at the unexpected turn of events.

“Yeah that’s fine, I’ll wait then I guess”.

She sighed, “D-don’t worry, y-you’ll be back into it b-before you know it... So what’s Sci d-doing? Hopefully n-nothing quite as... d-disabling?”.

Sci crossed his arms, “Well I suppose I’ll just be sitting at a table across the room, having decided to not get involved in such a racket. Drinking a beer of some sort and reading over my spell book.”

“Y-Yeah, yeah, that’s p-perfect, ummm let me j-just... aaaannnd....”.

Cool air rushed into the tavern as a tall man walked in, his form mostly hidden by a long, raggedy brown cloak, though a black goatee could be seen on his chin. Closing the door behind him, he stood still and seemingly surveyed the situation in the room before without any hesitation moving to the table of Sci, and sitting opposite to him.

The man spoke in a rough, deep voice as he stared at the Wizard with a serious gaze, looking up and down him, looking at his fairly civilian clothes as well as the equipment on him that was showing. “Excuse me, but you wouldn’t happen to be an adventurer of some sort? Couldn’t help but notice your book of uh magic stuff there.”

Sci gave a questioning look as he closed the book, “Ummm yes, I am an adventurer... why do you ask?”.

“Well you see, I need some help with a uh, problem and honestly a lot of people have turned me down, saying my pay was to low or that they had better things to do, I just really, really need someone’s help.”

Phys came over to the table and sat next to Sci, putting her arms crossed over on the table and rested her head on it as she listened to the two of them.

The man glanced over at her cautiously, “She one of yours?”

“Yep, Phys, myself annnnd Asgore over there knocked out on the ground make up our little party.”

Phys sat up with a smile and offered her small hand to him, the man returning with quite a reluctant handshake.

“That’s good, three of you will just be perfect for the job”.

The scepticism in his voice rose as he kept examining the expression of the man, trying to work out what it was he wanted, “You haven’t told us anything about the so called job, if we’re going to accept it, we want some info.”

The cloaked figure cleared his throat rather harshly, “Yes, yes of course, well you see. At my lowly home, in a room out the back, there has been a slight outbreak of... demons. Not very mighty ones as they’ve been locked in, but I fear what else may spawn in there if nothing is done about it.”

The half elf squinted with an expression of confusion and worry, “That’s a bit of an intense thing for people to ignore. Do we even know how to deal with demons?”

“W-wait a second, c-can you b-both show me y-your character sheets?”, she said with another one of those worried looks.

Both of them obliged of course, handing her the piece of paper. Adjusting her glasses slightly she read over them around a few times before passing them back, her face not showing any signs of improvement.

“What’s the matter? Something wrong?”, Asgore questioned.

With her hands over her face she sighed, “No one h-here knows s-sign language, she c-can’t properly communicate”

Phys gave Sci a light hit to the back of his head, waiting to get his attention before pushing a brown coin pouch over to him. With two fingers she just opened it to reveal empty space, no shiny coins, no cash whatsoever.

He hesitated before nodding, “Guess we don’t have much of a choice”, he muttered. Now bringing his attention back to fellow across to him, he smiled. “After some careful consideration we have decided to take on your job and eradicate the demons plaguing your house... how much pay are we talking?”

“25gp... ok yeah I’m sorry it’s all I have, I’m desperate ok... maybe I can pay you back some other way?’’

The other two could only assume looking at their winces and hesitation would only demoralise the man further. Yet despite accepting the job previously and even that last reaction, he didn’t seem any happier or sadder. If anything he remained with a fairly consistent tone.

Continuing with this tone, she spoke as he stood up, “Thank you kind people, well I’ll be waiting for you back at my home, third house down on Crane Road. Come when you can please”.

Without properly acknowledging any farewell from the pair, the man left through the door.

Sci smiled, “Well hey, we’ve got our first job right? There’s hope yet”.

Phys nodded with a gleeful grin and offered him a high five which the other obliged with a loud, air-cracking smack. However the two of them came to the realisation that the last third of the party had to be dealt with. They approached Asgore who was on the floor unconscious and tried shaking him a little, but he wouldn’t budge. The Gnome pointed to the unconscious party member and pointed outside, Sci taking it as needing to move him outside. While Phys moved out of the room, Sci attempted to move the Goliath which proved almost impossible for him with his size and heavy armour along with the wizard’s feeble strength. However the with the help of the most certainly stronger bartender, they managed to get him out in the night time air, leaning against the front of the building. Moments later Phys came around with a very large water bucket and chucked it over Asgore without so much as a warning. 

Asgore woke up and got to his feet at the speed of a bullet, looking between the duo, ‘’Wh-what’s going on? What did I miss, where am I’’?  ‘’You lost, your drinking streak is over.’’ Sci proclaimed with a shake of his head’’.  The Paladin sighed, ‘’God d-‘’  ‘’But more importantly we have a job, we might actually get paid’’.  Phys proceeded to point to the sky excitedly while also brandishing an empty coin purse in her hand.  ‘’Whoa really? YES, finally, thank my lord’’, the disappointment was automatically replaced with cheer, ‘’C’mon, where the hell are we going? Let’s get started I’m ready to go’’.  Though after a couple of steps Asgore felt himself stagger slightly, Phys suddenly jumping in front of him with her hands on his chest to stop him from falling forwards. Sci pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, ‘’Let’s just make our way there slowly… we really don’t want to be dragging you across the streets.’’ 

(Format changes now)

A mere fifteen minutes later the trio arrived at a rundown house in an admittedly cheaper part of the city, it was hard to believe anything was happening here except for shady dealings, let alone some small, inexpiable demon outbreak in a house. Asgore had managed to make his way there slowly while trying to hide how sick he really was feeling, Sci walked behind them, seemingly trying to stuff some spare food he took from their last meal at the tavern into his bag with which the others assumed he was desperately starving, while Phys stayed next to the Paladin just in case he was going to fall over. Sci decided he was going to take the lead and walked straight up to the door, putting on a smile as he knocked. With some loud, rushed footsteps, the man they’d met at the tavern opened the door with a relieved face. ‘’Oh thank goodness, I’m so glad you could make it, please waste no time, come in quickly, let’s get this over and done with’’, with a concerning amount of alarm he moved behind the group and outright pushed them into the building. The door entered into a small, dimly lit hallway, all the doors around it were closed except one. They proceeded through, heavily led by the very owner, to the door that was open. They entered a normal sized bedroom, though it lacked any furniture to identify it as such. The other peculiar feature it possessed was the one window in the room being completely barred off with iron. ‘’Wait? What type of room is this? What do you use it for?’’, Sci questioned as he turned around to a rather troublesome sight. Behind the trio, the man quickly stepped out of the room and slammed the door, the sound of a key locking them in filling the party with dread. ‘’Haha yes, look Boss, I did it all by myself, I fucking told you I would!’’, he exclaimed loudly and excitedly. ‘’Hey what hell is the meaning of this?’’, Asgore tried to open the door in a futile effort to escape before simply and angrily punching the wooden door, causing it to shake. Outside the room, other doors could be heard being opened, undoubtedly the other rooms in the hallway, and footsteps came their way. Phys made small noise as she approached the door, putting her hand at a mid-portion of the door where a slot was, not to dissimilar to a mail slot on a front door except a little bigger. Pulling it she opened the slot to see a small group of men in leather armour, they looked ready for a fight. One individual from the group approached the one that lead them here and put an arm around him, ‘’And so you did Reggie, very nice. Three in one go isn’t to bad, seems like they have some valuables, that plate armour might go for a good amount, I’m proud’’. ‘’Thank you, sir, I did my best’’. Asgore punched the door again, albeit weaker as a light headed feeling started to interfere with his senses, ‘’Wh-what is going on? What the hell do you guys want?’’. The leader of the group approached the door, yet not so close as to risk anyone reaching through the slot, ‘’To put it simply, us folks here need to eat, to eat we need money, to get money we sell valuables. We find gullible folks like you, adventurers who aren’t worth a damn, wait for them to starve, then while weakened we’re gonna kill you, sell your stuff and repeat, honestly a lot quicker and easier than hostage taking I tell ya’’. He gave off a very punchable toothy grin at the Cleric watching him at the slot. ‘’Though I’m not wasting anymore time, I was having a nice dinner. Reggie, you don’t have to worry about guard duty tonight as appreciation, Daryl, you’re up.’’ The one called Daryl sighed, ‘’C’mon Boss, I was having dinner to, it’s not like they’re going to get out of there, we don’t really need to guard.’’ ‘’Shut the fuck up Daryl, we’ll bring your dinner out to you, but you ain’t getting out of this, don’t say another word.’’ He sighed once more, ‘’Yes Boss’’.

Around half an hour had passed since the incident, nobody else from the gang was heard from since the man guarding was given keys and food, the other three were in the middle of the room, trying to figure out their plan. The door had been shaken and attacked to read avail; it was obviously reinforced. The window didn’t appear to be any solution either, the bars stopped anyone from leaving, although the window was smashed. But despite many minutes of yelling for help, nobody heard, or nobody cared. ‘’I’m guessing nobody knows anything about lockpicking here? Too much to ask?’’, Sci stated, his gaze intensely focused on the floor as he tried to think of something, though it was weird that he seemed to be tightly hugging his bag. Phys and Asgore shook their head. ‘’Wish smashing it open was an option, wouldn’t have made things so complicated, is there really no magic you can pull Sci?’’. ‘’Nothing that’s destructive enough that won’t risk setting the place on fire… while we’re trapped in here… starting to think I shouldn’t have focused so much on destructive spells.’’ Asgore sighed before looking back over towards Phys, ‘’Anything?’’ Phys had for the last while been staying near the slot, checking every now and then to see if the guard had come any closer, hoping that maybe if he got close enough they could reach the key, yet while he was sleeping on the job, he definitely wasn’t that stupid. So, the only answer she had was to shake her head back at Asgore. ‘’Damn, it only appears that slot is the only way anything gets in or out, but even Phys isn’t that small.’’ Sci’s eyes widened, ‘’Small, small, small… that’s it. Why was I so focussed on getting past the door? We just need to circumvent it’’. Phys scurried back over to where the other two were sitting, putting a finger to her cheek, a common sign that she wanted to ask a question. Asgore helped by actually voicing it, ‘’I thought you didn’t have anything? Are you seriously telling me that you could’ve got us out of here earlier?’’ The wizard looked nervous, ‘’Oh uh y-yeah maybe, I just don’t really like showing him to strangers, also he gets kinda shy to those he hasn’t met… I’m usually pretty hesitant to bring him out.’’ ‘’You keep saying him, whose him?’’ ‘’Oh my familiar… come on out Newton’’, Sci opened the bag that he was hugging, some movement could be seen coming from within. He laid it down slowly and gently called for him. ‘’Don’t worry, they’re good, just hop out, we need your help’’. Slowly and cautiously, a small, brown weasel walked out of the bag, keeping his eyes locked on Phys and Asgore, then suddenly making a small squeaking-like noise before climbing up onto Sci’s shoulder. ‘’So uh yeah, this is Newton, he might be able to grab the key’’. It was as if their entire dangerous situation had disappeared for a few moments, Asgore had a massive grin on his face and Phys was trying to contain her excitement as she bounced up and down, the urge to just grab and hug the adorable thing being hard to suppress. ‘’So, you’ve been hiding him from us this entire time?’’, The goliath questioned. Sci stood up and walked towards the door with Newton in tow, ‘’As I said he’s bad with strangers’’. The weasel was trying to retract as much as it could into a small ball as they got the door, the three of them crouching down next to the slot. ‘’Ok Newton, I’m going to ask you to do something very scary, but I need you to trust me…’’, he opened the slot and showed the outside to the familiar, ‘’…you see that key? I need you to grab it and bring it here’’. Newton started to shiver and even shake its head lightly. ‘’No, no, no it’s going to be fine, trust me, he’s even sleeping see? No one will see you except us and these two are our friends.’’ He visibly started to calm down yet seemed reluctant. ‘’I’ll make sure to feed you lots and lots, I promise. You’ll have a feast next time we can afford one.’’ Without further ado the weasel jumped from Sci’s shoulder at the open slot and dropped, hitting the floor with a soft thud on the other side. Slowly it approached the sleeping guard, sitting against the wall. Newton got slower and more unsure as it grew closer to the man, the shiny key just almost being paw’s reach. But suddenly the man moved slowly and caused the familiar to skitter back in fear. Luckily it was just the man falling over on its side, he was still asleep. It looked back at Sci to see him nodding, giving a thumbs up to try and give his friend reassurance. With that slight comfort it began its approach once more, slowly and steadily heading to shiny key on his waist. As it finally got close enough, without any hesitation it quickly snatched the ring the key was on with its mouth, causing metal to make contact the floor in a surprisingly loud clang. This caused the man to stir and slowly sit up, groaning. ‘’Uggh, was I sleeping again? Damn it I just… what?’’, his eyes locked with the weasel who was frozen in fear, watching with small black eyes. The guard noticed the key and put two and two together, ‘’Hey wait a minute, that’s not yours you damn rodent’’. He quickly stood up and Newton bolted to the door, climbed up the door and burst through the slot of like a rocket. Once he dropped the key at their feet, he sprinted straight back into Sci’s bag.

The man ran straight for the door just as he heard the unlocking sound, using his body as a barrier, ‘’Oh no you don’t you little shits… GUYS WE HAVE A SITUATION”, he yelled out to the rest of the house. After a few moments of successfully holding door closed from some resistance, the pushing stopped. Confusion appeared on his face as he wondered what they were up to, before being blasted into the wall as a massive plate armoured Goliath rammed the door after an across room sprint, the man was knocked out almost instantly. After picking up all their stuff, they swiftly exited the room at the exact same time the other four members of the gang entered the hallway. ‘’So, you little shits think you’re tough do y- AGGHGGGH’’. He started to scream as a firebolt from Sci smacked into the side of the leader’s face. ‘’AGGHGGUGGUUUU WHAT THE HELL DID I SAY ABOUT TRYING TO TAKE A WIZARD REGGIE?!’’ ‘’I’m so sorry, I didn’t know, he doesn’t even look like one’’ ‘’OH I’M GOING TO MAKE YOU SORRY, AFTER WE CALL THESE BASTARDS’’.

Asgore readied his glaive and went first, rushing at one of the random men and swung it from the side, causing a huge cut into the man’s side, the blood gushing out only confirmed more the decisiveness of the strike as he fell to the ground. The other three suddenly looked pissed and went after Asgore, pulling out their own short swords. Two of them swung overhead which he caught with his long weapon, but the third one went for a stab right into his gut, the only stopped the Goliath from taking a critical blow was more fire heading to the leader, the pain causing his stab to only graze it’s target. Deflecting off the two individuals he went for another slash at the two that they nimble dodged away from. Phys used their distraction to summon a Sacred Flame on one of them, the fiery radiance burning the man enough to cause him to fall to the ground, presumably dead. Only two remained, one heading one wishing to avenge his friend ran at Phys with the sword raised above his head, swing at the gnome before finding it blocked by a small shimmering field surrounding her, Shield of Faith managing to stop the blow. He barely had anytime to voice surprise before Asgore hit him over the back of his head, taking him out instantly. ‘’I’M SO SICK OF YOUR BLOODY FIRE’’, The leader of the group, covered in burns went straight for the source of his misfortune, his sword stabbing right through his right shoulder, causing the wizard to yell out in pain.   Sci used this pain to fuel his anger and cast his own spell, ‘’If you’re done with fire, then how about let the chill of the grave help you out.’’ A ghostly skeletal hand appears and grabs at the leader, gaining a grip on him as cold started to move through his body, the life seemed to drain from his face before finally, he to hit the floor along with the rest of his men.

Sci held his shoulder, wincing at the pain and blood coming from the wound. Phys quickly ran over and shoved the wizard’s hands away, replacing them with her own as she pumped her healing magic into him, closing the wound, the only trace left being his ripped clothes. ‘’Oh thanks, I guess we can rely on you for that huh?’’ Phys gave him a salute with a massive grin, before pointing at the men. She pointed at them and brought both her wrists together. ‘’What? Are you on about?’’, Sci looked confused and Asgore didn’t seem to get it either. Phys pouted before continuing, she kept her previous position while walking around very slowly on a hunched over, sad posture. After looking over at their faces and still seeing that they didn’t get it. Next she pointed at the men once more, before putting her hands in front of her face, as if she was holding something vertically, shaking them a little in feigned frustration. ‘’Oh wait, wait, she’s holding bars, iron bars, she’s talking about jail… she wants us to put these guys in jail, maybe she’s saying we get the guards over here?’’ It looked like a light bulb went off in Asgore’s head as he explained his theory, a grin appearing as Phys’ nod showed he was correct. Sci nodded, ‘’Oh yeah, I’m sure they’d appreciate that… just wait, I think this might be an opportunity for us’’. He moved over to the bodies on the floor and searched them, over all managing to pull out about four small pouches of gold. ‘’Look at this, we’re gonna be set, we can actually afford a proper meal and keep on going.’’ ‘’We’re not out of the game yet, it’s a sign I tell you, we’re meant to keep on going, home will have to wait forever’’. Phys gave an excited fist pump of excitement; her eyes showed determination and resolve. ‘’Well we better get moving, take to long to report this and people might think we’re the shifty ones.’’, Sci shrugged and started walking to the front door, ‘’How about we celebrate the success of our first job with lots and lots of food tomorrow?’’ Asgore stretched his back with an affirmative nod, ‘’Sounds like a great plan, drinks on me?’’ The trio laughed as they left the building and headed out into the night.

So, after this incident, the guards came and arrested most of the gang that you reported, some appeared to not be dead and managed to escape, an investigation is in progress. They thanked you for your service and rewarded you with even more gold, this group has apparently been a pain for a long time that they’d been trying to find. After that you all head back to the tavern and the next day is spent relaxing and enjoying your new found riches. Though as much as enjoying your current victory is sweet, you look to the future and wonder what other adventure and glory may be awaiting for you to come along. 

‘’Oh, was that all?’’, Asgore spoke first, his expression neutral along with his tone. ‘’G-gosh s-sorry, did I-I d-disappoint you th-that badly?’’ ‘’Huh? Oh god no, it was really fun, I was just hoping there was going to be more honestly, I really enjoyed it’’, the goat child gave an encouraging smile. ‘’Don’t stress Al, it wasn’t half bad, we both enjoyed it’’, Sci said, leaning back in a relaxing manner. ‘’T-thank g-goodness, th-thank you so s-so much, I’ll t-try to m-make it more e-exciting next time, I only d-did a little bit so you guys c-could get a t-taste.’’ ‘’Well consider this entrée excellent, though I don’t think we’ll be fully satisfied until we move on to mains’’. ‘’Heck yeah, we need to make sure we do this again, maybe we could make it like a thing you know? Every once and a while? Please Al?’’, Asgore grinned and gave a glance to Sci. ‘’Well I’m not going to complain about it, that’s for sure.’’, he spoke with an amused tone. ‘’R-really? Y-you want t-to do it th-that much? Gosh w-wow… th-that means so m-much to me…’’, the lizard monster turned red as she was flushed with embarrassment. Taking a few moments to calm down before speaking. ‘’A-alright, I’ll m-make sure to c-come up with the b-best stories and w-worlds for you all, y-you can c-count on me, I guarantee it, we’ll h-have the best c-campaign ever.’’ The other two seemed appreciative and after a few moments of silence, Asgore got up from the table, ‘’Well I’m hungry after all that, I’m going to go get something, thanks again Al.’’ Sci stood up as well, ‘’I think I should probably go get some of my work done as well, thank you as well’’. After both of them left, Al just looked down at her notes and smirked evilly, ‘’N-now j-just what will I h-have to d-do first, so m-many ideas to throw in one w-world’’.

November 25, 2017

So my day started off with a group meeting with Iris, and oh god that was… not fun at all unfortunately. I also woke up late HAHA I was supposed to meet her at 10 but I woke up at 10.. but to be fair she was also late so it wasn’t that bad. She ended up waiting for me for like 10 minutes. Then we created our Instagram powerpoint which took about 2.5 hours. Way longer than it should have, but it’s okay at least that’s one more assignment out of the way.

After my meeting with iris, I called Katie and I ended up waking her up HAHA and I was like lets go get food, get ready. So I met with her at 2, and we headed off to go get hot pot. Also really funny and random but she used this whitening cream that she got from her secret Santa because she had been complaining about how tan she’s gotten, but idk what she did but she had this white cast over her face so she definitely looked paler but LOL HER FACE WAS ALSO A DIFFERENT COLOR THAN HER NECK AND CHEST AREA AHAHAHAHAH I remember laughing for legitly 5 minutes. But yay I was so excited to get hot pot hehe Problem was, the first hot pot placed we picked wasn’t going to be open until like 5 pm, and then we tried to find the next hot pot place and we ended up getting lost LOL. And while we were trying to find this second hot pot place, we stumbled across Cotton On that was having a huge Black Friday sale, 30% off everything in the store. So OBVIOUSLY we had to shop. So we ended up shopping in that one store for an hour LOL. I did find some nice stuff though, I found this giant olive hoodie jacket, and it’s sooo soft and big and just looks so comfy casual. I also found this plain black long sleeved crop top, and also a light blue hoodie that says “paris” on it. Pretty good deals, glad I got to do a little bit of Black Friday shopping HAHA

Then after that, we wandered around some more and we still couldn’t find the freaking place, so we asked one of the people working at a coffee shop, and they told us we were in the wrong building… lol… like we had to go outside, turn the corner, then go up the stairs. It’s technically the same building which is why the maps didn’t show up, but it was in a different section by itself that had a separate entrance. By this time, it was already 4 pm, and we were like shit should we still go, because we had plans to get kbbq for dinner at 8… yeah we still went. I don’t regret it though! It was good ^__ ^ also pretty cheap because we got that “afternoon tea” price, which was 167. During lunch though, omg we ended up talking about leaving each other, and it was one of the saddest moments haha. Because we were both talking, then we both picked up our drink cause we were gonna tear up, and we looked at each other and both of us started crying. Not like sobbing crying, but like tears just were nonstop rolling, but then we both started laughing because we were crying over hot pot, but then we were still crying, so it was a mixture of amusement and heartbroken ness. I don’t wanna leave these people. As much as I love home, I never felt like I had a solid place there with friends that I love so much – at least in college. These people are just all so so dear to me, and this environment that we are in of constant exploration and friendship and love is just something I don’t want to let go of. Haha yeah Im pretty sad writing about this right now. I have less than a month left, and I just don’t want it to be over. Some of these people I feel like if we were given the chance, I could be friends with them for life. It just breaks my heart thinking that I have to leave these people that I hold so dear.

ALRIGHT anyways, after lunch, we both headed back to campus, but as we were going back, Katie wanted to check out jackets because she didn’t buy any at cotton on, so we first headed to H&M, but they didn’t have much, and then I suggested we check out Uniqlo because they have a lot of jackets. Then I forgot who, but one of us jokingly suggested getting matching jackets as Chris and Vincent because they have a white and gray one, respectively from Uniqlo. So we went to go find it, and I actually found the jackets but I tried on this one navy blue one that I LOVED but Katie convinced me to get the gray one for the jokes and we were gonna meet the two of them later for dinner so I was like ok, but how do we get both of them to wear it. SO I texted chris “hey you and Vincent should both wear your Uniqlo jackets later because it’s going to be cold outside” and originally chris didn’t suspect much but when he told Vincent, Vincent was like instantly able to guess, IDK HOW but he guessed that we got matching ones and he said he wasn’t going to wear them. and I told chris that if he doesn’t wear it then im not going to talk to him for the rest of the night, I didn’t know if he was really going to wear it or not and he ended up not wearing it. And I was legitly annoyed LOL IDK WHY IT BUGGED ME TO DEATH that he didn’t actually wear it. Because Chris knew that we got matching ones when Vincent guessed, and he still wore it to match with Katie, so I was like butthurt that I didn’t get the same treatment.

But I did proceed to not talk to him for the rest of the night, which I did feel mildly bad for because he didn’t really talk to anyone when we were going along the MTR and just ended up putting in his earphones. Probably because usually I’m the one who makes conversations with him… it’s not like he tried to talk to me though so I was like whatever. LOL plus everyone else was being pretty talkative so it let me get away with it. I just talked to Josh for most of the night.

Korean bbq was alright, it was kinda weird, like all the meat was just laid out in the open, and we would go get it buffet style? Same with all the side dishes. A bit unsanitary in m opinion. I was not a fan of that haha. It was also kinda dumb because grill changes weren’t free? They weren’t expensive either but I just thought it was dumb that we had to pay per grill change… dinner was nice though, everyone there was probably my favorite people out of the entire group – Josh, Chris, Katie, and Vincent. So it’s always good vibes. Plus me and josh are always fucking around with each other so that’s always funny LOL

Then after dinner, we came back to dorms to grab our stuff so we could got to AC3 to study, and when I got back I changed into my green hoodie because I was still a bit salty HAHA I’m so petty sometimes, and then I also found out that I got my period so maybe that’s explaining a few things too. But we met with Chris and Vincent again downstairs, and this time Vincent changed into the jacket and I was pretty amused but I just turned and walked away so I was walking in the front but I was laughing the entire time because katie and chris were giving him ideas on how to apologize and also yelling after me “what more do you want this boy to do” but yeah I wasn’t mad anymore after that LOL

Then we just spent our time at AC3 until like 5 am again… but Josh also helped me design my powerpoint for my Consumer Behavior class and it looks soooo cool im so happy with it ^__^ Vincent also helped me figure out why my computer literally had no space left, and it was because I had two full iphone backups on there that was taking up like 20 gbs of space each. I legitly felt so ecstatic when he figured it out because my laptop had been lagging and constantly telling me I only had like 500 mbs of space left like wtffff

But yeah pretty eventful day haha

4/10: Geek Out!

Pretty much half of April I spent outside of school—outside of Seattle, for that matter. I just spent a week away because of the AFS trip and right the week after that was spring break, and Karen and Eric got a major scheme planned precisely for the next week.

I only got one day after I got back from AFS trip to be spent in Seattle, before flying away again. And thanks to destiny and luck, Sunday is the last day of the thing I put on the top 10 of my exchange wish list: a comic convention.

Another reason to be grateful to be placed in a big city like Seattle. On my second visit to the comic book store near Seattle Central in the past, I asked the comic book store guy about any comic cons. He told me there was gonna be one here in Seattle, called Emerald City Comic Con. And he said it was quite famous, although, obviously, not as famous as the San Diego one.

Emerald City Comic Con was held from April 7-10. I nearly had a heart attack when I checked the guest list and found out that Danielle Panabaker (The Flash) was gonna be there. I would be depressed if I didn’t go. I also found out that my AFS trip was from April 2-9, thinking that I might fly home on the tenth, but I didn’t. It was a close call.

Next problem: someone to go with.

I wouldn’t mind going alone, but it will be much less lonely if I go with someone. I tried contacting my fellow Indonesian exchange students from all over Washington and even Oregon, but to no avail. Desperate, I did something I have never done before: literally put a desperate request for anyone to go with me. Like, anyone.

Ended up going with Gretar. Yaay. Turned out he had someone he was dying to see too. Booked the tickets for Sunday only, and got the pass shipped a couple weeks before the event.

So I have told you the story of my camera getting wet in Washington DC. The thing seemed to run out of battery just before I left for Comic Con, so I charged it for like five minutes. And it sure as shit did only work for five minutes before it died mysteriously. I only took one freaking picture of Washington State Convention Center, and now I had to carry this heavy not-working thing around. Uggggh.

So this is what a comic con looks like. An ocean of eccentric-dressing people as expected. A lot of Deadpools, jacked up ones and potbellied ones. Several Ms. Marvels. Some Batmen. Many over-the-top video games and Japanese anime characters. Lots of sexified characters, don’t matter if the characters were sexy or not in the first place. Saw a couple of real-life robotically moving R2D2. Many Reys. A couple Darth Vaders. One really pretty Princess Bubblegum (or whoever her name is, if I’m mistaken with her name). But of course, there were also a lot of people who are too lazy to dress up, like me. Having a t-shirt with four Deadpool faces on it definitely wasn’t a costume, but it was enough to express fashion contribution to the convention.

I also just discovered that a comic con was not merely a big room of exhibitions and souvenir stores. There was a whole big room for the guests autographing and photo-op, a whole floor for stores and online shops to sell comic books and shirts and action figures. The rest of the smaller rooms were used for talk sessions, like fandom meet-ups, comic-making classes, or discussions about different topics in comic books in particular or in general. The bottom floor was a family area, filled with exhibition from Lego and scheduled demonstration from Pacific Science Center.

A lot of interesting stuff happening. Yay. Though gotta admit I wasn’t that big of a geek since I didn’t recognize most of the stuff happening in the conference rooms.

Finally I got in line for an autograph and a picture with Danielle Panabaker and took it with Gretar’s phone camera after he got his picture with whoever actor he was in line for. Gotta admit, not the best quality, but it sure was something. Still numb from disbelief that I met Caitlin Snow in person for the next hour.

(mantap abis)

But I got another agenda. Aside from Danielle Panabaker, I also discovered that Raina Telgemeier, an illustrator/comic book artist, was having a talk at noon in one of the rooms. I honestly don’t know her other works, but from before I know she made these three comic books: “Smile”, “Sisters”, and “Drama”. The first two are based from her own real life experience. I didn’t even know why did I buy “Smile” years ago, but I found out that the way she wrote and illustrate it was really interesting and flowy and easy to follow. It’s one of those light books that doesn’t take that much concentration that you can read during break between other heavy books you may be reading.

I discovered the last two in Harper’s room, so I borrowed them from her and finished them in two days (one for each book—if I really put my mind into it I could finish them in a day). Since I’m not really fangirling for these books, I couldn’t really say I was dying to meet Raina Telgemeier. But I was pretty hyped to get a chance to see her.

Gretar and I split when the time for Raina Telgemeier came. As expected, the room was filled with rather little kids. Like, little kids. Elementary. Kids in princess costume and spiderman attire from the kids’ section in Target. Felt more like Halloween instead of Comic Con.

But no, I wasn’t the oldest one. There were several teenagers in the room, though.

After some waiting, she finally came up the podium in front of the room. She was as pretty as her picture in the back of the books. She talked through this podium on one side of the stage where a moderator would be if there were a panel inside the room. You know.

She talked about her books and her experience in writing her own experience and how she draws and other things. At one point, she picked two kids to join her in a reading session where she and the chosen kids read a few pages of her second book “Sisters”, which we could see the panels through the projector screen. She showed some comparisons between her childhood pictures and her illustrations in the book. At the end of the talk, before Q&A, she voluntarily drew from whatever random ideas the kids threw at her. I think it was someone eating an apple getting abducted by aliens in Boston commons or something.

It was fun. I asked a question during the Q&A, hehe. I don’t know, a little regret I had was maybe for not taking a picture with her. I just didn’t feel like it at the time. Stupid me. Oh well. I still got to see her. That’s what matters.

As I said before, turned out I wasn’t, obviously, a big geek as I thought. Maybe I am among my friends. But I was definitely no one in this sea of people who dedicated their time and sweat to make costumes and money to buy tickets for the whole four days of Comic Con and their comfort to look on fleek in their costumes for the whole day. I called Eric a few hours ago to bring me my white small camera, and he came some time in the afternoon, maybe around 2. I gave him my dead heavy camera, and Gretar and I split because he wanted to see Batman vs. Superman. I didn’t join him because a) I’ve heard what the critiques said, b) I’ve heard what Nate—someone in fourth period—ranted about the movie and how it was a bad one, and c) points a and b turned me off, supported by the fact that I wasn’t THAT huge of a DC fan to watch it eventhough people said it was bad.

So I stayed because I wanted to make my $35 worth it. I planned on going to Pacific Science Center’s last exhibition for the day, which was around 4ish, so I waited by exploring the whole building. Or more like the floors where they sell souvenirs and merchandise and all that stuff.

I was trying to be a better fangirl by trying to buy something. But most of them were either too expensive for such a simple design, or unavailable for my size. I almost bought this STAR Labs sweater which would be really cool if only they didn’t only have the size XL. sigh.

I ended up buying nothing. I suppose it’s good because I saved my money. Hehe.

Okay. Maybe not nothing. When I was trying to kill time before the science show, I walked a few blocks to the Central Library and made my Library Card. Then I walked a few more blocks back to the heart of downtown. I entered Old Navy.

The story behind this was that since the end of 2015, I’ve been eyeing this cardigan, which—bear with me—suits me really good, and my mom said it suits me really good, and it came from the maternity section. It was $25. Waiting for an opinion from my mom at the time, I left the store and decided to wait until I’m really sure.

So I came back in the beginning of 2016, and it was freaking $30. For some unknown reasons, I didn’t buy it. So this day, the day of Comic Con, I came back to see if mayyyyybe the price has gone down?

So I looked at the maternity section... only to find that them cardigans were replaced by tank tops.

I totally forgot that items in the store are seasonal. You can see here that I don’t shop much to know about this kind of stuff.

But I did spot one cardigan—the one I wanted—on the top rack, alone. I asked the store person and he said it was the last one. He took it down and it happen to be my size. And guess how much was it.

It was $3.28.

Hurrah!

I sure as shit bought it straight away.

Then I went back to the convention center, watched an exhibition show by Pacific Science Center about electricity or something, then, hoping I would have a question to ask but I didn’t, I went home.

All in all, although what happened wasn’t exactly like what I expected, but I am very extremely happy that I got one of my goals achieved. Kudos to fate for placing me in a big city like Seattle. I might be the biggest comic book geek in my environment back home, but I sure am the tiniest comic book geek in the convention, literally and figuratively. And the convention was way more than American comic books, as it reached farther out to American TV shows, cartoons, and Japanese anime. I wasn’t completely like a kid in a candy store to have all these geeky stuff I’d never got back home, but it definitely was worth it.

The only downside was probably the camera. The stupid camera. Correction—stupid me.

But why the hell should I focus on one low light when there were two high lights of the day: I got to go to a freaking Comic convention, AND unexpectedly got a piece of cardigan I’ve been eyeing for the past several months for a price lower than a lunch combo in KFC?

Hell yeah.