#at least with text i can add extra details

[ultravioart]

General personhood Headcanons I have for the WoY main 5. warning: long text ahead :')

Wander: Pronouns: Any! Just like names, Wander uses what is gifted to him by others. He/him is most common, though neutral pronouns are often used, too.

Identity: Canonically nonbinary. (Wander existed before the concept of gender/Wander's people had no concept of gender. Wander is without gender.)

Phenotype: Since Wander's species lives SO LONG and it seems life expectancy is based off of outlook (optimistic = staying young), plus the "existed before the concept of gender" thing, my guess is that there are no distinct male or female members of Wander's species. This would allow Wander's species to travel great distances without having issues with maintaining a population. However, Wander seems to be the last of his kind.

Orientation: The friendliest ace in Outerspace! Asexual Wander is panky positive but tends to offer cartoonishly silly educational seminars covering various love languages (gift giving, PDA, etc) instead. imo Wander would definitely get tons of squishes (platonic crushes) way more often than any romantic crushes. His naive outlook on romance (boy meets girl = all is fixed and happily ever after) might be a hint that he doesn't personally experience romantic attraction/romantic relationships often enough to fully grasp it. Regardless, I head canon he can fall for anyone (squish, or crush on occasion), but he finds himself falling towards masculine folks quite often. Cool, strong Sylvia is super amazing, Lovable Lord Hater has so much potential, and Squeaky Peepers is so cute he can't stand it!!!

Relationship status: Sylvia is a platonic life partner. Otherwise, Wander is "single" and would happily marry… well, for one, Lord Hater--that's literally canon, but really Wander would happily marry anyone that's a good match! Even if it's multiple people at once! Woo, marriage party! lol.

Sylvia: Pronouns: she/her Identity: Woman, butch or gnc butch (Note: gnc is gender non-conforming)

Phenotype: female Zbornak anatomy, with hormonally influenced "male" characteristics developed during her bounty hunter days. Examples: extra strength, temper (From a Zbornak headcanon based on chickens: When there are no roosters left, a hen can go through hormonal changes that makes the hen act "like a rooster" within the pecking order. Crowing, more aggressive behavior, mock mates, patrolling, etc. It's all fueled by a naturally programmed hormonal change. I headcanon that zbornaks go through something similar without a group, they physically change to become a leader for a new group: stronger, more abrasive, tougher, etc. Especially so with stressors from living a rough life as a bounty hunter).

Orientation: ???? (idk, but imo she is past her prime anyhow, so it doesn't matter. She is into naps, karaoke, jellyfish pie, and fancy drinks on the beach these days!) She definitely gets a "despite herself" kind of crush: flarpnarffilin' cursing one moment, cutely worrying over the crush/questioning herself the next. Relationship status: Wander is her big squish, her PALtonic soulmate, her platonic life partner in not-crime but love and understanding. She would die for him in an instant. (Wander voice: Please don't.) Otherwise, she's single. She's not actively looking for romance or someone to date, but if it happens, then it happens. Either way, she's content traveling with and protecting Wander.

Lord Hater: Pronouns: he/him Identity: Manchild (In all seriousness, Man) Phenotype: Skeleton lol, but probably from a male space-ape of sorts in a previous life.

Orientation: Canonically likes The Ladies(tm). I head canon he likes THE LADIES(tm) with "(and cute guys)" written in small text below. Therefore, Bi!

Relationship status: Single and malding about it. He wants a girlfriend that he can smooch and marry and have a bunch of kids with, but I doubt he actually wants the reality of that fantasy. Life ain't a fairy tale! Besides, he needs to learn to love himself first. He gets so ridiculously nervous around pretty ladies that his still-awkward-yet-fumbling nature when dealing with cute guys feels like a breath of fresh air in comparison. Still totally weird and scary, but somehow more bearable than the monsoon of butterflies he gets with girls. With girls he likes he can't control himself, he melts and falls apart. With guys he likes, he can at least bluff or say he's joshing before dipping out. A babe's a babe is-a-babe but he'd never admit that out loud (currently) because both Wander AND Peepers fit into "cute guy" territory. He does NOT want to open that can of worms, because if he did he knows he would NEVER hear the end of it! Mr Sunshine BanjoFace over here can't keep a flarping secret, and CPeeps… would probably explode or something. Peepers would be heckin jealous about him liking Wander, he knows that for sure. And the idea of them bickering over him… with their soft voices… vying for Hater's affections… with little smooches and gifts and cozy hugs… because they both think Hater's the cooliest… hmm… okay that does sound pretty nice--WAIT NO! No it doesn't! Not at all! It's not cute not cute not cuuuuute!!!!!! He has to preserve what he has with peepers, their totally-not-friendship is on thin ice as is! And WANDER?!? Eugh!!! NO WAY! What was he thinking?!? Hater: "Besides… who would ever want to date a looser like me." (Again, Hater needs to learn how to love himself before he's ready for a relationship.)

Commander Peepers: Pronouns: He/him Identity: Tall man Phenotype: male

Orientation: Consistently avoids answering personal questions, because regardless of gender, anyone big and strong and scary with electrical powers IS his type. He's hopeless. He's sappy. He's adorable about it and he hates it. He truly is an achillean king… (Lord Hater is Peepers' Achillies' heel)

(Note: The term "Achillean" is like "Sapphic" but for MLM/men-aligned attraction.)

Relationship Status: Technically "single" but he'd happily spend the rest of time itself by Lord Hater's side. Does that mean Peepers sees himself as single? Well, yes, ...maybe. eh? Wait, YES because if someone was his type and asked him out (unlikely) he'd love that. But otherwise, nah, he's in a committed relationship. Friendship. Employment…ship--skullship! What? It's not weird to be single and not single at the same time, unspoken guy-love between two guys is just like that! What's with the face-- OH Who needs labels anyways! What they have is enigmatic! Translation: Peepers' one and only is Lord Hater, in spite of himself. Hater is Peepers' Turk (scrubs soulmates ftw) but it's unrequited. Peepers is beside himself about it. It's not what you think. Or maybe it is. Oh, it definitely is. (>Insert scream cry sob yell repeat.) Peepers is Hater's jilted, stay at home malewife #confirmed, grobspeed you little eyeball man, grobspeed. You deserve the karma.

Lord Dominator: Pronouns: She/her Identity: most hilarious evil woman who is also very sexy and epic (red stamp on forehead reads "chronically alone") Identity: Woman Phenotype: Female Orientation: Canonically lesbian. I head canon her as aromantic. Relationship Status: Single, doesn't want a girlfriend, but is down to clown and dominate.................. planets. with a bamf lady by her side, of course. Aka the embodiment of """Just gals being pals!""" with the HEAVIEST quotation marks humanly possible and also a lot of blood and broken teeth. Dee's motto: Be gay, do crime! It's hilarious!

#woy #wander over yonder #woy headcanons #i WAS going to draw out a little character square for each but im shy about posting art i guess// #at least with text i can add extra details #erm... a lot of extra details i guess lol #no shame we post cringe headcanons and die like men #wander #sylvia the zbornak #sylvia #lord hater #commander peepers #lord dominator #Sylander #but only if you squint really its just platonic soulmate stuff #but for #death glare #yeah thats epicly not just platonic #LOL #its hashtag canon trust me peepers IS the jilted stay at home male wife don't boo me I'm right!!!! #also #ace Wander ftw #friendliest ace in outspace boiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii #real talk tho: #for actually confirmed canon: #canon nonbinary wander #and canon lesbian dominator #are super awesome to have im very happy about it #text #long text

[silkscreaming]

I made a volume 10 trimax vash cosplay for MAGfest and I am SO proud of how it came out :) Some process stuff below! Warning for image and text heavy.

Truthfully this cos is only about 85% complete—I’d purchased a bunch of hardware to really go in on a volume accurate version of his undersuit and belts, but simply ran out of time before the con. It was the first cosplay I’ve sewn since 2017 and the first wig styling I’ve done since 2020, so I’m not gonna beat myself up too much!

(This is all purse hardware off Etsy and some buttons from M&J trim)

This was my first time ever making a muslin mock-up, but I knew it was going to be necessary to get the coat to lay the way I wanted it to. I really wanted to try and create proportions that elongated the legs/torso and widened the shoulders by placing the coat tail splits appropriately and raising up the shoulders with some padding. And of course arm and leg details that I’ll get to someday lol.

I created two mock-ups. One of basic muslin that helped me go from an existing pre-bought pattern to something more Vash-shaped, then a second one on a slightly sturdier scrap fabric with my finalized torso proportions with padding so I could accurately pattern out the sleeves and collar.

I was tracing my pattern pieces onto newsprint and vellum as I went, so once all of those were finalized, it was time to cut my fabric! I used a heavy cotton twill from B&J fabrics and two kinds of fusible interfacing from Mood (I’m spoiled by being local to the fashion district these days). A smarter person would have bought a thinner fabric to line the inner torso with, but I did not feel like getting that complicated with my first ever muslin-drafted AND lined project, so I simply cut double of every pattern piece in order to create a lining.

Sleeves were done by interfacing and cutting into a top panel, carefully snipping at the cutout portions, ironing and fabritacking in place, and then top stitching the whole piece to the main sleeve. I later added some leather backing squares and interfacing behind the larger eyelets for aesthetic while keeping the ventilation in tact. Ideally in the future I'll also add a strip of fabric to the gun arm that creates a slight bunching effect since that sleeve is a little more ruffled over the cuff. Photos below also include three shoulder pads pinned together on each shoulder, but I ended up forgetting not using them on my final wear.

Unfortunately at this point I was approaching con time, so I started cutting some corners that I made easily replaceable for future upgrades. The coat tabs are just painted craft foam cut to the size of the buttons, tacked in place where the button pierces through the tab and where it wraps around the edge of the front panel. The straps that attach to the lapel and wrap under the arms also were just decorated with some silver trim instead of hardware, and I skipped the side button panels at his hips for pattern-making simplicity and time. They'll be added later! I'd also love to do some weathering, but don't think I can quite bring myself to riddle the coat tails with bullet holes as some people do haha.

Gun arm attachment was also a quick and dirty addition, just some vinyl trim on eva foam attached with contact cement and a decorative button. First time working with contact cement somehow, but I look forward to also being able to upgrade this at a later date to a more accurate shape with the full belt attachments!

I was also hoping to update the shoes a bit by making some boot covers for them and rub-n-buffing the soles to disguise the platform a bit, but I love my pick for the cleat-look that Vash has! Some good ol' Demonias in classic vash fashion :)

Last but not least: The Wig. My pride and joy.

I got lucky enough to nab an Arda sale, I think right before Halloween, and picked up the Morpheus lace front in black, along with some extra wefts in pale blonde. (I also bought a whole separate pale blonde Morpheus wig, boldly thinking I could swing a normal trimax vash wig lol. It made for a convenient Eriks wig in the mean time.)

Since I was aiming for the end of volume 10 post-Wolfwood death look, I started by trying on the wig, roughly tracing out my hairline, then gently unweaving that portion of black in order to re-ventilate it with blonde.

After I replaced that whole strip of plucked hair, I tried on again to finalize where I needed to ventilate to cover my own hairline, and completed my outline with both blonde and brown-black wefts (i had them on hand lol). All in all, I ventilated more than 4 square inches of blonde, and at least a solid centimeter extension of the black hairline across the whole front of the wig. Probably close to 30 hours of work in the ventilating alone, but I am a little slow since I haven't ventilated in a few years and didn't keep clear track of time.

If there's one thing I should be used to by now about Arda wigs, they are THICK. There is zero teasing in this wig. None. Just got2b, a blowdryer, and a prayer. And a good load of bobby pins. The wig was also sadly a last minute hotel room mad dash, and I do hope to restyle it under less duress, but I do think I successfully achieved the Trimax swoop and am very proud of it! It was unbelievably windy on the walk from our hotel room to MAGfest, so the photos in the start of this post show a bit more droop than my initial styling, but I think I'll be able to touch things up next wear.

And of course, shoutout to my partner for gifting me the official glasses for Christmas :) And thank you to my roommates who barely saw me for a month and a half except for when I needed help with a hem lol.

All in all, I am unbelievably proud of this cosplay, I can't wait to put some more love into it and wear it again!

#cosplay #trigun cosplay #magfest

[detailtilted]

Comic-Con 2008 - Enhanced Edition of Supernatural Panel

Direct link. Warning: Some of the special content I added has big spoilers for season 4 beyond the original videos.

This video features Jared, Jensen, Eric Kripke, Sera Gamble, and Ben Edlund. If you've already seen the original videos and you're wondering why you'd want to watch this, see the details about the enhancements below. For other enhanced videos, check my YouTube channel or my Tumblr index post.

Video Improvements - Upscaled, fixed bad aspect ratios, improved colors

I received a great deal of help from @sensitivehandsomeactionman on the color correcting. They gave me tips on how to achieve better colors and they even took a screen shot from my video and corrected the colors on it with their own software to provide me with an example of what was possible. Having that example to reference was invaluable for me, because I'm not good with colors.

Without that help, Jared and Jensen would have looked like they were in training to become the world's tallest Oompa Loompas. Any remaining color wonkiness (Wonka-iness?) is due to my own failure to apply what I was taught and my failure to see the colors properly. But look at that difference! I was pretty excited about this.

Combined Videos to Cover Entire Event

As with my other enhanced videos, I combined multiple videos to create as seamless a video of the event as possible, from beginning to end. For my earlier videos, that meant combining maybe 5 videos. For this one, I used a total of 19 videos from 3 different sources. A lot of those were used for the talking head bubbles, explained further below.

None of the videos are my own. My video description on YouTube has links to the original videos I used.

Good, Color-Coded Subtitles

As with my other enhanced videos, I attempted to provide accurate and as-complete-as-possible subtitles. They're color-coded to make it easier to tell who's speaking. This is especially helpful when people are speaking at the same time, or when the speaker is off camera.

Since there were so very many people talking in this video, I doubled up on a couple colors if I thought I could do so without it being too confusing. Here's the complete color key:

Red = Jared Blue = Jensen Brown = Eric Kripke Pink = Sera Gamble Purple = Ben Edlund Green = General audience Yellow = The person asking the questions. In the first half this is the moderator, Alynda Wheat. In the second half, this is the fan at the mic. White = Mostly the publicist (Holly Ollis), but a couple times it's used for people off camera who I believe were Comic-Con staff. Two shades of orange = surprise guests

Additional Clarifying Content

As with my other enhanced videos, I've added some images to help add clarity to the references used by the speakers. I added images of characters and scenes referenced from the show, images to explain various pop culture references, as well as some explanatory text to help add details or clarity when I thought it might be useful.

I mostly kept this extra content to the sides so that, if it doesn't interest you, you can hopefully ignore it and focus on the main part of the video. Unlike my previous videos, sometimes this is on the left side and sometimes it's on the right side. The margins shift depending on where the talking head bubbles are.

Talking Head Bubbles - Jared and Jensen front and center, but other speakers visible too

This "enhancement" isn't anywhere close to perfect, but it sure as heck isn't from a lack of effort. This represented at least half if not two-thirds of the time I spent working on this video.

I always find the Comic-Con videos frustrating to watch. When the camera moves to other people who are talking, I want to see Jared and Jensen instead. I like to see their reactions and sometimes they do funny things that get missed. But when the camera is steadfastly focused on Jared and Jensen, I also get frustrated because I can’t see the people who are talking. Nope, you can’t win with me! I want to see everything.

I attempted to mitigate this frustration by adding talking head bubbles. The main source videos I used were the ones with the most constant and stable focus on Jared and Jensen. However, if one of the other source videos had a decent focus on another guest, I inserted a small window into that other video as seen below. Eric shows up on the left, because that's where he was seated relative to Jared. Sera and Ben show up on the right, because they were on the other side of Jensen.

Like I said, it's not anywhere close to perfect. Trying to make the bubbles look stable was an enormous challenge for me. Behind the scenes the person in the bubble was bobbing and weaving all over the original video frame, so I had to constantly adjust the position of the secondary video to keep the subject centered in the bubble. They also aren't always bubbles. The people taking the videos often had the writers on the edge of the frame because they wanted to capture Jared or Jensen too, so the bubbles start to collapse when they get too close to the edge because there isn't enough video surrounding them to form a circle.

I haven't decided if the end result was worth how much effort I put into these darn "bubbles", so I'd welcome any feedback -- good or bad.

#enhanced edition con video #j2 #jared padalecki #jensen ackles #eric kripke #sera gamble #ben edlund #comic con #comic con 2008 #Youtube

[risenwrites]

Title: Hustler

Pairing: Sampo Koski X Historian! Female! Reader

Warnings: The reader is not the Trailblazer. Reader has a BIG crush on Sampo. Some slightly suggestive themes. Manipulation of feelings, aka Sampo, is an asshole. Based off of the “Everwinter City Museum Ledger of Curiosities” Event, so minor spoilers.

Word Count: ~3.4k

Status: Semi-Edited

You stare at Pela, eyes wide like she'd told you the world was ending. Which, for you, practically was thanks to the favor she asked.

Pela wanted you to catch the person behind the recent thievery of artifacts. You, of all people? The whole situation had been explained to you with, at least you hoped, no details left out. Helping the Silvermane Guards catch a criminal sounded exciting, but at the same time, you fear for your safety. You press your lips together while fiddling with your fingers. The short Silvermane Guard looked at you, eyes filled with hope, and all you could do was look away.

"… I'm not sure about this, Miss Pela. Shouldn't you tell this to the Temporary Museum Director?" you ask, dearly hoping she'll listen to you. "After all, you two had worked so hard to get to this point in the investigation," you added. Pela simply smiled and shook her head. Which had you internally deflate and panic at the same time.

"I don't want to trouble them more since they're getting so close to completing the museum," she explained. "Besides, sending you in their stead will lessen the chance of Mr. Cold Feet escaping since you are– sorry, were Norbert’s friend. Tell Mr. Cold Feet that Norbert sent you, or you could pretend to be Norbert since you know him so well!"

You tried to give her a look to tell her you weren't quite sure, but you could tell she didn't notice as she continued to smile at you. Even if she did, you were sure her mind was already made up. You sighed and placed a hand on your face while shaking your head.

"Miss Pela, I'm a civilian… What if this person turns out to be dangerous? I'm only a historical researcher for the museum. I-I really think sending me is a bad idea." you try to argue.

Again, Pela shook her head with a smile. "I promise you'll be safe. I'll keep in touch with you through text, and if you don't respond for more than a few minutes, I'll head over immediately," she explained while placing a hand over her heart. "I swear on my duty as a Silvermane Guard that no harm will come to you. If it helps, I can add some payment for agreeing to help."

You hated it, but when Pela mentioned payment, you were almost hooked. It took all you had to not agree immediately. Having some extra money would be fantastic, especially with how much your personal funds went toward your research. Maybe now you could pay for some healthy food…

You mentally slapped yourself and shook your head. Swallowing hard, you looked down at your feet in contemplation. Should you really agree to help? Yes, you'd get paid, and there was guaranteed help if the situation went south. Still, this would be very dangerous for you, and something in the back of your mind was telling you to decline. Yet when you looked up to tell Pela your answer, the words got stuck in your throat from seeing Pela's smiling and hopeful face. You chew the inside of your cheek, then sigh in defeat.

"Okay… I'll help," you reluctantly agreed with a weak smile.

Pela practically beamed upon hearing your agreement. You'd never seen her this happy outside of her passion for books. "Wonderful! You should head over to the Grand Gothe Hotel immediately to avoid having Mr. Cold Feet get suspicious," she quickly explained.

You give a slight nod, and while unsure you made the right choice, you wave goodbye and leave for the hotel.

Upon entering the hotel hallway, you received a text from Pela. You pulled out your phone and quickly looked over the messages.

"Okay... Lightly knock three times, then hard twice. It should be easy to remember," you think as you approach the door.

You take a moment to gather your thoughts and ready yourself before lightly knocking three times, then hard twice. When there was no immediate response, you internally panicked and wondered if you'd somehow gotten the password wrong.

"Uh... Norbert, is that you?" a familiar voice asked from the other side of the door.

At that moment, you froze and felt butterflies appear in your stomach. You'd recognize that voice anywhere, and hearing it had you panic more. There was no way he was the one behind all this trouble. Sure, you'd heard rumors about the shady dealings he had. But now he was an upstanding citizen of Belobog who helped save it alongside the Trailblazers-

You flinched out of your thoughts when the voice spoke again, "Hey... you're takin' an awful long time to respond, Norbert."

With panic running through your veins, you cough a little bit to hopefully get your voice to sound like your old friend. "Apologies, yes, it's me," you answered.

The person on the other side of the door groaned and then spoke, "What took ya so long? I was worried the Silvermane Guards mighta got to ya! But yer not the type to turn someone in at first capture, riiiiiight?"

It took everything in you not to chuckle at how he said: "right." A genuine smile appeared on your face, along with a blush, and you could feel your heart beat faster. However, that also made your heart metaphorically break since there's only one person you know who makes you feel this flustered. Which meant he was the one behind all these thefts.

"Well, it's time for me to get on out of here. After all, we already made a nice little fortune on this trip, huh?" the voice continued and pulled you, once again, out of your thoughts. You blinked a few times, trying to think of how to respond.

"How could I ever betray such a dear friend?" you asked rhetorically, voice still sounding like Norbert.

"Uh-oh, someone is getting a little emotionally overinvested..." the voice almost immediately responded, which surprised you slightly. You'd always thought he'd treat his customers, well, so-called customers, like friends since that's what he liked to call them, at least when he was talking with you.

The voice playfully scoffed. "You know what we are?" the voice continued. "Accomplices. You know what that means? Partners in crime! You know what else that means? We're not friends!"

Your heart sank a little bit, and the smile you had began to turn into a frown. Did... did he think of you like that, too? Even if you had never been one of his customers... you'd helped out before when he needed someplace to stay in the Administrative District. Everything about your friendship with him started to be questioned since now you weren't even sure if the Sampo you knew was the real Sampo.

"Alright, enough chinwagging. So, how much did the microfilm sell for?" the voice suddenly changed topic while you were still lost in thought. You hardly paid attention or thought clearly about how much the artifact would sell for when you answered.

"500,000 credits," you answer almost immediately and, without realizing it, begin to slip back into your normal voice.

The voice on the other side of the door was quiet for a moment. "... What? 500,000?! No offense, kid, but I can't see you haggling that kind of number... Or maybe you... Ugh! What- what kind of hotel is this, anyway?! No peepholes on the door?!"

Upon realizing your mistake, you snapped out of the spiraling thought process you'd been having. Your face paled in panic, and you tried to think of some way to get a better handle on the situation before he could get away. However, he spoke before you could think up some way to have him not suspect you.

"Ya'know, I just realized there's something I forgot, uhh, maybe you can help me remember. That Gears and Wisdom sculpture I told you to take apart and hide away... Can you remind me of how many pieces it had?" the voice asked, sounding suspicious.

"Easy, a little under 60," you said simply since you knew how many pieces were in the sculpture. You quickly froze when you realized that you stopped mimicking Norbert’s voice.

When “Mr. Cold Feet” didn't respond, panic flooded your system as you worried your cover had been blown. You knew this was a bad idea, yet you still agreed to get some much-needed money anyway. Maybe you weren't so different from him as you thought, but there was no time to dwell on that thought. Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and forced the door open even though it might have badly bruised your shoulder and arm.

You opened your eyes to see the person you feared was on the other side of the door: Sampo Koski.

He put a hand on his forehead and gritted his teeth together while looking away in some form of shame. "Uh, ugh..." he grumbled and avoided eye contact momentarily. Then he forced a smile and looked at you. Both of you were silent for many seconds.

"Oh... uh guh huh, I mean-- oh! If it isn't my valued friend," he forced out while rubbing his hands together. "What a pleasant surprise to see you again. Isn't it amazing how fate brings people together? Hah? Hah? Our bridge of friendship could extend all the way to Everwinter Hill!"

You weren't sure what your expression looked like, but whatever it was, Sampo looked away very quickly. For your own sake, you hoped the heat in your cheeks was from rage rather than being flustered from looking at him. You swallowed hard and began fiddling with your fingers again.

"... Some people had been guessing you were behind all this... At least that's what I'd been told," you explained, and you could hear the heartbreak in your voice.

Sampo's eyes widened, and he brightened up for a moment. "Guessed? So... they don't have any evidence," he said with a sly grin starting to appear on his face. However, he quickly made that grin disappear as he turned away from you. "Hah, well, I mean, how could they? You already know that yer old buddy Sampo is a model citizen these days! Y'know, the guards on security duty in the restricted zone? I-"

"Deliver their breakfast every day..." you finished for him, having heard him talk about it many times. "Yes, I know... You've told me when you've stayed over at my house."

Once again, the room became quiet as you tried to wrap your head around this turn of events. You could feel some tears of sadness and frustration begin tickling your eyes. You'd so badly wanted to believe the rumors about him were wrong. That he wasn't the conman everyone made him out to be. You desperately tried to not start crying as he turned back to you.

"... So, uh, kinda cold out, haha... Man, this is getting uncomfortable," he tried to make small talk but quickly gave up. "Um, okay, okay, I have a proposal-"

"Do you think of me as a friend? O-or as someone you can use for free housing?" you suddenly cut him off.

His eyes widened in surprise before he blinked a few times. "Huh? Why would ya ask that question in this kinda situation? Aren't ya here to bust me and get me arrested?" he asked in complete confusion.

You ball your hands into fists and press your lips together. Taking a deep breath, you look him in the eyes while a few tears roll down your face. His eyebrows were furrowed together in what you hoped was confusion and concern since you started crying. At first, you didn't say anything since the words kept getting caught in your throat. Like if you were to say anything, all the disappointment would come flooding out in the form of sobs.

"... Is this all because of what I said when I thought you were Norbert?" he asked with a small sigh. "Because if it is, that's pretty silly since what I said was meant for him. Not you," he quickly added with a slight chuckle.

You press your lips together and narrow your eyes at Sampo. You wanted to believe him, really you did, but you still were unsure since, in the past, he never even stayed at your place long enough to have a meal with you. That was something friends did together, right?

He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. Then he suddenly brightened up and grinned like an idea popped into his head. Confidence began to ooze from him as he moved into your personal space. Before you could react, he leaned his face close to yours and brushed the back of his fingers against your cheek. With his other hand, he wiped away some tears with his thumb.

Immediately, your face turned bright red, and you tried to look anywhere in the room except him. You could hear your heartbeat hammering in your ears as you tried to calm down from having him invade your personal space. A shiver ran down your spine from his warm breath on your face. 

"Hey, hey, why you lookin' away?" he asked with a hurt tone. "Like I was saying before, I have a proposal for you! I'm sure you'll find it very reasonable," he began with his hands resting on your face. "I've been making a small fortune recently in the artifact business lately... I'd be willing to give a third of my earnings. How about that? In exchange, I only ask you, please don't tell the Silvermane Guards about me."

You swallowed hard and stared into his eyes. You soon glanced to the side and brought your hands to your chest. "If that's all he was going to say, why did he feel the need to invade my personal space?!" you internally screamed.

"I-I doubt they'd believe me if I said something like that... Besides, stealing and selling m-museum artifacts is illegal... a-and I work at the museum so..." you explained, keeping your gaze away from his eyes.

Feeling his sigh fan across your face had you jolting in surprise. You felt his hair tickle the side of your face while he moved his mouth to your ear. He chuckled and whispered, "Y'know something? You're not very subtle, sweetheart."

Your eyes widened in panic, and you went ridged. Did... did he know how you feel about him? Who are you kidding; of course, he would figure that out. The feeling of one of his hands moving from your face stopped your short train of thought. You took in a sharp breath as you felt him run his hand down along the side of your body until it came to a rest at your hip.

 "Maybe along with a few of my earnings... I can also pay up for all the times I've stayed at your place? Maybe something you'd enjoy doing with me? Hm?" he hummed into your ear.

"I-I-I, uh, um, I-I d-don't know this is r-really sudden-" you stuttered out while trying to back away, only to find your back bumped up against the door. A loud "eep!" was forced out of you when Sampo moved and stopped touching your face in favor of leaning against his forearm above you. He pulled away from your ear to have his lips close to kissing yours.

"Aw, come on, I've seen how you look at me. Your face turning bright red whenever you see me in public... heartbeat racing. Gotta tell ya, seeing you get so flustered every time you see me is fun to watch~" he stated with a smirk. Though, for some reason, this smirk felt more... sinister than other ones you've seen him wear.

He let out a breathy sigh and lidded his eyes. "We don't have to go all the way... Just let me give you one kiss~" he whispered despite how he was practically kissing you already. "Then later, I'll swing by and drop off the money. Maybe then you'll be more up to going all the way?"

The world around you spun as you tried to calm down from the onslaught against your senses. All of your senses were completely overwhelmed and filled with Sampo. The idea of kissing him had crossed your mind a few times (okay, maybe more than a few), but the suggestion of doing something more had you nervous beyond belief. He'd never show any sign of attraction to you. You could hardly believe that this was really happening. Your thoughts swirled around to the point you couldn't remember why you'd come here in the first place.

Taking a deep breath, you hesitantly moved your gaze back to look into his eyes. Your breath hitched in your throat from the burning passion in his eyes. You’re silent for a moment since all you can do is admire his green eyes. Suddenly, Sampo moved his arms so your head was caged in on both sides by his forearms.

"... O-okay!" you squeak while closing your eyes tight. "Y-yes, I want you to k-kiss me!"

"Finally," he sighed, and you could hear the smugness in his voice. He softly chuckled momentarily, then lightly pressed his lips against yours. "Keep your eyes closed~" he whispered against your lips.

Then, suddenly, he pulled away. Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion as you waited for something to happen. You waited and waited and waited. It was only when you heard your phone buzz that you opened your eyes.

Sampo was nowhere to be seen, and the window had been left wide open.

You stared at the open window, trying to piece together what had happened. When the realization hit, you felt your heart shatter into pieces. You took a few steps forward, tears rolling down your face as you fell to your knees. You lifted up your hands and stared down at your palms for a moment before hiding your face in your hands as you sobbed. He used you. He used you and how you felt to escape arrest. Sure, you weren’t entirely blameless, but the fact he seemed to care so little about you shook you to your core.

Suddenly, you heard someone knocking on the hotel room’s door behind you. “Miss Y/N?” called out Pela, worry laced in her voice.

More panic flooded your system, and you stood up. Images and thoughts of how Pela would react had your hands shaking. If she found out you practically let Sampo escape, you’d be arrested for sure. You wiped away the tears the best you could, but more seemed to keep coming every second. Before you could tell her to come in, Pela opened the door with her expression full of concern. Her eyes widened upon seeing you, and she rushed closer.

“What happened? Are you alright? Did Mr. Cold Feet hurt you?” she asked while checking over you for any injuries.

You stood there, body frozen in place in a mixture of fear and shame. Slowly, you shook your head while tears kept rolling down your face. “Lier,” you bitterly told yourself. He had hurt you, but the emotional wound was still too fresh. Besides, telling Pela what really happened might get her arrested.

Pela didn’t look at all convinced but still nodded curtly. She gently held your hands to give you some comfort while glancing around the room in search of evidence of what happened here. “Did you get the chance to see what Mr. Cold Feet looks like?” she asked while looking back at you.

You stiffened up, unsure how to answer. The bitter part of you wanted to expose Sampo and make him pay for hurting and toying with you. Yet the fear inside you proved to be a much stronger force as all you could do was solemnly shake your head again. Pela stared at you for a moment, then sighed softly, holding your hands tighter.

“I… I’m sorry. You were right; this is no place for a civilian like you. I shouldn’t have asked you to do this,” she apologized, stepping toward the door. “Let’s get you back home to calm down before I ask more questions. Is that okay with you?”

You felt your heart ache even more. Lying hurt so much that you briefly pondered why Sampo lied so often. However, the thought of him had you wanting to curl in on yourself. You followed Pela as she led you out of the room and glanced over your shoulder to briefly look back inside the hotel room. “Y-yeah… that sounds great,” you weakly agreed, closing the door behind you.

©following works belongs to risenwrites, do not repost, modify, plagiarize, translate, or share on other platforms. comments, likes, and reblogs appreciated!

#risen.writes #sampo koski #hsr sampo #honkai star rail #sampo x reader #sampo hsr #sampo honkai #sampo koski x reader #sampo koski x you #sampo x you

[hairstevington]

i can't tune you out (part 3)

Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley x Chrissy Cunningham

Summary: Eddie and Chrissy become friends. Robin and Chrissy bond. Eddie and Steve strike a deal.

(part 1, part 2)

Word Count: 4.8K (it's a long one!)

Warnings: Rockstar!Eddie/Musician!Steve, modern day AU, enemies to lovers STILL very much enemies sorry I love a slow burn, Chrissy x Comphet, allusions to Chrissy having body issues, Hellcheer being wholesome, angst upon angst baybeeee, this chapter is very fun just bear with the boys absolutely despising each other lmao

A/N: Hello friends! From here on out, this fic will only be posted to my Ao3. If you're digging the story so far, go ahead and follow along here! To those that don't have accounts, I might be able to finesse some sort of system where I let you guys know when I've updated. Also, for those in need of Soft Steddie (tm), more "Flowers and Ink" is coming soon! Love y'all <3

Eddie got to the bar before Chrissy did, but he kind of preferred it that way. It gave him a chance to sit down, order a drink, and settle into the environment before being thrust into more chaos. 

Sometimes, even though he thrived in insanity, he needed a moment to breathe. Not that he’d ever admit that out loud, of course. 

“Hey, stranger!” Chrissy’s voice rang from behind him. He spun around and was surprised when she threw her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. He’d thought that she’d been extra sweet and friendly the night before because of the alcohol, but apparently that was just her vibe. It was actually really nice. 

“H-hi, Chrissy,” Eddie replied, hugging her back. She pulled away after one last squeeze, then plopped herself beside him. “How’s it going?”

“Pretty good,” she answered. “I was up all night, so I slept most of the day. Now, I’ll probably be up all night again. Such is life.”

“Been there,” Eddie replied, taking a sip of his drink. 

“Can I get a vodka soda and two shots of tequila, please?” Chrissy asked the bartender.  

“Tequila?” Eddie asked, attempting to hide the disgust on his face. He hadn’t touched the stuff in years, after one fateful night involving a playground. Helpful tip - being drunk on a swing set is not the move.

“Tequila,” Chrissy confirmed with a smirk. “I’m invested now, and considering this is our first of potentially many drinks together, I figured we should start off with a bang.”

Eddie stared at her, blankly. She wanted to see him again after this? But he hadn’t even really done anything!

“Why are you so invested in this?” Eddie asked. 

“I dunno,” Chrissy replied with a shrug. The bartender put the vodka soda down in front of her, and she started mixing it around with the thin plastic straw. “I guess I’m just kinda…bored?”

“Bored?” Eddie repeated. “How could you be bored when you’re doing all the shit you do? Going to parties and photoshoots and - I mean, you barely know me.”

“My life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” she responded. There was a flicker of sadness in her eyes, but it left as quickly as it had come. Chrissy sipped her drink, then thanked the bartender as she set the shots down. “Come on, let’s commemorate this!” 

She took out her phone and gestured for Eddie to hold his drink up so they could take a picture. He was blown away by the whole thing, honestly. He almost texted Carla just to be like - can you believe this shit? 

It all seemed too easy. She was too open to being his friend, and he didn’t know why. He’d worked hard and all that, but he didn’t feel like he was decent enough of a person to get any sort of karmic reward. So this all felt a little suspicious, but he tried to enjoy it anyway. 

They did the shot. At least Chrissy had sprung for the high-quality liquor. It was still kinda nasty. 

“How was the rest of the party?” he asked. 

“Good,” Chrissy responded with a tight-lipped smile. She didn’t add any details, which was odd, but she spoke again before Eddie could ask any follow-up questions. “So, what’s the deal with you? People say you’re dating Steve, but you didn’t even know what he looked like last night, soooo…”

Alright, here we go.

“Yeah, well,” Eddie began. “I’m not dating him, clearly.” No sense in lying to Chrissy when she already knew. 

“But you want to?” Chrissy asked. Eddie shrugged. He would have flat out told her the truth, but he was hesitant to give everything away immediately. Steve was the one with the power, and Eddie hated that. “Do I need to order us another shot?”

“Please, no,” Eddie shot back instantly. When Chrissy laughed, he realized she’d been joking. “Sorry, it’s just -”

“It’s okay,” Chrissy assured him. “Talking to people in this business is hard. You never know who you can trust. I used to be a lot more open, and then you kinda just learn that you…can’t be, most of the time.”

Eddie furrowed his brow, wondering what exactly Chrissy felt she couldn’t tell people. Even moreso, he wanted to know who had broken her trust in the past. Then, he felt a pang of guilt, since he’d been mostly excited about this drink because it would boost his fame. Everything about all of this was corrupt and morally ambiguous. He sighed. 

“I’m just trying to make it out there,” Eddie admitted. “And I - I mean, I don’t know what to do, or how anything works.”

“Yeah, I remember what that’s like,” she empathized. She took a sip of her vodka soda, then turned back to Eddie. “Do you ever feel like -? I mean, do you ever feel like you’re losing your mind?”

“Uhhh, just on a daily basis,” Eddie replied. He and Chrissy smiled at each other, and he could feel her authenticity. Maybe it was stupid for him to open up to her, but he was going to do it anyway. “Chrissy, have you ever, uh - like, have you ever done one of those PR relationships?”

“Oh, yeah,” she replied, unfazed. “I can’t really say anything, but yeah. It happens a lot around here.” Eddie nodded, then sipped his drink. “Wait, are you trying to do that with me?”

“Not quite,” Eddie mumbled, his lips pressed to his glass.

“I thought you were gay,” she continued. 

“I am.”

“Oh, okay.” She thought about it for a moment, then her eyes widened. “Oh.” 

“Yeah.”

“Oh,” she repeated. “Ohhhh!”

“Got any other letters?” Eddie teased. Chrissy giggled, then shoved him playfully. 

“You’re funny,” she said. Eddie wasn’t used to people enjoying his often wicked sense of humor. This was refreshing. “So, who’s idea was it?”

“My manager, I guess,” Eddie answered. “Well, she told me to use what the fans were saying and to meet up with the guy. But it, uh - it didn’t go well.”

“No?” she asked, surprised. “What happened?”

Eddie wanted to keep talking to Chrissy. He didn’t care that she was famous anymore - he wanted her perspective as someone who’d been through it. He also knew that Chrissy could tear him down just as quickly as she could build him up. 

“Did you mean what you said about us getting drinks more often?” he asked. 

“Yeah!” she replied, smiling brightly. “Like I said, you’re funny. And I - hmm. Okay, um. This next part might sound really bad at first, but I can explain.”

“Okay…” Eddie said, feeling his walls come back up. 

“I don’t really have a lot of male friends,” Chrissy admitted. “It always feels like - like they’re just waiting for their chance to strike.”

“Like, try to sleep with you?” Eddie asked. Chrissy nodded. “Oh. Christ, that sucks.” 

“Yeah,” she replied with a half shrug. 

He skipped the part where he doubted whether or not what she was saying was true, because it was clearly affecting her whether it was true or not. Eddie also had an urge to diffuse the tension with a joke, because that was kind of his thing.

“Chrissy Cunningham,” he stated, “- are you trying to make me your gay best friend?” She bit her lip, fighting a guilty smile. “Cuz like, I’m down, but I’ve never really done this before so I don’t know what the role entails.” She stopped fighting the smile, so Eddie continued. “I mean, is there a rulebook out there? I think there’s a movie about this on Netflix. Should I watch that first?”

“Eddie!” She interrupted, fully laughing now. Eddie joined her, feeling accomplished that he’d lightened the mood and set her at ease again. “I’m in the modeling industry, I’m surrounded by gay men all the time. It’s not just about that, I promise.”

“Okay, then what is it?” Eddie wondered. She sighed, her body much more relaxed than it had been before.

“It’s just that everybody I’m around talks about their looks all the time. I mean, it’s our job to be beautiful, I know that, but it’s tiring to just constantly hear about new diets and calories and what I should and should not eat. It’s just - it’s nice to get away from that, sometimes. You’re nothing like them, and I like that.”

“Nothing like them, huh?” Eddie smirked. “Are you saying I’m not beautiful?” She laughed and shook her head. 

“Okay fine, you have one thing in common,” she teased back. “You’re not mad?”

“Nah,” Eddie said, shaking his head. “But while we’re coming clean, I definitely was excited to come here because I hoped I’d get more followers if we hung out.”

“Well, obviously,” Chrissy responded, flipping her hair. “Okay, so that’s out of the way. Can we stick together, then?”

She asked it so sweetly it made his heart ache. 

“Yeah, ‘course,” he replied. He thought back to what Chrissy had said earlier about her model friends and decided to commit to being the opposite. “So, uh, I dunno about you but I could really go for some fries right now.” 

Chrissy’s eyes widened. 

“I’d kill for some fries right now.”  

“Great,” he said, grinning. “Who are we killing?” They laughed together, and then he got the bartender’s attention so he could order.

-

“For the record, I’m not doing this for you.”

It took Robin less than two seconds to agree to going to the bar with Steve. Now, they were walking down the street so that they could spy on two people they barely knew but were somehow entangled with. 

“I know, I know,” Steve replied. 

The bar was in sight. Chrissy hadn’t tagged the location or anything, but he recognized the place because he went there often. So often that it wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to show up with Robin. They’d done it before and they’d do it again. 

The plan was for them to discreetly sit at a table in the back. But then they were at the door, and then they were opening the door, and then they were immediately being stared down by a blonde and a brunette at the bar. 

Shit. 

“Steve, what do we do?” Robin muttered rapidly. 

“Uhhh,” he said, glancing over at the table he imagined they’d sit at. He thought about ignoring them and just sitting down, but they’d all already seen each other so that would have just been rude. “I think we just have to own it.”

“Own what? That we’re psychopaths?” Robin hissed. 

And then, Chrissy was waving them both over to join them.

“Just follow my lead,” Steve said. 

In hindsight, this plan had been really, really stupid. 

Steve knew that his cover for all this was to get Robin and Chrissy in the same room again. But truthfully, Steve didn’t know Chrissy’s deal or if she wanted anything other than friendship. Steve could say this had nothing to do with Eddie all he wanted, but that wasn’t true. 

He’d been wracking his brain all day to make sense of this. His fight with Eddie the night prior had been a little fuzzy, but one part of it really stuck with him. 

Just a few years of King Steve bullying the school freak.

Well, that comment plus Eddie saying that Steve’s music sucked. That stung, but he wasn’t expecting someone like Eddie to appreciate his music anyway. The truth was, Steve had left high school behind, and he’d moved on, and he’d forgotten the shit he’d done back then. All that bystander crap, the teasing, the little comments that Steve didn’t understand the impact of at the time. 

Steve didn’t like Eddie. He still thought Eddie was a dick. But that didn’t mean Steve hadn’t also been a dick back then. 

All of this was very complicated, and the residual headache from the hangover made his head spin. Actually, the dizziness was probably also from the hangover. The thought of drinking made him want to hurl. Good thing he was at a bar, right?

“Hey!” Chrissy said as they approached. “What are you guys doing here?!” She jumped up to hug Steve, then Robin, and Steve watched as his friend acted as if the physical contact with her crush didn’t affect her. 

“We, uh -” Steve began. “We come here a lot, actually. Well, I do. I live just down the road.” 

His gaze drifted to Eddie, who gave Steve a knowing smirk. 

“Oh my god, Robin, I’m actually so glad you’re here,” Chrissy said. “Your style is just - I mean, wow! Where do you get your clothes?”

Robin’s eyes landed on Steve’s for a nanosecond, but it was enough for him to know exactly what was going through her brain. Basically just the embodiment of a bunch of exclamation points. 

“I - I usually thrift them, actually!” Robin responded. 

Then, Chrissy continued asking where Robin thrifted, and whether she could come with sometime, and Steve figured they’d be at it for a while. 

Huh. Maybe there would be something there after all.

Of course, while they were talking, this left Steve to either stand there awkwardly or interact with Eddie. He probably would have chosen the awkward standing, had Eddie not chosen the opposite. 

“Well, if it isn’t HARVEST in the flesh. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Eddie began. He was smiling, but his tone was biting. Steve looked at Eddie, nodded his head toward Chrissy and Robin, then looked back at Eddie. He shrugged. “Ah, I see.”

“Yeah.”

“No other reason?” Eddie prodded, playing dumb.

“Nope,” Steve said. “Like I said, I live right -”

“Down the road,” Eddie interrupted. “So I heard.” Steve swallowed. He kinda felt like he was being interrogated or something. Eddie was making this extremely uncomfortable. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Steve wondered, desperately wanting this interaction to be over. Unfortunately, Chrissy and Robin were still chatting eagerly. 

“Like what, HARVEST?” Eddie asked. Steve rolled his eyes. 

“Steve is fine.”

“Hmm, is he though?” Eddie retorted. “I don’t think you want me to treat you like I treat Steve.”

God, Eddie knew how to push Steve’s buttons. His heart was racing, he was so mad. He clenched his jaw and considered how bad it would be to smack the smug grin off Eddie’s face.

Really bad. He knew that. He took deep breaths instead and relaxed. His hands had balled into fists at some point during the conversation. He extended his fingers out, flexing them. He was trying to leave this version of himself in the past, not bring him back. Another deep breath. 

“Whatever, Munson,” Steve sighed. “I just -”

“Hey, guys?” Robin said, diverting the attention to her. She pointed to the window, where a crowd of people had gathered. 

Some of them had cameras. 

“Shit,” Chrissy said. “How long do you think they’ve been there?”

“I dunno,” Steve responded. “You wanna get out of here?”

“Yeah,” Chrissy agreed. Eddie and Robin looked at each other this time, both outside of Chrissy and Steve’s shared understanding. 

Good thing all of them looked nice. Those pictures were gonna be all over the place tomorrow. 

Steve was here a lot, so he knew the bartenders and the owners, and he also knew how to sneak out when things like this happened. 

“Come on,” he said, urging Chrissy to follow him. With Steve came Robin, and Eddie sure as hell didn’t want to be left there alone, so he came too. Oh, joy. 

The four of them walked past the bar and through a sign marked for employees only. They wandered through the kitchen and left out a black door that led to an alley behind the building. 

“So, what now?” Robin asked once they were outside. 

“I’ll give them about two minutes until they find us,” Steve replied. 

“Is there somewhere else we could go?” Chrissy wondered. “I kind of don’t want to go home yet.”

“Well, I know HARVEST over here lives nearby,” Eddie said. 

“Will you quit it with the HARVEST thing?” Steve complained. 

“Sorry, do you prefer Harvey?” Eddie shot back. Steve groaned. 

“You’re impossible.”

“Oh, boy,” Chrissy mumbled. 

“I know, right?” Robin agreed. “Steve, can we go back to yours?”

“All of us?” Steve asked, knowing the answer already. It was his apartment. He could have flat out said that Eddie wasn’t allowed in. But he saw the look in Robin’s eyes, and he knew that if they all went back to the apartment, she could spend more time with Chrissy. “Alright, fine. Let’s go.”

-

Steve’s apartment was nice. It was huge, spacious, and all the utilities worked. It was also minimalist in that Steve hadn’t put up any decorations. He had the essentials - a couch, a TV, a table. Not much more. 

“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting to have people over,” Steve said as they walked in. 

“It’s beautiful,” Chrissy said. 

“It’s empty,” Eddie noted. His apartment was a lot smaller, but it also was a lot more filled up. This place had nothing, basically. Eddie almost made a comment about Steve not having any money to decorate after paying what he assumed was an absurd rent, but he held his tongue. 

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Robin agreed. “I keep throwing ideas his way, but he’d rather live in an asylum, basically.”

“I’m not here that often,” Steve explained, shrugging. “Sue me.”

“It definitely could use some color,” Chrissy agreed. “Art on the walls, maybe a rug -”

“Yes! Exactly!” Robin exclaimed. “I even have a Pinterest board.”

“Oh my god, can I see it?” Chrissy asked. Robin nodded, and then they were both sitting across the room looking at decor or some shit. All of the logistical stuff related to interior design was beyond Eddie. He just bought things that he liked and then put them where they best fit. He didn’t know anything about color-coding, and he didn’t even know what Pinterest was. 

Anyway, Robin and Chrissy bonding so aggressively and so immediately (which was interesting, to say the least) left Eddie semi-alone with Steve once again. 

“Can we talk?” Steve asked, surprising the hell out of Eddie. He had given Steve zero reason to want to talk to him, he’d made sure of it. Like, Eddie had been at his maximum asshole level for a few reasons. First and foremost, it was payback for high school. Second, it was fun. And third, because Eddie didn’t like Steve, and because he currently didn’t have anywhere else to direct his anger. 

He didn’t say they were good reasons. 

“Uh, suuuuure,” Eddie replied. Steve gestured for Eddie to follow him down the hall so they could have some privacy. 

Oh, great. Now we’re fully alone.

-

Chrissy was amazing. She was wonderful. She was everything Robin hoped she’d be. It was almost too good to be true. No, it was definitely too good to be true. 

They were huddled over Robin’s phone, talking about color theory and decorations which turned into art and hobbies which turned into a discussion about college (Robin went, Chrissy didn’t) and then finally their conversation settled on music. 

“Have you listened to their stuff?” Robin asked, gesturing towards where the boys had gone. It had been a few minutes and no arguing or fights breaking out yet, as far as she could tell. Of course, she hadn’t been listening that intently. 

“Sure,” Chrissy responded. “Corroded Coffin not so much, but that’s just because I’m not into that sort of music.”

“Very fair.”

“Yeah. But HARVEST I hear all the time. That one song is literally impossible to escape from.”

“Oh, we know,” Robin replied with a laugh. “Steve secretly can’t stand it’s that song that blew up.”

“What do you mean?” Chrissy wondered. 

“Like, it’s definitely his most commercial song,” Robin explained. “I’ve been listening to Steve’s music since we met, and it’s a little out there sometimes, but now that I’m used to it I’m all for it. Anyway, his favorite songs are the ones most people haven’t heard. That’s why his new album is - I mean that’s why he -” 

Robin stopped herself from saying the rest. Chrissy was great, but Robin wasn’t about to spill all of her best friend’s secrets.

“That’s why he what?” Chrissy teased, nudging Robin in the shoulder. 

Dammit. It was really hard to avoid temptation when temptation was someone as vibrant as Chrissy Cunningham. 

“That’s why he’s so excited about it,” Robin concluded. 

Thank god. I can keep my best friend card.

“Oh, okay,” Chrissy said, nodding. “I’ll have to listen to his other stuff then.”

“Let me know what you think,” Robin replied. 

“Of course I will.” Chrissy smiled, then pulled out her phone. To Robin’s surprise, she handed it to her with an empty contact open. 

Holy shit.

Robin typed in her name and number, then triple checked to make sure she put it in correctly before handing the phone back to Chrissy.

“There you go,” she said, doing her best to remain calm. 

“Thank you,” Chrissy said. “Wow, it’s so crazy. First with Eddie, now with you. I just feel like we’re all going to be really good friends.”

Friends. GOD. Ouch. 

Robin probably should have expected that. She had expected it, really, but it stung nonetheless. That was okay. They could be friends. Robin cleared her throat and hoped she didn’t sound too disappointed. 

“Yeah, if the two idiots in there can get their shit together,” Robin joked. 

“I know!” Chrissy agreed. “Like, what’s going on with them?”

“I honestly have no idea.” She looked down the hall, still not hearing any arguing.

If she’d been alone, she would have pressed her ear to the door and listened in, but she had to be on her best behavior. You know, for her new friend.

-

“Sooo, what the hell is going on?” Eddie asked once they were in a different room. It looked like an office. There was music equipment everywhere. 

“I’m just gonna go ahead and tell you a bunch of shit, okay? Because the last hour or so has been crazy and I’m still kind of hungover and I’m not interested in doing a whole dance with you.”

“Yeah, you made that clear last night when you didn’t dance with me,” Eddie deadpanned. 

“Jesus,” Steve exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Could you just -”

“You wanna tell me something, so skip the preamble and tell me -” 

“I’m sorry, okay?” Steve snapped. “I’m sorry for - I’m sorry about high school. I was an idiot.”

Oh. Well, shit. 

“Past tense?” Eddie teased. 

“Go to hell.”

“Okay, okay, point taken,” he relented with a light chuckle. “Thanks. I appreciate the apology.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah, really,” Eddie confirmed. “Don’t worry, I’m still iffy about you for a bunch of other reasons.”

“Great,” Steve said, returning Eddie’s sarcastic tone. 

“Cool,” Eddie replied. “So, is that it?”

“No.”

“No?” Eddie prodded. 

“Wait, what are the other reasons?” Steve asked, losing his train of thought. Eddie scoffed. 

“You want me to tell you why I don’t like you?” Eddie rebuffed. “Are you into that or something?”

“No, I just -”

“Come on, spit it out,” he demanded. “The quicker you say what you’re gonna say, the less time we have to talk to each other. What is it?”

Steve took a deep breath. 

“I want my album to do well, and ever since this whole steddie thing happened, people have actually started talking about it, and -”

“Waaaait a goddamn second,” Eddie drawled. “Are you saying you want to actually, like, do the fake relationship thing?”

“No, I just don’t want to deny it,” Steve responded. “Let them talk, you know.”

Eddie almost laughed. Jesus Christ, this was rich. Eddie thought he’d be the one begging for scraps, yet here he was, in Steve’s apartment, listening to his high school bully ask him for a favor. 

Eddie weighed his options. If he said no, it would feel great in the moment, but then this would be over. 

The tables were turning, and he wasn’t going to let a bit of his power go to waste.

“Hmm, very interesting, Harvey,” he said. “The King’s come crawling back to the freak.” Steve scoffed. 

“Our fake relationship benefits you more than me, you do realize that, right?” he reminded Eddie. “I’m just fine on my own. You get a popularity boost from this, so maybe you should try not to be a total asshole for once. I could find literally anyone else to do this with.”

The thing was, Eddie knew that wasn’t true. He could see right through the bullshit. 

“You’re bluffing,” Eddie stated. 

“What?”

“You’re bluffing,” he repeated. “Lest we forget you’re the one who asked me to go along with this.” Steve rolled his eyes.

“Ugh, ‘lest we forget.’ Why do you talk like that?” 

“You’re avoiding the question,” Edde said, his eyes boring into Steve’s. 

“What question?”

“Come on, Harrington. You want me. Why?”

Steve’s eyes narrowed, but didn’t break away. 

“Okay, calm down with the whole ‘I want you’ thing, alright?” Steve’s agitation was just too cute. It was so easy to rile him up. “I’m doing this for my album, just like you are.”

“Yeaaah, I don’t buy it. What else is it?” Eddie couldn’t help it. He had to keep pushing. 

“There’s nothing else, Eddie.”

“Don’t tell me, then,” he teased. “Let me guess. All those years ago when you laughed at me in high school, you were really just harboring some hidden crush on me that didn’t fully come to fruition until you saw me at Frolique?”

Steve’s face went pale, and for a moment Eddie wondered if he’d gone too far.

“Oh my god,” Steve scoffed. “Could you not be a jackass for literally one second?”

“Wait, was I right?” Eddie took a step forward, intrigued by the idea. 

“No, you weren’t right, Munson,” Steve insisted. “I didn’t have a crush on you, I was just a dick.”

Ah. So much for that. Eddie shook his head and smiled. 

“And now you’re just so goddamn pleasant, huh?” He turned to look at all the expensive shit Steve kept in there - high-tech recording equipment, instruments, microphones, sheet music. 

“Usually, yeah,” Steve replied. “I’m actually nice to most people.” Eddie’s eyes were still focused on the sheet music, an increasing curiosity within him, but he held back and returned his focus to Steve.

“Aw, so I’m the exception? See, I knew I was special.”

If being a dick was so bad, then why was it so fun?

“Seriously, what’s wrong with you?” Steve asked.

“Oh god, sooooo many things,” Eddie replied. He meant it, too. He knew he had issues, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to talk to Steve about them. “And for the record, I can be pleasant too. Just ask Chrissy.”

“When did you get so close with her, anyway?”

“Since about an hour ago,” Eddie answered. “Anyway, I’m an absolute delight, Harrington. I only bite when it’s fun.”

“Then you must be having the time of your goddamn life,” Steve remarked. 

It wasn’t not true, but once again, Eddie needed to be unpredictable. He just had this compulsive need to throw Steve off, to keep him guessing. Yeah, being an asshole to Steve Harrington was fun, but Eddie didn’t forget how much he hated the guy and everything he stood for. 

“God, I wish,” he replied. “I hate this, but I’ll have fun when I can. I mean, my career is important, too. Why do you think I made a big fool of myself at that party? I fucking danced in public so that I could talk to you. I already told you - I don’t like your music, or your weird persona, and I don’t really care for you off-stage either.”

“Yeah? Well, the feeling is mutual,” Steve shot back. 

Eddie smirked, a fire within him that somehow bloomed and burned at the same time. Matter is neither created nor destroyed right? Eddie was never that good in school, but that phrase always stuck with him. The fire - the anger, the pain, the hurt - it fueled him and it broke him down. An endless cycle. What he loved. What he didn’t. All of it was the same.

“Let me be fucking clear,” Eddie said. “I’m not doing this because it’s fun. I’m doing it because I get something out of it, got it?”

“Got it,” Steve replied. The air between them was tense, and it made Eddie feel alive. 

“Okay,” he said at last. “Then we’ll let them talk.”

----------------------------------

@paintballkid711 @abraca-fxckyou @allbimyself26 @jellybabiesforall @allbymyselfexceptformycactus @justaloadofgarbage-blog @alliemunsonsstuff @undreamingnscatworld @hobbitnarwhal @calivanus @wreckmyplans-thatsmyman @antheia @goodolefashionedloverboi @lillemilly @missmagillicuddy @steviesbicrisis @gamerdano @menamesniall eyeslikewildflowers111 @callmesirkay @stringischeese @eds-trashmouth @mnl-enuh @redfreckledwolf @itsanarrum @soulsofstarsliveinyourveins @gregre369 @stevesbipanic @momotonescreaming @aryakanojiaa @wrenisflying @comicmadlover @lilacrobin @itch-my-b0nez @anonymousbandgirl @disastardly @dangdirtydemons @daisyellsong @val-from-lawrence @starryeyedpoet17 @taikawaiteatea @clumsiluni @hollysimone @swimmingbirdrunningrock @witchofhawkins @steddiegarbage @suddenlyinlove @ricekristytreaty @eddielives1986

#steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #stranger things #robin buckley #chrissy cunningham #buckingham #steddie fic #i can't tune you out #st fanfic #writing #eddie munson x steve harrington

[zikadraws]

Since I've been back at it lately, I thought I'd present my latest version of Agent 4 ! It's the one that I would consider "closest to canon". Enjoy.

Now time for some extrapolating, buckle up 'cuz it's gonna be long (orange text for more personal headcanons) :

The canon site mentions that 4 was "too busy with [extra]curriculars" to know about the Squid Sisters. So I picked up on that, and now 4 is a squid who picks interests in many things at the same time !

They are sixteen years old when they meet Marie.

They go by they/she and is genderqueer

Technically their 'canon' name (result banners name) is "Surume" which happens to translates to "Shredded dried squid" but we're gonna ignore that they don't really like their name, so they think 4 sounds more rad. Edit : her complete name is Surume Eurasia NITPICK.

They have a very hyperactive brain, fueled by passion and satisfaction of discovery, and they are always looking forward for new stuff. (Canon describe them as "Down for whatever" and pretty much opportunistic and not thinking much about it.) So they have a HUGE knack for science, because they love the "F#€! around and find out" aspect of it.

They are curious about EVERYTHING and once they get interest, they must find out exactly how it functions, in all its details and lore if you will. This curiosity got them in trouble by the past.

Their curriculum (in my head) is bioengineering. They are astonishingly efficient in a lab. Though they are eager the entire time, so really the hardest thing the school had to teach them is how to follow the scientific procedure properly. (Consider all options, make differential schemes, write down everything, etc...) (Marie actually helps them with their studying method sometimes)

Their specialties are :

The topic of "waves", such as soundwaves and brainwaves. They studied the respawn points in excruciating detail on their own, and wrote an essay about squid souls, and how every living thing has its own "DNA Vibe" that can be retraced like a data log if deciphered and even exploitable if translated as a code. That essay was very detailed and got many professors *concerned* that it made sense.

Because of #1, they have a big interest about 'Souls' (which are an acquired Fact™ in this society by at least a century) and how they can be resurrected, identified, interfered with and conserved.

The topic of cell division, DNA, how a primal organism follows a program of growth.

They have artificially conserved fish embryos, and are coming to a point where they can fully develop them in vitro.

They have engineered a device that can scan an object (small to middle size) and represent it in 3D, in its deepest layers. You can put that on a computer or tablet and analyse and deconstruct the layers. They actually patented this one. It isn't new as a concept, but it's a handheld version. Also a device that can pick up brainwaves and translate them as digital writing. Several languages. Main issue here is the headaches and picking it from a distanced target, but they're definitely gonna patent this one too.

They are working on a project that they name "Primal Cell". Basically a cell with no specific purpose at its beginning, that can be "coded" through an interface into developing into a specific organism (one that one has the code and variety pattern for). It's their life project.

They mainly do all that for fun technically, but they want to use that for medical purposes, notably people with chronic illness, very bad mutations or terminal disease. After hearing about the Subway, it adds another possible use to their list. Also great communication innovating leap horizons.

They are big buddies with Sheldon because they both like infodumping and 4 is pretty good at crafting and weapon ideas, and helping him out with testing, and he helps them with material supplying, and once they start talking, it quickly sounds like intense seagull bantering. Both screaming over the other. Hellish.

They are shy and awkward with people at first meet but the second they're comfortable with you, oooh, buddy...

They're roommates with 8, nicknamed "Night" because N+8, on Marie's request. Night learned more with her in a week than she would have in six months of private classes. Night really likes 4. Night feels more at ease with them than with 3. Night stayed with them at Inkopolis during the whole Splatlands thing. I would recommend a check up on Night and 4.

They grew out of the city but close enough by, they were adopted and had two dads. One was a firework maker.

Versatile, wields all weapons pretty decently, also learned to summon them at will as well as her inventory through specific ink bending, which is technically illegal. She may be working on making the inventory able to fit in *bigger* items. Also has a specific interest with ink manipulation.

They're kinda very clueless, yet have an extremely developed sense of intuition.

They have a bad tendency to brush their problems and feelings under the rug, despite being pretty self-aware. They're a walking contradiction lol

They can often be mentally exhausting sadly, including for themselves ; and either brush off feelings or have an overwhelming empathetic reaction. The whole "Get yourself hurt because you think like a flea circus all the time" kind of thing.

🟠 They worked for five years at Grizzco part-time for money, up to Profreshional, but ended up quitting because they were way too curious for their own good and did something they knew would get them fired or worse, so they preferred to quit before anyone could fire them 'cause quitting looks better on the employment papers than being fired. Grizz had seriously his eyes on them by the end of it though. They always asked too many questions. 🟠

They're the embodiment of Chaotic Dumbass who also happens to everyone's surprise to be a Literal Scientific Genius.

Aaand that's about it I think.

So as you can see my version of Agent 4 is still pretty chaotic, true to their team of choice, though they have a lot going on for themselves. They have the potential to become the greatest bioengineering scientist of their time, hopefully for the better.

Though they are sure to face some though moral dilemmas during that process.

I can definitely tell that I'm falling back into my Splatoon phase so expect more intense bs to come, if you have questions or comments about them or related, don't hesitate !

Thank you~✨🙏🎶

#splatoon agent 4 #agent 4 #agent 4 splatoon #splatoon #splatoon 2 #splatoon headcanon #agent 8 #grizzco #long post #orange text lol sorry for your eyes #inkling #oc i guess #subject to editing #anyways

[blakeprentiss]

lovely anons have been requesting a gif tutorial, and while there's plenty photoshop ones out there I think there's only a couple photopea ones (if you dont know photo pea is like an internet photoshop basically) so I thought I'd make a little tutorial on how I do my gifs!

first you're gonna want to use any gif making platform to actually turn your video clip into a gif. I personally use giphy but I know there's a bunch of other platforms for this. then you're just going to open the gif in photo pea either by clicking "open from computer" on the home page or dragging it in from finder (Mac) or files.

IF YOU'RE MAKING A GIFSET: the first thing I do is make sure all of my gifs are the same number of frames. its important to do this if you want all of your gifs to restart at the same time! to do this I just go to the side where all the frames are listed - this one has 29 frames (note: it says 28 on the top frame, but the very first frame is listed as 0, so always add 1 to the top number to know now many frames there are). what I do is find the gif with the least amount of frames and then make all the gifs the same number - depending on what part of the gif I want to keep/delete I'll delete frames from the beginning, end, or both which usually requires some basic math

next, I click on the top frame, press shift, and then press on the bottom frame to select all (unfortunately there's no keyboard shortcut for this I don't think). then I'll click filter -> sharpen -> smart sharpen that way I can freely customize the sharpness of each gif depending on it's original quality. usually I do 200% at 0.5 pixels but I'll adjust if necessary.

now comes the actual coloring of the gif! all of these will be adjustment layers (layer -> new adjustment layer).

first I'll select the brightness/contrast layer and play around with those settings until it looks good to me.

next, I'll play around with the levels and curves layers until it looks how I want it.

sometimes I'll stop here if it looks good, sometimes I'll play around with the saturation adjustment layer, or in this case I'll edit the color balance to deepen some of the shades that aren't popping out how I want.

IF YOU'RE MAKING A GIFSET: the easiest thing I've figured out for coloring multiple gifs to save time is duplicating these adjustment layers to each gif in the set (layer -> duplicate layer into; it'll prompt you to select the psd you want to add the layers to). when I do this I turn off the visibility for each one and one by one turn them back on (starting with brightness/contrast) and adjust them if necessary.

if I'm not adding text this is where I'll end, but sometimes I like to add texts to more of my creative gifts. usually I'll follow a tutorial (@usergif resource directory has a bunch of good tutorials that can be adapted to photo pea, or I'll just look them up on Tumblr itself). sometimes I like to do things a little simpler, which is what I'll show here.

you're going to click on the T towards the bottom on the left sidebar, type put your text, change your font (photopea has a ton and I'm not too picky but you can download fonts from the internet and upload them), as well as color and size (don't forget to select all of the text when you do this!!) then click on the cursor icon to move the text to your desired placement.

then click on the layer in the right sidebar and select blending options.

I'm going to add a stroke of 1px in black to my text and position it to the center. I do this on every text I add to gifs (even if the text is black, which I ended up changing this one to) to add some extra size/detail.

you're more than happy to stop here, but I like to play around with some of the other blending options until I'm satisfied. sometimes I'll lower the fill to 0-30%, or in this case, I changed the blending option to overlay to get the desired effect. (both under blending options)

I followed the same steps with my second row of text, except I changed the font and then warped the text a bit after placing it where I wanted by T -> warp -> arch and changing the settings.

and you're done! file -> export as -> gif to save it! I also like to do this periodically throughout the process to make sure the gif is giffing if you know what I mean

#gif tutorial #photopeablr #photopea #photopea gif tutorial #mine* #tutorial* #tutorial #gif making tutorial #gif making

[under-lore]

Admittedly this is going off of the assumption that Chara, at the very least some of the time, is the narrator outside of the Genocide route. But do you think it is possible that Chara/the narrator doesn’t remember through RESETS/LOADS?

I’m mostly basing this off of the fact that you can repeat the 30g in a snow poff easter egg by Loading a save and that the dialogue doesn’t change after the load.

And, as far as I can remember, narration only changes after a load when it is in reference to something Frisk/The Player did/see differently rather than the narrator commenting on something learned before the load.

The examples you briefly mentioned in the last paragraph are already showing that the things Frisk has memories of from previous LOADS are also known by the narrator. For example, that they are aware of things Frisk saw or did in a previous iteration of the timeline such as this one.

(Side note : In the Asriel fight, there is hidden dialogue from the narrator where they directly bring up that they know Frisk has never saved using file 0 in a NO-SAVE route. However, since Sans, who doesn't remember timelines, also says the same in a NO-SAVE neutral route, those NO-SAVE secret dialogue segments are likely to be easter eggs more than anything and thus can't really be used to talk about canon.)

As the SAVE power is held by the current most determined form to have set foot underground (For most of the game, that would be Frisk), and that the narrator entity is repeatedly mentioned through flavor text to share Frisk's body, they should be able to benefit from Frisk's own ability to remember the LOADING too.

And even if it wasn't for this, since the narrator can also read Frisk's mind...

They would still be able to know about the previous timeline iteration events through simply reading Frisk's memories of them.

Via the narrator's situation and set of abilities coupled with in-game text we can safely say they are aware of the events of previous LOADS.

Of course, coding every single line of narration to react differently based on if/where you LOADED a file and when would be a litteral nightmare to code and require to add hundreds of extra lines of dialogue to the game.

And as we know from the fact that Frisk, who should obviously remember, also forgets about the water sausages after a LOAD. Or that Flowey suddenly isn't scared of us anymore if we RESET just before the end of a genocide route, these kinds of SAVE remembering related details are one of the few things that Toby just didn't really flesh out all the way in Undertale and don't always make sense.

Nevertheless, the intention seems to be have been rather clearly for the narrator to remember SAVES as well.

#undertale #undertale chara #chara

[polysprachig]

tell us more about these projects! i’ve struggled to pick up languages again after an extended break and no time and a project-based approach seems very refreshing!

Apologies in advance for the long post. I do plan on making a more detailed post on this at a later point hopefully a video but I make no promises these days.

Important note!! Before you start any short- or long-term learning projects, begin a polyglot journal outlining your objectives and check in every two weeks with an extra detailed summary of what you’ve done, haven’t done, dislike, feel needs changing, etc. either once per quarter or 2x year. Your micro-goals, methods and timeline should shift over time, showing that you can reassess the project and try out new things to suit your needs. If you don't update on time it's nbd, but at least try to write a note in your planner or calendar about what you did when because it can be extremely helpful one year later when you try to revisit where you are now and how you got there. 🧿🤍

The main projects from 2019 to today include the following

Greek - Conversational Speaking, 2019

Goal: meet for casual 30-minute lessons with a teacher, 2 or 3x per week to build up conversational skills and high frequency grammar in use as a passive bilingual (it being the native language which I actively lost growing up for various reasons).

Reflection: The real studies were repetition in speech and looking up key vocabulary I would need to use to tell my teacher about what happened in the last week, and my teacher supplied me with additional vocabulary to help me be more specific. Now I have a record of that vocabulary which I can review whenever by topic/story. Plus my family did notice my drastic improvement and asked if I had been studying.

Irish - The Merlin Project (Quarantine Project), 2020-2022 (+ ongoing, needs new methodology because I met my aims a while back at this point)

Aim: Go from A2 to B1 by learning to write so that you can have the skills to be able to read longer texts

Challenge: Rewatch an episode from the last show that you watched and write down what you see in as much detail as possible, making sure to use a grammar point you’re currently studying in your writing. Look up new words to make the text more specific and add them to the description. Correct your text. Watch the same scene again and add more detail, as in the following:

(Basically: first: do a grammar practice, then: watch 30 seconds, write using that grammar, translate dialogue if you want, consult dictionary, write again incorporating the new words and/or make the sentences more complex, at the end: correct your text yourself or with a teacher, start again and repeat until the scene or full episode is complete or you've exhausted the usefulness of the exercise.)

Alternatively just write or translate fanfiction, but I don't say that here.

By self-correcting you should become very confident on the basic skills at your level, whereas the rewriting itself allows for varied attempts at forming sentences and vocabulary acquisition in a specific context.

FYI I posted the project itself along with the notes to my website (here) and intend to share the presentation on the experience I gave in the Gaeltacht this past August soon enough.

Multilingual, select Romance and Germanic languages - The Diana Project, 2022-present

Challenge: dive deep into the rhythm, melody and sound of certain languages (which relate to a poet I’m analysing) via a slow read of poetry and familiarisation with the poet, poet-translator and poet-actor

Components: read, write, translate and recite poetry on the subject of Greco-Roman tragedy (now its shifting to satire after 1+ year or so of tragic influences) from select eras and in select styles, ex. ottava rima, rhyming verse & simultaneously learn about the rhetoric of poetics that influenced these authors and their poems or translations

These writings I’m still adding to my website as part of a translation, recitation and poetry portfolio.

Most recently, I’ve started what I call the Secret Senecan Project which requires reading certain ancient and mediaevil texts on stories I’m familiar with in the original, identifying key words based on context then extrapolating the grammar from their features (declinations, location in reference to other word forms, etc.). The next step will be to compare these predictions with the bilingual translation and consult my grammar books in those languages to confirm or improve my predictions.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading! I hope to polish this up and make the details more learner-friendly sometime before 2024. (:

#8-bitdyke #asks #polyglot things #sorry if this sounds nuts #slow learning #my polyglot studies

[underdark-dreams]

Do you have any advice on how to write more descriptively? When writing blurbs, I struggle a lot with making them too short, and they end up sounding flat when reading (if that makes any sense??)

Thank you for this ask! That is a tricky one. I think we all are chasing that goal as writers.

By descriptive do you mean emotionally, or visually, or maybe more? I will assume a bit of everything, but please feel free to send me another ask if this reply isn't what you're looking for. Or for any reason really! I love asks like this, but I’m always worried my answer might not be helpful.

A few strategies that seem to work for me:

Write from the senses/Engage your reader's senses

Sights, smells, sounds, weather, the people around, etc. It doesn’t have to be a lot, just a few sentences or a short paragraph helps. And you can sprinkle it out across the chapter or scene. It might feel fluffy at first. But personally, when I’m reading a book/fic where the author does this, I find all that flavor text gets stored in the back of my head through the rest of the scene. It does a lot to color what comes after!

Use POV to your advantage

Whether it’s your OC or a character from canon. It’s really cool how three characters could see a scene/conversation/event in three different ways, and I think it’s one of the easiest ways to drive characterization, too. This will also help flavor your descriptive writing or prose, since it makes the reader really examine things like hmmm. Is this hot sunny summer day really so awful, or is Rolan character just extra grumpy today 🤔 

Leave drafts on the shelf for a while before editing

Always yields better results for me, at least! It gives your brain time to disconnect from the scene and view it fresh again. You’ll probably return and immediately find parts where you need to add a few sentences to help set the scene.

And of course, nothing helps like reading! I always find myself drawing on books I've read when I'm working on prose and looking for a way to frame something.

I think writing more in general will help you, too. It certainly helped me. I just went back to read one of my early fics, and it sounds much more staccato and less detailed than the WIP I'm working on now. I think just getting more writing out into my drafts made me slow down and be brave enough to spend more time describing scenes or emotions. Maybe you can go back through your own works and see if you spot a difference over time?

Also...I'm curious whether your readers would really find your writing to be flat. Sometimes you can be your own harshest critic. 🤗 If you love what you're writing about, that will always shine through!🖤

#also anon excellent use of the word blurb #underdark-dreams asks #rebgrrl writes

[decepti-thots]

so re: death of the author in fandom, are you talking about fans theories that add to or ignore textual material in canon? This isn't something I've paid attention to at all in fandom and now I'm kind of scratching my head trying to figure out how you do Death of the Author Wrong.

Ohhh haha, people use it extremely wrong. The most extreme example I've seen is the person sincerely, not-smooth-sharking convinced it was people calling for "problematic" authors to be (at least metaphorically, in a social-death sense) killed, which is a very silly hyperbolic example, but common ideas include:

The idea that it is not possible due to DotA to provide a reading of a text that is unsupported and can be shot down; that DotA means "all readings are equally valid and true and canon is never real", and every reader can say whatever they like and it's "canon". (Think, idk, the text says the curtains are blue in a totally unambiguous way, a fan insists their reading the curtains are red is "equally valid" because "just because the author wrote that they're blue doesn't mean they are, death of the author!", for a silly example.)

The idea that death of the author is about stuff like "it's cool to still buy HP merchandise, because JKR being the author doesn't matter if we decide she's 'dead'!"- in other words, that "death of the author" means acting as though the author literally doesn't exist in real life. Discussions about boycotts of living authors are not about literary analysis, needless to say, and DotA has nothing to do with it.

A belief that DotA represents a kind of empirical fact about How To Correctly Do Literary Analysis and that if you are not taking that perspective, you are doing analysis wrong. The idea that literary criticism is like physics where you learn the fact of the second law of thermodynamics and it's always true and not taking it into consideration is a factual error. DotA, and poststructural analysis as a whole, is not exactly an uncontentious subject! (Nor does every post-Barthes theorist who uses it to some extent take it in one single direction.)

The first one, IME, is the most common thing, but YMMV.

I find the main issue tends to people hearing about DotA and being like "oh, this is A Fact that you get taught when you learn how to analyse texts and it's always true in every way it can be true". (I'd also say there's a lot of general confusion around the idea a reader can bring extra-textual knowledge of e.g. an author's biographical details that can influence their reception of a text even if it isn't necessarily inherent to the text itself, but that's the sort of thing I find poststructuralists argue a lot more about among themselves, lmao.)

[earthnashes]

Hey Earth I've been trying to figure out what makes a good character reference sheet, what to include and what not to. What do you suggest is the most important things to have on a reference sheet?

The most important thing about a character reference is the character's design, full-stop. It's great if a character ref has extra bits to it to make it look pretty and interesting to look at, but in the end, if the character's design isn't clear, it's missing the point. SO! In my opinion, the most important aspects a basic reference MUST have, no questions asked:

-At least 1 fullbody of the character. Bonus points if the character is in a pose that hints to their personality, but the pose should be clear and very easily show off as much of the design as possible. 3-quarter views are popular for that reason: shows a lil bit of everything.

-Character's palette. I've been doing this for years, and I can safely say I often don't color pick from the palette, BUT it should still absolutely be there on the chance that A) a different artist does color pick from the palette and B) it's just much easier to see the base colors and double-check you have the right colors when coloring the client's design.

-Character's name. This one is subjective; it isn't necessary to have the character's name on the ref, but it's a good idea if only so it's easier to call the character by name. It's also basically an introduction to the character, so knowing their name would be nice. ----------

What NOT to add to a ref sheet:

-DO. NOT. SHADE. YOUR. REF. This is something I'm seeing more often, so to reiterate: The point of a ref is to showcase the character's design, and to do that the artist much have access to said design to make sure they're getting it correct when they work with your character. This includes coloring. Shading could make things pretty but is ultimately one of the biggest pains in the ass to deal with when working with a character, because it suddenly becomes a guessing game in trying to figure out what is the correct color. At the very least, if you insist on shading your refs? Have a flat-colored version. That is not up for debate.

-Similar vein: If your reference has a watermark, have a version that lacks it, especially if the watermark covers the whole ref. The unwatermarked version is for ease of the artist to color-pick and see the design of your character. You don't have to post it, just have it on hand to give to artists you plan on commissioning.

----------

What isn't necessary for a character ref but are nice/helpful little additions:

-Expression shots. This is a great visual way to showcase the character's personality as well as showcase how a character emotes. How one character smiles is NOT the same as how another smiles, so seeing that in action could help the artist, or viewers of the ref in general, get a better feel of who your character is.

-Detail shots. I'm talking close-ups of eyes, hands/paws, teeth/mouth, tattoos, items the character always wears. This is to give the viewer a better view at the thing in question, and helps artists who are drawing your character get a clearer reference if it's something that is integral to the design. For example: Closeup of a character's cutie mark. Now the artist doesn't have to guess what it looks like base on the one angle; they have the full image of the cutie mark right there to work with. Bonus points: it's a PNG item that you can send the artist so they can just copy-paste that shit onto the character. Work smarter not harder.

-Character notes/funfacts. So long as you keep it short and sweet, it's never a bad idea to have little text that gives the view snippets of your character, whether that be explanation of how a part of their design works, or just funfacts about their personality, or their pronouns so no one can get it confused.

-Additional full-bodies or half-bodies. It takes more work but is great to have if your character has asymmetrical elements in their design, such as markings that you can't flip. It's also a fun way to give the viewers a glimpse at, say, their wardrobe, or lack-thereof is you need a shot of the character nakey vs them in clothing.

------

Aaaand there ya go! Hopefully that helps! :>

[jayisgayandtrans]

The Letter T

Let’s get something straight,

I’m not

Or at least, that’s a situation in question

But that’s not what I’m here for, you see

The acronym LGBT has a terrific little tail that everyone tends to trip over

And the conversations that transpire when I attempt to try the closet door

Leave me frequently swept under the rug

Maybe I’m just a little lost in translation

But they should know that identity is not orientation

And it can be tricky to articulate, so I don’t mind the extra explanation

But I’m telling you there’s a tipping point where you can’t expect me to take it

To tally up the talks I’ve had tearing apart the phrase

“So, genderfluid is like another word for bisexual, then, right?”

Because there’s already this his-and-hers internal tug-of-war

So tying in other types of ignorance just gets tiring at times

And trying again and trying again and again to get the point across

Leads me down a tangled train of thought that runs off the tracks in unclear tangents

Because conversations transition without the intended Amendments

Because these transcripts would transcend the usual transfer of data

Into transgressions and obsessions with more than I’m able to

Confirm or confer without temperamental reactions

Feeling entirely translucent overlooking their infractions

Wondering why more words aren’t composed in a way that allows them

To be transposed to neutrality or at least farther from

Specific definitions testing how gendered things can get

Wondering why I don’t make any sense yet

Let me be perfectly queer

The acronym LGBT has a tetrad attraction detailing at least part of this

Just a trifle of understanding if you’re looking to comprehend it

And if you don’t care to learn then don’t bother to ask

But take some time from your day and I’ll try to make it fast

Go ahead and interrogate, I don’t mind all that much

Whatever trips your trigger, as long as it’s not pointed at us

I can’t speak on behalf of every transgender teen

But if you don’t know a word, I can tell you what I mean

I can text you a trillion terms to absorb

Or trim down the lesson to the basics if you’re bored

But don’t tell me that pronouns are a hassle to learn

When they catch in the throats of those just waiting Their turn

To stop hiding their tears and be treated the same

Teaching one person at a time until the world hears their true name

Don’t expect trophies, but I’ll give you my thanks

Don’t tease us about the clothes that make our spines and souls ache

I want to wear this letter T like a cross from my neck

Saying the prefix trans- means across and I like it like that

Traversing the spectrums and binaries all mixed

Transcontinental, transatlantic, transfixed

By the beauty in boys and the glamour in girls

But mostly the neithers and boths in this world

Don’t tell me it’s a transient, temporary tale

Or that I’m totally enamoured with getting off the most followed trail

I’m taking back traumas and tense muscles and taunts

Until tentative trespassers give us what we want

A presence, a voice, and all human rights

It shouldn’t be a privilege to feel safe at night

Don’t tiptoe around troubles, just stand with us here

Add a voice until we trumpet our triumphs and cheers

Take my hand, hear my voice

Listen, learn something new

Because LGBT has a cross and

Cross my heart

I’m with you

#poetry #transgender #trans man #look i like poetry dont ask what i am writing at thus point #aaaaaa #Spotify

[caparrucia]

17 and/or 18 for writer ask meme, please?

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

So glitter and gold started as a prompt response to @garbria, and in the replies to that post we started bouncing ideas and then I realized the idea of a fake dating AU would be hilarious. But I wanted to do a fake dating AU where the issue is not miscommunication, but kind of the opposite. Over communication. And also for the fake dating to have stakes but not the usual fare that comes with a bit of betrayal or hurt.

And I wanted to write a comedy, just something lighthearted and fun, and so the final prompt was: fake dating AU, where Nyx volunteers to be Cor's lover to get Cor out of hot water, but where no one actually believes them, while they go extra hard into it. So now Nyx and Cor have this very complicated story they've sold themselves on, but the people they're trying to con (Regis and Sylvia) have seen through them since day one, and are instead popcorn-gif-ing at the shenanigans.

The fun is the fact they're so well matched and they're very in love with each other but privately doing the song and dance about how much the other likes them and if the other is interested in like... long term relationship, as opposed to the fun back and forth of their con. And like, everyone around them can see the obvious resolution, but they've got hangups and their own stuff to work through.

And then I just keep throwing shit at them because it's fun.

Like, I didn't need to do the worldbuilding for it, but like. Why not? Why not a new world with new rules and new shenanigans? Why not a Cor that's actually a LC and then what that would mean for the world? Why not add an entire massive subplot about magic and the gods and what's going on in the world? It's a brand new romantic comedy about Cor and Nyx and their idiot life choices, written by me, why the hell not.

So there we are, bits and pieces have been shared but I don't want to spoil what's coming. I'm having a lot of fun for it! :D

18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end. Spicy addition: Questioner provides the passage.

So this is an awful passage to choose but I think it's something a lot of people missed? And it's one of my favorite bits of characterization in the sun is out, and how it anchors Cor and shows his connection to Aulea:

Specifically, Cor declaring that he's "decided" on the answer, regardless of what the actual answer is. It's the kind of nonsensical thing you don't really expect from him. He's so solid and composed and generally agreeable. Cor is very chill throughout the sun is out, he makes a point to not get ruffled or angry. And when he is, he's very clear on why he's upset.

So this blindsides Nyx, because the whole fight over Nyx's stasis is very... it's not fun. It hurts and it's awkward and it's a solid mess. But I wanted to highlight that bit, because I wanted to show what Cor is like, when he's pushed into a corner and he's lashing out: and what he is, is basically Aulea. He treats Nyx the same way Aulea treated him, because Aulea is still the measuring stick he uses to figure out the world, and when he encounters something he can't deal with, he legitimately regresses into that dynamic, toxic as it was.

Here's Aulea's version of it:

"I've decided" is the code phrase: it means taking agency from the other and setting the rules and refusing to negotiate. It's deeply, profoundly fucked up. Cor knows, viscerally, how upsetting it is to be on the receiving end of that.

But Nyx has accidentally triggered him and basically set his PTSD on fire without meaning to - Nyx asked him to kill him, or at least try, and Cor thought he was over Aulea, he really did, and then he remembers she asked him to kill her to, in a way, only she didn't have the decency to tell him doing what he did was going to kill her, until he was done, and welp.

Welp.

It's a very vulnerable moment, for Cor, it's the closest to shattering Cor has been in the entire series. And I love that Nyx snarls and hisses and doesn't bend to it, not the way Cor did to Aulea, when she did it to him. If Prompto hadn't been hurt, they'd have been in a very precarious situation, but Prompto being hurt reminded them both, viscerally, that they're in it together, and therefore allowed them to put their feelings on hold until they were sure their son was fine. That reminded them of their priorities and the larger picture and allowed the feelings to soften somewhat.

Without that buffer, though? Oh, they would have fought horribly and possibly split up for a while before they cooled down and figured out how to reconcile, but it would have been fairly painful, because they're in the space where they'd be saying things they probably don't really mean, but they're hurt and triggered and frothing about it.

It's such a big thing for them to survive, together, that everything that comes after is just "I mean, we survived that, anything else is child's play." I had a tremendous amount of fun mapping out that fight. :D

#rie answers #garbria

[gostosadeazulpassando]

How am i going to organize my Miraculous' remakes: Part 1/2 - Redesigning the heroes outfits

*Remember, these are just my personal thougths. It's up to you if you agree with them or not.*

First of all, I want to make it clear that I actually LOVE the canon heroes designs. It's not a sudden thing though; It takes me a while to get used and process all the information on the outfit, but after that, I start to appreciate it. It's just that sometimes I miss some few extra details in the costumes, or I think something else could replace the original idea they decided to go with. So, instead of waiting for some random artist to magically know how to make a hero design that satisfies me, I decided to do it myself.

And let me say that I always found it interesting when someone describes and explains each choice and meaning behind a character's design and how they came to the conclusion that it made sense to them, so I'll try to reproduce the same here.

Below I'm leaving a bunch of listed basic and concrete information (at least for me) that I plan to use with Miraculous characters so I can proceed with the outfit redesigns. Wanted to share cause this may help some of you that also want to start your own redrawings:

1. Every superhero will have a jumpsuit as the base piece of clothing

Just so I don't freak out trying to decide what to do. I know that Thomas probably based himself in the classical comic-books heroes. And when a pattern is set, I avoid deviating from it. Even for aerodynamic reasons the best thing would be that the clothes didn't have a lot of weight, although the other way around might be more fun.

By the way, speaking of this, I would like to thank @officialfanbug (who, ironically, is not a fan of the ideia of everyone using jumpsuits) for inspiring me to start this Miraculous blog based on redesigns and rewriting in general. Your criative mind and thinking, especially for someone who wants to work with animation/design (even though I ain't sure about the specific area right now) is one of the reasons for me to think about exposing my drawings publicly on a site that I like

2. I try to be consistent with the character's style, behavior and wills

That's why I don't want to change any of the characters looks, both as civilians or akumatized villains; I rely on some of their forms as akumatized villains or simply in their everyday style attribute (for colors tones, custom extra garment). Even things that were shown or said in just one episode have an effect when designing the outfit. I will specify each of these things separately per post when addressing a particular holder.

3. Following the Miraculouses', Kwamis' and the animals which the Kwamis were based appearence is important to me

So I just have this ideia that the official miraculous' holders should portray all of their respective kwamis aspects, as they represent the kwami, the animal and the miraculous itself most of the time (THEY NEED TO BE THE BEST OUT OF THE BEST BECAUSE OF THEIR SCREEN TIME!!!!! MY EYES MUST BE PLEASED EVERYTIME THEY APPEAR) and yes even the smallest of the details such as the position of a mark in the kwami's body. That being, I prefer to be coherent with these 3 things. It's like a mix, in short.

I feel like this whole post is a bit disorganized and that I would like to add so many other things with another words, but for now, I'll leave it like this. Also I didn't check my english spelling, so this text might have a BUNCH of errors. But anyways, just ignore it

#ml redesign #mlb redesign #miraculous redesign #miraculous ladybug redesign #ml rewrite #mlb rewrite #miraculous rewrite #miraculous ladybug rewrite #ml outfits #mlb outfits #miraculous outfits #miraculous ladybug outfits #ml #mlb #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug and chat noir #ladybug #chat noir #marinette #adrien

[em-writes-stuff-sometimes]

A random quick question for y'all:

I've started my editing/rewriting process of gevivys (beauty)! Yay! Please keep in mind that it'll largely be the exact same story - all I'm doing is expanding out the timeline and adding extra details here and there (and editing the HV/grammar as needed). Because of that, I do have a question, as above.

If I choose Option 1, it means that I'll go back and replace the text with what I've updated, and then I'll go in to add any additional chapters (it might not actually pan out to 12 chapters, now that I've started in on it - there'll be at LEAST one extra chap, if not more, though). In choosing this option, it means that people won't get confused thinking this is a new instalment, because technically it's me redressing an old one. This might take longer, as I'd have to figure out which parts are new (thus requiring completely new posts) and which parts can be reuploaded into existing posts.

If I choose Option 2, I'll re-upload the chapters as I finish editing/rewriting parts, which means things will be uploaded in order and will be easy to follow for those who enjoy reading the fics that come up on their dash. It ALSO gives me the opportunity to keep the original chapters as-is and provide a link to them on the Masterlist for terms of endearment, for those who end up preferring the OG tale. This would be a fair bit quicker, too, as I don't have to do the above puzzle-piecing and can just start from scratch, essentially.

Let me know what y'all think!

#fanfiction updates #editing gevivys (beauty)