#mostly due to school I haven’t gotten the chance to draw for myself or post anything in months | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

krispydefendorpolice · 4 years

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Once Upon A Miraculous - Part 1

Okay so this prompt got away from me and now you all get a two parter. Yay me,😭😭😭

Also you guys are freaking amazing because I was not expecting the responses I got from everyone on my preview post. Especially since all I said was “hey I got a new story who wants to hear it”.

This is for @pepelachanel for the story idea. Oh my goodness, the brain worm you gave me have led me to write over 3,400 words of Jasonette goodness. And angst. Sorry for that.

I hope this is enjoyable.

Next Masterpost list

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“Dan?” She asked the car with the plate that matched the ones on her Uber App.

“Marinette?” The man asked. He got out of the vehicle and opened the trunk for her bags when she nodded.

“Welcome to Gotham,” he said when they were both back in the car. “Is this your first time to the city?”

“No, I’ve been here before, a few years ago.” Marinette said looking out the window at the buildings they passed.

“What brings you back then, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I’m on my way to school in New York and I just thought I’d stop and see an old friend.”

“You’re close with this friend?”

“I was, but he died a couple years ago.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said apologetically.

“Thank you. I wasn’t able to come for his funeral.” She smiled sadly, “This is the first time I’ve been able to come and properly pay my respects.”

They grew quiet as the driver continued to navigate the traffic in Gotham and Marinette’s thoughts drifted to that long ago summer.

*************************************

Marinette was 15 years old the first time she went to Gotham. She came at the request of Jagged Stone to work as his costume designer for his American tour. Marinette’s parents had agreed when Sabine’s old roommate from University had agreed to act as Marinette’s chaperone.

Selina Kyle was impressed by the girls creative mind. Everywhere they went the girl brought a sketchbook and she was drawing every time she had a chance.

They were at the Wayne building as Selina had set a lunch date with her fiancé and they had agreed to pick up the man and his son there. Marinette was sitting in the downstairs lobby where she could see the stained glass over the entrance doors while she waited for Selina to collect the men.

“What are you drawing?”

Marinette jumped at the voice but looked at the speaker. He was a big man? Boy? He looked about her age really so boy was probably right. He had a large build, about the size of her classmate Ivan. The same black hair too, but his eyes were blue like her own.

“A dress design,” Marinette answered looking back at the beginning sketch on the page.

“You’re a designer?”

“Yes. I mostly work on commission right now but I do some designing for myself.”

The boy nodded and looked from the sketch up to the windows she had used as inspiration. “That’s pretty cool. I’ve walked past these windows a lot and never seen them this way before.”

“Most of the world does,” Marinette says, “I’ve just trained myself to look at the things we mostly take for granted in new ways for inspiration .”

“Are you waiting for someone?”

“My guardian. We’re going to lunch with her fiancé and his son.”

The boy’s face brightened as he smiled, “You must be Marinette then.”

Marinette was surprised and it showed on her face.

He laughed, “I’m Jason Todd-Wayne. My father Bruce is Selina’s fiancé.”

“I didn’t say her name.” Marinette argued.

“My dad knows everyone that works for him and if someone else had gotten engaged we would know about it.”

“Marinette, Jason! I see you’ve already met. Are you ready to go?” Selina asked as she walked up to them with a man behind her.

During her time in Gotham Marinette ended up spending most of her free time with Jason. As he was on summer break as well he helped her when she needed to do work for Jagged and attended the concerts with her as her assistant.

They grew close, sharing jokes and stories. He showed her around the town and all the best places to go. He shared how he was an outcast in school for being a former street kid thrown into the world of the prestigious upper crust elite. Marinette shared how she was an outcast because of a liar who turned all her friends and the entire class against her. It was one of the main reason’s her parents had even agreed to let her go on tour with Jagged and Selina.

It was a week before her return to Paris that he kissed her for the first time. They spent the last week together going on dates and spending as much time together as they could.

Before she got on the plane to take her back to Paris he gave her a small wrapped package and said to hold onto it until he told her to open it. She agreed and placed it in her bag before kissing him and getting on the plane. She waved to him from the end of the flyway (the goof had purchased a ticket just so he could walk her to the gate but Bruce had refused to actually let him fly off to Paris).

Once home Marinette settled in. She took the box and placed it on a shelf above her designing area.

Then a crash outside had her transforming and running off to fight yet another Akuma.

The next day at school Marinette found out that some of the American news agencies had gotten pictures of her and Jason together. Many were from when they were just friends but a couple were taken after their kiss.

Her so called ‘friends’ jumped her when she entered the classroom asking when she had gone to America, why didn’t she tell them, could she introduce the Waynes to them?

Marinette ignored them, pushed through the crowd and took the seat in the back of the class. She pulled out her phone and sent a message and waited for his response.

Marinette jumped when hands slammed on her desk.

“Girl, why are you ignoring us. That’s not being a very good friend,” Alya said.

“We’re not,” Marinette answered.

“We’re not?” Alya looked confused by the words. “Not what?”

“We’re not friends,” Marinette said standing from her seat. “I haven’t heard from any of you in months. Not one of you sent me a message at any point while I was abroad. But even before that none of you talked with me, or have hung out with me in months. If that’s how you treat friends then I want no part of it.”

The class looked away from her, ashamed of how they had treated one of the kindest girls in the class.

Marinette took her seat as the teacher came into the class and the lesson began.

That exchange set the tone for the rest of the school year. A few, Nathaniel, Rose and Juleka, had apologized and did their best to rebuild their friendship with Marinette. They did get to meet Jason during one of his trips to Paris with Bruce when he came for business.

He wasn’t thrilled that Marinette had forgiven their treatment of her but was glad they were showing true remorse over it. They continued to talk or message daily with an occasional visit back and forth for the rest of the year.

It was a bright and sunny Saturday morning when

Marinette saw Bruce again.

“Mr Wayne, come in we weren’t expecting you were we?” She asked when she found the man at the door. He looked a mess but she didn’t want to be rude and mention it. “Did Jason come with you?”

He flinched at her question.

Marinette stilled at the unusual reaction.

“I. There.” He stopped and swallowed harshly. “There was an attack. The Joker, he took Jason.”

Marinette gasped, “is he okay? Was he hurt?”

Bruce shook his head, “I’m sorry Marinette. He didn’t make it.”

Her vision clouded over as tears filled her eyes and she dropped to her knees and cried.

Bruce pulled her into a clumsy embrace as he cried with her and just repeated “I’m sorry” over and over again.

The funeral was a week later. Bruce had offered to fly her to Gotham for the service but Marinette had to turn it down. The fights with Hawkmoth’s Akuma’s had increased and she and Chat Noir were fighting them on a near daily basis.

At 16 she grieved for a life, a love, a dream lost too soon.

***************************

Marinette accepted Adrian’s proposal. They had been dating for about six months at that point and she wanted to move on with her life. She couldn’t keep it on hold over a memory of a boy who would talk stained glass windows with her.

She took that old, little box, still in its wrapping and placed it in a drawer where she could keep all the memories it held with it.

Ladybug and Chat Noir had been fighting for four years by that time. It was a long battle but they were beginning to make headway. They had clues now, a new AkumaApp was produced that allowed the citizens of Paris to report when they saw the black butterfly’s. Using that information and the information provided by the Akuma victim’s themselves they were narrowing down the location of Hawkmoth's lair.

Soon they would have enough information to find the villain.

She was 18 years old.

****************************

Hawkmoth was unmasked and Gabriel Agreste was arrested.

Emilie Agreste was found in a coma under the house. Life support was stopped and she was pronounced dead five minutes later.

The first few months post Hawkmoth’s reveal, Adrian and Marinette worked to keep his company from folding due to the negative press while Marinette tried to keep Adrian from falling apart from losing both his parents the way he had.

Once things were beginning to settle and the company was evening out Adrian asked for a divorce. He wanted to end their marriage because there was someone else, someone he had promised himself he’d pursue if he ever had a chance.

Marinette moved back with her parents in the apartment over the bakery. Two days later Chat Noir and Ladybug met on top of the Eiffel Tower to say their final goodbyes. Back where their partnership had really begun with Ladybugs declaration that they would defeat Hawkmoth.

When Adrian revealed himself, Ladybug took the ring of the black cat and said she’d never agree to date someone like him.

Marinette was 19 years old.

****************************

“We’re here miss,” the driver said as he pulled up in front of the gates to Wayne Manor.

Marinette leaned out the window to press the call button on the gate box.

“Can I help you?” The voice not the other side asked.

“Oui, monsieur. Is Monsieur Wayne home?”

“He is out at the moment. Is he expecting you?”

“No, my name is Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. This was a rather impromptu trip I decided to make at the last minute. Perhaps you could help me. Would you be able to tell me in which cemetery Jason Todd was buried?”

Marinette was worried she wouldn’t get an answer when silence followed her question.

“Please drive up to the house.”

The gates opened and the car drove up. At the house the doors were opened by an elderly gentleman who walked to the car and opened the door for Marinette when they stopped.

“I am Alfred Pennyworth. We did not get to meet when you were last in Gotham Miss, but I did hear a great deal about you from Master Jason.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you monsieur Pennyworth, Jason had a great many things to say about you.”

“Do you have your things with you?”

“Just the bag in the trunk,” Marinette admitted.

Alfred went around and when the driver opened the trunk he picked up her bag.

“This way Miss Marinette.”

Marinette gave the driver a quick thank you before she followed Alfred into the house. He placed her bag down in the entryway, “I’ll make up a room for your stay and bring the bag up in a moment. Follow me please.”

“Oh, that’s okay I have a room at the Comfort Inn monsieur. I didn’t expect monsieur Wayne to put me up. I just came because I was never told where Jason was laid to rest and I was hoping someone could tell me.”

“The grave stone is in the Wayne family cemetery on the grounds Miss Marinette. It will be no trouble to give you a room for your stay. If you still insist after seeing Master Wayne and the others I will, of course, understand and drive you to your hotel myself.”

“Merci monsieur Pennyworth.”

“You may call me Alfred Miss Marinette,” he said with a kindly smile.

“Merci monsieur Alfred,” Marinette returned the smile as she followed him into what looked like an office.

Marinette was confused when Alfred walked to a grandfather clock and opened the glass door to move the hands on the face. She was startled when the wall next to the clock opened up to reveal a hidden door.

“Welcome to Wayne Manor Miss Marinette,” Alfred said and walked inside and down the stone steps.

Marinette considered it for a moment, the man could be leading her somewhere where he could kill her without risking her alerting someone after all, but everything she had heard about Alfred from Jason had said he wasn’t that kind of person.

Of course this man could be an imposter, she thought to herself as she followed him down the stairs. But well, cats weren’t the only ones that curiosity killed.

At the bottom of the stairs the room opened up into a large underground cave. The space to her immediate right was filled with glass cases each with an empty mannequin inside. A second row above had cases with costumed mannequins inside. They were various costumes worn by Gotham’s Dark Knight and his partners.

To the left was a large computer and various machines that would have been at home in a police forensics lab. In the center was an open space with a couple vehicles parked. The open spaces between the bike and cars could have been held for additional vehicles.

On the far side of the parking space was a giant coin and a dinosaur. Around the base of the dinosaur were a variety of cases that held other mementos from past battles.

“The family should be home soon. Would you like some tea while we wait?”

Marinette looked at the elderly man in surprise. Looked around the cave. And looked at the man again. She mutely nodded her head in acceptance.

After taking the offered cup, Marinette sipped it before asking the question she’d wanted to since she’d seen the insignia on one of the costumes.

“Monsieur Wayne is the Batman?”

“He is.”

“Was Jason... Did Jason die because he was a Robin?”

Alfred closed his eyes in grief, “he did. Joker got a hold of him. He tortured Master Jason before leaving him locked in a warehouse with a live bomb. Master Bruce was unable to make it in time to save him.”

Marinette paled at Alfred’s words. Though she teared up at the pain he must have gone through she was sure that Jason would have been a hero even if he had known what would happen to him. He’d had that edge of protectiveness he’d developed as a street kid when the younger kids were being harassed or bullied by older kids. He was a hero to the core. In or out of costume.

Marinette sniffled as Alfred poured fresh tea into her cup to give her a moment to collect herself.

“I do believe we’ll have a full house this evening,” he said to distract her. “Master Dick is in town following an arms dealer from Bludhaven. Master Jason is assisting him and Master Damian has insisted on helping as well.”

“I’ve heard about Dick from Jason. He was monsieur Wayne’s ward, a son to him yes? But the other’s I’ve never heard of.”

“Yes Master Dick was Master Bruce’s ward and son. Master Timothy was in a similar situation, when his parents died a few years ago Master Bruce took him in and later adopted him. Master Damian however is Master Bruce’s biological son. He came to us about a year and a half ago. He was almost as wild as Master Jason when he first came to us.”

Marinette giggled. Jason had told her about what a little shit he had been when he first came to the Wayne house. He had been convinced that Bruce was some kind of pedophile and had adopted him as some attempt to get a living sex toy. Jason had decided if that was the old man’s game he’d have another think coming to him.

It took a couple of months before Bruce and Alfred were able to convince the former street kid that that was not the reason why they took Jason off the streets. Of course that was not before Jason had managed to set every alarm and clock in the house to go off at noon everyday or change the passwords to every electronic device to Batmansucks****!

“That must have been an adventure,” Marinette offered.

“Quite,” the man said.

The quiet after they settled to their thoughts was broken by the roar of a motorcycle.

A man in a black costume with a blue bird insignia across the chest was the first to arrive.

“Alfred, I didn’t know we’d have a guest?” He looked at Marinette curiously.

“Master Dick this is Miss Marinette,” Alfred said by way of introduction.

He looked at the older man curiously, “I haven’t heard of a Marinette before. Sorry,” he apologized to her when he realized he was talking about her in front of her.

Marinette shook her head in dismissal, “I wouldn’t expect monsieur Wayne to have any reason to talk about me so I understand that you wouldn’t know of me.”

Before they could say anything else two more bikes and the batmobile pulled into the cave.

“Master Bruce, Master Tim, Master Damian, Miss Cassie,” Alfred called as they got off bikes and out of the car, “come greet Miss Marinette.”

Tim looked to be average height, about an inch or two shorter than Dick. Both had black hair and their eyes were hidden by the domino masks.

The girl looked to be closer to Marinette’s height but taller than Marinette herself, so probably average for a woman at 5’4 or so. She too had black hair and a mask.

The youngest looked to be no more than a child. Marinette would eat her hat if he was older than 12. Again he had black hair though it was hard to see and his eyes were hidden in the shadow of his hood as well as by a mask.

The Batman, one billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, was the tallest and walked up to her.

“I didn’t realize you were coming,” he said as he removed the cowl hiding his features, “or that you knew our secret.”

“I didn’t know until Monsieur Alfred brought me down. I made a last minute decision to come visit Jason’s grave before I go to New York for the new school term.”

She didn’t miss the way Dick and Tim stiffened at the mention of the grave but didn’t know why. Did they not want strangers to go to the cemetery? Alfred had mentioned it was a family cemetery. Surely they could allow her a few moments to pay her respects?

“Mmm,” he hummed in acknowledgement.

“I believe I made my opinion clear on the matter years ago Master Bruce,” Alfred said. As he left the cave he said over his shoulder, “Now you may handle this yourselves.”

Marinette watched him go with a frown but another engine coming into the cave drew her attention.

The man getting off was the biggest of all the Bat themed heroes, even Batman. He wore a leather jacket and a red helmet. He removed the helmet as he walked to where everyone was gathered by the computer but stopped when he saw everyone sitting there.

When no one moved, Marinette stood and walked to the new person. “Hi. Monsieur Alfred introduced the others but I haven’t gotten your name yet. I am Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she held out her hand for him to shake.

The man’s jaw worked as he looked to be trying to find the right words.

He finally settled for removing the mask he wore under the helmet. Marinette gasped her eyes going wide and her hands covering her mouth.

“It’s me Nettie. I’m alive.”

At 20 years old Marinette’s dreams, her love, was brought back to life.

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Ok thoughts on the story? I’m gonna try to have Part 2 up sometime this next week. If you want off the taglist let me know. If you’re not on but want to be for part two let me know that as well.

@mellownieice @kris-pines04 @zebrabaker @two-faced-biatch @vixen-uchiha @mandy984 @shamefullove @mycupisbroken @dawnwave16 @abrx2002 @mochinek0 @tbehartoo @fertileleaf @thanks-captain-obvious @ravennightingaleandavatempus @hinata3487 @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @hypnosharkrebeldreamer @zalladane

I cant find blogs for: @slytherinsheashire

#jasonette #marinette x jason

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aroworlds · 6 years

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Aro-Spec Artist Profile: Nate

Our next aro-spec creator is Nate, better known on Tumblr as @astriiformes!

Nate is an asexual, aromantic, neurodivergent and mentally ill trans guy/person continuing the tradition of aro-spec creators demonstrating an impressive diversity of talent. He writes, cosplays, creates filk music and produces visual art--and that’s when he’s not playing D&D and attending conventions!

You can find him on Twitter as planar_ranger and on 8tracks as azhdarchidaen. He’s also found on AO3 as azhdarchidaen, with a prolific selection of works for the Gravity Falls, Doctor Who, Critical Role and Pacific Rim fandoms! If you have a dollar or two you’re wanting to invest in worthy aro-spec talent, please take a look at Nate’s Ko-Fi!

With us Nate talks about expressing emotions through creativity, the intersection of aromanticism and perfectionism, the importance of storytelling as self-expression and his passion for D&D as a way of giving voice to his aromantic experience. His love for fandom, creativity and storytelling shines through every word, so please let’s give him all our love, encouragement, gratitude, kudos and follows for taking the time to explore what it is to be aromantic and creative.

Can you share with us your story in being aro-spec?

While I didn’t know the word “aromantic” until I was 15 or 16, and took a while to embrace it even then, when I look back on my childhood I can definitely see some of the earliest signs. Perhaps the most prominent was my mild disappointment at age 12 or 13 in discovering the Star Wars EU novels only to learn that Luke Skywalker, one of my most pervasively favorite characters since I first watched the movies and likely my earliest aro headcanon, ended up getting married! I ended up writing what was technically my first fanfiction after that discovery, an alternate take on the post-Return of the Jedi universe in which he didn’t.

But I didn’t really start to realize I was aro, or even know it was an identity at all, until two things happened. First, I joined an LGBTQA+ group on a writer’s forum I used to frequent and started to not only learn the vocabulary but also that identifying as something other than straight or cis was even allowed. Second, I entered what was essentially the closest thing to a romantic relationship I’ve ever experienced. By some measures it probably was one, but there really wasn’t much romance involved – because I wasn’t pushing it (for reasons that are now obvious to me), and the guy I was sort-of-dating was pretty respectful of my boundaries and was probably waiting for me to make some of those moves before trying himself. The relationship eventually broke off several months after he moved to Europe. He messaged me to say he felt bad about the fact that our long-distance “relationship” was probably holding me back from finding someone I could be happier with, and he would be more comfortable breaking it off. The fact that I felt no real sadness over that was a fairly big bit of evidence for my aromanticism, second only to the fact that I had actually become more comfortable with our situation when he moved across the Atlantic Ocean.

Clues like those eventually lead me to adopt the label and really begin to understand myself, I think around age 16 or 17. I went through a slow process of accepting all my queer identities one-by-one and kind of see them all as pretty interconnected. The aro one was in the middle.

Can you share with us the story behind your creativity?

I really like making things. For all the frustration I experience trying to write something I’m happy with, or panicked near all-nighters trying to finish props before a convention, I really am at my happiest when I have projects to engage in. I take a lot of pride in my identity as a content creator as a result, though it also means I can set discouragingly high standards for myself. That being said, there’s nothing that makes me happier that someone enjoying something I put time and effort into and being able to go “I made this.”

Writing was definitely my earliest outlet (I did draw things when I was younger, but I didn’t show my art to anyone until this time last year). I was posting fics (under a different username, fortunately; I don’t want my early teenage writing unearthed ten years later) on ff.net by early high school, a narrative I’m sure I share with plenty of other creators. I’ve done more interesting things with my writing since migrating over to AO3 though, and I continue to feel like my writing is growing (even if, sometimes, I worry it’s going too slowly).

Getting into cosplay was something I picked up only a year or so later, though again, comparing my current work to those first few attempts feels almost silly. My first cosplay was a patched-together Eighth Doctor mostly made out of thrift store finds that looked only debatably like the real deal. Since then, I’ve gotten better at sewing my own things and have realized one of my true strengths lies in elaborate props. My two most recent cosplays were Stanford Pines from Gravity Falls, with a fully-illustrated and screen-accurate copy of the third journal, complete with blacklight effects, and Taako, from The Adventure Zone, with an Umbra Staff that I had re-covered in fabric and had fully-functional LED “stars” built into it, stars I could make twinkle via a secret remote. I’m attempting two characters that are even more ambitious for conventions this year, but we’ll have to see how that actually goes…

My filk contributions aren’t massive, but the community aspect (and that it connected me to someone who is now one of my closest friends, who made me go from enjoying the genre to contributing to it) and some of the things I’ve done as a result of it make me feel it has a place as part of my creative identity. You haven’t lived until you’ve performed decades-old songs about space travel with your friends, in cosplay, in a crowded convention center! (Okay, a debatable statement. But a truly wild experience.) It’s also been a good outlet for me in some ways, because music is a powerful way to get across emotions. I play viola and piano, and have for years, so I knew that to some degree before I started writing my own lyrics to things. But personalizing songs by making them be about things you have really strong feelings for is another level entirely.

And then, art. Like I said, I never really shared it with anyone (or drew much at all) until about a year ago. Part of that was due to wanting to try my hand at digital art but not really having an understanding of what programs to use or how to get started with it, and part of it was the inertia of feeling like “if I’m not good at something immediately, I shouldn’t try at all!” The thing that really got the ball rolling for me is the long D&D campaign I’m currently in. When I was excited about other stories, chances were someone else had drawn art of it that I could enjoy and reblog. That’s not really the case with one you’re telling with only 5-6 other people. I had a sort of epiphany moment a couple months into the campaign, as the story really started picking up, that if I wanted to see the kind of art I appreciate for this new story I was falling in love with, I would probably have to do it myself. I’m still not incredibly happy with my work, since I’m surrounded by friends who are incredible artists and my style is fairly simplistic and oddly stylized, but I have gotten to a point where I draw fairly regularly, and generally put up what I create on our shared campaign blog. The same D&D game has wrenched over 15k words of original writing from me, which is pretty astonishing. Most of that isn’t anywhere to be found on Tumblr just yet, though – it’s largely still-top secret character backstory.

Are there any particular ways your aro-spec experience is expressed in your art?

The most obvious way is that I write fics about characters being aromantic and dealing with their aromanticism. All headcanons, unfortunately (I’m yet to find a canon aro in anything I love that I didn’t help create myself), but there are several stories on my AO3 about characters from Pacific Rim, Star Wars or Gravity Falls realizing they’re aromantic. And the fics that don’t deal with that are still all gen – I’m too romance-repulsed to write anything else, and I feel the world needs a lot more genfic anyways.

One other way, though I feel a bit silly calling it “art”, is that I am intentionally playing an aromantic character of my own creation in my current D&D campaign. I’ve been playing for several years now, and did have another character back in high school who I also imagined as aromantic. (Partially because of an awkward flirting mishap – an enemy tried to get my character off her guard with romance and it all backfired because she didn’t know how to respond. All my own fault – I don’t even know how to roleplay that!) But none of the campaigns I’ve played in until this one were particularly intent on exploring characters and their feelings all that deeply, or really making them a part of the story.

With my current character, it’s become incredibly validating to view him as aromantic and asexual, like myself. It’s that same impulse that got me started doing more art – if the fiction I like isn’t going to provide me with aromantic characters, I’ll have to make one myself! And it’s slowly leading to some very interesting explorations of aro identity and the normalising of it in our world. We’ve established that identifying that way isn’t particularly unusual for elves and talked about what that means for worldbuilding. Do they hold platonic relationships in the same regard as romantic ones? Is there a special kind of relationship that signifies that? What if we put friendship under the banner of the goddess of romantic love too? Though at the same time, I’m exploring some of the same feelings I experience with him – he’s a particularly lonely person, who worries about people actually wanting to stay with him, both of which are prominent features of my own aromantic experience.

What challenges do you face as an aro-spec artist?

Like many of us, I do worry that my genfics will be less enjoyed or circulated as a result of choosing not to include ships. And whenever I post a fic about a character actually being aro, I definitely get that little stab of “Someone is going to have a problem with this” fear.

I also feel that my experience with aromanticism has shaped a lot of my perfectionistic tendencies. Because I worry so much about trying to remain important in my allo friends’ lives, and because I think of so much of my identity as associated with creativity, I tend to get really wrapped up in my work needing to seem amazing somehow, to make people think I’m worth their time. It’s a silly thing to get preoccupied over, but it has had an impact on me. In some ways wanting my work to be really good is not a bad thing – it encourages me to do my very best whenever I can – but the motivation is really all wrong.

How do you connect to the aro-spec and a-spec communities as an aro-spec person?

I’m honestly pretty disconnected from them. I might be less-inclined to be if this website wasn’t suddenly experiencing such backlash against a-spec identities, but as is I’m almost afraid to engage with anything that might make me a target. Which is really unfortunate. That being said, whenever I do make any aro content and I see it circulated to other aromantic people, I get a lot of joy from it. The comments on my multiple aromantic-focused fics are some of my favorite ones I’ve ever received. If I can channel my experiences into something that elicits that kind of a reaction from our community, I consider my work well done.

How do you connect to your creative community as an aro-spec person?

When I’m able to talk to other aromantic people about headcanons (or even some of my very understanding allo friends who absorb them from me, too), pretty well! Unfortunately, that’s a pretty tiny fraction of my fandom experience. Even some of my interests where you’d think I wouldn’t run into problems have been difficult at times. I once had someone dressed as a character often (non-canonically) shipped with the one I was cosplaying, and they assumed that I would be interested in hearing that they shipped our character. Instead, they just made me very uncomfortable, particularly with the way they chose to do so.

In general, the expectation that as a member of fandom, producing fandom works, I will be interested in creating and consuming romantic content is hard to deal with. I’ve had people ask me to put ships in my fics, the aforementioned convention incident, and been heckled over having aromantic headcanons at all. That being said, aromantic headcanons were how I met at least a few of my good friends. Finding each other may be hard, but since we all feel so isolated I think that finding other aro creators inhabiting the same or similar spaces can lead to pretty quick bonding, or at least an appreciation of each others’ works. I do like that.

I’ve also, as I have mentioned a couple times now, realized the worth of telling my own stories, particularly if I have other people to share them with who will respond positively. Right now, most of my D&D group is not aro, but they are a group that respects my and my character’s identities, and being able to tell an aro narrative that means a lot to me and get a positive response is a breath of fresh air. I count them as fellow content creators and they’ve really encouraged the story I want to tell. I hope that someday the inspiration I’ve gained from that will lead me to publishing my own original fiction (with aro characters, of course), but it’s been due to this small start that I’ve decided that’s something I could realistically pursue.

How can the aro-spec community best help you as a creative?

Comments on my fics are one of the biggest things that keep me writing, so they’ll always be a boon to me. Even old ones. It makes me happy to see people still reading and enjoying them. Same goes for reblogs of any of my stuff – art, writing, filk, cosplay photos, anything else I might post. The biggest thing that keeps me wanting to create and share more creative works is knowing that other people are enjoying them, so if you do enjoy them, any way you can let me know that is wonderful.

I do hope that in some point in the future I’ll have original fiction available and a science writing blog (I consider non-fiction to be creative expression, as long as you’re putting your spark into it!), but neither exists quite yet. If you follow me on either of my main platforms though, those might pop up someday. Seeing either be circulated when the time comes would be massive. I also intend to, perhaps in the much nearer future, start publishing D&D content (likely homebrew 5e subclasses, but who knows) on the DMsGuild, starting with a pay-what-you-want model for downloading my content. If that goes up and I make something you’re interested in, and you want to pay something for it at all, I would be massively grateful.

Can you share with us something about your current project?

I’ve been working on a Critical Role Modern AU story since January or so that places heavy emphasis on the platonic relationships in the show (Percy and Keyleth’s is particularly dear to me, so they’re likely to get a fair bit of the spotlight) that’s my most current fandom fic.

I’m also tackling two ambitious cosplays at the moment, though the timeframe is making me wonder if I’ll actually pull either off. Especially given what I need to get done. One involves sewing pseudo-historical menswear, and I’m going to have to learn how to make armor for the other one. If I can figure it all out though, I’m really excited about them both!

Have you any forthcoming works we should look forward to?

Hopefully the next chapter of the CR fic, if I get hit with the inspiration (and motivation) to work on it soon. I also have another aromantic Luke Skywalker fic I really want to get down on paper at some point, though thus far it’s proven a little elusive.

My two big cosplay projects are Percy de Rolo (from Critical Role), which I intend to take to a local convention, and Erwyn, my own D&D character. I hope to do a photoshoot with the rest of the players as their own characters sometime late this summer.

As for art, I fully intend to keep drawing major or touching moments from my ongoing campaign, likely with much more frequency than any of the things above. It may not be as engaging for people to interact with as my fandom-focused projects are, but I still really do love sharing it.

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sensc · 7 years

Text

░ ✧ ❝ — plots based on [ SONGS ] ❞

here’s a list of random plots inspired from various songs on my spotify! they’re written out as m & f ( all muse a as the female & all muse b as the male ) but they can obviously be altered to your preference!

( # 01 ° * ) —― we own the night , selena gomez & the scene ; ❝ is it alright if I’m with you for the night? hope you don’t mind if you stay by my side. ❞

muse a and muse b were not only next door neighbors while growing up, but they were also the best of friends before inevitably drifting apart once high school began. muse a eventually left town to attend a university miles away while muse b stayed home to attend a local community college. now, almost a semester into their sophomore year, muse a is back in town without giving anyone a warning or reason. muse b isn’t even aware of her homecoming until muse a climbs the tree between their houses in the middle of the night and taps his window until he wakes up. it’s only then that muse b finds out the truth behind muse a’s reappearance.

... muse a is back home because something life-changing happened to her ( maybe she witnessed a crime, someone broke into her dorm, a friend passed away, a video/picture of her got around school, etc ) (( just something impactful ))

... as a result of the incident, muse a always visits muse b at night because she can’t sleep & refuses to be alone because she’ll start thinking about *the incident* all over again

( # 02 ° * ) —― colors , halsey ; ❝ you’re ripped at every edge but you’re a masterpiece and now you’re tearing through the pages and the ink. ❞

since kindergarten, muse b has given muse a drawings. although they were mostly scribbles and shaky shapes, muse a was always grateful, unfailingly responding with a smile. this exchange continued throughout elementary and middle school, the scribbles transforming into sophisticated portraits and illustrations that showcased muse b’s artistic talent. however, during the duo’s first year of high school, muse a’s friends caught wind of the drawings and teased her endlessly. out of embarrassment, muse a stopped accepting muse b’s art and promptly told him to leave her alone. they haven’t spoken since. now, 10 years later, muse a is a small-time reporter struggling to find the story that’ll finally launch her career while muse b is a prestigious artist whose work sells for millions to culture-savvy socialites. after muse b shockingly announces his early retirement, every news outlet is dying for an interview. however, he’s always kept a low profile in the public eye, which is why he’s only allowed one network to interview him — muse a’s network.

( # 03 ° * ) ―― real , years & years ; ❝ i think i’m into you, how much do you want it too? i think i’m gonna make it worse, i talk to you but it don’t work. what have i been doing wrong? tell me what it is you want. ❞

muse b is an illustrator for a popular graphic novel. after struggling to find inspiration for his latest assignment, he wills to life a drawing of his dream girl — muse a. she becomes the muse that he’s been needing, even earning him a promotion. however, after muse a finds out that she can be seen by everyone and not just muse b, her desire to live a real life in the real world is ignited. now, muse b has more to focus on than just his work — the obligation to watch over the person he created, the need for her presence in order to complete ( what were once simple ) tasks, and the jealousy as muse a’s world become more than just muse b.

( # 04 ° * ) ―― r u mine , arctic monkeys ; ❝ i go crazy ‘cause here isn’t where i wanna be and satisfaction feels like a distant memory. i can’t help myself, all i wanna hear her say is are you mine. ❞

muse b always goes for a run at 2 am because he has trouble sleeping and every time he comes back home, muse a ( his next door neighbor ) is drunk and either fumbling with her keys or stumbling through the front door. muse b always helps her get in safely then leaves some water and advil by her bed and muse a always responds with drunken rambles of appreciation. the duo constantly exchange fleeting glances during the day, but muse b never initiates the conversation in fear of muse a being too drunk to remember his assistance while muse a never initiates the conversation due to being embarrassed by her frequent drunkenness.

( # 05 ° * ) ―― strangers , halsey feat. lauren jauregui ; ❝ we’re not lovers. we’re just strangers with the same damn hunger to be touched, to be loved, to feel anything at all. ❞

muse b has it all — a successful business under his thumb, millions of dollars that’ll sustain him until his dying day, and people who take his word as law. the only thing he’s missing? love. but unlike the age-old saying, money can buy everything. enter muse a, a high-charging escort who earns her living by sleeping with some of the world’s most wealthy men. after being setup by friends, a night is arranged between the twosome. however, unlike muse a’s regular customers, muse b wants to pay for her time instead of her body. they strike up one of the most profitable deals of muse a’s career, a deal that essentially turns her into muse b’s significant other once the moon is out. this includes spending the night, eating dinner together, late night talks, and ( most importantly to muse b ) affirmations of love. but it all ends once the sun is back in the sky and doesn’t begin again until it goes back down.

( # 06 ° * ) ―― down for me , g-eazy feat. 24hrs ; ❝ she was the only one down for me. had a hard time adjusting to new fame, my life ain’t the same since the day that you came. ❞

muse a and muse b only met once ― the first day of their junior year of high school where they crossed paths after both reaching for the last pamphlet for a local college of the arts. after a short ( and competitive ) conversation, they each swore that they would make it big. years later, muse b lived up to his promise and is now a famous rapper/musician whose name is synonymous with money, fame, and success. muse a is a college student who is struggling to get her degree and pay her student loans while still pursuing her dreams of being a dancer. muse a’s first public performance is at a small art show where a typical audience is around twenty people, which is why she’s dumbfounded when she’s in the middle of her routine and sees muse b sitting in the front row. before her set is even finished, muse b is bombarded by photographers and fans who are dying for a moment of his time, causing everyone’s eyes to shift away from muse a. while muse a is livid, she can’t help but wonder what the hell muse b is doing here.

( # 07 ° * ) ―― déjà vu , post malone feat. justin bieber ; ❝ now, tell me, is that déjà vu? ❞

muse a and muse b were childhood best friends but drifted apart ( for some reason ) and haven’t talked since they were kids despite growing up in the same town and attending the same university. recently, a group of amateur hackers have gotten into numerous people’s phones with intentions to steal and sell people’s nudes. muse a was the most recent victim and muse b bought her nudes so no one else would see them, but she found out and now thinks that he’s some kind of pervert… great!

( # 08 ° * ) ―― if you can afford me , katy perry ; ❝ if you wanna ride, just name your price. don’t play cheap with your heart. don’t make a bet if you can’t write the check. ❞

muse b has always been overlooked and underappreciated, his eternal label being ‘the brain’. muse a is the complete opposite, an absolute bombshell who always has eyes on her. when their university has a bachelor auction for raising money for the end of year mixer, muse a places the highest bid of the night on muse b ― $1,000. while muse a tells everyone that she placed her bet out of pity, behind closed doors, she explains to muse b that she needs him to tutor her so she can pass her final exams. muse b, both offended and embarrassed for being naïve enough to think that she was actually interested in him, refuses to do anything more than what she paid for ― be her date. it’s only when muse a offers to double the money and pay muse b his own personal $2,000 ( alongside the school bid ) that they reach an agreement..

( # 09 ° * ) ―― the love club , lorde ; ❝ i’m sitting pretty on the throne. there’s nothing more i want, except to be alone. ❞

muse a’s life has been a whirlwind since becoming a seemingly overnight success a few years ago. although she appreciates her newfound fame and millions of fans across the world, it’s all become too much to handle. she drops everything and catches the next flight to her childhood best friend’s university ( wearing oversized sunglasses and a floppy hat to lay low ), wanting to surprise the person she hadn’t gotten the chance to speak to in months. after landing, she knocks on their dorm door but is instead met with her best friend’s roommate, muse b — a stranger. as luck would have it, her best friend has unexpectedly taken a semester off to travel ( a not-so-minor detail that she probably would have known if she hadn’t ignored their texts after her ego schedule blew up ). unfortunately, the media finds out that she’s in town and both college kids and the paparazzi are wanting a visual of muse a’s apparent breakdown. with no other option, muse a begs muse b to let her stay in his dorm until the attention dies down... to which muse b reluctantly agrees.

#indie rp #indie plot #rp plot #plot idea #i was going thru my drafts n totally forgot about this??? but someone pls give these to me!!!#❛ ✦ — wanted: plots.

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