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shinjisdone · 11 months

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How I Imagine TWST Could Be If There Was A Female!MC

Had a bad day yesterday and just wanted to write some brainrot for myself

TW: MC/Reader is solely female here and will be main point talked about/focused on. Many mentions on bullying because you are a girl in an all-boys-academy.

Little differences/somethings there would be I think if MC was female:

Since NRC is an all-boys-academy I think there might be some differences on how the MC might be treated.

Let's just pretend you are really the only girl there, for simplicity's sake.

Grim might feel indifferent OR is stupid enough to not get why being a girl in an all-boys-academy might be a big deal for everyone.

Crowley might go HMMMM how UnusUAL, I'm sure my schOOL isn't miXED....HMMMMM...pondering very deeply.

Oh, well. Who cares. Do his chores anyway.

Would give you the usual school uniform, might ask if you'd like a skirt or even maybe dig up some old skirts. Who knows, maybe NRC used to be mixed.

If you do want that, he'd make you -PSYCH! Of COURSE he'd tell Sam to buy you one. Size and length as well as style can be chosen by you, it just needs to fit with the rest of the uniform.

When barging into the ceremony I believe everyone would be too startled/beside themselves to notice. Grim is the nuisance having to be dealt with.

If there is anything you specifically need...Crowley will just throw it your way.

On your first day Ace might need a second to realize you are a girl. Uh, not only do you not know who the Great Sevens are but you are at the wrong school, too, idiot! Haha! What's a girlie doing here?

Shenanigans happen quickly and Deuce comes to the rescue!

Needs much longer to realize you are a girl. You speak your thanks and as he says it's no problem he - suddenly - clams - up. Oh. Oh. You...g-g-g-girl...? Female....? A womf...?

Blushes like crazy and can't get a peep out, still as a statue. Ace's yelling is what snaps him out of it.

When Ace asks you if he could stay the night since...he got cuffed...you are first like - hmmm. Hmmm.

ಠಿ_ಠ

Nah, nah, nah! It ain't like that! He's gonna sleep on the couch in the lounge! There is no other place and Ramshakle is as good as abandonded anyway. What, you just want some cat as company?

...What do u mean here are ghosts ಠ_ಠ

Trey would be like, oh. Hello. Um, well, I didn't expect you here.

Well, if the headmaster says so, please, feel welcome! Anyone and everyone is welcome to a tea party! (well, if it aligns with the rules...)

Cater might be more surprised. You are so cute! Like, don't take it the wrong way but he just...finds you cute! From the way you make your hair to how you get a unique outfit (if you choose to wear an uniform skirt), oh he wishes he could do it too! Unfortunately, he can't cuz well, uniform is UNIform...

Riddle is too preoccupied and pissy to even notice a new person in the room. He'd probably only notice you after his overblot is over.

Cue in a few days later and he comes to apologize and properly introduce himself. As you introduce yourself back he makes the silent note that you are actually a girl. Huh. This school is not mixed...and you being here certainly must break a rule somewhere...but...you don't seem so bad, so he'll just ignore it. He is the dormleader of Heartslabyul, not of the entirety of NRC.

All in all: Ace barely cares that you are a girl and would just throw his usual jokes and jabs. Would sometimes throw in some that have to do with you being female but those are never in ill will.

Deuce my beloved would at the beginning be very shy but grows used to you and proclaim you as his best friend anyway. Would sometimes forget you are a girl and catch himself in the act. Might feel sheepish or EXTREMELY embarrassed. When the topic of you being female comes up anywhere, no matter with whom, he gets flustered and shy regardless of how close you are.

Trey is the most indifferent but throws in some protective advice anyhow. As your senior and you as his junior, he has to look out for you and he takes you being the only girl in an all-boys-school in account as well while doing so.

Cater annooooooys you to hell and back about how cute you are. He just thinks girls have much more variety when it comes to styling and likes to show you new trends. He has sisters as well so he is more used hanging around girls, anyway.

Riddle is also indifferent but he catches himself often in situations where he focuses intently on you being female. Do you feel comfortable? Is anyone bullying you? That behaviour is unacceptable, so do tell him when something like that happens. Riddle tries to grow from his flaws but will gladly cuff someone's head for that anyday... Would also act more gentlemanly for you. Opens doors, tells Ace and Deuce to hold your books can't you see they are heavy, invites you over to tea parties and takes out the chair for you. A bit more reliant with you when it comes to rule-breaking.

Savanclaw issssss...a bit more attentive of you being female.

Jack is a million times x 100000 more protective of you. You are the only girl here and people here kinda suck are like twisted villains. What are you doing here?!

He has little siblings so he somewhat sees you as his third one (if you'd like that. Though he would never admit that...) and just asks and asks and asks if you are okay, if you need something.

Will walk you from class to your dorm or anywhere else you need to be even if he doesn't, no matter what.

10000000% tsundere. He's...not doing this cuz he's worried...or likes to take care of you.

Ruggie is confused??? On what??? you??? are??? doing here???

UH this is not a mixed school!!! Helloooo??? Does something go 'ding ding ding'! in your head or what?

Also protective, mostly because of his own siblings and that he thinks you are naive. People that are different in any regard are unfortunately easy targets for others. This school won't be easy for you he already knows. So he might as well help out instead of being another troublemaker for you.

While he helps out he is also kinda wary of you??? Women in his home are uh, intimidating and if you have been doing good so far, you surely are, well, at least something that he doesn't want to mess with. Better stay on your good side, even IF you are a more gentle and meek one.

Leona issss....weird?

Makes fun of you but makes sure you aren't messed with at the same time? Tsundere that drank respect women juice.

Don't hang around him, don't bother him...but also stay out of trouble, if someone bothers you, tell them Leona sent you.

Softer around you and while he does tease you, he never really disrespects you. Distant but not cold.

Azul is intriguied but perhaps wouldn't care too much - unless he can make a deal out of this.

Aren't you tired getting all of this attention? You are magicless and the only girl to boot! Azul can help you...just sign here.

Might try to win your favor by being a suck-up gentleman by calling you Miss (Name). How are you today? Need any help?

Only if you can offer anything useful to him. Like, no offense but you're magicless...and unfortunately not as stupid as ADeuce.

Besides, his gentlemanly acts aren't as genuine as Riddle's.

Floyd has a 50/50 chance of not caring a bit or straight up interested in you because you are female.

Either: Huh? So what, you are just another plankton.

Or: Huh? A fishie swimming against the stream? What's a girl doing here?

However, if you are not interesting enough expect his interest to go down the drain.

If you heavily react to being picked on because you are girl, don't show it. Otherwise Floyd will exploit it like crazy. Will mention how lonely it might be to be the only girl, will pull on your hair, might switch between Shrimpy and Miss Shrimpy or straight up call you girlie or lassie. Kind of a bully but likes you nonethless if you are interesting.

Jade will increase his gentlemanly behaviour 100%!

Is more intrigued by you than Floyd. Oya, oya, what do we have here?

More keen on calling you miss or whatever you prefer and treats you quite nicely, almost like a princess, especially if you are regular at Monstro Longue.

Just as teasing as his brother but more consistent with it. Likes to mess with you but acts less roudy than Floyd but there is still...a certain air to him that makes him even more unbearable than his twin. A weird mix of looking down at you and treating you like you are special.

KALIIMMMM

A good boy 100%. Stupid enough or rather oblivious to notice that you are indeed the only girl here!

Nothing would change to how he treats you honestly. A good guy, a real champ. Is definitely gonna give you nicknames however if you are sweet to him, ending your name with the honorific '-chan' and you cannot convince me otherwise.

Can be very stupid about how your situation might affect you. Treats it like nothing's wrong, cuz there IS nothing wrong!

JAMILLLL

Kinda confused as well? Well, you've been here long enough and are surrounded by good friends so he takes it you are or will be fine.

Still, be careful, okay? There are some meanies out here...he's not saying it out of worry, it is common sense.

Might keep an extra eye out for you but if nothing happens, he'll stop. His priority is Kalim and if you are okay, then everything else is okay, too.

Will tell Kalim to stop being so unaware of your situation. Show a bit of decency, try to see it from her perspective. You are magicless as well so things are sure to be difficult.

Might also ask Ace on how you are doing to get a third party's perspective of things during basketball training. Just as pre-information, nothing more...

Will definietly not ask Floyd. He knows how he is and if the topic turns to be about you and he hears it, he gets all "Heeee, you're talkin' about Shrimpy????"

It's annoying. It's even more annoying how much Floyd wants to annoy you.

Might think of his sister when he sees you and remembers to write to her a bit more frequently.

Epel: "Wait, you are a girl for real?! I thought yer just looked like one, like me! ...O-Or pretended to be one, maybe, I think..."

Squints his eyes reaaaal hard to really identify you. You sure you're a girl? And not just...a pretty boy like him?

Hm, ah shucks. Kinda hoped he might find another cursed soul like him. Well, at least you get it when people treat you a certain way just because of your looks.

Might have an easier time to show you his true self when speaking since you might either see through him easily or because he just knows he doesn't need to pretend in front of you.

He has a feeling you get it.

And when you agree and tell him how cool he is? Aquired yourself immediately a fierce friend (or crush, he kinda liked it when you called him cool...)

Hell, yeah, you get it!

Does actively NOT treat you with you being female in mind. You're one of the boyz. Doesn't want you to feel any different or casted out.

Got your back like crazy. He finds himself feeling more confident around you and will defend you like nothing else. So what if you are a magicless girl?! You're hella cool yourself!

Will call you cool and not cute, even if it isn't accurate.

The most annoying for sure is Rook.

The guy is a romantic at heart and believes it is fate that you came here.

You aren't an outcast! No, you are like a chosen hero! A princess around 22 twisted villains~ How exciting! Doesn't it make your heart beat faster?!

'Mademoiselle' is thrown at you constantlyyyy. The moment you hear the word you know Rook is around the corner, watching you. Weirdly nice and romantic towards you. He truly does believe you being in NRC is something special. He cannot help but gush about it!

When it comes to special events, he offers to prepare you for it with outfits or make-up. He's creative and sees you as his canvas and believes that no matter will be done or not, you will look beautiful! 100 points!

Vil is *sucks in breath* quick to criticize.

Doesn't truly care...but if you show the slightest bit of interest in fashion and beauty, hooh boy will he be watching.

Means to help but is, uh...mean. So, so, so mean.

But other than that...I don't think he'd care? HE is the fairest of them all...and you are just a potato.

Huh? Oh no, is this some shojo manga and you are the heroine getting a reverse harem or somethin'?

Idia is...weirded out but as long as he doesn't have to deal with you, he'll be fine.

Until you start getting involved in these overblots and...everything turns out okay? Like in a happy ending of a fairytale?

OMG are you a heroine?

No, he doesn't wanna be part of your harem!

Maaaaybe a bit more shy but just maybe. Will avoid you just as he does to everyone.

When in a good and braver mood, will call you 'heroine' when some 'anime shenanigans' happen as he calls them. If you're confused, will scream internally out of embarassment but also HOW COULD U NOT KNOW THAT TERM U NORMIE

Might call you that more often to mess with you.

Orhto kinda...won't care?

Probably scans you on your first meeting and goes 'yep, indeed f for female'.

As long as you are nice to his brother, all is good. Hey, be his friend too, while you're add it! Pretty please?

Malleus wouldn't care either. You being a magicless girl in NRC is quite curious and he will ask you about that...but no matter what your answer might be, he will listen, maybe take it to heart and set it aside, here and there. He doesn't care much for it.

As long as your bravery and willingness to be his friend remains, he won't ever make a fuss about it. Just be you.

During your meeting he might ask, "Oh? Are you perhaps a witch with a fitting black cat living here now in this abandonded house with a few ghostly roommates? Heh, I jest."

No matter what, you will still be his Child of Man.

If you do end up having trouble in school because you are a girl, he might go to Lilia for advice. He never had to deal with something like this before...shall he burn these bullies to crisps for making you school life difficult?

Lilia secretly agrees but tells him not to.

Other than that, same old Tsunotarou.

Lilia would go like "oh!" and that's it.

Curious, this is unusual for NRC but he is always happy and excited when changes happen.

Like the old man that he is he offers you his advice and help in anything. Even if he is an ancient fae, he is also your senior, so go ahead and ask him, alright?

Will also call you something endearing like Kalim and Rook. Adds the honorific '-chan' to you, definitely.

Very glad you are Malleus' friend, for that you automatically earned his protection. Just call when something's up, k?

Silver first needs to wake up.

huh????? zzz...

Wait, let him wake up...

Still a bit more.

There we go. Now that he is fully awake he realizes you are a girl.

Still somewhat in his dream lands, might wake up and say, "Wait, I didn't dream about a princess...or did I?" when he sees you.

Sometimes he does not fully realize its you when he freshly woke up. Needs to blink away the weariness before he goes "oh."

A tad bit more worried about you than his old man. Anything could happen and while you are in good hands not Crowley Silver sometimes tends to think about your happiness and safety here at NRC. You doing okay with the lessons? The teachers? The classmates? He's willing to offer his protection too, you know.

Perhaps its a knight thing to protect the maidens or smth, i dunno.

HUMAAAN!!!

WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! THIS IS N R C, SILLY! AN ALL-BOYS-ACADEMY! THERE'S NO 'F' IN THAT!

BUT THERE WILL BE ON YOUR MARKS SINCE YOU SUCK SO MUCH!

A meanie, especially at the beginning since he doesn't believe you belong here.

Magicless at a magic school? Failure.

Female at an all-boys-school? Unaccaptable.

nOT WaKA-SAmA????? A DISGRACE

He will warm up to you though...it takes time. Protective as Silver but not as subtle.

Idiot will scream HOW OF COURSE YOU NEED HIS HELP YOU ARE THE ONLY GIRL HERE! HOW MANY HAVE ALREADY MOCKED YOU, HUH?! CUZ HE CAN PROBABLY COUNT HOW MANY TIMES BUT WOULD NEED 20 HANDS FOR THAT!

Means well but...obnoxious.

#twst #twst x reader #twisted wonderland #f!reader #f!mc #twst headcanons #smth silly #smth stupid #my days have been hell i need this #twst x f!reader

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pinkflower2003 · 2 days

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hi i would like to request about reader who is dating harry potter and is really frustrated cuz no matter how hard she tries she is only recognized as “harry potter’s gf”. she tries to talk about it with him but she says that she is overreacting and that he wouldn’t want to have to deal with his “fame”. after a few weeks apart, harry knows he has acted wrongly and he apologized to his gf

Thank you for your request! 💗 I haven’t written Harry Potter stuff in a while so I hope i’ve done it a bit of justice<3

Harry potter x reader

The sun was setting over the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, casting a warm golden glow on the castle's turrets and the sprawling lawns. You sat by the edge of the Black Lake, staring at the rippling water, lost in your thoughts. The tranquillity of the scene did little to calm the turmoil within you. Being Harry Potter's girlfriend was not what you had imagined.

When you first started dating Harry, it seemed like a dream come true. You had always admired his bravery, his kindness, and his unyielding sense of justice, seeing him as his own person instead of ‘the boy who lived’. But over time, you had started to feel like you were disappearing into his shadow. Everywhere you went, you were "Harry Potter's girlfriend" and nothing more. It was as if your own identity had been swallowed up by his fame, and he had been seeing you no different.

You remembered the first time you had tried to talk to Harry about it. You had chosen your words carefully, wanting to convey your feelings without sounding accusatory.

"Harry, do you ever feel like people only see you for what you've done? Like they don't see the real you?"

Harry had looked at you with a puzzled expression. "Of course, I feel that way sometimes. But it's not something I can change. It's part of who I am."

You had sighed, trying to make him understand. "It's just... sometimes I feel like I'm invisible. Like no one sees me for who I am. They only see me as your girlfriend."

Harry had frowned, clearly not understanding. "But you are my girlfriend. What's wrong with that?"

"There's nothing wrong with that, Harry. But I want people to see me for who I am, not just as an extension of you and it feels like you see me that way too, like I’m not your partner, just someone for you to show off."

Harry had shrugged, his expression indifferent. "I think you're overreacting. It's not that big of a deal.”

That conversation had ended with you feeling more frustrated than ever. You loved Harry, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with the constant attention and the way people only seemed to care about your relationship with him.

In the weeks that followed, the tension between you and Harry had grown. You tried to keep your feelings to yourself, but it was hard to ignore the way people treated you. Every time someone referred to you as "Harry Potter's girlfriend," it was like a dagger to your heart. You felt like you were losing yourself, bit by bit.

One evening, you had reached your breaking point. You and Harry were attending a celebration in the Great Hall, and you had spent the entire evening being introduced as "Harry Potter's girlfriend." No one had bothered to ask your name, let alone anything about you. It was as if you were invisible, only existing as an accessory to Harry.

After the celebration, you had pulled Harry aside, your frustration boiling over.

"Harry, I can't do this anymore. I feel like I'm losing myself. Everyone only sees me as your girlfriend. They don't see me, you barely even see me anymore.”

Harry had looked at you, his expression a mix of confusion and irritation. "What do you want me to do about it? I can't change the way people see us."

You had taken a deep breath, trying to keep your voice steady. "I know that, Harry. But you could at least try to understand how I feel. You could try to support me."

Harry had crossed his arms, his expression hardening. "I think you're making a big deal out of nothing. You're overreacting."

That had been the final straw. You had turned on your heel and walked away, your heart breaking. You needed some time to figure things out, to find yourself again. You had decided to take a break from Harry, hoping that some time apart would help you gain some clarity.

The weeks that followed were difficult. You missed Harry terribly, but you also felt a sense of relief. You started to reconnect with yourself, doing things that made you happy. You spent time with your friends, focused on your studies, and rediscovered your own passions. Slowly, you began to feel like yourself again.

Meanwhile, Harry was struggling. At first, he had been angry and confused. He didn't understand why you had left, why you couldn't just be happy being with him. But as the days turned into weeks, he began to realise that he had been wrong, Hermione and Ron also telling him so. He had been so caught up in his own world that he hadn't taken the time to truly listen to you. He had dismissed your feelings, thinking they weren't important. But they were important. You were important.

One evening, Harry found himself standing by the edge of the Black Lake, the same spot where you often sat. He stared at the water, lost in thought. He missed you more than he had ever imagined possible. He missed your laugh, your smile, the way you made him feel like everything would be okay. He realised that he had taken you for granted, and he was determined to make things right.

The next day, Harry sought you out. He found you in the library, sitting at a table by yourself, engrossed in a book. He approached you slowly, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Can we talk?" he asked quietly.

You looked up, surprised to see him. You hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Sure."

Harry sat down across from you, taking a deep breath. "I owe you an apology. I was wrong. I didn't listen to you, and I didn't take your feelings seriously. I'm sorry."

You looked at him, searching his eyes for sincerity. "Do you really mean that, Harry? Or are you just saying it because you want things to go back to the way they were?"

"I mean it," Harry said earnestly. "I want to make things right. I want to understand how you feel and support you. I don't want you to feel like you're invisible, because you’re not, you’re so loved, by me, Hermione, Ron, Sirius, the Weasley’s, everyone. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to make you see that.."

You felt a flicker of hope. "It's not just about understanding, Harry. It's about seeing me as my own person, not just your girlfriend, but your partner, your friend. I need you to respect that."

Harry nodded, his expression serious. "I do respect that. And I'm willing to do whatever it takes to show you that. I love you, and I don't want to lose you, I can’t lose you."

#harry potter x reader #harry potter imagine #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction

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melsie-sims · 1 year

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“Okay! Now the watcher can post a thousand infant screenshots, she’s Simblr ready!” Johnny grinned as her last outfit was chosen and everyone exited CAS.

Soooo I’d like to formally introduce everyone to infant Hadley Vega, the future heir of the family.

She randomized the intense trait — that’ll be very interesting and may end up breaking me. Remember, this is my first time playing with an infant. She also inherited the great storyteller trait from Johnny!

She’s going to be such a firecracker, I can already tell!

If you want more information on how I assign traits (personality and reward) to my sims please look under the cut.

With MCCC, offspring can inherit reward traits from their parents. I will be allowing one per infant to help influence the rest of the sim’s personality as they grow up. I only give reward traits to young adult/adult sims if I feel like it’d compliment their personality.

I will be choosing traits for my heirs and spares the same way I used to do in my previous Build-a-City-Challenge (Plumbob Falls).

Infant and toddler traits won’t really matter that much but they will always be randomized, making things a lot more interesting for myself.

The first personality trait (child) is also completely randomized, unless I absolutely hate it. I allow myself one free do-over and can then choose between the two traits that were randomized, depending on which one seems more fitting. If they both really suck... then it’ll just make for some wild gameplay.

The second personality trait (teen) is randomized from the parents/caregivers’ traits to simulate nature/nurture. I will put the 6 traits in a randomizer and have it choose for me. If both parents share a trait then it’s put in twice.

The final personality trait (young adult) is picked by me (or my Simblr followers if I decide to do a poll prior to the sim’s birthday).

#sims 4 #sims 4 legacy challenge #vega legacy #ronin vega #johnny zest #hadley vega #vega gen 1

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justmelookingbackatme · 1 year

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Deadname

A name is how you declare yourself to the world. It's hard to know what your name should be when you don't know what kind of person you want to introduce yourself as; it's harder still when you know who you are, and your name paints a completely different picture.

I wasn't really aware of the gendering of names until I was about six or seven. We had an assignment in Hebrew school, to learn what our names meant. I asked my parents, and they told me, and it left a gaping wound in me that took years to heal.

My name was so feminine. I hadn't realized that having this name forced onto me declared me as a girl to the rest of the world, but that's what it did. Ever since, having people learn my deadname's meaning felt like having my clothes ripped off. The hidden, gendered parts of myself, the ones I wished to change- exposed for all to see.

I never quite made the connection between my name and myself. It always felt like that name referred to someone else, someone I was simply pretending to be.

When I started exploring my gender, I began looking into different names. Neutral, at first, then sometimes masculine.

I found a lot of names. I tried a lot of names. Over a dozen, I think. There were names I hated a week later. There were names I thought were cool, but weren't right for me, the way I feel about makeup. There were names that almost fit, maybe, sort of. They didn't feel bad. They just didn't quite feel like me. Those names were a role I played, and it wasn't a difficult role, but it still wasn't me.

It took years to find a name that felt like me.

I tried talking about name changes with my mother, once. In sort of an abstract sense. I never got around to telling her I wanted to change mine. I was planning to, but then the conversation shifted to her telling me how hurtful it must be for parents to see their trans children throw away the names their mother and father gifted them.

When my best friend changed his name, my mother told me she felt bad for his parents, because his old name was better.

I felt like I'd been stabbed again. The wound that opened in me when I learned the meaning of my deadname bled again, and I decided to hide it, and I never told her anything about changing my name.

I found a name this summer, with friends who told me that I mattered more than what my mother thought of me. They gave me many suggestions, and one of them fit. I use that name now. Not with many people, but with the ones close to me. The name feels like home in a way I'd never really thought possible. There's a spark of recognition, when I hear it said aloud. It's me.

My first name was chosen for my late grandfather, a feminized version of his. I tried different variations, and I tried just using his name. It never felt right. I tried so hard to be a good grandson, to be a good child to my mother who missed her father. I failed.

And I knew it would hurt her if she knew I'd thrown away the name she gifted me, if she knew I was distancing myself from the father she wanted to remember. I know it would hurt her. And I know it would hurt me, the inevitable rejection, the disapproval of the name that means so much to me.

So I haven't told her. I don't know when I will. If ever. I don't want to hurt her, and I don't want her to hurt me, but my deadname is a knife and I don't know how much longer I can let its blade sink into my skin.

A little longer. I'll pretend to be her daughter, her daughter with a name like a knife, for just a little longer. Keep going until I can't.

I want to change my name. I want to declare myself to the world as I am, with a name that feels like a reunion with something I've been missing my whole life. But if I introduce myself as me, that might be what kills the girl I pretended to be. I might not be forgiven for killing her.

#i put the dead in deadname #just. ghlkjfkldsj. thoughts #gender shit #name shit #didn't proofread this so it probably has typos. idfc

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junjunl · 1 year

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Chapter 2 : Meeting the girls

Y/n POV:

You and the girls are guided backstage into a waiting room to come together to hear some words from Jyp after everyone has settled down.

The girls are sitting on one couch that fits them all while you are on a single seat by yourself. An awkward silence has fallen upon you all while the only ones talking are the newly assigned managers. Just as you’re about to introduce yourself to the girls, Jyp abruptly swings the door open and walks in greeting us with his signature smile.

“Annyeonghaseyo PD-nim” we all say in unison as we stand up with bright smiles towards Jyp and bow respectfully.

We take our seats again but this time Jyp pulls up a chair to face us all. The adrenaline is still rushing through us all and we are eager but nervous to hear what Jyp has to say.

“I know you girls must be confused about why Y/n will be joining the group. But the simple answer is that Twice needs Y/n to succeed and I do not want to waste his talents over trivial matters.”

At the moment the girls are unsure about how to feel about having another person in the group, let alone a male, especially since you did not participate in Sixteen. Although they are unsure about you and your abilities, they all want to trust in Jyp’s word and give you a chance to be a part of the group and welcome you.

Now with that out of the way I want you all to introduce yourselves to each other and start getting to know each other so that you can vote on who will be the leader.”

“I have already decided that Y/n will be the official sub leader to help out the main leader of the group. This is to reduce the stress that the main leader has with the 8 other members and kind of relieve them of some responsibilities. I’m sure you’ll all figure out why I’ve chosen this setup when you start getting to know each other.”

“Ne.” We all say in unison again as Jyp stands up and starts dusting himself off.

“I see you all already have great teamwork haha! I’ll see you all later, and if you need anything just tell the manager to contact me and I’ll help as soon as possible. See you all later!” Jyp says as he waves at you all while heading out the door.

The silence builds up for the second time which continues the awkward silence between me and the girls. But Nayeon breaks the awkward silence by starting to introduce herself first.

“So my name is Im Nayeon, I’m Korean and was born on 1995(20 yrs), and I’ve trained in the the company for 5 years.”

I’ve now decided that I should try to introduce myself last. I am most likely the youngest based off of Nayeon’s age and the other girls looking similar to her age as well. All except the the tall girl, the girl with a mole under her lip and the very pale girl.

Since Nayeon started the chain of introducing each other, the others have also built up the courage to introduce themselves as well. The next one being Jihyo, and the rest follow in no particular order.

“My name is Park Jihyo, I’m Korean and was born on 1997(18yrs), and I have been training at JYP for 10 years.”

“My name is Yoo Jeongyoen, I’m Korean and was born on 1996(19yrs), and I have been training at JYP for 5 years.

“My name is Minatozaki Sana, I’m Japanese and was born on 1996(19yrs), I’ve been training at JYP for 3 years

“My name is Son Cheayoung, I’m Korean and was born on 1999(17yrs), I’ve been training at JYP for 3 years.

“My name is Hirai Momo, I was born on 1996(19yrs), and I’ve been training at JYP for 3 years too.

“My name is Kim Dahyun, I’m Korean and was born on 1998(17yrs) in Korea, I’ve bee training at JYP for 3 years.

“My name is Chou Tzuyu, I’m Taiwanese and was born on 1999(16yrs), and I’ve been training at JYP for 3 years.

“My name is Myoui Mina, I’m Japanese and was born on 1997(18yrs), I’ve been training my at JYP for 1 years.”

After all the girls finished introducing themselves, they all looked towards me as I was the last one left. I became a little nervous at their intense staring but continued anyway while also trying to avoid eye contact by looking at my moving fingers that I’ve now realized are also slightly sweaty.

“My name is L/n Y/n, I’m American(or whatever country) and was born on 2001(14yrs), and I’ve been training at JYP for 3 years.

All the girls were shocked, confused and curious. Shocked because of how young you were, and the fact that you’ve trained for so little at your age. Confused on how you managed to have the skill set needed to become an idol despite your short training period. And curious about your abilities, since they were given so much praise by JYP himself.

The girls have been staring at me for a good minute before the managers said that we needed to go, which brought them out of their sudden daze and helped me escape from their intense staring.

No one POV:

After everyone gathered their things the managers guided them to the the parking garage and they made their way to the van. All the girls made their way in and Y/n was the only one left. But right before Y/n was about to step in his name was called. And it was by none other than Jyp himself who was soccer mom running towards him. Y/n stepped out of the car doorway and waited for him to catch up. Everyone inside the car was confused and just decided to spectate the interaction.

When he finally reached Y/n, he pulled him aside far enough for no one from the car to hear and said “I just wanted to mention some things to you before you get familiar with the girls.” A skeptical Okay was all Y/n could reply with before Jyp grabbed both of his shoulders and stared into his soul through his eyes making him more nervous than he already was having to spend time with the girls.

“I know that it will first feel uncomfortable being the only guy in the group but if you just think of them as your older sisters and slowly open up to them, then everything will be fine I promise. But since they are also your sisters I am completely trusting you to protect them no matter what from anyone and everything that may harm the group. You are the sub leader and that comes with making sure everyone in the group is okay mentally and physically. The others may think you are too young to be a sub leader but I know what you’ve gone through before back home and I know that you’ve matured more than what others may believe. So just be yourself and everyone will love you alright kiddo.”

“Do you really think so.” Y/n says with a timid and unsure voice

“I know so. Now go and have fun with your new sisters.” Jyp says as he pushes Y/n towards and into the car.

“Try to get along everyone.” Jyp finally says to everyone as he closes the car door while smiling and sends them off with a big heart made with his arms over his head. Everyone giggles while seeing that and had a warm feeling in their hearts, now able to calm down after the stressful environment they were just in hours ago.

The car ride to the new dorm was in a comfortable silence. Some sleeping while others gazing out the window watching the afternoon sun shine against the buildings and people. everyone was relaxed, but not Y/n. Y/n was still extremely nervous. Depsite Jyp’s reassuring message and cute heart. Y/n still couldn’t help but think about how he was going to get along with the girls, what the media would think of him in the group and the overall future success of the group. He’s never had any friends and also has no siblings either so how on earth was he supposed to communicate with them. Throughout the entire car ride Y/n was brainstorming how to get along or at the very least talk with the girls but nothing seemed to come to mind. Which resulted in Y/n just deciding to talk whenever spoken to since he was the youngest and because he was sure that the other girls wouldn’t have any talking topics to run out of, since most of them seemed extroverted. Y/n was pulled out of his mind when he felt the car suddenly come to a complete stop and heard the manager driving say that we’ve arrived at our new home.

Y/n felt a little more at ease with his new plan but was still anxious about spending time with the girls. But with this new life about to begin Y/n has also decided to try and stay as positive as he possibly can to make the most out of every moment so that he can get along with the girls faster. He will do his best to be himself and try to not let anyone down.

These thought clouded Y/n’s head as everybody be made their way into their new home with all their luggage. After everyone put their stuff in the living room by the couch they all ended up standing in the middle of the living room in silence. Until one Manager spoke up and said “Well now that everything’s here, we’ll leave you guys alone to talk, so just call us if you need anything and we will get here as soon as we can. The kitchen is completely stocked so if you get hungry you won’t have to order food.” The other manager added onto that by saying “Remember to get to know each other better and decide on a main leader by the end of the day so that you can let us know tomorrow.”

After saying bye to the managers they all decided to sit on the floor in a circle so that they were all facing each other. Nayeon is the first to speak up again to interrupt the silence and says

“Why don’t we decide on the leader first to get it out of the way now.”

————————————————————————

1,761 words

I was not expecting to write this much at all. I can’t even write this much for school so idk how this was even possible but I finished 😩

#twice scenarios #twice imagines #twice #jyp twice #twice jihyo #twice momo #twice sana #twice chaeyoung #twice 10th member #twice male member #twice dahyun #twice nayeon #twice jeongyeon #twice tzuyu #twice mina

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tamelee · 9 months

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Okay maybe controversial opinion: I dont like seeing ocs in fics. Isnt ur story about sns? Why wuld we need ur ocs? I think it is just a way for people to selfinsert into their story through an oc no one knows. It kinda sucks because I was excited for ur story too. So yeah thats just how I feel

I don't think that is so controversial. That's just your preference and that is fine. You don't need to read anything you don't like, right? I'm not sure whether you meant me in particular or in a general sense so I'll just answer for myself why I needed an (/a few minor/background) OC('s); It IS a story about Naruto x Sasuke but I personally like story a lot. Meaning that events, conflict and even things like Setting are connected to convey a message. With that also other characters.

These elements can be used to enhance all that. (If done correctly though, it CAN become muddy.) To me that is a lot more meaningful than going from scene to scene "just because". BUT, I do enjoy fics solely for the fact that we can experience SNS through an authors mind in infinite different ways and AUs even if they only write about Naruto and Sasuke and whatever it is they're doing at that moment. A clear linear story that brings you from A to B. I can understand when people then especially don't want to read entire paragraphs about a character they don't know (or care about) and want to skip to the reason they started reading in the first place. In my case, I'm not very good at writing/describing things the way I want to. Not even in my own language. I think I have a better chance of conveying what I want to tell visually which is why I choose to create a DJ instead. But then "show don't tell" is different as it is literally shown. Every panel matters. And I feel like I need a new character to help me do that and create conflict for the sake of telling a more interesting story regarding my message. I think it would be boring for me if everything is well, rainbows and happiness right from the start because what is left for me to do? And with Canon-compliant stories, it's not very believable to me. (Again, not saying these stories aren't good, this is just for me given the trouble I'll put them in anyway. Fics are often already well-established for good reasons as we already know the characters, like fluff for e.g. and I can enjoy them.) But any existing characters don't really fit here you know? It definitely, for me, isn't a self-insert but it is inevitable that there can be relatable elements because of my chosen Theme. Hm~ you can see it as a (fanmade-)movie arc, but then placed during the blank period. Those arcs always have new characters and at the end of it you don't really (or ever) see them again. But here I tried to weave them through the OG-story nonetheless. I may be a bit self-indulgent though as this will be a very long project. I was actually thinking of uploading some sketches of the OC in a bit and introduce.. him 👀 But of course, you don't need to read it at all. In fact, it's very likely that many won't considering the heavy subjects. But I do hope this clarified it a tiny bit Nonee.

#asktamelee #story project

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pulchrasilva · 2 months

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What's an anti-anti? Or an anti for that matter

Oh my friend I am so sorry to introduce you to the shitpile that is antishipping discourse

Anti is short for "antishipper", which is someone who believes certain types of ships are immoral and nobody should ship them or engage with media about them. Exactly what types of ships that includes varies (because morality will always be vague at best and you can't meaningfully categorise anything into "always good" and "always bad"), but people usually take issue with incest, ships involving one or more minors, age gaps, etc.

I consider myself a proshipper/"anti-anti" purely because I think this kind of discourse is extremely inane and potentially harmful.

Antis tend to say "problematic" ships "normalise" harmful dynamics in real life, ignoring that exploring these ideas in fiction is a safe way of engaging with darker topics and sometimes people do so to process personal trauma. Personally I've found that reading fanfiction about dark topics made me wayy more emotionally prepared to handle discussion of them in real life.

And, as I said, it's nearly impossible to draw a solid line between what should be allowed and what shouldn't be allowed. Age of consent is an arbitrary number that's chosen because legally you need a strict number if you're going to enforce the law, but a person 1 year older and 1 year younger than the age of consent aren't actually that much different. Plus the law varies from country to country, but antis tend to choose the US age of 18 because the US dominates the internet. Age-gaps between two non-minor characters get even more blurry!! And let's not forget that a ship between two men is way more likely to be flagged as pedophilia than a ship between a man and a woman. Imo if you can't make a concrete rule about it there's no point in making a rule at all.

Plus it's fiction, and not even mainstream fiction, so it's hardly gonna cause any significant shift in real life culture. These ships get criticised to hell and back in fan spaces and people get properly harassed over it, but there are plenty of professional writers portraying these things in well known media and don't get much flack for it at all - because it's way easier to tear down a fan, your equal, than a creator. It seems to me that the problem isn't really "normalising" these behaviours, because if that was the case mainstream media would be a much bigger contributor than fandom

For some reason, toxic/abusive ships are less commonly criticised despite being objectively harmful to the characters involved, and incest is the one people hate the most despite it being (imo) the one least likely to cause actual harm to the characters. Also depictions of rape and sexual abuse are usually considered off limits but you rarely get the same criticism of, say, depictions of murder. The sexual aspect of the topic seems more important than the actual harm.

AND THEN there's the fact that antis generally only argue against the ships that make them personally feel uncomfortable. Different people have different boundaries for what they consider too far, and I lose my shit every time I see antis shipping something I know other antis claim is the devil. And often the whole thing gets coopted by someone who doesn't like people shipping characters A and B because they ship B and C. ("You can't ship these unrelated characters because they're sibling-coded which makes the ship basically incest" is something I've seen a truly bonkers amount of times)

So yeah. That's the whole mess. Like I said I dont really care about whether or not antis follow me? I'm proship purely because I don't think this is a conversation that needs to be had at all. Like who cares But, go wild, romanticise the hell out of the most repulsive things!! It's nobody else's business but yours. But if I see a mutual who followed me first reblogging "any proshippers who follow me should explode and die teehee ^-^" ONE MORE TIME I might actually explode

#take what i say with a pinch of salt because im obviously biased and youre free to come to your own conclusions but. yknow #also i feel wayyyy safer around people who openly ship filth (affectionate) than people who insist everything they ship is Pure and Correct #because 1) ideas of 'purity' are largely based in unexamined bigotry and you never know when that's gonna jump out at you #and 2) i think it's important to consider the dark aspects of ships bc to some extent youre considering dark things that exist in real life #antis dont want to do that they want to hide it all under the carpet and pretend it's not there #I'd much rather discuss fictional teenagers being groomed and isnt that fucked up? and call things 'groomercore'#because how are you supposed to spot groomer tactics if you dont do that?#ask #shipping discourse

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burningvelvet · 1 year

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Back at the Villa Diodati… (the poll game continues!)

After seeking shelter in the middle of a storm at Lake Geneva, you find yourself in the infamous Villa Diodati for the very first time. You’ve heard all the rumours about what goes on in this place late at night—orgies, opium, rituals, poetry, sodomy, the usual—but is any of it really true? You’ve been warmly welcomed by Lord Byron’s valet, Fletcher, who took your wet coat and helped you settle in, introducing you to all the residents. After some length of conversation, you find they don’t seem that bad at all. Now you’re in the parlor sitting next to Mary Godwin-Wollstonecraft, the daughter of two of England’s most radical writers, who helps you warm up by the fire.

MARY: “If you’re the frightful type then you’ve come at the perfect time. We’ve been quite lively tonight over a book of ghost stories called Fantasmagoriana, and the last story just ended before you came.“

Y/N: “I regret missing it—but I was battling something of a terror myself. The wind outside is ghastly! I can see why you’ve chosen a night like tonight for such an occasion.”

MARY: “Oh, indeed—but we do recite stories quite often, and prefer the strange ones. We are all literary people ourselves. Do you do much reading or writing?”

Y/N: “Yes, but not as often as I’d like to do.”

MARY: “I concur—I am hoping to have more opportunity now that my boy William and his nursemaid are away, though I do miss him.”

Mary guides you back to the others, sitting on one of the sofas next to Mary’s strange—husband? lover?—Mr. Shelley. Beside him is Byron’s surprisingly young doctor, Polidori. Across from you on the other sofa, Mary’s—sister? step-sister?—Miss Clairmont sits smiling with a glass, and the famous Lord Byron lounges beside her with a leg thrown over the side of the couch. He leafs through a book before putting it down and pouring himself some more wine. He pours another glass and hands it to you.

BYRON: “Here, this should restore your spirits. It is the finest wine this side of the Alps.”

The wine is a dark red, like blood, but sweet and rich. You thank him for his hospitality.

BYRON: “I can assure you it is my pleasure. Strangers fascinate me! And how fitting it is for us to take in a mysterious stranger on such a dark and stormy night. You aren’t some apparition are you? The last story we read was about a ghost who seduced a man…”

CLAIRE: “Y/N is quite real—I can tell because I am actually of the dead myself. Or at least it often feels as such. I think I have died of love.”

Claire gleams at Byron. Byron ignores Claire and addresses you.

BYRON: “I overhear that you’re something of a writer yourself! In that case, you shall feel at home here. We are all a bit mad—the art preserves our wits.”

POLIDORI: “But as a warning, some of us are quite a bit more mad than others.”

Shelley glares at the doctor. Byron only gives a breezy laugh.

BYRON: “Oh, Polly Dolly, speak not of yourself. It bores us all to death. And you’ll frighten off our dear guest!”

Polidori pours himself another glass. Claire glances somewhat speculatively from Byron, to you, and then back to Byron. The latter jumps from the sofa with a sudden gaiety.

BYRON: “I’ve just been struck with the most brilliant notion, as if granted by some celestial being which I know poor Shelley doesn’t believe in.”

Shelley opens his mouth to speak but Byron continues.

BYRON: “We will each write a ghost story! What better way to entertain our new guest, and cure this incessant boredom of ours—“

POLIDORI: “You mean yours—“

BYRON: “—than to attempt to frighten each other to death! What fun! The person with the most horrifying story wins—and by horrifying,” he faces Polidori, “I mean in subject matter, not in quality of prose.”

You turn to whisper to Mary,

Y/N: “Do they do this all the time?”

MARY: “Oh, yes—I can tell you much more about all that later, if you can bear to hear it.”

BYRON: “Now, for those of you who are brave enough to accept this challenge… we shall begin!”

Claire and Polidori begin setting aside parchment and pens. Mary and Percy eagerly discuss their ideas. Byron saunters over to you.

BYRON: “Will you care to put your writing prowess to the test by joining us? I would love to see some of your writing, but alas, can’t assume any would have survived your perilous journey here—and we have more than enough parchment for another writer!”

Claire twirls around to interject, taking Byron’s hand while addressing you.

CLAIRE: “Or perhaps you should rest after all the excitement of tonight… after all, you could be our voter, since we know you would be the least biased.”

BYRON: “Or perhaps if you do stay, you’d rather become one of our muses? They say those who cannot write great literature often inspire it.”

POLIDORI: “Well, as long as you don’t become one of Byron’s muses, you should be fine.”

MARY: “I think Y/N has had a long night, and should consider whether they would like to stay tomorrow. I have the feeling that none of us will be finishing our stories tonight, at any rate, and I would like some time to ponder ideas myself.”

Y/N: “Oh, I agree. It is getting quite late.”

BYRON: “It’s only half past four in the morning!”

POLIDORI: “Not all of us are as nocturnal as Your Lordship.”

BYRON: “Oh, alright. Fletcher! Can you show Y/N to one of the spare rooms?”

FLETCHER: “Certainly, my Lord. Right this way, Y/N.”

Fletcher guides you by candlelight up the beautiful staircase and into a spacious room.

FLETCHER: “My Lord has just started renting the Villa recently, and the previous occupants left quite a few fine clothes in these wardrobes. You shall find everything you need, and if you need me for whatever reason, you need only call!”

Y/N: “Thank you, Fletcher, I appreciate the kindness.”

He leaves. A few minutes later, there is a knock at your door.

Y/N: “It is unlocked. Come in!”

The last person you expect walks in somewhat sheepishly.

PERCY: “I hope I’m not disturbing you! Only, Lord Byron told us he is sending Polidori to check on you in the morning to see if you’ve caught cold. Mary asked me to inform you.“

Y/N: “Oh, thank you for letting me know—I don’t mind.”

PERCY: “I only wanted to warn you, because the thing about Polidori is…”

You sigh and sit on the bed as he talks wildly.

PERCY: “He is an excellent doctor, but he is not to be trusted. We are generally civil… but he has challenged me to a duel before—I cannot explain it—he is constantly antagonizing someone. And he is in love with my Mary. And he and Byron… well, I cannot tell you the rest, you have been scandalized enough. He is a fine man most times, but do not believe whatever he tells you.”

Y/N: “I see. Only, it seemed to me like Byron and the doctor were antagonizing each other?”

PERCY: “Oh, the two of them… well, I cannot explain their past—but you mustn’t worry about Byron. Claire, however… she has a good heart, but will probably be cold toward you at first. She is in love with Byron, and when she loves, she loves with her whole being and is a jealous creature… ask Mary or Polidori. Or rather, don’t—it will only get us into more trouble.”

He pulls out a bottle of some mysterious black liquid out of his coat and takes a swig before handing it to you.

PERCY: “Alas! Here, take some of my laudanum. If you do catch cold, it will help. If you take enough… it will give you plenty of story ideas—not that I would advocate it. But, pray! Do not tell anyone I have lended it. Polidori and Mary will have a fit. Byron won’t care.”

He sits down,

PERCY: “Oh, speaking of Byron, he and I have just decided we are going sailing tomorrow alone if the weather permits. We have not told anyone. Would you like to come with? We are always so gay together—“

Percy is interrupted by a strange noise coming from the next room. He startles and grabs your hands.

Y/N: “What is that damnable sound?”

PERCY: “Oh, it sounds like a terrible wooden creaking… or, no… like a moaning, by God! It sounds like the ghost from the story we read tonight… Y/N, do you believe in ghosts? I do—I have been haunted for many years—oh! There it is again!”

Again, the creaking sound starts up, as do the haunting groans. Shelley grabs a candle with one hand and takes your arm in his other, shaking, gesturing toward a door on the far side of the room. The noise does sound ghostly.

Y/N: “I don’t know which room that door there leads to—I only came in through the other door, the one that leads through to the hall!”

PERCY: “Could it be another spare room? Oh, we must… do you think we should alarm the others, or brave it on our own? I can be persuasive—we may be diplomatic with the Spirits. They may prefer it if we confront them in small numbers instead of overwhelming them with the others…”

Y/N: “It’s probably just the wind—or the storm starting up again, or causing damage to the Villa—I shall see myself.”

You approach the door, but Percy pushes you aside. The groans and creaks continue.

PERCY: “No! I cannot let you be harmed if the spirits are demonic. I have already witnessed horrors beyond man’s comprehension. I will see them for myself.”

He finally swings the door open. Then, just as quickly, he slams the door shut. He turns to face you. Then he begins to laugh. Madly. You stare at him with fear, eagerly awaiting his response.

PERCY: “Did you know your room is connected to Lord Byron’s?”

A/N: This is the 2nd installment of Diodati Drama (oh, it has a name now—so you can search for it in my tags). Link to the first & previous poll: https://at.tumblr.com/burningvelvet/the-year-is-1816-and-you-get-caught-in-a-storm/jtf5ipwsz2l2

This is an interactive poll story/game where you get to explore the infamous Villa Diodati in 1816–where Mary Shelley pioneered horror and science-fiction by writing Frankenstein, Byron and Percy wrote some of the most famous poems in the English language, and Polidori wrote the first ever vampire novel, The Vampyre (based on Byron’s story). But that’s not all they got up to… vote to find out what happens next!

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authoralexharvey · 1 year

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INTERVIEW WITH A WRITEBLR — @local-single-wizard

Who You Are:

Whonsper || They/them

A fanfic writer by heart, with no fandom at the moment. I also have an annoying tendency to bite off more than I can chew when it comes to writing, but I have wonderful ideas all the same, if I do say so.

What You Write:

What genres do you write in? What age ranges do you write for?

Adventure, comedy, fanfic, fantasy, romance, sci-fi, and tragedy. Young and new adult.

What genre would you write in for the rest of your life, if you could? What about that genre appeals to you?

Fantasy, I love to freedom the genre gives. I've always been interested in the kinds of creatures one could come up with, and what kind of silly adventures they could go on! And because it's such a large genre with no set rules, I can make up whatever lore I want for whoever I want. But there's always that feeling like a spark in your eye, tasting adventure with each breath, even if the characters have lived there their whole lives; the reader gets to taste that world now!

What genre/s will you not write unless you HAVE to? What about that genre turns you off?

History, despite my interest in history. I personally know many history nerds, and have seen plenty online as well, to know they would never be satisfied with any history story, no matter how well researched. I'm usually one to over-research even, and I'm too scared to touch the genre because I'm far too lazy to research every tiny detail, like the minimum wage in buttfuck nowhere, Alabama in 1952 and how it affects my characters in the next country. I simply don't have the mental energy.

Who is your target audience? Do you think anyone outside of that would get anything out of your works?

Usually myself, because I write exactly what I would want to read. Outside of that, my next targets are anyone that feels anything that I feel, any neurodivergents or aspecs or anyone that feels isolated in the world for reasons they cant quite articulate. For anyone outside of that sphere, I would hope they could understand a little better what others are feeling, at the very least, and sympathize with those people that feel like my characters.

What kind of themes do you tend to focus on? What kinds of tropes? What about them appeals to you?

I really like found family, finding platonic love, as well as enemies to lovers (I know what that says about me). Anything where I can introduce a character that doesn't fit, especially if they're a "monster" (usually literally), and pour my love for them onto the page through my other characters, or give them a home where they feel safe to be themselves. Bonus points if I can make them love the world around them, and in turn learn to love themselves. Enemies to lovers has a very fun dynamic that I really like playing with, especially if I can subvert expectations.

What themes or tropes can you not stand? What about them turn you off?

I'm not a big fan of any 'Chosen One' stories, because they feel cheap. Especially if there's no secondary pov or no fight to be that chosen one. I don't want my heroine to be handed their responsibility, their greatness; I want them to fight for it, to want it, to beat others for it. I want a story to prove to me why I should care about this person being the Chosen One over others, or it'll feel like this was a bit of a weak choice to me as a reader.

What are you currently working on? How long have you been working on it?

I've recently made the switch from all my writing being fanfiction to writing original stories, thus scrapping many of my earlier ideas, or at least shelving them for later use. I'm jumping between a couple ideas right now, but one I'm most passionate about is about a guardian angel, with a strong distrust of humans, being forced to Earth to find a person who he'll spend his life looking over. Overwhelmed with this new world, he starts following the first human to show him even a bit of kindness, much to the human's mixed amusement and irritation. Over time, they grow closer, with the human learning more about the angel, who they are as a being and how they feel about the world. The angel learns so much about the world, and slowly breaks down his distaste and prejudice against humans. I've had the idea for this since 2019, even writing a chapter of fanfiction following this premise, but since starting to rewrite it I've been mulling it over in new context for about 2 months.

Why do you write? What keeps you writing?

I write because it's a release of my thoughts, and also because I thrive off of validation. I keep writing for all the people in my life that have ever believed in me, or have written with me. Special shoutout to my 11 year old brother who would come in my room everyday for 3 months and ask to work on our fantasy choose-your-own-adventure story, and always had the most creative ideas.

How long have you been writing? What do you think first drew you to it?

I first accepted writing as my preferred medium when I was probably 13, but I've been complimented on my writing since I was 8 years old. I think I was first drawn to it because it's a way to get my thoughts out when I can't figure out how to verbally articulate them. I have adhd so figuring out what I'm trying to say while staying on topic is very difficult sometimes, and I get lost very often. I'm constantly confused in daily life, so writing is a place where I can have control and know exactly what I'm doing and what I've just done.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Is that how you got your inspiration for your current project? If not, where did the inspiration come from?

I get a lot of my inspiration from reading other writer's stories, or even hearing people's personal life stories. Many of my stories include elements I've seen in other places, little bits that another writer has in their story that I've become inspired by and put in my story. Another big source of inspiration is actually just random pictures, because I love trying to figure out why this would make sense, or inversely what subversion is happening in this picture right below the surface. My current project was partially inspired by works I've read in the past, but from the very beginning was inspired by a picture of a celebrity wearing angel wings, back when it was a fanfiction.

What work of yours are you most proud of? Why?

It's an unfinished, almost scrapped piece that I came up with last November, but one which I immediately became so obsessed with and thought about constantly. It's about a young person who learns that he has the ability to time travel, only backwards, never forward. He uses it too often for mundane reasons and very quickly loses control of it, and is thus sent hurtling back in time uncontrollably. He relishes what time he spends in these periods, meeting new people and gathering new friends and making a small life for himself before he's inevitably whisked away to the next time with no warning. He's accompanied by an immortal, who he's meeting backwards in time, and who is there every time he jumps, there to catch him up to the time and make sure he's okay. The two become a very close family, but there's the looming question of how far back will he go?

Have you published anything? Do you want to?

I haven't, it wasn't even on my radar until just recently, when my stepmom offhandedly mentioned that she knew I would get published one day, that she was waiting for it, and she would of course buy any of my books or short stories. She said she's always believed in me, and always been a huge supporter of my writing. So yes, I would love to publish a story, even just a little short story, for her.

What part of the writing process most appeals to you? What part is least appealing?

I love coming up with the plot, and interweaving little details, whether for my own amusement or for the sake of a better story. I'll spend so long on that step, coming up with more and more lore for the story and turning a little short story into a beast. I'm not a fan of the first draft, because that is always the hardest for me. I'm a perfectionist so it's very hard for me to accept that my writing is not going to be perfect on the first pass, and it honestly shouldn't be! I've been working on accepting imperfect writing, but it's very difficult.

Do you have a writing process? Do you have an ideal setup? Do you write in pure chaos? Talk about your process a bit.

My process is pure chaos, and definitely not effective. It usually starts with me texting my best friend about some crazy idea, rambling for at least half an hour, usually closer to 2 hours, about this cool new idea I've had, just putting any unintelligible bullshit that comes to mind. She'll give her take on it, give me some ideas, help me shape the idea, get rid of ideas that just won't work, help me sort out a plot, then I copy all these notes into a google doc and sort them. From there I try to write the filler between everything we've talked about. Then I refine it down, over and over again until it sounds okay.

Your Thoughts on Writeblr:

How long have you been a writeblr? What inspired you to join the community?

I'm not even sure I am a writeblr, to be honest. I started the writing blog only about a month or so ago, but I've only been interacting with other writeblrs in the past week or so I'd say. I actually got more in to the community because of a writeblr valentines event, the one that pens-swords-stuff hosted just recently.

Shout out some of your favorite writeblrs. How did you find them and what made you want to follow them?

@pens-swords-stuff, of course. Scrolling their page has helped me figure out how to engage in the community as well as fix my blog (I'm still working on that one). also @monstrousfreedom, absolutely fantastic stuff on that blog, and writes things that I'm very interested in.

What is your favorite part about writeblr?

The sheer difference between any writers, I've never seen such a large community with such different tastes hype each other up, even if some of those people absolutely do not make the same content, or even consume the same content.

What do you think writeblr could improve on? How do you think we can go about doing so?

Being so new to the community, I haven't seen anything just yet. Everyone seems so nice and open to talking to others, even newer people like myself. I've only seen positivity so far from writeblrs.

How do you contribute to the writeblr community? Do you think you could be doing more?

I could absolutely be doing more. As of right now, I don't interact too terribly much, as I'm still trying to get set up and find my feet in the community. But I'm trying to worm my way into the community through events like this, getting my name on people's dashes so I don't feel so bad about posting my own writing, or ranting about my wips to no one.

What kinds of posts do you most like to interact with?

I love interacting with any post that asks questions about your current wip. I love talking about my writing, even if it's just to myself in the tags.

What kind of posts do you most like to make?

My own writing ideas, or a story that a specific song felt like.

Finally, anywhere else online we may be able to find you?

@whonsper, my main blog, or on discord, whonsper#9454

Questions For Fun:

If you could time travel, what time period would you go to? Why?

If I could time travel, I'd probably want to go back to ancient Rome. It seems like the safest option, what with women owning property and indoor plumbing and all, but I'm also really interested in learning about what life was like back then. What small details of life have slipped under our radar but are prevalent in day to day life for ancient Romans? What's similar about human nature and culture through all of time? What hidden gems do they have that historians today would be pissing themselves to get?

If your writing was a food, what foof would it be and why?

I'd want to say my writing is like a bowl of soup. I always want it to feel comfortable and natural reading my stories, but you never know what you're gonna get. Is it cheddar broccoli today with a side of high fantasy romance? It is Italian wedding soup with some magical realism? Is it chicken noodle like your mom used to make, but oh no I've done something to your beloved fairytale. Or maybe I just really like soup.

Do you have a favorite fantasy creature? What makes it your favorite?

Through the years, I've picked up my brother's love of dragons. The amount of magic you can play around with in dragons is incredible, and with so many different breeds and physical characteristics and personalities. They're also very intelligent, which leads to them usually being even more of a problem than anyone signed up for, which I love. They're an incredibly versatile creature to see used in fantasy, and I always get super excited when I see one.

#iwaw #writeblr celebration #writeblr event #writeblr #writing community

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selfindulgentsillinessbracket · 1 year

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Why Each Character(s) Were Chosen, or, Why These Sillies Are Special To Me - CHAPTER 1 of ??

This is a series of posts documenting why each silly in this bracket is in this bracket & why they're each special to me.

These will be getting fairly personal & I may ramble on too long but I want to be sincere so I won't hold back my overly silly manner of typing if need be.

These will be covered in order of appearance on the brackets from first to last contestant(s).

#1. Wario & Waluigi

Wario is straight up my favorite mario character. No cap. He's number 1. His character, his games (Wario Land is peak 2D platformer with the only series beating it in existence being Donkey Kong Country), his moveset. He's a king if you ask me. Waluigi is by all accounts my other fav. I'm so mad they refuse to use him in the Wario land games. The one series he SHOULD be in. I demand they treat him better. Anyways love these two goofballs & they've always struck a chord with me. I'm all about the goofy rivals. Wario & Waluigi are just pure fun. Love em. Also play Wario Land 4 because it's literally peak. I promise you it's worth your time.

#2 Calvin & Hobbes

Back when I was a wee lad, the thing that made me wanna do art in the first place? That was comic strips. In particular, Calvin & Hobbes, & Garfield. These two series are why I'm an artist. I owe it all to these two along with that fat orange cat. But we'll get to Garfield later, for now, let's focus on Calvin & Hobbes. They were the first ones I was introduced too. I didn't read Garfield til a few years after I met Calvin & Hobbes. I loved these two. And their comics are timeless. The writing is just out of this world with how smart & hilarious it is. It doesn't matter that it's from the 80s or 90s, they still ring true now. They're still God damn hilarious. These guys made me wanna make my own comics. Which led to me making my own characters. Which led to me becoming an artist. Thank you Calvin & Hobbes. Thanks for shaping who I am today.

#3 Squeek

Ok so there's not much to cover here. Squeek here is from a game called Oddworld: Squeek's Oddysee. Never heard of it? Yeah of course not, it was canceled. Like many Oddworld games sadly are. See the teason I have SO MANY oddworld reps on this bracket is 1. Yeah oddworld is extremely special to me. But 2. I'm hoping it'll cause more people to give the oddworld games a shot. They're so underrated. Legit my favorite story, world, lore & narratives in all of gaming. Squeek is a character who from what little we know, he's got so much potential. His lore is tragic and depressing but that makes you want to see him beat the odds like how Abe & Munch did. Squeek was meant to be our third protagonist. And maybe someday he'll get that chance again. Anyways please I implore you guys to give this series a shot. They're not perfect, but there's so much to love.

#4 Zoey

Ok Zoey is a character who I need to get personal to explain why she was a special enough OC to be in this bracket. So this is gonna be a long one. Zoey has been around for a while now. I mean like a while. She was created back in March of 2016. Yes I actually remember the exact time she was made. So yeah, that's her origin. The very first artwork of Zoey ever made has the original time saved on the upload date. Lucky us, bc we know her time of creation.

Zoey was officially created on March 3rd, 2016. Here was the first drawing of her. Comparison to her current look included :)

Now I know what you're thinking, yes this does look awful. I was not nearly as good at art back then. 2016 was a terrible time. But after that Zoey was just left forgotten, never had a real idea what to do with her. Until this past year, I uncovered her. And with a new design and finally having a solid personality to give her, she was given life. My life. Because the personality she ultimately found was just mine. She is quite literally the definition of a self insert. When I write Zoey I am literally just writing myself. Or to be more accurate, I'm writing a very cartoonishly exaggerated version of myself.

The fact people vote for her at all, it genuinely got me to cry more than once. It means so much to me. Bc Zoey means so much to me. So, thank you. And Zoey thanks you all too, she's humbled & would hug all of you if she could (and if we both were more open to physical contact but autism yknow yeah)

Next Chapter of this coming idk anyways Polls are still open so voting is still here for group 1 & 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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onewomancitadel · 1 year

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Ok. You are all stuck with me. If you have chosen to see my posts. So I'm going to preface this with the fact it's exploratory and generally accepts the storytelling idea that the way you introduce information matters just as much as the content itself.

(We can see this in RWBY if you pay attention e.g. Cinder's return to the story after her ostensible death is introduced at the same time and books the episode as Salem's true backstory with Ozma appears, asking us to think about these characters in combination - including with the mirrored imagery:)

I know that the average sceptic is going to be disinclined against this idea, and I think for the average thoughtless storytelling this isn't the sort of thing I'd expect. I'm not saying it's sophisticated, I'm just saying there's a lot of barren storytelling around lol. As a writer myself it's something I personally think about, that much I can say.

Anyway it's really fucking weird that the first mention of Cinder this volume is framed like this and especially with the opportunity of the last Relic raised. Everything is very intentional in animation because everything has the opportunity to be highly symbolic; it is intentionally and deliberately placed.

Jaune's basically in the forefront of the mention of the Relic and the fact its location is currently in question. Not just once, but for three whole shots.

It's just... weird... because... I think Jaune is related to the Relic of Choice. I think he's got a task related to it. I think he's going to be the one to have the verbal confrontation with Cinder there (alike to previous Vaults - Raven vs. Yang, Ironwood vs. Oscar). This is partly influenced by the matter of The Indecisive King RWBY fairytale for which this theory tag gets its name from.

Of course, this type of thing is often more concrete retrospectively. At the very least what we're introduced to is the visual association of the mention of the Fall Maiden Relic (and its unknown location) and Jaune. Only Ozma knows where it is, and that's begging to be subverted in some fashion. It's just as likely that as opposed to Jaune being connected to Cinder it's connected to this issue of the Relic, and because on the face of it, there is something mysteriously intriguing about the lesser important, cynically charged character ending up knowing one of the most important things in the story.

There is also the fact that to Jaune right now, the Relics don't matter. He's visibly frustrated. What is being communicated here is that he's so past the conflict that maybe he doesn't even want to necessarily leave Ever After. We don't know the full extent of his motivations and beliefs anymore, and given at the same time we're exploring Ruby's loss of motivation and idealisation, this is almost certainly connected.

I'm not trying to say this is some Jaune/Cinder business. I think it's just as likely connected to the Relic business as much as it's connected to the fact he's experienced a loss of purpose and fissure in his identity. I just think it's interesting and food for thought, because watching this I was all like ??????? first Cinder mention???? Relic??? Relic of Choice???? Does Jaune even want to be a hero anymore. He's practically a hero insofar as all of his physical qualities, but is the flesh willing and the spirit weak?

Or you know. Fall Maiden girlfriend. Up to you really.

#seraphina ruminates over V9 #rwby9 #the indecisive queen #jaune sadsack tag

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mysticparadigms · 11 months

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Book Review: The Coward by Stephen Aryan

Disclaimer: This is my first time giving a book review rather than analysis, so please bear with me.

Let me start off by saying that it has been a long time since a novel has last captivated me like this one does. This book is under the fantasy genre, and I originally learned about it when I went on a trip to a bookstore with my best friend and was half-heartedly perusing the fantasy section. I’m fairly picky when it comes to the fantasy content I enjoy. While Tolkien has basically influenced all of modern fantasy, media that follows his format of elves, dwarves, orcs, and hobbits have little to no appeal to me, especially considering the racist underpinnings of the orcs. I’ve become tired of novels that focus on having a Chosen One, some kid being the primary defense against evil, romances between humans and elves or fairies (although this one is a personal preference as I don’t like romances in general), and worlds where the nonhuman characters are made up of species that have become oversaturated in our current zeitgeist. Although I'm not immune to popular modern fantasy; I adore Adventure Time and Attack On Titan as well as every Studio Ghibli movie I've seen to date. With all of this context, I had low hopes while looking through the fantasy section that day, but the title caught my attention. I picked it up, read the back cover, and bought it, and it sat untouched on my book shelf for roughly six months. But this last week, I told myself that if I want to read The Priory of the Orange Tree, I have to read the other fantasy book I bought this year first. It took me three days to get through it all.

Politics and Religion: One of the things that I think makes Attack On Titan, for instance, so compelling is that while there is the aspect of "ah there are monsters trying to kill us and we gotta fight 'em" is how much politics there are controlling the plot and actions of the heroes. The Coward does this wonderfully. While we follow Kell Kressia on his journey, we are also given chapters following Reverend Mother Britak, who leads the church that exists within the Five Kingdoms (side note: while the religion is not Christianity, there are definitely some connections to be made and what I think is a striking commentary on the state of Christianity as an institution today) and is trying to enforce this religion following The Shepherd across the Five Kingdoms, using political tactics to try and achieve this goal. Every royal court we are introduced to within this universe has some sort of political tension of its own, often coming into conflict with the other courts. Following the politics and scheming was very enjoyable.

Semi-Original Species: I appreciated that the author didn't include species such as elves, fairies, vampires, werewolves, gnomes, orcs, etc. in the book, although one might argue that the Alfár are a type of elf. Regardless, I appreciated that and the creatures such as the Qalamieren and the voran. It was enjoyable learning about new sorts of species and reading about them from the perspectives of people who these creatures are normal to know about, even if they don't believe in them.

Subverting the teenaged Chosen One trope as well as the model of the Hero: This might be my favorite aspect of this novel. Instead of having these larger-than-life heroes, we're shown how heroes are flawed, and oftentimes more flawed as individuals than the average person. Even Kell Kressia, the savior of the Five Kingdoms who beheaded the Ice Lich ten years ago, struggles with the expectations this victory put on him versus his knowledge that he basically just got lucky. It wasn't his skill that helped him win, or some prophecy foretelling his victory, it was nothing more than a matter of chance. I liked how human this made all of the characters feel. I truly felt like I could relate to Kell because he struggles with the troubles of others' expectations of him versus what he knows truly happened, but additionally he comes home with what would likely be diagnosed as PTSD. Even a victory comes at a severe psychological cost.

Addressing the realities of how traumatizing these romanticized quests can be as well as the fragility of the body: There was no over-the-top gore, which I appreciated as someone who has recently become much more sensitive to it than I used to be. But at the same time, excessive gore wasn't necessary to drive home what physical strain the characters experienced when making their Hero's Journey. I am particularly intrigued by how the human body as an entity is portrayed in literature, and this book was perfect for such an interest. We were shown how humans overestimate the danger they can handle, and they don't understand that every hero we idolize is simply Just Some Guy who also can have wounds get infected, or bleed out from one (albeit deep) stab wound. While this made the fight scenes feel somewhat less intense physically than scenes where there is a lot of wounding of the main characters and killing is seen as casual, the psychology behind what the characters were feeling as well as the stress of knowing that it doesn't actually take much to get killed by a wild animal or adversary made the fight scenes intense in their own right.

Romance: As someone generally averse to the romance genre and dreads romance in fantasy books due to the advent of romances between humans and elves/fairies/werewolves/vampies/etc., I'm happy to say that this route was not taken in The Coward. There is mention of sex (for instance we have scenes where we're told two characters just had or are about to have sex, one character getting offered money for a sexual encounter but is denied, and one seventeen year old's sexual fantasy going horribly awry in a nightmare of his) but nothing that goes into detail. The main character hopes to one day have a wife and start a family, but this goal is portrayed more as representing the idea of having a "normal" and simple life, thus escaping the trauma of Kell's time as a "hero." It's hardly even mentioned that Kell would like to start a family and is not one of his actual goals he pursues but rather, as I mentioned before, symbolic of the sort of peace he wishes to achieve. There is, however, a side romance in the novel. But it's beautiful and doesn't dominate the narrative or even the goals of the characters within the romance itself. They are both fully formed individuals with dreams and fears and quirks and triumphs of their own, their romance just portrays the beauty of two lost souls finding refuge in a chaotic and lonely world. I enjoyed every scene that featured them.

My critiques: I wish that we had been given a clearer picture of how, in his first quest, Kell had defeated the Ice Lich. Or just their journey into the castle altogether. We know how a lot of the eleven heroes died, and I appreciate the author trusting that his readers are intelligent enough to piece together the story of what happened through the sporadic vignettes given, but I would've liked to hear about what happened with Kell after the last hero died, even if we saw it through a flashback he has within a dream where the maze is foggy in his memory and weren't given the exact play-by-play. On another note, while the book's climax originally felt like it could've been—for lack of a better term—more climatic than what we saw, I realized on reflection that the climax being as it was fits the story, its overarching themes, and Kell's disillusionment with The Hero's Quest perfectly.

Overall, this book was amazing. After I finished it, I ran right back to the local bookstore to grab the final novel in this series: The Warrior. If you're looking for a fantasy novel where the "hero" is Just Some Guy and where the realities of the stereotypical Hero's Journey are presented as being traumatizing events rather than proud conquests, then this is the book for you.

#book review #fantasy

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doorplays · 1 year

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Musings on Art: Wherein A Dog Helps Me Get In Touch With My Inner Artist

Hello! As I talked about with my spoilery review for Immortality, I sometimes want to do an accompanying spoilery review/article for games that I want to really talk about, but can’t talk about as much due to not wanting to spoil their stories. I’ll be changing up the format of these kinds of articles so that it’s less a review and more of my thoughts on my experience of these games!

Before we continue though, I’ll have to give a big fat !!!SPOILER WARNING!!! for this article as I will be talking about this game in a somewhat in-depth manner, mentioning some character arcs and some lore.

With that out of the way, let’s get on to my thoughts about Chicory: A Colorful Tale!

Chicory was a lot of things I didn’t expect. Even starting out, the game asked me for my favorite food. I didn’t think it would be used for the main character name, so I just said “Lumpia” and moved on. So I guess my drawdog is named Lumpia! And based on the title, I thought the game will be chiefly about Chicory, and that I’d get to control Chicory, and I guess I was (partly) wrong about both points!

I wanna talk about the game. I wanna talk about how it made me feel. But first, let’s talk about art.

I feel I need to post a disclaimer: I am not an Art Expert in any way, shape, or form. I am just a huge fan of art! Specifically the Game kind, but I do find myself liking a bunch of art. ANYWAYYYYY

Art means a lot of things to a lot of different people. Some think it has to have a deep effect on you. Some think it has to be done in a specific way. Throughout the years, it has evolved and changed, incorporating new tools, being expressed through new mediums.

What I’ve found, though, is that at its core, art is about communication. It’s about the desire to share a thought in a way that you choose.

If art is about communication, then there’s always two parties to art: the artist and the audience. And art, in this exchange, is the message.

It is a description that may seem too simple, but I do believe that is the heart of it. Nonetheless, art is definitely more complex than that! Artists struggle to perfect their craft in an effort to deliver art that is worthy of their chosen audience. They want to perfectly distill the ideas they want to share in this capsule of art, and share it with the world. Books, poems, paintings, movies, even games are made in the name of art. From small one-person artists to sprawling collectives working with collectives, art has been made and remade in a constant conversation between artist and audience.

It is no wonder, then, that many people want to be part of this conversation in a speaking role. They want to deliver their own message and thus become artists.

In Chicory: A Colorful Tale, there is only one artist that truly matters, and that artist is the Wielder.

When you start the game, you are introduced to the concept of a Wielder, and how important the role is to the society of Picnic, the world of this game. Using The Brush, they bring color everywhere, painting the trees, the seas, and the skies. They go around Picnic, retouching old paintings and buildings, helping everyone who needs their help. Since this role is a singular one, it is very important, and the responsibility weighs heavy on those who are charged with it. A new Wielder is chosen by the previous one, apprenticing them until they are ready to take on the role.

We see four Wielders in this game. We see Cardamom, an adorable old Lion! He loved doodling. He loved being in touch with his creative side whenever he drew and painted. But when he became the Wielder, he found that he disliked the role, as it meant that he was no longer doing this for his own happiness. As time passed, he grew tired of being the Wielder and he searched for someone to pass it on to.

Blackberry was the Wielder after Cardamom. She is a severe figure who values skill and greatness. She sees the Wielder role as a very important responsibility that must be handled with care. As such, she took decades before she chose an apprentice. She chose Chicory. Though passing on the Brush to her was a traumatic event for both of them, Chicory ended up becoming the Wielder all the same.

Chicory worked hard to be the Wielder. It’s all she wanted. It didn’t leave her room for much of a life other than working for the role. And now she has it… and she has grown to hate it. Blackberry pushed her too hard to be great. She colors in one spot and is unsatisfied, repeatedly erasing and coloring it in until she thinks it’s perfect. She is celebrated by everyone… except herself.

Lumpia, my player character, was a janitor for Chicory. Throughout the events of this game, they end up becoming the new Wielder, with Chicory guiding them. While Lumpia is happy to become Wielder, they are keenly aware of how they just stumbled into the role by luck, and constantly think if they are worthy of it. They are happy to help people using the powers of the Brush, yes, but they also think that maybe someone else deserves it better. Not only that, they also don’t know if this is what they even want in life!

It is interesting to me to see the Wielders’ varied motivations and their differing relationships with their role. Cardamom saw it as a burden that he soon cast off. Blackberry saw it as a responsibility to carefully guard. Chicory saw it as her ultimate calling, a goal to work towards. And Lumpia saw it as a way to help others. This… relation of the art with the artist, this is what Chicory: A Colorful Tale wants to talk about. How does your passion move you? How does your creativity manifest? What do you like about being an artist? How do you use your art? There’s a lot of questions to ask, but the point of Chicory is to help you explore these questions yourself. And what better way to do this than to be an artist in-game?

Chicory: A Colorful Tale opens with the world being devoid of color. It is an open-world coloring book for your own creativity to run wild in. The cursor is a brush that can change to different colors (depending on the area) and sizes. There’s even an in-game series of art classes for you to draw your own interpretation of various prompts and art pieces!

The art classes are optional. Heck, to my memory, there are only really one or two required paintings you really need to do. The painting in-game is mostly a way for you to interface with the Metroidvania platformer gameplay. Nonetheless, the game invites you to have fun with it. Color in the world! Draw some graffiti! Draw some [REDACTED]! It’s a blank canvas, you can draw as much (or as little) as you like! This is all an exercise for you to explore how you want to express your own creativity, and how much fun you have doing it.

I really like the game for how much it let me have fun with drawing and painting. It made me remember my younger days where I’d draw a lot of robots on notebooks, giving them stats. And seeing the in-game characters comment on my art enriched the experience, making me feel like my art actually mattered.

I think it’s too simplistic to call this game’s story as “unexpectedly dark,” but that’s what first comes to mind. On its face it seems like a fun coloring book of a game. As you play it, though, it then tackles themes of burnout, depression, systems that gatekeep, and a bunch of others.

I identify a lot with Chicory. As a person diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, I really empathize with her. She has lost her drive, her main motivation, and is now lost. She blames herself for the current troubles of Picnic, even though it isn’t her fault. Blackberry pushed her too hard and she just took it silently because she really wanted to become the Wielder! The Brush that she so wanted to Wield has become the representation of the heavy expectations placed on her by Blackberry, by society, and by herself. Who wouldn’t buckle under all of that stress?

It is only when she lets go of the Brush that she begins to heal. As she helps Lumpia with their path to being a Wielder, they too help Chicory with their path to recovery. When the full nature of the Brush’s darkness revealed itself, they came back to Chicory and fought to help her despite her own self-destructive tendencies.

The Brush, being the creativity of all the Wielders made manifest, is also their doubts, their fears, their insecurities. Cardamom’s burnout. Blackberry’s gatekeeping. Chicory’s depression. Lumpia’s impostor syndrome. And so much more. It is the reason why the color of Picnic has been drained, and it will become worse if left unchecked. This is the moment where Chicory and Lumpia think: this has to end. There has to be a better way to create that doesn’t involve such trauma.

In Picnic, everyone can make art, but only one person at a time gets to be the Wielder. I like how the story discusses how unfair this system is, with recognition only being given to the current Wielder. Radish, an art student in Picnic, talks about this unfairness at length, and even after quitting art school in protest of this, she still needed Lumpia’s help to get her work noticed. So I especially liked it when in the ending, the current Brush is destroyed by Lumpia and Chicory, who have rediscovered the forgotten skill of growing your own Brush.

At the end of the game, she moves out of the Wielder Tower and into her own house. She painted it with her own style, and hung up Lumpia’s rendition of her. “I really want to be better,” she says. She doesn’t know what the future holds, but right now she wants to help all those who want to be artists in this new world that she and Lumpia helped build: a world where everyone can grow their own Brush.

I really like that. Anyone can be an artist, if they so choose to be.

Art is communication between artist and audience. But sometimes, you have to remember that you are also the audience of your own art. And sometimes you have to sit back, relax, and take a break. Take a moment to play a game about a dog who draws. The world can wait.

#door reviews #chicory: a colorful tale #chicory #spoilers

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valiant-if · 2 years

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there isn't a demo but you did make an intro post that makes your plot and characters sound similar and then make a post saying you're coding relationships in the same way

Interesting. Have you only read a single IF that uses Friendship/Rivalry for character relationships? I think I've read at least five myself that use this system, along with a dozen more visual novels and rpgs that I've read/played in just the last three years. It's a pretty common approach. As I said in my previous response to you, perhaps you should expand your repertoire of media.

If you're really curious about what inspired me to code relationships that way, you need look no further than Dragon Age 2, which I cited as an inspiration in that very same post that you claim to have read.

As for the characters, I don't see how any of them are similar to the ones introduced in Project Hadea, short of some of them being the same species and existing on a spaceship. Again, if you are making assumptions of copycatting/plagiarism based on only a synopsis, you may want to look a little farther for your argument than "both games have AI in them."

What you know from the intro post gives you appearances, occupation, and the general impression of the characters based on meager first impressions. There is not enough about the characters, their histories, or their personalities in the intro post to be making claims about them compared to any other IFs, least of all ones that have demos available to play.

I want to be very clear about something here. I was tempted to just ignore this follow-up message because I cannot fathom how there is any other possible motive behind it than to be rude and caustic, especially considering you have approached the topic like an accusation rather than an attempt at discussion. However, I often see authors just starting a project get tackled for being a copycat or being unoriginal by people who seem only to delight in harrassing these authors. So I've chosen to respond to this for all of the authors who are afraid to speak up or who have been discouraged from working on a project because of this kind of behavior.

Your approach to this topic of conversation is not acceptable. No matter what your actual motive in your original message to me, you spoke in a way that denotes vitriol from an entirely unfounded position. This is not constructive criticism nor amicable discussion, and it is not helpful to anyone.

If you decide to read Valiant once I have a demo released, you are welcome to decide for yourself how similar you think the two works are. I think you'll find it more similar to the media I have previously and openly cited as inspiration, but I'm not here to hand-hold you through critical thinking skills.

If you were asking leading questions in an effort to actually understand my story, my characters, and the world of Valiant, this would be a very different interaction. As it stands, this will be the last time I respond to this nature of ask.

Have a nice day, anon. I hope you find something more entertaining to do with your time than float around my inbox.

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akugyu · 2 years

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. . . HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU: NOÉ !!

you all are never going to believe what day it is, today. if you guessed monday, you’re wrong. it’s @pixelwisp ‘s creation day! so be prepared for a lot to happen. mainly, some soft things that i hardly find myself saying, that’s gross, i know right? but also, some best birth wishes from her ultimate favorites.

hello, my darling dearest bestest friend (already sappy, stab me now). i don’t often show my true apperication for you, nor do i discuss the things that you’ve helped me through-- i really should start doing that more. in my eyes, you’re underrated by so many people. whether it be as a content ceator, as a person, or as my friend. you are. when you first reached out to me, and invited me to that hellscape, i was in a really weird place. despite it being, in fact, a hellscape, it really helped me. i was on the verge of no longer wanting to be a content creator, and lay down the career path that i had chosen for myself. being there, meeting you, and being introduced to all of the people and the good friends that i have now, reignited so much love and passion within me and i will forever be grateful for all of that. you truly will never have any idea on how much it helped me.

aside from that, you’ve stuck by my side since then. not only have you seen the highs and lows, but also the worst and best sides of me. despite the actual mess i can be sometimes, you choose to be one of the greatest friends i have ever had. you showed me what friends are supposed to be, and that it’s okay to be open with one another. that it’s okay to not be okay, and need a shoulder to lean on sometimes. that it’s okay to feel stuck, and unwell, and just seek comfort in the form of a friend. a lot of the reason why i’ve gotten better in life, with myself and my relationships at least, is because of you helping to give me advice and try to steer me in the right direction (even though i am a stuborrn asshat sometimes-- it’s the only time i’ll admit it.) my point being, you’ve been a beacon of genuine happiness in my life. whether that being the fact that we vc as often as humanly possible, harassing each other, digging into crack lore for genshin impact, shitting ourselves over being incompetent at videogames, or... just talking. no matter what it is that we do together, it brings me joy.

so, thank you for the year(s) of friend we’ve had thus far, and thank you for the years of friendship that is to come. i can’t wait until our apartment is full of incoherent screaming, friendly fire, and just postive vibes. <3 i hope that you have had the most wonderful day that a person can have on their birthday. you truly deserve it, bub. i love you so much... not only do i love you, but so many others do too. let’s here from them, shall we?

@larkspyrr : Happy birthday! This morning I went for a walk in the woods to forage some of your favorite flowers and nuts and things... or well, I tried to, but I couldn't find that much, and so I bought some snacks from this merchant in an alley over by the blacksmith. They said they had some really rare specialties for super cheap, only a few thousand mora each! Lucky, right? I also bought this holy water from Springvale, the nice man I got it from said that it will make you feel really refreshed and powerful. You're just really great and one of my favorite people so I wanted to make sure I got you a bunch of stuff to let you know how glad I am that you were born. Oh, and this one here is my favorite! It was all I could find in the woods. It's a really, really pretty matsutake mushroom - I mean, I think it is... I... maybe don't eat that one, actually.

@karamfilmare : Happy birthday! Today, I spent some time trying to figure a gift, and I think I figured it out... let's see, no, not this one...aha! Here, it's a mechanical ball that activates little tunes when in contact with the different elements! I hope you like it. It's a good use of my Spantamad studies, don't you think? Anyway, I hope your day is going well! We should go to your favorite tavern at some point to celebrate.

@akugyu : Oi! Wake up! Hello? *taps your forehead* Anybody in there?! Oh, hey! There you are... Happy Birthday! I know you must be exhausted from last night. What do you mean you don't remember last night? Oh, haha... About that. We went to the tavern last night, you had one too many, so I let you crash here! Besides, I figured I could make you a nice herbal tea to fix that hangover and we could go find some of Port Ormos’ merchants! That sounds exciting right? Anyways... Happy day of birth, friend!

Kazuha: Hey sleepy. Finally awake, I see. You know what today is, don’t you? Don’t tell me you forgot... It’s your birthday. Happy Birthday! I have a very special day planned for us. First, I was thinking that I could take you around Liyue Habor and let you buy a few things from some shops. I know you’ve been eying a few books recently. It’s on me. I’m not much of a planner, as you know... but I hope that a peaceful dinner by the ocean with me, to watch the waves and the stars up above is sufficient enough for you. I wish to make the best out of today, so that my ears may be full of your laughter and enjoyment.

Atsumu: HEY! Why didn’t you pick up the phone?! Ugh, now I have to leave a lame voicemail, c’mon... I know you were real upset about me being out of town on your birthday- believe me, so was I. Buttttt~ I managed to pull some strings, and make it back just in time. So I need you to hurry up and listen to this message, so you can come open the door for me! I miss your beautiful face, I can’t wait to kiss you again. SO COME ON WILL YA?

Megumi: I know that you aren’t very fond of birthdays, or, yours, I guess... So I decided to write you this letter instead of making it a big deal. Kugisaki suggested this, something about it being romantic. I just wanted you to know how much you mean to me. I couldn’t ever see myself being, whats the word, excited? No. I’m not really sure. I just know you make me happy, and I can be myself with you, and I’m thankful for that. Never stop being you, okay? You’re perfect the way that you are. Love you.

Keigo: My my. Another birthday has come up! How exciting... So? You ready to be a milf, baby? KIDDING! Kinda... (You would definitely be a milf, though. Just saying.) I bought you this dress that I thought you would look stunning in. Maybe that was selfish, but I only want the best for my girl. When you see this note, you’ve got one hour. We have dinner reservations tonight, and no, before you yell at me, I won’t make them sing happy birthday to you. See you soon, doll. -Yours Truly <3

Akutagawa: Noé, why didn’t you tell me it was your birthday? That’s something I thought that your signficant other was supposed to know... I found out from Chuuya and Dazai, and their loud ass mouths. I guess it doesn’t matter now, because I am giving you no choice. Don’t even waste your breath responding to this text, I am already on my way to your place, and I ordered your favorite take out; the sushi is on its way. We will be having a stay at home date night. I love you... idiot.

NOW, GATHER AROUND FOR THE PHOTO GALLERY! aka the best moments of me versus noe, thus far in this blossoming, moronic, friendship.

#𓆸 sincerely [pixelwisp]#thank you for being my dumb if ass #happy birthday!

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