#i am eager for feedback on this‚ for any sort of help or translation to sate my curiosity

[ofbardsandmen]

nothing ever excites me more than a spontaneous genshin, or more particularly, mondstadt discovery. i sat diluc upon the barbatos statue as a nice spot to go afk on without being interrupted by repetitive idle animations and voicelines (sorry diluc, this is nothing personal). my volume was turned up more than regularly by accident, and my in-game music was off despite how much i like the original game soundtrack. aNYHOW- i was about to go afk when i heard some strange noises that i didn't recall hearing in mondt before. it made me pause and turn my volume up even more. in the video above, it's kind of hard to discern the brief sounds over the noise of the wind up on the statue and in mondstadt in general, but when the wind dies down a little, you can distinctly hear voices of people, and what shocked me the most – neighs of horses. i have no clue whether it is just me discovering this only now, after 4 years of playing this godforsaken game and clearly not having paid enough attention to mondstadt's sfx before, but i still felt the need to share this terribly interesting tidbit in case there's other clueless mondstadt enthusiasts like me.

[eternalbuckley]

Dance with Tensions. — mattheo riddle

SUMMARY: Mr Riddle asks you to dance even though you two don't get along, only to end up in a heated conversation afterwards.

word count: 2,308

genre: angst | fem!reader, queer!reader, bipoc!reader and plus-size!reader friendly

warnings/tropes: lots of tension, an argument, a part of my lady!reader au, it‘s probably not time accurate but who cares!, english is not my first language, briefly proofread — if I forgot something, please let me know!

a/n: i am very much excited to finally share this with you all, enjoy reading my loves 💓 also BIG BIG thank you to @leona-hawthorne and @riddleswhcre for pre-reading one of the parts of the fanfic, you truly helped me out <33

reblogs, feedback and comments are highly appreciated and welcomed! ♡

disclaimer: please do not repost or try and take ownership of my work or post this anywhere without my consent. i don’t give you my permission to use my writing for any ai related things, don’t do it. do not translate my work and post it anywhere — i give you no permission to do that. i only post my stories here, so if you find my work anywhere else please let me know!

divider by cafekitsune

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The highly anticipated first ball of the season was set to take place this evening. You were full of excitement as you walked into the hall with your older brother hooked on one arm and your parents behind you. Many eyes followed each of your movements. Some of them were filled with admiration and some with envy. You let your gaze wander through the hall and noticed a few men whispering to each other as they sipped on their glasses of champagne and watched you and many of the other people who had already arrived that night. The lookout for possible marriage partners was already happening even if the social season only started a few days ago.

You weren’t quite eager to find someone suitable that night, but you wanted to have a good time with your best friend Miss Pansy Parkinson. She was one of your closest friends ever since you were young children.

The night had been long – you spent your time with Pansy and laughed with her about different jokes. Some words were exchanged with Lords, other Ladies and others that attended the ball as well. Most of them complimented you on your choice of gown but no conversation went deeper. You’ve danced twice with two men, but it was clear that they weren’t interested in you as a person. The conversations revolved solely on how fortunate it must be to be the daughter of a duke and duchess. Talking and dancing with them was exhausting; they stole your energy.

But there was one handsome but infuriating gentleman who seemed to have his eyes on you all night – Mr Mattheo Riddle, the second eldest son of Viscount Riddle. A gentleman you had met before and were not very fond of. You only knew each other because your mothers were friends but you two couldn’t get along.

In your eyes, he was just an arrogant man who clearly didn’t care about being kind to you or any other human being unless he wanted something. And in his eyes, you were an uptight woman who couldn’t care to have fun in her life – which wasn’t the truth.

Your opinions about each other were filled with prejudices and nothing else. Your friend, Pansy, enjoyed teasing you about it and was almost sure that you and Mr Riddle clearly shared a sort of affection for one another. You, of course, didn’t want to admit it or you weren’t able to realise it yet.

Mr Riddle had watched you all night without daring to step forward and take a chance to speak with you. Until you were eventually freed from your current dance partner and could take a breath.

“Ohhh,” Pansy whispered with a devilish grin and slightly covered her mouth with her gloved hand, “Mr Riddle is making his way towards us.”

“Lady Y/N?” Mr Riddle walked up to you with a mischievous and confident smile and kept his brown eyes on you. You turned your head in his direction to meet his eye and shared a tight, polite smile with the man in front of you, “Yes?”

“May I have this next dance?” He extended his hand to you. You quickly turned your head to Pansy who slightly nodded and smiled friendly at Mr Riddle. You inhaled and cleared your throat. “You may, Mr Riddle,” you placed your hand in his extended one and let him lead you to the dance floor. You didn’t want to cause a scene in front of everyone else – so you only had the chance to agree to the dance.

As you walked to the dance floor, you turned your head back to Pansy and wished your look could kill her in that moment. She briefly wiggled her eyebrows and smirked at you. You rolled your eyes at her and turned back to focus on the upcoming dance with Mr Riddle.

As the musicians began playing the next song, some of the ladies and gentlemen started to watch you closely. The song was slow yet moving. Every lady curtsied, and every gentleman bowed in front of their dance partner, most of them shared fond smiles, while you and Mr Riddle exchanged only tight smiles and stared intensely at each other. Your body was quite tense as you stepped closer to him. The warmth of his palm brushed against yours, sending a subtle shiver through your hand, while you both moved in two circles – your palms continued to touch each other. You both kept your eyes locked on each other in intense stares and tried to stay calm, but those who knew you couldn’t help but notice the tension between you. It was impossible to ignore.

After you made two turns, you repeated the same dance move, this time in the opposite direction. “Is everything okay with you, my Lady?” Mr Riddle asked you quietly, though he didn’t expect an honest answer from you.

“What would you expect, Mr Riddle?” you replied calmly, “I’m having the time of my life.” You didn’t truly mean it, but dancing with him was far more enjoyable than with any other Lord you had danced with that night.

Once the two turns were completed, both of you took a step back but your eyes remained on each other. After a brief pause, you slowly approached one another, your palms hovering just inches apart as the air between you was thick with tension. As you closed the distance, your wrists were slightly wrapped around each other. The slight contact sent a light spark of warmth through your bodies. You stepped away from each other and repeated the same moves – your gazes continued to burn into each other, although they seemed to get a little softer. You placed your hands in his as he held them out to you. You then raised your arm and moved it over his head while keeping your hands together. Thereafter, you turned slightly in his arms and repeated the same dance move, only that he made a small turn instead of you this time. As you repeated this movement for the third time and turned slightly, you remained in his arms wrapped around you while your hands remained connected.

Your skin prickled as you felt his hot breath on your skin. You had expected to entirely hate to be so close to him, but surprisingly, it wasn’t as unbearable as you thought. However, these feelings quickly passed as you noticed his small smirk – you wished you could just slap it out of his face. Together you walked in a few small circles while his arms remained around you. The proximity caused your breath to falter for a brief moment, but you suppressed it – at least tried to.

After your turns with him, you stepped away from each other and locked eyes for a moment. Your lips parted lightly as you felt his gaze on you. Then, you moved closer again and placed your hands on his shoulders while he gently placed his hands on the upper part of your back. He touched you with a gentleness you had never seen of him before – it frightened you because you weren’t familiar with such a side of him. You remained in this position for a few brief moments and danced in small circles, before his hands slid down your arms to take your hands and spin you back into his embrace.

You swallowed as you felt his breath on your skin again. The warmth of his body so close to yours was overwhelming. A mixture of tension and something else you couldn’t name stirred within you. The music slowly faded into the background while your faces were close, and your breaths were one. For a brief moment, you lost yourself in each other’s eyes as you continued to sway to the music.

“I wonder how many dances it would require before you finally can stand my company without the desire to do me harm,” he whispered into your ear with a hoarse voice before he let you go after the music stopped. Your breath slightly hitched in response, but you rolled your eyes and inhaled as you decided not to reply any further.

When the music ended, you and he stepped apart to exchange a curtsy and a bow. You then walked back to Pansy and your brother, who were talking to one another. You were sure that you wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about this dance and the words Mr Riddle whispered into your ear before the dance ended.

“Ohh, there she is!” Pansy clapped her hands and grinned. You saw your brother turn towards you – his lips were in a grin as well, but it was filled with his ever-so-brotherly protectiveness. At the sight of both of them, you rolled your eyes and sighed annoyed.

“Oh, come on, Y/N. Shall we truly believe that you have not at least found the slightest enjoyment in dancing with Mr Riddle?” Pansy sighed and grabbed your hands to squeeze them.

“I did not enjoy it entirely, but it was better than with the Lords I’ve danced with tonight,” you admitted.

Pansy smiled at you and then proudly turned her head to your brother. “See, I told you, my Lord. It is only a matter of time,” she whispered, but you clearly heard every word and furrowed your eyebrows.

“For what precisely, Pansy?”

She sighed and looked back to you, “Until you and Mr Riddle are willing to confess that your hatred is not as deep as you so often claim. Everyone that knows you can see it. And I believe that even strangers can sense it.”

You shook your head and looked away from her. “Stop with these jests. In no world, could I ever not hate Mr Riddle. He…” You groaned and pulled your hands away from your best friend. “Just stop with it, Pansy. And you,” you pointed to your brother with your index finger – your voice was calm but hid a tone of annoyance, “Don’t even think about joining her, brother.” You turned around and walked outside to take a deep breath after your brother nodded.

Your tense shoulders relaxed as soon as you felt the cold and fresh air on your skin, a much-needed change of environment. Near you, you could see a small group of fellow citizens and a few servants – what you didn't notice was that Mr Riddle came towards you and stopped next to you. A respectful and allowed distance was between you but in the eyes of the wrong people it could be seen as improper to even stand alone with one another.

“What a pleasant night, is it not, my Lady?” Mr Riddle cut the silence with a soft-spoken voice, but there was a hidden arrogance in it.

You sighed and kept your gaze to the front. “It was,” you then turned your head towards him – your lips pressed together in a thin line. “Until you asked me to dance.”

He chuckled and turned completely around to face you, and so did you. “I saw how draining it was for you to waste your time with these Lords, Lady Y/N. You can be honest; I’ve saved your night with me asking you to dance.” His cocky smile infuriated you even more than you already were. “Who else could you have been spending your time instead? Mayhap a Lord who has far outlived the finest hours of his life?”

You hated that he was right. He sorts of saved you from all the lords you didn’t want to spend any energy or time on. You would have agreed with Mr Riddle, if it wasn’t him.

“Will you ever stop being so insufferable?” You argued back while you clenched your hands into fists out of anger. How could be a single human being so annoying? “It is truly beyond me how you manage to be so…” You groaned and stopped yourself mid-sentence, knowing that he’d just use it to tease you. You turned your head away and inhaled deeply, hoping he would just leave you alone.

Mr Riddle raised an eyebrow and stepped closer, the closeness was risky, but you didn’t step away. “You may finish your sentence, my Lady.” He wanted to know your true opinion about him, although he already assumed how it might be – though he wished it would be the opposite. Something he’d not even dream about to admit in front of you.

You felt the cold air and his breath mixed on your skin and you deeply inhaled as you looked into each other’s eyes. There was a brief pause between you as you stared at one another. Your heartbeat slightly increased – you weren’t sure of the exact reason. Was it the hatred you claimed to feel for him or was it something entirely else?

You cleared your throat. “I’d rather not, Mr Riddle,” you scoffed, your voice full of contempt and turned around to walk back into the house but stopped after taking a few steps. May he use your next words against you, you couldn’t care less in that very moment. Your anger was too much. “You are the most vexing human being that came across me in all my life. It is truly beyond me how you manage to be so tiresome, Mr Riddle,” you spoke quickly but he heard everything clearly. “I shall wish you a good night,” you finished your sentence after taking another deep breath and turned around to walk back inside.

You left him standing alone in the middle of the porch. With his smirk rubbed off his face as he wondered if he had gone too far this time. Perhaps, your hatred went deeper than he thought. Something he never intended to happen. But what if it could all be something else? Something he couldn’t imagine?

[horrormaestro-aaaaaa]

picture  it ––––––  july  23rd ,  2019.  jackie  torrance  has  just  been  conceptualized.  i  have  no  idea  just  how  impactful  she  will  become.

wooow ,  two  years.  it’s  been  a  ride ,  i’m  not  going  to  lie.  i’ve  had  ups  and  downs ,  friendships  lost  and  friendships  gained.  but  through  it  all ,  i’ve  never  given  up  on  my  brainchild.  she’s  grown  and  evolved  from  a  simple ,   “ what  if  i  made  a  stephen  king  oc? ” ,   to  her  whole  entire  entity  with  a  universe  of  her  own.  it’s  truly  become  the  phrase ,   it’s  x’s  world  and  we’re  all  just  living  in  it.      this  one  thousand  precent  has  become   jackie’s  world.   and  i  am  so  glad  to  be  living  in  it.  jackie  has  become  such  a  huge  fixture  in  my  writing  life  that  after  being  told  time  and  time  again  if  her  story  was  a  book ,  so – and – so  would  read  it ,  i’ve  started  to  conceptualize  an  adaptation  that  can  be   published   one  day  without  being  sued  by  mr.  king.  lmao.

honestly ,  i  would’ve  never  imagined  being   here  with  her  and  having  such  a  positive  feedback  consensus.  so ,  there’s  a  few  people  who  have  been  around  from  the  start  or  has  just  given  so  much  to  myself  and  jackie  that  i  can’t  see  her  being  where  she  is  without  you.  and  i’d  like  to  take  this  moment  to   acknowledge   those  people.

note  :   this  is  going  to  get  long ,  so  i  need  to  put  this  under  the  cut.  i  also  need  to  say  this  isn’t  a  bias  list  or  meant  to  make  anyone  feel  badly.  these  people  have  just  been  absolutely  crucial  to  her  creative  process  and  i  feel  they  deserve  that  acknowledgement  and  thanks.

𝒄𝒂𝒔   ‘ aka ’   @crimefightr  +  @scarfwere      ––––––      before  jackie  was  even  on  a  blog ,  cas  was  here  to  love  her.  we  started  writing  with  her  and  isaac  on  wire  and  telegram.  isaac  was  totally  her  first  ship.  when  i  set  out  to  have  a  female  muse  who   doesn’t   like  any  sort  of  romance  past  sex  that  doesn’t  require  romantic  or  emotional  attachment ,  i  am   so   glad  i  had  you  to  help  me  explore  that  for  her.  you’ve  also  been  just  an  amazing  friend  who  has  been  there  for  me  more  years  than  i  can  recall.  so   thank  you.

𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒖   ‘ aka ’   @einherjcr  +  @rockedspace      ––––––      i  actually   met  you   because  of  jackie.  we  talked  about  this  not  long  ago  and  i  am  so  grateful.  you  improved  my  confidence  in  her  as  a  character ,  her  background  and  lore.  which  means  so  much  to  me  considering  your  own  creative  vision  with  the  kingfisher  lore  and  the  fact  you  have  three ,  now   four   whole  as  characters  stemming  from  one  vision.   so  to  be  complimented  from  you  was  absolutely  everything.  and  now  you’ve  helped  me  develop  an  alternative  timeline  where  she’s  a  single  mom ,  which  realistically  could’ve  happened  but  i   don’t  know   if  i  would’ve  thought  of  it  and  gone  through  with  it  without  your  interest  and  the  concept  of  my  it  verse  with  yourself  and  ash.  as  a  friend  you’ve  been  more  than  i  could  ever  ask  for.  your  selflessness  is  sometimes  a  downfall ,  but  i  try  to  be  there  for  you  although  i   know   i  am  never  there  as  much  as  you  are  for  me.  you  are  so  fucking  generous  and  caring  and  kind.  my  world  would  be   lost   without  you.  so  for  existing  and  allowing  me  to  be  a  part  of  your  life  past  a  fellow  writer?  jesus  fuck ,  just   thank  you.

𝒂𝒔𝒉   ‘ aka ’   @blondemattel  +  @unbelong​      ––––––      so ,  you’ve  become  an  absolute  joy  in  my  life  that  i  never  knew  i  needed.  but  now  that  i’ve  got  you ,  tough  shit  and  good  luck  getting  away.  a   huge  part   of  my  current  and  future  arcs  happened  because  of  you ,  whether  you  think  about  it  and  realize  it  or  not.  when  we  talked  about  andy  and  how  jackie  could  have  an  it  verse ,  she  also  adopted  danny  and  pantu’s  eddie.  which  then  stemmed  the  want  for  a  part  two  section  of  her  life.  she  had  a  child ,  she  wrote  all  these  books ,  she  went  through  hell  losing  danny  and  andy  both.  the  single  mom  then  translated  over  partly  to  her  alternate  timeline.  all  the  books  she  wrote  and  things  she  experienced  +  having  to  eliminate  the  sydney  equation  translated  into  arcs  six ,  seven ,  eight  and  beyond.  i  may  not  have  ever  told  you ,  but  you  have   punched  yourself   permanently  into  who  she  is  and  will  be.  and  that  is   everything   to  me.  just  as  much  as  you’ve  been  integrated  into  jackie’s  lore ,  you’ve  been  fit  into  the  jigsaw  puzzle   ( smirk_emoji  @  the  reference )   of  my  life.  i  adore  you ,  you’re  one  of  my  best  friends.   thank  you   for  always  staying  true  and  staying  you.

lastly ,  someone  more   new   to  jackie’s  story ,  yet   so  fucking  important.

𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒂   ‘ aka ’   @shinedied  +  @arbitaer      ––––––      so ,  this  all  started  from  a  multi  where  jackie  nor  any  sk  muse  existed.  you  let  me  slide  into  your  dms  and  gush  over  our  mutual  love  of  the  torrance  family.  i’ve  always  felt  weird  approaching  torrance  muses  with  jackie  until  i  know  the  mun  because  she   is   such  a  canon  affiliated  muse.  not  everyone  is  comfortable  about  familial  original  characters  to  their  canon  muses.  but  you  gave  me  a  chance ,  you  looked  at  her  blog ,  and  at  a  time  where  i  really  needed  someone ,  you  didn’t  even  know  it  but  your  interest  and  willingness  to  write  with  her   gave  me  hope   that  continuing  with  jackie  after  losing  someone  i  cared  for ,  was  the  right  decision.  you  and  i  don’t  write  ic  nearly  enough ,  but  the  massive  amount  of  talking  ooc  we’ve  done  about  daniel  and  his  cousin  have  warmed  my  heart  so  damn  much.  you’ve  helped  me  develop  her  relationship  with  dan  so  much  more  than  i  originally  had.  fuck ,  you  even  made  me  know  just  how  much  he  has  her  back  by  having  him  want  to  go  to  ‘salem’s  lot  with  her  to  kill  syd.  you’ve  allowed  me  to  just  know  and  explore  the  climax  of  her  story —   finding  her  family ,  getting  sober ,  and  getting  back  to  living.  that’s  just  so  important  to  me.  you  have  no  idea.

but  writing  aside ,  you’ve  been  so  sweet.  you’re  someone  who  i  trust ,  someone  i  know  i  can  confide  in  without  judgement.  we’ve  recently  spoke  about  this  as  well.  but  i  just  think  it’s  just  mind – boggling  how  i’d  never  reached  out  to  you  before  you  followed  that  multi.  because  you’re  such  an  awesome  person.  you  care  so  much  about  the  people  you  let  in ,  you’ve  lifted  me  up  and  supported  me  when  others  didn’t.  you’ve  never  judged  me  for  things  irl  that  people  i  thought  were  ‘ friends ’  were  all  too  eager  to  slam  me  for.  you’ve  just   been  there   for  me  and  that’s  all  i  could  ever  ask  for  in  a  friend.  you   truly   are  the  dan  to  my  jackie.  i  just  hope  we’re  a  little  less  fucked  up  than  them.  ; )

[wondersofdreaming]

Te in perpetuum et unum diem amabo

Title meaning: ‘Te in perpetuum et unum diem amabo’ translated: I will love you forever and a day

Characters: Chris Evans x female reader

Word count: 1.356

Warnings: Fluff, very fluffy

Author’s note: Written for @thefanficfaerie’s ‘Heather’s life in song’ challenge.

I do not own any of the characters in this short story besides the reader, who is a figment of my imagination.

Song chosen: ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ by Savage Garden

MASTERLIST

Feedback is appreciated.

“Sweetie, that’s the wrong spot. It’s supposed to go here.” You told your boyfriend. You pointed to the hole in the shelving unit you had bought at IKEA.

You had moved into his house a week earlier, but as you were unpacking all your things, you noticed that you needed more shelving for your books. Chris had nearly keeled over when he saw how many books you actually owned. A whooping of more than one thousand books. He had wanted to turn one of his spare rooms into a library for you, but you couldn’t wait for him to have enough time to build the shelving system you dreamed of, so Kallax from IKEA had to do for now.

“You wanna do it?” He asked with his signature sexy smile. He was teasing you. You could see the challenge in his blue eyes. You lifted one of your eyebrows and accepted the challenge by taking the screwdriver from him. As a woman, you wanted to prove that you could do anything he could, and the Scandinavian in you were too damn stubborn to let him win, so you collected all the pieces together all by yourself, while Chris was walking Dodger.

Chris was watching you put your books into the holes of the shelving system when he came back. You arranged them in genres, then in the author’s last name, then in publication date. You were very meticulous about your books, they had to be sorted in your system and no one else’s. Chris had learned that the hard way when he had borrowed one of your Japanese cookbooks and put it back between some fantasy books. You had at first moved it back and told him not to mess with your books, and to remember to put it back in its rightful place. He had chuckled and said that it was just a book. Oh boy, had he been wrong. You had told him that your books meant more to you than anything else you owned. Your books were like your children, in the not so weird and creepy way, they brought you comfort during the hard times, the sad times, the lonely times and even during the happy times. They were there to lead your thoughts away from missing Chris when he was abroad filming, or when he was sleeping in, you would go out to the backyard with a cup of coffee and read.

You turned around as Dodger ran towards you, wanting attention. You sat down on the floor with a box of photographs beside you as you put the eager dog in your lap. Petting his chest just the way he liked it. His tail was thumping on the hardwood floor.

“Look buddy, this is from the time your daddy and I went to Switzerland to go skiing.” You said and showed Dodger a photo of you and Chris in snowsuits, heavy winter boots, wearing thick gloves, matching puff ball hats and ski goggles. You were carrying your skis and he, his snowboard. He had asked the ski instructor to take a picture of you. It had been a perfect sunny day in the Alps, on top of a mountain, and a long way down. You had been lucky none of you had broken a leg.

“That trip was for our one-year anniversary.” Chris gushed excitedly and sat down next to you.

“It sure was. We should do that more often, go on trips together, and bring this little doggie so he doesn’t feel abandoned.” You giggled and put the photo in front of your biography books.

Chris chuckled and pulled out another photo. It was of the two of you again, this time he was carrying you in his arms, standing in the ocean. You were both laughing. You remembered that picture, a minute after Charlie; your brother, the professional photographer; had taken the photo, Chris had dropped you into the cold water.

“Christopher Robert Evans! You will pay for this!” You spluttered. Water dripping from your hair into your eyes. You started stalking him as a preying lioness. He laughed as he moved further out into the ocean with you closing in on him. He wanted to get caught, you could see it in his smile. You tackled him, but being he was fit and solid muscles from his workout as Captain America, he didn’t budge, more like you fell backwards into the water.

“And this is from that beach day with our families in Hawaii.” You put that photo together with the self-help books.

“What else you’ve got in here?” Chris asked as he started pulling out more photos. There were photographs of your family, more of you and him, his family, Dodger, your friends, but the one that caught his eye was at the bottom of the box. He collected a red frame with the letters ‘LOVE’ engraved at the bottom. The selfie was you and him lying on an air mattress out in the woods. You were kissing his bearded cheek, and he wore a big goofy smile. You had been dating a few months at that time. He had arranged for you to go camping, out in the middle of nowhere. You had been skeptical in the beginning but relented in the end, to make him happy. All you wanted was to see his beautiful smile, and as you snuggled with him on the mattress looking at the stars, you felt the serenity and the calming effects of the woods seeping into your soul.

“Y/N? You asleep?” He had whispered. You had shaken your head no. He turned, so you were face to face. You could sense the seriousness coming from him. He caressed your cheek with his thumb. He took a deep breath before leaning in to kiss you. It was sweet, turned passionate, as he pulled you closer.

“I love you.” He murmured against your connected lips.

That was the first time you had admitted your love for one another. It had been perfect.

“This might be the first photograph of us.” You admired and put the photo on the shelve with survival guidebooks.

“And hopefully not the last.”

Later that evening you went for a walk in the park closest to your new home. The sky was full of blinking stars. Then you saw a shooting star.

“Hurry Chris, make a wish!” You exclaimed and closed your eyes. Your wish: to be with Chris forever. As you opened your eyes and turned around, you found your boyfriend on his knee, an open ring box in his hand. The ring was magnificent. A golden band with a solitaire diamond, a simple but elegant design.

“Y/N, I am truly, madly, deeply, intensely, passionately, fiercely, inexplicably, eternally, unconditionally in love with you. I will climb mountains, swim through the ocean, collect all the stars in the sky for you. I will walk through fire, earth, water, and air for you. I will move heaven and hell for you. And to quote that song by Savage Garden you like so much: ‘I’ll be your dream. I’ll be your wish. I’ll be your fantasy. I’ll be your hope. I’ll be your love. I’ll be everything that you need.’ Will you please make me the happiest man alive and marry me?”

“Actually, it goes: ‘I’ll be your love, be everything that you need. I’ll love you more with every breath, truly madly deeply do.” You teased him.

“Just answer him, for Pete’s sake!” You heard your brother yell from behind some bushes.

You rolled your eyes.

“Yes, I’ll marry you, love.” You said with reassurance, a smile tugging at the corners of your mouth.

“You had me worried there for a second.” Chris whispered as he pushed the ring on your finger.

“Then don’t mess up the lyrics to my favourite song.”

He pulled you in for a kiss as a camera flashed behind you. Charlie kept taking photos, until he was satisfied, he had gotten the perfect shot.

“Te in perpetuum et unum diem amabo.” You said.

”I will love you forever and a day.” Chris translated.

[comicteaparty]

February 15th-February 21st, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from February 15th, 2020 to February 21st, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

If a company wanted to publish your comic or adapt it for animation or games, how willing would you be to change the story if requested to do so?

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

That's such a tough question just because it's such a goal for so many creators, and yet a potential threat to their creativity in a sense. As always, it will depend on what exactly would be changed in order for such a project to be given approval. If it has to do with censoring LGBTQ+ content, changing race for 'marketability' purposes and the like, or erasing a specific topic integral to the plot with relation to politics- then it's a no go. There are plenty enough watered down media that doesn't stretch itself with diversity those companies can have and the subtext they pepper in to stay relevant, def something i find irksome with todays media (its 2020 guys !!) But if it's maybe cutting a chapter that acts like filler, or adding a character ( so long as it is plot relevant) i could take that into consideration! I actually take some time to imagine what Ghost Junk would be in a diff form of media and usually in those scenarios, things change to fit the way its being presented! A video game will differ more than an anime adaptation for sure, so long as the original intent and impact is kept, i would definitely consider some change!

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

If I ever had the opportunity to pass my work off to a whole other team for an adaptation, I think I would take great joy in leaving them completely to it - barring a few obvious issues like race changes, gender/sexuality changes, and... changing the entire story to the point where it's unrecognizable. I love seeing reinterpretations of my work, and I understand that every adaptation would need changes of some form. My words and art aren't gospel - I'm open to any change if it improves the whole product. Whatever it takes to translate the material in the best way, which keeps the original message intact, is all good by me.

Changes in the actual comic would be harder to make - and I'd be far less comfortable with them, to be honest - but I wouldn't fight them if they obviously made the story/characters stronger. I've already added in ideas and reorganized plot threads based on reader feedback - luckily the story still has some places where it can bend. So long as a publisher took my basic story seriously, and aimed to remold it rather than remake it - I'd be down for a discussion. Hopefully a reputable publisher would know how best to sell my work, and would aim to make it as good as possible while maintaining integrity - I would try to trust them

chalcara

Comic stays mine, won‘t be changed beyound perhaps some professional line edits and polish. There’s a reason I didn’t shop it around as a graphic novel. I’d actually like that eitherway, would love to get myself a professional editor when I have the money. Adaptions can go nuts, provided the main characters stay true to their comic versions and the woman-loves-woman storyline stays in.

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

For the story to be told in another medium I would be pretty game for it to change the story a bit. Already now we are changing the story from how we made as a campaign. Makeing it more streamlined and more precise. I wanted originally that our comic could be a TV show. I come from a background of a character animator so that would make sense for me. So seeing it animated would be awesome! There would be some designs that needed to change to fit animation better.

Like Andree has this texture in his skin that needed to go away. But seeing it animated would be awesooome

Deo101 [Millennium]

I think if my Characters stay in Character, then I'm fine with changing pretty much any of the plot or world things. But the Character dynamics and who they are as people is what matters most to me, and I'm not sure I would be willing to sacrifice that. With some of my stories I'd be willing to completely let go of the reins, and with others I definitely want a tighter grip, too.

sagaholmgaard

Agree with the thing about character dynamics. My stories always stem from the characters' relationships and how they evolve, so I'd like for the essence of that to stay. Otherwise I'm pretty loose about the plot itself. Because I have an education in game development, I would totally be down for my comic being adapted into a story driven game of some sort. I'd be okay with changing the story to favor the game mechanics, like putting certain magic abilities in the focus and turning certain scenes into gameplay (like when they're sneaking around or fighting). As long as my handful of core emotional moments come across, I'm pretty happy to change things.

Tuyetnhi

I agree with the character dynamics too. I don't feel comfortable if they change the character backgrounds along with it as well for er what Krispy said for "Markability". That stuff won't fly with me. Comic stuff stay the same but for adaptations, I want to make sure it has similar story beats even if there's a change on few details. Tbh I could totally see er....a visual novel game happening in my comic since that's what my original intention was going for. still at the end I really don't intend my comic to transend other mediums since i'm planning to self publish the story someday lol.

kayotics

I’d be pretty willing to change stuff, actually. I’d want to be pretty involved in whatever adaptation was being made in this hypothetical, but I know that more people can make for stronger work. On the other hand, too many cooks can make for some pretty watered down soup, which is why I’d want to have a large role in things so some of the core stuff doesn’t get changed. But as it is, I’m not married to any ideas that exist in my comic, and am pretty welcome to changes.

DanitheCarutor

If the changes were to benefit the story than I wouldn't mind, if they were going to change everything to make it appealing to the masses than no. Definitely not if they want to mess with the characters since how they are play a major role in the comic. I've got a really specific story I'm trying to tell, so I'm very stingy on changes. If anything I'd be more open to a company making a spin-off or something not totally related to the main story, as long as it's not a complete bastardization. Other than free advertising and the brand name, I don't really see how getting published would benefit me anyway? I'm already in the process of rescanning and re-editing the first four chapters of my comic for self-publishing, if I really wanted to adapt it into an animation I would just do it myself. Along with teaching myself whatever else I needed to get as little help as possible. Sure, I have no experience but it's not like I can't learn, there are classes and free tutorials all over the internet. I've always wanted to get into animating. I can't imagine my comic being adapted into game, what would it even be? An anti-dating sim? An interactive novel? An Apollo drinking simulator?

Capitania do Azar

I WANT A BEAT THEM UP JUST RUN IN ONE DIRECTION KICK EVERYONE

eli [a winged tale]

The dream is a studio ghibli adaption but that won’t be happening I would want to vet the studio/company proposing the adaption and ensure that we are a good fit. I echo what many of you have said about the integrity of the characters and heart of the story. There are a lot of secrets that will come to unravel as the comic progresses and I hope the publisher will be accepting of them. I will be happy to have a conversation on why these structural changes are there and why I think it’s important to allow them to reach a wider audience. That said, I am also eager to see how they would themselves interpret the story and I will give creative freedom to that. Again, it’s a dream and while I would love to direct my own film, I simply don’t have the resources to do it (at this time). https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE3ODQ3MzIzMTM3NjY4MDA0?igshid=15bnlhamdu3tn&story_media_id=2149085305360952847

Capitania we should just have a super smash bros of all our comic characters

renieplayerone

I think like a lot of people here have already said, Im not changing anyones race, gender identity or sexuality. Otherwise? I'd be really curious what someone else's perspectives could bring to my work if it ever got adapted. I have ideas for comics that are written like they could be movies too, but idk. Its fun trying to write thinking of other mediums

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Im pretty much in the same camp of make changes as it makes sense, but stay true to the core. In the case of a live action thing being made of my story, I would actually be super ok with a POC actor filling the role of any of the white presenting characters. Or actors with different body shapes that what I'd originally draw. More diversity in film is always good

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

outside of censorship, I would be fine with most story changes? with that said, good luck lol. there are very few scenes I think can be cut out of the story without supremely messing up later scenes. every magic ability on-screen is important in some way, a bunch of random background characters end up coming back & getting way more focus later on, etc. add filler, sure, but there's really not much you can cut out without messing up the entire story down the line.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I'm pretty open to the idea of changing some details to fit a different medium better. The big thing that I wouldn't want changed in Whispers of the Past (https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/whispers-of-the-past/list?title_no=191366) is the characters' races. Since the story explores the idea of culture-shock and cultural identity, and the races/cultures are integral to world-building, it would be stupid the change the characters' appearances/races willy nilly. And besides, we don't want what happened to Eragon or Percy Jackson when they became movies. Congratulations on completely killing a franchise But yeah, as long as races and major plot details aren't changed too much, I'm really open to adjusting things. As an example, cutting out smexy times or making the language a bit friendlier to a wide audience, fine by me. But changing Kelan to a blacksmith instead of a farmer... Why???? I would need a good reason to do something like that. (I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU, ERAGON! WHY WAS RORAN JOINING THE ARMY RANDOMLY, INSTEAD OF BECOMING A MILLER? ISN'T THE ARMY WORKING FOR THE EVIL KING WHO TAXES THEM HEAVILY? EXPLAIN THIS TO ME.) I'm actually pretty scared about the whole race thing. I mean, Hollywood also ruined The ]

if the adaptation is Bad I can always just, like, disown it lmao

Deo101 [Millennium]

clearly im the one with the ideas here B) soo

LMAO yea

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

If it was being published as a comic, I don’t think I’d be willing to change too much- though that would depend a great deal in what kind of change. Cleaning up some wonky dialogue? That would probably be fine. Censorship? Absolutely not. Changing my LGBTQ+ characters’ gender / orientation to appeal to the mainstream? Really absolutely not. If being adapted to a different medium, I’d be much more willing to change things around, but would still insist my minority characters not change their identities. But I understand that as far as plot goes, different mediums call for different approaches. I’m planning on writing my comics as novels someday, and will be taking a much different approach to them. The plots will definitely be altered a great deal to better fit being written in prose.(edited)

AntiBunny

It honestly depends on what the changes were. There's a fair amount I'd change myself. A few core things I'd certainly not change though.

In AntiBunny http://AntiBunny.net/ for instance I could see some people missing the point of Penelope's character being a pacifist and wanting to make her some kind of badass, as if the only kind of strength there is comes from violence. I wouldn't remove the question of Pooky's gender, as in order to ask the question of "what is identity" I stripped Pooky of everything including even a mental construct of gender.

Some things I would change though. Likely I would cut the first two chapters and start at the 3rd when the plot actually gets moving. So demands for a faster flowing plot I could certainly meet. I'd probably cut few extra characters from the cast to streamline things a bit.

So yes for the purposes of streamlining things I'd make changes. I wouldn't make changes that would go against the entire point of the cahracters though.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Oh, a conversation in #general reminded me of something else regarding adapting Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R - If the comic is to be adapted with no changes at all, it'd be a legal nightmare. Off the top of my head, these are properties that have been directly stated in dialogue - - Yahtzee - Risk - Mario Kart - Settlers of Catan - Pokemon - Disney's Frozen I don't think you could technically get in trouble for any of those? It's not like anything copyrighted was shown on screen, it's just characters talking about things they've seen before. But a publisher would probably want to play it safe and avoid that. Also... the NFL might get mad at the publisher if the gang names in Cunoze City aren't changed? Like I don't ever say the team location, so technically full team names are never used... but again, it's probably best to play it safe.

Desnik

I'd be pretty flexible with changes, but if I have to take out demons to appeal to the Evangelical Christian states of America then obvs that's not going to work out

(And you wouldn't think that'd be a Thing to this day, but apparently it's been sort of this unspoken rule in book publishing since the Satanic Panic of the 80's in the US)

Some changes I'd be okay with: Adjusting ages of characters to appeal to target demographics, removing scenes that are difficult to draw, tweaking characters to be either more or less horrible depending on their role in the story

FeatheryJustice

I will be flexible to a point and the limit of this point is pretty align to my morals. If the editor tells me to include some weird things like "You must have a scene where this guy licks the curtains" I would also be like "What is the point of this scene."(edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

“Your protagonist must fight a giant spider in the third act.”

Deo101 [Millennium]

I mean, if you bring up giant spiders in the first act... well...

Q (Wayfinders: Off Course)

Turn it around: if your protag must fight spiders in the third act, well, time to bring in the spiders in the first..?

AntiBunny

The more I think of it, the more I realize that the most likely thing I'd be asked to change in AntiBunny is to either tone down the violence and grimdark for kids, or make it even raunchier to appeal to the "mature" (not mature at all) animation market (Seth McFarlane's audience).

My own comic keeps it rather PG-13, but there's not much market for animation in that field, at least in America. Seems like it's all either kid friendly stories where no one dies or if they do it's off screen (people get shot and stabbed in my comic) or there's the opposite with dropping F bombs every other line and filling it with sex jokes.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Hey, I mean, never say never. Off the top of my head, Futurama and the Samurai Jack revival were both western cartoons that I'd put solidly in PG-13 territory. Both shows were able to go adult when they needed to be, but they didn't take that as a blank check to go into "rated R" territory for the shock of it.

[blastron01]

Ascendance of a Bookworm – 052

Freida's Baptismal Ceremony

Translator's note: After soliciting feedback from some people more familiar with Germanic naming conventions than I am, I'm going back and making changes to how I'm spelling certain names. Older chapters will be updated when I get time to do so.

Maine is now Maïne. Her name is supposed to be pronounced as "mine" (one syllable, like the English word), and I was basically deluding myself into believing that's how people were pronouncing it. Maybe an umlaut will fix it.

Tory is now Tuuli. (A mistake I've regretted since chapter 5 but have been too lazy to fix.)

Yutte is now Jutte. The J is pronounced as a Y. It's German.

It's very lively outside the bedroom door when I awake. A servant girl―not Jutte but somebody else―sits next to the door, waiting for me to wake up. She looks very youthful, probably not even twenty years old yet, and she gives off a very friendly air. When I get down off the bed and push the unexpectedly heavy canopy curtain aside, she looks over at me with a brilliant smile.

"Good morning," she says. "How are you feeling?" "It seems like my fever has gone down," I reply, "but I can't say that I'm fully recovered, so today I'd like to rest quietly until my family comes to pick me up."

She chuckles wryly.

"There was quite a stir at dinner yesterday! When the dessert came out and the young mistress told the table that she and you had made it, the entire family wanted to meet you. They were quite excited, saying that they absolutely want you to work in our shop."

Wait, wait, lady, this isn't a laughing matter, you know? Did I somehow manage to narrowly save myself from certain death by going to sleep when I did? Should I just hide away in here for the rest of the day?

As soon as she said "your future is secure if you work at our shop", I realized that even she was trying to get her hands on me, putting me on my guard.

I look over at the door. "Ummm," I say, trying to change the subject, "it really is noisy out there, isn't it..."

"Ahh," she replies, her smile widening. "The young mistress has finished breakfast already and is in the middle of getting dressed. Miss Maïne, when you get dressed yourself, I'll guide you to the dining room." "Um, I'm really sorry to bother you like this, but might you be able to bring me my breakfast in this room? I'm still not fully recovered, so I don't need very much, and I'm nervous about meeting people for the first time. I'll lose my appetite, so..."

To be honest, since I skipped dinner, I'm actually pretty hungry. However, having met Freida and the guild leader, I can guess that the rest of the family is just as diabolical. Just thinking about being surrounded by those people while trying to eat my breakfast makes my stomach ache. I don't think I'd be able to get anything down.

"Heh heh," she chuckles, "Understood, miss. I'll bring your breakfast here."

After the servant girl brings out and helps me change into some of Freida's old clothes, she leaves the room. As soon as I'm alone, I collapse to the ground, head clutched in my hands.

Oh crap. Something weird is happening. I knew that the guild leader and Freida had their eyes set on me, but why does the rest of the family want me now, too? Is it because of the pound cake? But, they have sugar here, so they have sweet things, right? There was that one sweet they brought out for me before, that pizza-like thing baked with nuts and drizzled with honey, right?

This really isn't something I actually want to think about, but if sugar has only just started appearing on the market, then the art of making sweets might not be well-developed yet... that can't be what's happening, right?

As I lay there, head still in my hands, I hear the footsteps of the servant girl coming back with my breakfast. I quickly stand up and, with a careful nothing's-going-on-here expression, go to greet her.

"Please enjoy your meal," she says.

It looks like they figured out my tastes exactly after yesterday's breakfast. There's white bread with jam and honey, paired with juice from some sort of sweet fruit. There's not as much soup, but there's a proper full portion of bacon and eggs for me.

Under these keenly observing eyes, it feels like my weak points will be found out in an instant.

"Thank you for the food," I say, and start eating.

I feel like, once breakfast is finished, I should stay hidden in this room, claiming to still not be feeling well, until my family comes to pick me up. The guild leader and Freida are menacing enough as it is; I can't face an entire family like that myself. I desperately wish that I could summon Benno and Lutz.

As I slowly eat my breakfast by myself, thinking about how I'm going to deal with what comes after this, Jutte bursts into the room.

"Good morning, Maïne. How are you feeling this morning?"

She's very hurried for someone coming in to ask me how I'm doing. I get the impression that I should keep my answer to just the bare facts, so I put down my bread and give her a foolishly honest answer.

"My fever's gone down, you know?" "Might I ask you for your assistance with the young mistress's hair? I would like for you to show me how to put in her hairpins." "...Sure, but can I finish my breakfast first, please?"

I can probably count showing her how to use them as warranty service for a product I've made. I'm probably not doing this because I'm being too eager too help, or because Jutte's staring at me strangely.

I finish my breakfast relatively quickly and then head for Freida's room, guided by Jutte. Her room is on the third floor. From what Jutte says, it seems the second floor is for the guild leader's generation, while the third floor is for is sons' and grandchildren's generations. Since the two floors are tied together by an indoor staircase and everyone takes their meals together, it doesn't really feel like it's two separate houses, though.

"Mistress Freida, I've brought Maïne to see you." "Please, come in!"

In Freida's room, near the door, is a standing partition. If it were to be turned around, it could be used to section off the room into something like a parlor, so in one corner there is a canopy bed, and opposite that is a set of shelves that reminds me of a writing desk. In the middle of the room is a small table with a few chairs set around it. The curtains on the windows and the canopy are all done in girlish reds and pinks, but there are no dolls or accessories anywhere in the otherwise simple room.

Today, hairpins and several combs are lined up atop the table. Freida sits at one of the chairs, her hair combed out. With her pink, fluffy hair let down and carefully combed out, she looks almost like a life-sized doll.

"Good morning, Maïne. You feeling better?" "Morning, Freida. My fever's gone down, but I'm still not totally better yet, I think."

In other words, I can't do too much. When I give her my honest description of my condition, her expression clouds a bit, and her eyes drop.

"Oh. Sorry to call you up here. I thought that since you were the one to make your sister's hairpin, you might have been the one to style her hair, were you not?" "That's right, so...?" "Do you think you could give me the same style, please?"

Tuuli's hairstyle involved bringing both sides of her hair together in the center and braiding them together in a half-up style. That kind of style wouldn't suit Freida, but since I went through all that trouble for making two hairpins, and since pigtails are cute, I think the best style for her would be twintails.

"Hmmm, well, since I made two hairpins, instead of doing exactly the same thing, let's do it in two parts. I'm going to braid it, okay?" "I'll leave it to you!" "Please, teach me as well," says Jutte, her eyes glittering.

I use a comb to separate Freida's hair into halves, then start braiding one half of it together over her right ear, explaining what I'm doing to Jutte as I go.

"Gather it up from here, then match it to this, and then twist it like this to make the plait." "Gather it up from here, then I match it to this, and... like this?"

Jutte takes the left side and, carefully observing what I'm doing, starts to braid. As expected of someone used to working with her hands, she's very skilled. Since my hands are small, though, and since I am by no means handy, no matter what I try to do the braids keep slipping out of my fingers and coming loose. Tuuli's hair is naturally wavy, so even if a braid is a little bit sloppy and a bit too loose here and there, that in and of itself just adds to the overall grand impression, but the quality of Freida's hair means that any such mistakes would just immediately stand out.

"Since you picked it up so quickly," I tell Jutte, "I think it would be best for you to do both sides. My hands are small, so it's hard for me to gather up all the hair." "It certainly does seem like it would be difficult to try this with hands as small as yours. Very well, I'll braid the other side as well."

Having already learned how after the first braid, Jutte sets to work, smoothly braiding the other side. Perhaps it's because she's working with hair she's used to the feel of, but she leaves no holes or gaps as she works. Because Freida's hair was so cleanly divided by the comb, it's parted very neatly, unlike when I'd done Tuuli's hair.

...Nngh, it really hurts to see my own unskillfulness on display like this.

"I'd be much happier if I'd had just a bit more time to practice, but..."

Jutte mutters fretfully to herself as she looks at Freida's done-up hair. My eyes go wide as I notice how intensely she's reacting, and Freida chuckles wryly, with a troubled expression.

"You know," she says to me, "Jutte said that she really wanted to talk with you yesterday evening so that she could spend all night practicing." "Ahh, and then I got tired and went to bed early, so... I'm sorry!"

As I try to apologize for having caused her trouble by my feebleness, Jutte quickly shakes her head.

"Don't worry about it at all. It's your condition, you couldn't help it. I was just thinking... if I had known how to do this earlier, I could have done the young mistress up even more prettily."

Oh my, I see. Her hobby is dressing up Freida, is it? She is as cute as a life-sized doll. I understand perfectly! I, too, got fired up over making her hairpins.

Next, when Jutte finishes with the braids over Freida's ears, I carefully insert my masterpiece hairpins through the string binding them together and arrange them so they won't fall off.

Since there are four deep red miniature roses, no matter if you look at her from the front, the side, or the back, you can always see at least one flower. The way the spray of white baby's-breath is set against her light pink hair makes the tiny flowers look like white lace, making the red of the roses stand out even more. The green leaves that peek out here and there accentuate everything very nicely.

"Yep," I say, "even better than I thought! These match you perfectly, Freida." "You look quite adorable, Miss Freida," says the servant girl who had helped me get dressed earlier, while Jutte brings over the garments that Freida will be wearing today.

Freida stands up, and the servant girl takes the chair away. Immediately, every person in the room transitions into clothes-changing mode, and I hurriedly get out of the way. Freida raises one arm, onto which a sleeve is quickly placed; when she raises the other, it's also sleeved much the saem way. Several people button down the buttons and tie up the strings, as Freida gets dressed without doing anything but standing there. I let out an amazed breath, watching the kind of princess-like dressing scene you'd only see in books or movies.

If it weren't for everyone's many years of experience, this wouldn't be going anywhere near as well. Not only do the servants need to know how to dress her, but Freida also needs to know how to be dressed, otherwise things wouldn't go smoothly at all. If I were in the middle of that, me trying to raise and lower my arms would just end up with me hitting someone I can't see, I think.

Freida, still in the middle of getting dressed, looks over at me, smiling brilliantly.

"Maïne, if you'd like, do you want to try watching the procession from this room? The windows in here were made specially to let me see outside better."

The windows of the guest room I had been in had wavy glass in them, but the glass in the windows here, in Freida's room, the glass is perfectly flat, making it easy to look at the scenery outside. It wouldn't be any exaggeration to say that watching the ceremonial procession through the windows here as it advances towards the temple would be like having a prime box seat.

"Can I?"

I glance back and forth between Freida and the windows. She smiles broadly at me.

"Yes, of course! If you're afraid to be here by yourself I can have Jutte stay with you."

I would indeed be uncomfortable staying in someone's room while they were away, so Freida's suggestion is most welcome.

"That would be really helpful, thanks." "Certainly," says Jutte, "I would be happy to accompany you."

Jutte's face immediately lights up, probably from hearing that she can watch from this window. It can't be helped that she'd want to watch her mistress Freida go out in her finest clothes, and if Freida has her stay with me, she'll be able to see her in all her glory.

"Thanks, Freida," I say. "I'll watch from here."

It seems like all of the dressing-up work, down to the boots, was finished while we were talking. The two servants who were crouched in front of her feet smoothly stand up and take a step back.

"Miss Freida, we're all finished." "And nothing's out of place, I wonder?" she replies.

Freida, completely done up, turns slowly on the spot. Her outfit is white, with fluffy, warm furs around her neck. It's embroidered here and there with bright red and pinks, matching both her hair and her hairpins.

"Well," she says, "this seems cute." "Whoa, amazing, amazing!" I enthuse. "Freida, that looks really good on you!" "Miss Freida," says a servant, "I've brought your family to see you."

It seems that as we were praising her, the rest of her family had been told that she was done getting ready and had come here to see. The first person to step out from around the screen is the guild leader.

"Oh, Freida! You look magnificent. Wearing such beautiful flowers during the winter's baptismal ceremonies, you look like an angel... no, a goddess of the blooming spring! You are truly lovely. As expected of my granddaughter!" "These hairpins you bought for me really suit me, don't they?" she says, smiling, lightly touching her hairpins. A broad grin splits the guild leader's face. "They really do. Your delighted smile is worth more than anything in the world."

The rest of the family starts to enter, one by one, as if they had been waiting for the guild leader to get enough praise in before interrupting.

"Whoa, Freida. That look really suits you." "Out of all the girls I know... you're the cutest!"

Two young boys, about the same age—probably about ten or ten and a half years old—start to praise Freida.

...Huh? A little while ago I was thinking that maybe Freida wasn't used to being praised like this, but these two boys seem to be acting like giving her compliments is no big deal, hm?

I tilt my head questioningly to the side as Freida looks up at her older brothers with a troubled expression, like she couldn't believe that she was being praised.

"...Why are the both of you here?" "Why? It's Earth Day, so we're off from work. Didn't we say we'd be here to celebrate with everyone?" "I'd heard, but until now I've never seen anything come from words like that, so I didn't think you'd really be here this time."

...Wow, so these brothers don't keep their promises. With that kind of uncertainty, she might be convinced that their compliments were just empty words too.

The brothers, perhaps because they noticed Freida's distrust, instantly grow pale and start coming up with various excuses. While they do that, a married couple wanders over, completely ignoring the situation and overlooking the two children.

"Amazing, those hairpins." "Yes, I want some for myself! How splendid they are."

As I watch the chaotic family gathering unfold, suddenly, the guild leader leans down, thrusting his face in front of me.

"Ah, Maïne!"

Crap! I'd been planning to lock myself in my room so that I wouldn't have to meet these people!

The guild leader, not at all caring that I stepped back with a squeak, clasps my hands tightly, moved to tears.

"You've done so well. I must thank you, Maïne. This is the first time I've ever seen Freida so happy with something I've bought for her to wear. Just like you said, her delighted face is worth so, so much more than her surprise." "I... I'm very glad you're pleased, I put a lot of effort into it."

Eeeeeek! Save meeee, Bennooo!!

"There aren't many other people around here who understand these feelings. From now on, when I buy a gift for Freida, I'll consult with you first! Incidentally, Maïne, there's one thing I wanted to ask you about... guh?!"

With a jerk, the guild leader is pushed away. For a moment, I'm grateful for my rescue, but it really is only for the briefest moment. The guild leader is suddenly replaced by many faces, crowding in to see me all at once.

"You must be little Maïne, aren't you? I've heard so much about you from Father and Freida." "Yes, umm—"

As I start to try to properly introduce myself to Freida's father, I'm spun around to face someone else. I blink quickly to reorient myself, and see Freida's mother in front of me.

"Thanks for making friends with Freida. She's been having so much fun lately and is smiling a lot more. As her mother, I'm really quite grateful!" "Th... the pleasure is all m—"

As I start to try to express my own gratitude, her two older brothers shove themselves in front of me.

I beg of you! Just give me a second to get a response out! ...Ack, too close! Your face is too close!

I'm panicked to the point where my voice doesn't come out at all. I freeze up, my eyes darting back and forth uselessly. The brothers, without any reservation, poke at me and pat my head.

"Huhhh, so this is Maïne? I'd only heard stories, but she really does exist, huh. I guess she's not made up after all." "She's supposedly been here for a few days, but this is the first we're seeing her, isn't it? Maïne, your mouth's just flapping, you know?"

"She really does exist," he says, like I'm some kind of rare monster with a low spawn rate, or some mythical beast?!

"You two, isn't it about time to go? Let's head downstairs. Give Maïne a little space."

The one who reached out to save me from being crushed was Freida. Today, she really is a goddess.

"Yes, yes," I say, slowly trying to back away. "It would be really bad if you were late, so it would be best for you to get going, you know?"

One of the brothers firmly grabs my right arm, and the other catches my left hand.

"Let's go together, Maïne. Come celebrate Freida's baptism with us." "Ah, no, I was just going to stay here and..." "You're a guest of the family, it shouldn't be a problem if you come out with us." "Right, right! Celebrations are more fun when there's lots of people, after all."

I, both arms firmly captured, shake my head frantically, but this overbearingly pushy family doesn't hear a word of my complaints.

Is this genetic?! Does the guild leader's family have a doesn't-listen-to-people gene?!

Out of all of the people here smilingly watching on as my wishes are completely ignored, Freida is the only one who sighs and scolds her brothers.

"You two, if she gets sick again because you push her around too much, I'll get scolded too, you know? Maïne has the same devouring fever I do, please don't make her do too much. Her family's coming to get her this afternoon, but if her fever comes back or she faints then that'll be a problem." "But, we finally get to meet her. We just want to make friends, right?" "She's still not feeling well, so we've decided that she's going to stay in this room and watch the ceremony from the windows here instead. She can't go outside. I'm sure she wants to go outside, but..."

It seems that she's evoking images of herself, not able to go outside because nobody knows when she might collapse from the devouring, enviously watching the world pass by her window. Her older brothers instantly look much more serious, and they let go of my arms.

"Now, everyone," says Jutte. "The bell is about to ring. The young mistress must go outside to make her debut."

At her word, the rest of the family gathers up around Freida, then quickly bustles off, leaving me with the impression that I just watched the passing of a hurricane. It looks like it really was the right decision to not have breakfast with them. If they kept firing questions off at me with that much force, jerking me around like that, I'd definitely pass out for days afterward.

"Miss Maïne," asks Jutte, "are you feeling alright? They aren't bad people, but they can sometimes come on a little strong."

That wasn't a little!

I keep my retort to myself, and instead move over to the window. Despite the fact that there's a fire burning in the hearth, it's still chilly near the window. Jutte brings me a shawl, which I wrap around myself, and I look down out of the window.

It's very sunny outside, but the occasional glitter of a falling snowflake and the fog my breath leaves on the windowpane shows just how bitterly cold it is outside.

Across from the window, I can see that Freida has already left the house and is now being admired by the neighbors, standing out like a queen amongst peasants. Surrounded by her family, she wears the happiest smile she's ever had.

From where I watch, amongst the few decorations that the children are wearing, the hairpins I made stand out conspicuously. I understand now just how Freida could have noticed Tuuli's hairpins from her window here.

Tuuli must have stood out just like this, huh. She was so cute that everyone must have been talking about her, huh.

As I look down at Freida's baptismal ceremony, all I can think about it Tuuli's ceremony, how my father had a meeting he really didn't want to go to, how my mother looked as she smiled, wearing her only good dress, and so on, and so on. Somehow, I really want to see my family again.

"Miss Maïne," says Jutte, "you look a little pale, is something wrong?" "When I see how happy Freida is down there with her family, I think about how I want to be with my family too. They're not coming until the afternoon, though..."

As soon as the noonday bell rings, my family arrives to pick me up, as if they were lying in wait outside. My father's affection, as overbearing as it ordinarily is, warms my heart.

"Maïne, were you lonely? Daddy was so lonely!" "A little, yeah. I was a little bit lonely."

Freida's family invited us to have lunch with them, but my mother politely told them that she couldn't possibly ask them to do more than they already had, and I struck the decisive blow by nagging her about wanting to eat her home cooking after so long, so we wound up going home without any significant resistance.

"Aww, but I wanted to have a big feast too..." whines Tuuli, puffing out her cheeks. "Sorry, Tuuli. The food at Freida's house is wonderful, but I really want to eat Mommy's cooking even more." "Eva," chimes in my father, "your cooking really is delicious."

We head home, with me riding on the shoulders of my high-spirited father. It's only been a few days, and the home I'm returning to is poor and worn out, but I can finally breathe a sigh of relief now that I'm no longer under constant mental strain.

Freida's house was full of extravagant meals, luxurious baths, and comfortable mattresses. Even though every single thing there was fascinating, the mental strain from being there wore me out completely. Everything was so clean and easy there, but for some reason, I never found myself wishing I could live like that forever.

Ahh, at some point, I started calling this place home, huh...

It was a stay at Freida's house that made me surprised by the change in my own heart.

prev • next

[starlight-academy]

developing characters is hard

so i realise i still have a jillion unanswered questions in my inbox and like, i’ll get to them, but first i wanted to get some thoughts down on some stuff that’s been on my mind lately. i can’t guarantee they’ll be very coherent? but i wanna at least put it into words to help get it straight in my own head and also like, make it known that this is stuff i’m taking into consideration

this is about my (questionably successful) attempts in creating a racially diverse cast

okay so first like: this shit’s hard and it doesn’t really help that I’m White and also that i initially went about it in kind of a backwards way. i feel like a lot of my faults in this regard have been due to me trying to tack cultural backgrounds onto a stupidly large cast of already existing characters in kind of a hurry

lemme elaborate on my process. so i have a group of 30-odd weird alien kids, right? they already had names and personalities which with a bit (a lot) of tweaking could probably come out resembling a group of 30-odd weird adult wizards. now i was eager to get started with the starlight rp, so i didn’t really leave myself a whole lot of time to flesh out these fleshy human versions of my beloved fantrolls. i had plot shit and game mechanics shit to work out too (and they weren’t exactly a flawless work of art, either). my brain was kind of on overdrive

you’d think it’d be easy to figure out human headcanons for your own characters but honestly, a lot of the decisions i made were pretty arbitrary. some of them i already had pretty clear mental images for but most of them i really didn’t

so, for a lot of them i started with the name. i wanted to avoid the entire cast being all Whitey McWhitename but i also wanted them to be more or less recognisable as their original troll counterparts. and like, this might have been okay if i wasn’t rushing it, but i was rushing it, and so i ended up with a fair few a) inaccuracies and b) token-ish kind of racial identities, and it was all sort of a mess

i’ve changed a few names already. vered is ezra. hari is rani. luka and marie both have two surnames as per mexican naming conventions. etc etc. there’s still a lot of shit i gotta work through, though. here’s some of it

* as i understand it now, using magic is generally considered a pretty big no-no in islam. this discovery affected two of my characters: thana (torcht, the librarian) and banu (formerly professor avci). banu is the bigger issue since she is an active user of magic, so my first thought was to just make her a non-muslim and leave it at that, even though she’s from turkey which has a muslim majority population, but this feels like kind of a lazy solution. i’m also considering making her indian rather than turkish, since somehow there is only one indian character?? so that change could kill two birds with one stone, i guess. now that i’ve said it i’m kind of leaning towards that

thana is probably safer, i think. hopefully. having her being totally hands-off regarding magic feels totally compliant with how she’s already been handled in canon, at least. kinda sucks that she’s also the Only Muslim by necessity, but it at least feels like something i can work with and expand on during the story

* aarluk (formerly yakone) is a character i’ve wrestled with a bunch. i imagined him as inuit (at least, partially) from the get-go since it seemed like a logical transition from his old fantroll self. i wasn’t really aware at the time of the history regarding indigenous people and boarding schools (i.e. native kids being sent to government schools for assimilation purposes). and like, starlight academy isn’t a boarding school per se, it’s a university, but the idea of a native kid staying abroad at school for three years wasn’t really sitting right with me

i don’t know how much of the “boarding school” vibe actually translated? like, obviously most universities have dorms that students can stay at, so it’s possible that i’m exaggerating the problem. regardless, aarluk for the time being is half-inuit. he will be living with relatives nearby rather than at the dorms. i hope this will alleviate the major potential points of discomfort

* my other asian students are kind of all over the place at the moment. taeko and lily are japanese, celeste (who wasn’t even in the original rp) is chinese, mandy is korean, rhiannon is vietnamese, boy howdy it all feels very hollow and token-y. if i were going to change any of them i’d probably make rhiannon chinese; her surname is easily translatable and personality-wise she’s a good contrast to celeste. not sure yet if i’ll keep mandy as-is

it also kinda bothers me that most of them have western names, lol. i shamefully don’t really have much figured about their backgrounds (particularly for mandy and rhiannon) so this is something i could easily fix later down the line when i have more shit nailed down

* the group of third-years feels like, super white. only banu and mandy are definitely Not White. i don’t know if anyone’s really gonna look at the third-years in isolation but it’s still kinda tempting to change one or two of them

* maybe more jewish characters too? ezra and prof neuman are the only ones i have right now. maybe i could make one of the whiter characters jewish as well. i’m not sure yet

* i also just, gotta remind myself that trying to represent Everyone is completely unreasonable even with a cast of like 40 characters. i should be focusing more on fleshing them out and making them feel real rather than filling my Diversity Checklist(tm)

god why do i have like 40 characters. why am i doing this

is anyone still reading this?? i doubt it but hey thanks for reading. if you’re in a position to give me feedback about any of this stuff (or on anything i haven’t covered/haven’t thought of? that sticks out to you) i’d appreciate it lots. i’m trying my best but i still have a lot of work to do.