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box-beanz · 16 days ago

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Footpaths, Parallel ( 948 words)

You thought it was the wind, when you heard it at first. Until the vast, incomprehensible swirling of air, shaking every leaf to shush against each other solidified into a pattern. You listen as you walk down a narrow sandy path in these vast woods. For short stretches of time you shut your eyes, so at peace are you with the sun laying a beam across your nose, the sound of the shushing leaves and the birds’ conversation. You listen to the pattern, growing stronger, so consistent and strange. What could it be, you wonder, pausing to move a caterpillar off the pathway. A nearby industrial project? The distant dregs of a drumbeat? A thunderhead booming an even staccato? It sounds like none and all of these things.

You have walked these woods many times, though it has been years since you've been back. Still, you know it well, and you are unafraid of the staccato- whatever it may be.

You are unafraid, in your woods, walking down your path. Until the pattern is growing louder, or maybe closer, and something in the back of your head kicks up, sending nauseous chills down your shoulders. The sound pulls away from the din of the forest, now louder than the shushing and the birds. A distant drum, thunder, the din of construction all coalesce into a noise completely familiar, alien only in that it is amplified to a horrible degree.

Footsteps.

It is a ridiculous notion. Nothing could be that big. Least of all something with a human gait. One-two. Repeat. It is not possible. It isn't, but it is getting closer all the same. Close enough now that you can hear, frozen where you stand, shrubs and trees creaking and snapping under an immense weight, birds taking off in shrieking flight, fleeing what you cannot see.

You stare, wild-eyed in the direction of the impossible footsteps. With nothing but your thin set of clothes, you can't flee into the safer darkness of the woods, you'd be dead in a night if you lost the path. The only way to run is straight out in the open, lit up in dappled sun. Whatever is coming will see you.

By the time you are searching, frantic, for a hiding spot, you can see trees deeper in the woods shaking and bending like tall grasses to part for something that seems too large to be able to move. That is all you see of the creature before you are diving into a thorny brush and curling into the smallest shape you can, wrapping your arms tight around yourself and trying to take tiny, even breaths, as though the colossal monster crashing through the woods would ever be able to detect your breathing. You don't manage to shut your eyes before they catch on the creature, what you can see of it from the brush

Boots of creased leather, larger than a wealthy man’s front room, pass into your view, crushing shrubbery identical to yours beneath it. You hold very still, breathing forgotten. The giant- what else could this creature be, doesn't pause its steady motions, the front-room-boot lifts, scuffs against an oak, and raises its shadow over you.

You bolt for the deep woods.You'd rather die of exposure tonight than be crushed beneath a giant’s boot now. What must be hundreds of feet above your head, a sound echoes slow like rolling thunder.

“Oh!”

You don't make it to the forest.

There is darkness, sudden and total, and you hit a hot, damp wall. When you reach out to touch it your fingers dip into whorls and ridges. Fingerprints. You lurch away and hit another wall, it is so dark, so warm and humid. Sound is rolling over you like thunder pounding against your ears already ringing with blood.

You scream then, piercing and horrid, you scream for help, anyone, please anyone! And above you like a great ocean wave over a sharp stone:

“Shh!”

Your scream cuts off when the hands enclosing you open like the petals of a flower and reveal the dappled blue sky between the glimmering leaves. A face peeks into view, high, high overhead.

You feel quite faint all of a sudden. You open your mouth to scream again and instead fall onto your ass on the hard forest floor, faintly dizzy as you stare up at the creature that has you cupped in its hand like a child with a bug.

The face leans down, the creature crouching inelegantly over their hands to peer at you.

“Oh, fate.” They say, thunder-loud voice making your hands shoot up to your ears. You see the face above you wince, so large and close that expressions are impossible to miss. “I'm sorry, traveler. Did I hurt you?”

The shock of their words is enough to drop your hands into your lap. You can only stare blankly at their question. Unsatisfied with the lack of an answer, a massive finger splits from the hand, hovering over you as if to check you for injuries, and you flinch away, hitting another fleshy wall.

“No!” You shout fearfully, shoulders hiked up. “No! I'm not hurt! Please don't- please don't hurt me!”

The hands around you relax, giving you a little more space and fresh air.

“I won't. You're safe. We didn't know there was a settlement out here, or I would've kept away.”

You can only stare.

“What…?”

What settlement? It's just you and a few others out here. And who is we?

“I just have a few survey questions, if you don't mind and then I'll be on my way.”

“What??”

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box-beanz · 17 days ago

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Just out of Reach, but Never out of Sight

THE POWER OF ASKS AND MOTIVATION COMPELLED ME TO GET THIS POSTED!!!! Hello! I return and waaaaaaaaaaay sooner than last time lol. Finally I am ready to share chapter 6 with you all and I think you're gonna like! Shout out to the anons that have been binging my fic and asking me things cause you're the reason I was motivated to get work done! ENJOY :D

Chapter 6: Painter

ch 1, ch 2, ch 3, ch 4, ch 5 cw: anxiety, fear, break ins, panic, stressing and adrenaline. It's action time >:3

wc: 3979

Disclaimer! This story is based on the characters of the Dream SMP and not the real life content creators. Anything that occurs in this story is purely fiction and should be treated as such. Thank you.

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Tommy raced along the street as he followed his pebble trail.

He was going home. Soon this would be all over and he could finally rest and process the events of the last two days in the safety of home. There was a very brief moment of panic when he couldn’t find one of his stones straight away, but after a slight wrong turn and correction, he was back on the path home (no he did not almost get run over by a car because of the stone being kicked onto the road thank you very much)

This was the third time he’d been out here so some things did look kind of familiar from when Phil had walked him back, but the sheer utter relief he felt when he saw their house in the distance knowing that his plan had worked was nothing short of a miracle. Now only a few houses up from the Crafts household almost made him want to cry- almost .

(Big man Tommy ain’t got time for tears >:| )

As soon as he was within a few meters of the driveway, Tommy was careful to duck out of view behind the front fence, before hurriedly scurrying up the driveway to the garage door. His heart was pounding as he looked around for prying eyes, making sure the coast was clear before he willed himself smaller and slipped beneath a dent in the door from one of the twins' driving mishaps. If there is one thing he will never do, it’s be in a car while Wilbur is driving.

While he would have preferred to be getting into the house from one of the outside vents, the Borrower knew it was far too risky to try it. He’d misplaced his borrowing gear when he dived into Phil’s bag and without it, he wouldn’t have much hope trying to scale up some of the vertical shafts so going via his built wall passages was his next best option.

There was just a slight issue with that…

For Tommy to get back to his nook, he’d have to get to the next nearest entrance that didn’t require his hook, and that unfortunately was back in the Guest bedroom beneath the bookshelf; the entrance furthest away from the garage. Which of course would mean having to run out in the open hallway to get too, and considering he could hear the Crafts only a few rooms over, that idea was probably an instant card to capture.

There was an entrance in the garage, but it was above the work bench on the third shelf with all the painting things. That one had accidentally been made when Phil had tried installing the shelves by himself and had missed where the supporting beam had been. The wall was too thin to hold the screw in place and had made a small hole (Although Phil denies it was his fault despite Technos direction) Although an eye sore for the Beans, it did make the perfect access point from the walls to the garage and the Borrower didn’t think they’d notice if the hole got an inch or so bigger.

Tommy sighed as he weighed his options. On the one hand, going to the Guest room was the easier option despite the huge risk it posed in being seen, but on the other hand it was safer to use the garage entrance. It was less likely that any of the Crafts would come into the garage than it was the Guest room or down the hallway and much easier to hide if they did.

But he didn’t have any way up to the shelf. He couldn’t just grow and grab the shelf now could he?

Oh. Wait a minute-

Okay so this probably wasn’t his best idea, but what other choice did he have? He wasn’t going to be able to get home if he didn’t at least try it and he wasn’t keen on waiting for the Crafts to leave until an opportunity arose.

If shrinking and growing worked by thought, then as long as he held on tight, he could shrink to the right size and just haul himself up the rest of the way. It doesn’t matter that he’s never tried it before surely?

…

This was definitely a stupid idea.

Instead of considering the pros and cons, Tommy let his impulsiveness win and grew to Bean size and was immediately hit by the dizzying perspective change as he took a moment to focus.

“I really need to spend some time working this shifting business out.” he muttered to himself as he began awkwardly trying to reach the third shelf with his lanky limbs. It was a little hard with the workbench in his way, but he managed to lean over it. Taking a moment to steady himself with a good grip on the ledge, he closed his eyes and began concentrating on his size.

He wanted to become smaller. From the tips of his toes, up his legs, to his torso, through his arms to the end of his fingertips- and hopefully in that order. The warm size changing sensation flooded his senses and slowly, Tommy felt his feet leave the ground and instinctually the boy clenched his grip tighter as he began to hold all his own weight. When he was about half his size, a strange groaning sound hit his ears. It reminded him of the way the old support beams in the colony shifted whenever a big storm hit from the wild weather.

He’d never groaned when shrinking before? In fact, was he starting to tilt? A quick peek upwards showed the shelf was starting to flex under the sudden change in weight. Now that would have been okay had it not been for the can of paint that had been resting on the shelf. With a scratching of wood as the shelf warped with the boy's weight, the can came hurtling towards the blonde and despite his best efforts to hang on, the shelf’s hinges gave out, sending the can off the edge and Tommy along with it.

It was all a blur as the Borrower fell, landing abruptly on the counter below with the air being forced from his lungs, but drowned out by the paint can clattering loudly to the ground below, bursting open as blue paint went flying everywhere.

For a moment, the poor blonde was completely disoriented as they were left winded on their back, but it didn’t last long as loud footsteps thundered down the hall.

Beans.

Instinct forced the Borrower to move as he dived for cover behind a can of old nails, just as the garage door burst open.

“HEY! WHO’S IN THERE?” Phil shouted as he flicked the main light on.

Tommy bit back a whine as he pressed himself up against the can, his back flaring in pain. It hurt like hell, but the fact he could move was a good sign nothing was broken and most likely just badly bruised- At least he hoped as his back throbbed from the impact. Right now he had bigger issues to deal with as Phil crept into the garage with what he thinks is called a rolling pin, held and poised to strike.

“I have a weapon, and I’m not afraid to use it!” The man shouted into the garage.

‘Wow Phil. I’m sure the very real bad guys here are afraid of you and your very scary baking thingy.’ Tommy thought as he rolled his eyes.

The blonde stayed perfectly still as the older scanned the scene, sighing heavily at the sight of the spilled paint and no sign of intruders before tip-toeing around the mess to survey the hanging shelf. Tommy held his breath as he watched massive hands lift and move paint covered debris, as the Bean checked it over muttering about how much time this was going to take to clean.

As guilty as he felt for the trouble he had caused, Tommy had never been so close to Human hands before. The sheer speed that Phil was moving at right now had his heart racing as they moved closer and closer to where he was hiding. Tommy held his breath as Phil reached for a large splinter of shelf wood, and froze as he held the piece between his fingers.

The piece was probably about 2 inches in size and length from a guess, but the way it was dwarfed in the man’s hand had Tommy terrified. His hands gripped the metal ridging of the can as he tried to remain calm, but his eyes were locked on the shadow of Phil’s moving hand. If Tommy ended up in his grasp, there was no way he’d be getting out of it.

‘If he moves the can, I’m done for. My only chance will be to run and hope he thinks I’m a bug or something.’

Tommy clenched his fist as he took a quiet breath. He had to move.

‘Okay Tommy, it’s just like that time you escaped the cat in the old Miller's house. Just gotta go really fast- like that Sonic Guy. Yeah. Gotta go fast.’

Tommy watched and waited as the shadow moved around and readied himself to run.

Okay, on three.

One,

The Shadow moved to the left.

Two,

The shadow moved to the right.

THREE!

“Phil you alright in there?” Techno called from down the hallway, and Tommy thanked his lucky stars as Phil’s hand retreated from view as the Beans attention turned to the door, as Tommy rushed forward and behind a tool box and waited for any sign he’d been spotted.

“Yeah Tech, I’m alright.” Phil called back and Tommy forced himself to breathe. “You think you could come here for a sec? Paint can fell and exploded.”

Okay, he didn’t see you Tommy. Keep moving.

”Damn, it exploded over by the door too? Try not to step in it if you can.” Phil warned as he took in the new abstract artwork that was his floor.

The Borrower didn’t waste time as he slunk to the back of the counter till he was close enough to a power cord before sliding down it. Just as he made it to the bottom, a pair of fuzzy pink slippers appeared, stopping right in the doorway to survey the mess.

“Don’t say it.” Phil warned as Techno stared at the blue splattered mess.

“Told you you should have used the 1 inch screws.” Techno remarked as Phil glared at his son.

“I told you not to say it.” Phil dragged a hand down his face.

“Well if you had-”

“Yeah yeah. You were right, I was wrong blah blah blah.” Phil cut Techno off as the pinkette raised his brow amused. “Are you going to help me clean this up or not?”

“I will.” He smirked. “Right after I bask in your defeat a little longer.”

Tommy took the opportunity to inch closer towards the door, tip-toeing about some of the blue paint that had managed to fly that far, as the two Beans bantered back and forth.

“If you don’t hurry up, you're grounded.” Phil threatened as he gave his eldest the death stare.

“Fine, fine. Helping now.”

“And call your brother. Might help to distract him from missing Tommy.”

Tommy paused as he processed what he just heard.

Wilbur missed him? Already?!

It had only been what? An hour since they parted ways in the park and that sappy mop of hair was already missing him? He thought once they said goodbye then maybe sure, they might change their mind and come back to get him, but he didn't think they would miss him that much.

“Wiiiiil! Phil wants our help cleaning up this paint.” Yelled Techno down the hall to his brother. “Stop moping and get your ass in here.”

A resounding groan of muffled excuses responded as Techno exasperatedly sighed, excusing himself momentarily to grab his whiney twin.

Tommy took the opportunity to slink closer to the steps of the garage. He was out of view of Phil and the steps themselves weren’t particularly high so it was easy enough to get himself up normally, but his lungs burned with the effort it took to haul himself up each step. As soon as he was at the top step, he pushed himself against the wall, peeking out from just behind the door frame to the hallway and waited for the Twins to come back.

A short struggle later and Techno came back down the hall, dragging his older brother behind him by the foot.

“It doesn’t matter if you drag me here against my will, I’m not helping.”

“Come on, stop complaining. It will be faster if you help.”

“I repeat. I. Don’t. Wanna.”

Tommy would have laughed if he wasn’t so high strung on adrenaline. Techno was resting his chin on his hands, his elbows perched on Wilbur's extended leg straight up, looking down at him on the floor unimpressed. He looked utterly ridiculous and the guy couldn't care less.

“Fine, well you can wallow in your misery there on the floor instead of the couch you big baby.” Techno retorted as he let go of his brother's leg, letting it smack down onto the floor.

“OUCH! A little warning would have been nice.” Wilbur kicked his feet at his brother's legs.

“Well maybe if you had stood up to help when I told you too, you wouldn’t be on the ground in pain.”

“Uggggggh FINE.” Wilbur griped as he pushed himself up from the floor and into the garage. “You’re such a prick.”

Tommy slipped back out of view as the two boys went past, before hopping over the slight step and bolting down the hallway to the Guest room. He figured he’d have a few seconds to sprint as fast as possible before someone walked back into the hallway and quickly dove behind the nearby coat rack, checking the coast was clear again before running for the Guest room door. Tommy felt he couldn’t move fast enough as adrenaline pushed him on, praying that the Crafts wouldn’t poke their head out into the Hall again and see him.

In a matter of seconds, Tommy made it to the end of the Hall and ducked into the Guest room, freezing behind the door, listening and waiting for any signs that he had been seen, but was only greeted by more complaining from Wilbur and managed a shaky sigh of relief.

So far so good.

Not wasting another second, Tommy crept over to the bookshelf, pulling back a loose electrical socket to slip into the confines of the walls, finally free of the Bean world and back in the safety of his. He reached around till he found his emergency guide line, (a precaution he had put in place if his hip lantern were to ever go out) and grabbed onto it, following the lead all the way through the dark crevices of the wall till he was standing outside an old red shoe box.

He has no idea how the box had ended up in the wall in the first place, but regardless of its origins, it made the perfect little fortress against other critters lurking about and Tommy had made quick work of reinforcing the cardboard walls and making it into a home. He’d spent a long time making it just right.

One good thing about having gone through 7 different homes, he’d gotten good at learning how to set things up in a way that worked best for him. Other Borrower homes may have multiple rooms for storage or sleeping, but Tommy found he liked it best having one room for everything. It was easier to defend what was his when he could see it all in one place rather than behind several closed doors. A learned habit when forced to always watch your back sleeping in the streets of the Colony alone. Some old guitar pics stuck in a specific way he could remove them to get bigger items through when required acted as his front door was the only door he needed and honestly, Tommy was proud of his handiwork.

He’d borrowed some old tins with latches as his food storage to keep it air tight and prevent attracting rodents, found a used cotton spool as a dining table and a dice as a chair. He’d even gotten really lucky on a run and found some discarded fairy lights from last christmas to light up his room and even some socks for his bedding. Techno had given Wilbur the socks as a joke gift and the Bean had ditched them jokingly at the wall where they fell behind the couch in which they went forgotten and became a perfect borrowing. He even made a place to hang spare hooks and equipment for borrowing in case his main stuff broke.

It might not be super conventional, but it was home and it was his.

Tommy flicked the light to his home on, and let out a heavy sigh. He made it, and he hadn’t even been seen- Well not in the Borrower breaking code kinda way at least. He stumbled over to his makeshift bed and flopped down into the mass of fabric exhausted. He twisted onto his back, arms stretched out beside him as he processed the events of the last two days.

He’d gotten trapped in a bag.

Carried to a Human Beans work place.

Fell out of said bag when being taken home.

Introduced to the Crafts for the first time and survived.

Walked around outside in broad daylight leaving and following trails with no protection.

Broke a shelf and almost died from fall damage.

Somehow managed to get home and back in the walls without being seen.

Oh and of course: Discovered he had the ability to change his size at will. Perfectly normal day in the life of Tommyinnit.

…

“Holy S***. I must have plot armour.”

Tommy sat up and checked himself over. Apart from his poor back, he was still all in one piece, well fed for a change and in nice clothes. How the heck was he not dead? He ran his fingers over the blue sweater Wilbur had given him, feeling the softness of the wool on his fingers. It was so strange having something so nice at this size, but of all the things that had happened today, he was grateful for the clothes despite not looking after them properly for as long as he had hoped because of course something was already ruined.

Tommy sighed at the blue paint smeared across his new jeans. He must have gotten a bit of the paint on him when he was getting up the steps from when it burst on the floor. Well that wasn’t coming out any time soon. Finally he had some clothes of good quality and hadn’t even had them a day before something got ruined. At least it looked like he hadn’t managed to get any on the sweater. Maybe he could try and get some more new jeans one day? Human clothes stores existed in those big mall places. Perhaps one day he could go to one like he saw in the movies? Or maybe he could ask to go with one of the Crafts? And wow wasn’t that a thought.

He could actually do that now. Go into the human world and be normal .

“Maybe someday.” Tommy yawned, as the exhausted boy laid back down, sleep tugging at his weary form.

Despite everything, Tommy was glad to be back home. There were so many new opportunities for him now with the size shifting power and he hadn’t even fully grasped just how bizarre and great this could be for him yet, but knew when he had a bit more energy the plans would be endless. It has been a long couple of hours and with the adrenaline starting to wear off, Tommy’s body ached as he slipped into his nest of blankets to recover from his earlier fall.

‘Yeah, someday sounds nice.’ The little boy thought to himself, before drifting off to sleep dreaming of new clothes and the Crafts.

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Wilbur groaned as he scrubbed at the paint on the garage door steps. He’d stopped verbally complaining awhile ago, but he still felt the need to audibly grumble about his annoyances despite his family choosing to ignore him.

Deep down he knew his Dad and brother were right. He shouldn’t keep sulking about Tommy, but that didn’t change the urge to run back to the park and look for him. He was more frustrated by how quickly Phil had just moved on from the subject and that Techno didn’t seem to care at all.

How were they fine with a kid possibly being in a bad situation? The use of the word possibly should be used loosely as Tommy’s case should be treated with far more importance he had decided. Doesn’t matter if there’s no hitting involved, the kid was not okay.

He dipped his scrub brush into the cleaning solution as he started the next step, trying to put his frustration into the effort of scrubbing. There wasn’t as much paint on the steps as the rest of the floor since they weren’t in the direct path of where the paint can had exploded, but little bits had splattered over and still needed to be removed. It’s because there wasn’t much there that Wilbur had begrudgingly agreed to help. Just because he said yes didn’t mean he was going to clean the worst of it up.

He who installs a rickety unstable shelf, not heeding their sons advice, thou shall cleaneth the most up. *cough, cough* Phil.

He had just about gotten the top step clean when he noticed some strange blue splotches by the door frame. It looked like a bit of paint had made it onto the tops of the steps, and then smeared itself over the sides like something was dragged up it. While it wasn’t very obvious at first, it was a very strange placement and what was even weirder, were the tiny little specks that dotted the ground out into the hallway before pittering out as the paint ran out.

If he really squinted at it, they almost looked like tiny footsteps.

“Hey Dad, I think we might have a pest problem.” Wilbur commented, as he ran a finger over the smudge marks.

Techno, who had been behind him scrubbing the floor, shifted closer to look over Wil’s shoulder to see what he was on about and noticed the prints too.

“He’s right Dad. Might have been a mouse messing with the shelf that caused it to collapse and spooked it.” Techno stated as he observed the trail into the hallway. “Should probably set up some traps to be safe.”

Phil, who had stood as they were talking, squinted to make out the little marks and made a mental note to make a trip to the hardware store. Mice were the last thing he wanted to have to deal with around here and he wouldn’t be taking any chances.

“Don’t worry. If there’s any pests running around in the walls, we’ll sort them out.” Phil assured as he gave his boys both a reassuring squeeze on their shoulders.

Wilbur smiled half heartedly at his Dad before getting back to scrubbing.

As much as he didn’t like the idea of little pests running around, he’s glad this one made itself known now rather than when Tommy had been here. He had a feeling the kid probably wouldn’t be super keen on little critters running around the place.

I wonder what he’s doing now?

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And so the suspicion grows... I wonder what could possibly happen next chapter? ;3 this was a lot of fun to write and what I have planned in chapter 7 is what was holding the posting up as I had a couple of ideas chosen that would change depending on the outcome in chapter 6. I've got a chapter outline written up now so much is yet to come and while I'm not spoiling anything just yet, what I will say is keep your eyes peeled for what's coming :>

As always thank you to my lovely beta reader @munchkin1156 for taking the time to read through and share your thoughts despite how crazy busy you are at the moment! You're insane but I love you you goose <3 /p

TAG LIST: Have tried just tagging a few people at a time in the comments section this time as last chapter not everyone got notified properly despite being tagged :/ I love going through the tag list and seeing who's been added since the last chapter. I think it's very sweet and makes me so hyped people want to be notified when I post <3

@local-squishmallow @brick-a-doodle-do @justarandomsloth @veryfunkycheesecake @kayla-crazy-stuffs @da3dm

Link to tag list for future tags :3

✨Thanks for reading! <3✨

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box-beanz · 2 months ago

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I made these as a way to compile all the geographical vocabulary that I thought was useful and interesting for writers. Some descriptors share categories, and some are simplified, but for the most part everything is in its proper place. Not all the words are as useable as others, and some might take tricky wording to pull off, but I hope these prove useful to all you writers out there!

(save the images to zoom in on the pics)

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box-beanz · 2 months ago

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Character Sheets and character creation →

When creating a character, there’s a lot of questions you ask yourself. Whether it’s an original character or one you’ve been playing for a long time, using a character sheet to get to know your character better can always be a nice idea. With it’s help, you’ll be able to think about things you didn’t necesarily thought about, and ask some important questions to yourself that might activate your character’s voice, or help you to get your muse back with them. Everyone has their favorite character sheets, some people prefer to have a lot of questions, some others like it a bit more vague, so here’s a masterlist of the character sheets I found on various websites and found quite interesting, plus some other things that could be used to help you see, for example, how other character view yours.

Blank Character Sheet (+370 Questions)

Abridged Character Sheet (100 Questions)

Big-Ass Character Sheet

Character Creation Form

Character Sheet by Jody Hedlund

Creating a character Bio Sheet

Character Analysis Worksheet

100 Character Development questions for writers

Create a Character Profile

Character Development Worksheet

Original Character Bio-Sheet

Character Chart for Fiction Writers

A Character Chart By Charlotte Dillon

Fiction Writer’s Character Chart

Detailed Character Sheet

Character Sheet Template

Character Twenty-Question Worksheet

In-Depth Character Sheet

Character Worksheet

Character Interview Sheet (First Person)

Background Questionnaire (First Person)

Characters Perceptions (How do other people perceive your character?)

With these sheets, you could also try to find your character’s Jung and Enneagram Type or use the Moral Alignment tool. All of these things can be really useful to get a better grip on a character.

Then, if you’re trying to create a character, and do not have many ideas, or get stuck, I’d suggest for you to roam around TVTropes, which gives you a lot of tropes used for character creation. Maybe you could try to mix a few of these and create an original character?

Or, if you’re a skillful writer and know how to make your character different from another, make a list of characters in fiction you happen to find interesting and why. Try to keep it short. Then, maybe, try to mix and match things from two or three characters, take a character and change their backstory, to see what would change. Play with them to inspire yourself and create something new, original and truly yours.

Oh, and here’s a little guide to Mary-Sues and OCs, just in case you want to make sure your character isn’t going to become a Mary-Sue or a Gary-Stu

And last but not least, this article about building fictional character definitely seemed interesting to me, and is full of many other links that could guide you during the creating of your character and help you file one of these sheets.

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box-beanz · 2 months ago

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box-beanz · 2 months ago

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box-beanz · 2 months ago

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uh oh, caught caring in 4k!

after dejamming, shadow milk cookie lost most of his magic, and while it did build back up over time, he was still having difficulties channeling it. but him suddenly practicing magic wouldve been suspicious, so why not try and cover it up? good thing there is that one wizard-hatted brat who has great interest and potential with magic. no matter his prickly attitude

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box-beanz · 2 months ago

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Amongst the Stones

We're back! I wonder how many times I'll just draw rocks for the chapter art

Previous | Next

Chapter 4: Atone

Word Count: 1.2k

-***-

As soon as the townsfolk could confirm the human had returned to the cabin, they gathered in the town center, where an inundation of shouts and emotions began. There was confusion, worry, frustration—but rising above all of these was fear. Over the years, several humans passed through their town boundaries, but never had one caused such chaos as this. It was hard to believe that the human’s actions were anything but deliberate. Had she spotted them somehow?

The mayor struggled to keep everyone calm. “Please, let’s assess the damage and gather what information we know. We can’t be certain the human was looking for us.”

“Why else would the human be lifting up rocks in our town?”

“Humans don’t go digging around in the dirt unless they’re looking for something.”

The panic of the crowd gathered in the town center threatened to boil over. The mayor called for Yew’s mission leader over the shouting. “Hawthorn, please tell me you can explain this.”

Hawthorn’s brow furrowed, his arms crossed. “It was a flawless mission. The human was asleep the entire time. I don’t see how she could have traced us back here.”

“This is entirely too coincidental to be unrelated to your mission. I have to tell the townsfolk something.”

“Sir?” Yew had been listening to the two from behind. “I...may have some useful information but, perhaps…we could discuss it in private?”

Eyebrow raised slightly, the mayor agreed, and the three of them turned towards the mayor’s office, perched high up on one of the town’s tallest boulders. Before they left, the mayor addressed the crowd. “We have some mission debriefing to do. For now, you can uncover everything and make repairs as needed. We’ll figure this out, but whatever the reason was for this, I doubt the human will return today.”

The mayor’s office was quite a hike from the ground at the town center. Breathing heavy as they climbed up the rock, Yew felt the crushing weight of what she was about to reveal. As far as she knew, this had never happened in their community before. She couldn’t imagine how the mayor and Hawthorn would react. The only thing she knew is she had to fix it, somehow.

Single file, they passed under an overhang of stone, into an open hallway of sorts, and then turned into a small room, half formed by nature, half painstakingly carved out by hand. The mayor sat down at his desk, while Yew and Hawthorne sat on wooden chairs across from him.

“Alright Yew, what do you have for me?” The mayor looked at her earnestly.

“Yes, well…” Yew struggled to keep her throat from tightening. “It is true…that none of my crew were seen by the human. However…the human was not asleep the entire time.”

Hawthorne shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “But you never tugged the line. If the human woke up, why didn’t you—”

“Because,” Yew’s voice became hoarse, her throat threatening to close up completely. “I only noticed right before you tugged the line yourself. It’s…my fault. I wasn’t watching closely enough.”

The mayor looked at Yew with trepidation. “Did…do you think the human saw you? If you were in eyesight that is.”

“I…it’s possible. She was looking in my direction. But if she did she made no acknowledgement of me. It was pretty dark.”

“And…you think it’s possible she watched all of you return?”

“Now hold on.” Hawthorn cut in. “Yew may have been briefly seen—from a distance mind you, that lookout point on the dresser wasn’t close to the bed—but I’m certain that human did not follow or watch us. The bedroom is on the east side, she would’ve had to get out of bed and walk over to the western window of the cabin to spot us leaving, or step outside—and I am positive she did neither. I would’ve heard it.”

The mayor was not one to believe in coincidences. But he, along with most others in the village, held great respect for Hawthorn. He was one of the few borrowers experienced in both the indoor and outdoor ways of life. “I do find it incredibly hard to believe that these two events are unrelated…but I will choose to trust both of your accounts, for now. If you were not watched or followed, the human must have come here for another reason.”

Yew had regained a small bit of composure in the time the other two were speaking. “I would like to volunteer to find out what that reason is.”

Hawthorn spoke first. “Go back to the cabin and investigate? There’s no telling if that would yield any useful information, or how long it would take. Not to mention winter is almost here, you could get stuck there.”

“Whatever the reason is…it’s because of my mistake. It’s my responsibility.”

“You don’t know that! And either way, I was assigned to lead this mission. If our town’s location was compromised from it…I bear the blame over anyone else in my crew.”

It was strange, seeing this protective side of Hawthorn. It wasn’t Yew’s first mission with him—he often volunteered for borrowing missions—but he was not particularly expressive, instead keeping his statements very matter-of-fact, focused on the task at hand. In this moment he seemed…genuinely worried for Yew.

The mayor stayed silent. He knew the villagers would not be happy with complete inaction. If these two would offer their own solution, even a risky one, so be it. He cleared his throat. “If you do go through with this, perhaps Hawthorn should accompany you.”

“Of course I would.” Hawthorn replied with no hesitancy.

“No. I want to go alone.”

“Why? That seems unnecessarily dangerous.”

“I won’t put anyone else at risk. The human probably doesn’t know there’s anyone out here besides me. If I’m seen again…or…trapped…she won’t go looking for the rest of us.”

Hawthorn frowned. “You’ve never stayed inside a human home for that long, especially not alone. And this one has no crawl spaces to hide in.”

“No, but I know that cabin inside and out. And I have plenty of experience taking care of myself. I’ll stay under the furniture, or outside if I have to.”

“I don’t doubt that. But I can’t let a fellow borrower take this kind of risk alone.”

“Hawthorn, please. I’m no teenager going out on their first borrowing.”

The mayor interrupted once more. “If Yew is confident in her ability, and will take this risk for our community’s sake, we should let her go on this mission solo. But, Hawthorn, if you also feel responsible, perhaps you may impose a deadline? If Yew does not return in that time, you will meet up with her at the cabin.” As paranoid and fearful as the mayor could be, he was well versed in compromise.

Hawthorn and Yew both stared at each other. There was frustration between them, certainly, but it stemmed out of genuine concern for the other.

“Two weeks.”

“I can do that,” Yew said firmly.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll inform the others of your plans.” The mayor stood up and quickly walked out of the office, leaving Hawthorn and Yew still engaged in eye contact.

“You’re the best watch guard this town’s ever had, you know that,” Hawthorn said quietly. “You better come back.”

-***-

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box-beanz · 2 months ago

Text

Daisy

One night after another decent show on her little podium, Daisy managed to slip away from the crowd into the back. Her head spinning and her fingers trembling. She could not stand being in such environments, and yet it was the only thing that got her paid at the moment. It was better than what some other women were forced to do to make a living. But unpleasant, nonetheless.

She propped herself up on one of the large wine barrels and rest her forehead in her hands, letting the world slow to a halt once her ears stopped ringing. Not even taking in the surroundings at that very moment before a gentle hand extended towards her.

Daisy has a small fright, looking over to the young gentleman who held a cigarette in his extended hand while another was already between his lips. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you there” she faked a smile as to be polite before looking down for a moment to the cigarette. Ugh, those nasty things… but she dared not decline and gently took it from the stranger. “Thank you…”

“Tough night?” He asked. “Not my finest work” Daisy replied while rolling the cigarette between her fingers. She stole a glance at the stranger. The smoke and light obscured her vision ever so slightly. But from what she could make out he was around his 20’s, his clothes looked to be those of the working lower class and his face could barely be made out in the shadows besides the tooth gap that complimented his lively smile. But she could sense that something about this man was… off. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she wouldn’t be sticking around to find out. Before he gave her a chance to slip away, he spoke once again.

"You're the mockingbird lady, right?" He asked while pulling another one of the barrels into place, he must have been the one to transport these wine barrels in the first place, considering the small truck just a tad further along the street was left unguarded and back was still open wide. It was a little irresponsible to leave large vats of alcohol in the open, especially in this region, but that was none of Daisy's business. Instead, she was plagued with the strangers' question. "Yes, that's me, the one and only" she spoke with a sweet chime in her voice, it was used so often that it was beginning to become more frequently used than her natural voice, or her singing.

"Hah! Well then, I never knew this would be the place I'd meet a star." the stranger responded. His tone was playful and genuine, Daisy could tell, still it surprised her, she could hardly call herself a star, she was still the one that regularly had to beg for a booking. But... she supposed it was still something compared to those who had nothing to show for in this kind of career.

"If it's not too much trouble, could I get an autograph?" Daisy blinked. "I'm sorry- from who?" "You, of course, I'm a fan of your show, though I've never been able to attend one of them in person, I've been able to hear you just fine through the open windows." The young man explained while gesturing to the small open windows up above, mainly used for ventilation.

"I see..." Daisy spoke in awe. She felt that naive glee all over again, that same excitement as when she was able to book her first show al by herself. The Stanger smiled as he seemed to notice she seemed a little nostalgic. "Miss?" "Ah- right, um... do you have a paper?" She felt a little unprepared, usually she had something to scribble down on, but she traded her practicality in for looks when it came to showbiz, the "owners" didn't care much for a woman wearing something that looked common or comfortable.

The young man patted himself down a while before he looked up to the building once more. "That should do." he said. Daisy looked at the man, and her eyes followed his to a poster, way up high between the second and third story window, hung there in an attempt to prevent vandalism or theft. "How are you going to get it-" Daisys question trailed off as her attention was once more caught by the man's, who was already helping himself to the poster. This had to be the reason her gut was telling her to be wary of the stranger. He was no mere man...

Seeing her pale complexion get paler and her sleepy doe eyes turn wide and worried. He chuckled softly and knelt back down. Daisy quickly looked away once she was spotted staring, noticing her hands had gotten more shaky than before. She cleared her throat, trying to sound casual, like the guy hadn't just suddenly grown 3 stories tall. "I-I'd hate for my poor handwriting to ruin your poster." She spoke, trying to sound as calm and collected as possible, if this were any other time, she'd bolt it, but that wasn't possible in these shoes, besides, he was too close, too big, too calm for her liking, like it was was the most normal thing in the world, to Daisy, that meant he knew he had an upper hand on her.

"Nonsense, I'd be delighted to have something to remember you by. It's not every day that I get to meet someone with real talent." He insisted as he held the poster between his thumb and finger. It looked much more like a stamp when he held it. Daisy gently took the poster with her shaky hands and placed it on the barrel where she previously sat. She hesitated before giving her best signature. It looked dull compared to the rest of the poster, but to the stanger, it was priceless.

"To um..." she hesitated before looking back up to the towering individual who knelt beside her. "Andy, A-N-D-Y." Daisy took note of the common name and advantage that she could see his face a little clearer ... his face didn't strike him as an Andy. She watched the ink dry before handing the poster back to him. By then, he had already shrunk back to his previous size.

He held the poster in front of him, proudly admiring it before rolling it up neatly "thanks miss Daisy, it was a pleasure to meet you." he only knew her name through the poster. He saw his eyes scanning the page, arguably more effort than most individuals made to seem polite.

Daisy smiled. He was... a nice change of pace. She held out her hand. "And it was a pleasure to meet you too, Andy," she froze. Why did she do that? Why did she hold her hand out? Why did she say his name so casually? Even Andy seemed a little surprised. She half expected him to ignore her or make up some excuse. She was already retracting her hand before Andy wiped his hands on his pants and took hold of Daisy's hand.

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