briarborealisocs

[briarborealisocs]

What was it like for Doe Whispers growing up with Raine as a parent?

this is an excellent question! ive been wanting to write all of this down so this is an excellent opportunity :D (please excuse how long it took for me to answer this, i spent a long time writing and double checking things to ensure they align with canon haha)

all of the following is headcanon about raine too. because theyre so cool and swag and i love them. warning: this is kinda long, but i wanna be thorough! but TL;DR, they try their best and are very loving, but being a busy single parent doesnt leave much room for quality time

Pre-Parenthood Raine wanted to be a parent; not only to start a family with Eda, but also just to experience raising a kid of their own and being a parent. After breaking up with Eda, they joined the Bard coven and started their teaching career. Rather than staying in Bonesborough and starting a career at Hexside (which is apparently located on the right arm), they moved closer to the castle. I imagine this is somewhere around Latissa, if not exactly in Latissa. Once their career was stable, they had Boe. Boe wasn't conceived through traditional means. Her conception was magical, and while there was outside input for her genetic makeup, Raine is the only involved parent. (Side note: Doe and Boe are both very similar, and it's debatable which one is her real name. "Boe" is fun because "Raine" + "Boe" = "RaineBoe", but this is still an insert character. For the sake of consistency through the post, I'll be calling her "Boe", but either works.)

Early Life Boe was raised with as much love as a parent could provide for their child. Up until she was about 4, Raine gave her all of their attention. Based on this post quoting Avi Roque, Raine's voice actor, there are two specific headcanons I have about them as a parent: 1) They would go by "Papa" (I wanted to match the term "Mama Eda", and feel like they would be more comfortable with masculine terms.) 2) There would be a lot of holding, handling, hugging, etc (Raine's love language is touch, so there's a lot of physical affection) Around when she was 4-5, Raine was offered a teaching position directly under the Emperor himself. And at this point is where things get VERY busy and difficult.

As a teacher, Raine wanted to be the primary one with a hand in Boe's upbringing and education. That, along with Bards having a less-than-stellar reputation, And Boe being one of those kids to easily get sick, led to her being homeschooled in bard magic. Unfortunately, a single teacher's salary can definitely not afford daycare (Belos is cruel and unjust) so Boe spent a lot of time in the faculty lounge, doing her homework, drawing, reading, etc. However, the flow of new people and students allowed her at least a little bit of interaction with others.

While Raine climbed the ladder, and learned more about Belos's corruption, Boe was left mostly to her own devices. Unfortunately, their busy life led to their relationship stunting. Yes, they still love each other as family, and they know each other very well, but from around 10-14, Boe started keeping a lot of things to herself. Throughout all of this, Raine's been busy starting a rebellion. And does Boe know? No. A lot of things rebellion related, she simply assumes is part of Raine's "Work".

Joining Canon Once Raine is elevated to a high enough status where they are set as Scooter Crane's replacement as Head Witch of the Bard coven (a couple of months before the show begins; Boe is just under, or has recently turned 16), they move into the castle permanently. The Emperor, in all his grace, provides Boe boarding as well, provided she follows in Raine's footsteps or studies to become a part of the Emperor's Coven. With all of her schooling, it's fine, but she doesn't really know if she wants to be a Bard. Sure, it's what she's most proficient in and trained to do, but there's a million different options out there to explore. Raine is very good at their job, and vocal about the need for Bards to be respected, so imagine how awfully disappointing it would be for their own, only child to pursue something else. So she just says nothing.

During Canon Working at the castle is so incredibly busy. Obviously. Raine tries to see their kid at least daily, but it's still a difficult thing. Most often, it's a wordless hug or a passing pat on the head as they rush off to another meeting (coven related or otherwise). Around this time, Boe finds out there are TWO (count 'em: two) other kids in the castle. And she wants to be friends with them SO bad. But that's a story for another time; let's just say it eventually happens.

Yes, Boe realizes something's happened after Eda's Requiem. It's subtle, and weird, but a lot of Raine's mannerisms on the surface had changed. But when they interact, nothing's different, so she brushes it off again.

Hollow Mind Heart There's a reattempt of the mind spell. But through some shenanigans, rather than Hunter and Luz going into the Emperor's mind, Sol and Boe end up in Raine's. And they see everything. And it goes about as well as you expect. Sol, understandably, runs away from the coven much like Hunter did, but in less of a "my life will end if I stay" manner; more of a "I cannot work for this man anymore" way. Boe, however, stays. She's quiet about it all, and the rift between her and Raine widens even more. She does stay at the castle, if only for a sense of stability. But best you believe she's doomsday prepping in there. Packing all of her important things in a single bag, hoarding whatever snacks she can snag, and not talking to anyone.

aaaand that's about where we are right now! i'm currently writing stuff for post hollow mind + human realm era. but in the epilogue, i imagine they become close again! but being isolated from them right after finally being ready to talk again is difficult.

[briarborealisocs]

you can tell this is fake because sol would never have such voluptuous bobbies

[briarborealisocs]

LOOK AT THEM. THEY'VE CHANGED SO MUCH. THEY'VE GROWN.... SNIFFLE SNIFFLE

screenshot edits are MUCH easier than i thought they would be anyways... look at them. oooh they wanna be friends so baddd

mind you, the second "screenshot" is post collector, pre timeskip, so they all started going to hexside. slay

if yall have questions hmu in the askbox. i can and will elaborate (/th (/lh))

[briarborealisocs]

ASK BOX.

Who has the most trauma~

And of what flavor

so since this is a superhero story they all go through immenseeee amounts of trauma LMAOOO in fact it would be hard to judge who has the "most" trauma out of all of them by the end. (personally i would say dani but an argument could be made for Everyone Else as well)

so i'll stick with answering based on what their trauma levels are at the beginning of the story, and i'll also stick with just the main trio... it's funny that u sent this ask rn cuz i was actually JUST drawing our winner

everyone say hello to mick!! (hello mick!!)

description of trauma below cut

mick's mom was a supervillain. when mick was born and started presenting with useful powers, his mom pulled strings to make it so that he legally didn't exist and proceeded to raise him in a very child soldier-esque way. unfortunately, trying to keep a child who can telepathically link with the internet isolated and controlled is difficult. when mick started talking with and befriending leon over animal jam (and later through like, skype) it was his first introduction to normal people. leon didn't save him per se but having a close friend who advocated for being a good person worked wonders for mick's moral compass

when mick was about 13-14 he used his powers to dump a ton of information about his mom's secret identity, crimes, and location to the appropriate authorities under an anonymous tip. the authorities raided his house and found him, a 13-14 year old kid who people didn't know existed. he played up the lost innocent child kidnapped by supervillain thing and they took him in and eventually put him in state custody.

so obviously considering the whole "raised in total isolation by a supervillain who only wanted you to be a living weapon/successor to their legacy" followed by "you betray the person who raised you and all you get is this extended stay in foster care" compared to dani and leon's "my parents divorced but are still friendly" im gonna say mick wins this one. it's honestly a little comical how intense mick's backstory is compared to the other two. even more so when milo gets thrown into the picture but we don't know them yet so shhh

[briarborealisocs]

oh oh hello!! i have some advice on the matter that may or may not be helpful, hope im not intruding too much

all of the advice in the post linked above is absolutely awesome, as well as the advice about getting to know your characters!

ultimately i think the best way to develop a distinct character voice is to think of your character as a person. what makes them different from others? goals, values, quirks? their literal differences in speech patterns?

the most difficult thing about this is that we as writers are only one person! it's hard to make up entirely new people, especially multiple of them, that have unique narrative voices.

so my advice: write fanfiction!

this is only partially a joke. the thing that has helped me flesh out my character voices the most is writing from the pov of pre-existing characters. those characters already have a unique voice, and often it's one that i wouldn't come up with myself, because someone else wrote them! understanding the way other characters and other people talk and then writing about them can expand your mental "voice encyclopedia" which may help with making your own characters distinct.

if you don't want to write fanfiction, do studies! by which i mean, pay close attention to the way people talk. whether that's in real life, or when you're listening to podcasts, or watch videos or TV or movies, or reading books, or anything else! either just think about it, or take notes, or write down transcripts of the way people talk and move, word for word. everyone has a unique voice and finding out what types of things Make Them Unique can be great for coming up with your own distinct characters. people watching is an artist's best friend i think :)

tldr: you can expand the types of character voices you're comfortable writing by studying other characters or people and the way they talk/narrate. at least that's what has helped me!

Hello I make poor life choices and am writing a book with too FUCKING many POVs.

I want to make all the voices distinct. I've accomplished this with two of them, but have run out of voices I can easily tap.

Who's got good tutorials and whathaveyou about making prose voicey?

[briarborealisocs]

*cracks knuckles* i've never been one to be unique, so i shall dabble in this as well

if this post gets to 20k notes by the end of november (see the impossible deadline?) i will finally get cracking on my novel and put it up on wattpad when its done

i love impossible deadlines, especially when i'm setting them <3

[briarborealisocs]

You are a superhero known for wearing a signature ring. While everyone believes it to be the source of your powers in reality it actually dampens them, allowing you to safely use your powers. Today you woke up and could not find your ring.

[briarborealisocs]

Hello there! Just stopping by with a writing question for you. What do you think has improved the most in your writing since you started?

IT HAS BEEN... ONE THOUSAND YEARS...... hello gamers im back again

okkkk i started writing when i was like, really young. REALLY young. but ill say the thing that has improved the most in my writing hmmm..... probably narration i think. like hmmmm like the way i use POV is something im really proud of. im intentional about tense, closeness, objectivity, that type of thing. !!!!

[briarborealisocs]

sound of me CRYING IN THE SCHOOL LIBRARY,,

oh you are soooo sweet for this omg??? like you said we haven't talked much but i feel similarly about you!! aqqoihgh!!!!! <- sound of me crying wailing sobbing. oihgh you're so sweet i hope you have the best fall ever forever. magic spell of have a good an excellent day

@briarborealisart for day 17! Surprise!! Not a pony!!

Briar, you are an absolute peach! Even though we haven't talked a whole bunch I think you're just fantastic ^^ keep making cute characters and reblogging relatable content XD have a bright, beautiful, colourful fall! 🍂🍂🍂🍂

[briarborealisocs]

immortality through not being incapable of death but by coming back to life after you die no matter what is such a cool power like it’s just so fucking metal. you can rip me apart if you want, i’ll rise from my own viscera and all you’ll have done is piss me off

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hey it’s okay. maybe you’ll feel better if you imagine your OCs in fucked up situations

[briarborealisocs]

Last Line Tag Game!!

thank u for the tag @anulithots!! your piece of writing was so effervescent and evoked many shrimp emotions in me

my last line i wrote is still from that dsmp fic im working on that will change me fundamentally

Tommy keeps glancing back. It's still hard to make out any details, especially as they slink past the treeline and branches get in the way, but for a moment he swears the monster turns to look at them. There's just vacant, empty, bloody nothingness where there should be a face. He exhales shakily and tries to move quieter through the underbrush—it can't see them, he reasons. It can't. Eventually, just before the trees blot out all sight, the monster turns away.

open tag!! 💕 💕

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ive loved reading these so so much!! this is such a cool story and i love the worldbuilding and everything with the houseplant project :)

here is a nice comment to "water" rose: the fact that you are willing to grow and do better means so much to those around you. you are loved and you are worthy and you can still be yourself even when things change. :)

The Rose. Episode 5 - "Gone"

Trigger warnings for blood and sickness.

Welcome to the finale everyone <3. I hope you like Rose and how this ends, because guess what? Fae makes a cameo in the next houseplant series (Prayer Plant)!

Also also, I like the idea of beings who don't have "aha moments" and are suddenly... okay. Because growth is not a linear process, and there isn't a set rule as what counts as "better" or not. So Rose isn't suddenly amazing now but fae is getting better.

Maidoe is a reoccurring character btw <3 Fae is supposed to be a master navigator in Trinity Hollow, and for context, most fairies never leave their tree's side. So Maidoe is.... a bit famous around there. Fae also has this uncanny knack for telling the future, for better or worse.

A tumblr houseplant story from @briarborealisart

The info post is here

Episode one - "Thorns"

Episode two - "Maidoe"

Episode three- "Petals"

Episode four - "Wild"

Note - this is still a first draft, any feedback would be much appreciated. Especially for this one, this is a super interesting concept to explore, but my brain found it so difficult, and comments on if I got to the core of this would be appreciated. <3

------

Maidoe lost leaves.

One.

Two.

Three.

Fae didn't have much to begin with. White sap fell off the wounds in droplets. Puddles had stains on faer hands from wiping it away. Maidoe - silly, observant, practical Maidoe - was reduced to a mumbling heap of little leaves beside a bare tree.

Rose. Tried. Everything.

Fae told Maidoe about all the wild ways: too much water absorption, not enough microbes, leaf angling, and Maidoe always slept during prime evening and morning sun hours. Rose was gentle & soft. Fae sat beside Maidoe and told faer everything... but all fae would do was nod. Nod and never change.

Puddles told fair that Maidoe was going through a 'rough patch' and needed utmost care. So Rose sat with Maidoe, measured faer words and made sure to never poke Maidoe with faer thorns.

Rose wondered if Puddles helped more. Puddles gave nowhere near as helpful advice - 'take it slow' fae said.... that was so general and not conducive to a speedy recovery - but Maidoe always smiled more and gave Puddles hugs. Fae never listened to Rose's advice. Puddles said Rose's instructions were "too much" to deal with while Maidoe was in pain. Rose didn't understand. faer advice would bring less pain. Why didn't they see that?

Perhaps it was the hugs.

Maidoe left the next day, white splotches over faer skin where the surprise hug punctured.

Rose had faer own matching splotches, all over faer thorns.

For a precious moment, fae forgot fae had them. But fae wouldn't forget again. If Rose had been more stern- more faerself - thorns & all, then Maidoe wouldn't have left. Simple as that.

-----

Puddle's leaves drooped, darkening.

Rose bit faer tongue. Fae shouldn't say it unless Puddles asked. It would hurt Puddles more, but how could fae let it get that bad? It was probably just a wind issue - the indoor winds always smelled weird. It was such an easy fix -

"Maidoe's tree is doing better"

Rose glanced over, it had gotten bushier - full of sprouts and leaves.

Rose nodded. "Fae had to get rid of the dead ones and let faer tree get sun, simple changes."

"Not to Maidoe."

Rose blinked. Right. Fae had already poked the others, already caused damage. How could fae fix that?

" ... Sorry"

"Sorry? Who are you and what have you done with Rose?"

"Oh don't be fooled, we are still having our debates."

"For sure."

Puddles fluffed faer leaves. a few fell. Rose grimaced. Wait, wait... if it gets any worse, fae would tell faer anyways.

Puddles sighed. "Do you have 'simple fixes' for these?"

"YES. It's a wind issue, your leaves are delicate-"

"Without the insults."

"Insults?"

"No one likes being insulted Rose, they want to know what they are doing right, THEN give advice."

Rose flicked faer ears. "Sooo... You did a very good job at - at -"

"It's that hard?"

"You're great at resting."

"Wow. Thanks."

"Love the sarcasm. But... really, both you and Maidoe let yourselves rest, maybe at the wrong times, but still... that's a good thing."

Puddles hummed. "Thank you. You should also try it."

"... Can I give you advice now?"

"Hold on... you need advice first."

"Me? Oh.. Ok-okay."

"Maidoe didn't leave because of you."

Rose blinked. "Wha - where did that come from?"

"You've been twisting your claws since you've gotten here."

Rose scowled at faer claws for their betrayal." That does not immediately mean that I think- I think... Maidoe left..."

Rose swallowed. Silly tears. Silly, silly tears that come for the smallest of things.

Puddles tapped Rose's snout in a supportive 'bop'. "Maidoe left because fae was losing faer leaves & wanted to see if there was more to the world."

"But... faer scars."

"I think Fae's quite proud of them actually"

"Oh."

"And fae wanted to see how great the wild actually was."

"It is great."

"I know Rose."

"Why didn't fae tell me.... before fae left?"

"You would make faer stay, say something like 'it isn't conducive for your health'"

"It wasn't conducive for faer health"

".... Faer tree is all bushy now. If we see faer again, I'll ask faer if fae has been a pollywiggin this whole time."

"I doubt that."

".... we'll have a debate on it later."

"For sure... and... Puddles?"

"Yes?"

"Tha- Thank you."

"Of course, Rose."

".... Now can I give you advice?"

Puddles laughed. "Of course, Rose."

Rose smiled. Fae didn't have to hide faer thorns, but fae shouldn't poke others with them either.

They wanted to be cared for - like faer bloom - that's why they never listened.

And Rose? Rose would work on listening too.

-----

That's the end <3

I hope you all like Rose's story. This houseplant series gives me so much joy, especially since I seem to be in a bit of a spiral again. (Listening to my favorite song "Agnes" by Glass Animals, non-stop to stop the throbbing static and the overwhelming heat and urge to cry but I just can't and it might get so so much worse and I thought I was doing better. This shouldn't hurt, this happened before, it shouldn't hurt.) And I guess that's the point, isn't it? I can't promise you hope for a happy ending, and it's okay to be broken now, it's a story, right? A constant cycle? And I know it's so so wrong of me to say it when I feel so awful, but... perhaps we can enjoy every stage of it? I love this song, I finally have the motivation to do schoolwork because my creative energy is sapped out, it will pass, it's okay right now. We'll take care of each other, and agnst is fun in stories right? All my little characters in my head are curling beside each other, murmuring comfort, because that's all I can really offer. I don't know the answer, but hey, growth is growth, isn't it? No matter if the plant is losing leaves or growing or living or dying, it's beautiful in a way. It seems so complicated and messy, but that's the web, full of dewdrops, catching the light.

Erhm... sorry for the rant, my thoughts are on the borderline of mean and I needed to sort them out.

But if you don't mind the little self-promo: reblog this with one kind statement to "water" rose, let's spread some wonder to this convoluted place <3

And spread the word to anyone else who would like to add their houseplant to the garden, perhaps we can fill tumblr with houseplants.

[briarborealisocs]

hey! this is chance & here’s week 3’s prompt. share an excerpt that you’re very proud of from any of your wips.

hehe once again I'll go with my most recent wip

Tommy dreams. In his dream, a redwood tree is on fire. Looking at it makes him feel hollow. He doesn't understand. The tree is all alone and it is burning. It wasn't always alone. In his dream, Tommy can admit that he doesn't like redwood trees. They're too fucking tall. But it doesn't feel good to watch it burn. 

The tree keeps burning and he keeps watching until he wakes up. 

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thank u for the tag! :)

i'll do seven lines from my most recent wip ok ok ok ok

"The fucking walkers," Bo says.

"Can we just call them zombies?" asks Ran, relighting the spark of a long-time argument. Tommy ducks under a fern frond and narrowly avoids tripping on a root.

"Zombies is stupid," Bo says. "It's cliche."

"Walkers are the things old people use to get around," Ran argues. ues, “and those things definitely don’t just walk.”

“Haven’t you ever seen The Walking Dead?” Bo asks, almost offended. Ran shoots him a Class-A Look. “Right. Memory boy.”

A branch snaps behind them. “Less talking, more running for our lives, boys!” Tommy shouts, shoving the two of them forward as he sprints ahead.

this is basically 7 lines. LMAO

anyway i can't tag 7 accounts exactly but i would love to see lines from @sqeedledob @doeblossom @writeblr-of-my-own and @cheeto-flavoured-pasta

Heads Up, Seven Up!

Thanks for tagging me, @olivescales3! Rules: post seven lines from a WIP & tag seven accounts! Here's a little book one moment because I am experiencing Elaine & Ivan brainrot currently. They're just so special to me.

“None of that’s true, by the way,” Ivan mumbled. “What the mermaids told you, I mean. I think you’re fine just the way you are. More than fine, in fact. I. . . really like your freckles.”

[...] “Oh,” Elaine squeaked. “Thank. . . thank you.”

Mutual secretive pining!? ♡ In this economy!? Will they, won't they? Only I know. But judging from this excerpt, you can probably guess the outcome.

Gently tagging people who might be interested in playing (but let me know if you don't wish to be tagged): @the-chaotic-writer, @sm-writes-chaos, @canadjester, @anulithots, @serendipminiewritesfics, @tea-and-mercury, @macabremoons.

[briarborealisocs]

tag game!!

tagged here by @cheeto-flavoured-pasta

fav color: oh i have sooo many!! im a big fan of the orangey-pink of sunrises and sunsets, as well as mint/teal and dark red and olive green and ill stop there because otherwise this list will go on forever

currently reading: markus sircantus's new fic a guarded love

last series: witch hat atelier by kamome shirahama

sweet, savory, or spicy?: spicy allll the way!!! but i love the other two as well <3

currently working on: a fanfic based on a weird dream i had involving something that isn't a time loop but isnt not a time loop, either

tags: i hate tagging people in these </3 anyone who sees this post can feel free to answer

[briarborealisocs]

hey! this is chance & here’s week 2's prompt. when you write or create an oc, do you like to reference elements from your life? if yes, name a few. if no, why not?

it took me AGES to find the time to answer this but here i finally am!!!

yes. i LOVE referencing elements from my life when it comes to ocs. it makes it so much easier to write compelling characters when youre pulling events and emotions from reality rather than from thin air. i've had characters with similar family dynamics to me, similar strengths or weaknesses, similar thought processes; ive drawn directly from my own experiences when writing things like anxiety attacks or dissociation... i think the biggest example though is the first time i donated blood i almost passed out, and when i had (mostly) recovered, i walked back to my dorm, opened my laptop, and proceeded to write fanfiction about a character nearly passing out from blood loss. LMFAOOO I HAD TO GET THE FEELINGS DOWN

here's a snippet

“What’s going on?” The gruff voice registered only distantly through the sudden ringing in Ranboo’s ears, and oh, shoot. Oh, Prime. The dim room grew dimmer, Ranboo’s vision tunneling, and he realized belatedly that, hey, maybe he shouldn’t have teleported so soon after being healed. His head felt stuffed with wool.  “Shit, shit, shit, Blackout, c’mere.” Ranboo thought he might’ve felt an arm or two lower him gently to the ground through the thick haze around his senses. “It’s fine,” he said, voice seeming to float away from him. “I’ll be fine.” “No, no, Blackout— Come on, stay with me, man.”  “Is he passing out?” asked a different voice, and Ranboo waved his hand flippantly from where he was reclining. 

funniest thing ive ever done tbh. the whole time i was almost passing out i was like "oh no sorry i wouldnt want to bother you its ok you can go back to doing your job haha" GIRLLLLL YOURE BASICALLY PASSING OUT FROM BLOOD LOSS PLEEEEEEEEASE!!!! so obviously i projected onto cranboo notable people pleaser (in a superhero au but still)

so yeah i love projecting onto my blorbos, be they ocs or otherwise. actually a large amount of my currently active ocs are self inserts anyway so. LMAO. yeah im a projector