#Pre Production Concepts AU

[adventures-in-mangaland]

Dead Boy Detectives: Fic Recs

My latest hyperfixation is Dead Boy Detectives, so oc I've been reading and commenting on a ton of fic. And it's been really nice because the response of the authors has been so warm. I don't think I've ever gotten so many replies so quickly! Also, the fandom has inspired me to actually start writing again for the first time in two years and I've got a great idea for a fanvid. (Any tips on how to make one would be appreciated! 😅)

So in tribute to the lovely fandom, here's a fic rec post (nearly all payneland):

in this city there's a thousand things I want to say to you by laiqualaurelote

Edwin has a sexual awakening and it blows Charles' mind. And other things. Very funny and well written. Also features minor Edwin/Cat King and Edwardian flirting.

I also highly recommend the saviour of the broken, the beaten, and the damned by the same author, which is a kind of multiverse!Edwin fic? Featuring Edwin dying? And Niko time travelling? Trying to save time? Anyway, interesting to see Edwin alive, ageing and in different periods of time/his life.

For the First Time Twice by MmmCookies

Amnesia fic! Charles loses his memories and thinks he and Edwin are married. Very cute (tandem bike date!) and well written, though Edwin's point of view still manages to be angsty. Also, the yearning is off the charts and the most recent chapter turned up the heat.

I guess you're stuck with me by Punny_Puck

AU in which Edwin and Charles actually got married pre-show. Funny, cute with a sweet marriage proposal prequel. Instant comfort fic.

Dance the Night by Gruoch

The gang are hunting an energy-sucking vampire that targets beautiful people, so naturally Edwin MUST disguise himself as the hottest girl in London. This one starts out fun and campy then takes a hard left turn into Serious Business. Prepare yourself for emotional moments, worldbuilding and some really excellent horror.

Long Past Time by sanctuary_for_all

Charles proposes to Edwin post canon. It's a short and sweet established relationship fic with some cool worldbuilding about ghosts and their ability to shape their clothing/appearances.

lay my hands on heaven by Opossum_Subatomic

I had to include a PWP and this is a great one. Extremely well written, in character and romantic. And explicit, obviously.

Data Points by Asidian

Edwin learns to cuddle. It's a production and completely adorable. I love a fic that explores the difference between the boys' physicality and this one's really on point. The writing and characterisation are great and it's nice to see Edwin taking care of Charles.

I also recommend Lanterns In the Dark, which sets the scene for Charles and Edwin's first meeting with some gut-wrenching details about Charles' homelife and Edwin's escape from Hell.

When I Was a Young Boy by flowerbritts

A Good Omens crossover and AU in which Aziraphale is Edwin's adopted father. Family reunions and revelations abound. Also, Edwin gets to be a teenager and slam doors while shouting, as he deserves.

The author has also written Wait, I'm Coming Too, which is a very sweet post canon 'Charles Worries About Edwin and Realises His Feelings' fic inspired by that 'Edwin reading Heartstopper' fanart. Both fics deserve more love!

A Slight Miscalculation by kantigone

Idiots in Love and Didn't Know They Were Dating. Crystal and Niko are the real MVPs, for real. A treat.

Terrible at Keeping Secrets (5+1) by ASingularSadSoggyPringle

Interesting demon!Edwin AU. Charles is a precious cupcake in this fic and Edwin is mostly the same with some Darker moments. I loved the concept and the author adds in some great, creepy details.

somaesthesia by perexcri

Edwin's journey from being touch-averse to touch-starved... at least when it comes to Charles. Palmistry is involved. I loved Edwin's characterisation and the unresolved sexual/romantic tension was on point.

And possibly I like the thrill (of under me you quite so new) by Leandra

Edwin explores his sexuality and re-negotiates his relationship with Charles. Meanwhile, the gang take on the case of a ghost who wants them to matchmake his still-living lover. Crosses over with The Sandman. And Edwin gets to be confident and flirty as a treat.

Always by How You Doing (FancyMeetingYouHere)

Hurt/Comfort fic in which Edwin has a traumatic flashback to the doll-head demon spider and Charles looks after him. Charles reading Good Omens to Edwin is a nice, meta touch.

Made You Look by Baby_Spinach

The agency are hunting an incubus that decides to take on Edwin's appearance. A repression explosion ensues. Fun fic.

Shape Me by dearheartdont

This one's actually a character study of Charles and his mixed race Indian heritage (so no Edwin) and it's so well done. It's also part of a series in progress about Charles growing up in the 80s with all the racism and homophobia that that entails. I look forward to seeing where it goes.

The Most Tender Place In My Heart by coloursflyaway

Edwin shares memories of how he fell in love with Charles, who figures out his own feelings in the process. It's super sweet and involves fun pre-show flashbacks and defintely deserves more attention!

I also loved Won't Fear Love by the same author, in which Charles takes Edwin out on dates and breaks the cuteness scales. And shout out to Good Enough which is the first fic I bookmarked for this fandom! 🥳

Anyway, thank you to all these amazing writers for making this fandom so special! 🥰

[okanra]

FEW FUN BEHIND-THE-SCENES STUFF I DID FOR “THE UNSPOKEN” WEBCOMIC SERIES (still ongoing, of course)

So I’m migrating some of the (public version of) pre-production stuff I did in 2021-2023 for THE UNSPOKEN webcomic (back when it still had the old name “Trunks and Goten in High School AU”) here, since X/Twitter apparently annihilated the old Moment feature for real. These are mostly research stuff, some warm up doodles and inspiring sountrack playlists I did before a chapter or a story got made. I usually do a lot of research offline before working on any creative project, that’s why sometimes it feels like there’s so many information gets jammed into one chapter: it was mostly to make do for all the time that I didn’t get to, or wouldn’t be able to work on the comics.

Will add in the chapters along side the information paper for clearer understanding ✌️

———————————————

1. The warm-up expression practice sheet (or doodles, in my case) of Son Goten and Trunks in my webcomic series (late 2022 or early 2023):

Since the idea in mind for these two in the webcomic was to be more “mature, human-like” than the original manga version to fit with the narrative I want to tell and aim at the older demographic, practices are needed :p

2. The Martial Arts techniques research information papers - Chapter 2 and 3 aka “The Spar” 1 & “The Spar” 2 (2021-2022):

A. Goten’s techniques:

B. Trunks’s techniques:

This research about martial arts techniques was actually very fun to do due to martial arts and cultural aspects are being two of the things I enjoy the most in life. That’s probably parts of the reasons why I went back to Dragon Ball in 2020: motorbikes, martial arts and mixed races culture.

Back then I did plan on sharing my research to everyone in the form of little fun art lessons, so there were interesting tweets like this or this. Later I decided to share this somewhere else more private (like my Patreon community) since I realized pre-production researches (or something akin to visual developments) are not that well-liked for most online viewers even though it’s a very much needed process in a creative project 🤔

This martial art concept is one of the actual main themes throughout the whole webcomic series, not really the (super duper gay) b-romance relationship between Son Goten and Trunks, yes I’m very sorryyyyyyy I like them too but I like worldbuilding more lmaoooo :p

3. The brief character design sheet and Chinese-influenced culture research information papers - Chapter 4: “The Iron Woman” and Chapter 5: “Her Resolution, His Origin” (mid-2022 until now and will be continued):

A. Character Design brief sheet:

B. Culture research stuff:

The hilarious thing about researching for these chapters are: Back when “The Iron Woman” was being made, the research limited at reading articles and some books about Chinese cultures, and watching documentaries on Youtube. But when “Her Resolution, His Origin” was being made, the research tuned into a real life trip to China, to take real life reference photos and listening to real legends and stories.

This research for “Her Resolution, His Origin” will be posted to Patreon later, of course ✌️

4. The Original Comic introduction and comeback announcements in mid-2022:

I must have eaten some edibles while drawing this because the boys look so good here. Goten looks so good, I even made him the profile picture for my Patreon account lmao.

5. Soundtrack playlists for inspirations (2021 - now): always the cherry on top. I listen to these playlists everytime I work on the series.

A. Duo playlist for chapters featuring both main characters: link

B. Character playlist for chapters focusing on single character, or anything related to that character: link

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All in all, posts like this are for people who like to see what’s beneath the surface when working on a creative project. I completely guarantee you, what you’ve seen on this blog are just the tips of the ice berg 🤫

Def not a PR, but my Patreon has lots of this lmao. Half joking half serious, there’s even a “non-posted” comic up there too and many other things. I’m just stating facts.

That aside, I’m just really happy to be able to work on this webcomic. THE UNSPOKEN webcomic series has always been a long-term indie project, not a daily content so I hope the readers who like and follow this series would stay tuned for more ✌️

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For easier reading, you can either follow the links that are included above, or just read this Tapas updated version.

[precious-little-scoundrel]

Do you have any Ida Brady headcanons for pre-integrated AU? 👀

Oooh yes I do, thanks for asking!

It has occurred to me how we’ve met her when she’s legit at her lowest and coldest. So while she might be impressive AF right now, she’s not exactly the warm hearted sister Johnny could tell you of, the insane dark-horse risk taker Egan will bet on any day, the tireless and compassionate advocate of her girls, or the incredibly conflicted woman Rosie Rosenthal has the audacity to make laugh before Victory rolls round.

Ok, full disclosure, there’s plenty about this AU I’ve not even bothered figuring out as it would drive me mad and stifle the creativity, so plenty of the aspects and rules of integration, etc, have been left nebulous even in my own brain.

The short of this concept, however, is that the Bloody 100th became the first (and likely only? maybe another by the end of the war) bomber group to intergrate. It added to their reputation as a crazy and undisciplined force, an experiment of sorts. Full of mad hatters and women who deserved to get shot out of the sky for attempting to engage in something as masculine aerial combat -it made the men both defensive of their group’s capabilities and that of their female fellows. Sink or swim together, and by god, they flew instead.

This also meant Ida Brady became the highest ranking woman of her sex in the air force at the time, although she was predictably never given close to a full squadron as was her “due” as a Lt. Colonel.

It was a bit of a surprise then when she pushed for full integration of the group, that she should not be over women only, and not all women should answer strictly to her. This was adopted by the time of Harding’s command and the girls’ broader deployment.

Old habits die hard however, and “Ida’s Banshees” were still toasted at the Silver Wings club, although technically many fellas were counted amongst them by then.

How’d she get into aviation? well my dears -it starts with a stock market crash

The Brady family did alright for much of the 1930’s, jobs in rural New York were hard to come by yet the soil was good for food and the community close, the desperate poverty of the big cities wasn’t as starkly obvious or quick to ruin out there. But just because the country takes a turn up doesn’t always mean a single family will, too. There’s always unforeseen twists and turns.

Her two brothers could add to the family with what work they could get, or apprentice as Johnny did. But Ida? Those should have been her courting years, according to mama. Mrs. Brady was a good woman, a product of her times and upbringing and an immigrant child herself. It wasn’t cruel to the Irish, it was custom, to send a child away to better serve their futures.

And so 1937 found Ida seated on a train headed down to an Aunt’s house in Miami, Florida, to help with Uncle’s Travel Agency and earn a wage and hopefully meet some young fellas

There may have been young fellas in Miami but Ida didn’t have an eye for them, she wanted money and security and and to be back with her tight knit family in New York.

Uncle’s little venture was a sprawling enterprise growing free and wild since the mid 20’s in Florida’s sticky air. Sure it was a travel agency but it also coordinated areal mail runs that also accommodated a growing number of passengers, and on the side was Uncle’s true passion: the aviation school of Embry and Riddle.

Named after himself (Riddle) and his business partner Embry, her uncle had been battling the government’s pesky fingers in his training programs since the 20’s and by the late 30’s —when Ida arrived— he had reopened three different times.

Such tenacity and unreserved frustration shown by someone she so admired in regards to authoritarian overreach cemented in Ida’s mind a very clear impression that the persecution she later faced was not due fully to her sex. Instead she chose to consider it persecution of the old American trait of not giving a damn about the pesky ball and chain of higher power. Yes she appreciated her rules in the army, but in civilian enterprises? She has definite opinions about leaving well enough alone

Becoming a pilot for Ida was something that happened out of necessity and opportunity than an immediate passion. If anything it terrified her a bit, but then again, so had canoeing down the rapids in Maine with Johnny. And Ida never backed down from what scared her, only what she felt was wrong. And as far as she could see, God hadn’t said nothin’ against either man or woman flying around. So, having decided to become a pilot and help her uncle in his dreams, she became an excellent one

By 1940 Uncle Riddle had yoked with the U.S. Army Air Corps Training Program, his private school had produced 250 students and certified them as pilots the previous year and he was much in demand.

Ida Brady had been one of his chief instructors and wasn’t that a trip?

When war broke out she was recruited by and immediately joined the WASPS, training women students to transport bombers this time.

You think being a dmv test trainer is scary? Try strapping wings to those kids. It’s hell to be excellent at a thing and sit on your hands while someone nearly kills you both with their inexperience. Yet that was her day job for almost a year, and she had a temperament oddly suited to it, calm, decently patient and lethally critical when needed, she was respected and her students became not only respected but fully equipped to keep themselves and their cargo safe by the end.

When the Air Force pitched its experimental Integrated Squadron, Ida already knew the majority of the girls joining would prove to have been her students.

I am not sure she jumped at a combat position immediately, between her traditional upbringing, crucial training role and suspicion of the army screwing over the whole endeavor, I think she would be wary.

There’s speculations about who talked her into it, some say her brother had reported the dreadful discipline and treatment of the 100th’s nearly disbanded female force to her, and driven by stubborn pride in her protégés, Ida Brady had shown up and demanded they at least be nixed with dignity.

Instead she found herself training both men and women to stay the fuck in the air…the whole point of their particular branch

They didn’t get nixed. And Ida was suddenly a squadron commander without an actual squadron

By England I imagine she is still fighting for inclusions in the crews, there’s lots of finicky dealings regarding who gets sent up. She is technically Cleven and Egan’s superior but even she has the sense to know that blending in is her best bet, so she does her utmost and is respected accordingly. An odd third wheel that somehow adds a subtle but significant amount of gravitas and dignity to the whole gang, a rules and regulations gal but on because her own conduct is examined under a microscope by those higher ups who’d like the can they whole production

Under Harding’s command, as the crews become scarce, there is no discrimination left.

Those Who Can, fly.

Ida Brady goes out each time, if her girls are out so is she, even if the integration she fought for is entirely complete.

When she’s downed two days after the disastrous Munster mission that claimed her brother and Egan, it’s just in time, she’s needed on the ground by her girls who’d been lost earlier

Going ahead and tagging in case anyone is interested in this wack list of headcanons ha

MOTA taglist, I only have one so ignore if this is not the universe you signed up for:

@stylespresleyhearted

@ab4eva

@earth-to-lottie

@suraemoon

@blurredcolour

@steph-speaks

@crazymadpassionatelove

@rubyfruitjungle

@taestrwbrry

@storysimp

@javden

@sexualparkour

@jointherebellion215

@sunny747

@ask-you-what-sir

@xxanaduwrites

@pretty4u

@yorkshirekiwi

@waitedforlove743

@elvismylove04

@blikebarbie92

@luminouslywriting

@euryno-j47

@justheretoreadthhx

@bookotter01

@mads-weasley

@ka-ski

@darkestbeforethedawn16

@slowsweetlove

@richardslady121

@barbeygirl

@prfctplcsreads

@vaf24

@harrys-housewife

@claireelizabeth85

@pearlparty

[zimcard-artblog]

(VOLUME WARNING FOR HEADPHONE USERS AND EXPLICIT SONG LYRICS)

STORYBOARD FOR A BROKEN PARADISE ANIMATED SHORT TITLED "PLAYLIST"

You can watch the fully animated short here!

To quickly summarize; A Broken Paradise is a JSAB AU animated series currently in Pre-Production. It was created by @ Cinnamonroll692 (you can find her other social medias linked on her YouTube Description) and currently has a small team of artists and VAs working on it.

You can find the Official Twitter page for the AU here! (@ shapesofparadis ) that contains animated shorts, reference/concept art of the main cast, an introduction video of the VA of the main four, and more to come!

It has been a blast working on this and I look forward to work more with the team, do stay tune and it'd be greatly appreciated if you show some love to the project and the people behind it (it's still a growing team!!)

[insert-the-4thwall-entity]

Ever since I became aware of Undertale i knew/know that some people here are simps for the lazybones that is sans thy skeleton. But ever since yesterday( or at least when i was checking a blog who's pretty prominent in the 'Bitty Bones' au stuff ) i now know a certain trend some people tend to use for their boney fantasies - 'Bara' sans. And then I had an idea. After a night and a morning passed with me brainstorming in the seams, i now have made a semi-sh1tpost, semi-genuine response AU to that trend :

The 'When Skeletons eat Bonemeal' au.

[The pic features a height comparison of post and pre growth spurt sans with other characters + me. Also yes, I am that short ( I'm 5'4-ish?)]

The basic idea is the following :

In another post-true pacifist world, Flowey tries to to a lil' trollin' by poisoning sans with a poison lasted ketchup bottle with a poison that Flowey made himself, but sans knew before hand, so he decided to swap an ingredient with magic liquid(-ish) bonemeal. On top of that he knew what would come out of it, which is a fcking growth serum AND he was secretly getting tiered of being the second to shortest person of the cast, he just didn't expect the side effects. Those side effects being the end result of 22 ft, clothes being effected, energy, power and magic multiplication, sudden medium burst of productivity, constant fever and slight mutation. Now the rest of the UT cast, along with a newly free [from thy void] Gaster, Dess from Deltarune and lil' ol' me, has to deal with a big ass skeleton.

Oh, the multiverse, omniverse( multiverse of fandoms w/multiverses ) and the webscape( the internet if it was a world of it's own and where 4th wall entities like me( viewers, content creators, gamers, players, ect. ) usually reside in ) are also sorta involved, which explains why core!Frisk, @ranboolivesaysstuff and fcking Charlie slimesicle have a cameo here -

[context of the cameo doodle - it's a protentional bit were i was unexpectedly visited by some MC-youtubers and i had to explain what the fck is up. During said explanation i accidently made a size pun, which made Charlie amused, in an annoying way. What did our gloopy glunkus guy do next - he bothered me for more size puns while trying to make his own. I also hid in a tree at some point and pretty much claimed it as a resting spot.]

So yeah, an undertale au with a giant/tiny sorta theme, which is also a response to the 'Bara sans' concept.

[lillified]

Hi, so I'm in the process of writing my own transformers au, and I was wondering how you organized your lore, since I've been having some trouble with that (rn I just have a bunch of ideas floating around)

hey!! im probably not the best person to ask since I'm not very organized (alot of my ideas are just scattered about across art and conversations with other people), but i can tell you how i orchestrated my planning process :)

the very first things I came up with were the themes and the basic plot outline. while it was very tempting to flesh out random lore stuff I was interested in first, the overarching thesis was important for limiting my scope. think of it like a pitch for a TV show or something like that :) having an underlying story helps you think of things from the perspective of a completed work instead of just characters floating around in metaphorical space, and you can use that understanding to tie the character arcs together and keep everything consistent! in my case, I split everything into phases, so I've got a first, second, and third act, with any additional material separated into pre-story and post-story. most of the asks I do feature the characters as they exist in pre-story, with a few exceptions, like Hotrod.

After that, you can start thinking in terms of story beats instead of just concepts. Whenever I get a lore idea I try to figure out if i could make an "episode" or "issue" around that, and if I can't it gets scrapped or delegated to throwaway line/pitch bible purgatory. you can brainstorm ideas endlessly, but a big part of writing is deciding which of those ideas are good enough to make it into production, and which ones aren't!

another thing that helps me out is picking a main cast and sticking with it. It's normal to add or remove characters over time, but realistically speaking, not every background character needs their own feature--and not every background character deserves one! you'll be helping yourself out alot if you limit yourself, even in hypothetical "this will probably never happen" project ideas like this. in a similar vein, if you've got a cast of primary characters, be very careful about picking favorites. it's normal to HAVE favorites (and you're obviously allowed to indulge in what you want to see) but if one of your primary characters only exists to cheer on or play accessory to another, then that isn't a compelling character. your main cast shouldn't be third wheeling eachother :)

that's all!! again, this is all coming from my kinda scatterbrained hobbyist perspective, but you asked, so I hope this is helpful!

[etheluu]

Hotaru v2.0

Model credits here

I've had this idea for a while now that I wanted to make an idol (or something similiar to this) OC. So one day when I was going through some of my old stuff, I decided to remake one of my (most probably) earliest models I've made that would fit the 'idol' criteria.

Her first version was made in 2017 at the latest. The one and only render I have of her is from March 11, 2017 (only if the date in the file's name is correct). I don't think I even used her first model that much if at all. Well, she disappeared for 7 years, but she's back now and she's beautiful. And now she actually does have a name (maybe she had one back then but I just forgot it).

I know I said that she's pretty much an idol OC, but you could kinda call her a fanloid too. I was very much inspired by Miku's design here, like: headset with music bars, long socks with the light-thingy on knees and thighs, the shirt (especially the triangle details at the ends), etc. In overall, I was going for this typical vocaloid-syle. The inspiration was intentional, that's for sure.

But the only one thing that she doesn't have that fanloids do, is a voicebank. Maybe one day, who knows (I doubt that my voice would fit her but it could be interesting). I never really did anything in programs like Vocaloid or Utau other than trying to create my own voicebank in the latter. Not much came out of it though as 12-13 year old me only had a microphone that came pre-built in the laptop itself and those really are not great.

Also somewhere before my journey with MMD (so think like before 2016) I used to kinda make OCs in my notepad app on a phone. I remember one of such were Vocaloid-inspired OCs. I'd download images with (as I would describe it) anime girls and come up with characteristics for them. Then I would just imagine them having journeys with actual vocaloid and utau characters (they were actual "living" beings in that "au"). So, this model is kind of a tribute to those times. A bit silly probably, but I see that as making my younger self's dreams come true by actually making a proper OC/model based on vocas/utaus.

I know that I've talked quite a bit now but I'm still not yet done.

Here's the very rough concept art of her new model. The vibes are a bit different here from the final product but I kinda like how it came out more.

Also, the one and only render I had of her before...

Literally just a head-swap with the default TDA Miku model (with just changed hue) and hair from Rem's model or her twin, idk I haven't watched that anime in years. And also the head edit that I don't know where it came from (nonetheless I apologize to the author for my younger self).

To say that she got an upgrade now would be a big ass understatement. The v2.0 is the goddess herself and v1.0 is playing limbo in hell.

Still, it's a nice comparison of my skills throughout the years. My literal beginnings with MMD/PMXE and then how after 7-8 years of model editing (and at some point modeling from scratch) it evolved into what is now.

Also as a bonus, some gifs from where I was working on physics.

motion "Kimagure Mercy" by MOKA

and whatever happened here (rigid bodies were just having fun)

[bigskydreaming]

Aaaanyway, forcefully jumping tracks from THAT train of thought to something more productive, okay, hmm, let's see.

Anyone else have any kind of mental test or vetting process they use for original characters to see if they're done cooking yet, so to speak, and like....actual multi-dimensional, fleshed out characters rather than just a general concept and stats?

Like personally, its not so much a test, as in its not like its something characters or character concepts can fail and I'm like "well that was a waste of neurons, all associated thoughts, imagery and work to date is going in the trash and we are starting OVER."

In my case, its more just that generally speaking, I've noticed there's a specific threshold original characters I create have to reach before I feel like they've moved from a 'rough/tentative/somewhat abstract concept of a character' to a character that actually takes up space in my brain roughly equivalent to what I could invest in pre-existing characters from other media I enjoy.

Characters only really fall into the latter camp for me once I realize I'm at a point where I can envision storylines for them at different points in their life. Like, even if they were created for a specific project or premise, with a particular storyline and plot already in mind for them, or that developed hand in hand with my creation of that character.....at a certain point they become vivid enough to me where I can be like, well its not the story I INTEND to write with this character, but I could imagine this other storyline happening when they were a teenager as opposed to the thirty year old I picture them as now.

Or alternatively, sometimes its more like I have a specific storyline in mind for a character I create, yeah, but I know a character is like, not 'done' but at least conceptually solid and someone I have a good grasp of when I start to picture AU versions of that intended storyline, just to like test and see if there's a better version that I just hadn't considered yet. Like for instance, I start imagining "okay, rather than how my outline has this storyline plotted out for this character, what if - just as a possibility - I set the story at this earlier point in this character's life, or even later after this event or something along these lines has happened and impacted them - how would that change the story, what would happen differently if these same plot points happened to this character then."

Idk, its not a hard and fast rule or pre-set template, more of "I know it when it happens" kinda deal, but basically its just this sense of feeling confident in my creation as a fully realized character rather than a still gestating character concept, because they're fleshed out enough in my mind that I can see not different versions of them so much as just them at different stages of their life or narrative.

And also, I feel as though I could take them OUT of the storyline I created them for, or developed around them/alongside them, and I could drop them into a totally different storyline I have in mind and NOT have it be a copy/paste job, or have it inspire me to start retooling the character to better fit into this other storyline....but instead, their added presence in that storyline inspires me to start mentally reconfiguring IT to better fit THEM and their character as it already is.

Basically its just that point when it becomes easier to imagine their presence in a new story or setting having actual impact on their narrative surroundings and birthing ripples or having a butterfly effect that reshapes it.....than to imagine their presence in a given story or setting forcing changes on THEM, their core characteristics or conceptual elements adapting and changing them to better suit the needs of the new narrative.

In general I tend to take the view that while the best stories strike a balance that prioritizes both character and plot in sizeable ways, if push comes to shove, I err on the side of thinking plots should exist to serve and advance the characters more than characters should exist to serve and advance the plot. There are exceptions, and I'm not saying that alternative takes there are wrong, its just where I land.

So it makes sense to me that this mindset, by extension, also lends itself to me being most confident in original stories & characters I've created, ready to call them solid or realized.....only once I can hold up both the intended plotlines and characters in my mind and see the latter as having enough conceptual mass for me that there's no danger of them being forced into unintended shapes by the narrative. That at this point, its more likely that the shape of the story would be remapped to accommodate them as they are.

Because I write stories from the mindset of "this is where the character is at the beginning, emotionally/mentally/thematically, and this is where I want their character arc to take them to in those respects" rather than "this is where the plot begins, situationally/thematically, and this is the narrative situation and theme I want that plot to take the characters to," I START the character conception process with a hard out in mind. The character as I want them to be once they've gone through their trials, advanced all the way through their plot, been changed by what they've gone through....and then I reverse engineer them from there. Getting them to that endpoint from a characterization point of view is the whole point of writing the story, so I'd rather revise plot points as needed to get them to that point then stick to a plot as initially conceived and just see where that ends up taking the character and what they look like at the end after that.

So, the culmination of all that is characters are only 'ready' in my mind when I've molded the conceptual clay of them into a desired shape and fired it in the kiln....and now I can take them out and drop them into any prompt or plotline and my ensuing thoughts will be of how they react and what those reactions set in motion.

If I take them out and drop them into a prompt or plotline and the ensuing thoughts are more concerned with adhering to that prompt/plot and I find myself thinking "if I made this tweak to this characteristic or aspect of their backstory, it would make it that much easier to get this plot moving in a particular direction" - that's when I know they're not quite ready yet and I'm still trying to kinda FORCE the character to be real in my head, I have a sense of them but I'm more just throwing them at the wall and hoping they stick to it in a way that makes them just CLICK for me and I can be like ohhhhh, THERE they are.

Anyway. Curious about other peoples' processes, or takes on prioritizing character vs plot, or if you have any tests or templates or rituals you apply to your characters or plots to see how viable they are for you or if you need to spend more time developing them before you can see them as clearly as you want.

[according2thelore]

📝pssst Lizzy I saw that you listed the AOS in some of your favorite movies! I loved them too but it seems like that fandom was kind of a flash in the pan. I miss it!

I have a deep abiding love for Kirk/McCoy from the reboot but only in the reboot! I agree Kirk/Spock is the choice for the original series. Something about Pine and Urban’s chemistry. They were so good together!

No worries if you’ve never really hopped into fandom for this and just enjoy the movies but if you do, do you have a ship there?

hello!! <3

the AOS fandom in it's heyday was FANTASTIC!!! i discuss this lower down, lol!

for those unfamiliar with star trek, the original 60s TV show ("the original series"/TOS) and the movies with chris pine ("the alternate original series"/AOS) are based on the same characters, while other "generations"/shows/iterations (like "the next generation" with picard, etc.) have different crews and ships (literal physical spaceships).

the whole movie series (AOS) wasn't "oh let's make TOS again," it was "what would TOS look like if one detail was changed," and this detail was the premature death of kirk's father (played by a pre-fame chris hemsworth, which is pretty fun!). by changing this, the whole thing shifts, and the trajectory of the lives of all of the characters changes pretty dramatically. it's quite literally an AU fanfic!!!! which is SUCH a fun concept i wish more reboots did!!!

i LOVE the AOS for so many reasons, but i think i kind of fall into the "love what it almost was/could've been" rather than strictly "what is on screen/what it is"

one of the main reasons i love AOS so much (particularly "into darkness") is its thematic shift from the TOS.

it makes sense why kirk would be on tarsus iv after the death of his father, it makes sense that spock has a bit of an identity crisis after the death of his mother, it makes sense that bones is so jaded after his divorce moved his daughter away, it's just delicious!

while one of the main incredible things about TOS was its earnestness and ownership of its hamminess (or shall i say, camp), i think some of it was to the disservice of its characters.

finding out about tarsus and the tarsus nine during a full-out shakespeare production? and it never really being mentioned again? strange. like...they fully had to eat people to survive (or if not, they had to do other impossible frightening tasks)...and kirk was a CHILD fighting to protect other CHILDREN. also SAM DIES? and kirk never really talks about him again after that.

so the AOS engaging more with the characters being scarred/traumatized was fun as an angst, H/C, and whump lover, lol!

i (unfortunately or fortunately, depends on who you are) am a spock/kirk diehard truther. any version of these characters are deeply in love/intwined in my head!

i particularly enjoyed pine's/quinto's chemistry (not to mention the fact they always talk like they're trying to smell what mouthwash the other used that morning)

while i tend to shy away from enemies/lovers (just not my particular cup of tea, usually), i think it's really fun that they explicitly placed them as adversaries that have to earn each other's respect and trust.

i think the closest we get to canon spock & kirk & bones dynamic is ST:ID, which is why it's my favourite. kirk is like "yes <3 i will break the rules <3" and spock says "...i'm calling the police" and bones says "i am breaking his phone in half bc we HAVE to break the rules here, jackass"

and i personally think it's so fun that they changed the death of spock to the death of kirk in ST:ID, and then proceeded to have spock try to beat a man to death with his bare hands--an act of grief and self-harm and revenge, given what we know about vulcan hands.

(also, while kirk is dying, "you had to know why i went back for you" and the ta'al kiss through the glass???? launch me into the SUN!!!!!!!!)

(small note, but i also think it's so interesting the default emotion for TOS spock is anguish (when it's forced upon him), but the default emotion for AOS spock is fury...like yes...tell me more, thematically...)

it's SO true that karl urban just has INSANE chemistry with all of his castmates. the spock & bones corporate bonding retreat in ST: Beyond was delightful start to finish.

urban's mccoy is one for the HISTORY books, truly! grumpy and loveable and dickish. i want to kiss him on the mouth; who said that?? that was weird. anyway,

the entire cast was just FANTASTIC. i especially adore zoe saldana as nyota uhura. john cho and anton yelchin were incredible choices for sulu and chekov, and simon pegg as scott was INSPIRED. even relatively background characters like winona rider as amanda greyson, indeed!! yes!! thank you!!

are there issues with the AOS? OH YES. YES INDEED. but the potential was there and fun and campy and angsty and i shovel it with a spoon into my greedy little writer hands. this movie series was like if they caught lightning in a bottle and then got scared that they did something so awesome and gently placed it on the ground (wow i guess i have a media type...spn is just...that as well...). it was still incredible, but i wanted more!

i deeply adore bones & kirk as best friends, and think their dynamic in the AOS is so inherently relatable and tender. i can definitely understand and respect your shipping of them! like...oh my god...they were roommates...(and also will do anything for each other, and have a deep, abiding respect and care for each other that is not akin to any other relationship they have)

i mentioned this once briefly a bit ago, but i have another account where i write all of my non-spn fanfic, and have a pretty well-loved AOS spirk fic over there. (some of the people in my real life follow that account and it'll change my life for the worse if they find our wincest blog, unfortunately.) i've been occasionally opening another spirk fic i've been working on laboriously for a year to lovingly look at the screen before being hit with another psychic blast of These Brothers That Want To Kiss and end up writing a hanahaki fic instead, lol!

some of the best fanfiction i have ever read--period!--comes from the AOS and the incredible writers there. these fics are spirk, so if that's not your particular cup of tea, i totally get it! but i thought i'd recommend some anyway for stray spock/kirk fans wandering through here!

shine like the sun --> imo THEEE AOS spirk fanfic; spock gets amnesia and the last thing he remembers is turning kirk in for the kobayashi maru

anything --> morally dubious spock tries to find comfort after kirk dies!!! yes!!!!

the bond --> A CLASSIC!!!! spock gets amnesia and assumes he and kirk are together...kirk doesn't correct him

please don't touch the vulcans --> christmas! and tarsus! yummy!

the Proposal AU one!!!

(if you want more of these PLEASE ask i have SO many recommendations, lol!)

i am so sorry!! this was so long!!!! THANK you for asking!! this was so long and i have no idea if i actually answered your question! i hope this was fun to read! (i spent like an hour responding and then editing my answers bc this was originally An Essay, haha!)

asking a girl about one of her hyperfixations will get her yapping (i once explained the entire series to charlotte on our kitchen floor at like 3 AM).

i am now going to go rewatch ST:ID, lol! <3

-lizzy

[x-neurotoxin-x]

So basically I stopped reading your absolutely amazing works a little while ago (almost a year) and I'm mentally stable enough to catch up on them but can't decide which one pick first since I know that almost all of them will be great (I mean, you are you). So which ones out of your latest works are you the most proud of?

Omggg I get to do self promos?!? 👀 YAY

I'm glad to hear you like my works so much, and I hope you're doing alright. If you've read my old works then you probably know my fics have triggering content so please check tags and content warnings for any of these I link just in case. These are all from within the last year

Long fics:

This Is My Home

77k ▪ E Rating ▪ Complete | Endabi, Natsudabi, Dabi & Todofam

This one is a post-canon au where Touya's on house arrest and the todofam try to fix burnt bridges just for everything to end up going to hell as old habits start back up again. This one does have some really upsetting content so be careful with this one

Blood Letting // Love Letting

28k ▪ M rating ▪ Complete | Toga & Dabi centric. It could be read as a ship or platonically but there is some sexual aspects of their relationship. This fic does have an unhappy ending

A canon divergent AU where Toga and Dabi enter into a codependent relationship based on their trauma responses from childhood abuse causing sadomasochistic tendencies. It's a lot of Toga drinking Dabi's blood and them being generally unhealthy together.

Paper Bag Series

Currently 6 works, 81k in total ▪ Mixed Ratings, E and NR ▪ Ongoing | Shigadabi, Spinaraki, Spinnerdabi, and Spinarakidabi

A series of fics all in the same universe exploring extremely unhealthy relationship dynamics between Dabi, Shigaraki, and Spinner. The series is primarily Shigadabi centric with Spinaraki being a very present ship as well and a platonic spinnerdabi relationship that evolves over time (and with the "help" of Shigaraki.) Some of these works are extremely graphic and triggering, fyi

Oneshots:

Haven

3.5k ▪ M Rating | Enji | Endeavor & Touya | Dabi

Post Canon Au where Touya dies and Enji begins being visited by the ghost of a child Touya. He believes the haunting is a chance to redeem himself and help Touya's spirit get closure and pass on, but the haunting is a lot more malicious than it seems.

Arrangements

2.3k ▪ E rating | SpinnerDabi

This is shameless porn with plot of Spinner and Dabi getting into a FWB arrangement during Spinner's mating season because Shu is horny all the time and Dabi has a pain kink. They're super gay for each other but shhh don't tell them that they dont know

Wasting

2.3k ▪ M Rating | Rei & Touya centric

Pre-canon fic about Rei coming to believe something isn't right about Touya since he came back from training one night. This one was fun because it's mindbending; Touya is either an undead of sorts and possibly demonically possessed, or this is a product of Rei's mental deterioration due to trauma induced psychosis and all in her head.

Communication Issues

4.7k ▪ T rating | SpinnerDabi centric (Mostly platonic but pre-relationship), League Of Villains are there

Dabi has Nonverbal episodes, Spinner does too and he teaches him sign language and they ✨ bond ✨

Harvest

3.4k ▪ M Rating | Dabi-centric with platonic Dabi & Mr. Compress, League of Villains are there too

Concept based around the theory/hc Touya's grafts and body modifications came from corpses and he's being haunted by the ghosts of the ppl used to reconstruct his body. Mr compress can see ghosts so he tries to support him. This one has a lot of gore and was real fun to write. It's not totally canon compliant anymore ending wise.

[purplekoop]

I officially Have Job Now (still in the process of getting a bank account because the past 6 years of my life have been an almost comical series "we'll get to it later" moments but at least I can rest easy enough knowing my hours are gonna be compensated when it's possible) but I'm still in a creative and artistic rut that I very much wish to solve with the metaphorical equivalent of being bashed in the head with a shovel to get on with it.

I'll be transparent here and say that art has been hard for me the past few months. Between frequent downward spirals of self doubt over my creative and technical capacity, and just general inability to muster the desire to do art despite the ever-looming dread of not doing art... I've had lower points in my creative journey but I've sure as hell had higher. Not dissimilar is my broader mental state, where I've been generally fine but subject myself to existential spirals when dwelling on something as simple as having a big cavity in one of my molars and no immediate access to dental care at the moment. This isn't meant to be a pity post, genuinely I don't have much to complain about right now, it's just the same sort of mental (and in some respects physical) issues I've been dealing with for a while now. It's just more poignant now when I don't really have much of a satisfying "distraction" in the form of doing stuff creatively.

Currently there's only a few "projects" (feels like I'm giving myself too much credit with that terminology) I really can commit much thought to lately, both of which, either luckily or predictably, I've gone into at least some depth publicly on this blog. Fortunately for what I assume is the majority of my follower base, both are based around Overwatch.

The Role Requeue AU is a very fun "project" for me (again, feels wrong to call it a "project" when it's something meant strictly for the concept phase, even just a workshop mode is beyond the scope of realism). It scratches all my itches for something fun to think about: no pressure to make it a "finalized product", the opportunity to conceptually tinker around with mechanics I'm both thoroughly familiar with and interesting in exploring beyond their official scope, and most importantly, people to share ideas to and even collaborate with! Seriously, I know it's almost certainly less than a handful of people who've even seen any of the posts on it, but the response so far has me beyond ecstatic. The greatest gift an artist can receive in my opinion is a "yes, and" to their work, and I'm extremely grateful that Role Requeue (shoot, down to even that name being a suggestion too good to pass up) has already inspired such.

The only technical restraint on Role Requeue is me sitting down and writing a long tumblr post, so once I have the time (as soon as tomorrow mayhaps?) I'll try and get another one out. I still have some specifics I want to sort out, but Symmetra, Sombra, and "Ashe" are all contenders for being the next one to get a post.

So that leaves the other project I've been able to work on at least to some extent lately: my original hero shooter concept, (still under the working title) War Bots. For those who weren't around or otherwise missed the intro, it's a team based shooter starring a cast of robot characters in a post-human earth, fighting against either another team of player-controlled bots or a ravenous horde of sentient, mutant plant creatures. The "game" (again, very much in the concept phase) takes heavy inspiration from both Overwatch and its precursor in the subgenre, Team Fortress 2. The general gameplay design of the cast takes inspiration more from OW, while the larger team sizes and loadout system are ideas from TF2.

If you're wondering why both of my creative projects I really have any ideas for right now are directly because of Overwatch, it's because. well hate to admit it but it's the most consistent thing I've played all year. Arguably the past 5 years or so, save for when the pre-OW2 content famine was really starting to hit and I finally gave TF2 a try myself in the meantime (didn't like actually playing it as much, sorry). But especially now with the steam release actually working on my PC, which the battle.net version frequently failed at, it's been my defacto "I don't know what to do right now" time waster, and to me at least it's fun enough to where I still haven't gotten sick of it. It doesn't help that my actual other biggest inspiration for War Bots, Bloons TD 6 (yes really) is my number 2 pick for that niche, and I honestly don't play games that much lately aside from multiplayer stuff or streams (yes I stream I need to make a pinned post linking my stuff). So, I got Overwatch on the brain, and when my brain has something on it, its general reaction is to try and put my own spin on it, hence the creation of the "Overwatch but different" AU and "Overwatch but not" the video game coming to somewhere you can buy video games eventually hopefully one day please. I play fighting games I come up with a fighting game, I like superheroes I make my own, I like the funny colorful character-based shooters I make notes for how I wanna do it myself.

War Bots is in an awkward spot though, because I already gave myself a hard cap for how much I wanna think ahead for a game so early in development that the sole developer doesn't even have a game making engine installed on their PC yet. The loadout system is meant to allow for a smaller roster, saving time on creating completely new characters with their models and animations and lore and so on, while potentially allowing for an even further variety of functional playstyles than what'd be possible with an exclusively character-based system like Overwatch. You don't need Soldier 76, Bastion, Widowmaker, and Ashe all existing separately with broadly similar weapon types, just one "rifle guy" with four different options for their main weapon.

Despite that, I love making characters too dang much and made a version of the roster with up to 25 characters. I since reconsidered, picking the characters I actually saw potential in, making sure to avoid redundancies that couldn't be resolved, and now have a cast of 15 or 20, ideally launching with 15 and adding 5 more post-release. A roster of 25 and possibly even beyond wouldn't be impossible after that, but I want to limit the scope of what I was considering at this point. I like the cap of 20 because my current idea is that the PvP mode is played in 10v10, and each of the game's 5 roles (Damage, Control, Tank, Utility, Support) would have four characters, while also letting a standard match (if desired) have exactly one of each character on the field at once. This pleases me. At the moment though, I have 3 characters for Damage, 4-ish for Control, 2 for Tank (shocking, I know), 3 for Utility, one guy who could either be Tank or Utility, and 4 for Support but I'm admittedly not as keen on one of them at this point. This leaves roughly 4 or 5 slots in the roster left for what I want to realistically consider right now, some of which I have ideas for based on prior iterations of the roster, but I'm still not settled on something super satisfying yet.

For now, I'm focusing more on polishing the loadout system and the alternate weapons for each character, trying to get as much out of the characters I've already established before I move onto jotting down new ones in my notes. I did however hit a snag, because the system divides your loadout into three different interchangeable options: Weapon, Body, and Accessory. The weapon is your main means of attack and (broadly speaking) determines your primary and secondary fire. The Body meanwhile refers to some interchangeable part of the robot's body that grants them unique abilities, typically aiding in mobility. In Overwatch terms this is "Ability 1", or Shift in default keyboard binding terms, while also potentially carrying a passive ability. Accessories are comparable to Splatoon's sub weapons, generally some kind of throwable thing that provides a burst of utility at the cost of limited availability, in this case a longer cooldown than your Body ability or requiring a special pickup on the map to regain faster, or possibly being limited by a character-specific resource. This is the equivalent to OW's "Ability 2" or "E" ability. The snag here was that each part of the 3-part system was given 4 variants, a default or "stock" option and three unlockables that take the basic concept and replace it with an alternative that provides unique functionality. The problem was that especially with the "Body" options, it was hard to come up with meaningful alternatives for every slot for every character without feeling redundant. My compromise was that while Weapons get 3 unlocks, Body equipment and Accessories only get 2 unlocks, unless I feel a special exception warrants it. I may deem a character would get more value out of more Body or Accessory options rather than main weapons, or if I have a really good idea for an extra of something.

oh and also semi recently I decided that reserve ammo should be a mechanic, but then I realized that doesn't work unless every character has an infinitely usable melee attack that can function without reserve ammo (and is also more robust than OW's piddly little mostly universal quick melee attack), but I don't want to make a whole fourth slot for each character for melee weapons, but otherwise I don't know what'd determine the properties of your melee attack if anything deviates it from the default, and also are melee weapon attacks always available or do they require switching off of your actual weapon, but does that make sense for the characters who'd logically just smack with their normal weapon, like does the wizard guy just hold their staff differently for a "melee stance", but also thinking is hard.

So between the partial downsizing of the Loadout system, the need to put "uses reserve ammo" or "doesn't require reserve ammo" in all of my notes for each character's weapon, and the need to figure out melee attacks/weapons, I have to do some very meticulous updates to my current notes, which doesn't make for a super exciting prospect. Hey, at least I can think of funny things for these goobers to smack people with!

I do actually have an art now, though it's not my most flattering work. Had some ideas for alternate weapons for Yanno, the explosives aficionado with a dragon-shaped fireworks launcher for a hand I shared in an earlier post. The eagle launcher rewards precise aim and improves your aerial capabilities, the hydra launcher unleashes multiple rockets at a time, and the shark cannon fires big, arcing bombs that roll on the ground before detonating momentarily after. Very obviously taking heavy inspiration from a certain other flying explosive enthusiast for a couple of these, and the shark cannon exists entirely to avoid needing a separate character just for a grenade launcher guy when rockets are already such a similar weapon type.

So uh.

...I had a point I think.

art hard but I wanna do it more. this was a rant post but got devoured in word count by War Bots so uh. oops if you don't care about that.

I think I feel better now? remind me when I get up though to make a post linking my twitch and youtube.

[sometimes-love-is-enough]

Fanfic asks: 1, 2, 3 (does it help you to share ideas?), 34, 43, 50, 76, 78, 79 and 80 (How do you deal with writer’s block?)

I’ve been kinda feeling…creatively constipated, is as best as I can describe it. Ideas and worlds in my head but they stay locked up without a key to free them. So I guess I wanted to pick someone’s brain, writer to writer, see if there’s anything I can try to get myself inspired again. I hope that’s not weird.

1. Do you daydream a lot before you write, or go for it as soon as the ideas strike?

For the most part, I force myself to daydream a lot before I sit down to start writing, because otherwise there's the very real chance I'll sit down and get 3k into it and realize, 'oh. there's not very much meat on this one at all. I don't want to finish it anymore.' There's something to be said for the concept of 'Writing For The Sake Of Writing', but a lot of the time getting a decent length into something and just, not having the ideas or drive to finish it.. it kind of sucks.

2. Where do you get your fic ideas?

All sorts of places, although I tend to draw a lot from real-life experiences and things I'm currently learning about/interested in (e.g. philosophy chapters of Pick A Side, chessboxing), as well as various types of mythologies and lore (Eucat, Melliferous).

3. Do you share your fic ideas, or do you keep them to yourself?

I'm the sort of person who hoards the fine details of my WIPs very close to my chest until I'm absolutely sure that I'm going to stick to writing the whole damn thing. I'm not great at sharing. But also I really enjoy sharing out of context little bits and pieces as I go, and constantly want to talk about the things I write - I'm a contradiction of a person.

34. How much of your personal life/experience do you include in your fics?

Well, when I was 17, I died, went to bee hell, and had to wait for the combined-yet-separate fractals of my personality to come bail me out I don't include an overwhelming amount, I don't think, but sometimes real life is the best source for an interesting story. It gives it a bit of spice and depth. For example, the thing in Syzygy with Thomas blaming his creaky apartment on an 'apartment ghost' and constantly talking to it because he's lonely is something that I do in fact do in real life.

43. Is there a trope or idea that you’d really like to write but haven’t yet?

Yeah, I want to do a thorough deconstruction of a soulmate AU. And/or the hanahaki trope, because neither of those are something that I'm entirely fond of. I'm not sure if this is the right fandom to do it in or not, but I have a feeling I'll end up writing it eventually.

50. How would you describe your writing style?

Absurdist realism and/or magical surrealism.

76. How do you deal with writing pressure, whether internal or external?

Internal pressure is a sign I need to take a break and do something else for a bit, or stop taking myself so seriously. External pressure is a sign that I either need to block a rude commenter, or gently remind people that I'm a human being and I do this for fun.

78. What motivates you during the writing process?

Knowing that at the end of it all, I'll have a finished product that a) I will be proud of in some respect b) that other people will enjoy and c) (hopefully) scream at me in fury about. Getting to that end point where I can actually hit the post button and see something that I made show up in the tags is just the best feeling in the world.

79. Do you have any writing advice you want to share?

Be joyful with it. Writing is a game you're playing with yourself, so play. I recognize that this isn't the most helpful and specific of advice, but I can't stress enough how much you should experiment with stylisms and point-of-view and unreliable narrators and all the rest of it! Pastiche someone else's style! Write in reverse chronological order! Give yourself restrictions and take away your pre-existing restrictions, and BREAK THE RULES.

80. How do you deal with writer’s block?

Writer's block (for me, at least) is my brain telling me that it doesn't want to work anymore. It's had enough. It doesn't want me to work! Which is the point where I close the document, and go do something else that my brain does want to do. Sometimes that's going for a walk or making myself a fancy drink or snack, sometimes it's lying in bed and watching Youtube for ages, and sometimes my brain is just screaming and sobbing and kicking and doesn't want to do anything at all, in which case I just have to gently sit with it and wait for it all to be over. Either way, I'll get back to writing when I get back to it - either whatever WIP I was working on at the time, or something new that I'll enjoy writing. Forcing myself to write when I'm not on an actual deadline or timecrunch never works out well for me, so I try to be very gentle about it.

And I hope you get past that brainblock eventually. I've been there too, and it's the worst place to be in. Hopefully you find that idea or project that makes your brain start singing again soon! I wish you luck, and hope this helps.

[mikavenz]

When Neptune And Mars Align (A Chiscara Ficlet)

(A short concept ficlet for a story I plan to write soon. This takes place in a modern AU. Read this in AO3)

Although Mars and Neptune are lightyears away, there are times where Earth can watch them align, only for a slight bit. And although those times are one in a million years, they have to be documented as special moments are.

The walk home always was the hardest part of the day.

Scaramouche would rather do anything than to return to his family, and for a good reason. Detention was better than going home. Doing experiments with his scum of a lab partner was better than staying home. He would even prefer sleeping outside the porch than to enter the house.

He hesitated once he reached the driveway. Eyeing the house in front of him, he genuinely considered begging Ms. Kusanali to allow him to sleep on the couch in the guidance office. He let out a sigh. Mother would be furious, he told himself. Probably because I'd look and smell like garbage, and that would somehow taint her image. So with a heavy heart, he opened the door to be greeted without welcome.

He doesn't bother to exclaim that he was home. It would probably be because mother dearest couldn't care less. Or because that would disturb her work. Regardless, he shuffled his way to the kitchen to open the refrigerator. A couple of onigiris and a katsu sandwich were left for dinner. Mother, of course, was too busy to eat. And his sister was probably given enough allowance to eat out.

"Do not drink all the dango juice, Kunikuzushi," a voice rang behind him. Scaramouche flinched. Only one person would call him by his birth name.

"Your sister and I are more fond of it than you are," Ei continued, walking into the kitchen, eyes glued to the tablet she held. Her face focused on whatever work file she had on it. "I believe there's some water for you there instead. You like water."

It wasn't worth objecting. He nodded in response. Ei glanced up from her tablet slightly to look at her son. "Where is your sister?"

"Raiden's still at school, mother," he told her. He picked up an onigiri and a bottle of water, placing them on the counter. "Busy with student council work."

"I see..." Ei moved past him and took a bottle of dango juice. She began heading back to her office, still very focused on her work. "Be sure to leave some food for her." Was the last thing she said as she exited the kicthen.

Scaramouche made a face. No "welcome homes," "how was school," or "I love you's" in this house. Nothing he wasn't used to. It was foolish of him to hold out hope for it someday, but a part of it longed for words of affirmation such as those. Oh well, not much he can do about it.

He grabbed his food and made his way to his room. Scaramouche past by photos of him and his family. His least favorite one being of the day his mother picked him up from the orphanage. Ei had not aged a day, and yet the smile she wore back then made her look ten years younger. That was the only memory he had of her being proud of her son. Such things do not last forever.

As he climbed the stairs, he ignored the display of photos of his sister. Raiden was the child his mother always wanted. Someone who was determined, intellectual, and most of all - emotionless. There were days where he felt like he had a cardboard cutout instead of a sister. In those photos, Ei merely wore a small and relax grin. One for when Raiden won the spelling bee in pre-school. Another for when she won first place in the junior sparring competition. All of the photos on the stairs were of her.

Did Scaramouche resent his sister? On some days, yes. On other days he felt like she was just the better product that his mother produced. She had Ei's blood and genes after all, not him. He couldn't blame her too much for being everyone's center of attention when he was groomed and born into it.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at those thoughts, he made his way to his room aimlessly. He was on auto pilot- he tossed his backpack to his bed and sat down on his computer, food and drink on the desk. He may hate going home, he may hate the resentment his own family had against him, but at least he was now in his room. This was the one place where he was able to call home within the walls of his house. And that was become of his laptop.

He turned it on and impatiently waited for it to finish booting up. A short hum escaped from his mouth and he rapidly went to a very familiar messaging site. Three notifications.

The first one sent over an hour ago - Volleyball practice just ended. Kinda regret signing up lol, I'm tired asf.

One sent 30 minutes ago - Hey! Just arrived home. Hope you're safe. I might be a while before we can call. Teucer needs help with homework.

Another sent 3 minutes ago - Have you eaten yet? Message me when you're home so we can talk. Love you.

A small smile grew on his face after reading those last few words. He never knows how to react when someone says such a thing. Usually when his boyfriend told him that when they were together, he'd smack his arm in return. Scaramouche would do anything to have him say that in person again.

Without responding, he started a call. He sat there listening to the ringtone he got used to hearing every day. After a minute or so someone with disheveled hair and sweaty face picked up with his camera open.

"You really need to stop doing that," Childe told him. He out of breath and clearly ran to his room. "Tonia almost picked up again, and you know how she gets scared of you sometimes."

Rolling his eyes, Scaramouche began to unwrap his onigiri. "Mhm," he answered. "You look disgusting by the way."

Childe gave him a grin and moved away from his computer to close the door. "And you look wonderful, as always," he says, knowing how to get underneath Scaramouche's skin. "At least- I'm pretty sure you do. Wanna turn on your camera?"

Scaramouche took a bite of his food, and looked at him through the lens, answering in a deadpan voice. "No, I'm eating."

"Please?" His partner looked stupid doing his best attempt at puppy eyes. At least, Scaramouche thought he did. Everyone else thinks its effective, and while he agrees, it's for a different reason. He believes that attempt is cuter than the actual face. "For me?"

"Fine," Scaramouche leaned in to click on the button, much to Childe's delight.

Unlike his puppy eyes, Childe's bright smile never failed to warm Scaramouche's heart. He would never admit it, but he would almost anything to stare at his smile all day. In an environment of cold face, it was nice to see something so luminescent. He could feel his heart skip a beat and his face grow red. He hid his flustered attitude with a cough.

"There's my cutie," Childe grinned even more. He was a bastard for evoking such emotion. Scaramouche never knew how to react to praise, so he tries to dismiss it.

"Shut up. I refuse to take compliments from someone so sweaty."

"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me. I do gotta change," Childe leaned away from his desk and began to take his shirt off.

That left Scaramouche to be even more flustered. He looked away from the camera, cheeks burning red as compared to the soft pink they were earlier. "Asshole," he muttered. "You're disgusting, I told you I was eating."

"Why are you blushing?" The sweaty prick walked to his closet, digging through it to find a clean shirt. "I'm not even that built," he says.

Liar, Scaramouche thinks but he held his tongue. No need to fuel his ego. At least, for today. "Mmph," is all he says in reply.

"So, how was your day, hm?" Childe pulled out a shirt and sniffed it. Seemed like it wasn't fit to be worn, so he threw it back into his closet. Pig. "Did everything go well? If not, you know I'm here cheer you up."

Scaramouche shrugged, leaning in for his bottle of water. "Nothing's changed," he told him. "Same old guidance counselor visit. Dottore being an ass during lab. The tall book nerd almost slapped my head with a book because he couldn't watch where he was going." He rolled his eyes. "And my sister stopped by my class."

"Oh? What'd she say?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," a cold look grew on his face. "Drew too much attention towards me, in fact. You know how much everyone likes to gawk at her. She asked if I was going to attend the meeting with Ms. Kusanali and not slack off. Embarassing."

"Oh..." Childe finally found a shirt and began putting it on. "Well hey at least you're home with me now."

A small smile grew on Scaramouche's face. "Yeah..."

Childe returned that smile, even brighter. "See? Told you I can cheer you up."

"It's not about that," Scaramouche's smile turned into a smug smirk. "Your shirt is on backwards, dumbass. It's inside out too." He took a sip of water.

"Oh," Childe snorted, adjusting his shirt. Scaramouche missed this guy's antics. He missed seeing him goof around the classroom. It's still absurd that out of everyone that he's met, he still fell in love with the class clown. Regardless, it's not like he'd have it any other way.

Scaramouche placed his bottle back on the desk. He rested his head on his hand and let out a long sigh. "I miss you, you know," he said softly.

"I'm right here," Chide says, adjusting his shirt, removing the wrinkles he had on it.

"No, you know what I mean. I wish I was with you in person."

The smile dropped from Childe's face. "I know, Scara," he says, tone seeping with longing. "I wish we could see each other again. But you know your mom would kill me if she saw us together again."

"Yeah. She'd kill me too." Tears of frustration started to grow in Scaramouche's eyes. He bit his lip, annoyed that his body refuses to stop crying. He hated being a crybaby, he tried so hard to grow out of it, but something are hard to change. "But it's not fair..."

"I know, I know," Childe repeated. He sat down on his chair and looked at Scaramouche through the camera. "But we gotta make do with what we have, okay? It's not like we can't see each other forever, right? There's college."

"And what if she won't let us go to the same college?"

"Then there's after college. She has no control over you when you move out, right? As long as you're willing to wait as much as I am." He says giving a hopeful glance at Scaramouche. "Are you?"

Another sigh escaped Scaramouche's lips. He wiped what little drops of tears were coming from his eyes. Childe was right, but waiting is hard. Long distance is hard, especially when his partner was just a city away. He hated how the only way he could see Childe was from a screen. It's not fair. Nothing is.

But he has to wait. He has no choice but to. He can't lose Childe again. Not now, not ever. "I'm willing." He answers.

"Okay." Childe says, leaning back. "You wanna watch a movie? I can screenshare if your wifi is still garbage."

"Alright."

"I love, you okay? We'll get through this."

"Mhm," he wasn't ready to say it back. He was so, so lucky that he was loved by someone who respects his vulnerability and fear of expressing his true emotions. He would give anything to keep Childe. They both know this.

Things were hard, yet some moments like this were okay. And although Scaramouche wishes they were better, it's best that their stars align from a distance for now.

(I plan to write a full story on this long distance modern au soon. I just wanted to write a snippet of it for now to test the waters a little. Will be editing this with a copy of an AO3 link when I repost this there. Any bit of support and criticism is welcome. Thank you for reading ;3)

[demonicintegrity]

Been rotating fanfiction as a concept in my head since I reblogged cryptotheism's post the other day. And instead of starting my large perspective drawing due tonight I'll write down some misc. thoughts.

I love fanfiction. And I've been an avid fandom person since middle school. Before I really used Ao3 I was on Fanfic.net learning the citrus scale and woefully unprepared to filter my content. Those were days lmao.

And one thing the sticks in my mind most is that not all fanfiction is a transformative work. But it sure as hell does blur the line.

Y'see a transformative work is a term used when discussing fair use because the tl:dr of it is that it places a work in a new light enough to be considered it's own thing. Think of all the fairytale re-imaginings or reboots that are basically their own thing but with the same characters. (That ladder being harder to produce legitimately because of how our copyright works, but the same concept.)

Fanfiction isn't transformative, not inherently. Most fanfiction is just taking your blorbos and putting them in a scene you want them to be in. It's not creating a fundamentally new story. Most of the time it's just an addition the already existing work, a love (or hate) letter to the art itself.

However, there are times when fanfiction does create its own stories. And here's when the line blurs. Common tropes can be expanded upon enough to develop characters in a new light.

Timeline rewrite aus are where the obvious start is. "What if's" that take the characters on different paths. It's not it's own story technically, it's exploring a path the canon could've taken, but if done right can feel like it's own book.

(Alternate Universes is where the line blurs. Because now you're actively creating a world that is creating this new light where these characters are in. How expansive this new universe's building is dictates how much the line blurs.)

There are companion stories, where knowledge of the main canon enhances the understand but might not be necessary. Oc centered stuff falls here, as does pre-canon fics, and explorations of background stuff where the author saw a character with two lines and decided to build them an entire life.

There are the wildly different aus, where the new world is something incompatible with canon. The obligatory Human!aus fall here when the entire canon being referenced has little to no humans whatsoever. College!aus as well, human or not, because the main canon didn't and could not have room for that sorta coming of age story. Crossovers might be here too, for their ability to merge worlds and make lines that don't exist.

It's funny, because the most transformative fanwork is the one most often criticized within fandom. The au of an au, the reworking a character so theyre unrecognizable from the sources besides maybe a shared name. That is arguably most transformative because of how disconnected it feels from the original.

But truly, I think the main difference between fanfic and transformative work is the intent. When you set out to build a world that retelling of whatever thing in common use with the explicit intent to play with it's characters and themes but to be new, is when you're truly being transformative.

Take all the adaptions of Shakesphere's work. In high school I watched a production of A Midsommer's Night in Jersey. It was so fun. The key difference between adaptations of Shakesphere's work and fanfiction is the intent. It's a retelling, not an addition or a companion or a "what if."

And I think that's what makes it's so blurry. Because when you get deep in your muse and rewrite an existing world or write your own to put the blorbos in, you tread into the territory of that intent even though that's not necessarily where you've started from.

I think we've seen it slightly. It's gone from "Oh X is a ripoff of Y" to "Oh X is just a shameless fanfic of Y" Because if the two versions of X have a different conception being shamed, it's still called out through the act of being a homage/retelling/whatever of Y. And this is where citing your sources and being enthusiastic of your inspirations comes to an important play.

[fredoesque]

4, 5, 21!

4. How many WIPs do you have right now?

it depends on how you count them haha. rn i have abt 2k of a supernatural gbu fic stuck in development hell, and two other wips (gbu and the terror) that consist of a document with about 5 sentences in it each. but there's also 2 or 3 scattered ideas that aren't being written but they are being considered. in pre-production. being tenderized if you will

on top of that i've been writing some drabbles to get back into the habit, but i don't know if i'll be sharing those at all, bc i'm not sure how?? i'd wanna go about doing that

5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write?

well never is a big word bc i do love to try and make an completely out-there concept work, but i had an idea for a mean streets lighthouse au that will likely never see the light of day bc i LOST. MY NOTES. like an idiot.

the basic premise was that charlie was a lighthouse keeper and johnny was a ghost haunting the lighthouse. and basically charlie taking this lonely, awful job was still a penance thing and johnny (maybe??? i'm not as sure abt this bit) was still feared and ostracized in a way but also a bona fide menace. and they'd figure out how to build a home together <3 maybe <3

21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why?

sort of?? i was fighting for my life with the ending of this place lets you down (easy). somehow i couldn't get the tone and characterization right, especially while trying to balance them with letting johnny and charlie have some sort of happy ending. i ended up scrapping everything i had and rewriting it entirely, but the actual content of the scene is still essentially the same so?? ship of theseus deleted scene ig

here's the original version if you're curious:

It’s during the feast of San fucking Genarro that Charlie shows up on Johnny’s doorstep. It’s the middle of the night, but there are still people in the street. Music and light and the smell of zeppole waft over. It’s like a slap to the face, seeing Charlie up close again—but, y’know, a slap in the face after you just called a girl fat—really, kind of inevitable. “Hey,” says Charlie, softly. “Would you still like to go see those zombies?” “Yes,” says Johnny before his brain catches up. “Guess so,” he adds after a beat. “Only if you want to watch with me.” “Yeah, sure,” says Charlie and he’s grinning in a nervous sort of way. “If you agree to make out with me in the back.” Johnny feels an answering giggle build at the base of his spine, but he keeps a straight face. “Well, I don’t know. Seems kinda like a bad idea.” “Maybe,” says Charlie, just barely rocking back and forth on his heels. “Probably.” “Alright,” says Johnny. His hearts beating like it wants out. Charlie’s face lights up with a full smile now, the big and ugly one. Johnny’s done far stupider things for far stupider reasons. “Just one problem.” Charlie’s shoulders just about shoot off into orbit. “What’s that?” he says. Johnny leans forward, just a bit. “I don’t think they’re playing that movie anymore,” he whispers. Charlie relaxes again. “No, I don’t think they are.” He grabs Johnny’s hand from across the threshold. He starts them off walking, into the crowd. “I figured there’d be another one we could catch.”

[alternis]

third eye au tim drinking horrific poison smoothies for the health benefits is such a rotatable concept. the nightly pre-sleep imagination theatre productions will go wild for this one