#Text Box Placeholder

[smolcrow465]

something something smashing two interests into an au

in which hylia hands link a baby, and baby wants blood

[pyrriax]

my fav freak girl

i was going to put the other alts under the cut but instead you get a link because i am NOT figuring this out again

[vaadazen-codes]

How To Get Started Making Visual Novels

Wanna make a visual novel? Or maybe you've seen games like Our Life, Blooming Panic, Doki Doki Literature Club, etc. and wanna make something like that? Good news, here's a very basic beginners guide on how to get started in renpy and what you need to know going in! Before you start, I highly recommend looking at my last post about writing a script for renpy just to make it easier on you!

LONG POST AHEAD

Obviously, our first step is downloading it from their website

thankfully, its right on the home page of their site. Follow basica program installation steps and run the program. I highly recommend pinning it to your task bar to make it easier to access.

From there, you're met with the renpy app, it's a little daunting at first but let's talk about what all these buttons are for.

Projects

This part is simple, it just lists the current projects in the chosen directory. You probably won't have any in there of your own. You should still see Tutorial and The Question!

Both of those default projects are super helpful in their own ways, i highly recommend testing out the tutorial and playing around with it just to get comfortable with some of the basics.

Create New Project

The first step to actually making your game into a game!

You'll be met with a prompt letting you know that the project is being made in English and that you can change it. You can click Continue.

From here, you'll be asked to input a project name! Put in your games title, or even a placeholder title since this Information can be changed later! (this is also the title the folder will be in your file browser, be sure to name it something you won't overlook)

Now we get to choose our resolution!

If you have no idea what to choose, go for 1920x1080! This is the standard size for most computer monitors and laptops, but it will still display with moderately decent quality on 4k monitors too!

You can choose 3840x2160 as well. This is 2x the measurements of the default, with the same ration. These dimensions are considered 4k. Keep in mind, your image files will be bigger and can cause the game to have a larger size to download.

Now we get to choose our color scheme!

Renpy has some simple default options with the 'light mode' colors being the bottom two rows, and the 'dark mode' colors being the toop two rows.

You can pick anything here, but I like to choose something that matches my projects vibes/colors better. Mostly because depending on how in depth you go with the ui, it minimizes the amount of changes I need to make later.

Click continue and give it a minute. Note: If it says "not responding" wait a moment without clicking anything. It can sometimes freeze briefly during the process.

Now we should be back at our home screen, with our new project showing. Let's talk about allll that stuff on the right now.

Open Directory

This just opens that particular folder in your local file explorer!

game - is all the game files, so your folders for images, audio, saves, and your game files like your script, screens, and more.

base - this is the folder that the game folder is inside of. You can also find the errors and log txt files in here.

images - takes you to your main images folder. This is where you wanna put all of your NON gui images, like your sprites, backgrounds, and CGs. You can create folders inside of this and still call them in the script later. EX: a folder for backgrounds , a folder for sprites for character a, a seperate folder for spirtes for character b, etc.

audio - Takes you to the default audio folder. This is empty, but you can put all your music and sound effects here!

gui - brings up the folder containing all of the default renpy gui. It's a good place to start/ reference for sizes if you want to hand draw your UI pieces like your text box!

Edit File

Simple enough, this is just where you can open your code files in whatever text/code editor you have installed.

Script.rpy - where all of your story and characters live. This is the file you'll spend most of your time in at first

Options.rpy - Contains mostly simple information, like project name and version. There aren't a ton of things in here you need to look at. There is also some lines of code that help 'archive' certain files by file type so that they can't be seen by players digging in code however. Fun if you want to hide some images in there for later or if you just dont want someone seeing how messy your files are. We've all been there

Gui.rpy - where all of the easy customization happens. Here you can change font colors, hover colors, fonts, font sizes, and then the alignment and placement of all of your text! Like your dialogue and names, the height of text buttons, etc. It more or less sets the defaults for a lot of these unless you choose to change them later.

Screens.rpy - undeniably my favorite, this is where all of the UI is laid out for the different screens in your game, like the main menu, game menu, quick menu, choice menu, etc. You can add custom screens too if you want, but I always make my own seperate file for these.

Open Project - this just opens all of those files at once in the code editor. Super handy if you make extra files like I do for certain things.

Actions

last but not least, our actions.

Navigate Script - This feature is underrated in my honest opinion, it's super handy for help debugging! In renpy you can comment with # before a line. However, if you do #TODO and type something after it, it saves it as a note! You can view these TODO's here as well as easily navigate to when certain screens are called, where different labels are (super great if your game is long, and more. It saves some scrolling.

Check Script (Lint) - also super duper handy for debugging some basic things. It also tells you your word count! But its handy for letting you know about some errors that might throw up. I like using it to look for sprites I may or may not have mispelled, because they show up in there too.

Change/Update GUI - Nifty, though once you start customizing GUI on your own, it isn't as useful. You can reset the project at any point and regenerate the image files here. This updates all those defaults we talked about earlier.

Delete Persistent - this just helps you delete any persistent data between play throughs on your end. I like to use it when making a lot of changes while testing the game, so that I can reboot the game fresh.

Force Recompile - Full disclosure, as many games as I've made and as long as I've been using Renpy, i have never used this feature. I searched to see what it does and this is the general consesus: Normally renpy tries to be smart about compiling code (creating .rpyc files) and only compiles .rpy files with changes. This is to speed up the process since compiling takes time. Sometimes you can make changes that renpy don't pick up on and therefore won't recompile. In these cases you can run force recompile to force it. Another solution (if you know what file is affected) is to delete that specific. rpyc file.

The rest of your options on this right hand side are how you make executable builds for your game that people can download to extract and play later!

Sorry gang! that was a whole lot of text obviously the last button "Launch Project" launches an uncompiled version of the project for you to play and test as you go! Hang in tight because my next post is about how to utilize github for renpy, so you can collaborate easier!

[fictionkinfessions]

me when someone likes a kinfession i submitted: wow! i’m getting a good grade in fictionkinfessions, something that is both normal to want and possible to achieve,

placeholder text because tumblr wont let me post ask messages without something in the reply box

[saturnsag3]

I Could Do Better - will smith x macklin celebrini

summary: will’s a pining best friend and macklin’s oblivious with a boyfriend he hates (warning! slight angst)

wc: 1,401

It was close to midnight when Macklin dropped onto Will’s couch like gravity had finally caught up with him. He looked wrecked—hoodie half-zipped, curls flattened from a hoodie hood he hadn’t taken off all day, jaw tight. He didn’t say anything for a full minute, just sat there hunched forward, elbows on knees, fidgeting with the drawstring of his sweatshirt.

Will handed him a Gatorade wordlessly and took the spot beside him, curling one leg under the other. The low buzz of a playoff game hummed from the TV, but neither of them was really watching.

“So,” Will said eventually. “Jake?”

Mack gave him a half-hearted glare. “Don’t start.”

Will raised a hand in mock surrender. “Didn’t say a word. Just—checking.”

Mack cracked the Gatorade open and took a long sip. “He’s just… I don’t know.”

“That’s descriptive.”

“He’s annoying,” Mack admitted, tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling. “I mean, not objectively. He’s not like�� evil. He just does this thing with his voice when he’s trying to be charming and it makes me want to drown myself.”

Will snorted. “That bad, huh?”

“He called me ‘baby boy’ in a non-sexy way.”

Will winced. “Yikes.”

“And then he said ‘jk’ after. Like he was texting. Out loud.”

Will full-on cackled. “No.”

“I swear to god.” Mack shook his head. “I think I just—I keep trying to convince myself it’s going somewhere, but it’s not. Every time I see him I feel like I’m waiting for it to click, and it just… never does.”

Will hummed quietly, watching Mack out of the corner of his eye. “Then why keep seeing him?”

Mack shrugged. “Because it’s something. And sometimes something feels better than nothing.”

Will didn’t say anything to that. He couldn’t. Because if he opened his mouth, the truth might fall out—and he wasn’t ready for that.

Mack pulled his legs up onto the couch and sat cross-legged, head resting against the back cushion. “It’s stupid.”

“It’s not,” Will said. “It’s human.”

They sat in silence for a beat. Mack reached for the remote, muted the TV, then leaned into the quiet.

“And…” he added, almost too softly, “he’s kind of shit in bed.”

Will looked over, surprised. “Seriously?”

Mack’s face was pink, but he didn’t take it back. “I don’t know. He’s not bad, I guess. Just... lazy. Like he’s trying to check a box. And don’t even get me started on the fingering situation.”

Will blinked. “There’s a fingering situation?”

“One time,” Mack said. “He tried it, it lasted like thirty seconds, and he wouldn’t stop asking if he was doing it right. Like I’m supposed to give Yelp reviews mid-session.”

Will bit back a laugh. “How generous of him.”

“I think he Googled it.”

Will did laugh at that. “Was the first result ‘How to disappoint your boyfriend in under a minute’?”

Mack groaned, but he was smiling now. “He’s not even my boyfriend. We’ve never made it official.”

Will’s smile faded a little, but he kept his voice light. “So what is he?”

Mack paused. “I don’t know. A placeholder, maybe.”

The words hung in the air longer than they should’ve.

Will looked down at his hands. “You deserve more than that.”

“I know.”

“You should be with someone who knows how to touch you,” Will said, his voice low now, almost too low. “How to.. to take care of you. Someone who pays attention. Who listens.”

Mack blinked slowly, like he wasn’t sure what to make of that.

Will didn’t clarify. He couldn’t. Not when Mack was still tangled up with some other guy—some guy who didn’t even see him. Not when Will’s own feelings had been folded and tucked away for months, years maybe, too fragile to say out loud.

So instead he smiled, that casual, easy grin he’d learned to weaponize. “Just saying, if I were you, I’d raise the bar a little.”

Mack raised an eyebrow. “You giving me dating advice now?”

Will shrugged. “Someone’s gotta.”

Mack tilted his head. “And what would you do differently?”

Will hesitated. “If it were me?”

Mack nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

Will leaned back into the couch, letting his head tip against the cushions, gaze fixed on the ceiling like the answer might be scribbled up there. He could feel Macklin watching him, and it made his skin hum, that awareness, that quiet weight of being seen even in silence.

“If it were me..”Will said finally, voice low and slow like he was choosing each word from a burning deck of cards, “I wouldn’t be checking my phone mid-makeout. I wouldn’t call you anything that sounds like a failed Tumblr username. And I definitely wouldn’t treat sex like it’s an obligation.”

Mack made a soft, skeptical noise beside him, something like a laugh but with a hitch in it. “That’s a low bar.”

Will glanced over, eyes narrowing just slightly. “Yeah, well. We’re apparently living in the limbo of men who say ‘jk’ after trying to seduce you, so I feel like even the floor’s not low enough.”

Macklin snorted. “God, you really hate him.”

“I don’t even know him,” Will said, too quickly, before amending, “I just know what you look like when you’re happy. And you don’t look like that when you talk about him.”

That shut Macklin up.

For a minute, anyway.

He fiddled with the hem of his hoodie, quiet, lips twitching like he wanted to say something but was trying to decide how reckless to be.

Finally: “You’re kind of dangerous when you’re honest.”

Will raised a brow, amused. “Yeah?”

“You say things like you’re joking… but they don’t feel like jokes.”

Will’s smile was faint, crooked. “And what if I said that’s the only way I know how to say real things without—ruining everything?”

Macklin didn’t answer that. Just looked at him. And that look—open, curious, almost soft—made Will’s chest squeeze like someone had reached in and wrung it out.

Will tried to defuse it, leaned forward and grabbed a throw pillow, hugging it to his chest like a barrier. “I’d make sure you never felt like a placeholder. That’s what I’d do differently.”

Mack pressed his mouth into a line, eyes dropping to the Gatorade cap he was spinning between his fingers.

“And,” Will added, because he couldn’t help himself, “I’d absolutely Google better fingering techniques.”

That earned him a sharp laugh, sudden and barked out before Macklin could help it. He nudged Will’s knee with his own, mock-offended. “You’re an idiot.”

Will grinned, wide and easy. “A well-informed idiot.”

Mack shook his head, but he was still smiling, just a little. “You’re so annoying .”

“But at least I listen,” Will said quietly.

That brought silence again—real silence, the kind that crackled with unsaid things. Will didn’t look at him. Couldn’t. The weight of it all—the what-ifs and almosts and too-easies—was pressing too hard on his chest.

Eventually, Macklin exhaled and leaned sideways until his head was resting on Will’s shoulder, soft and warm and maybe a little bit sleepy. “You always do,” he murmured. “That’s kind of the problem.”

Will didn’t ask what he meant. He just let him stay there, let the room go quiet except for the muted buzz of the TV and the soft rustle of Mack’s sweatshirt when he shifted closer.

He didn’t move.

Didn’t say anything more.

Just stayed still, letting his pulse roar in his ears and trying not to think too hard about how easy it was to fall in love with someone who trusted you enough to fall asleep on your shoulder.

There was time.

There was always time.

Wasn’t there?

So he sat there, heartbeat steady, gaze locked on the flicker of the TV screen. Mack’s breath evened out beside him.

And Will, quietly, desperately, stayed.

Just a little longer.

sages thoughts⋆˙⟡: sigh forever oblivious, i really loved writing this and i hope you guys enjoyed!

[scandisim]

I figured out how to get rid of the stupid box beneath the logo, AND that horrendous green text color on the tabs. Also experimenting with replacing the placeholder image the game generates when you have more than 8 sims in your household. Will update the mod tomorrow once I finish updating the light base as well and the placeholder image replacement. Available through early access for subscribers at my Patreon <3

[cameronspecial]

I Will Marry You, Rafe

Pairing: Frat!Rafe Cameron x Reader

Warnings:  N/A

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 1.0K (Exactly, that's so satisfying to me).

Summary: Rafe has an important question to ask Y/N.

Masterlist

Rafe rarely gets nervous. The only time that he really does is when it comes to Y/N. She is his entire world and he would do anything to keep her in his life. And as he stares down at the small diamond ring, he can’t help but feel the layer of liquid that dampens his palms. He wipes it off on his pants as he listens to the MC announce the names of each student. He closes the box and puts it in his pockets when they get to Y/N’s section. “Y/N Y/L/N,” leaves the lips of the MC and travels through the room thanks to the speakers. Rafe is the first to stand out of her group of supporters, “That’s my girl! GO Y/N. I love you, Angel!” He hollers and claps as loud as he can, pumping his hand in the air. He is so proud of how hard she has worked to get her degree with honours. She has kept her grades up and now, she gets to start her master’s degree at her first-choice university. He sees her looking at him with a massive grin. He quickly gets his phone out to take a picture of her getting handed her degree, checking that her family videotaped her walk across the stage. They have prime seats, being right behind the students waiting to go on stage. Rafe’s money definitely shifted hands for him and the Y/L/N family to have such amazing seats. He follows her walk off of the stage, worrying that she won’t be happy with the question he has to ask. 

——

His jacket drapes over her shoulders, providing warmth against the cold night. They are walking up the steps of the house they have been renting since the semester ended. The house isn’t something permanent, just a placeholder until they find a place in Cambridge. Ward didn’t love the idea of Rafe moving out to Massachusetts, but he knows how serious Rafe is about Y/N so Ward agreed to let Rafe work remotely for the year that Y/N is doing the Master’s. Rafe would have to fly down every month for a Friday meeting, but they are going to make it work. 

Y/N cuddles closer to Rafe with his arm draped across her shoulder. “I can’t believe we are done with our undergraduate degree,” she thinks out loud, resting her head on his shoulder. His head darts to check the text on his phone and then looks at her. His lips meet her temple before he removes his hold from her, taking the keys out of his pocket. He unlocks the door and hesitates to push it open. His life is going to change after tonight and he is scared it might change for the worse. He also isn’t sure if he should’ve tasked his fraternity brothers with such an important thing. Sure, Sarah, Wheezie, and Daisy are leading them, but the now-graduated fratboys were never great at decorating or following orders. He knows if he doesn’t enter the house soon, Y/N will get suspicious. His thumb pushes down on the thumb latch and he pushes the door open. The usual darkness is cut with the light from the path made out of candles. She turns to him to see if he is just as confused as she is. All she finds is his small smile and things start to fall into place for her. 

“I will marry you, Rafe,” she utters softly, wrapping her arms around his neck to kiss him. He pulls away with a laugh, “I haven’t even asked you anything yet.” “I know, but I can see right through you. I’ve noticed how nervous you are and how you are always checking your phone for a text. That coupled with the house being mysteriously decorated makes it kinda obvious,” she grins, playing with the hair at the back of his neck. He groans, “Damn, my angel is so smart. You read me like a book. Will you at least let me take you inside and do what I had planned?” She nods and he drags her deeper into the house. 

In the living room, they find eight large characters, decorated with white feathers and fairy lights. Eight characters. Two words and a question mark. MARRY ME? Y/N’s hand finds her mouth. The beauty of the dim room amazes her. Candles and rose petals litter the room and the melody of “Say Yes To Heaven” plays without the lyrics, reminding her of that fateful night during spring break. She turns toward Rafe to find him kneeling on the ground on one knee. In his hand, he holds a small velvet box with a simple but elegant diamond ring inside of it. “When I first saw you at that party three years ago, I thought I was so intoxicated that I was seeing things. Because there was no way that a real-life angel could’ve been right in front of me and ever since that day you have been bringing a little slice of Heaven to me,” he recounts and she can see the tears in his eyes. “You have been my everything ever since that day. My supporter. My defender. My rock. And I want that for the rest of my life, so please say that you will be the angel to my devil for the rest of our lives?” She goes to sit on his thigh and he moves his arms to surround her. Her arms go around his neck and she rests her forehead on his. “Yes.”

He grins at her, kissing her as he puts the ring on her left ring finger. He feels so lucky that he gets to spend the rest of his life with the woman in front of him. People may think that they are too young to be getting married, but Rafe has never been so sure of something in his life.

Taglist: @winterrrnight @loves0phelia

[tai-templates]

⪩﹒⫻ 𝙊𝙑𝙀𝙍𝙂𝙍𝙊𝙒𝙉 𝙂𝘼𝙍𝘿𝙀𝙉 ﹒✿ . . . RP Template ! ─── Free to use (with credit!)

Hi! Its been a while since I had time/motivation to make a new sheet! Since its been so long - this ones a bit simpler, and I used a vertical format instead of a landscape one. This sheet uses a lot of assets and its fully customisable!

Also I was a little silly writing the placeholders for the sheet.

Instructions on how to edit below! - Consider Supporting me too! [ Reblogs Appreciated! ] - [ My Kofi! ] - [ Art commissions! ]

Important Notes :

Most of the sheet is fully customisable - but it uses a LOT of drawings.

[ Important ] Some pictures may be layered! To access objects blocked by another photo/text box - move them aside temporarily - or you can select the blocking item - order - send backward until you can access it and bring it back to the front when you're done!

Please make your own copy of the sheet! Do not send me requests to give you permission to edit the sheet! Making a copy will give you your very own version to edit! pls guys my email-

How to get your own copy [DESKTOP] ・Open the link ・Click on the 'File' button on the top left ・Click on 'Make a Copy' ・Name the file, and click 'Make a Copy' ・You can now edit your own copy!

How to get your own copy [MOBILE] ・Open the link on your Docs app ・Tap on the 3 dots on the top right ・Tap on 'Share and Export' ・Tap 'Make a Copy' and name the file! ・You can now edit your own copy!

How to Edit . . .

Images! - [ DESKTOP ] Right click on the placeholder image and select 'Replace with' and choose your downloaded image. - [ MOBILE ] Tap on the image, and at the bottom there should be an image icon. Tap on that to look for the new image you want to use.

♡ Let me know what you think! ♡

[cptsadist]

Progress for SFH Full Release

Planning: 89%

Writing / Coding: 53%

Sprites: 0%

CG Art: 3%

Backgrounds: 40%

GUI: 93%

Music: 100%

Final Touches: 0%

☆ ☆ ☆

4/27/25: As of now, doing finishing touches on mapping everything out. Progress was set back quite a bit by losing the demo, but all art and whatnot will be updated for full release.

4/30/25: Demo has been recovered, so progress hasn't been lost. Custom text boxes and affection meters for all characters added. More music added. Sound effects being added. Day 1 coding nearly done. Work begun on redrawing previous CGs.

5/6/25: All music done. Each character has their own specific theme (and then music for different areas). Day 2 part 1 just about done (this day is very large so coding-wise it's being separated into two chunks). Multiple endings already coded in. Basement background redrawn. CG work continues.

5/13/25: Day 2 coding is 2/3 done. 4 new endings coded in, bringing total up to 9. 1 CG redrawn. Did some minor tweaks on basement background and text box sizing. All characters have colored names. Two new songs added for endings. There's now a stab sound effect.

5/20/25: Day 2 coding complete, day 3/Trance started. 1 new ending coded in, bringing total up to 10. 5 placeholder (draft) CGs drawn.

Estimated Time Until Release: Dude idfk

5/27/25: 1 new ending coded in, bringing total up to 11. Death and survival ending screen templates completed. 1 CG from demo completely redrawn. More coding progress for Day 3/Trance.

6/2/25: 2 new endings coded in, bringing the total up to 13. Jet's theme music changed due to the original not fitting the character. Timed decision mechanic is now implemented. Coding for Day 3/??? is 1/4 done.

[galdra-studios]

Hi everyone!

It’s December, which means our festive nisse has moved back in, hiding candy and cookies all around the office (I swear it wasn’t just me indulging my sugar cravings! ^^0) It also heralds the end of the year and, with hot cocoa and candlelight in abundance, we’re gonna do our best to finish strong!

Before we jump into what we’ve been up to this month, November 17th was Arcadia Fallen’s third birthday! Where did all the time go ahah?! The game is currently part of the Steam Autumn sale with a 66% discount, so if you have a friend who would enjoy a good adventure this December then be sure to let them know. 

Thank you so much to everyone who’s played our game. You’re the reason we get to work on cool stuff every single day, and we’re looking forward to sharing more wonderful tales with you in the future!

This month we’ve been taking a look at the game’s interfaces. In a visual novel, a lot of time is spent reading. That’s why we wanna make sure the text boxes look cool with a bit of variety when possible. Here are some of our experiments^^

We also added new character icons to the map, so you can see who you’re visiting before entering a location.

We did our first playtest of Chapter 2, so we now have the full story content for the extended demo. There’s still a lot of placeholder art that needs replacing before we can let any beta testers at it, but we’re very pleased about reaching this milestone^^

Another month, another cozy track Jesper’s been working on. The perfect accompaniment to a candy thief on the prowl~

Thank you so much for following our journey! And we’ll see you in January for another Devlog!

Cheers!

- The Galdra Team

[kawaoneechan]

Project Special K, my "maybe this will be an Animal Crossing some day" thing that I mainly use to learn C++ has a Starbound-inspired asset system, much like many other things I made. As such, it works in much the same way:

On startup it takes a list of asset sources, sorts them by priority (I haven't added dependency graphs yet) and enumerates all the files in these assets. It then spends more time populating various databases from these files, like which items, species, and villagers there are.

That's it lol it's single-player only for now.

Even though I've written a function to forget certain files' existence in the asset system, there's a catch. Imagine two asset sources contain a file with the same relative path, let's say "foo.json", and they're different in content. During enumeration, the first file is put on the list, marked as coming from the first asset source. Some entries later, the second file is found and takes the first one's spot in the list, marking it as coming from the later source.

If I were to call ForgetVFS("foo.json"), I would not magically get the first version back. It was replaced, after all. That entry in the file list is removed, but it's the only entry listing "foo.json".

And that brings me back to the first PSK mockup screenshot that I made, the Content Filter screen.

Since PSK is beholden to the same limitations as SB that I literally just rambled about, clearly the content filter can't disable specific asset sources. It's all already loaded and processed after all.

But as the text in the mockup notes: "Unchecked species will never appear in your town as villagers. Any villager already there will remain." So if you uncheck the cranky personality and the hippopotamus species before first starting a game, no villagers of that personality and/or species will try to move in. But any cranky hippos already there will remain there until they're put in boxes.

This can be dynamic, in the middle of a running game. You could have a single cranky villager, disable that personality in the content filter, and no other cranky villagers will appear.

Or you could disable sea bass. Any bass already caught, stored in your inventory, in an aquarium on display in your house or the museum, or in storage, will still be there, but no more sea bass will spawn in the waters until you re-enable them.

That of course raises the question...

What happens when you remove an asset source whose contents are already used in your saved game?

My take? Since the saved game would refer to all of this by ID names that have to resolve to the actual things, it could fail gently. Items turn into fallback stuff (perfectly generic items as it were), and villagers whose IDs don't appear in the database, or whose species don't exist anymore, spontaneously move out, their houses replaced by cordoned-off "this space for sale" placeholders.

That was my take. But what's yours?

[bennyboyfics]

Second Serve || Ben Shelton x tennis player!reader

Summary: You were Ben’s constant—until his ex came back and made you feel replaceable. Losing you made him realise he’d been in love with you all along.

Wc: 1,986

Warnings: angst!!!

A/n: honestly, kinda similar to what I experienced last year but we didn’t get together 🥲

MASTERLIST

-

You and Ben had always been close—close in the way that made people wonder if something was going on, even when there wasn’t. You were his tour shadow, his best friend, his safe zone in a world that demanded too much from both of you.

He’d once said you were like home — not in a way that made you blush, but in a way that felt grounding. Like you mattered. It was never supposed to be complicated. Not with Ben.

Not when you’d known him for years, had seen him at his best and worst, from the arrogant junior who refused to lose, to the nineteen-year-old with cracked knuckles after punching a locker in Rome, to the man who fell asleep on your shoulder between flights with a racquet bag across his lap.

Not when you knew his Starbucks order by memory. Not when you were the one who stayed in the player’s box when everyone else left after a bad match. Not when your laugh was the only thing that could pull him out of his own head. But feelings don’t ask permission.

They grow slowly—between shared dinners, movie nights in hotel rooms, forehead kisses that felt too soft to be friendly, and the way his hand always found your lower back in crowded rooms. You didn’t know exactly when it changed.

Maybe it was the night he stayed up with you after your doubles loss in Madrid, holding your hand in the dark. Maybe it was in Paris, when he caught you watching him between sets and smiled like he already knew what you were thinking. But you were falling. And he didn’t notice.

At least, not until she showed up again. Madison. The girl who shattered him last year. The girl who left in the middle of the US Open swing, when he needed someone the most. The girl who told him he was “too intense” and that she couldn’t be with someone who lived his life on planes and centre courts.

He’d cried after she left. Not dramatically. Not publicly. But you’d seen the crack in his armour. He’d curled up on your hotel room floor and said nothing for hours while you sat beside him, your hand resting on his wrist like it could hold him together.

So when he said her name again—almost absently, over lunch in Cincinnati—it took you a second to breathe. “She texted me,” Ben said, fork hovering over his salad. “Madison.” Your stomach twisted. “What did she say?”

“That she’s sorry. That she wants to talk. No pressure or anything, just… a conversation.” You stared at him, stunned. “And?” He looked away, voice softer. “I don’t know. Part of me wants to hear her out.” It shouldn’t have felt like betrayal. But it did.

You blinked slowly, forcing yourself to nod. “Sure. If that’s what you need.” He studied you. “You okay?” “I’m fine.” You weren’t. Because suddenly, every moment you’d shared with him over the past year felt… invisible. Disposable. Like you were just the placeholder until she came back.

So you pulled back. Slowly, so he wouldn’t notice—or so you hoped. You started skipping dinners. You left early from practice. You stopped staying in his room watching reruns of The Office until you both fell asleep.

You stopped looking at him the way you used to. Because it hurt too much. And Ben? He noticed. At first, he brushed it off. You were tired. Travel was exhausting. Maybe you were just off your game. But then he started seeing it in everything—how your replies got shorter, how your eyes didn’t meet his as easily, how your laugh didn’t come as freely.

He finally cornered you after your match in Toronto. “You’re avoiding me.” You didn’t bother denying it. “I’ve just been busy.” He scoffed, frustrated. “You’ve never been too busy for me. So what is it?” You swallowed hard. “Nothing. I’m just… trying to give you space.”

“Space?” he echoed. “Why the hell would I need space from you?” You bit the inside of your cheek. “Because maybe you need it. For her.” His eyes flickered wide. “Is that what this is about?” “Ben—” “You think I’m getting back with Madison?”

“I don’t know what you’re doing,” you snapped, voice tight. “But you’re clearly still thinking about her. Talking to her. And I’m not gonna stick around and be the filler while you figure out if you want to forgive the girl who left you when you needed her the most.”

His face fell. “You think you’re just a filler to me?” “I don’t know what to think anymore,” you whispered. He stepped closer, voice hoarse. “I’m not seeing her again.” You blinked. “You’re not?” “No.” His jaw clenched. “I met with her. Once. To see if there was anything left. And there wasn’t. I felt… nothing.”

The breath you’d been holding finally escaped. “Then why didn’t you tell me?” “Because I didn’t realise how much I needed to until you stopped talking to me. Until I started waking up and checking if you were still around.” He looked down.

“Until I missed you so much.” The silence that followed was heavy. Charged. “I was never just your friend, was I?” you asked quietly. His eyes lifted. “No. Not really.”You moved closer this time, heart in your throat. “Then why did it take almost losing me to make you realise it?”

“Because I’m a coward,” he admitted. “Because I didn’t want to screw up the best thing I had.” “And what’s that?” “You.” You didn’t move, didn’t breathe. He stepped into your space. “I’ve been in love with you, and I didn’t know it until you stopped looking at me like I was your favourite person in the world.”

Your chest ached. “You were,” you said softly. “You are. But you scared me, Ben. You scared me when you looked at her like she could still break your heart.” His hands cupped your jaw gently, thumbs brushing your cheeks. “She can’t. Only you can.”

You leaned into his touch, voice shaking. “Then don’t give me a reason to.” “I won’t.” His forehead pressed to yours. “I swear.” And when he kissed you—slow, aching, like he was making up for every moment he didn’t—it felt like the final piece sliding into place.

Not perfect. But real. And this time, he wouldn’t let you slip away.

[the-nox-syndicate]

SysNotes devlog 1

Hiya! We're a web developer by trade and we wanted to build ourselves a web-app to manage our system and to get to know each other better. We thought it would be fun to make a sort of a devlog on this blog to show off the development! The working title of this project is SysNotes (but better ideas are welcome!)

What SysNotes is✅:

A place to store profiles of all of our parts

A tool to figure out who is in front

A way to explore our inner world

A private chat similar to PluralKit

A way to combine info about our system with info about our OCs etc as an all-encompassing "brain-world" management system

A personal and tailor-made tool made for our needs

What SysNotes is not❌:

A fronting tracker (we see no need for it in our system)

A social media where users can interact (but we're open to make it so if people are interested)

A public platform that can be used by others (we don't have much experience actually hosting web-apps, but will consider it if there is enough interest!)

An offline app

So if this sounds interesting to you, you can find the first devlog below the cut (it's a long one!):

(I have used word highlighting and emojis as it helps me read large chunks of text, I hope it's alright with y'all!)

Tech stack & setup (feel free to skip if you don't care!)

The project is set up using:

Database: MySQL 8.4.3

Language: PHP 8.3

Framework: Laravel 10 with Breeze (authentication and user accounts) and Livewire 3 (front end integration)

Styling: Tailwind v4

I tried to set up Laragon to easily run the backend, but I ran into issues so I'm just running "php artisan serve" for now and using Laragon to run the DB. Also I'm compiling styles in real time with "npm run dev". Speaking of the DB, I just migrated the default auth tables for now. I will be making app-related DB tables in the next devlog. The awesome thing about Laravel is its Breeze starter kit, which gives you fully functioning authentication and basic account management out of the box, as well as optional Livewire to integrate server-side processing into HTML in the sexiest way. This means that I could get all the boring stuff out of the way with one terminal command. Win!

Styling and layout (for the UI nerds - you can skip this too!)

I changed the default accent color from purple to orange (personal preference) and used an emoji as a placeholder for the logo. I actually kinda like the emoji AS a logo so I might keep it.

Laravel Breeze came with a basic dashboard page, which I expanded with a few containers for the different sections of the page. I made use of the components that come with Breeze to reuse code for buttons etc throughout the code, and made new components as the need arose. Man, I love clean code 😌

I liked the dotted default Laravel page background, so I added it to the dashboard to create the look of a bullet journal. I like the journal-type visuals for this project as it goes with the theme of a notebook/file. I found the code for it here.

I also added some placeholder menu items for the pages that I would like to have in the app - Profile, (Inner) World, Front Decider, and Chat.

i ran into an issue dynamically building Tailwind classes such as class="bg-{{$activeStatus['color']}}-400" - turns out dynamically-created classes aren't supported, even if they're constructed in the component rather than the blade file. You learn something new every day huh…

Also, coming from Tailwind v3, "ps-*" and "pe-*" were confusing to get used to since my muscle memory is "pl-*" and "pr-*" 😂

Feature 1: Profiles page - proof of concept

This is a page where each alter's profiles will be displayed. You can switch between the profiles by clicking on each person's name. The current profile is highlighted in the list using a pale orange colour.

The logic for the profiles functionality uses a Livewire component called Profiles, which loads profile data and passes it into the blade view to be displayed. It also handles logic such as switching between the profiles and formatting data. Currently, the data is hardcoded into the component using an associative array, but I will be converting it to use the database in the next devlog.

New profile (TBC)

You will be able to create new profiles on the same page (this is yet to be implemented). My vision is that the New Alter form will unfold under the button, and fold back up again once the form has been submitted.

Alter name, pronouns, status

The most interesting component here is the status, which is currently set to a hardcoded list of "active", "dormant", and "unknown". However, I envision this to be a customisable list where I can add new statuses to the list from a settings menu (yet to be implemented).

Alter image

I wanted the folder that contained alter images and other assets to be outside of my Laravel project, in the Pictures folder of my operating system. I wanted to do this so that I can back up the assets folder whenever I back up my Pictures folder lol (not for adding/deleting the files - this all happens through the app to maintain data integrity!). However, I learned that Laravel does not support that and it will not be able to see my files because they are external. I found a workaround by using symbolic links (symlinks) 🔗. Basically, they allow to have one folder of identical contents in more than one place. I ran "mklink /D [external path] [internal path]" to create the symlink between my Pictures folder and Laravel's internal assets folder, so that any files that I add to my Pictures folder automatically copy over to Laravel's folder. I changed a couple lines in filesystems.php to point to the symlinked folder:

And I was also getting a "404 file not found" error - I think the issue was because the port wasn't originally specified. I changed the base app URL to the localhost IP address in .env:

…And after all this messing around, it works!

(My Pictures folder)

(My Laravel storage)

(And here is Alice's photo displayed - dw I DO know Ibuki's actual name)

Alter description and history

The description and history fields support HTML, so I can format these fields however I like, and add custom features like tables and bullet point lists.

This is done by using blade's HTML preservation tags "{!! !!}" as opposed to the plain text tags "{{ }}".

(Here I define Alice's description contents)

(And here I insert them into the template)

Traits, likes, dislikes, front triggers

These are saved as separate lists and rendered as fun badges. These will be used in the Front Decider (anyone has a better name for it?? 🤔) tool to help me identify which alter "I" am as it's a big struggle for us. Front Decider will work similar to FlowCharty.

What next?

There's lots more things I want to do with SysNotes! But I will take it one step at a time - here is the plan for the next devlog:

Setting up database tables for the profile data

Adding the "New Profile" form so I can create alters from within the app

Adding ability to edit each field on the profile

I tried my best to explain my work process in a way that wold somewhat make sense to non-coders - if you have any feedback for the future format of these devlogs, let me know!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Disclaimers:

I have not used AI in the making of this app and I do NOT support the Vibe Coding mind virus that is currently on the loose. Programming is a form of art, and I will defend manual coding until the day I die.

Any alter data found in the screenshots is dummy data that does not represent our actual system.

I will not be making the code publicly available until it is a bit more fleshed out, this so far is just a trial for a concept I had bouncing around my head over the weekend.

We are SYSCOURSE NEUTRAL! Please don't start fights under this post

[fictionkinfessions]

hello all my fictionfolk friends, today i come bearing not a confession, but advice.

your memories and people you knew are important, but you should also cherish this existence while it lasts, too. find ways to carry those precious times and people with you through this life, and don't force yourself to carry several lifetimes' worth of regret through this life. the world is a hard place right now, but remember that we have each other and that there is still plenty beautiful and special about this world too. take time to appreciate it while you can, so that you can look back on it just as fondly as you do canon memories later on, or perhaps even *as* canon memories later on. you only have one chance to live this life, so make the most of it.

placeholder text because tumblr wont let me post ask messages without something in the reply box

[pigeonstab]

Enoch's reference sheet, don't mind the big gap

Aaaand the old one. This was really when I first started thinking him up. He was based of Error and was a lot less friendly. Very aloof and crazy lookin' He wasn't even called Enoch, he just had the placeholder name 'Erroc' cause he was an Error-OC

(kinda miss his old personality but it's hard making distant/weird characters interact with the askers)

Also the ask blog:

[polutrope]

Just pure headcanons, what do you think happened during Maglor's reign as a king? I don't know if his reign was short or something but I remember it took some time before Fingon was able to save Maedhros and unite the noldor and there was still some division between the host of nolofinweans and feanorians. I wonder if he considered himself a placeholder until Maedhros returned or was he a reluctant king? Did the host respect him as a king, did his own brothers respect him as a king? I am so intrigued because, aside from Maedhros, I think Maglor deserved some shoutout lmao (No, this isn't a maglor-obsession-spree that I have been on, nu uh). Also, I feel like he would have some cordial relationship with Fingolfin, they could bond as the second sons having to take leadership because the eldest died/was abducted idk.

Oh no, starlitelwing. I hope you know the Pandora's Box you've just opened. King Maglor is one of my all-time favourite things to think about.

First of all: there's actually no canonical information on Maglor's position after the capture of Maedhros (in fact, we don't even know what Maedhros' title/position was after Feanor's death; all we know is that Feanor "claimed now the kingship of all the Noldor" in Tirion. Contested leadership is SO GOOD isn't it? anyway...).

The published Silmarillion glosses right over the question of who's in charge during the time between Feanor's death and Fingolfin's official assumption of the Kingship of the Noldor (which, if you ask me, Fingolfin effectively had been King since the time of Feanor's exile, and he was in any case Regent at the time of Finwe's death... he said he'd follow Feanor but the people following him were calling him Finwe Nolofinwe soooo... aiee, I digress again). The book gallops at such a breakneck speed that you don't really notice the gap in leadership. Or, I didn't.

But then you look at the Grey Annals (where Tolkien Gateway gets most of its First Age dates) and you see that there are 2-3 Tree Years and 5 Sun Years between Maedhros' capture and his rescue. Now, however you imagine time works in Tree Years when there are no Trees, that's still a long time. Maedhros was gone at a minimum 6-7 years, more likely closer to the equivalent of 30 "regular" years. (That's way longer, by the way, than the time between Feanor's death and Maedhros' capture, which was like, a day to a month, at most. Maedhros, if he even was King, was King for way less time than whoever followed him. And he sucked at the job, btw. But I digress. Again.)

So someone had to be in charge for those 6 to 30 years, but whomst? That the leadership would pass after Feanor's death to the eldest son is logical, and that it would then pass to the next eldest is also logical. I see no reason to refute that, but note: it would not be uncanonical to have someone other than Maedhros or Maglor in charge at this time. You can make King Celegorm a thing and still be canon-compliant!

This passage in the published Silm is basically the extent of the activities of the sons of Feanor during Maedhros' absence:

Then the brothers of Maedhros drew back, and fortified a great camp in Hithlum; but Morgoth held Maedhros as hostage, and sent word that he would not release him unless the Noldor would forsake their war, returning into the West, or else departing far from Beleriand into the South of the world. But the sons of Feanor knew that Morgoth would betray them, and would not release Maedhros, whatsoever they might do; and they were constrained also by their oath, and might not for any cause forsake the war against their Enemy.

The sense here is that all six sons acted as a unit. But in the 1937 Quenta Silmarillion, the text on which this passage is drawn:

Morgoth held [Maedhros] as hostage and sent word to Maglor that he would only release his brother if …

To Maglor! Excellent evidence that Tolkien was also making the logical conclusion that Maglor, the eldest, was in charge. (My best theory for why Christopher Tolkien took that out is Too Many Names, but it's an odd decision.)

All that was to say: We don't know, canonically, that Maglor was in charge at Mithrim. But it makes a lot of sense, and it's my headcanon that he was.

Now. More interesting headcanons.

I don't think Maglor was called King until it was politically necessary.

I see him as someone who is comfortable in command (one meaning of Cano is "commander", after all) but who likes to command collaboratively. Double-edged sword: he values the input of others (admirable quality) and he does not like being fully responsible for the outcomes of a decision (less admirable).

Unlike much fanon I've come across, I don't think Maglor was a particularly reluctant or incompetent leader or that he hated it. He was miserable, yes, because his father just died and his brother was just captured, and he wasn't thrilled to become a leader on top of that, but he keeps it together.

So how do I imagine it all went down?

The problem with Maglor being in command is that his "collaborative" style of leadership is not appropriate for a time of crisis or for his family. While the Silm often talks about "the sons of a Feanor" as a unit, I do not think they were of the same mind on everything. At all. They need a firm hand, and Maglor does not have that.

But who does have a firm hand? Who would be a more martial ruler, someone who could get people in order during a crisis? Celegorm. And he knows it.

So why did the Feanorians "get nothing done" during those 6-30 years (sidenote: I don't actually think they got nothing done, but it does seem they didn't get anything BIG done)? Well, for one, they were fighting amongst themselves.

Maglor could not get his brothers to agree on anything, and yet he did not know any other way of commanding, and over time he becomes more and more miserable as a leader.

Celegorm, meanwhile, is chomping at the bit to "relieve him" of the burden.

Around them, everyone else is picking sides.

Curufin is an interesting case. I headcanon he actually was fully behind Maglor at the beginning, because he respects the orderliness of succession. But as Maglor proves himself unsuitable for the role, he aligns with Celegorm.

Outside the family, I headcanon that the Mithrim Elves were actually quite taken with Maglor, the poet-king. Their alliance hinges on him. But the Noldor, especially the army, would rather follow Celegorm.

As everyone knows, a rival for leadership with the army's support is Bad News. And yet Maglor manages to hold on. He should definitely get credit for that.

But why hold on? If he is hating this ruler job, why not just let Celegorm have it? Couple reasons:

It's Celegorm. He may be able to perform well, but Maglor knows he's the most like Feanor in temperament and, well, Feanor's kingship didn't end well.

If Maglor gives up that crown, he will have admitted to himself that Maedhros is not coming back. This is the same reason he doesn't give it over to Fingolfin when Uncle Nolvo shows up. He is hanging onto that thing for dear life because, to him, it belongs to Maedhros and only Maedhros. He is the crown's custodian, never its rightful owner (this bleeds into my headcanon that Maglor does not "in his heart" agree with Maedhros' decision to cede the kingship — he'll never be as vocal about it as the others, though).

Now we come to another piece. What did Maglor call himself? Like I said up top, I don't think he initially called himself King. He was "head of his House", or maybe, "Lord of Hithlum," or maybe King Regent, but never King. If one of the Mithrim got mixed up and called him that, he would always correct them.

That changes when Fingolfin shows up. Now there's another claimant to the title of King. Possibly a more legitimate one than even Maedhros (as Maedhros later says himself).

By that time, Maglor has been keeping that crown out of Celegorm's hands for years; he is not giving it up now. And Fingolfin is less likely to challenge his leadership if he offers no room for ambiguity. If he dons the mantle of kingship and pretends Maedhros is dead.

So that is what he does... Does Fingolfin accept it? Well: "Then there was peril of strife between the hosts."

For three years, on opposite sides of the Lake, they're at an impasse. Fingon doesn't go looking for Maedhros because he thinks Maedhros is dead (and other reasons: the mission is insane and desperate not the least, and contrary to popular opinion Fingon is not a rash idiot).

How does Fingon eventually learn the truth? You'll have to wait and read what @melestasflight and I are cooking up for Silm Epistolary Week ;)

ETA: Despite this, I do think you're right that Maglor and Fingolfin could have bonded over their similar experiences! There's the personal and there's the political, and I love the idea of the tension between these straining what could be an emotionally supportive familial friendship between Maglor and Fingolfin.