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arecaceae175 · 2 years

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Linked Universe Character Guide

I made this LU character guide for my friends and I thought it might be useful for any new LU fans out there! And also for anyone else who wants to info dump to friends about LU. So here you go :D

These characters are of course based on @linkeduniverse by Jojo! But, disclaimer, this does include some non-canon stuff (primarily the fandom nicknames and some War of Ages things) that’s common in fanfiction :). I made this for fun and for my friends so it includes my favorite tropes, canon and fanon.

Edit 4/4/23: Alt text and image descriptions added. Alt text only describes the official character art image (descriptions of all the images were too long for alt text and they were being cut off by my screen). Image text and other image descriptions are at the bottom of the post.

(key at the bottom)

Key:

Image text:

Hero of Time – Time – Old Man, Ancestor (by Twilight), Sprite (by Warriors) | Zelda: Lullaby

Games: Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask

Character Traits:

Oldest of the Links

Mental age unknown, physical age is probably 30s

Leader of the group, also group Dad

Very decisive and stoic when he’s being leader

Youthful sense of humor

Views the Master Sword as a curse/burden

Twilight’s mentor – Animated skeleton in the Twilight Princess game called Hero’s Shade

Loves his wife Malon so so so much

Important Game Facts and Items:

Majora’s Mask was a 3-day time loop basically, Time was the one to control the movement of time though

He has masks that give the wearer powers

His facial markings come from the Fierce Diety Mask, which gives him god-like fighting power, but he can’t always tell friend from foe

Had a fairy companion named Navi in Ocarina of Time

Image descriptions:

Image 1: Time is holding up Wild's version of Majora's Mask even with his face. His injured eye is open slightly and is completely white, and his facial markings are in focus. His text box says "Besides, with a legend like that, I'd be more afraid of what destroyed the demon."

Image 2: Time has his arm around Malon and is smiling happily. Malon is a middle aged white woman with long red hair. She is wearing a farming dress. She is smiling back at Time.

Image 3: Text above the image says "Post-Games, Pre-LU Time." It is a black and white sketch of Time when he was a young man. His hair is long and braided over his shoulder with fringe coming down around his face. He is wearing a simple undershirt.

Image 4: Time is smirking mischievously. He is seen shoulder-up.

Image 5: Time is smiling talking to Wind. Wind is putting his sword back in his sheath. Time's text box says "In every battle, you have a little more of the look of a hero." Wind is smiling sheepishly and his text box says "…"

Image 6: Time is scowling. He is holding his sword with both hands out to the side as if he was just attacking. There is smoke and debris in the background. End descriptions.

Hero of Twilight – Twilight – Twi, Pup (by Time), Rancher, Ordonian, Wolfie | Zelda: Dusk

Game: Twilight Princess

Character Traits:

Started his journey as an older teen/adult, now early 20s

Good sword skill & marksmanship, best on horseback, animal whisperer

Physically strongest Link

Grew up in a small town, Ordon Village, on a ranch

Brother bickering relationship with Warriors

Big Brother of the group

One of the most emotionally mature Links

He often comforts the others as Wolfie

Wild’s mentor (because Wolf Link can show up in Breath of the Wild)

Mentored by Time (Hero’s Shade) and Time’s blood descendant

Important Game Facts and Items:

One of the only ones to start his journey as an older teen/adult

Was cursed with Shadow Magic and can now turn into a wolf at will using the artifact he wears as a necklace (Shadow Crystal)

His horse Epona sometimes accompanies the group

Had a companion named Midna that he loved but can never see again

Image descriptions:

Image 1: Twilight is scowling and has his arms crossed.

Image 2: Twilight is in his wolf form. The wolf is large and primarily black, with grey fur on his chest, paws, and face. He has the same forehead markings as Hylian Twilight, but they are grey instead of black. Wolfie has his eyes closed but his head up and is laying on the ground. Wild is asleep on his back with one arm draped across him.

Image 3: Twilight as Wolfie at the end of his transformation. There are black cubes surrounding him, signaling the transformation. Wolfie has a metal shackle on his left front leg. His hackles raised and he is growling.

Image 4: Twilight has his shield at the ready. His brows are furrowed in concentration. Light is shining from the upper left corner and it makes his hair look more blonde than usual.

Image 5: Image from Wild's Sheikah Slate. Twilight is wearing his undertunic and none of his other usual clothes. He is smiling at the camera. In the background there is a lake with light shimmering on the water.

Image 6: Twilight is grinning widely. He is holding a staff diagonally in front of him. End descriptions.

Hero of Warriors – Warriors – Wars, Captain, Pretty Boy (by Legend) | Zelda: Artemis/Athena

Game: Hyrule Warriors

Character Traits:

War of Ages started when he was an older teen/adult, now mid 20s

Military man, but the good kind, Captain in the Hyrulean Army

Weird relationship with Time- Time is team dad, but during the War of Ages Warriors was his big brother figure

Wind’s mentor

Looks are important to him

Prefers to be in groups, good at communication

Best at strategizing and battle plans and such

Doesn’t trust easily because a lot of his soldiers betrayed him

Emotionally mature

Loves to bicker with Legend

Most likely to have actual field medic training

Important Game Facts and Items

War of Ages

Time and Wind were technically present

Image descriptions:

Image 1: Warriors is showing off the burn scar on his left arm. It covers his hand and forearm. He is sitting next to Wind and Warriors' scarf is over both their shoulders. Wind is holding a mug. He is leaning forward and looking at Warriors' scar in shock.

Image 2: Warriors during battle. The art shows lines from the swing of his sword, but the sword is not in the frame. He is mid-swing. His scarf is billowed out behind him.

Image 3: Warriors is smirking and shrugging. There is a text box, but it is cut off and unreadable.

Image 4: Warriors is speaking, but the text box is cut off and unreadable. The image is zoomed in on his upper body.

Image 5: Warriors during battle. He is crouched down and his shoulders are pointing towards the viewer but he is looking to the side. His sword and shield are both up. His sword is pointing in the same direction as he is looking.

Image 6: Warriors is holding out a cloth covered in black blood. He has a cut above his left eyebrow that is bleeding. There is a text box but it is cut off and the only visible word is "creature." End descriptions.

\Hero of the Four Sword – Four – Smithy, Little One (by Time) | Zelda: Dot

Games: Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures, Minish Cap

Character Traits:

Smallest but not the youngest, probably mid teen age now

Only one in the group with a functioning braincell

Very skilled blacksmith

Confident, quiet, calm

Often strategizes with Time and Warriors

Important Game Facts and Items

Friends with Minish, which are a race of small mouse-y creatures that can only be seen by children

Wields the Four Sword, which can split him into four versions of himself: Red, Green, Blue, Vio

Each color displays an aspect of Four’s personality

Keeps this a secret and in LU canon just recently revealed it to Wild. Time also knows

Never wielded the Master Sword, doesn’t have the Triforce of Courage

Image descriptions:

Image 1: Four is split into his four colors: Vio, Red, Green, and Blue. They are standing in a semi-circle and looking at something outside the image. Vio looks contemplative, Red looks upset, Green looks surprised, and Blue looks angry.

Image 2: Four is blacksmithing. He is sitting in front of the forge. He is holding a hammer in his left hand and tongs in his right hand. Both hands have thick leather gloves. In the tongs, he is holding up a horseshoe to inspect.

Image 3: Four is standing next to time with his arms crossed and brows furrowed. Wild's legs are in the frame, and he is on the ground in front of them recovering from an injury. Four's text box says "You think this is gonna (read: going to) be a pattern?"

Image 4: Four during battle. He is leaping backwards out of the way of an axe. He is holding his sword in his left hand and his shield in his right hand. His eyebrows are furrowed. His hair is flying forward as he jumps backward.

Image 5: Four is laughing as he stands next to the Master Sword. Sky is holding the Master Sword with the tip on the ground. The Master Sword is only a few inches shorter than Four. Wind's hand is above Four's head measuring the height difference. End descriptions.

Hero of the Winds – Wind – Sailor | Zelda: Tetra

Game: Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks (?)

Character Traits:

Youngest Link, started his journey at 12, now almost 14

Very fun personality and very expressive

Good at stealth and navigation

Is a pirate

Has a little sister named Aryll

The others look out for him since he’s the youngest, but he wants to be able to prove himself as a capable hero

Likes joking and pulling pranks

Important Game Facts and Items

He can control the wind with his Wind Waker, though this has never been used in LU canon

Started his journey because his sister was kidnapped

Was not originally gifted with the Hero’s Spirit of Courage, he assembled the Triforce during his journey

Killed Ganon at age 12 by stabbing him in the face

Image descriptions:

Image 1: Wind during battle. He is holding a huge two-handed sword and it mid-swing. His eyebrows are furrowed and his mouth is open like he's yelling.

Image 2: Wind is grinning widely and watching a fairy fly. He is holding a bottle in one hand and pulling the cork out of the bottle with his other hand.

Image 3: A full body image of Wind. He is standing like the standing man emoji meme. He is scowling and his frown is squiggly.

Image 4: Wind is gasping in surprise. His eyes are very wide.

Image 5: Ain image of Wind from the side. He is leaning back sightly. He is holding a shield. He looks very much like a child in the image.

Image 6: Wind is grinning widely. He is leaning toward the viewer and his eyes are focused on something off screen. He has one hand curled against his chest. End descriptions.

Hero of the Wild – Wild – Cub (by Twilight and Time), Cook, Champion | Zelda: Flora

Games: Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom

Character Traits:

117 (17 physically)

Survivalist, best archer, crazy good stamina

Only Link that is actually good at cooking

Very prone to injury, a bit reckless, breaks his weapons a lot

Has insecurities about being the only Link that ‘failed’ their mission (this is obviously not true)

Lost his memories when he died, still getting them back

Used to be a knight pre-Calamity Ganon

Mentored by Twilight

He and Hyrule often run off and get lost together

Important Game Facts and Items

Has the Shiekah Slate, the inventory works, bombs and stasis are the only runes still functional. Technically in LU canon he has an enchanted bag, but in fanfics his storage is usually the slate

Scars are from when he died during the Calamity. Shrine of Resurrection fully healed his body internally

Wolf Link (older version of Twilight) helped him on parts of his journey

Image desriptions:

Image 1: Wild is holding his bag tightly with one hand and a soup ladle in the other hand. There are lines on the art implying he was just swinging the ladle. He is scowling. The phrase "grrr" is above his head.

Image 2: Wild is frowning and is very anger. The lines on the image imply he just stood up very quickly. The scars on his face, ear, and neck are purposefully in focus.

Image 3: Wild during battle. He is leaping through the air and his hair is flying behind him. He is holding a sword in one hand and the Sheikah Slate out in front of him with his other hand.

Image 4: Wild is shrugging, grinning, and his eyes are very wide. His expression is very comical. His text box says "SO?"

Image 5: Wild is sitting in a chair in front of a Time and Malon's dining table. He has one hand gently braced on the table. He is smiling sheepishly at something off-screen.

Image 6: Wild is holding his bow with one hand. With the other hand he has three arrows at once nocked on the bow's string.

Image 7: Wild is shrugging and grinning widely at something off screen. There is a text box but it is cut off and unreadable. End descriptions.

The Hero of Legend – Legend – Veteran, Vet | Zelda: Fable

Games: A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, A Link Between Worlds, Tri Force Heroes

Character Traits:

Older teen age

Most experienced Link, but chooses not to be a leader

Closest to Hyrule and Warriors, bickering relationship with Warriors

Very magically inclined

Mature for his age, very reliable

Very snarky, tries to act emotionally unaffected by his adventures

Truly loves adventuring and travelling

But likes to do things the right way and know where he’s going

Important Game Facts and Items:

One of his adventures may not have been real (Koholint), and he has a lot of issues surrounding that and the woman he fell in love with during it

Has so many items, has a tool for everything (bit of a hoarder)

Can turn into a pink rabbit sometimes

Ravio is his counterpart from Lorule, they live together

Image descriptions:

Image 1: Legend in his bunny form. It is a very cute pink rabbit and he is still wearing his red sleeveless tunic in bunny form.

Image 2: Legend is smirking and in the middle of telling a story. He has his hands out in front of them as if he is using them to portray his story. There is a text box and it has a lot of words but they are cut off and unreadable. His hair is primarily pink.

Image 3: Legend is smirking and elbowing Wind. Wind is mostly cut off of the frame.

Image 4: Legend is pointing at the viewer and yelling in surprise. His hair is mostly pink, but his roots are growing out blonde. His text box has extra pointed edges to show he is yelling but the words are cut off and unreadable.

Image 5: Legend has a confused look on his face. He is holding his shield but it is resting by his side. His text box is cut out of frame.

Image 6: Legend mid battle. The lines in the art imply he is running toward the viewer. His shield is hooked to his back and he is holding his sword with both hands. His sword has a blue hilt and a red blade.

Image 7: Legend has his chin pointed up and out and looks contemplative. The image has a regal vibe. His text box is cut out of frame. End descriptions.

Hero of Hyrule – Hyrule – Traveler, Rule, Roolie | Zelda: Aurora & Dawn

Game: The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: Adventures of Link

Character Traits:

Mid-teen age

Soft-spoken, kind, just a humble traveler

Doesn’t think he’s as much of a hero or warrior as the others

Handles himself well in battle despite having no formal training

Never gives up

Very magically inclined, and has healing magic

Looks up to Legend since he is Legend’s successor

Loves exploring with Wild

Grew up in a cave

Important Game Facts and Items

Original two Zelda games

His world is kind of a wasteland

Monsters in his world want to use his blood to resurrect Ganon

Never used the Master Sword

Has the entire Triforce

Image descriptions:

Image 1: Hyrule is looking down on the viewer and his hands are glowing with his healing magic. His eyes are closed in concentration. In the bottom of the frame, there are bandages on Twilight's chest.

Image 2: Hyrule is grinning widely and has one arm locked with Wild's. Wild is cut out of the frame. Hyrule is pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. The text is cut off, but the readable part says "curiosity sure doesn't!"

Image 3: Hyrule is standing in the center of the frame. The lighting and his stance make him look very young. Both his arms are extended out of the frame, and on one side there is a sliver of his shield visible.

Image 4: Hyrule during battle. He is running at something out of frame and yelling. There are scratches and dirt smudges on his face. He is holding his sword with both hands and it is on fire.

Image 5: Hyrule shoulders and head are centered. The lines in the art imply he quickly turned his head. His text box says "?" and he looks confused.

Image 6: Hyrule is grinning mischievously. His shoulders are facing away but his head is turned towards the viewer. He is snapping his fingers, there is a "SNAP" written next to his fingers, and there is lightning coming from his fingers. He is holding his sword with his other hand and his shield is strapped to his back. End descriptions.

The Chosen Hero – Sky | Zelda: Sun

Game: Skyward Sword

Character Traits:

Started his journey in mid-teens, now early 20s

Best swordsman- don’t get on his bad side

Skyloftian Knight

Kind, joyful, bashful, emotionally mature

Loves cuddles, loves comforting the others and making them smile

Very low stamina, needs more resting time, loves sleep

Very very in love with his Zelda

Friends with the soul of the Master Sword (Fi) and view the Master Sword as a blessing

Important Game Facts and Items:

Chronologically the first hero

Grew up on a floating island called Skyloft

He and his Zelda are rebuilding the Surface, and their kingdom will one day become Hyrule

Never actually fought Ganon- fought Demise, who cursed the hero’s spirit to be tied to his own

Image descriptions:

Image 1: Sky during battle. Sky's back is to the viewer and he is looking over his shoulder. His text box says "?!" He is holding his sword with one hand and his shield with the other. His shield has a very ornate metal design. His sailcloth is flowing behind him like a cape. There is black debris in the background.

Image 2: Sky is smiling kindly. His textbox says "Well I think it's neat."

Image 3: Sky during battle. He is holding the Master Sword above his head in the position for the Skyward Strike from his game and the sword is glowing brightly. His brows are furrowed in anger. He is holding his shield in his other hand.

Image 4: Sky is smiling bashfully and blushing. He has his head resting on a hand and is looking towards the Sky. There are hearts surrounding his head.

Image 5: Image from Wild's Sheikah Slate. Sky is asleep against a tree and there are hands in the image stacking sticks on his head.

Image 6: Sky is smiling up at the sun. Sun says are shining down on him. His hair looks especially fluffy. End descriptions.

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clovers-little-starlings · 1 month

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Baby Steps: Drinking Water!

This is the first installment in a series of posts I'd like to do expanding on some of the things I've talked about here (which- blew up by the way??? thank you all so much??? <3) and here!

Long intro/backstory to this post series below!!

I often tend to immediately tense up at the thought of handling a big upcoming project or tackling something I've procrastinated on or neglected to do, even adding things to my daily routine like brushing my teeth or wearing my retainer- even drinking water, since I've spent a majority of my time in my room just sitting, over the past few years.

I know I have different little posts 'n' such that talk about these things already, but I want to expand on things and get a little more in-depth on advice and things that have worked for me and helped me out!

This series is separate from everything else, though I'll probably list more things in other "regression activity lists" or scenes- You might see some of the same content in multiple posts, is what I'm trying to say- but I do that because different things work for different people, and I know regression in particular isn't all sunshine and rainbows for everyone. I want to try to appeal to a wider audience and learn more from the community, be a bigger part of the community so I can help people out, because that's something I enjoy.

My regression in particular is voluntary and solely for stress-relief, so to me, I kinda feel like I only know surface-level things about it, although I've been doing my research.

There may not be that much to it anyhow, I just-

I just wanna help people as best I can, I think. ^^; Which is why I'm so intent on interaction and explaining that I don't know everything but that I want to learn, so that I can help y'all out.

Anyway!!

★ This will probably be a repeat bullet point in this series, but if you have a device that can set alarms, maybe a timer of some sort- any kind of time-keeping device that dings in certain intervals, I'd recommend using it.

Alarms on your phone, timers, any little reminders you can make to help you with the things you struggle with, if you're like me and stuck sitting a lot or don't do much during the day (or are the complete opposite and do so much during the day) that you tend to neglect taking care of yourself.

★ Fill up or grab a water bottle whenever you start your day or are about to do something, and keep it with you! This way if you do end up thirsty, you don't have to stop what you're doing and worry about getting water, you'll already have it on you!

When it gets empty, that's what you've got your reminders for! Maybe every half hour or so to check how much water you've got and if you need to refill, or maybe make something as a reminder once the bottle's empty to refill, just so you've still got water and don't have to go back and forth to fill up a cup so often.

★ You could also put ice or fruit in your water! Different shapes or sizes, and whatever fruit (or veggie? I've heard cucumbers taste good!) you want if that sounds yummy! I like my water with lemon sometimes. -w-

I'm not recommending any sort of flavoring or those Cirkul water bottles with the flavor pods because I'm not sure how healthy or reliable they are, or how much sugar they have, stuff like that. If anyone has any info on those sorts of things they use and would recommend, please feel free to share!

Edit: Check the notes, we've got insight! Thank you to everyone for their input!! :3

★ You can customize your water bottle, sippy, bottle, bowl (for the pets!) with whatever you want! Maybe stickers, maybe a straw, you could get one with your favorite characters on it- make it fit and customizable so it works for you, have fun decorating it and make it something appealing to the eye so it might get you to take a sip!

If you have any other tips, feel free to share! ^w^

Know that I'll always be here for you if you need me, and I'm very proud of you for trying!

"Fluttershy protects this blog! SFW interaction only, please and thank you! ^w^"

"Wouldn't show a kid? Doesn't belong here!"

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choicesficwriterscreations · 1 year

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October 2023 WOTM: peonierose

Each month CFWC highlights one of our talented fanfic writers, and this month’s writer of the month is @peonierose. We hope you will enjoy learning more about them and their work below! The writer is selected at random. More info can be found on the navigation page.

Quick Links:

Tumblr Blog: peonierose Blog Masterlist

How do you want to be known on Tumblr? Peonie or PR is fine 🥰

1- When did you start playing Choices? What was the first book you played?

Way back when Choices first launched. My first book was The Freshman Series - book 1. It was so fun to play the books and get super excited for new chapters. I was waiting until midnight for new chapters. It was the first time I’ve played an app where I could make decisions and use diamonds for VIP scenes 😍

2- When and why did you join Choices fandom?

I joined the Choices fandom back in 2021. I really missed Open Heart after book 3 ended (and left me wanting more) So I wanted to see if there were any more stories I could binge, and that’s how I stumbled upon Tumblr 🥰

3- How did you pick your blog name?

It may sound weird but it just came to me. Peonies are my favorite flowers. As soon as I thought peonie I quickly added rose and I was like that sounds so cool and it’s unique which I love 😍 And that’s how peonierose was born.

4- Pull up the first post in your archive, and tell us about it!

Gosh. This feels like forever ago. When I first came on tumblr I didn’t post or reblog much 😅 (too shy to interact with anyone 🙈)

5- How long have you been writing fanfiction?

It has been 2 years in August this year since I’ve actively started writing fanfic 🥰 (I still can’t believe I actually made the leap and decided to post any of my stories).

6- What is your favorite Choices book, and what is your favorite Choices book to write about?

You’re really going to make me choose? There are so many good ones 😱

I love to write for two of my favorite books which are Nightbound and Open Heart. Those are the ones I feel most connected to 🥰 Though I’d love to venture out and make edits or social media posts for other choices books too.

7- Share the first fanfic you wrote with us. Do you still like it, or would you change it if you were writing it today?

I wrote Robin‘s Tell-All from TNA, and it was the first fic I’ve ever shared. I really wanted to write a story from Robin‘s POV and how all that happened in TNA affected him and all the mistakes he made.

I wanted to showcase his inner struggle.

I remember how nervous I was to post something that I’d written. I thought to myself, will people even like my story? And if they do like it, then what? It was a great rush to see the reblogs, and the love for my first-ever posted fic.

If I could change one thing, it would probably be the moodboard 😅

8- What is your favorite fic that you’ve written?

That is a tough question, because to me every fic I‘ve written has a special place in my heart. So every story reflects the feelings I’ve felt while writing my story.

Buuuuut if I had to choose: It would be a tie between By a Landslide (Bryce and Luna), the 3rd chapter of my Nightbound series - Unexpected and Go with the Flow (Luna & Bryce)

9- Do you have a fic that you didn’t expect to be well received, but it was? What about one you expected to be but found could use a little more love?

I actually didn’t think I’m a sucker for you, A Pinch of Pink and Blue…This one‘s for you, Cinnamon Sugar and Wildflower, to be as well received as they did.

However, I think Bittersweet Symphony and Losing Game (1 / 4) could use some more love.

Both stories are amazing and I think you’ll love both my pairings. Luna & Bryce and of course Maxine and Adam.

10- If you could write only angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

I am by no means a smut writer 😅 Maybe I’ll get there 😅 But I’d go with a mix between angst and fluff. I think a nice balance between these two would be good.

11- Do you ever recognize yourself in any of your MCs or in your writing?

Yeah. Tons of times. Take Luna for example. She has anxiety like me, and her appearance, such as her blue-green eyes and dark blonde hair, are like mine. But character wise we’re complete opposites. I wish I’d be more artistic like her 🩷

And Bryce is an Aries like me, and so many things he says or does make me go back, and I’m like, yeah, I would say something like that. Other than that, I’ve learned to give my characters real flaws and make them human, if that makes sense. But it does happen that they end up with character traits that are mine, and then I lean back and realize I’ve given my characters some of my weird and quirky character traits 🤣

12- What element of writing do you struggle with most?

Damn. Umm…I struggle with a lot of things. Finding the right words sometimes because English isn’t my first, not even my second language. I speak six languages, so it's sometimes hard to find the words to describe things.

Showing, not telling that’s another thing I struggle with.

That and if I have to keep a deadline to post something 🤣 Because it takes me forever to post anything I’m not 100% behind and happy with.

13- Do you have any neglected work you really want to finish?

How much time you’ve got? I have over 30 wips, that want some desperate attention, and I always keep adding new wips, whenever something inspires me to write 😅

I’ve found some new inspo for Somewhere Only We Know 🥰 Apart from that I’d love to take another look at my two AU‘s Amber & my Nightbound series. So we’ll see what wips I can manage to finish 😅

14- If someone you know in real life (who isn’t involved in fandoms) asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first?

Sure. I’d love to get an outside opinion of my work and my characters that are so beloved and close to my heart 🩷

I actually tell people that I write fanfic and original work. And I’ve sent some samples their way and they liked it. Which makes me feel more confident in my writing (not saying it’s perfect, there’s always room for improvement, but it’s getting better).

As for which story to start? I’d say start with Only Love for Bryce and Luna. That was my first story of them and I consider it their start.

Then continue with Always & Forever and Go with the Flow.

Those were my first posted stories about Luna & Bryce and I think you’ll like them. It would give you a good understanding of my storytelling and my characters.

15 - Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing?

There are a couple of authors I admire - Chloe Neil, Elise Kova, Nalini Singh, Rachel Caine (R.I.), Rebecca Yarros, and many more. They have influenced and shaped my writing, my fantasy world-building, and, of course building my characters. These authors know how to tell great stories, which makes me admire them so much.

As for fanfic writers who’ve inspired me? I’d love to give a special shoutout to one of my closest friends who’s been my beta reader for almost anything @annieruok She’s an amazing person and writer. Thanks so much for all the times listening to my ramblings about scenes and characters 🩷

16- Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series?

My Nightbound series hands down. That is a story that really deserves to be on the big screen or as a Netflix show. I’m not picky.

I’d love to see Grey, Gretel and Hänsel kick some ass. It’s a unique enough story to garner some attention 🥰 I’ve worked really hard to write it and it took me a year to come up with chapters, character names and so forth.

Also Somewhere Only We Know would be cool to see on the big screen. I’d probably weep from joy if any of my stories were ever developed as a movie or series 🥰🥹

17- Do you write original fiction?

Yes, I actually do. I have several original works in my Google docs. And just recently, I had an idea for another original story (I don’t feel comfortable sharing it yet) 🥰 But let’s just say it’s fun to come up with the characters and world-building and everything in between.

18 - What other hobbies do you have?

Reading books, trying out new recipes in the kitchen. This also reminds me I need to exercise more 🤣

Taking walks & going shopping.

Hanging out with friends and binge watching shows and movies on Disney+ and Netflix. Just trying to enjoy every single moment that every day has to offer 🩷

19 - What’s your favorite emoji?

It’s a toss between these three 🥰😍🩷 (What can I say I love pink 🩷 not just because of the new Barbie movie and the pinkmania 🩷)

20: BONUS - tell us anything you’d like (if you want to).

First, I wanted to say thank you to everyone. For being picked as writer of the month is a huge honor 🥰 Thank you to everyone who has ever taken the time to read my stories, reblog them, and leave some unbelievably nice words.

I’m very grateful that you guys took the time to shower me with love. Sometimes, I wonder what I did to deserve some of your nice words and love. I also wanted to give a special shoutout to some of the people who are very dear to me. 🩷

Thank you guys for supporting me. Being there for me - through great and not so great times - I‘ll never be able repay your kindness 🩷 You guys make me strive to be a better version of myself and I couldn’t be more happy to call you my friends 🩷

@annieru0k @cariantha @txem @doriopenheart @mysticalgalaxy @aallotarenunelma @inlocusmads @heavenssexiestangel @socalwriterbee @secretaryunpaid @ofmischiefandmedicine @starrystarrytrouble @the-pale-goddess @takemyopenheart @quixoticdreamer16 @princess-geek @eleanorbloom

#choices fic writers creations #cfwc writer of the month #playchoices #choices the stories you play #writer of the month #peonierose #october 2023 #choices fanfic #playchoices fanfic

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natalieleif · 9 months

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UPDATE: I finally got stuck and went on Youtube beat Undertale Yellow! All in all, I really liked it! It's infested that part of my brain where things go that are fun enough to invest time in, but also have enough scattered potential for some really good fanfic/art.

I do agree with a lot of the critiques, and I'm glad to see a lot of stuff added in Version 1.1 to make life easier (bug fixes, Easy Mode, recovery items, etc). I'm hoping there's a 1.2 version later that adds even more quality-of-life. That said, a lot of the critiques aren't... really... things that seem feasible for a patch update. ("Make the character art more monstrous!" You mean, redraw every sprite in the game!?!)

So with that in mind, here are some things I'd love to see in 1.2 that are maybe (hopefully!) easier for a freelance dev team. Spoilers below!

Adjusted mechanics/dialogue for bosses that have no reason to kill you. This is most obvious with Starlo and Martlet's Pacifist fights--both are friendly and reluctant towards murder, so their Pacifist fights ending in death or defeat feels... odd? Compare to Toriel or Papyrus: one will adjust her attacks to never hit if you take too much damage, and another will cut his battle entirely if you hit 1 hp. A similar form of 1-hp cutoff or "Oops, that was an accident!" Game Over dialogue would match their motivations a lot better.

Related to the above, offer a Skip option for any battle the player's lost 3+ times. This is a common video game handicap, and one I always support in story-heavy games like this. A lot of feedback I've seen is from people who want to love the story but struggled with Sir Slither's ACT pattern or Axis's breakout puzzle, so this is an easy way to get most people to finish the game.

Have Dalv gift you any items you missed in the Ruins as a "thank you" for Clover's support. This patch would solve two immediate concerns: that Dalv doesn't have a larger role, and that many players will miss items like the Golden Pear. Sure, Dalv sends a letter to Clover, but the incentive to go back to Snowdin at that point is low. Having some sort of item reward makes it an active part of an average game run and lets more players see Dalv post-Ruins.

Call the Sunnyside Farm a Ranch like it's called in the files. Okay, this one's just for me, but it being a Ranch makes way more thematic sense for the cowboy area.

Let Ace run the card game at least once in the Wild East. Seriously, it's kinda weird that he doesn't. I understand why he can't while he's napping, but the other times??

Edit Ceroba's post-Starlo Pacifist fight dialogue to make it more clear that she's taking you on the fastest shortcut to Asgore. The main critique with the third act to Pacifist route is that it very quickly becomes Ceroba's plot about finding Kanako. And because it's framed as a hunt for Kanako, the dialogue becomes a rush of info about who Kanako is and why this side-plot should matter to you, the player. But at this point we've already done a side-plot, and most players are antsy to get to the end game. Yet the Steamworks really is the only route to Hotland in that area! Having Ceroba guide the player through what they think is a spooky shortcut to the End Boss fits the story, braces the player for the finale, and lets the TALK dialogue with Ceroba build up naturally through the lab, so her betrayal about Kanako has more time to build up and hurts more as a final boss fight.

That's all I got! Thanks for reading, and feel free to reblog with your own wants for a 1.2 patch!

#undertale yellow #undertale #leif babbles #clover #dunebud

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certifieddilfenjoyer · 1 year

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In Plain Sight - an interactive Gus FringxGN!Reader

============================ How does it work? At the end of every chapter, you will be presented with a hyperlink, disguised as a dialogue or action option, which will then lead you to a chapter following your choice and so on and so forth :)) Please let me know what u think (please don't sh#! on me choosing the xGN! instead of xBoy, I wanna enjoy my story as well lol) ============================ INFO: ============================ Yes, there are going to be smut chapters involved at some point. You can expect tags like: (MDNI!!!)

Domination, degradation, submission, power imbalance, sexual tension, hate fuck, choking, bondage, recording the deed, manhandling, hair pulling, dragging across the floor, Gus being the only receiver, etc etc.

The course of chapters, so smutty stuff as well, depends on your choices. If you read through the fanfic once, you can always come back to this main page and try other options! :D

The action is happening during BCS, not necessarily Breaking Bad (but I so badly wanna do something with the boxcutter, well, we will see), so you can expect appearances or mentions of Lalo, Nacho, etc. (but I don't like them so it's Gus focused) and there's gonna be Mike! <3 Now, the fanfic is not fully finished, so if you don't see the hyperlink at the bottom, it simply means that I haven't added the chapters yet. Please be patient <3 <3 ============================= UNFORTUNATELY it turns out that Tumblr does not support my idea completely as every time I edit a post, the URL of the said post changes which is incredibly bad as the more I write the more chapters I'd need to edit each time. Because of that I have moved this project to my blog that I created specifically for this and future x Reader projects: https://xrdr.blogspot.com/

You adjust the headphones in your ear and feel your heart sink as you fight to recover balance on your bicycle. You take a deep breath of fresh, moist air with a heavy scent of rain and turn the handle bar to the left. You pass through a big rain puddle and speed up, allowing your bike to gain momentum as you continue down the road. In the distance, a big glowing logo casts a cone of yellow hue on the glossy street. You feel your heart speed up as you try to go through all the possible questions that employers usually ask during an interview.

As you turn your bike to the parking lot of the fast food restaurant - Los Pollos Hermanos - you anxiously check if your pant legs got dirty. You sigh with relief and drive your bike to the bicycle stand and secure it there with a key chain. You brush your hands across the fabric of your clean, light blue shirt and enter the building. It's most deserted, probably due to the bad weather and the late afternoon hour.

You nod at the employees, currently taking care of the kitchen and the dining area. They nod back and one of them appears in front of the counter, waiting to take your order. You take a quick glance at the person and suddenly you become hyper-aware of all of his facial features. You want to inspect his entire face, but you know damn well it would be weird and most likely make him uncomfortable.

'Hello, I am here for the job interview. I was told that I will be speaking to the manager named Monica.'

The man smiles at you in the most heart-warming way you've seen in your life.

'Monica is unable to attend due to personal reasons. I will be taking over your interview process.'

'I see,' you nod and offer him your hand. 'Y/N.'

'Gustavo Fring,' he introduces himself and takes your hand into his. You can feel the strength resonating off his body and the hard texture of his palms. 'Nice to meet you.'

The name rings a bell immediately. You remember that Monica introduced the Los Pollos Hermanos brand to you over the phone and his name was mentioned at least once.

'Nice to meet you too, sir. Are you the owner of the food chain?'

'Yes.'

'Oh, I'm sure you're busy then. If Monica called in to cancel, I can be rescheduled as well,' you suggest.

'That's not going to be necessary, but I do appreciate your consideration,' he gives you a smaller smile, still just as warm as the first one.

You respond with the same expression and look to the side a moment later, feeling butterflies in your stomach. You blame it on the thrill of the new job interview and look back at the man. His eyes seem like an endless void, which immediately sinks you in.

'Do you need any more time?' he asks.

'No, but I'd like to wash my hands first,' you inform him and look around the restaurant. He lowers his gaze onto your face, observing you for a moment with a lingering smirk.

'It's over there,' Gustavo says after a few seconds, extending his arm to his right side.

You nod and turn on your heel, then go to the bathroom. As you catch your reflection in the mirror, you notice a small blush on your face.

'Oh my God,' you roll your eyes and turn on the tap, then wash your hands with soap.

When you return to Gustavo, he leads you to his office at the back of the building. The room is fairly small, with a small window above his desk. There is almost no sunlight sinking inside the office and it has a weirdly hostile vibe to it, even though the owner looks like nothing else but a sweetheart.

'Please, take a seat.'

You sit down at the chair and adjust yourself in the seat, then straighten your back, while Gustavo sits on his chair in front of you, immediately taking on a perfect posture. You can feel your heartbeat speed up as he opens up the lid of his laptop and you can see a small reflection of your resume in his thin-framed glasses.

'Let's begin, Y/N.' You nod enthusiastically and he gives you an encouraging smile as his eyes come back to yours. 'I don't usually review resumes of candidates without any previous experience in gastronomy.'

A slight hint of worry flashes through your face, immediately noticed by Gustavo.

'Can you tell me why you decided to make an exception?'

He makes a pause and observes you for a while. The single ray of the sun, sinking through the window behind him, falls onto his neck, creating a shadow of his figure, which is reaching all the way across the wooden desk towards your clasped palms.

'We are in need of employees. We are planning to expand to another restaurant soon and some of my employees from the restaurant in which we are sitting are going to be transferred, as it is closer to their home address.'

'Congratulations on the expansion!' you throw in the comment.

'Thank you very much,' he responds. 'What made me accept your resume is the fact that you live near this area, but mostly it was the fact that I realized that you are a foreigner, correct?'

'Um, yes,' you are taken aback by his question and you mask your discomfort before it gets noticed. 'I came here from New Mexico.'

'I'm from Chile. I know how hard it is to get your first job here, that's why I decided to give you a shot,' he admits.

'That is so very kind of you,' you say openly.

Gustavo raises his hands and connects them in front of his chin.

'But hard or not, I am going to treat everyone equally, without giving anyone a head start.'

'Understandable.'

'Because you do not have any prior experience with customers, can you tell me, if perhaps at school or in other areas in your life, have you encountered a difficult situation, a conflict that you managed to solve?'

Even though before coming to the interview, you had multiple sessions of talking to yourself in front of a mirror, preparing possible answers for usual interview questions, you cannot help but feel a little sting of stress at the question. Your mind presents you with a flash of an image, a painful memory of a rainy night and the car lights aimed straight at your face. There is an older man standing in front of you and a much younger one to his side.

'Y-yea,' you answer and clear your throat. 'Sorry. I remember solving a conflict in my classroom, where three of the top students wanted to take the responsibilities of being the class president. I suggested a class vote to clear the confusion. The other time I also stopped a fight between two classmates.'

'How exactly did you achieve that?'

'They were arguing about some girl. I went in between them,' you respond and see his eyebrows rise slightly. 'I know, a risky move, but it was worth it. They cooled down a bit, didn't hit each other and I just listened to both of their stories. It turned out - I don't remember the context now - but it turned out that they misunderstood each other.'

Both of the stories are made up, but Gustavo Fring doesn't have to know that. He doesn't need to be made aware of the fact that your cartel family never allowed you in a public school and that you are home-schooled. He also shouldn't be made aware of your fake ID that you used for your resume.

'How would you deal with a customer who reports incorrectly prepared food? For example undercooked chicken wings?'

You look to the side, then let your eyes wander across the wall and up to the ceiling, as you make a slow, quiet humming noise, thinking about the answer.

'Do I see the food that this imaginary customer reports?'

'Let's assume that in this particular scenario, you do.'

'Ok, so I wouldn't check the recipe, because I can see the plate, so I ask them nicely what is wrong with the food.'

''It's disgusting' - that's what the customer is saying,' Gustavo responds with a shadow of a smile on his face.

''I really want to help you in this situation, but I need some more information, please. Is it not to your liking in taste or is the quality disappointing and how?' that's what I would ask, or something similar,' you clarify.

'The quality is disappointing, because the meat is partially raw.'

'I am very sorry to hear that, would you like to receive a refund of your chicken wings order or a special offer for our menu?' you respond, choosing your words carefully. You look for validation on his face, but it is unreadable.

'Would you not try the chicken wings yourself to verify their honesty, Y/N?' he asks after a moment. I would or I wouldn't

#interactive #interactive fiction #fanfic #gustavo fring #breaking bad #x reader #gn reader #gus fring #gus #mike ehrmantraut #hector salamanca #lalo salamanca

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bakedbakermom · 1 year

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Stained

Chapter 1: Sanguine.

Read on Ao3; tagging @today-in-fic @ao3feed-msr

But first, a word from the author. I first wrote this fic when I was about 14, circa late 2000. It was very much a product of its time, both of who I was/how I wrote then, and where the respective shows were in their runs. I found it recently in an archive I will NOT share, and was stunned to find that it actually did have some good bones--and, as is to be expected, plenty of cringe, but I try to look on my past self with indulgence and sympathy in that regard; we are, all of us, unfortunately fourteen at some point. There were even a few beautiful lines in there that I lifted entirely. I don't think I've ever gone 20+ years between a first and second draft, but here we are, in 2023, and I am back on my XF/BTVS brainrot for a second pass (and third, and fourth, as editing commands me). This fic takes place in late season 7 of the X-Files, post-Hollywood AD; and season 5 of Buffy, post-Intervention. Do those seasons line up at all? Nope. But let's be real, neither show was all that great at keeping consistent timelines. Besides, time is an illusion and canon is a sandbox; if we're not going to play, what's the point? As for how a crossover like this works when there are references to one work within the other work? Short answer: Don't worry about it. Long answer: I have lost my mind and you can see my spiral into madness here (contains a few minor spoilers/background info for this fic)

Fic is COMPLETE and will be updated Sundays and Wednesdays.

Scully unlocked the door to room 217 of the Sunnydale Motor Inn and slipped inside, hoping the brief spill of buttery sunlight wouldn’t disturb the occupant. The soft snick of the door plunged her into sudden darkness, but her eyes adjusted quickly; she was getting used to the dark. Inside, little light pierced the drawn curtains, and what did filter through was stained a deep crimson, as if a haze of blood hung in the air.

She eased herself down onto the edge of the rumpled bed that filled half the room and prodded the lump of blankets she assumed was her partner. The lump moaned and shifted, and from the opposite end, Mulder’s tousled head appeared. A shock pierced through her when she saw how pale he had become, how dark the circles were under his eyes; she tried not to think about how he had been sleeping upside down, like a bat. He would only tease her for the comparison. “How are you feeling?” she asked softly, hoping she sounded calmer than she felt.

He groaned, his voice barely more than a croak. “Half dead.”

She lifted one auburn brow and tried to smile. “Oh good, only half.”

Mulder sat up stiffly, his bones creaking and popping like the hinges of a haunted house. The sheets fell away from his bare chest, now a sickly white instead of his usual golden tan. He shoved a pillow behind his back to prop himself up, as if the effort of sitting was too much for his withering body. His eyes narrowed into tiny slits and he winced. “Isn’t it a little bright in here?”

“Mulder, I can barely see you.”

“Oh. Right.”

Something shameful flickered in his eyes and she reached out to take his hand; his skin was dry and frighteningly cold, the bones beneath it not quite right. She pushed the fear down with a thick swallow. “Don’t worry about it. The sun will be down in an hour or so.”

They relied so much on touch to communicate these days. A subtle brush of fingers to say I am here. The pressure of his hand on the small of her back, We’ll be alright. A tear thumbed away from a cheek, Your pain is mine too. A kiss pressed tenderly to a forehead, We’re not done yet.

Touching him was different now. Strained. Stained. Death lived in his skin; it was a void she had to force herself across with every caress, because each time she touched him, she was reminded of what lived inside him.

What it had tried, gleefully, to do.

Her memories of that night in the graveyard were murky at best, flashes of blood and terror glimpsed only through a dense fog like a stormy night at a drive-in, and it was a relief to her that she was spared the worst details. Her body was healing, and though she knew that repressing emotional trauma was an unhealthy coping mechanism, it was the only thing allowing her to function. The reckoning was coming for her, sure as the sun outside was edging toward the horizon; when the darkness came, it would swallow her whole, just as it was trying, now, to swallow her partner.

The darkness was inside him, a part of him, and she could not touch one without wanting to recoil from the other. She hated the relief that filled her as she released his hand to reach into the paper bag she had brought inside with her. “I got you something to eat.”

His eyes lit up as they landed on the small styrofoam container, the kind usually filled with soup or pasta salad to-go, with the name of a local butcher on the side: Sunnydale Fine Meats. Its logo was a cartoon pig holding up a link of sausage speared on a fork, the little speech bubble near his mouth proclaiming it both local and delicious. Scully found the image horribly macabre. “Beef or pork?” Mulder asked, taking it eagerly from her hands and giving it an appraising sniff.

“Lamb,” she said, and when he wrinkled his nose, “Sorry. It was all they had left.”

“Don’t worry about it, Scully. I imagine it’s a popular take-out spot in this town.” He squeezed her shoulder gently, and she fought not to pull away from the chill of his touch. “Thank you. For all of this.”

He stood slowly, accompanied by another symphony of popping joints. He tightened the drawstring on his sweatpants—when had he gotten so thin?—and carried the container to the microwave in the room’s tiny kitchenette. Her stomach lurched as she realized he was heating the contents. Ninety-eight point six.

Mulder glanced up and saw her staring, then looked quickly away. “Tip from Spike,” he muttered. “Says it’s easier to… get it down… this way. That I’ll get used to it faster if it’s warm.”

“Is it really that bad, compared to..?”

A shudder passed through his body, but not of revulsion. She shouldn’t have reminded him about that, but he answered anyway. “It’s like day-old coffee versus a chocolate shake. With whipped cream. And extra cherries.” His voice dripped with a hunger bordering on lust. “I can handle it, but I’d rather have… well.”

Compassion and pity warred with a visceral disgust and the sudden roiling in her gut pushed her to feet. She couldn’t watch this.

“I’ll let you eat,” she said, too fast, nearly lunging for the door. Stupid, she yelled at herself the moment she realized what she was doing. Don’t give him anything to chase. Not when he’s hungry.

His hand clenched painfully tight around her wrist before she even heard him move, and her heart started to hammer beneath her sternum. She knew he could hear it, watched his pupils dilate as the sound reached him, and his gaze fell on the pulse fluttering in her throat.

The dark centers of his eyes grew inhumanly huge, nearly eclipsing the warm golden green, and his tongue flicked out to lick his lower lip.

Scully stood very, very still.

Her blue eyes were cold and hard as she met his stare. Do not flinch.

“Mulder,” she said carefully, threading steel into her voice. “Let me go.”

He held on, breathing harder than he had any need to, nostrils flaring as he took in the coppery scent of her fear, fingers constricting so tightly she felt the fine bones of her wrist grinding together and the tingling static of the circulation failing in her fingertips. She would have a new bracelet of bruises tomorrow. A sound between a moan and a growl bubbled up from his throat.

Scully’s free hand began to inch toward the chain around her neck when suddenly the microwave beeped from across the room, breaking the tension like a splash of cold water. He stepped quickly away and turned his back to her, shoulders hunched and shaking.

“God, Scully, I am so sorry.”

If her hand trembled as she laid it on his back, they both ignored it. “I know, Mulder. It’s okay. I know.”

“No, you don’t,” he said gently, his voice choked and breaking. “And I’m glad you don’t.”

She forced herself to move closer, to cross the death-black void that had bloomed between them; the fear she felt was a small price to pay to erase the pain written so clearly across his face. She wrapped her arms around his abdomen and laid her cheek against the icy expanse of his back. He flinched as the tiny gold cross on her necklace made contact with his skin; she pulled away just enough to tuck it into her shirt, then squeezed him even tighter. “You’re so warm,” he murmured, placing one hand over hers where it rested against his stomach. “It’s so nice to feel warm again.”

Her throat constricted painfully as she fought away the tears threatening to spill from her eyes, and it was a long while before she trusted herself to speak. Her voice came out small, empty of anything but helpless fear. “What are we going to do?”

He sighed and rolled his gaze heavenward. There were water spots on the ceiling. “Shoot me?”

“Yeah, a lot of good that would do.”

Mulder huffed out a barbed little laugh and turned within the circle of her arms. His hands came up to cup her face, and the defeat in his eyes nearly broke her heart. A single tear slid down his ashen cheek, glinting red in the fading light. Red as blood.

“I’m scared, Scully,” he whispered. His thumbs brushed tenderly over her cheekbone for a moment before he folded around her, his face buried against her neck and his arms painfully tight around her. “I’m so scared.”

She held him as he wept, stroking his hair and whispering soothing words neither of them would remember later. It was not really her words he needed, merely her touch, the comfort of knowing she cared enough to brush up against the monster inside him if it meant that the man could feel the touch of her body, small and warm against him. His tears soaked into the collar of her t-shirt until it stuck to her skin.

No, not tears. Saliva. He licked the place where her neck met her collarbone and moaned. His hands came up to thread his fingers through her hair. He pressed himself tightly against her, and she felt him growing hard against her hip. Her gut clenched, and not just from fear.

“Mul—”

His name died on her lips as something sharp pierced her skin, a sudden warmth spilling down her shoulder. She struggled in his grip, a fly in a web, and he bit down harder.

Scully had an unfortunate amount of practice stuffing down her gibbering panic, translating the adrenaline that threatened to paralyze her into action instead; she summoned every drop of strength she could manage, twisting at the hip, and used the strength of her legs and torso to shove him back. Her hand immediately flew up to press against the wound on her neck as she stared at him, blood trickling between her fingers and her mouth open in shock and fear.

A monster stared back at her from the place where his face should have been, thickly ridged brows and serrated teeth dripping with crimson and eyes gleaming the fevered yellow of a jungle cat. It wore her blood like warpaint, like a sacrificial mask. A growl rumbled forth from what had been Mulder’s throat and its hands clenched and unclenched at its sides as it prepared to strike again. It dropped into a crouch, shoulders hunched, muscles rippling unnaturally beneath the surface of its skin. Its features twisted into something like joy.

Scully wondered if she could free the gun at her hip before it reached her; a bullet might not drop the thing, but she could slow it down.

Even vampires feel pain.

A sudden shudder passed through the creature and a high wail of grief tore from its throat. Slowly, the face softened, melted, Mulder’s familiar features coming back to the fore, dazed and afraid. He touched a finger to his chin and revulsion crossed his face as he realized he was streaked with her blood; the stain of it was shockingly dark against his skin. He turned away, shame-faced, but not before she saw him lick his lips clean.

“Get away from me,” he growled as she started to reach for him. She snatched her hand back as if burned, as if he would bite it. He collapsed onto the bed, his head buried in his hands. “I can’t—I don’t want to hurt you again.”

“I’m all right, Mulder,” she said, though her knees threatened to buckle beneath her. “You didn’t hit anything important. I’m fine.”

But her hands shook as she grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on the nightstand and pressed them to her neck; they soaked through more quickly than she had expected, red blooming across the flimsy paper like roses on snow. She dropped them and grabbed another bunch, ignoring the way his eyes followed the sodden ones to the floor. She forced herself to take a step forward, then another, and then to sit beside him on the bed. Her free hand found his shoulder, and though they both flinched at her touch, neither moved away.

“I could have hurt you, Scully. I could have—” He gulped, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. “I could have killed you.”

Her hand on his shoulder tightened and she forced him to turn towards her, not with the strength of her hand—pitiful compared to the strength he now possessed—but with the tenderness of her touch. She cupped his chin and waited for his eyes to meet hers; she held his gaze, blue staring unwavering into green. “You didn’t, Mulder. And you won’t.” She took a deep breath. “You’re just hungry, that’s all.”

“Yeah,” he said, nodding shakily. “Speaking of which.” He pushed himself to his feet and crossed to the microwave, fishing out the container and pulling back the lid. His face twisted and fell as a rancid, metallic smell wafted through the room.

“No good?” she asked, nose wrinkling.

“It’s gone all lumpy.”

“Coagulation,” she explained, the medical doctor inside her rising to the surface. “Clotting factors catalyze plasma proteins into sticky threads, forming gel-like clumps that slow blood loss from a wound.”

“Charming. It looks like tapioca pudding that’s been left out for a few centuries.”

Her stomach turned at that mental image. “I don’t know much about your new… dietary requirements… but I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t eat that.”

He sighed, closing the lid and dropping the whole container into the wastebasket beside the mini fridge. “It’s okay, Scully. I can wait.”

“No,” she said matter-of-factly. “You can’t. Mulder, you’re barely standing. You won’t be able to hold yourself back much longer, and you won’t be any help with research tonight.” She laughed, though there was no joy in it. “You can’t even make it through a single stakeout shift without a sack of junk food, and that was before you took on a ravenous, demonic parasite.”

Her voice grew hollow and detached as she realized what she needed to do. “If you snap and… hurt someone… you’ll never forgive yourself.” And I’ll never forgive either of us. She drew her pocket knife from the front of her jeans and turned it over and over in her palm, hoping she’d cleaned it recently, hoping it wouldn’t hurt too much. “No, Mulder, you have to eat.”

“What are you—?! No—!”

But she had already flipped open the blade and pressed it into the creamy flesh of her forearm, below the bend of her elbow. She pushed a little harder, letting a thick bead of blood well up before slashing firmly downward, opening herself to him with a small whimper of pain. Thick rivulets of red, glimmering like jewels, trickled down her pale skin, pooling in the trembling cup of her hand.

Mulder managed to hold her gaze for a brief moment, his face a silent plea for forgiveness—for what he had become, for the hunger he was powerless to fight, for what he was about to do to her. She smiled her benediction as tears fell from her eyes. “Just don’t take it all.”

As the scent of her blood reached him, the demon’s form bubbled up to the surface—and its face was full of nothing but pleasure. It lunged forward and closed its mouth over the wound, its teeth piercing deep as it suckled ravenously, its tongue probing obscenely beneath her flesh. Its hand closed around her bruised wrist almost tenderly, like an apology, pinning her in place; small sounds of satisfaction came from its throat as it gulped her down. It moved off the bed and knelt before her, its free hand spreading her thighs and gripping her firmly as it settled between them.

Deep inside her heart, in a place she rarely thought of and never shared, she felt a tremulous thrill at the need this monster had for her. She knew all the legends, the place vampires occupied in folklore as seducers and devils. She could rattle off theories about devouring blood being a puritanical metaphor for sex: the penetration of the fang as it corrupts innocent flesh, the blood spilling from the bite the way some women bleed during their first intercourse.

Hell, she’d seen that Anne Rice movie more times than she would ever dare to admit.

But no dusty book of folktales or moody Hollywood film could have prepared her for the desire that flooded in to fill the space her blood left behind as it flowed into Mulder’s mouth. Her heart pounded, her breathing grew rapid and shallow, and maybe she could blame that on the blood loss—but not the way she throbbed between her legs as he tongued her open wound.

Pity it took this for Mulder to finally put his mouth on her.

Through the ecstasy of her pain, she felt him pull away. Her head was swimming, and she drew several deep, steadying breaths, feeling out the weakness in her body before deciding she was mostly all right. Not much worse than the annual Red Cross drive at the bureau. She debated asking Mulder for a cookie; but his refusal to meet her eyes, even as the face of the demon faded away, killed the joke before it passed her lips.

“That’s enough, Scully.” He looked around for a moment, as if puzzled to find himself kneeling between her legs, and dropped his eyes as he moved away. “Um. Thank you.”

“Are you sure? I’m a little dizzy, but you can have more if you need it.”

A small amount of color had returned to his cheeks, but the circles beneath his eyes were still dark as bruises. Even as he shook his head and stepped away from her, his eyes lingered on the still-oozing cut, on the thin trickle sliding down her arm and dripping off the tips of her fingers. It landed on the dingy carpet with a patter like raindrops.

She moved quickly into the bathroom and shut the door; she didn’t want to see him licking the floor.

The face that met her in the mirror above the sink was even paler than usual, her freckles like dark constellations spread across the expanse of her skin and circles under her eyes nearly the same purple as Mulder’s. She would have to return to her room and apply more makeup, and find something to cover the mark on her neck, which she was relieved to see was smaller than she had imagined. She shuddered as she moistened a washcloth and wiped away the crust of dried blood that had formed around the punctures, remembering the heat of his mouth, the way her body had coiled with pleasure even through the haze of pain—and the way his body had responded to the hot pulse of her blood in his mouth. Maybe it was a good thing Mulder couldn’t see his reflection anymore; she found herself unable to meet her own eyes, and she had only been the vessel. How must he have felt, drinking of her very life?

In the medicine cabinet, she found a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide and used it to clean the wounds on her neck and arm. Rummaging under the sink produced only a box of moldy bandages, too small to cover the slash she had made. It was deeper than she had first thought, blood still seeping sluggishly down her arm, and she made a mental note to be more careful next time.

And she knew, eventually, there would be a next time.

They had said the pull of human blood was strongest in newly-turned vampires, and she had witnessed firsthand how he struggled to consume animal blood. If it was a choice between feeding him herself or allowing him to grow hungry enough to snap and prey on a helpless stranger, she would choose to open her veins every time. At least she had a gun and a cross and her FBI combat training to fall back on.

She grabbed a thin towel from the pile beside the shower and ripped it into strips to clean and bind her cut.

As she worked, she found herself slipping with relief into the cool, clinical detachment of science and medicine, pondering the physical reality of what her partner had become, because the mystical side was beyond her realm of expertise. If she sent a sample of his saliva to the lab, would she discover the presence of anticoagulants, painkillers, aphrodisiacs—chemicals to make the victim more compliant and allow a vampire to feed more deeply? And, she thought with a blush, explain my reaction to his bite? Could his pale skin contain some kind of photo-reactive substance that burst into flames upon contact with sunlight? She had seen vampires bleed; what moved that blood through their bodies, when they had no detectable pulse? What sort of electrical activity would she find in his brain, how did he keep from rotting if his cells were no longer alive, and what was the mechanism of the change that came over him when the demon came out to feed?

By the time she had tended her wounds to her satisfaction, Scully had a long list of questions; even without the answers, she felt more secure in her skin than she had in days. Yes, something horrible had happened to her partner. Yes, she was adrift in a sea of paranormal mystery that she didn’t fully understand. But this was not the first time she had found herself faced with a daunting new reality; she had survived all that had come before, and she would survive this too. She was a medical doctor, a trained FBI agent, and a veteran of more than seven years worth of hauntings, monster hunts, and demons—both personal and literal.

She would face this. For Mulder and for herself. She would find answers, maybe even a cure, if not in the science she held so sacred than in the dusty tomes of mysticism and myth. She took comfort in reminding herself that they were not alone in this quest, that Mulder had somehow stumbled across a band of unlikely allies in this coastal town whose sunny days only belied nights filled with terror and death—allies who had spent years battling the stuff of nightmares and usually won. Even now they waited in town for Mulder and Scully to join them.

She stepped back into Mulder’s room to find that night had fallen completely, filling the room with an inky darkness. The lights were off—he didn’t need them to see in the dark anymore—but she found him by scent and touch just the same and laid a hand on his shoulder.

“You’d better get dressed, Mulder. It’s time to go see the Slayer.”

#my writing #my fanfiction #my fanfic #stained #txf #fox mulder #dana scully #crossover #btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #the x files #xf fanfic #xf fic #no beta we die like little green men

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lauronk · 3 months

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17 🥺🫶🏻

17. talk about your writing and editing process

tbh it feels like it changes with every wip. some of my fics start with a random idea that i'll make the vaguest outline for, either as a run-on paragraph or (if i'm channeling my inner march) a bunch of bullet points. and then i sit and sort of...start typing away. depending on my mood i'll either just try to blurt all the words out before i lose what's in my head (this usually involves lots of [name] and [something] and [building] that i have to go back in and fill lol), or i'll go a little slower and try to find the right words and take 20 minutes on a single sentence. once i've written it i try to leave it alone until i move on to editing, otherwise i'm liable to get stuck somewhere and never progress.

when it's time to edit i'll start back up at the beginning of the fic and just start reading it. change words as i go, rewrite sentences or whole paragraphs (to do that i'll usually create a buffer space between the new and the old and then start rewriting. and once i'm satisfied i'll delete the old paragraph and move on). i go through and find any brackets i left, give characters names, find the words that were escaping me at the time. i usually end up adding like another 500-1000 words when i edit.

and then when i'm done, i start from the top again and reread with more of a focus on cohesiveness and plot holes and the like.

and i think that's it? probably way more info than you asked for lol

the asks

#sorry i am just an extremely wordy person all around #just always be yappin #fic writer ask game #writer asks #writing process #writing and editing #the last of us fanfiction #tlou fanfiction #lauronk answers

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crow-caller · 2 years

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Hey! I saw that you published some books (looking forward to checking them out, actually), but I was wondering how you did that? I'm not out of high school yet, but I've already finished my first draft of book one of my series, and have been working on editing and fixing up the second draft. I do have an editor, which is nice. I was wondering how you published? Any advice/ info would be greatly appreciated!

Hey, cool! My first book legit came out when I was still in high school.

I'm an indie author, so I'll talk about indie stuff... and traditional... and oh dear that's a lot.

Let's go over some pros and cons and what to expect.

Crow's (oops not) Quick Guide to Publishin'

Self Publishing:

This is what I did for Good Angel, Bad End, my duology!

Self pubbing:

+Total control of end product +No deadlines +Full control of changing it at any time -You do all the work (or pay) -It costs you money for jobs you can't (or shouldn't) do yourself like editing -Extremely limited reach of audience, very hard to sell

I queried GA/BE around a bit but ultimately decided to self publish it. It's just too niche for mainstream, being a weird genre mix up with way too queer characters. Multiple neopronouns used by funky angels in magic school slice of life that turns apocalyptic? yeah, I felt it'd be best I just put it out.

You'll need to

Edit the text (I'd recc multiple friends, a paid editor)

Proofread the text (I'd recc paying a pro)

Assemble the text files formatting (for digital, print)

Get a cover

Make pages for it on GoodReads etc and promote it

Self-publishing can be a lot of work. I did GA/BE's interiors myself using first Microsoft word, then adobe indesign for the recent revamp. Using Word/other text programs can give you a fully workable interior file, but abusing the free trial system of adobe will allow more advanced inclusions. Getting ebook files to work is a nightmare, and print can also be a pain- it's a lot of following online tutorials and trial and error I found. Calibre then is the program you use to finish digital files for release.

Costs for editing can be very high. Editing is a high skill, high time job- I got my books done on discount from a friend for next to nothing, but expect definitely a few hundred bucks. Research though fair prices. You don't need to hire someone to proofread or edit, but it is a good idea. That or outsource to many friends, ideally ones who give honest feedback. A proofreader is much cheaper as they only look for errors, I again got it cheap for 65£ per book. Art wise, I bought mine on commission- talk to an artist and make it clear it is for a commercial project and that you have the right to sell the end result. My cover for each book was about 100£

You might notice this is adding up to a few hundred quid, and yes: it cost me like, 350£ or so per book to publish, even with myself doing a lot of the work. This is a lot! Does it pay back? Usually no. I have at this point now "made a profit", but it took years. You can't typically go into self publishing looking for profit.

I really enjoy self publishing GA. It meant I could put a project out that I kinda only made for me, and have full rights to do whatever I want with it. I got to design the cover and choose what to do at every step... but it was a crazy amount of intensive work too. Marketing wise I've found is about impossible- your best bet 100% is to send the book to as many people as possible (digitally) for review and just try to get enough people reading it. Then you hope they like it and talk about it. I've found no other method of marketing particularly useful: word of mouth is still king.

Indie Publishing:

Indie pubbin:

+Don't have to spend any money (get paid) +Professional editing/cover/formatting +Backing of publishing house's marketing team -Deadlines -Less creative control -Contracted -Must query and be accepted

My first book was Angel Radio, which actually I sold when I was 17. came out when I was 18. The timescale for traditional publishing, even indie, is typically at least a year.

There's a lot of indie publishers out there, and we should read them more often. However, being published by an indie publisher (aka, a small, non-mainstream one- unlikely to ever be 'on shelves') takes extra, different work.

Do your research!!! There's a LOT of scam publishers out there. A publisher will never, ever, not even slightly ever, charge you money or pressure you to spend money (like buying your own copies of the book). A great way to check is to just look up 'publisher name + scam'.

Prepare a query letter. This is a pitch for your book, basic book info, and a bit about you. Every publishing house will have a 'submissions' page which explains specific wants (such as several pages of your book or a synopsis), so every application is slightly custom.

Query and wait. It takes many weeks to hear back with queries. Usually you should do them in small batches of like five. It's very rare to get a deal- it may not be your book, it might just be market trends or they already got a book about dragons on order.

DOUBLE CHECK YOUR CONTRACT. Contracts can be hard, so seek help if you want, though I've found my one contract to be not that long and readable. Still, you should always read a contract, especially as a scam publisher might try to trick you there.

Indie publishing is good because... it's more accessible and diverse than mainstream, but still offers the same benefits to authors. Just on a way smaller scale. I don't think my publisher, Harmony Ink Press, did much jack or shit for me marketing wise, and that's pretty typical. Marketing is very hit or miss and very expensive, so the onus is still on you to market (spoilers, these days marketing is on you no matter what). You also have more leeway in edits and covers- I designed AR's rough cover and worked with the artist directly! That's uncommon.

Most indie publishers also have a common royalty scheme where you pay it back. This isn't a hallmark of a scam, it's pretty normal: You get advance cash upfront, but then do not earn royalties until your book has paid itself off. Which it may not. Angel Radio sold for 500$, not a huge amount but not exactly tiny, especially for a teen. But I haven't earned a penny on royalties because it never sold well enough! I think I'm a little over halfway there.

Traditional Publishing

(I don't have a book of this type. yet...?)

Y'know, like, books?

+Large advance +Big support team +Marketing +Books on shelves +Most lucrative and recognizable -Sharper deadlines -Least control and rights -Must query (hardcore mode) -Still marketing yourself

Traditional publishing is the longest timescale and hardest method. Obvs. You again are looking to write a good query, but now you need to go through a literary agent. You query an agent with your book (again, should only ever be free), the agent then essentially queries publishers on your behalf ("out on submission"). An agent is your liaison to the business of publishing, taking a portion of your earnings for the service. You just can't make it into publishing without an agent.

A query letter ideally is... roughly, quickly, this is my format guide.

Hi there [actual agent name]

I'm here proposing my cool book, XYZ of ABC, a GENRE book of ??k words that IS SOMETHING UNIQUE SELLING POINT. MAIN CHARACTER is LIKE THIS but faced CONFLICT when PLOT HAPPENS, in SOME KINDA WORLD OR WHATEVER. THIS IS THE PART WHERE YOU WRITE A 2-3 SENTENCE PLOT BLURB. But when TWIST happens, will MC have SOME EYECATCHING IDEA? This book will appeal to fans of THIS KINDA THING and is extra good because RELEVENT DETAIL LIKE OWNVOICES. I believe JUST KEEP SELLING KID. I myself SOME SORT OF ACCOMPLISHMENT LIKE UNI, PAIRED WITH A RELEVANT HOBBY. thank you for your time

Hot and dirty, something like that. You gotta recall at all times this is a market. It is economic. Your passion... matters, but uh. It doesn't matter. Gosh that sounds rough. But make your passion clear but your sound business proposal clearer: You need to show why your book is worth picking over thousands of other queries.

Querying is a horrible torturous process that does help you slowly build up exposure therapy to rejection and failure. Anyways, that will take a bit typically (I've been querying on and off for ten years for an agent, but a lot has been 'off' time). Then you wait and eventually, bam! Probably post some edits, your book is sold.

You still wait a long time though, and have a lot of work to do. So much work. Your book will come out on shelves at the end, sure, but that's still not a promise of success. The author these days is especially the product, and while you start on a higher stage (maybe even the marketing team will f---ing do something), you still gotta claw. There's a high level of scrutiny too on debut authors on any tier, but especially the traditional publishing tier. So your success is very dependent on each book you do, with it being harder and harder to sell books if you aren't doing fantastic.

Still, it's hard to deny the appeal of that mainstream success. Man, I'm chasing it myself! But it's not just easy book out there you go. I'm pals with traditionally published authors and you'll still be very busy, if you can get your foot on the ladder with an agent to begin with. Being on submission generally takes months, and even when your book is with a publisher it may be a lot of time and work before it ever comes out. Even then, hitting the shelves still doesn't mean you're set for life.

Still. Good luck. Go try!

(BTW look at my books, I guess, as a sticker on what I hope is good advice, and good luck! I first decided to try publishing Angel Radio with HIP because of a post by someone else published by them on tumblr... like 10 years ago now....)

Gum ebook

Amaz print

Goodreads)

#writing #writing advice #publishing #publishing advice #sometimes theres asks

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serve-cunt · 7 months

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HIIII ZOE ITS MY IRRITATING ASS AGAIN (this is my main blog, I have tennis and f1 sideblogs but don't know how to make the ask come from there, I haven't been on tumblr in FOREVER..)

anyway my little curious gremlin ass has YET MORE QUESTIONS

ALSO I COMPLETELY FORGOT CHALLENGERS WAS COMING OUT, IM SO DAMN EXCITED FOR THAT FUCK YEAH, we LOVE zendaya she's gonna serve (pls laugh) cunt

okay so i think picking out my favourite players will be easier if I relate them back to f1 drivers, makes em seem more familiar, so if I do like a checklist of sorts of driver types, can you match them up to players you think fit the vibe?????

e.g. is there a former champion (lewis/fernando coded) who's looking for a comeback? is there a young talent who's had bad luck but is on the rise (lando) is there a calm, level headed one that everyone thinks will go far (oscar) is there a charming elegant one that social media is obsessed with (charles my babygirl). im assuming djokovic is the max verstappen adjacent, fairly young dude who's smoking everyone, yeah?

just like ugh I LOVE f1 so dearly and i think sporting parallels will help SO much

question: is it a big money sport like f1? Obviously anyone can pick up a racket and hit a ball, but is it very expensive and exclusive to make it into the big leagues? you mentioned smth in the fic about oscar adding up the whole cost of going pro, would that be a huge problem for poorer families?

are there any player pairings with vaguely homosexual vibes? again with the damn f1 parallels but adjacent to max/charles, carlos/lando, even lewis/nico if I dare mention brocedes, because I just absolutely live for speculation of silly little goofy athletes' relationships with each other

here's where I get REAL shallow but fuckin sue me, WHICH ARE THE PRETTY ONES I CAN SIMP OVER. i am bi so that doubles the market, but basically which are the ones that i can watch edits of and get all giggly and blush over, in your opinion and in the general tennis community's opinion.

whats andy murray's deal? Is he retired? Is he like the sebastian vettel of tennis?

how dramatic is it compared to f1? we all know that f1 is gossip girl on wheels... is tennis gossip girl running around a court or is it less drama-fueled?

not a question but I'm so excited to see which f1 drivers turn up to Wimbledon this year like, CROSSOVER EPISODE YEAAAA

is djokovic the max-esque guy where it's like "okay I don't mind you, you're cool, but god DAMNIT, stop being so good, let my other favourite little meow meows have a CHANCE for once"

how worldwide is it? are players mostly European/Aussie like f1 or is it more widespread?

is the meme game good? i LIVE for online hilarity in sports, are there any iconic tennis moments/memes a la "it's near a fish" "smoooth operator" "bwoah" etc etc whatever

really gotta stop talking about f1 in terms of tennis but it's the only other sport I'm really into IM SORRY FORGIVE ME

which are the "sad wet cat" (dearly beloved) players? you mentioned one guy but there's gotta be more than one right??? I always get attached to athletes with those vibes

IM SO SORRY ABOUT THE CONSTANT QUESTIONING BUT YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON I TRUST TO GIVE ME CORRECT INFO RN BECAUSE YOU REALLY SEEM LIKE YOU KNOW YOUR SHIT

finally a HUGE FUCKING THANK YOU???? For putting up with my idiot ass mostly, and your fic is singlehandedly making me wander into the tennis world despite knowing literally nothing and you're helping my understanding SO much, youre about to drag me down this sport's rabbit hole just by existing. tennisblr seems like such a fun adorable place im SO excited to start watching stuff, you're a legend and ilysm <3333

you are literally NEvEr irritating you are the best thing to happen to my inbox every time, sorry i was so slow on this one!! I had a very hard time relating f1 drivers to tennis players lmaoooo so in the end i just skipped that part!! I'm so sorry!!! it's just so hard because the narrative of f1 drivers is so specific and intrinsically tied to TEAM and to their teammates, and to the tragedy of a good car and/or the wonder of a great car ... the betrayal of contract negotiation & silly season etc.... tennis just doesn't really have that!! all the narratives are more player v. self and player v. world, instead of driver v. driver and driver v. fate. if that makes sense??

so yeah. sorry 😭😭 it's also possible that I just don't have enough imagination and somebody can jump in to help with that .... anyway, moving right along to

"is tennis a big money sport"

GOD yes. tennis is soooooo expensive, it takes approx 1 billion dollars to pay for lessons, court time, coaching, travel, accommodation, gear, etc etc. :// You get paid if you win. let me say that again: you get paid if you WIN. there aren't salaries! early in your career, you are HEMORRHAGING money, esp if you have a coach. the travel is fricken expensive all by itself!! and if you're paying a coach as well you're either in debt or you're playing with house money if you catch my drift. (tennis players often come from wealth, much like f1 drivers — they can also be sponsored, sometimes by their country, but usually only if & while they're successful!!)

if you do well, you start to win, maybe you make money, more likely you're breaking even for a while (or even still losing). if you do REALLY well, then you're looking at more prize money and maybe sponsors, so then you can start making some real money out of this. but yeah it's CRAaaaaaazy how much money tennis players pay to play tennis lol!! it is 10000% a problem for getting underprivileged kids into tennis, there's a reason tennis is so white!

"are there any player pairings w vaguely homosexual vibes"

LOLLLL look i never turn down a chance to push the sincaraz agenda but also, carlos alcaraz does that for me!!!!

they're so cute damn

also getting into sinner/berrettini …

but honestly, besides that?? f1 is way better for pairings because we watch them interact with each other off track WAYY more. you barely see tennis players interact with each other! i have been emailing the respective tennis associations about this (jk but I should). MORE GOOFY VIDEOS WITH PLAYERS DOING STUPID GAMES (with each other, crucially)

"which are the hot ones"

ooohh this is suuuper subjective but i am soOOOoo into coco gauff, she's gorg, also iga sviatek in red, also daria kasatkina, also maria sakkari really does it for me, also katie boulter is so cute.

hot damn

on the atp side oBVI jannik, carlitos is so cute but he looks so young i feel like he's less hot and more adorable, caspar ruud looks like ryan gosling as you have pointed out, ben shelton is gorgeous (and cocky in a way that unfortunately does compel me, oops), arthur fils!! beautiful. tennis players are all hot, in my mind??? they're so …. well rounded …. 😏😏😏

"which are the "sad wet cat" players"

andrey rublev my beloved sad cat

muchova (not really a sad wet cat but tragically always broken in some way)

daniil medvedev but if the cat was cunty

"whats andy murray's deal?"

oh my GOD murray!! my love my husband my father my holy ghost!! a tragedy a triumph …. a player in the era of the Big Three (Djokovic, Federer, Nadal) and therefore destined to be remembered as "oh, and andy murray" … or "one of the big four" (the big four is not a thing unless you're talking about andy murray lmao) ... a great player, one of the greatest, a slugger, a workhorse, had one of the cleanest backhands of all time, and the classiest guy in tennis … see: andy murray shutting down sexist reporters on multiple occasions ....

youtube

He's not retired !! he's still going, here he is recently losing:

He's actually (possibly) playing at this upcoming Challenger Tour event! as are a number of interesting players. the reason that this is interesting is that Challenger level tournaments are a level below the ATP Tour, so you don't often have this many recognizable (to me, anyway) names playing at this level!

[side note: the movie Challengers — the name is a play on the Challengers tour. they're playing a Challengers match in the movie, but also "challenging" each other for zendaya … you get it]

Anyway this tournament should be interesting … andy murray is getting older but he's not ready to quit!! he's gone on the record saying there are things he's still trying to accomplish before he retires, and he's playing well in practices it's just not translating to matches yet. he's also said if his body tells him to retire he will, but uhh. he's got a literal metal hip so clearly he's not QUITE ready to listen to his body.....

"is he the seb of tennis" HMMMM this is an interesting question, I wouldn't really class him this way — seb is like a silly little sexy fruity goblin (if I'm reading his vibe correctly — I'm late to f1) and andy is a stoic public school kid with a goofy streak … if that makes sense …

"how dramatic is tennis compared to f1?"

ALSO INTERESTING I think that's sort of relative to how much you care about individual players, I think game-play is pretty dramatic at times but nobody's ever in danger of bursting into flame??? so in that sense not as dramatic as vroom vroom sport lmaoo but there is a bit of temper tantrum throwing, and then important wins (see: Alcaraz Wimbledon 2023) are SO dramatic in the best way…

gossip-wise I don't think it's as dramatic as f1!! there's deffo tennis gossip but I think, again, because there aren't teams, the drama is less wrapped up in "betrayal" narratives yknow??? like ferrari ditching sainz for lewis was dramatic in so many different ways, not LEAST because of the betrayal of carlos. I feel like tennis is less set up for that, bc it's every player for themselves

"is djokovic the max-esque guy where it's like "okay I don't mind you, you're cool, but god DAMNIT, stop being so good, let my other favourite little meow meows have a CHANCE for once"

YES EXACTLY i cut in your whole q because that's exactly right!! so so so apt imo .. howEVERRR it was less correct when federer and nadal were still around and at their best, because those three really did make up the Big Three, capital B capital T, and they had such a good dynamic going between the trio — it was less one-note when djokovic had a constant fight on his hands... now djokovic is older and slowing down so we're getting into a sunset period, which is interesting because he's still doing GREATTT (and I wish he would stop, give my meow meows a chance etc) but everyone sees the light at the end of the tunnel re: a djokovic retirement. whereas I think people are looking at the max ascendancy and saying "GULP" bc we all want our favorite boys to win at least one WDC (cough lando cough cough osc)

"how worldwide is it?"

fairrrrly? but yes europeans heavvvvily represented, americans as well to some extent, asia and australia to some extent — not so stark as f1, but def same bougie euro vibes lmao

"is the meme game good?"

again fairrrrrly but def not to the same extent!! less of a "here are the memes everyone knows" and more in the spirit of, like, if you're following a few players & the major tournaments, tennis tumblr/twitter is fun to be on … trying to think of a "classic" tennis meme and I can't which isn't a good sign lmaooo .. jannik puking in a bin and then going on the biggest win streak of his career is a pretty good meme in my mind though ...

CROSSOVER EP YAAHHHHHHHH I CANNOT WAIT WE BETTER GET SO MANY GOOD WIMBLEDON PHOTOS AJHFDLAKSJFHDKLASJFH

sorry again to be so slow !! this was fun to go through as soon as I stopped tearing my hair out trying to make player: driver comparisons but again, maybe I'm just not creative enough ..

xx ily :))))))

#TENNIS AGAIN #ask #ivy tag #tennis 101

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proshippresentmic · 1 year

Text

Pinned info time

Call me Mic I guess, about 30 years old, he/they or similar.

I have a deep resentment for the terms profic and proship, but it scares kidders and sensitive catholic guilters away, so it's in my url.

I don't care what someone writes in fiction so long as they're a decent person to the real world. If you disagree then politely go back to your cesspit, I have no time for radfems and protofascist babies.

This account is for seeking/responding to RP ads, because I realized a lot of the seeking blogs here required an account for "liking to reach out", rather than just dropping a discord.

I use my discord account tag presentationmicheal for RP purposes, for the time being I'm ok with random friend requests, but I'm also a grouchy old man and if your vibes are rancid you're gone.

Goes without saying but 18+ partners only. Honestly preferably 21+

Under the cut is my general RP info!

Extremely very horrendously gay so I won't be interested in MxF, also extremely very horrendously trans so expect most if not all of my muses to come with pussy DLC.

Currently I'm only super into writing My Hero Academia (manga reader!).

Muses

---

Dabi / Touya Todoroki - primary muse, snarkastic piece of shit, I do not pull punches with him nor will I write him being a doting husband, or other out of character extremes.

Even in AUs where, somehow, Enji was an alright father, my Touya ends up a serial killer.

That said I can reel him in a little, but he will come with "canon typical asshole" warning either way.

No hard pref on whether he's got a cock or cunt.

---

Katsuki Bakugou - not 100% confident with him, but getting there. Always written at least 20 years old, UA was a college to me, what of it.

Again, canon typical asshole.

Primarily play him trans, but I can be convinced to play him otherwise.

---

Present Mic - Pretty sure I could write this cringelord in my sleep at this point. Nothing special about him, he's chillin'.

Slight preference for him having cock n balls, but I'll write him otherwise more than happily.

---

Currently on track learning Hawks, Aizawa, Enji and Natsuo. Unsure when I'll be confident enough.

---

Kinks, Limits n Shippy shite

Shit that I love: Omegaverse, hybrid AUs, height differences, enemies to lovers, biting/scratching, piss, petplay, dom/sub, ponyplay, bondage, muzzles. interrogations/captured be heroes or villains, male pregnancy (pussy preferable, but can deal with otherwise), public sex, heat/rut, aphrodisiacs, intercrural, mirrors... honestly most kinks not listed in limits/meh do something for me.

Dead dove edition: Incest, noncon, abduction, torture, guro/snuff, fuck-or-die, fuck-AND-die, human pet, meditorture, more I've probably forgotten.

Hard limits: Characters under 18, feet, scat/gas in general, mental institutions, ABDL/Ageplay, raceplay. I may have forgotten something, so this will probably update later.

Honorable mention: 'daddy' kink makes my skin crawl, but if your pitch is interesting I can tolerate it.

Meh: Vore, hyper, inflation. I hate calling them "Deviantart Kinks" but that does end up a good descriptor. I am into a couple of these but not for canons, can't explain it just don't like it.

Ships I'm primarily interested in:

Dabihawks, Dabiskep, Todocest of many flavors, Dabizawa, Dabibaku, Bakudeku, Kiribaku, Todobaku, Endhawks, Erasermic, Mightmic, Erasermight, Dabishigs.

Open to others (and I love a good crackship).

(I'm willing to break out my not-quite-confident guys for some of these, just forgive any fumbles.)

Misc shit

I'm of the opinion the characters would have fouler language were this manga higher rated, so expect my guys to drop a couple harsh words here and there. If you're offended by the word 'fuck', we won't get along.

I've got no hard pref for positions, I'll write them all.

Response times vary from "100 responses a minute" and "once every couple days" depending on how much work I have on. If I'm slacking and not responding every three days though, time to whallop me with the cartoon mallet.

I'm a grown ass man with an honesty clause. I will be upfront if I've fallen out of love with a thread, and if I feel up for coming back to it later. I expect the same of you, please.

My active hours are somewhat random and work dependent, and can sometimes be entirely flipped in a couple days.

RP through Discord only. We can make a server!

Third person paralit, 2 paragraphs minimum, no need to match my length if I go off the rails!

I really, really, really love headcanoning/"what-if"s/spitballing. This doesn't always have to become a thread, I really dig discussing what could have happened with current threads if XYZ was different, this isn't a wistful sigh wishing things were different. I'm going to be talkative OOC, you will get memes if they're relavant to what we're doing - or if I figure you'd just like em, I am not going to treat you like an RP token machine.

I don't expect that much legwork in return, but please at least be willing to do dumb spitballing OOC a little.

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precuredaily · 2 years

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Precure Day 226

Episode: Yes! Precure 5 Go Go! 28 - “Coco’s Bride Appears!?” Date watched: 17 October 2022 Original air date: 24 August 2008 Screenshots Precure Metamorphose Gallery | Sky Rose Translate Gallery Project info and master list of posts

Preach it, Nuts

I feel like every series introduces a mascot character that is utterly unlikeable. FWPC had Porun. Max Heart had Lulun. Splash Star….eh Moop and Foop weren’t bad. Yes 5 had Milk. I didn’t think Go Go had one. Clearly I had wiped this episode’s monstrosity from my memory, because she takes the cake. Let’s *sigh* dive in.

EDIT: Quick note. As of this episode the imgur galleries are a bit different. I decided to try letting a program automatically capture screenshots for me, and then I went behind it and added and removed a few. As such there are going to be fewer showcases of individual scenes and more of an overview of the episode at large. This decision was made to decrease the wait time between new reviews.

The Plot

It's extremely hot out, and the girls they'd like to go somewhere cool like Karen’s island resort again. Karen mentions she has a mountain villa they can stay at.

Komachi captures a Palmin which turns out to be the third monarch, Princess Crepe. The princess starts acting lovey dovey towards Coco and calls him her fiance. Coco quickly denies this but all the girls glare at him.

if looks could kill

At Eternal, Bunbee sees Isohgin and Yadokahn leaving to go fishing. They promise to bring back the Rose Pact.

Princess Crepe is upset that Coco doesn't remember their engagement. When she explains the context, it turns out the “proposal” was Coco sharing some food with her. This is considered a proper marriage proposal in her kingdom. Not willing to admit the misunderstanding, she threatens not to recognize him as a king if he doesn't marry her.

Princess Crepe and Milk argue over Coco and Nuts's responsibilities to the Palmier Kingdom, and continue until they realize everyone else has left.

There’s been a B plot developing about Nuts handing out water to passers by, which now takes the forefront. Everyone else is giving drinks to the swarm of customers outside while Princess Crepe cries in joy to see Coco and Nuts smiling again after the destruction of their kingdom.

I&Y show up and turn a crawfish into a Hoshiina. The girls all transform and Princess Crepe is surprised that they're Precure & Milky Rose.

Princess Crepe retreats into the Rose Pact during the fight and Syrup accidentally drops it, so I&Y try to snatch it, but Rose gets in the way. The crawfish is overcome without great difficulty and the Cures finish it with Rainbow Rose Explosion.

Milky Rose starts to use Milky Rose Blizzard on the villains, but I&Y remember how much it hurt last time and flee before getting hit.

nope. don’t like that.

Princess Crepe admires the girls and thanks them for protecting Coco and Nuts. She says she now understands why they choose to be here, with people that protect their smiles.

Crepe says that the Palmier-Crepe Alliance will be strong after this, while snickering. Everyone stares in concern and the episode ends.

nothing nice is ever said with that face

The Analysis

What I Liked

There are some fun reaction faces in this episode, especially from Milk. And the glare Nozomi gives Coco when she thinks she’s the other woman is superb.

The B-plot with Nuts handing out water was decent. Just a casual display of wordless compassion.

The fight sequence was pretty good as well. It featured fast action and some strong teamwork. There were some attacks that were clever and creative and visually powerful from both the Cures and the Hoshiina.

The flashback scenes show that Coco has always been willing to stick his neck out for other people, showing kindness to a younger Princess Crepe.

Face faults are an anime trope that I love. Someone says something surprising and everyone falls over. This episode makes good use of them every time Princess Crepe talks about how Coco supposedly proposed to her.

Princess Crepe withholding political support until Coco agrees to marry her is the most realistic display of international diplomacy I’ve seen in this show.

What I Didn’t Like

Princess Crepe. She’s worse than Milk, worse than Lulun, worse than Porun. I hope her time in this show is brief and she very quickly overcomes her obsession with Coco.

I can’t believe I’m siding with Milk

Princess Crepe. Her obsession with Coco and their supposed engagement is so flimsy. I understand it’s meant to be upsetting to the audience, and it succeeds at that. I did face the question of whether disliking something the show wants me to dislike means it’s a good thing, and it is, but it still goes in the dislike column. If they managed to spin this into a lesson on consent and accepting rejection, I would place it in the “like” category.

There is astonishingly little Eternal in this episode. I’d have liked to see more of them. Even during the fight, Isohgin and Yadokahn barely do anything. They just show up.

The Hoshiina molts at one point in the episode but nothing is done with this.

it’s just a shell of its former self

As a summer filler episode, the art is on the low end of the quality spectrum.

Miscellaneous

Milk appears in her fairy form for the second episode in a row.

Princess Crepe is named after a crêpe, a popular French pastry that is basically a very thin, flat pancake. They’re served in a variety of ways, from individually with simple toppings, to stacks, to rolled up around fillings.

Princess Crepe refers to Coco as “Cocorin”. Her speech tic is ending her sentences in “kuku”, the first syllable of her name in Japanese (Kurepu).

Princess Crepe is voiced by Nishihara Kumiko, who went on to play Crescendo Tone in Suite Precure and Sharuru in Dokidoki Precure.

Isohgin and Yadokahn speak a little differently in this episode. They form full sentences but Yadokahn finishes them rather than restating Isohgin’s remarks.

Conclusion

Summer filler is strange sometimes. It’s generally understood that it will be lighter in tone and less impactful, and this certainly meets that description, but it’s possible to do lighthearted episodes well. Coming off the heels of the summer festival episode, which I overall liked, this one has more bad than good. Princess Crepe is off to a bad start as a character, but there’s time for her to redeem herself. Perhaps this will be a case where the monarch has more to learn from the team.

Next time, on Precure Daily, a new villain makes his appearance! Look forward to it!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 0 Kettei

#Precure #Pretty Cure #Yes! Precure 5 Go Go!#YPC5GG28 #PCD226

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piazzaconsultinggroup · 13 days

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OCR & AI: Powering Smart Document Processing.

Hey there, document wranglers and data tamers! Tired of drowning in paperwork and digital files? Well, buckle up, because we're diving into how Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are teaming up to revolutionize document management.

Imagine having a super-smart, tireless assistant who can read, organize, and make sense of your documents faster than you can say "Where did I put that file?" That's exactly what the powerful combo of OCR and AI brings to the table. This dynamic duo is giving traditional document management a major upgrade, automating tasks, boosting accuracy, and slashing costs.

Tech Progress in OCR.

The move from extracting data by hand to automating it kicked off with optical character recognition tech. originally, this was just for turning printed words into digital ones, but wow, it’s come a long way! Now it can handle all sorts of document formats like business cards, invoices, receipts, & even complex documents that take up multiple pages.

This change has made OCR super important for going digital. It lets businesses turn their paper files into editable & search-friendly digital formats quickly. Picture a company that used to stack files in cabinets; now they can convert all that into digital form! This makes finding & managing documents way easier. Plus, it saves time and clears up space.

The Key Role of AI in Document Management.

While OCR lays the groundwork for text conversion, AI kicks it up a notch in document management. It goes beyond just recognizing text by diving into the context & grabbing useful info from messy or partly organized documents.

With tech like machine learning & natural language processing, systems can learn from what they see, spot patterns, and even make smart decisions. This cuts down on how much humans need to be involved in processing documents. For instance, an AI can look at past invoices to guess future billing trends, helping finance teams keep cash flow in check.

Boosting Skills with OCR and AI Together.

Mixing OCR with AI creates a strong base for smart document processing—here are some highlights:

Better Accuracy: AI's advanced ability to spot patterns tackles issues with various document formats & layouts that OCR faces. This means way fewer mistakes when pulling out text! Businesses end up trusting their data more—better choices happen here.

Automated Data Pull: These smart processing systems use AI models to automatically pull out data from documents. This smoothens workflows and cuts back on manual entry errors big time! Employees then get to focus on important tasks instead of boring data entries.

Instant Document Classification: Thanks to AI, these systems can quickly sort and send documents where they need to go. Think big organizations where invoices go directly to finance or contracts head straight to legal—this makes sure everything lands in the right inbox without making anyone wait.

Strong Security Measures: By adding AI into the mix, smart document software can crank up security measures like encrypted storage and multi-factor authentication—keeping sensitive info safe from prying eyes & cyber risks is crucial today when data breaches are so common.

Detailed Audit Trails: These systems keep track of every action related to documents too! This is super important for staying clear & accountable while following regulations. Organizations have an easy way to see who looked at what info and when—great for compliance audits!

Various Industry Uses.

The combo of OCR and AI is beneficial across tons of sectors:

Finance: Automating loan processes or spotting fraud helps banks run smoother & stay secure while handling compliance docs like KYC checks.

Healthcare: Piling up those patient records or processing insurance claims becomes simpler—leading to better patient care and smoother operations.

Retail: Judging by how purchase orders, invoices, & inventory records get managed easily makes audits a breeze while boosting overall efficiency.

Legal: Speeding up case file management or checking contracts helps law firms save time while cutting down on errors in vital actions.

Immigration: Making application processes faster helps improve accuracy—all super important for timely decisions!

Conclusion:

The mix of OCR and AI doesn't just tidy up document handling; it brings real precision & efficiency that can change how businesses operate. As industries continue their digital journeys, using smart document processing will be key. By leaning into these technologies, organizations can become more agile, comply better with regulations, and keep customers happy too! These tech tools are not just about upgrades—they’re about gaining an edge in today’s business landscape!

#optical character recognition #ocr technology #ocr text recognition

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oliviapasianworkshop · 8 months

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February 1-7

This week, I made a lot of progress on my rubber band website. I got the multiple colour buttons going as well as the permanency of saving locations and colours of added bands. I also added the about page pop-up and I edited the appearance to remove the need for curved edges. I might still go back and try again to round the edges, but I spent hours on the issue this weekend and couldn't get it to work right so I gave up for now and just made it functional as-is. Next steps are hosting the website, ideally another way other than Glitch because it has the sleep feature so it has to boot up every time you open it, which is inconvenient. I also might add a deleting band feature to remove bands and I want to add rubber band physics, but again, had some issues with that this weekend. I did get a lot done but I still am missing some things I really wanted to add, so I am hoping at add at least one more feature before midterm presentations.

I also worked on my community garden website. I updated the visual test from last week using the suggestions to remove the pastoral background and make the pixels smaller. I think it looks a lot better! I also added in shadows, which I haven't decided if they'll actually be in the website and how they'll work, but I'll figure that part out as I get into the code.

I also wrote out the logic for the website and how everything will work. I spent some time writing pages of notes to think through each part of it to make it work, and ended up with these final points covering the growth and design logic:

The website opens on a welcome popup over the main screen which has a few panels to click through with pictures explaining how the garden works and what you can do. There’s a skip or exit button if you have already visited, maybe a question “are you new”

On the main screen, there is an info button which opens the pop-up again. There is also the make a plant button which you can click to open the plant design page

Plant design page is a set number of pixels you can draw on, a square size, with a limited colour palette. The background of the pixel art drawing tool is the colour of the grass background, so folks know the contrast to plan for. There is also a selection tool for what type of plant it is: herb, tree, shrub, climber, or crawler. Each has a different seedling appearance and growth times as well as growth patterns.

After the user makes their plant and selects their plant type, they can place it on the screen (“placing mode”). After the plant is placed, we return to the main screen appearance and their plant appears as a seedling (maybe a pop-up saying what next/saying thanks)

From the main screen, they can now look after their plant or any others. Their plant needs water to grow. Growth works by saying if the plant is watered and a set time has passed, it will grow to the next stage. There are four growth stages: seedling, sprout, bloom, and fully-grown. The first two are set based on plant type and they don’t design these, the next two stages are the plant they designed being scaled.

Trees will be larger and taller vertically and take longer, climbers grow vertically, creepers grow more horizontal, herbs stay small and grow fairly fast, and shrubs a bit slower and grow equally tall and wide.

Each plant type has a different growth time: trees are 6 days per stage, 4 days for shrubs, then 3 days for everything else. If plants don’t get watered in 3 days, they turn to “dead” state (brown overlay over the stage it is at), where they can’t grow until watered, where it resets and the plant is back to the state it was and once again needs the growth time plus water to reach the next stage.

There are also randomly generated weeds and/or pests, which there is a button to remove, but these are aesthetic and do not affect plant growth. There’s also the watering button to add the water. Each has a simple pixel particle animation!

Time of day, temperature, and rain all exist here. If it’s hot then a slight red overlay, if cold maybe frost/blue overlay, then day has no overlay and night is a dark overlay. Precipitation appears as rain, no snow animation, just a simple 2-3 frame rain overlay animation if there is precipitation of any kind and a blue dark overlay.

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manonamora-if-reviews · 10 months

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The Paper Magician by Soojung Choi

============= Links

Play the game See other reviews of the game

============= Synopsis

"The cat leapt for the star." Every time I conjured a cat and a star from the words I penned on paper, I found myself more and more like the cat. Longing for something bright and hopeful, but forever out of my reach. Until one night when I dreamed for the first time... I met someone who promised to help me escape. This is the story of a test subject, their encounter with a spirit, and their escape from a mysterious lab.

============= Other Info

The Paper Magician is a Twine (SugarCube) game, submitted to the 2023 edition of the IFComp. The game placed 65.

Status: Completed Genre: Speculative Fiction, Fantasy

CW: /

============= Playthrough

Played: 12-Dec-2023 Playtime: about 30min? Rating: 2/5 Thoughts: Riddle me... some exact answers.

============= Review

The Paper Magician is an interactive game centred around a singular puzzle. In it, you play an unnamed PC, a test subject, whose knowledge goes little further than the four grey walls around them and the books provided by the other scientists. That is until you meet a magical cat who helps you escape.

Spoilers ahead. It is recommended to play the game first. The review is based on my understanding/reading of the story.

I'm a sucker for speculative fiction, especially when it has some fantastical elements attached to it! And boy, did this game scratched that itch!

Told from the POV of the PC, the game starts with a fairly lengthy introduction, going through the thoughts and experiences of the PC stuck in the test room since they woke up. With no memories prior to their awakening (suspicious!), the PC describes their life in that room, what is around them, what they do, what they feel, what they hope... It takes a while - until the introduction of the cat - for the story to move on, allowing both the PC and the player more agency and to tackle the main obstacle (escape!). Until then, the story is pretty linear, almost kinetic, with the few and far between choices adding little variation to the screen.

In the second beat, you are able to roam around the 8 available testing rooms, go through documents left behind, and attempt to enter codes to unlock a door and escape. Fail to enter the correct code, and the scientists are averted of your little escapade outside of your room, grabbing you and sending your right back in there.

In and of itself, the puzzle (entering the correct codes) is fairly straight forward. Each password is accompanied with a question related to a bit of information found in the documents. The downside of those textboxes is that they don't just require the correct string of word(s), it also needs to be formatted the correct way (capitalised). While the first is slightly annoying, as the phrasing of the documents gives some questions a bunch of options for answers, the latter is pretty frustrating - not all words are capitalised... This adds A Lot of friction to the game, since getting the answer wrong sends you back to your cell.

Another bit that made it more difficult than it should was navigating the little complex. Even with only 8 rooms, the way their locations were defined was a bit confusing - especially when the description mentions opposite walls, but the directions are next to each other ( East - South). Drawing a map will help, especially to remember where each code need to be inserted (in case you fail).

Finally, if you manage to enter the correct codes in the correct places, you will trigger the final third of the game: your escape. The ending sequence is a bit bittersweet, returning to the more kinetic approach, similar to the introductory part. The events are played out before your eyes, without much interaction required from the player, de-escalating greatly the tension built during the puzzle. But it is also very lovely, and sweet, giving a proper send-off to the story with its resolution.

And yet, I did leave the game wishing for a bit more. Maybe more interactivity in the first part, or another puzzle or two trying to escape the compound (maybe it's much larger than those 8 rooms), or have more agency in the final confrontation with the scientist (maybe giving them their just desserts.

Still, it was a neat little game. I enjoyed the premise of it quite a bit.

#The Paper Magician #Soojung Choi #interactive fiction #complete #2023 #twine game #review #ifcomp

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bts5sosempire · 2 years

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as yours (viii); winter break

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: sukuna ryomen x reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 4,024

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭: fluff, comedy, a hint of violence, college au, mention of gang fighting/ involvement, a sprinkle of angst (future updates), cursing and swearing, slow-burn relationship, SIMPKUNA

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: "as a child, you have harbor a massive crush on Itadori Yuji; it wasn't until that college happened you dared to ask him. Trying to give him a letter, the one who you ended up giving to was no other than his no-good twin brother, Sukuna Ryomen."

𝐚/𝐧: finally I am back, I wanted to make sure that this get posted this time. Plus tumblr buffer my work, so I had not choice in the end and force to delete it, it was originally around 3k words, but after adding and editing more it got around to barely 4k, which was a feat and should be enough to make it up for lost time.

chapter 7 ✿ chapter 9

You lay in bed, looking at every plushie won for you. It was hard to get them inside Sukuna's car since he was stuffing them like it was a Thanksgiving feast. But then a thought rush through your mind. "How do they even know my name?!" You sit up in bed, ponder how that Majima guy even got a hold of it. No one knew, besides your friends and family, even a few people you don't like. The feeling of unease weighs in. You surf back into your memory and gauge how Sukuna is one-hundred on the line of knowing Majima; the way he loses his temperament for a second and blinks it away speaks for itself.

Remembering that Sukuna gave you his number, you got off the bed to your dirty laundry basket and pulled out your pants. Digging into its back pocket, the yellow note crumpled up and folded in an orthodox origami. Unfolding it on your way back to bed, you grab your phone and shoot him a message.

Sunday, December 1st, 2022

[You: Hey idiot, this is me. I need to ask you something really quick. -Sent: 2:24 pm]

[Sukuna: I didn't think you would text me this fast, ask away anyway. -Sent: 2:25 pm]

Sukuna didn't miss a beat when it came to you.

[You: Are you friends in that past with Majima or something? -Sent: 2:25 pm]

There was 'typing...' On the screen before it disappeared and reappeared a few times, confirming your suspicion. Sukuna does know Majima, but to what level?

[Sukuna: Not really, but why? -Sent: 2:28 pm]

[You: Then how did he even know my name if I never tell him? -Sent: 2:29 pm]

Seen.

Was that Sukuna left you off with? Besides, Majima and their two other people look shady as hell, too; you remember their appearances well, all those tattoos and dark monochrome scheme colors. You rechecked the phone to see if he would text back, but there weren't any notifications. He did leave you on read. Tossing your phone on your bed, your mother calls you from downstairs.

Sukuna felt his blood go hot and cold in mere seconds reading that last line from you.

[Cute Spitfire: Then how did he even know my name if I never tell him? -Sent: 2:29 pm]

Like he wants to toss his phone across the room, he knows that Majima wants dirt on him. But him gaining access and info about you is deemed ambiguous. One thing about Sukuna is that he dislikes disclosing his personal life to other people. The only person who knows is Uraume. Sukuna doubted that it was Uraume from the start. He wondered which mole he should wack for spilling out sensitive information about you. He doesn't tolerate carelessness and betrayal on the spot.

Combing a hand through his hair, he took a deep breath before losing his shit. Sukuna then bark out, "All ride out; tonight, we hunt for fucking rats!" There was a chorus of cheers in the taken warehouse that Sukuna had used for a temporary base. He doesn't like to linger in one place for too long; it would arouse suspicion and the wrong kind of attention. So being constantly on the move is a thing for him when he wants an adrenaline rush.

Hopping in a car, multiple engines mixture of motorcycles and heavily tuned cars revved loudly; that's it's enough to hear from miles away. Hanging an arm loosely on the outside of the car, he gave it a few hard pats to get everyone in line as he ordered the designated driver to lead.

Vehicles pile out in order like it was still some war era.

"Head straight to the backwater of Tokyo." Sukuna's deep strawberry eyes glower in the light, "I'm taking him out." Loose ends are something he doesn't let go of often, but this is personal to him. Considering all the time, Sukuna had allowed Majima to run free despite keeping track of every crime and ordeal he had struck behind his back, thinking that he didn't know. Sukuna is one of the central four Kingpin in Japan; not even the police force and government want to go against him since he is funding them with everything they need.

So if killing someone like Majima, no one would bat an eye since anybody slew across the alleyway is another body in the gutter. Easily replaceable in this world full of billions of people.

Checking your phone as if you're married to it for three days, Sukuna hasn't been answering you nor texting back ever since that day. You cuss his name out under your breath for wasting your time. Deciding to pull the internet up, you saw a news feed of 5 warehouses near the shipping port being burned down. There was a tug on you to read it, so you did.

["Today, on December 1st, there was an attack on five warehouses near the port trading cargo area. There were no people injured, but there were 23 people dead on the scene, and among those 23 casualties, they belonged to a gang called 'Kingsnake,' a minor gang that has been on the rise."]

Scrolling down the article, you see the unrecognized faces of gang members, but out of the 23 that were dead, you saw two faces that you briefly memorize. They were with Majima night. But going onto the article, there was a sentence about 'turf war' and fighting for control. It's been a while since you heard anything about gangs since they're primarily undercover. If not, they're untouchable since not even the police want to be involved with them.

Checking the time, you saw it was nearly time for you to go to college. Unplugging the charger, you grab your backpack and hurdle out of the room in a rush. Not before running back in to grab your notes to study for upcoming exams you have for the end of the month.

Running down the stairs like a madman, you bid goodbye to your family and opened the front door to expect Sukuna there, but he wasn't there. A somewhat despondent strike your heart in a sharp jab. 'Fuck, am I getting used to him?' Closing the door behind you, you rush out of the front gate and hope that the train didn't close on you and that you made it on time for college.

You glance at the papers given during classes on a lunch break. It was practice exams from your subjects and to see a low mark from one of your most minor favorite subjects is susceptible. Your friend group told you they would be at the library when you get your papers. Making a grimaced face, you pull that one specifically out of the piles you did well on. Flipping the pieces, you check to see the red comments on what went wrong or is in questioning; leaning your temple against your fingertips, a huff of stress claims you. You need to pass this semester's class before changing it. You already talked to your counselor before. If you did well on the exams, you wouldn't need to take the entire course semester, maybe doing paperwork over the winter break about the 2nd semester to get two-thirds of the grade, a B+ at best. After all, you want to do courses that align with your career path.

"That's pretty bad," a voice spoke over your shoulder. You jump up in surprise as a string of curses leaves your lips when you notice who it is. Sukuna leans over your shoulder, looking intently at the papers. You were so focused on your practice exam that you didn't see his shadow looming over you or his footsteps approaching.

Flipping the paper close, you shuffle it in between your other documents. "You didn't need to point it out," collecting the stacks, you evenly bounce them on the table to smoothen out the corners before putting them inside your backpack. "Besides, you were gone for three whole days and left me on read."

"Awe, did you miss me?" Sukuna coo, pulling you closer to him by the waist as you suddenly push him back, which he doesn't budge when a hand goes up your back to make sure you won't distance yourself away.

"Hell no!" You denied it quickly. Too quickly for him. A smirk climbs up his face; now people stop what they're doing, and you are trying to push him away; he was too close to your liking, and you felt embarrassed in the eyes of scrutiny. His legs kept brushing up against yours, and you could feel the heat spreading all over your body. "Let go of me, dammit! People are watching, especially your fangirls!"

Without warning, you shriek out more when Sukuna picks you up. Your legs were straddling his waist, and he effortlessly carried you with one arm while the other hand grabbed your bag. He slung it over his backpack. You were whining like a child who wanted to be put down. 'This is so embarrassing!' Your face could explode now, as you felt like you didn't know what to do anymore. Your hands were on his shoulders, gripping and loosening each second.

Sukuna: "Hold on tight; I don't want to drop you. Considered this a free ride that I didn't give you this morning."

You: "Anything but this!"

Sukuna: "Should I throw you over my shoulder or carry you like a blushing bride instead?"

You: "Fuck you!"

Sukuna: "Are you consenting? I would make sure that you're not gonna be walking right after I'm done, Little Spitfire."

During the walk to the library, all you could do was look at the ground and his feet. Too nervous to look at anything else, whisperers and people secretly talking to each other didn't go unnoticed by you. There was a shock when people saw you both. You could tell the fangirls would kill to be in your spot (they envisioned you dead); it's not every day that someone here carried, and you would trade it in a heartbeat.

Once in front of the large double oak door of the library, you were put down, almost losing your footing if not for Sukuna balancing you out and gripping his shirt out of pure fear of being dropped. You weren't focusing on anything else but the way your body bent halfway to the ground, with Sukuna's arm wrapping tightly around your waist and him gripping the door bar for support.

"You can-" turning around to face Sukuna and telling him that you should be okay, your noses brushes against one another at the tip. Surrounding all forgotten, all you could focus on was how close he was, and his deep strawberry eyes had flakes of gold specks around them, almost representing little stars or golden seeds. His breath hits your lips, and if it wasn't intentionally, Sukuna's eyes shift to your lips as his long lashes flutter a few times slowly. A deep bob of his Adam apple was enough to tell you what runs through his mind.

Sukuna never thought this was the closes he would get to you; he was aware of the hundreds of eyes looking at you both. But all he could focus on was you, the way how you suddenly look softer in his eyes, or how your plush lips part and the gloss you wear makes them shine like gemstones. How much he wishes to kiss them. Just a little more, and he would, but not without you consenting him to do so.

Pulling you up, he breaks the spell when you guys suddenly part away from one another to give each other space. Sukuna could tell that you were flustered, the calm persona was slipping away, but he quickly recomposed himself. Sukuna could feel his skin warmer than the cold air in the hallway like it was on fire. Heart beating like a rapid drumming line, he opens the door and allows you in first, and you zoom right past him to the table.

Throwing yourself into an empty chair, you avoided everyone else eyes, "We thought, when are you going to-" Maki paused her sentence when she saw Sukuna right behind you, feet away. Her smile widened as she gave at Nobara with that cocky expression of 'you know, and I know,' by nudging her with her elbow, "-what a lovely surprise to see you here, Sukuna." Maki drawl out with a polite, teasing tone to rile you up.

"Hi," Sukuna gave a short, curt response and settled himself next to you. He hands you your backpack, and you accept it without looking at him. Your hands were shaking when you pulled out the reviewing materials, which Megumi caught.

Megumi: "You doing okay, (Name)?"

You: "Hm? Huh? Y-Yeah."

Megumi: "You're shaking a lot-"

Maki: "She is fine, Porcupine, just her nerves being tease since love is in the air."

"Maki, you're this close to being tossed out the window." You show her a thumb and finger so close to being touched, and she laughs at your threatening attitude.

With the gang complete, Sukuna lingers on the side, watching everyone interacting, passing around each other's practice exams around in what shared class or period they have differently. Sukuna saw you invested in the practice exams and glanced at the paper from afar. You guys were discussing what the answers are or how to solve them. But seeing you trying to figure out how to solve it since no one in the group got it right or doesn't have that shared class, Sukuna can't help but tell you.

"That is wrong because..." Sukuna went off on a tangent of explaining, pointing at the paper, his forefinger running around the problem as everyone, even you included, listened intently. With him writing it down and presenting it with a thorough explanation and the correct terminologies, Sukuna explains it much better than the professor. Then the group started taking advantage of the situation by asking more of the questions that they got wrong, and Sukuna was in a good mood today and had become a teacher. Well, to your group of friends, an unofficial teacher.

"Not only he got good looks, but brains too," Panda commented, which makes Sukuna's ego sore through the roof. "Guess not all rumors are true." He continued with his praises, but for somewhat of a reason, Sukuna remains humble about it. Maybe this was a ploy to get on your friend's good side and romance you without the barrier of them protesting or convincing you otherwise.

With the hours getting late, the sky got dark quickly after five hits. Sukuna grabbed you along to follow him, as it went from your wrist to your hand when your little habit from the days before the fair play his mind. His warm hand engulfs your delicate, cold one.

"Tell me that they're dating without telling me they're dating," Nobara snickers out loudly when you were away with Sukuna at a reasonable distance, which got you are screaming back at her to 'shut up' when your ears are burning up. The group laughs out wholeheartedly. Wanting to chuck your bag at Nobara like a brick, it might be immobilized her since it got books and other heavy stuff. The you're weight isn't something to be messed with.

Sukuna paused in his steps; he felt you bump headfirst to his backside. He turned around to your friends. "Oh yeah, if you guys are cool with it during the break, I know this nice bathhouse forty miles from here! It's located in the mountains run by heated lava beds, and I'm paying for it!" Your group didn't hesitate to say yes, since it's Sukuna's offering, and it's free too! Megumi looks at everyone and sighs at his fate. You could relate too.

You were in shock when you arrived at the given location with your friends when you refused to ride with Sukuna. Sukuna told you about the bathhouse but didn't say it was the Ice Lily, which was exclusive only to VIPs. Even celebrities are dying to get into this bathhouse as they had to sign up and be put on a waitlist which could range from months to a year at most.

What you know about the bathhouse is that it was magical to people who managed to get inside. So to say this was on your bucket list as a kid before you died. Sukuna arrived promptly when he got out of the car, not his bike when he handed his key to a valet to park, and they gave him a token number for his car. He pops out his duffle bag from the truck and meets up with your group.

"What do you guys think of the place?" Sukuna asked; he knew that everyone was stunned.

"This is out of my pocket range," Panda spoke up, with Inumaki agreeing. Nobara and Maki can't wait to try everything out or what the bathhouse has to offer since beauty care and personal care are what they only think of since, in their head, it's only fair to treat themselves when they're so busy slaving themselves to the college system. Megumi only tagged along because he didn't want to hear his father nagging and his mother coddling him. His sister is the same as his mom, so Megumi figured this was the best choice before getting thrown back into his family.

Sukuna leads the group inside when a guard recognizes him and hurriedly opens the door and gives him a formal greeting. Sukuna gave a head nod as an acknowledgment without speaking and headed straight to the front desk, where a lady presented seven critical cards with your guy's names inked in cursive gold. Sukuna took one and explained that everyone was located on the same floor.

You peer at Sukuna's key card and notice that his room number is just next to yours, and you suddenly want to smack him. 'All the rights by trying to get close to me.' Lasering eyes at him, Sukuna felt like eyes were on him. He turned around, and you looked away simultaneously. The Cheshire grins return.

So you knew? Good. Spending time with you has become scarce these days with him working none stop and not being able to entertain you as much as he should, so cornering you is an idea.

"Ah, I'm beaten." Maki relaxed into the warm water after getting a full body massage and a facial; she said she was reborn. You glance at Maki, a lot more toner than you in body training since she was in a sports club. Her muscles move around whenever she flexes, and damn, what a great time to be alive since you barely see her wearing short-sleeved shirts. You had to admit that being bisexual or being born as a guy would be great.

As for Nobara, who was toned, but on the delicate side, she cares about her figure very much and would indulge in those 'keto' diets or just diets that would help her maintain her weight.

You, on the other hand, are a random mess; whether it's by luck or genetics, you didn't care about your appearances much overall. Since your family was an instead blessed one, you thought that would be the case. Whether you're thin or not, you don't care about fitting into society's standards much when there are other things to care about than the superficial stuff that constantly changes with the trends or over time.

Reaching over behind Maki's back, there was a chill bucket filled with alcohol. You pulled it out of the ice and saw a warm amber color through the glass bottle; popping the cork open, you took a whiff of the smell and made a face. There was a hint of sweet apple with the strong notion of vodka; you decided to give it a test by pouring it into a cup, enough for a shot.

"By the way, what's with you and Sukuna? You guys are so close to each other that you don't even think about Yuji anymore. Are you guys dating behind our backs, thinking we won't know?" Nobara questioned her brows, wiggling, and when you up the glass into your mouth, you suddenly spat it back out the second.

Choking and putting the glass behind you, tears wounded up in your eyes, trying to form sentences and words, it comes out with you hacking, still trying to catch your breath. Nobara only laughs at your misery. "You already asked me that before, and you're asking me again!"

"I mean, I'm not wrong." She shrugs.

Clicks!

"You guys heard that?" Maki asked in a low hush tone when you and Nobara paused your ongoing bickering.

Clicks!

Maki grabs a floating bucket in the water and hurdle it at an incredible speed where the sound comes from. And with great accuracy, a loud cry of pain was heard when a body dropped out of the tree. There was a camera in that stranger's hand.

A peeping tom has occurred!

You scream when the stranger has recovered and dashes out of the women's side of the bathhouse. You never thought this would happen to you guys, considering this was a private resort.

With Maki hot on the stranger's tail, she got a towel around her when you and Nobara emerge from the women's section chasing after the peeping tom. Nobara tossed whatever she could in her arm at the pervert but missed every time, or it's just that the pervert has excellent agility.

You were speeding up the paces, too, when Maki finally caught up and put the guy into a tackle and put him in an arm lock. She takes the camera from the guy's hand and kicks him down to lay still. She flips through the pictures and sees that the guy had taken it when you three first walked into the bathhouse to the bathing parts, meaning he saw the nudes.

With the guys coming out of their section, they wondered what was wrong until they saw a person being held down by Maki's impressive foot strength. They all went 'oh.'

Sukuna was the last to emerge, "What's with the screaming?" Then he pieces the clues together, Maki with a camera, you in nothing but a sexy towel still have water droplets all over you. You must've rushed out to catch the guy, considering you and Nobara were out of breath. "A pervert? Really?" Sukuna then called security, as if he wasn't pissed off suddenly since this was a resort that he rented out personally for you and the others. Before the guard could reach the culprit, Sukuna went over to them and whispered low in a meaningful tone, to only what they could hear. "I expected nothing but great quality from this place, but you failed to secure the area."

The security guard felt like his soul was taken out of his body and was dumped into ice; the way Sukuna's eyes glowered was enough to make him pick up the culprit hastily and notify the front desk to call the cops.

Maki destroyed the camera by smashing it into pieces on the ground and snapping the memory card in half, causing the pervert to cry out in low agony. It's like his whole life had flashes in between his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Sukuna asked once he was near you enough; the extra towel he had around his shoulders, he shrugged it off and covered you instead.

"Yes," with a brief answer, you walk back to the women's section to get changed into the new clothes before entering your room.

Sukuna knows that you're pissed off, considering the tone you use on him. It was easy to decipher how your face tried to mask that you wanted to beat up that stranger. But so much for a break, and getting you to be alone with him.

Taglist: @fxckingsimp @valoruzky @zairuko @mistalli @gourcuffiana @agentdedf1sh @monotoneclown @soupasoup @http-problemchild @acehyacinth @cloudsinthecosmos @charlie-xo

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