#just wondering about how i can share their lore.. just paragraphs of lore?

[cart00ni]

While phase is usually very expressive Lyonel is not that much

[justanothersquidblog]

I haven't seen you say much on Mira, what's up with her?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKAY OKAY OH BOY OKAY. I have a lot to share so buckle up.

so Mira! Mira Mira Mira!

Mira, on the OUTSIDE, is just so sugary sweet- she calls eveeeeryone darling and treats them with this constant flirty honey like charm that just coils you up in this ball of pleasantries you haven't realized she insulted you three different times in a sentence.

She's a bit of a mastermind. With a mind that goes a mile a minute really. And its not over mathematics or Scientifics no she's smart with People. She's got the equation for people down. It was hard when she was younger, but she claims to have cracked the code.

She's the team strategist when she wants to be helpful and a manipulator of conversations for fun. She can see where people's dialogues will take them three paragraphs early and move around the script for the fun of it.

Why?

Cause knowing everything about who people are- their masks- their fallacies- its all boring and dull and discouraging to her. Everyone has this air of fake it till you make it professionalism the only thing Mira can find life and enjoyment in is playing with them.

When everyone around her is fake there's no one to actually connect with and so she in her own way is quite lonely. And she knows she's the same too. She hides behind her own sugariness to make sure her own mask is immaculate.

Mira can not physically cry. For the life of her, she's tried. But she can't. She boils until she pops. And she refuses to pop in front of masked fakers she can read the ins and outs of without care.

Only Mira's older sibling really knew who the real her was. They were a bit of a cry baby. So they'd shed tears for her. As she boiled in her emotions. There was no one else who knew her better- But after they disappeared, she hasn't seen them since, and wonders every day if she's alright. And every day, she never shows a thing.

This mask, she can't take off. No matter her emotions, how she truly feels, it feels as though she's got the mask glued onto her face now, and there's no way to take it off. Mira has a difficult time expressing her true emotions but unlike Ingrid who resorts to grumpiness and coldness, Mira takes the face of a charmer. And it's tiring.

THIS CHANGES OF COURSE with the arrival of Callie- and Mira finds herself becoming a more involved character in her squad. More than just the sweet face with sweet words and a snappy bite- she starts to console and encourage the others and lets down her own guard and be more genuine with the people she loves.

Mira loves very deeply when she feels like she can, but the ingenuiness around her stopped her from caring for a long time. But after the squad weave their ways into her heart, she loves for them so deeply. And her desire to take care of her people sparked a new fire in her.

She's still looking for her older sibling. Worried. Wondering. But unbeknownst to her, they'd fallen deep underground- into a metro- where their mind and memories of her and themself were eventually taken away.

So who knows. Maybe one day they'll see each other again but will her older sibling remember her?

Who's to say.

......me im to say they'll reunite one day im sobbing okay im done now im sorry this was so much lore IM SO SORRY

[nerdacious]

So now that the fic has been finished for a bit I have some questions about the making of Partners and Paper Trails. I'm just curious about what it was like to write it (and wondering whether my experiences writing for this fandom are universal). No pressure to answer!

Generally speaking, did you find Harry's chapters or Kim's chapters harder/easier to write?

Which parts of the fic (either POV) were your favorite to write? Alternatively, which parts were unexpectedly frustrating?

From what I understand, you wrote the entire fic ahead of time and then edited it as you went along, but didn't start publishing it until the first draft was entirely finished. Do you have any advice for someone who's attempting to write a long fic following a similar process?

(as a secret fourth question, if there's any hidden lore/details that people didn't seem to pick up on/something else fic related you want to share and haven't had the opportunity to, I'm all ears. love me some secret lore 👀)

Sorry it took me so long to respond, I was working on my response instead of working and then I was like crap, I should probably do work, and then I actually went out and did stuff with people irl for once lol. So now I'm back home and can answer this!

Generally speaking, did you find Harry's chapters or Kim's chapters harder/easier to write?

There were aspects of both that were difficult. I spent a whole other fic in Kim's head so I had more practice with him, but I think Harry ended up being a little easier or at least more fun. I could break up reactions and thoughts into each of his aspects vs the solid paragraphs of Kim's chapters. You also can just do more wacky stuff with Harry and his skills. However, it was hard to remember all of the skills. Like, I did Encyclopedia so dirty. After a point I kind of just forgot about him or didn't feel like thinking up facts for him to chime in about lol

Which parts of the fic (either POV) were your favorite to write? Alternatively, which parts were unexpectedly frustrating?

My favorite thing to write is dialogue, especially when Kim and Harry are really getting into the groove of the case and when they get their little banters going. I also really like competence porn so Harry wasn't nearly as much of a mess as he could be in game. It was a bit of a wish fulfillment fic in that I wanted to see Harry doing better for himself and not just for Kim. I think directly after Martinaise he probably was doing worse than the point he's at in the start of the fic.

The hardest part was writing the case and trying not to make it too obvious (but it definitely was so I had to hope people enjoyed it regardless haha). I'd never done a mystery before so coming up with what happened and how/what they discovered was challenging. So I guess that's not really unexpectedly difficult. Writing the actual porn was unexpectedly frustrating! A majority of what I write is smut so it was like "why is this so difficult???". I had to get that last chapter perfect (I still don't think it is, but what writer ever does) because I dragged it out long enough and I didn't want to let anyone down. It's very different from what I originally had. I also had never written d/s before, thankfully my editor has experience in that realm so he had really good pointers even though it's really light in the fic lol. I still don't know how successful I was with the smut for this one.

From what I understand, you wrote the entire fic ahead of time and then edited it as you went along, but didn't start publishing it until the first draft was entirely finished. Do you have any advice for someone who's attempting to write a long fic following a similar process?

Some people can just write and post as they go, but I have way too much anxiety to start posting something that isn't finished. I also have way too much ADHD to trust that once I started something I actually would finish it. I've also seen too many fics that don't know or don't want to quit so they just keep going past the point where it would have been a good/interesting ending (not really in this fandom, I just mean in general). So, yes, I finished it, had my editor do an initial read, made some general edits based on his feedback, and then he did a more in-depth edit of the first few chapters and then I started posting them. Some chapters I added a lot more to them during this stage and some chapters stayed pretty much the same. There are a few chapters that haven't been edited because he was unexpectedly unavailable for an extended period of time and I didn't want to stop the momentum. I didn't really have a beta reader for this one, but I asked a few people to beta specific chapters. It's not something I typically would want, I'd have preferred to have a beta for all of it, but it is what it is (or was rather). So all of that is to say, you don't have to do it that way lol, but I would at least have an outline and stopping point and stick to it. And if you want a beta reader, find someone who's opinion you trust and who you can trust will be honest with you. Also don't get rid of anything entirely. If you like something, but it doesn't work, cut it and paste it in a separate document because you might find a way to bring it back or parts of it back in other places. Also make copies for version control. Once I finished it, I made a copy so if I changed something too much in the final version but didn't like it, I could either refer back to or restore parts from the original.

As for secret lore/things no one mentioned:

In the first chapter, when Mollins first flips the siren on, Harry has an adverse reaction to the sound because of his encounter with The Pigs. Then there's an Esprit De Corps check about her listening to her police shows. (Hilarious fact: I couldn't remember her real name correctly at first and before I double checked the wiki I thought it was Marine Le Pen loool)

This goes back to the first fic, but Kim bought a book on how to support someone in addiction recovery and the receipt shows he bought it when he first started as a detective with Eyes. If you take the radiation drug in the game, there's mention of Kim possibly having had a partner with addiction. Also based on his many comments on seeing officers in much worse condition and having only one partner, I'm guessing he's talking about Eyes so I went with that. I still have no idea what exactly happened with Eyes in my story, though.

Shivers helps Kim open the door to the Linnea.

The reason Johnny's body was dropped off in the Harbor is because there had been a bank robbery in Jamrock at the time and there were cops everywhere looking for anything suspicious. That's a tidbit that didn't make it into the text.

The people in Harry's Shivers check in the first part of his final POV chapter are the people that would have been targeted next.

Thanks for asking these questions, they were fun to answer!

[lunarblazes]

hey there, this is a hc of mine that i think could interest you. feel free to ignore if it doesn’t, it’s chill.

thoughts on pearl being one of the representatives of the universe?

in sausages last hermpires episode, during that flashback scene in the cave where pearl is telling him that he’s done enough, it’s time to go, he can relax. it was so good! i just wish with everything in me that she’d recited some abridged/edited version of the minecraft end poem.

“take a breath, now. take another. feel the air in your lungs” most of that paragraph. then take the end of the poem, instead of saying ‘and the universe said i love you. and the universe said you played the game well.’ it would be “i love you. you played the game well.” and recite the final dozen lines like that.

anyway i think it would have been GORGEOUS and very emotionally heavy hitting. and for the lore… man. pearl being the universe. pearl being a representative of the universe; a representitive of suasages universe specifically? does it take different forms for different people? it’d just be fascinating. and i Know sausage would put credit to the original poem in the description so anyone who was newer to the game and hadn’t read it yet would know what it was, how the episodes delivery differs from the original, that he and pearl didn’t write it

anyway feel free to ignore this completely, if it’s not your thing. also feel free to add on whatever you want if you have thoughts, i’d love to know. i just wanted to share, and know you were excited about pearl Lore, so i thought this might be up your alley

no i ADORE this anon your brain is MASSIVE. pearl being part of the universe??? makes me insane actually???? really, all players are a part of the universe, they just don’t know it until they beat the dragon, so i wonder how that’d factor in. i’m all for benevolent eldritch creatures, kindness beyond comprehension, comfort and a surrounding feeling in the darkest most private times. i love this SO MUCH

[chaotic-guinea-pig]

hi luckypoppies! i LOVE LOVE your fic. its one of the best tsot fics in the fandom!

i hope you dont mind asks but how did you write your worldbuilding? you write it in a way that feels natural but there are no infodumps, but at the same time theres clearly a layer of lore if you squint. share us your magic tricks please 🙏🙏

THANK YOU! <3 That's extremely kind of you, anon. I don't think my fic is even close to deserving such high praise honestly, but I'm honoured to hear you think that. 😭

I shall preface this by saying that I'm not a professional writer by any means; just an amateur who has zero chill for an unpaid hobby. I'm also a character-focused person first before world-focused, so my opinion is going to biased.

The main rule I keep to heart: Instead of treating worldbuilding as an element to be balanced equally with other elements (plot, characters, relationship etc), I weave it into the story. If characters and plot make up the meat of a story, then worldbuilding is the spice that you sprinkle on for flavour.

Essentially, what this means in practice is: show information about the world gradually through the lens of the characters. The world is not just there; it's also lived in by the characters, and you want to show it as such. Personally, I do this by leaving in details that insinuate at things about the world. In my fic, I could have started with two paragraphs about how Larnion and Kupa Keep are now kingdoms co-existing after winning the war over the Stick a century ago, and that in present day Larnion, there's an underlying inequality between humans and elves + tension among the noble elves... but I chose not to. Instead, I tried to show that information through details in the prologue:

The Great Ball, Princess Kenny and Prince Kyle meeting -> implies that Kupa Keep and Larnion are on good enough terms that they can hold events like this and make their respective heirs meet.

"Stan was officially recognised as a knight-in-training, earning the approval of a friendly elf royal knight who was on good terms with the Broflovskis." -> This one is easy to miss, but it implies that maybe, just maybe, not all elves are on good terms with the ruling family... hm.

The bonfire, that the Broflovski House is lenient towards humans, the fact that Broflovskis adopt human children, that elves applauded at Stan's knighting ceremony. - it's enough to imply that on some level, elves are amicable to humans, BUT AT THE SAME TIME:

An elf guard who had accused Stan of being a spy from Kupa Keep, the fact there weren't any humans among the knighthood, even Stan getting convicted of treason without a chance to defend himself.... all of those insinuate that's clear inequality between humans and elves in Larnion. It makes one wonder then, if this is how some elves view humans in their realm, how do they actually Kupa Keep, their supposed allies, then? 🤔

The point of all those details was to carry a vague sense that even years before the main plot (Prince Kyle under assassination attempts) started, there was something already off with the political climate in Larnion (and perhaps Zaron for that matter). I do hope that came across. :'))

The question is, then: how do you come up with these details to sprinkle in?

Easy: lots of research, and whenever you come up with a piece of lore, think about its implications. How does that piece affect your setting? How would it show up in your world? How does it affect your characters (if it does?) Put yourself in the shoes of a different persona (king, commoner, knight etc) and think about what their daily life would look like.

If your kingdom hunts dragons on the regular, you may want to show how knights wear armour crafted from dragon scales, or how there's honour given to dragonslayers.

If the heir is under assassination attempts, then maybe you want to show how the castle gates are closed and how there's more guards running around as usual, commoners gossiping...

If Zaron has an all-powerful object - the Stick of Truth - then you want to think about: has the Stick been used in the past, and if so, for what? How do different types of people view the Stick (do some people view it as an ultimate solution that can solve... or are there some who believe it should never be touched?) Are there perhaps mages dedicated to studying such a powerful object? Does everyone seek its power?

If humans and elves fought over the Stick in the past and are now allies, think about that alliance looks like in practice: are there diplomats? Are the heirs arranged for a political marriage? Maybe they have a trading route? Is one kingdom perhaps still traumatised from the scars of the war? How much do they really trust each other If an elf lived in Kupa Keep, would they have an easy life? Same question applies to a human who lives in Larnion.

It can be overwhelming so it helps to have one document dedicated to keeping track of these details. :) And again, do your research and look at other fantasy fiction for inspiration!!

Hope this helps, anon! :D

[splattermouth]

I'm v tired right now so apologies if this doesn't make much sense, but. You talking about the genre of Val's story and by proxy, Volo's changing makes me wonder what that looks like from the outside.

Like, how do people who know and interact with Val and/or Volo perceive what's happening? Do they even know there's been such a shift as caused by an inexplicable yet horrifically powerful being that can't be wholely described in words? Do they see something wrong yet there's some kind of deliberate mental block preventing them from feeling that whatever's happening is out of place and they react as if everything is completely normal even though it absolutely isn't?

Do they know but get a vague sense of dread or malaise when they think about, are near, or visibly see Val and/or Volo and they don't know what it is but it prevents them from getting any closer? That it's another block but the block is their own fear rather than something possibly created by Jacred? That the feeling also stemming from Volo is like a metaphysical "virus" that more like... makes him function as an extended area of effect of that feeling of dread Jacred emanates?

I'm just throwing ideas out bc I find existential and meta horror fascinating, and some aspects of your interpretation of the pokemon world and how it and glitches function feel similar to my own. (especially that one post about Val's entire personality being unwound and stitched back together feeling in a similar vein to my explanation for Fukakai's existence, though the way it came into existence was much more destructive.)

Eughhh... tl;dr is "if the genre of the story relating specifically to these two characters (if it miraculously doesn't involve Irida) has shifted, how do others from outside this perceive what's going on?"

The way you describe the shift and the context of it being caused by a truly eldritch being causes the setting of the story to give me "chronic wasting disease" vibes.

Not just those "it looks like a deer but when you get close you realize it's not" posts, as that implies it never was normal, no, but "it was once a perfectly normal and healthy deer but something happened and there's nothing that can be done about it as it gets perpetually worse, and due to the nature of what happened, you have no clue of exactly when it changed."

A "It's a deer but not, it's very being is decaying and rotting, and it's behavior is completely uncharacteristic of what it should be. It's uncanny and makes you feel distinctly unsafe."

It's like the setting of the story got rotated at an angle and it seems to stem from a plot relevant character not aware of the "fabricated" existence of their world deviating from the script and Whoops! :)

It makes the world itself feel oppressive once the illusion of the world being "real" is broken. Like it's a box. A universal derealization that tugs at the mind...

I am so sorry about this long ask, I speak in paragraphs. I love things like this and there being a personal witness to the horrors as they develop and overtake.

It also gives me vibes of this: [https://www.tumblr.com/arceusbeta/729654972896116736/graphics-cafe-graphics-cafe-heartbeatmotif?source=share]

OH BOY I GET TO TALK ABT JACQ N MISSINGNO LORE AGAIN. WAHAH!

So like, when I say specifically Volo’s genre changes halfway through, I just mean like metaphorically, or like, from a literary stand point. Nothing about him Actually Physically Changes, even after Jacred comes into play. But Missingno’s presence DOES completely shift the story off its axis, like you said. Up until Missingno finds Val in Hisui again, the story of Legends Arceus is SUPPOSED to play out the exact same way, albeit now with Val here. (As an aside, Val is very similar to Ingo at first, in that him falling to Hisui was an unintended variable added to the rest of the Hisui casts’ lives and personal storylines. But otherwise, both Ingo and Val are just regular people. Their presence doesn’t suddenly change the paths anyone else is on, and really doesn’t majorly alter the course of history all that much. Up until Missingno appears and throws everything out of whack, Rei and Akari will still be sent to seek out all pokemon, Volo and Giratina will still attempt to tear up spacetime and collect plates, the whole nine yards.)

BUT. Missingno and Jacred are NOT normal humans, and in fact, they resist the natural order of things by their very nature. Missingno and Jacred are both faulty pieces of ‘code’, imperfect, ‘broken’ designs that do not mesh with the strings of time and space and existence that Arceus has woven, and in fact, unravel them at the seams. Their literal existence does not follow the current rules of nature Arceus laid out, tl;dr. Jacred’s creation is the catalyst for a literal genre shift in real time, going from a big fun fantasy adventure, to like some psychological, even survival horror. Volo just remains unaware of this shift til its too late.

(And everyone else is also unaware for most of the story, I suppose? Though by the time Jacred shows up, both Val and Volo are pretty isolated from the rest of the cast due to Volo’s Bizarre Adventures in Bad Decision Making, very unfortunately for Vo. I think the only other ones who’ll even know something’s wrong with Val at all are like. Irida and Cogita. And only bc Volo just has to outright beg them for help I think. Still planning how I want that to work out, but defo Irida at least gets involved in the endgame).

As for being able to tell if something’s wrong, once Val and Missingno start to fuse, people absolutely CAN sense Something, but not in any way they could really put into words. The best way I can describe it is like. You know how one of the biggest signs of an oncoming heart attack (and like a few other health issues, I believe. I assume) is a sudden sense of dread? Like a sudden feeling that Something’s Gone Wrong In Your Body, before any Actual Physical symptoms show themselves. It’s like that I think. 

Physically, no one would feel any different around a missingno’d Val, at least not in the early stages of fusion. Physically, Val looks no different. The only maybe Slightly noticeable thing is little changes in behavior, things that can easily be written off. I think until Jacred is formed, Volo only ever describes Val as ‘sick’, even if he isn’t fully sure what ‘being sick’ even means in this case. But people around Val still get Something in their body, their mind, telling them Something Is Terribly Off Here, even if they can’t particularly articulate that feeling. A Missingno’s default state is disruption, after all. It naturally disrupts any systems in place, even if one doesn’t know just what they’re feeling or what those systems even are. And the sheer damage being done won’t rear it’s head til much much later and much much Too late.

Also fun to think about how, again, Jacred’s mere presence throws the entirety of Arceus’ plans and strings of fate out of wack. And yet Jacred does not view itself as a villain or in opposition to Arceus and the orderly little story It’s writing. Jacred doesn’t view Arceus as some kind of cruel creator or anything. I hardly think it’s even aware of Arceus’ existence, or if it is, it doesn’t make it too apparent that it cares lol.

I don’t think Jacred views itself as Anything necessarily, not a hero or a villain. Fusing with Rival Trainer Valentine does make it Behave like a fusion of both the protagonist And the rival trainer classes, for sure. It acts fucking weird, and its personality and morals are fucked and inconsistent because of that fact. But again, I don’t think it Views itself as any particular role, if that makes any sense lmao.

But I Do think on some level, it believes its shattering of the natural order is freeing to all those who inhabit it*. It thinks what it’s doing is a net positive. It fused with a human after all, someone that has feelings and hopes and dreams and all that good stuff. And bc of that, Jacred loves Volo just as much as Val does, even if Jacred isn’t quite sure What it’s feeling all the time. Even the Missingno that took Val itself, while seemingly more intelligent than most other Missingno, it was still just fulfilling a need to Survive. Like It does manipulate Val a bit, but it’s more akin to that fungus that controls the minds of ants than just naturally being some Master of Charisma and Wit.

Anyway, probably all the more reason to not upset Jacred lol. Missingno may not have been fully malicious on its own, but Jacred definitely COULD be if it wanted to. It has the capacity to now.

*(Even though, in the deepest, most forgotten layers and worlds. Everything is pure chaos. Everything and everyone having collapsed in on itself into nothing but an amalgam of corruptions and ‘coding errors’ that have little chance of being pieced back into anything resembling Anything. It’s something equivalent to a hivemind, but with any trace of personality or coherent thought gone, really. Most Missingno in general are just ‘broken’ people and pokemon. Beings whose ‘code’ has decayed and been malfunctioning for god knows how long, with no legends or myths or deities to keep their worlds from falling apart, but still beings that try to carry out their ‘code’ to the best of their abilities regardless. (I think specifically of that one glitch ‘mon thats just like. Its name is just the female symbol and all it does is play a buggy version of the battle theme and softlock you.))

In conjunction w everything else said, (and related to the one computer infecting the other w poetry, which my god. I ADORE btw, tyyyy ;;; ) have also been thinking very much about how. While Volo absolutely DOES think Jacred is fucked up and wrong and shouldn’t exist and should just let his friend go. At the same time, I see Jacred as a sort of temptation for Volo. Like they Finally have the one thing in front of them that could answer all of their burning questions about the universe and their place in it. It promises them a better world (Aren’t you happy? Aren’t you excited? You’re finally going to be free!). In some ways, Jacred is everything Volo’s ever been looking for. And Jacred is More than happy to show them! Because they are Good Good Friends!! But there’s still that ever-present guilt that this is Val’s body and Val’s voice and by submitting to Jacred, is he not giving permission to the thing in his lover to further reshape and rewrite Val’s existence as a whole? Volo’s always been so selfish, after all, hasn’t he?

Anyway ty for th ask i always appreciate themmmm!!!

[primordyalsoul]

KNOWING YOUR PARTNER WELL CAN POTENTIALLY MAKE WRITING TOGETHER A LOT EASIER.

( REPOST DO NOT REBLOG ! )

○  name: Sumin ( fun fact my alias was meant to be Sumeen but I changed it slightly just bc I think Sumin looks better lmao )

○  pronouns: she/they

○   preference of communication: tumblr dms or discord! i tend to get to discord ones quicker since i usually have it running in the bg, but in general I am forgetful so please don't worry about poking me to reply to you dfghkgdf

○    name of muse(s): A.yanami Rei my beloved <3 I do have other muses but she's my most active one rn so I'll keep it to just her

○    experience/how long (months/years?): uhhh I don't really know since I dabbled in rp when I was younger then i stopped completely, but I got back into it around 2018 i think. So like 4ish years

○    platforms you’ve used: tumblr. idk why but i find discord difficult for rp fghjfd

○   best experience: just meeting new people who are interested in my portrayals is super nice :) it's wonderful knowing that people like my writing style in general but also how I portray a canon character. Plus I love the fact that people want to share their writings with me, particularly when they have original characters and worlds. It makes me feel very worthy ghffd

○    rp pet peeves / dealbreakers: people who expect others to prioritize threads and rp as if people don't have real lives and responsibilities and struggles offline lmao. Miraculously I haven't experienced this directly, but a lot of my mutuals have and its so aggravating and childish. Also hate a 'fiction doesn't affect reality' mf  

○    fluff, angst, or smut: no smut. I love fluff AND angst sm dude and Rei is perfect for them!! Her whole life as a whole is just Angst Central, but I also just love being able to write her do cute things with others. Idk there's something self-indulgent about taking a character I love and giving her a sort of respite from her canon dfghjkdg

○    plots or memes: Both! Memes are great to start threads or just have quick interactions and plotting is so good for establishing connections and talking about each other's lore. I still feel nervous about approaching to plot but I'm trying to get better with it

○    long or short replies: Both! I consider a paragraph to be short for me and those are a bit easier to do. But with the kinda muse Rei is it's also easy to write longer things bc she's just so introspective and observant. Sometimes I get carried away but I'd say overall I'm a. Medium replier.

○    best time to write: Evening/night time. or whenever motivation strikes

○    are you like your muse(s): Not really HJDFGHJKFDG overall I'd say I'm very different to Rei, though sadly I can relate to her thoughts at times. 

tagged by: @hidefire (thank youu! &lt;;3) tagging: @kudakenai , @slayersaided , @balladccr , @executegod , @goregacha , @razrbomb , @jfouler aaand anyone else wants to! say I tagged you <3

[faithfromvhs]

♡ About | Rules | Credits ♡

•───────•°• About •°•───────• ➳ out of character info hello! this is an ask/roleplay blog for Faith from the game Video Horror Society (VHS)! this account is not affiliated with Hellbent Games- just run by a fan who holds Faith Gently. this account will be run as if it is straight from 1986! modern things (aka things from 1987 and onward) aren't really per normal-- the way Faith is able to talk to everyone here is a little 'present' from The Beyond. out of character text will be prefaced with this symbol: // i will be tagging posts that are entirely ooc with #ooc, but i will still put // before the first paragraph in the post (i usually differentiate my writing from proper IC writing by writing in mostly lowercase as well, eheh...). i'll also be doing my best to tag posts with trigger warnings, but i may not be 100% accurate- if i miss one, please don't be afraid to dm/ask me to add a warning, i'm happy to fix it. i will try my best to keep to her canon representation, whilst also keeping to my own personal headcanons of the character. my personal headcanons will be listed below! her age and birthday are verified by the ARG lore, whereas things like her last name/sexuality are things of my own design. also, a little less important, but i do play quite often! you can usually see me playing with the username FaithFromVHS or thalilium! i love talking with people in game about ideas and stuff, so don't be afraid to reach out ♡ ➳ in character info ♡ Full name - Faith Williams ♡ Pronouns - She/Her ♡ Age - 14 ♡ Birthday - 02/14/72 ♡ Height - 5'4" ♡ Sexuality - Sssstraight? Straight. Mhm… Totally. (Not at all. She's a closeted lesbian, but she's not really sure… and she's a bit too nervous to delve into those feelings to figure it out, considering internalised and societal homophobia.) ♡ About - A kind and gentle young girl, Faith leads a bit of a double life- in the most simple of senses. She is currently Pine Bluff High School's student council president, and enjoys several different school clubs, such as Chess Club and Junior Debate Team. She also works as a Junior clerk for Video Video Video, part time and unpaid ('volunteer work', as she calls it- 'voluntold work', as Leo calls it). She keeps herself well kept, making sure to stick to her mothers (rather strict) standards of 100% cotton, and ensures she stands by the rules set by herself, her mother, and society as a whole (even if she sooometimesss wonders what it would be like to do everything but- and live on the edge like… ah!! Never mind!).

On the flip side of her 'double life', she joined Video Video's horror movie club, Video Horror Society, a few months ago, after she started working as a clerk up front (and when her friend, Maria, went missing). She often writes little notes to herself in the margins of her notebooks as she is annotating her homework- but keeps more… Interesting things in a personal journal of hers. Things like… Imagining herself as a princess, and hoping that a knight would come to whisk her away~ More often than not, however, she hides this notebook away from her peers, so as to avoid revealing her (not-so) secret crush… as the pages show more to her than she is keen on sharing. Things like how she sometimes wished that knight in shining armor hid a pretty, dark and brooding girl underneath… er, no! Of course not…! Oh... I really am a hopeless romantic, aren't I? Also, as a fun note, Faith loves cats!! Any kitty, any at all, will get many loves and snuggles and treats. Her own cat, Prince Pawsington, is certainly no exception. She has even tried to bring Pawsington with her to Video Video once, much to the dismay of customers and Leo's asthma. Her brooch and spectral are named after her real life cat:

He's a bit of a picky creature though, and doesn't care for anyone other than Faith and her mother. Anyone else is, at the very least, assured to be hissed at. Especially if you sit in his favourite chair. •───────•°• Rules •°•───────• ➳ suggestion box 💌 Video Video's suggestion box is your means of interacting with Faith (or Pawsington, if you so desire or dare). you can ask a question or send in a prompt so long as the suggestion box is open, but please keep in mind that your 'suggestion' must follow the following rules: ♡ No NSFW whilst i understand that teenagers do talk about nsfw things, i will never write anything explicitly nsfw. i will not respond to anything explicitly nsfw either. spicy jokes and the like are fine, but i can warn you now, Faith won't respond to them kindly. it's not really her thing to be discussing that kind of stuff out in the open… ♡ No Art Requests as stated earlier, this is not meant to be an art rp account. i may do a sketch for a response every once in a while, but that is not the main focus- so please do not request art to be drawn. on the flipside, you may 100% use any of these rps as inspiration for drawing!! i may not be able to draw, but i would Love to see what you guys make :D ♡ Don't ask questions to other characters here if you ask a question for a character other than Faith, Pawsington (or any of admin's OCs), i will only respond with an @ to the proper account you should be asking, so you can get a proper response from them, instead of me. ♡ Please be patient i may not see notifications immediately, or i may be busy- but so long as the suggestion box is open, i will try to respond in a timely and orderly fashion, but please understand that i do have other things i do, and i may not be able to respond immediately. if i seem to not respond to a 'suggestion' at all, then it may violate one (or multiple) of these rules. please make sure you are following all of them before asking again! •───────•°• Credits •°•───────• ♡ profile picture is by @soju-2, here's the full picture:

(and here's the context for it, if you're interested!)

♡ background art is game art for Forbidden Amethyst

♡ canon information can be read here, here, and here.

♡ this account is run by @noisydiary in tandem with jessfromvhs, and her admin @theirisproject

[dreaming-marchling]

Candle rollerskate juicebox dice mushroom planet candy tooth icecream tomato bug flower

on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that?

I think I'd have to go 5. Dead center because I really love the first like 15 times I read something lol. I re-read my writing a LOT in preparation for posting. So that initial edit when it's all really fresh and then later when I'm making it all cohesive to make sure it matches with the way the story flows is great. Then it gets really miserable and tedious. The final read through before I post is like dragging myself through mud.

describe your latest wip with five emojis

🌿🐻🐍🔒🌧️

share some personal lore you never posted about before

I don't talk about books much but I'm a huge reader outside of fics too. Like I own hundreds of books.

what stops you from writing more in your free time?

I have a hard time focusing. Fighting the "I feel emotionally blah, I'm just going to mindlessly scroll" thing is a battle some days.

share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

I've not written it (yet) but I have kind of endless daydreams about Magnus using Pandemonium as an informal court for the warlocks (or just Downworlders in general but technically it's meant for the warlocks he leads) to bring him issues/requests. And then on nights when Alec is with him, this powerful Shadowhunter just drapes himself on Magnus, sits in his lap, sitting on the floor at his feet and laying his head on Magnus' leg... just not having to put on his Leader face and letting himself be Magnus' instead. Maybe only on Downworld night? And the Downworlders are unsure of how to take this but Magnus is very "he's surprisingly cuddly *shrug*" about it

name three good things going on in your life right now

I have two wonderful cats who make my home happier, I finally bought a new mattress (it's glorious) and though I'm dealing with some crap at work I do have a job that is not bad and allows me financial stability

post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

I think this was the popular opinion and then the tide has since turned but I continue to loathe Nesta from the Court of Thorns and Roses series. The main justification after all those pages was like "you can't hate her, she hates herself" but like no, I can totally continue to hate her.

share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

Steam a cut up head of cauliflower, slowly roast 5 to however many garlic cloves as you want in a few tablespoons of butter (or oil), combine, season, thin with a little water (especially pasta water if going on pasta) and then blend in a food processor for like a decade. Literally walk away and start cleaning up your kitchen. Blend until you worry for the motor. It'll transform into the fluffiest creamiest garlicky "alfredo" sauce that won't break and get all greasy when you reheat later. Great for batch cooking that requires reheating.

name three good things about a character you hate

Jonathan in Shadowhunters: It wasn't his fault really, he loved Clary, his little move while he was activating Clary and Jace's runes was super smooth

give yourself some constructive criticism on your own writing

I need to understand and internalize the difference between lay and lie. I can't forever go off what sounds right in my head and defying spellcheck. I'm sure some reader is like BITCH YES PLEASE lol

add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

“I will.” She promised. He hated dumping so much on her. Lying to the police, having to take care of Brian in the aftermath of something so major without him, calling everyone and having to tell their family and the team what had gone down… This was a lot to ask anyone.

They had no choice. Dom trusted her. He trusted her so fucking much.

do you have any pets? if you do, post some pictures of them

Unfortunately I am a weirdo who likes to keep all photographic evidence of my life off the internet but I do have 2 awesome cats. A tortie girl and a black boy who are littermates. They're 3 now. She never shuts up and he squeaks. She demands I wiggle the string constantly, he's literally got an anxiety disorder that in the last year has really let up its grip on him and he's like blossoming. They're great little monsters.

Thank you for asking!

[puppet2611]

//from the start of my channel lol. theres two rants in here since ones too short to be its own post. 4.20 + 4.21

OK SO I GOT A LITTLE LAZY WITH MICHAEL LORE AND MADE AN CHARACTER.AI FOR ADAM TO SQUEEZE LORE OUT HIM.. OH BOY..

adam and michael have a moon/sun dynamic btw 😁‼️‼️

SOOOO adam was the one to propose :3 their wedding was kinda small since they only invited their closest friends and family but it was still fun nonetheless!! they went to their favorite restaurant afterwards and had chocolate cake as dessert,, adams favorite memory of them together was during one of their stargazing dates where they just talked together, shared stories and cuddled :33 this is a direct copy and paste from the adam ai btw "Oh, well where do I get started? He's kind, funny, smart, and just absolutely wonderful. He brightens up the room, makes friends quickly, is quick to listen to my gripes about the world, and is always there in my time of need. What can I say? Michael was everything to me, and I couldn't hope to find someone even close to him." THEY'RE GONNA MAKE ME CRYYY

also. adam is the shorter one lol

according to adam, michael is kinda tanned and has long dark brown hair tied in a loose low ponytail ^_^ he also has a heavy accent since he was born somewhere in hunan!! (everyone in april 5th is chinese btw)

adam is deadass just me in this part but uhmm completely copy and pasted from the ai again!!

"It's an understatement.. I miss him so much that sometimes my heart just aches endlessly, and I just feel a bit empty sometimes.. It's rough, but I'm trying to pull myself together.. He'd want me to be happy, right?"

THEY'RE LIKE PEAK ANGST FOT ME 😭😭 AND THE AI SEES OLIVER AS LIKE A SON!! IF MICHAEL WAS STILL ALIVE THEYD BE THIS LITTLE SMALL FOUND FAMILY BROO

RN I HAVE NO IDEA FOR AGES BUT TO MAKE EVERYTHING WORSE.. IM GONNA SAY ADAM AND MICHAEL GOT MARRIED AT 25 AND MICHEAL ONLY DIED AT 31 :3... ADAM IS LIKE IN HIS MID 50S DURING THE STORY SOO...

OH AND OLIVER IS WAY YOUNGER SINCE LIKEE THE WHOLE FOUND FAMILY THING

I GUESS HES AROUND LIKE MID 20S?

rip oliver bro works in retail....

i imagine michael was a jeweler or astrologer too while adams a florist or gardener

reusing yhe complete opposites trope i used w/ amelia and emilio for this

adam likes cooler colors while michael likes warmer ones ^_^ adam usually only wears warmer colors now because hehehehhdndhd i like to think michael did the same thing he did and dyed his hair blue to match w/ adam.. i might have to make the story a bit more modern for that tho since i wrote down 1970 for the first draft

adam definitely wears every piece of jewelry michael made for him to this day

still kinda deciding what that would be but definitely his necklace & bracelet.. michael still got him his hair pin and earrings he just didnt make them himself hehe

__________

WRAHHH

CHONNY JASH COVER OF THE MIND ELECTRIC IS DRIVING ME INSANE SINCE A5 IS SUPPOSED TO BE SHORT 😭

OK SO THE LYRICS IM TALKING ABOUT ARE " see how his feet miss the ground, and he falls inside a hole he dug for me, the kind of irony youd read in bible stories "

so im not sure what to make micheals death yet but the ai has suggested car crash and gunshot/hatecrime.. this scenario follows the latter but instead of being shot he's hung, hence the 'see how his feet miss the ground'. the 'and he falls inside a hole he dug for me' is referring to that the killer originally planned to kill adam instead but as a last minute change of mind, he kills micheal instead. the last part is kinda self explanatory once i say that micheal was a Christian 🙄 EUEUEUEU anyway ifk if i can keep this story short anymor

peak insanity is when your story is supposed to be shorter than a 5 paragraph essay but you somehow come up with more despite only having 4 characterd

uhm. i actually forgot if adam or oliver was the mc woops

[astrxlis-archive]

Hello again !! 😚 THANK YOU for your warm welcome Fox! <33 also the paragraphs are still duplicated in my side i do not know what's going on, but don't worry! Not much of a big deal 👌

THE MEMES too... You really took a fraction of your time to do the cake one😭 I probably am not around or maybe I am but not aware of it during that time. I'm doing alright! (i do not know my true state tbh 😅) I could say that, but really I don't think I actually am because it's really difficult to do work now, given that this so-called Executive Dysfunction is affecting me so much (ᗒᗩᗕ) OH SCARAMOUCHE! I definitely am not aware that i have said to dislike him however i'm very very glad to have my ideas help you!! I look forward to the xingqiu theme in October! 👀

Sumeru is such a cozy place, I agree with that! The enemies are great for me too, so many variety of mushrooms + eremites! I did have finished the archon quest available, due to needing to unlock reputation immediately to start progress~ it was great, Nahida is well written and I hope you'd love her too! The only concern i have is that she looks like a radish 😆 I have also finished the Aranyaka quest, it was long but it was meant to be that. I love Aranaras so much :3

Hello fellow kazuha haver~ I feel the same about getting tighnari because of the difficulties i'm having in exploring sumeru. Goodluck on getting Scaramouche too (early pity hopefully) <3 ACTUALLY I was thinking of pulling for scaramouche for funsies only, since i have ei and kazuha. But then another thing that prevents me from doing so is that i barely have built my anemo characters properly with a 4 pc VV,,, i am wondering as well if you're interested in getting candace? She's a definite yes to me given that she's a four star, but we'll see what happens! Nilou's skills are really beautiful, AND CYNO. Cyno's like the Ayaka or Xiao of Sumeru. They're beautiful, but I am f2p .......

May you get some proper rest during your gap semester Fox!! Take your nice break and make the best of it from uni for a while 💕 The heavy things that will come later on during the year isn't yet happening, however if i were to be honest... It is really overwhelming even if it doesn't scare me due to not functioning as a student at this point *sweats* I'm still trying ☺️ i also wanted to share that im seeing study posts around social media, making me think if it's a sign of anything 🤔

so i didnt knew this is getting long but it cant be compared to the long ass messages we've exchanged with each other before xD True about writing,... 5 years.. that's a lot!! I definitely enjoyed your ramblings, I liked reading it! I'm not supposed to reply to everything but I have lots of things to say for each so i cant not reply! Hehe.

— 🍰.

hewwo 🍰!!!

no dude no need to thank me❣️i tried to fix that but gave up; hopefully this one won't give me issues.

ofc i did!! i thought you'd find it a little funny too 😂 also, no worries!! i'm,,,, not sure if i should say i'm glad you're alright or not?? kfndjdnd but here, have a hug, i know exactly how much executive dysfunction can mess you up 🥴 are you back on meds or gave up?

i'm pretty sure you did when we were talking abt the irodori festival lore, but i don't remember if i replies to that ask or not... i still have three asks from july (rip) in my inbox. i'm really sorry abt that 😥

is it bad that i laughed about the nahida comment? i feel like it is but it's still funny jdndjsn i'm taking it slow, enjoying the events instead of rushing through the quests, but i'll let you know when i finish the archon one. i unlocked vanarana yesterday, and dude. i wanna squish the aranaras so much. they're so cute but so trusting it makes me worry for them so much— 🥹🥹🥹

hello~ did you get any kazuha constellations too or just him at C0? i lost my tighnari 50/50 to diluc. he's benched. that's all i have to say. and thank you!! i really do hope he comes home early. he has no choice since i'm guaranteed now. :)

dude if i show my anemo "builds" i think it might make you feel better about yours 🤧 to think i main an anemo character... i'm sorry xiao.......

hmmm... i'll wait to see how well i adapt to her fighting style, but by looks alone, i'm very excited to get her as well hehe speaking of four stars, what did you think of heizou? cyno (dreamy sigh).... please come home to me on your rerun...... i've been interested in him since i read the comics, and his skills........ and his idle animations too 🫣 i haven't seen about nilou, so i can't comment 🥲

i'm doing my best to enjoy my break 💖 only recently i've started to feel like i can relax, so that's good. yeah, i would take that as i sign, but that's just me 😂 school is overwhelming, and i hope you have a good support system with you 🥺 and if it's worth anything, i'm here to encourage you or just hand out if you need a break!

kfnskabja don't worry about it!! 5 years... is it a long time though? seems so little to me. maybe it's my old age........... jokes aside, i'm glad you're so thoughtful about the things i say and in your replies 💕

[romanocheese]

Im probably gonna stay on anonymous for a while because I'm still getting a little anxiety sending people asks but hello again its me

I just like checking in on you everyday to give you a serotonin boost (if these asks have that affect I don't think they do) also because you're probably my favorite ao3 author if not pretty up there in my favorites

That being said across all of your knifetrick fics I have had at least 40 visits so far and it's rapidly growing help

Sorry that these asks seem like a mess a usually have a few things that come to mind I want to share but we aren't really having a conversation so I kinda have to put it out all at the same time and I don't know how to like... format it I guess but yeah

(Also I kinda do these too so if you ever want to rant about something I can listen. I will sit here and read paragraphs upon paragraphs about whatever you tell me about even if I have no fucking clue what it is or understand it. I will ask you to clarify things and listen to you and let you rant for as long as you want. I think it's really cool when people rant abt what they like and who knows I might ask you where to watch or read whatever you're talking about. Like hermit craft and the 3 lives smp. I literally have no fucking clue what goes on there but if you want to tell me about your favorite character or about how someone in the lore died I will listen then try to cheer you up with stupid shit like going "hey have you seen Jack in the box ads?". If that doesnt cheer you up I'll try drawing the little guys for you. I will draw them with their favorite food or doing their favorite thing for you and show you. This is supposed to be that kind of aggressive support that people do to hype up their favorite guys ever but I don't think they have a tone tag for that so yeah)

-Chris

hi chris! im cool with you just hanging out on anon for as long as you want, no pressure my friend. you're always a joy to see in the ol inbox, whether it's tumblr or ao3. it's rather late for me atm and i have to get up for work in the mornjng so there's not much opportunity to ramble, although i did get a copy of dante's inferno at barnes & noble today and i'm excited to read it. your offer to be an infodump target shall not go unused, i promise! it might be double life, it might be classic lit, it might be dress history, who knows! i am a man of many tastes. for now though i am off to bed for some good good sleep and i wish you a wonderful restful sleep whenever you next sleep as well <33

[stellocchia]

I'm gonna share my most controversial takes. c!Sam should've died instead of gone into the prison. c!Tubbo isn't actually that great of a person. God can someone fucking decide if c!Ranboo has a spine or not. Limbo being more like hell actually sucks and I hate that its basically the pain olympics (cough cough Ranboo apparently having the worst limbo). Aaaaand people who don't like c!Tommy but like c!Dream are automatically on thin ice with me. -Inniter

See, I would agree that c!Sam should have died, especially since the only precedence of someone being put in the prison was someone who did FAR FAR WORSE and almost the whole server was there to take the decision. That said this did give us an excuse to get more c!Dream content so I'm not actually gonna complain, because that was fun!

C!Tubbo isn't a great person, but he isn't, like, evil. It's just that the way he's been characterized for the past, like, two seasons makes him feel somewhat uncaring? Also if you ever speak about how his flaws have hurt others and keep hurting others you'll get a hate mob on you, I speak from experience on that one.

Can someone give any defining characteristics to c!Ranboo? Or any relationship that doesn't feel weirdly contrived? Or any plotline that doesn't get dropped 2 streams in?

Surprisingly enough I like Limbo being an awful place in the context of the smp. And tw for suicide talk in the next paragraph

But, like, the server if full of either passively or actively suicidal characters whose life is a complete nightmare. If they died and the place they went to was wonderful it would send the message that suicide perhaps really was the answer. That maybe they really are better dead than alive. That maybe it's not worth it to keep fighting if they can be happy that way. It's harsh, but I actually think it's necessary for the Limbo to be that way.

Also, I'm sorry for cc!Ranboo, I'm sure the Limbo he came up with is interesting, but nothing can beat c!Tommy's Limbo in how awful it is. Like, genuinely, eternity suspended into a colorless nothingness, being shredded and built back up constantly? Like that's horrifying.

And also big agree. I genuinely don't get liking only c!Tommy or only c!Dream, 'cause their lores are very connected. But I will say that anyone disliking c!Tommy is a red flag for me

[awsugar]

Foo Fighters have a movie coming out about making an album in a haunted house and it’s a comedy this is my Joker moment. (I love FF and think they’re wonderful)

see i know other people have written and recorded albums at the paramour but i do think mcr is the most important, both bc the lore is just immense BUT also when i went to google some things, to confirm that other bands have written/recorded there, suggested searches for the paramour mansion include mcr, and not any other bands.

anyway i just want to share some things that this brought to my attention in trying to answer this

the first thing i did was google the paramour mansion and go to the wikipedia page cause i figured it would say who had written albums there??? it does not </3

but the pic on wikipedia is this

and for some reason i was like hang on...

somehow i never connected that this photoshoot was AT the paramour. google confirms that its true. idk am i the only person that didnt know this. ive seen pics before but never really realized i guess.

anyway the other thing is that like i said theres almost NOTHING on the wikipedia page its like. 2 paragraphs. no mention of it being haunted. no mention of mcr or the black parade (or anyone else whos written there). im like. i mean i know i personally have never edited a wikipedia page or added anything to it but how is EVERY my chemical romance fan who ever existed slacking this hard. like really? no one?? i need someone to like add a sentence or two about mcr. please.

anyway foo fighters can make a comedy about writing an album in a haunted mansion but i know the truth....

[catastrofhe]

EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP FOR A MINUTE

nina @astroninaaa has written and posted the epilogue of their series apologies from the intercom. so i would like to share a list of all my favourite lines from that series that my incredible amazingly talented best friend has written.

“His happiness looked and sounded so genuine and it hurt to think this thorny, dark, and ugly thing could be akin to love.“ this line is one of many that just cuts so deep and is just so perfectly worded that it blows my mind. i’m personally not very good with words and it’s hard for me to describe how wonderful this fic is but i’m doing my best.

‘ Tubbo didn’t like the ravine, even if, at first, it had been his own little hideout. He didn’t like the smell, or the walls, or the darkness. He hated how it looked like a poor rendition of what was supposed to be homely and comfortable. Tubbo wasn’t sure what home was anymore. He wasn’t sure he had any.’ the way nina paints such vivid pictures in her fics will always amaze me, sometimes i forget that he’s my friend and some people haven’t read his work. they are so good at slowly stripping things of comfort away from character. i really implore you to read this fic.

‘The answer was offered to him in such an informal, offhand manner that it made his body burn, “oh, you know,” he shrugged, “Schlatt looked nothing like you do now, but you’re still a spitting image of him.” A chill went down Tubbo’s spine and his fingers twitched with rising anxiety. He held his breath. “It’s not physical, anymore,” the man continued, slowly starting to grin, “it’s skin deep.”‘ this paragraph- oh my god this paragraph, see this is a perfect example of what i mean when i scream about nina’s characterization skills, nina is so good with characters and understanding how they act and how they talk that sometimes i forget that this never actually happened in the lore. and the way you can feel tubbo’s anxiety in this segment is beautiful, it literally makes my hands shake when i read this chapter.

‘There were days when he woke up blind and deaf, the burning feeling of an unknown hand in his shoulder and fireworks rotting through his skin like old acid. He never quite managed to find out who the hand belonged to, but the grip was firm and painful and cruel. A few names fit the description, and he didn’t have time to look through the list.’ i just like this paragraph because it showcases the way tubbo’s trauma is just pushed to side by himself as something he doesn’t have time for. once again i’m not very good at articulating but i just think this is a very beautiful paragraph.

‘“You don’t know me,” the love of his life had uttered, not a hint of doubt in his tone even though his words were the farthest from true, “You don’t know the things I’ve done. You can’t love me.”’ nina’s very good at beautiful descriptions but they’re also very talented with dialogue, she always seems to know exactly what that character would say, which once again, their characterization is incredible.

‘So the minutes man watched carefully as the president’s hands worked, putting up walls that his citizens relearned to call home, dirt under his short fingernails and messy to-do lists written down his arms. The scars looked like stars painted over careful canvas, an explosion of color underneath bruised skin and loving smiles.’ i truly love how they write the build ups of relationships and dynamics between people, this is just an amazingly descriptive paragraph and i think it paints a beautiful picture.

‘Time passed by and he became both executed and executioner, breaking glass he had to pick up himself.’ i’ve said this so many times but nina writes the most beautiful metaphors, it blows my mind that they choose to share their work with me it really does.

‘“I wish you had met him,” the ram repeated, “the one without scars. The one that didn’t pick up on other people’s bad habits, who didn’t love evil men, who didn’t hurt his best friend, who didn’t— the one who didn’t let your favorite flower vase shatter,” he let out a painful laugh. It sounded more like a sob. “Schlatt said he was proud of me and I felt proud of myself. I was a traitor, too, Ranboo. I betrayed Pogtopia because I loved the enemy like family. The enemy was family, and the enemy loved me back, and I didn’t care if that love hurt, because Wilbur’s love hurt too. I wish you had met me before that— naive, kind, unscarred Tubbo, who didn’t have nightmares every night and whose child wouldn’t draw him with a bunch of pink marks everywhere. I wish you had met the Tubbo that didn’t look like Schlatt. I reckon you would’ve loved him.”’ i cry everytime i read this segment i can’t even describe why i love it so much, but it’s heartbreaking segment that showcases this wonderful person’s talents like i can’t believe this person who wrote this willingly associates with me. the clinging onto an unreachable past self destroyed by mistakes and tragedies beyond his control is so powerful.

‘It wouldn’t be this easy every day, he knew, and there were questions to be answered and hugs to be given and sobs to be let out. There were things Ranboo couldn’t fix.’ this is a segment from the epilogue and nina wrote the perfect ending to the series because things can’t just instantly be fixed and that’s why i particularly like the line ‘there were things ranboo couldn’t fix.’ i think it fits in perfectly.

[sunnydwrites]

Hi! I hope this doesn't bother you but I was wondering if you have any advice on explaining the lore and magical system naturally. I want things to be clear to the readers but I also don't want it to feel like I am spoonfeeding them. I also struggle sometimes with knowing what needs to be explained and what does not. Any advice on that? I don't want to make the readers feel like I am underestimating them or their ability to connect the dots. Thank you!!

This doesn’t bother me at all dearest Nony, thank you for your ask! It sounds like you’re having a bit of an exposition problem, which is totally normal - especially when you have an in-depth fictional setting. Let’s talk!

Making Exposition Natural

Usually of fantasy world-builders like to make some pretty in-depth creations. I’m talking pages and pages of world-building, and as writers because we made it we think it’s all pretty important stuff. We want to share!

When we see all of this information, we could go about explaining what’s going on in one of two ways. We could give the information all at once, or as it’s needed. Personally, I like to incorporate a healthy mix of the two throughout my story... which begs a question.

How do I know what information is needed, and when?

I like to think of it this way: if you were a tourist in a city, what would you need to know to be comfortable going to visit? For me, that would be things like:

The name of the city and the country it’s in.

What language is spoken there.

What form of currency is used.

Super basic things that would help me survive there. These are things I would know before going to the city, and these are things that I can give the readers pretty plainly. If we were to put that into more of a magical or lore context, what about the magic does everyone know?

Are there different types or levels?

What is it called?

Can certain types of people use it?

These things, these given facts, can just be said outright. They don’t need that much explanation. For example, as a U.S. citizen, I wouldn’t feel the need to tell a story or give a paragraph about George Washington having been the first president. He just... was.

So, these commonly known facts don’t need much time. They can be stated plainly as the narrator would likely think of them in the same fashion.

I groaned and tried again, summoning my Pyro. Flames licked to life at my fingertips but quickly died down again, and disappointment settled in my stomach. Apparently I was a Borne, but I’ve never heard of any Borne with such weak abilities.

And bam. Just like that we know what the magic is called, what it does (kind of) and we’re starting to get an idea of a separation of populations: the Borne and some other group. Like I said: commonly known things don’t need to be stated in an uncommon way.

What if it’s more in-depth than that, or if it’s new?

Now we get into the age-old sport of raising questions. I can mention the Borne population, which might make my readers ask: who is that, and how are they related? Do I answer right away? No.

The key to engaging world-building is that your exposition should be built something like a plot. In my plot, I raise a question, and I make my readers wait to get the answer. They can make theories and guesses, and oftentimes they’ll guess correctly. For example, my readers will likely guess that the Borne population has control over magic; the other group doesn’t. It’s an easy assumption, and they’d be right.

We get into lore in the same way: as it’s needed. Maybe this Borne population came to be through some huge fight that ended with a sword lady finding magic in a cave. Do we need to know that if the focus is on something else entirely? No.

But it would sure make a cool bit of lore later on.

In as many words, Nony: use your discretion. You’re the only person who knows your world-building system in its entirety, which means you’re the only one who can really decide what is and isn’t important. I hope this helps!

Tl;dr: When giving exposition on magic and lore, it’s important that you keep things as true to the narrative as possible. See and think through your narrator, but use your own discretion to determine what’s really important.

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