#muse wip

[as-above-is-moving]

Just a WIP, probably will delete later ;;>> *colors not withstanding, I just wanted to differentiate my very hard to read sketching

[inafieldofdaisies]

[khickuwa]

a momentary respite.

[wyervan]

i cant believe 5 months ago i was in the midst of a 6 year artistic rut and now im just like:

[overdecorated-furniture]

Dead Parents - How to avoid them.

We are all very familiar with the notion of dead parents in fiction. For example, Harry Potter’s parents are dead before the first book even starts. Or in Portrait of Dorian Gray, the protagonist is brought up by an absentee and very neglectful grandfather. It’s a trope used again and again. And it does kind of work. It certainly allows your young protagonists the opportunity to gain agency and find their own way in the adventure thrown at them. But it’s also rather predictable. As a reader, we don’t sympathise as much because it’s such a used trope.

So, here are some of my thoughts about how to avoid the dead parents trope, and still propel your characters into the action.

Kill Someone Else.

I know, violence isn’t supposed to be the answer. But characters don’t only have close relationships with their parents. If your plot centres around a revenge quest for a dead loved one, it doesn’t have to be a parent.

Siblings who got caught in the crossfire trying to protect your MC, or an aunt/uncle they were close to being poisoned works just as well. Best friends are also a useful source of grief, and the fact it’s someone outside the family perhaps gives your MC more of a push. Equally, a significant other may work, although that is a used trope too. It might even just be a beloved pet.

Use their Morals.

People in the real world do not simply act out of revenge for the death of a loved one. Character morals can be just as powerful a motive for action, and Young people in particular are just beginning to discover what matters to them, and so it feels at its most important.

Perhaps your MC feels that the magic system in your fantasy world does not allow for people with disabilities to have access, and so uses that as their springboard. Or in an apocalypse setting, the desire to protect fellow humans against a threat may act as the MC’s launch pad for setting up a safe base somewhere. Concerns over equality, safety, climate change, government choices and even things as small as how cereal is marketed can motivate a character into changing their world/current situation.

Create Conflict.

Arguments, breakups, scrappy fistfights with someone in a back alley. Conflict is one of the spokes of a story, as it creates opportunities for moving the plot forward, and can hold the characters back from achieving their aims. Using this to start your character’s story arc makes for an explosive scene, and allows immediate sympathy with the situation they are in. Everyone argues, has had someone they care about walk out of their lives, or has at least been punched, so the familiarity of a minor but important conflict helps the reader associate with the character, as well as setting up any skills the character has or may need in order to defeat the foe at the climax of the story.

Parental Encouragement.

In a good family situation, parents will want to support their children and young people in achieving their goals. And the same can be true in stories. Perhaps your character wants to learn to play hockey, for example. Their parents can very easily encourage them to join a practice group, help them buy kit, and encourage them to play in matches. Having a supportive adult can mean as much to an MC as having said support removed, and although this doesn’t work for epic fantasy revenge quests, it does create a welcoming atmosphere for a reader.

Those are the main ones I can think of off the top of my head. Do add in comments/tags any you know of!

Happy writing!🌿

[nineraeix]

he's he's he's he's he's he's

[noliaert]

Finally got around to finish this one! Here's my ode to iwtv season 1! <3 I made both a version of bailey's claudia as well as delainey's 👍👍

Close ups 👇

[ruviart]

Still a WIP but wanted to share anyways

[astermagne]

[gemmahale]

Started writing something about Dom Soap being a herding dog (if we insist on applying the dog metaphor to him.)

A hand on the small of your back, maybe your hand wrapped in his, at worst his hand on the small of your neck to guide and direct you. He doesn't need to nip at your heels to get you to go where you should.

A nip at your earlobe followed by a growl of "Behave yerself" just barely above the din. A soft kiss along your jawline to apologize; to anyone else it looks like he's telling you a secret, but you know it's a reminder that he is in charge and you'd best listen.

A pinch - maybe the inside of your thigh or arm, or the soft, cushiony part of your hip - when you step outside of pre-determined bounds. A reminder that he's here to protect you, even if you can't detect the threat yourself.

He's subtle in the way he displays dominance. He knows his job is to protect and keep you in line, and he intends to do at least that much. He'll showboat in other areas (and does). But this power exchange between the two of you is his.

....I lost the dog metaphor there a bit. Sorry not sorry. Yes, you'll probably see a lot of this in Museum Muse. Maybe Brix. Bite me. (I'll like it.)

[inafieldofdaisies]

[kinardsevan]

wip thursday

nobody tagged me. i'm just sharing from the next chapter of Never Til Now (mostly bc this idea came to me and I kinda need it to be canon).

-

“Hey,” Maddie murmurs, grabbing Evan’s elbow. “I have something else for you.” He furrows his brow at her, confused. Ellie stirs in the sling and he glances down, pulling the fabric back slightly, but she’s still fast asleep. He glances back up at Maddie, and then toward the bag in her hand. 

“Maddie, really, you’ve done more than enough,” he insists, trying to lift his hands to stop her. 

“I didn’t buy this,” she tells him, grabbing his hands and pushing them down. “Now come with me.” 

Evan sighs, but lets her pull him through the kitchen to the hallway and into the nursery. Once they’re in the room, she places the gift bag on the changing table and then gestures toward it. Evan stares at her for a moment with a raised eyebrow and slight smirk before he reaches into the bag and pulls out the tissue paper on top. After he sets it aside, he reaches back into the bag and furrows his brow further as he comes into contact with soft fabric. He grasps it and pulls it out. 

It’s old, clearly worn and used, not as bright a blue as it once was. He turns the fabric over in his hands and gulps as his gaze catches on the detailing. Along the corner of it, his name is embroidered. 

He looks up at her with his brow tightly furrowed, his eyes glassy. “H-how?” 

Maddie smiles up at him, although there are tears in her eyes as well. “I mean you know how it was. I think you were three when you stopped being attached to this one, and I kind-of just never let it go. When I left for Boston, I took it with me, I guess as my own security blanket. When I missed you, I’d take it out and smell it.” She laughs a little, wiping at the tears as they fall.

“Mom didn’t tell you to throw it away,” he mutters in a question. He’s still no fool when it comes to the way that his parents have treated his upbringing. 

Maddie looks up at him, pressing her lips together. “I never would’ve either way. Anyway, when things started getting rough, I put it in a safety deposit box so nothing could happen to it. I went back for it when I got all my documents and run money together. But selfishly, I wasn’t really planning on giving it back.”

Evan smiles at her, blinking away his own tears. Maddie reaches out for the blanket, grabbing it gently. He lets her take it. 

“I had something more added to it,” she tells him. 

Tommy pops around the corner then, looking between the two of them and then spotting the swell of Ellie inside the sling. 

“Everything okay in here,” he asks. 

“Everything’s fine,” Evan tells him. Maddie reaches a hand out toward him, grabbing his wrist. 

“Come in. You should see this too.” 

Tommy raises a curious eyebrow and steps around the doorway, into the nursery. Maddie lets go of his arm as he glances down at the blanket, clearly realizing what it is. 

Maddie unfolds the muslin carefully, passing Evan a corner, and then another to Tommy before grabbing the final two in her own hands and holding it out. They both tilt their heads, taking in the entire blanket. 

Each corner is embroidered, although Evan’s is the only one that has older thread filled in with new where it had it frayed over the years. 

Evan Phillip Thomas James Eliza River Buckley Kinard

Tommy clears his throat, his face contorted by the wave of emotion brought on by the gesture. The glances up at Maddie with an expression similar to Evan’s. 

“Maddie, this is-…” He pauses and shakes his head. Maddie squeezes his arm again and he nods, quickly reaching up to wipe at tears coming down his face. 

“I just thought- I mean, I know neither of you have any keepsakes,” she explains. “And I wanted to help with that.” 

[prestonmonterey]

playing cards update!!! ive got 8 done so far, which means im over halfway finished with spades :DD

i really like pascals card bc i think its silly, but theres a lot of blank space on the card so im not sure if i should change the pose :|

otherwise tho i think theyre coming along really nicely :D and im excited to finish this suit :DDDD

(also kinda unsure about the colors on gothel and eugene,,,, idk if theres like a better thing to color for the shadow side,,, bc theyre both pretty plain designs. i think i tried making eugene's vest orange and i really hated it, but i think i wanna save the colored in hair for raps and cass

(also i added pink so i redistributed the colors for some of the other suits, but i didnt put it in this one bc none of the characters really fit)

anyway yall tell me what ya think :D

[solivagantingrebel]

I need to write Ghost and Soap sparring in a homoerotic way.

[aparticularbandit]

WIP Wednesday Game

snatching from @kedreeva because have been given permission!

Here’s how it works:

In a reblog of this post (so people can find you in the notes) or new thread (w/ rules attached) if you want to play on your own, post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to play!

After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can't share from (for example, an event or gift fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. I’ll be searching the reblogs to find people to send asks to!

If you’re reading this, you’re invited!

If you see someone posting a WIP Wednesday Game snippet, send them an ask! Make them write.

@eriquin, @adhdavinci, @post-and-out, @stonemaskedtaliesin, @princescar, @auburnlaughter, @captaintoomanybattles, @lingeringmirth, i know there are more of you but you are the ones i remember off the top of my head

I'll put mine in a separate note!

[damiengravehill]

WIP - Gluskin and Renfield.