#this actually applies to the pokemon au as well as my own canon:

[hartxstarr-art]

i like to think that before Wild Horses, the last time spike saw doohan was three years ago.

[maniacwatchestheworld]

Is it just me, or is it actually pretty difficult to make AUs for Pokemon...?

I suppose that I should make a preface before I really get into things here to say... When it comes to stuff I write or draw or whatever, especially when it comes to Pokemon, I'm not particularly interested in making OCs or telling some sort of story surrounding my trainer's journey. I primarily tend to only make Pokemon OCs when I come up with some kind of novel idea, and there are so many other people out there telling their trainer's story that I don't think that I would have anything interesting to add. (Even with the insane way I play these games!) Additionally, when it comes to fan content, I tend to want to engage far more with the kind of stories that can only be told in the world of the content that the fanwork is being based off of. So while modern/mundane AUs may be popular and an easy go-to for some Pokemon AUs, they don't tend to particularly tickle my fancy. But that's probably just a me thing.

In any case, I've been looking at some AUs for Pokemon Legends Arceus lately, and seeing them makes me want to make my own AU to do my own kind of edgy bullshit in! But also I've gotta say that monsoon-of-art makes a pretty good point with their Pokerus AU (good shit by the way, would definitely recommend checking it out!) in that the Wardens are actually pretty neat characters and there are a lot of interesting and fun ways to explore the dynamics going on between them that many people aren't really capitalizing on. So whatever AU I come up with, I'd like for them to join in on the action as well!

While I think that I've come up with something that works well and that I'm happy with, it wasn't very easy for me to come up with anything that didn't just feel like a take on something that someone else has already done probably far better than I ever could. And thinking about this started to make me think about the nature of AUs for Pokemon in general.

Pokemon as a franchise and world just has a TON of stuff going on in it. 8 regions each with their own fauna, geography, culture, and cast of characters living in it in the mainline series alone without counting any of the side titles? A canonical multiverse with multiple canonical timelines where characters from each are ever so slightly different and yet their own distinct entities that exist separate from what came before or comes afterwards? There's just a lot going on and changes within the story or whatever that effect one region or set of characters wouldn't necessarily effect any other major part of the world. Hell, even within one region, something that effects someone like Lance, say, wouldn't necessarily effect someone like Bugsy. So I think that this makes it difficult to come up with wide, overarching, sweeping changes without changing the setting entirely. And honestly, the setting is one of my favorite parts of Legends Arceus, so I genuinely wouldn't want to make an AU that integrally changes that!

After that, it just makes me think that maybe one of the best ways to try and make an AU for a world as large as Pokemon is to just... Like... Come up with a concept that effects one character that you really like within the series, and then apply it to the rest of the world and see what happens! For what I wanted, obviously I needed to come up with something that would effect all of the Wardens and so would need to be a little bigger than what effects just a single character, but I think that there really is something to be said about small AUs that just effect a handful of characters, even if it doesn't change things very much on a wide scale. AUs can be good, even if they only effect only a handful of characters! Hell, one of my favorite AUs that I've ever come up with for Pokemon is just one in which after losing to Red, Giovanni decides to pack it up and become a Pokemon Professor. It's an AU that pretty much only effects him and maybe Silver and a few other Team Rocket members, but it's still an AU I hold a LOT of affection for, even if I can't really do anything with it.

Could be another reason why the Subway Bosses continue to be so incredibly popular. Strong characters with an interesting story going on that could go any of several ways. All of the options can't be correct, so even in just trying figure out what happened and reuniting them can lead to AUs abound! And that's before getting into an actual story with an ongoing narrative with them.

But those are just some rambley thoughts. I'm not going anywhere with these. Just wanted to put them down for the sake of it and maybe would like to hear what you have to say on the subject of Pokemon AUs. But it's pretty whatever.

[the-east-art]

Digimon 101

A while back I wrote a post explaining the basics of the Legend of Zelda, so I thought why not do one on Digimon since it's not widely popular but is sure a staple of my blog!

Let's start by clearing some air - Pokemon vs Digimon : For some reason a lot of people seem to think that it has to be one or the other, but in my experience most people who like Digimon also really enjoy Pokemon - as I explain Digimon I will at times compare it to Pokemon to show off some of the differences of the two. Both franchises are actually very distinct in their mechanics and I enjoy both of them for different reasons :)

Okay, that said, let's start getting into the basics of Digimon under the cut!

I lied, one more boring tid bit as I talk about the canons/seasons. Almost every season of Digimon is a standalone series with it's own take on the mechanics of the digital world. For the sake of keeping this (relatively) concise and to the point I will be speaking about Digimon in broad strokes that can apply to most of the canons as I understand them. This guide is largely to help with understanding my au's and such on my blog, so if there's something I tend to use often from a specific canon I will make note of that.

The Digital World - unlike Pokemon, the human characters in the digimon series come from 'our' world. Digimon are NOT integrated into society like in Pokemon, instead Digimon is more of an isekai story, or a story where the main characters fall from the real world into a fantasy one. The Digital world is one that was either created or discovered by humans through the creation of technology and the internet and such. In many iterations to the internet itself is a place between the digital world and earth.

The Digital World often is like a bent version of the real world. The explanation varies from canon to canon but relatively speaking much of the make up of the digital world is like a half remembered real world with things like an entire field full of non functioning vending machines or a line of telephone booths on a beach. Much of the digital world is like a dream.

In some telling you can spend a year in the digital world while only an hour has passed in the real world, and in some the time between the two is the same. It really depends on what you prefer. Likewise, sometimes Digimon can and sometimes they can't be in the human world, or can only be in the human world for a little while.

Digimon : While Pokemon are animals, Digimon are fully autonomous beings. They are the 'people' of their world. A simple example for this is simply speech - while (most) Pokemon don't actually speak, all Digimon speak complete sentences all of the time. When people go to the digital world they find entire villages of Digimon and cities and such.

Digimon can evolve like Pokemon, however it'd called digivolution and works differently. While a Pokemon can only go up on the evolution ladder, Digmon can go up AND down. The higher on the ladder they are, the more work it is to maintain that form and the farther down on the ladder they fall when they release the form. For instance - during a big battle a Digimon may become an Ultimate level, but then after the battle they will transform into their in training form.

The ladder of digimon forms:

Mega

Ultimate

Champion

Rookie

In Training

Baby

Tbh I have a really hard time keeping them all straight and I think in some instances specific Digimon can go above Mega? They also don't always evolve along the same routes, things such as emotion, specific items, or just circumstances can make Digimon take different forms as they evolve which lets you play around a lot with them in concept, such as...

Dark Digivolution - A noteworthy digivolution as it's produced under very negative circumstances (different than just Digimon who are virus' by nature which I'll talk about in a bit). For instance if a Digimon isn't capable of digivolving but their partner is pushing or forcing them to they may dark digivolve and become an uncontrollable monster often without much of a consciousness, just pure anger.

I will briefly talk about the 'types' of Digimon, but I won't go super into it cuz it's kind of deep lore and not super relevant to what I do. A Digimon is data, and data has certain properties. They can be either just data, vaccine, virus, free, or variable. Mostly I just know that evil looking digimon are usually Virus' and angelic or 'good' looking digimon are usually vaccine. This sometimes factors into their default nature, but I find that concept boring so I ignore it lol. It mostly explains why some Digimon end up looking like a literal devil.

Special Digimon: In the digital world there are certain important Digimon. The one's I know the most about are the Core three (used as a major plot point in Frontier) which are Cherubimon, Seraphimon, and Ophanimon. They're all angelic like Digimon who try to keep the peace and usually I use them to represent a Digimon that is very powerful, or someone who tries to use this fact for clout. There's also the Knights (specific digimon who are part of a squad or whatever) I don't know much about them so I won't go into them but they're there too and I believe serve a similar purpose although more morally grey and with more in fighting.

But East, what about the humans????

glad you asked.

So in the digital world it is very hard to digivolve on your own - it takes a lot of work and time. Unless you have.... a partner!

Partners/Tamers/Digidestined - called many names these are the people that are bonded to a specific digimon. They often have what's called a digivice to help connect with their digimon and depending on the strength of the bond between the partner and the digimon the digimon can attain greater and higher evolutions. This is the aspect that is the most interesting as Digimon and their partners can either be alive or very different and how they deal with one another as well as the world and situations around them determine how they need to grow. Not just the partner either! In the best telling of Digimon the digimon themselves also have narrative arcs they have to go through. A digimon au is in many ways like a Daemon au - a version of yourself refracted through glass.

Okay we're almost done, I will end with talking about crests

Crests are only in the first and second iteration of the series. Each Digidestined have a specific crest, which is an attribute that is where their power comes from and has the most potential within them. Sometimes it's something a character always has, but often times it's something that they need to work on, and their relationship with their crest, while seemingly easy as first, is often much more complex than it may seem and they may have to re-analyze their relationship with the attribute in order to grow. For instance - a character with reliability may need to learn that sometimes they have to let certain people down to prioritize circumstances, in a way being unreliable to someone. The opposite of the crests is also considered their weakness and something they must resist - such as someone who's crest is friendship purposefully pushing away their friends.

Losing touch with their crests can prevent digivolutions or cause dark digivolutions.

(There's also armor which can create special digivolutions, the ability to merge digimon, the ability for the partner and digimon to fuse into an evolution - there are a lot of possibilities in the digimon series! That's why it's so fun to play with!)

Sorry this is so long! If you got this far thanks of reading and let me know if you have any questions!!!

[lulzyrobot]

Pokemon Dynamorph AU Masterpost

Based on THIS POST 

The short of this AU is that the climax of the Eternatus fight had an even more profound effect on the Galar region and its people. The excess energy made people fuse with their pokemon! Oh boy! So below the cut I’m going to outline all the ideas behind this AU thanks to everyone’s asks showing an increasing curiosity about all this! I’m used to writing original content, nothing based on an existing property so bare with me…

Events Leading Up to The Dynamorph Event

So for this AU, the events of the game leading up to the Eternatus conflict are the SAME except for some details. 

Gloria/Victor and Hop never encounter Zacian or Zamazenta. The Rusty Sword and Shield were lost to time.

When Leon goes to confront Eternatus, he is joined by everyone up on the roof. The Gloria/ Victor, Hop, Bede, Marnie, the Gym Leaders (minus Opal because she’s back in Ballonlea enjoying retirement.) 

This confrontation happens AFTER Gloria/ Victor beats Leon, for simplicity’s sake.

So when everyone confronts Eternatus, thanks to Rose’s eager impatience to do good for the Galar region, they are unable to stop it properly since Zacian and Zamazenta are nowhere to be found. Instead, the combined efforts of everyone force Eternatus to flee.

But not without releasing an overwhelming blast of Dynamax energy.

The blast rippled throughout a portion of Galar, and had a chain reaction with power spots and the dens of the Wild Area. When the dust settled, the pokemon everyone had out that they were using in the big fight were...gone. Not in their pokeball, just..gone. Naturally, people assume the worst but they have a lingering feeling that the Pokemon are still...here somehow. But they don’t know why. So when everyone’s calmed down, and clean up begins, they all go their separate ways.

About a day passes, and then it starts to happen. From the time of the blast and when the changes start to happen externally, everyone experiences some oddities superficially (better hearing, acute sensitivity to stuff etc.)

 Leon was in his newly acquired office and the just obtained Battle Tower. He had the blind closed, sat in the darkened room thinking over everything that happened, and his loss of the Champion title. When the changes started happening, he nearly burned the office, leaving claw marks in his desk, the floor, and the walls. The noise attracted someone from the Battle Tower staff and he yelled at them in panic to call Sonia. His own phone started ringing. It was Hop.

Gloria/ Victor (I separate them cuz it's more of a ‘who you imagine in this role.’ Can only have one Champion) were being briefed on Champion duties and what that entails. It’s a boring meeting, but they excuse themself to go to the bathroom. In reality they duck away outside to just get a breather. They suddenly feel a sharp pain and start to change, probably biting into their arm to muffle any scream to prevent causing a scene.

Bede headed back to Ballonlea, distraught that Hatterine was nowhere to be found. He wanted to distract himself by continuing his gym leader training, but Opal sat him down for some tea to talk about grief and loss. She’s way older and definitely has experience in that field. What she doesn’t have experience in, is what to do when your protege starts growing traits of a pokemon…

Hop, after that whole ordeal, missing Dubwool, and having lost the gym challenge just had so many feelings to vent out, he wanted to just scream. So he heads deep into the Slumbering Weald to just scream out his frustrations. When he sits down after tiring himself out, his changes start happening. In pain, scared, and alone, he calls Leon.

Marnie went back to Spikemuth with Piers. Team Yell welcomed them with open arms and gave them the idea to have a tribute concert for the pokemon they believe they lost. Marnie declined, electing to stay at home and be alone for a while. She didn’t want to be around people right now. Then her changes started happening, and she uncontrollably let out a burst of electricity, causing an outage in Spikemuth. 

Piers, meanwhile, was setting up for an impromptu concert. He dealt with his feelings by doing literally anything to distract him from them so yelling into a microphone for a couple hours seemed like a good idea. Just as he was about to test the mic, a huge power surge came from his place and shut down all of Spikemuth’s power. Concerned for his sister he runs off stage, taking alleys as a shortcut. In his adrenaline he doesn’t even realize his changes started until he tripped over his own new claws and writhes just outside their place.

Raihan, being in Hammerlocke, wastes no time in helping with the clean up. While at the highest point in the city, he and his gym trainers were hard at work. Until Raihan collapsed, trying to hold himself up with his broom. His trainers looked on in concern and horror as he began changing, even starting up a sandstorm in the process. As a result, one trainer almost gets pushed off the roof but, bearing through the pain, Raihan leaps in and grabs them in time.

Gordie and Melony head back to Circhester. On the way, they had talked a lot about their issues and gripes that had torn a rift in their family, in earnest. The assumed loss of their pokemon worked as good common ground to remind them about the importance of family. They were both at Melony’s home when it happened. The heat and cold put a completely new kind of barrier between the two.

Bea wanted to get her mind off everything that happened by training in the outskirts of Stow-on-Side. She pushed herself too far, and her pokemon urged her to stop. But she fought them off. At first with difficulty, but then as her changes happened, more easily. Her pokemon backed off and started looking for help.

Alister, figuring that his Gengar maybe wandered off on its own again, headed to the graveyard during the night. One of Gengar’s favourite spots. For a moment, Alister thought he heard Gengar’s chuckle and it’s cry but turned to see nothing. Something compelled him to look down at himself and he could see himself becoming translucent and a suspicious shade of purple. He had always had an affinity with ghosts but becoming one was something else entirely. Ensue panic attack.

Kabu returned home to quietly meditate and think rationally about everything that happened. In a trance-like state, he could feel Centiskorch right there next to him. He felt at peace. The smell of burning snapped him out of it, however when he realized he, as well as a good part of the room, was on fire. He quickly escaped, realizing the fire didn’t hurt him. 

Nessa just wanted to be alone, so back at Hulberry, she walked along the docks, shrouded in early morning fog. Her changes started happening, but she really only felt itchy as the scales came in. Upon checking her phone, did she herself in the screen’s reflection and freak out.

Life moves on and Milo had a farm to tend to. His family urged him to take a break but he smiled back at them and assured them he was okay. He wasn’t. While working was when his changes happened. His whole family rushed to his aid. And again, through a smile, he insisted he was okay.

Oleana was working feverishly on getting money together for lawyers and bail money to get Rose out of his self-imposed jail sentence. She knew all he wanted was good for the region, but he was just too blind to see the potential damage he was causing. She wanted him to have a second chance. But her changes slowed her down. 

Rose, in a cell, reflected on his actions. How rash he was that he didn’t see the big picture. He should’ve listened. When his changes happened in his cell, he was horrified. Not at what happened to him, but what was no doubt, happening to the others. And probably more. What had he done? He needed to fix his mistake. 

The ones present at the event were not the only ones to change, however. This was happening all over the region, closer to power spots (which includes the towns, but the morphs aren’t all as drastic) and the wild area (trainers fused with wild pokemon and went hostile. This is covered in depth in another section). After one of the quickest trials, Rose had offered to the court that instead of a full prison sentence, he spent his entire resources and wealth into funding on solving this new, now coined ‘Dynamorph Crisis.’ They agreed and the Macro Cosmos got to work.

How the Dynamorph Actually Works

Bare with me because this is where I kind of bend canon and make assumptions about things for the sake of explaining how this AU even works. So. Eternatus caused all this by basically converting things into energy. On humans, it would just tear them apart. On pokemon it would just turn them into dynamax energy temporarily. The normal situation is that dynamaxing makes the pokemon grow and change form, yeah? Well for this AU, the pokemon, seeing that their trainers are potentially going to die, decide to fuse with them to ‘fill in the gaps.’ Saving them. At first, it appears like they were able to change into the parts missing, but after a while, the pokemon traits start showing, which is my excuse for why the actual changes were delayed. 

The severity of the dynamorph is dependent on proximity to the blast/ powerspot. And just personal preference if you wanted to make your own trainersona dynamorphed (which I totally encourage! It’s fun and I like seeing what you all come up with!!). 

Dynamorphed trainers gain the physical traits, special abilities, movesets and odd quirks that come with the pokemon they are dynamorphed with. (Bonding with Morpeko makes you hungry, bonding with a Xatu lets you see the future, etc) Though, since the humanity is still there, they are able to curb some of the more aggressive quirks with diligence.

If the pokemon bonded is not fully evolved, applying the correct evolutionary method will evolve and change the outward appearance of the dynamorphed trainer. Normal level up are accomplished by fighting, not by age. 

Since being part pokemon, the trainer is a lot more resilient and could, if they REALLY wanted to, fight other morphed trainers. Trainers feel the type weakness and resistances. They would faint just like a pokemon fight. Potions and pokemon centres would help them recover. Though death is still something that can happen. 

Trainers fused with food-like pokemon are not edible please don't eat them, there's a place where the food stops and the flesh starts and we don’t need to find out where that is ok??

Normal pokemon that are caught and trained will REFUSE to attack a dynamorphed trainer unless absolutely provoked. So you can’t really have a pokemon battle where a dynamoprhed trainer is beating up a pokemon or vice versa. That’s messed up.

Dynamorphed trainers cannot be caught in any kind of pokeballs. That’s also messed up.

They cannot breed to make a weird hybrid plz stop asking.

Dynamorphed Trainers can NOT be Dynamaxed. Too much energy, man.

Trainers CAN bond with more than one pokemon, but that's where complications start to occur. The more pokemon bonded to the trainer, the harder it is form them to hold on to their humanity. 

1 Pokemon = Okay

2 Pokemon = A struggle to keep humanity, but it’s possible.

3+ Pokemon = This is not a person. It is a hostile beast.

There are no legendary pokemon/ ultra beasts dynamorphed. They’re all in other regions and wouldn’t be in the Galar region when it happened so there just wouldn’t be. But if ya’ll make one with one anyway, I won’t stop you but the legendary pokemon may be too strong for a trainer to handle.

If the pokemon’s nature is different than the trainer’s than it might affect their personality. The extent of this is varied.

**No two dynamorphs look the same! If you have two trainers bonded with like...a Pikachu for example. One might get yellow fur, ears, and a tail while the other only gets a tail and the cheeks. Go nuts.

If the pokemon dynamorphed with the trainer is the opposite gender, the result is whatever you want. 

Speaking of complications, that brings us to the next part…

The Wild Area Trainers

During this whole event, I previously mentioned that the Wild Area was significantly affected. Those unfortunate enough to be out camping during the blast had the chance of 1 of 3 things happening:

They dynamorphed with one of their pokemon. 

They dynamorphed with with more than one of their pokemon

They dynamorphed with one or more wild pokemon Examples found HERE.

In the case of being bonded to a wild pokemon, this takes a heavy toll on the trainer’s mind as its constantly fighting with a wild pokemon. This causes them to lose their minds and become hostile, just like a wild pokemon. Unfortunately a large number of “Wild Trainers” roam the Wild Area. Their previously caught pokemon usually try to flee or stick around to protect their trainer out of sheer devotion. As mentioned before, they cannot be caught with a pokeball. But the region is working on a program to deal with this. …

How the Galar Region is dealing with the Dynamorph Crisis

Professors Sonia and Magnolia are appointed the top researchers, being granted the resources of the Macro Cosmos thanks to Oleana and Rose, wanting to atone for his mistakes. However the government, doubting Rose’s competence, sends out their own officials to oversee and make decisions. (I have no idea how the government of this region works. Is there a parliament? Is the gym league the authority? I’ll say for this AU there is actually a system of government…). 

They have labs and rehabilitation centres set up to be able to study and help help dynamorphed trainers cope and eventually go back home. They are not kept there against their will. Most, anyway. The main cast were quarantined in a lab/ facility for the early stages of the crisis so they could learn/ test their capabilities in a safe environment. Shenanigans ensue. Because of this, the crisis put a hold on the gym challenge league entirely. 

At first, the authorities wanted to keep this under wraps in case their morphs were an isolated incident but quickly realized that was going to be impossible. Travel to and from the Galar region became incredibly restricted. Dynamorphed trainers are not allowed to leave the region, for everyone’s safety (don’t want to risk an outburst that could harm anyone :c ), but unchanged people were free to travel once they were confirmed as ‘human’ by a mandatory test. 

The Wild Area became a huge problem, what with Wild Trainers running about. Defenses were set up just in case to prevent Wild Trainers from wandering into populated areas and causing havoc, though a few occurrences still happen, what with flying pokemon and all. Eventually, a special force was assembled that consisted of consenting dynamorphed trainers that were tasked with going into the Wild Area and subduing and retrieving Wild Trainers to bring them to a more secured location to help study them and to try and find a cure. And to confirm to families the fate of their missing family member(s). The attempt is to be as humane as possible. 

The special force (Do I really wanna call it Dynaforce? I feel like I’m abusing the prefix if I do), consists of all the current gym leaders, Piers, Leon, Victor/ Gloria and a bunch of other trainers who signed up who are 18+. (you don't want to send kids out doing this kind of dangerous work, I know pokemon is all about children taming powerful animals but you gotta draw the line in the sand somewhere. Gym leaders are exempt because they why not. They insisted and already proved their strength to the region. It’s an AU based off a fuckin game/ anime.) This force has two jobs:

Go into the Wild Area to subdue Wild Trainers and bring them home

Protect the towns in case any wild trainers get in. 

So what happened to Eternatus if it just escaped? Theories indicate it might be living in a massive den in the heart of the Wild Area, waiting to strike again. There are a lot more Wild Trainers near this area, so excursions here are difficult.

Is a cure eventually found? Honestly this is just an AU so that's up to you. My personal answer is no. Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. //Bear Grylls voice

So….this is a lot. This is just some silly AU that inspired me to expand on it for fun since you guys showed a lot of interest! I’ll edit this as I get more asks about things I may have missed, but I will be going in and deleting a lot of previous asks so I can clean up my blog a bit. I had WANTED to keep a lot of this ‘secret’ cuz I wanted to draw stuff for it. I STILL WILL DRAW for it, but realistically I don’t have the time or energy ahah. Especially for an AU of a published franchise aha. 

If you want to make a dynamorph trainersona, totally go for it! Just tag me when its done! I love seeing what people do!

[lucky-draws]

💕 💘 💊 for the writer's ask game!

💕 opinion on aus?

I think they're good!! It depends what they are and how well they fit the characters but I certainly don't object to them. For metal gear I actually sort of prefer reading canon compliant stuff, just because it's the batshit military soap opera stuff of canon that is interesting to me, but having said that when you've got something as wacky as mg it's also quite endearing to have those characters represented as normal ass people in coffee shops. I also like slightly canon divergent aus such as like, to use my own stuff as an example, where I gave ocelot sort of psychic ghost powers that aren't canon but could plausibly be canon, stuff like that where it's like an extension of canon rather than a completely different universe ig.

💘 Favorite AU? Least favourite?

I don't really write AUs myself. In terms of reading, I'm not sure if I have a specific favourite AU, none that comes to mind. For least favourite it's tempting to say a clichéd one like a coffee shop au for least favourite, but at the same time, if they're well written and interesting then I don't think it's a bad thing to use such a typical formula.

Actually, in my own works I did do one AU, the first thing I ever wrote for mgs and it was an otasune pokemon au lmao which I'm pretty much never gonna finish, but that was fun actually, something like pokemon is so fun to apply to anything because it's like ooh what pkmn would they all have etc...

💊what is something you wish you knew before you started writing?

Oh, interesting question!!! I don't know if there's anything I regret not knowing exactly, it's more just been a process of figuring out my style etc as I go along. I suppose with fanfic, actually, because it's 99% of the time centered on romance, I think when I first started I thought I had to focus all on the cutesy kissy aspect otherwise people wouldn't be interested in reading it, but I now realise that's not the case really, if a story is interesting and explores the characters well then it doesn't need "fluff" to make it enjoyable.

In terms of my writing style, I think it's getting more polished now, my early fics are a little garbled or don't flow as well, but my latest stuff is a lot easier to read. It also comes across a bit more mature now, perhaps, because I'm trying to move away from the super fluffy stuff and write bosselot as a lot darker and a lot more realistic (in my imagining). Writing is all about balance, I suppose, and I think I'm finding that as I go along. Knowing when to be concise and when to be descriptive, when to gloss over bits of action instead of writing out every detail play by play, how to balance bits of humour with a dark subject matter, etc etc.

More specifically, I wish I'd known a lot more about cigars. Or guns. Or geography. Or the inner workings of the KGB. There's something to be said for coffee shop aus in that they don't require half as much research (or making things up and hoping for the best) as canon mgs fic does...

Thank you for the ask!! Hope you're having/had a good day! :) 💚

[tcpdog]

My muse is:   canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless

Is your character popular in the fandom?  YES / NO.

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK.

Is your character considered strong in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK.

Are they underrated?  YES / NO.

Were they relevant to the main story?  YES / NO / KINDA.

Were they relevant to the main character?  YES / NO / KINDA.

Are they widely known in their world?  YES / NO.

How’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL.

How strictly do you follow canon?

in regards to Archer specifically, there’s not really much canon to go off of, but I follow it semi-loosely.  canon is not my bible; rather than just blindly follow it I prefer to enhance and expand it where I feel necessary, or when it would benefit my muse’s development.  so for example, in Archer’s main verse, although Giovanni did disband and leave Team Rocket after being defeated by Red, and Archer did revive it in his search for the Boss, Gio did in fact end up coming back rather than the Executives just being defeated and disbanding Rocket again.  I made this change not just because it made more sense to me that way (the idea of Gio’s ego being so fragile as to give up his life’s work after being defeated once is ridiculous tbh, forget the theory of him actually jumping from Tohjo Falls), but because it allows me the freedom to interact and expand on Team Rocket and Archer’s place in it without being restricted to just RBY, GS or HGSS.

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals.

well I’ve tried to take a character who’s only defining traits were ‘has a dog’ and ‘is obsessed with Giovanni’ and tried to make him much more than that.  Archer is a very complex creature and I try to show that as much as possible.  he’s intelligent and cruel and obviously a villain, but his motives and thoughts have meaning and reasons behind them that, at least I hope, make sense.  I’ve tried to make him a very engaging and intriguing villain, the kind I’d like to see more of in media; someone you love to hate, but can also relate to or at least understand.

Now the OPPOSITE. List everything why your muse might not be so interesting (even if you don’t agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?)

that he’s technically a side character that is largely overshadowed by Giovanni and other Rockets that have more exposure from being featured in the anime or movies, like the TRio.  so from a strictly canon perspective he has very little meat to him and is easily overlooked.  my portrayal of him is much ‘darker’ and applies a lot of real life aspects that Team Rocket was based on, taking some of the fantastical innocence away from Pokemon because I personally find that boring, so it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.  also admittedly he’s kind of stereotypical in some ways, being a “smart badass” with a Traumatic Backstory that seems to be good at almost everything, so that might turn some people away, but I really try to balance it out I promise lol.

What inspired you to rp your muse?

I’ve talked about this before but I was encouraged to do so by an old friend, for her Giovanni blog.  so I wasn’t really inspired to rp him, I was bullied and enabled into it, lmao.

What keeps your inspiration going?

said friend left the Pokemon rpc about two years ago now but I’ve grown too attached to Archer and really made him into my own thing so I guess... my own progress and the continued interest / support of my RP partners has inspired me to continue writing him.  if it weren’t for you guys I wouldn’t have stuck around. <3

Some more personal questions for the mun. Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you give your character justice?  YES (I HOPE) / NO.

Do you frequently write headcanons?  YES / NO / USED TO.

Do you sometimes write drabbles?  YES / NO / RARELY.

Do you think a lot about your muse during the day?  YES / NO / SOMETIMES.

Are you confident in your portrayal?   YES / NO.

Are you confident in your writing?  YES / NO.

Are you a sensitive person?  YES / NO / DEPENDS.

Do you accept criticism well about your portrayal?

if it’s polite, constructive and well-thought out, absolutely.  if not, then my response can vary from “die mad about it” to just deleting and ignoring it.

Do you like questions which help you explore your character?

god yes I fucking LIVE for questions that make me think and develop my muses more.  I don’t care if it’s something simple and easy to answer or really deep and complicated.

If someone disagrees with a headcanon of yours, do you want to know why?

sure? I mean I’m not going to ask why or demand a reason, but if someone disagrees and wants to tell me why then I’d like to hear it.  it might make me reconsider or at least see things a little differently.  but I would want them to not put down my headcanons or try to prove why they’re “right” and I’m wrong.

If someone disagrees with your portrayal, how would you take it?

shrug it off.  roleplay is like a buffet, and everyone has different tastes.  not everyone is going to like or agree with my portrayal and they’re entitled to their opinion.  as long as they don’t try to force me to change for them or vague about me / my blog, it’s whatever.

If someone really hates your character, how do you take it?

if it’s in character, then I don’t mind; in fact I expect others to hate him, he has a lot about him to hate.  but out of character, if you really hate Archer and/or how I write him (and not the “I love to hate them” kind of hate that villains and generally nasty characters are supposed to inspire), then just avoid me / unfollow / block / blacklist, whatever makes you comfy.  I respect the right of other people to have their opinions, just keep them to yourself if all you have to offer is hate for what I’m doing.

Are you okay with people pointing out your grammatical errors?

I rarely make them because I’m kind of anal about grammar / spelling myself and if I notice one I’ll immediately jump on it to correct it.  that said if someone does see a typo or grammar error in an IC post they’re welcome to let me know so I can fix it.  if it’s an OOC post or message though just, let it go, I only half try when I’m talking for myself.

Do you think you are easy going as a mun? I try to be.  I’m not always, but I don’t think anyone is easygoing all the time.  but I come here to escape, relax and have fun, so that’s why I try to bring.

[wardencommanderrodimiss]

I’m trying not to go to bed too early, because the other night I kept waking up and lying awake unable to fall asleep, so I’m gonna chatter a bit about the three Fae AU designs I’ve done for three of the Fey girls

The first two sketches I did, of Maya and Mia, were back in November. Maya’s was first:

(cut because lots of big pictures)

[link for “official” design, December]

There’s..... a few similar things. The way the necklace became floating orbs is the same, and her hair being a foggy mess, and the pointed ears and pointed teeth. I played with the shape of their noses and whether I wanted that to be a less-human feature, and I wasn’t sold on that, so that (for now?) got scrapped. I forgot the magatama in the final drawing but honestly you could probably assume that’s there. 

I hadn’t figured out her mouth yet. That’s one of the key features for Maya, imo. When I decided that I wasn’t just going to have a “standard” fae look and instead design each character individually, I did so because I wanted their appearances to reflect something about their canon characterization. For Maya, the thing I picked and ran with is that she likes to eat. It’s far from the most important thing about her, but it got me to that otherworldly, horror concept of her chesire smile and overlarge mouth. 

Her hair tendrils and the parts on the sides being things she can control was kind of a whim, but I took it from Pokemon things, like how Mimikyu has that kind of shadow arm that can emerge from beneath the constume, or Cofagrigus’ arms. That sort of thing. I just thought it was neat. 

You’ll also notice that she only has the one pair of eyes in this first draft. That’s because I added them to her after I drew her sister:

[link for ”official” design, January]

Mia had lots of eyes from the start. Even when I drew this, I was picturing a third row of eyes beneath the largest ones, too. You see that in the final design she has just one, because I couldn’t make the full row look quite right to me. That concept, her three rows of red eyes, is meant to resemble Godot’s mask, which has the three glowing red bars. Otherwise, Mia’s design didn’t see the overhaul that Maya did. Her hair became a little fuzzier, too, and that’s really it.

Maya then got her second set of eyes as a similarity to Mia.

When it came to the final, with color, designs, I wasn’t always settled on purple for Maya’s skin. First I tested out orange, which I plucked directly from the color of her magatama in her sprites, I think.

But Maya just really really feels like a purple girl to me, so purple I went with. Orange went to Mia, because Mia doesn’t feel purple. 

And their ears changed shape not really for any real reason, but Maya’s I was looking at the mitamah design when I drew it, and I think her ears have the same number of bumps as a mitamah. Mia’s don’t, because I was like, fuck it. Whatever. Also, though I didn’t do the full bust drawing of Mia, she has claws, too. All of the fae have claws, and red eyes, and everything else can be different. 

Then there’s Dahlia. I genuinely don’t have any concept sketches for her. I leapt right into it.

[link to “official” design, January]

Her horns go where her braids go, and her ears are shaped sort of like all those little butterflies that flutter around her. I dismissed the idea of pink skin pretty quickly, like yeah, she’s pink, but I thought I could come up with something more. I’m visualizing it -- not sure how well I made it work in the drawing -- as being like porcelain, like a porcelain doll. That Maya and Mia’s skin is different colors, but still looks more like skin, as opposed to Dahlia’s, which is weirdly smooth and a little shiny. Kinda leaning into the nickname that Phoenix gives her.

Then, for her hair, I tossed around the idea of having it pretty much just be red fire, drawing from her final sprites when she’s being exorcised. Fire, and phoenixes. And then I thought, what if I made it the opposite of that, and had her hair be a bit thinned and clumped together like it’s wet -- again, not sure how well I made it work in the drawing -- a la drowning, a la her faking her death off of Dusky Bridge into the river.

Lastly, there’s her eyes. They’re meant to resemble a gemstone -- again, hearkening back to when she took the dive off the bridge after extorting a diamond from her own stepfather. I almost had her eyes be white, again like a diamond, but also like that one very angry sprite she has where her eyes go straight white. But while I liked that idea, I couldn’t justify to myself the exception from my rule of “all the fae have red eyes, only.” In the first sketch, her eyes were a different shape, too.

but I didn’t like that as much.

She’s got the extra set of eyes too, which has now become a “Fey family” thing in my head. In the actual fic for this AU, in chapter 6, Phoenix says that Maya didn’t always have the second smaller pair of eyes, that they were new (after Bridge). I imagine them as being almost a marker of the power of that particular fae -- that Maya hadn’t always applied herself so much to strengthening her magic, and so she only has the one pair. That would then mean that Mia is way too super powerful but......I dunno. Don’t take this as canon yet. 

I will say, that for the power levels of the fae woman -- while canonically, Dahlia and Iris have no spiritual power, it’s different here. Dahlia is one of the stronger ones -- the power rankings as I have them roughed out in my head go

Mia > Dahlia > Pearl > Maya > Iris

Pearl and Maya is a tricky one, in that Pearl has more innate, inborn, natural power, but when Maya starts applying herself, after her mother’s death and foiling the last of Morgan and Dahlia’s plots, she is stronger than Pearl in her magic. And this is all trilogy-era. By the time we get to Maya’s next appearance, in Khura’in... she’s stronger than Mia ever was. You do not want to fuck with Maya, ever (see: her vs de Killer) but especially not in the next-gen era. I will have to be very careful plotting to make sure she doesn’t break SoJ from the outset.

And I....think that’s everything. I think that’s -- wait. One last thing.

The hair. I talked about Dahlia’s hair, but you’ll notice it’s different than Maya and Mia’s. Why?

It’s a pun. I swear to you, it’s just a fucking pun on Misty’s name, that Maya and Mia have misty, foggy, wispy hair. 

There. Now I think that’s most of what I wanted to say for design thoughts on these three. I intend to design Pearl and Iris (even if she ends up just being a palette-swap) at some point, so I’ll probably end up talking about them once I’m done, too.

[royalty-subway]

For both twins:(Emmet,Ingo,Sordward,Shieldbert) 💜💛📖

💜- Crossover non-ship relationship I like

Hm. Well, I’m not sure if you can count this entire blog as a “crossover non-ship relationship” since it is based on characters from Pokemon Black and White meeting Pokemon Sword and Shield characters. But eh, it does come from the same universe. So I don’t think it counts- ;w;

And while I’m not much for thinking about crossovers. But to humor people, I always had this funny thought for Sordward and Shielbert to be in a crossover with a Zelda game. Like, it could be any of the games. I couldn’t tell you why I think this, but… I suppose it comes with the thought that I feel like they’d enjoy playing a Zelda game-

While for Emmet… there are a lot of crossovers I can think of. Like, the Sonic characters from the Sonic Movie, Mario, Kirby, literally anything you can imagine for this man. But hm, I might say Kirby the most. I just feel like Emmet can vibe in that place the most. Oh! And I just recalled a game called “Slime Rancher”. I honestly think that crossover would be funny-

For Ingo… well, I can only think of two. Either Splatoon 2 or Portal 2; well, the Octo Expansion and the Multiplayer feature in Portal 2, to be specific. Actually, this can apply to Emmet as well. And I think it’s because the Octo Expansion involves trains and the Multiplayer in Portal 2 are robots and it requires people to be smart-

💛- Brotp

Hm. It’s hard to think of one for Sordward, oddly enough. Since like, I can’t exactly think of anyone who can befriend him. But… maybe Klara? Like, Sordward and Klara are clearly toxic people. And they probably have fights 24/7. But I can sort of see them as mutuals. I would say Sonia is my second choice, but they’d probably be “chill” mutuals compared to Sordward and Klara-

I can think of one Brotp for Shielbert, though. Which would be him and Avery. Since like, those two are insufferable to deal with. And I genuinely think they can be friends (despite interacting just once-). Like, they’re legit just Starlight and Trixie from MLP, but with human dudes.

For both Ingo and Emmet, it’s probably them and Elesa. I just genuinely like their group vibes; twins that like trains and infodump about it as much as they humanly can, times a billion and a woman. Despite… probably only having one canon interaction so far-

But here’s a small bonus, based on the AU where the twins met the other twins, right? I think it can be obvious; Ingo/Shielbert and Emmet/Sordward. If I had to explain myself, I just see Shielbert and Ingo as genuine people that try to behave a bit normally. As in, they take battle strategies seriously and such. The reason why I say “try”, is because they’re not really normal people-

Like, look at Shielbert, nothing needs to be said. And Ingo has the skills to somehow manage to break the world record on how to be so unaware when he infodumps or yells “all aboard”.

While Sordward and Emmet are just disasters, and you can tell just by looking at them. The only difference is that one of them is aware of it, while the other one has too much of a high ego to even notice their own faults.

📖- AU I’d like to see them in

Well, I already made a few AU as it is; where the boys meet each other, a mermaid/merman one, a Hisui one (… which would probably be my favorite, whether it’s the boys all together or just Sordward, I think it’s because I actually put thought into it unlike the rest- ;w;) and such.

… However, there are some that I haven’t done yet, and never shared. So here’s a few of them, just to humor you guys;

In like, a horror AU, preferably an analog horror kind of thing. Like, watching analog horror is one of my guilty pleasures (or anything spooky related) since I get scared easily when night comes, but I love spooky stuff at the same time- ;w;

An AU where Sneasler comes back to the present time so the twins have to take care of her (… well, I suppose that’s currently happening in my ask blog but still-)… Or it could be an AU where they simply take care of a Hisuian Sneasel (… which again, it’s in my ask blog-)

An AU where someone (or everyone) has like, an elemental power (like Elsa from Frozen).

A monster AU (like, centaurs, vampires, werewolves, just any mythical creature you can think of, I had this thought because I somewhat became fascinated by mythical beings- ;w;)

But something a bit related to that, a robot AU, right? I mean, I’ve seen people already doing that for Emmet and Ingo. But it’s just that this thought fascinates me-

A royalty AU; where you’d obviously have Sordward and Shielbert as royals. And like, Emmet and Ingo could just be commoners or knights or whatever- (maybe even Elesa too-)

I… don’t know if this counts; but that thing in my Miitopia game. I wouldn’t exactly consider it an “AU”, but I just genuinely like whatever I did in there-

… I also don’t know if this counts, but there are some games/shows/movies that I wish for like, some sort of AU or just general ideas of drawing for fun, which would be like, the gemstones from Steven Universe (like, which gemstone would the boys be-), them as ponies from MLP (I did a sketch of it a while back, but never shared it- ;w;) and… whatever is going on in Ena. Those are just a few examples, though. ;w;

[phirephox666]

Weekly Fic Recs - BNHA

This is gonna be an experiment in, you know, actually doing something with my disaster of a blog. So! Weekly Fic Recs. Because I read, and have read, a fuckton of fic, and I like sharing. These are all BNHA and Bakugou-centric.

Weekly Rec Lists - More BNHA Recs

Beyond You and I by IvoryCrow 

Bakugou/Midoriya, Bakugou & Midoriya, Bakugou & Kirishima, Bakusquad, WIP, 8.5k

He has always known that Izuku Midoriya will undeniably become the best hero of their time. There was no amount of bullying he could ever inflict upon him to change that. But he never realized that this fate was strongly dependent on the existence of Katsuki Bakugou.

(In which Katsuki was born with a second, more subtle quirk.)

Honestly just a really interesting premise. I love the idea of secondary or subtle quirks and this is a neat execution of the idea. I like the interpretation of Bakugou in this, and I appreciate the focus on the friendships, not just the romance. I’m really enjoying this fic so far. 

More Than One Hero by verymerrysioux

Bakugou & Midoriya, Bakugou & Kirishima, Bakugou & Shinsou, Midoriya & Kirishima, Midoriya & Shinsou, Kirishima & Shinsou, Friendship/Gen, Crossover/Fusion, Reincarnation AU, WIP, 31k

Bakugou Katsuki is an odd child, quiet and unassuming at first glance. One wouldn’t think he’d have the makings of a hero. The people who actually know him say otherwise.

His parents will say he collects a lot of odd things, likes to make too many unnecessary explosions (quirk or not), and can be so quiet that people won’t know he’s there. His childhood friend will say he’s a little weird, switches from polite speech to swears-a-lot at the drop of a hat, and has the habit of giving things away as much as he collects them. His classmates and teachers in U.A will say he’s too nosy for his own good, rummages through all the pots in the campus way too much, and is often unfazed by anything thrown his way. No matter how bizarre it may be.

Regardless, they all think he’ll be a great hero.

The most ridiculous, wonderful thing. This fic is hilarious and amazing and such a strange concept. But it works! Fun and interesting and wildly weird. There’s also some really well done serious moments. The entire fic feels very organic and well done. Poor All Might, though, he’s not prepared for any of this nonsense. 

Slow to Start (But Quick to Burn) by mousapelli

Kirishima/Bakugou, A/b/o Dynamics, Complete, 29k

Bakugou is loud, abrasive, and way too strong to be a “good” omega, and he doesn’t give half a damn if that’s what everybody else thinks. The good news is that Kirishima is 100% into him just the way he is. The bad news is he might be 150% into Kirishima

I enjoy A/b/o and I really enjoy this sort of trope subversion. A really good build between Kirishima and Bakugou into a relationship. Not a bad integration of A/b/o into the Bnha universe, without just slapping Alpha/Omega labels on everyone and calling it good. 

believe in me, believe in you by gold_rush

Bakugou & Todoroki, Bakugou & Midoriya, Friendship/Gen, Complete, 4.6k

Katsuki accidentally sees evidence of Todoroki’s abuse and he is FURIOUS.

Should probably be subtitled “Bakugou Katsuki wants to drop kick Endeavor in the face”. Has some of my favorite stuff in it, protective Bakugou and Parental Aizawa. Also, some really solid Bakugou and Midoriya interaction. 

Put the Meat on My Bones by wonduhwoman

Bakugou/Midoriya/Uraraka, Bakugou & Shinsou, Bakugou & Kirishima, Bakugou & Todoroki, Aged Up Midoriya & Uraraka, WIP,  42k

“Dude,” Kirishima said, “How much did he tip you?”

Katsuki glanced down at his hand clutching the money, “Two-hundred bucks.”

Sero whistled low.

“What’s this?” Yaoyorozu asked, stealing the slip of paper off the bar before Katsuki could protest. She unfolded it, eyes widening, “He gave you his number, Bakugou! He even drew a winky face next to it!”

The consequences of Midoriya and Bakugou not growing up and going to UA together. Well executed AU, and some really great characterization all around. I love the friendships between Bakugou and Shinsou, but also the friendships between Bakugou and class 1A. Very solid writing, and just a very enjoyable fic so far. 

Adventures with Bakugou by SatyrSyd37

Bakugou & Class 1A, Gen/Friendship, WIP, 21k

Class 1-A learns a lot from Bakugou, and Bakugou learns a lot from them.

‘Field trips with Zuko’ style adventures with Bakugou and each of the 1-A kiddos.

I just enjoy this concept immensely. Bakugou and 1A growing and learning together. Also, a little bit of exploration of some of the characters that don’t get as much screen-time in canon is always welcome. 

Exception by saruma_aki

Bakugou-centric, Bakugou & Kirishima, Bakugou/Kirishima, Complete, 4.8k

Bakugou knew that certain things Kirishima would never personally agree with, just like the same applied for Bakugou in regards to Kirishima. But it was why they worked together so well.

Kirishima never hesitated to call Bakugou out on shit, and Bakugou always returned the favor. They engaged in their own personal sort of system of checks and balances, keeping each other in line, providing a unique sort of support.

They were each other’s best friend.

I really, really appreciate fics that deal with the fact that chaining up a fifteen year old in front of millions of people is a terrible idea and probably traumatizing. The fact that it was done by teachers that are supposed to be trusted authority figures is just… a thousand times worse. An excellent look at some of that. 

the world you keep erasing by Slumber

Bakugou/Kirishima, Bakugou & Midoriya, Soulmate AU, Platonic Soulmates,  Complete, 4.2k

Katsuki doesn’t remember a world without color.

He fucking hates it.

The soulmate AU where you can’t see colors before you meet your soulmate. Nice trope subversion and platonic soulmate bits. 

Valentine’s day chocolate is (not) overrated by Poteto

Bakugou/Kirishima, Bakusquad, Fluff, Complete, 5.2k

Bakugou thinks Valentine’s day is a bullshit holiday for bullshit people that spend money on useless sweets. However, if Kirishima wants chocolate that bad…

Super fluffy, super sweet, and super cute. Some really great Bakusquad interaction as well. I like the characterization of a slightly older Bakugou as well. 

Damned Chat-Fic by ooopo123

Bakusquad OT5, Iida/Midoriya/Todoroki, Chat Fic, WIP, 12.8k

5cent Pikachu: Okay! Now that we’re all assembled!

Jacked Up: Tell this Pokemon kin that Mother Mother is better than Of Monsters and Men

5cent Pikachu: N O — A class 1-A chat-fic that’s mostly Baku-Squad centric! Featuring a polyamorous Baku-Squad and other LGBT characters!

Bakusquad OT5 with super sweet interactions between them. Some really, really good class 1A interactions as well. I enjoy the backstories for the different characters. 

What Goes Around by AnglophilicSins

Bakugou & Class 1A, Bakugou-centric Ace Bakugou, WIP, 12k

Five times Bakugou Katsuki looked after his classmates and one time his classmates looked after him.

intertwined by crunchrapsupreme

Bakugou/Kirishima, NSFW, Complete, 6.4k

Kirishima asks Bakugou out in the beginning of April.

– (a study of kiribaku through the seasons)

Stray Bullet by AnonymousTwit

Bakugou & Midoriya, Bakugou & Kirishima, Bakugou & Class 1A, Bakugou-centric, Parental Aizawa, Parental All Might, Complete, 13k

Pushing through the crowd of students, the first thing he noticed was blood on the table. As he grew closer, he caught a small glimpse of Midoriya, his shoulders shaking so violently that they could cause an earthquake and eyes carrying so many emotions that it was absolutely dizzying.

Or

In which there’s a sniper attack at U.A. and Bakugou decides to do something selfless for once.

Bakugou is just a super-cool character and I love fics that focus on that. He has the potential to be a really great hero. Also, I just love him. 

come and fly away with me by wonduhwoman

Bakugou/Uraraka, Bakugou & Kirishima, A/b/o dynamics, Complete, 3k

Katsuki is an omega and he doesn’t give a fuck.

Ochako is an alpha and all she wants is to get on his level.

He can respect that.

Part One of they say dreamers never die

can you see the fire in these eyes by wonduhwoman

Bakugou/Uraraka, Bakugou & Midoriya, Bakugou & Midoriya & Uraraka, A/b/o dynamics, Complete, 5.8k

Was it really so impossible for everyone to get along?

Yes. Yes it was.

But in the end, even Katsuki agreed that omegas should stick together.

Part Two of they say dreamers never die

laugh all the way to hell by wonduhwoman

Bakugou/Uraraka, Bakugou & Todoroki, Bakugou & Midoriya, Bakugou & Midoriya & Uraraka & Todoroki, Bakugou & Kirishima, Complete, 8k

Katsuki would never admit it to anyone, but being in a pack with Ochako and Deku was actually kind of…fun.

There was just one two-toned, socially inept problem.

Part Three of they say dreamers never die

A Fleeting Smile by AnonymousTwit

Bakusquad, Bakugou & Class 1A, Families of Choice, Friendship/Gen, WIP, 5.7k

Or a collection of fifteen Bakusquad drabbles where someone outside of the Bakusquad catches a rare glimpse of a friendlier side of Bakugou Katsuki, and one time that is specifically reserved for the four people that he hates the least.

I love this fic more and more each chapter. 

Don’t want to lose, don’t want to cry, just want to keep laughing by darkinsanity13

Bakugou & Kaminari, Friendship/Gen, Fluff, Complete, 2.3k

Kaminari just wants to know what makes Bakugou laugh.

So cute, the cutest, I love it to bunches. 

Like Crystals, They Reflect Light by AniPendragon

Bakugou/Kirishima, Bakugou & Midoriya, Bakugou & Ashido, Fluff, Friendship/Gen, Complete, 3.6k

With Christmas right around the corner, Bakugou wonders if now is the time to tell Kirishima how he feels. He’s never been good at dramatic timing, but everyone confesses during the holidays in the movies, so it should work, right?

He’s never been a coward, but fuck if this isn’t terrifying. You can’t exactly punch your feelings, after all.

Just, I adore this fic so much. The Midoriya and Bakugou interactions in this are utterly and completely perfect. The Bakugou and Ashido friendship is sweet as all get out. And Bakugou and Kirishima are adorable. 

[mosylufanfic]

Hi, I'm a fairly new fic writer, and I was wondering if you could give me some tips for AU writing? (Particularly world building)

My one and only tip for writing AUs and world building is “ask yourself questions.”

First question: “what the heck does that mean? You are not helpful, mosylu.”

Okay, okay, here’s what I mean. This is going to take awhile because I love world building, so settle in. Maybe make yourself some hot chocolate.

So you have an AU that you want to write. If you’re hurting for ideas or you just enjoy collecting random ideas like Pokemons, I like @dailyau, which fires a fun AU across my dash every day. But for today’s example, let’s go with everyone’s favorite, the coffee shop AU.

“Wait a minute, I wanted world building! What world building is there for a coffee shop AU??”

Oh so much.

Let’s start with setting. Everyone knows what a coffee shop looks like. No world building needed. Right?

Ask yourself questions. About everything.

Is it a Starbucks or a local chain or a scrappy little indie shop? Is it located in the burbs or the city? Is it part of another, larger institution (a grocery store, a mall food court, a college campus) or is it freestanding? What is it close to (schools, hospitals, parks, office buildings) and how does that impact its clientele? Does it sell cinnamon buns the size of your head and have poetry readings on Saturday night, or does it pride itself on coffee, all the coffee, nothing but the coffee, get your damn bean juice and get out, hipster? The answers to all of these have an impact.

Okay. I’ve decided (because I can) that this is a scrappy little freestanding indie shop, that sells pastries as well as coffee. It’s in a city but not in the skyscraper heart. It’s close to a high school so every day, about five minutes after the final bell, they’re invaded by teenagers.

So that’s your setting. On to characters.

In canon fic, we know why the characters are the way they are. In AU, you have to decide how much of that to keep, and how much you want to change, or need to change, to get them to the place where they are. You can’t plonk a doctor into a barista’s apron without explanation. Actually, that might be a pretty interesting backstory for a character. But again, you’d have to think it through.

Ask yourself questions!

What is their role in this setting you’ve built? Are they baristas? Are they starving writers using the shop’s wifi, trying to get some work done? Are they harried managers who are trying to keep the whole place from blowing up and/or burning to the ground every day? Are they commuters that stop in for their morning latte, do they live/work in the neighborhood and walk here at noon to stretch their legs? Coffee shops are full of people besides baristas (or it would be a pretty terrible coffee shop) and every one of those people, including the baristas, has their own story.

You can have the same answer for every speaking role if you want. It’s your story! But rather than saying, “everyone’s a barista okay done,” stop and give it a little thought. Ask yourself if your story would be more interesting if a few people were something else instead. Or maybe not. There’s plenty of drama if everyone is a barista.

How do they feel about being there?  Do they hate their job? Do they love it? What do they do outside the job? Are they also a starving writer? A college student? Someone who just got fired from their dream job and is trying to put themselves back together? Maybe they’re the owner and this coffee shop is their dream job.

(A word about marginalized groups. Consider stereotypes when building your characters’ lives. Stereotypes are the way-too-easy answer to your questions, and they don’t do your characters or your writing any good. Ask yourself why you picked the roles you did. Did it make sense to have the man of color be a reformed thug? Why did that make sense to you, because the canon character is a bad guy that you wanted to turn good, or because men of color are so often portrayed as thugs? Even if he was a baddie in canon, is there another way that you can show us in this AU that he has a past that he’s trying to rise above? Please. Think. Don’t take the first answer. Try a few on for size before you decide which one you like best .)

Okay, so my first character is a regular customer who just lost his dream job, and sits in the coffee shop every day applying for jobs online. I’ll call him A.

B is the second character (imaginative, right?) and she is the owner of the coffee shop. (Did you just go “wait, I was expecting it to be another guy because guys own things?” Stereotypes! she sings in a River-Song-Spoilers voice)

Yay! We have our characters. Kind of.

Ask yourself questions.

How does A feel about himself after losing his dream job? Is he down on his luck or brimming with positivity? What was his dream job anyway? How did he lose it? Did it close down? Did he get laid off? Did he get fired? And does he want to go back to the profession or is he burnt out?

Is this shop B’s dream, or does she consider it a stopping point on the way to somewhere else? And what does she do all day as the owner/manager of a small business? What are her problems? Does she have employee issues? Did her pastry chef recently quit?

Does B go to A and say, “A little bird told me you worked at Fancy-Ass Cakes and Pastries, please please please come make cinnamon rolls for me because if I lose the coffee shop my father started I’ll never forgive myself.” Or does A notice that the pastries have gotten kind of bad lately and says, “you know what, I recently lost my job as a librarian because funding got cut, but I kind of know my way around a cinnamon roll and I know this little place is your dream . . . so you want a little help?”

If you get the premise first - say, “I’m the owner of the struggling coffee shop and you’re a pastry chef who burned out of their fancy chef job and wants nothing to do with butter and flour ever again, but you can’t say no when I look at you like that” then you can work backward from that. Pick out all the details (owner, struggling business, burned out, chef) and ask why they’re there and what led to them.

Premise is not necessarily plot, by the way. The premise above can be the plot (B begs A for help every day until he gives in) or it can be the starting point (A starts as the new pastry chef and B is astonished to see that he not only makes killer cinnamon rolls but also is amazing with the after-school crowd so suddenly her shop is becoming a teen hangout and that’s?? not a bad thing????)

But you notice that the plot is built on a bedrock of setting and character. It doesn’t hold up without those foundational questions being answered.

So I’ve just written a bonkers number of words on the world building behind a humble coffee shop AU, and if I were to actually write this story, almost none of it would end up on the page. In fact, it’s better if it doesn’t, because that’s not so much a story as an infodump. But all of it would impact what you write, and when you’re writing, it’s all there to draw on.

And you may be thinking, “Mosylu, I don’t want to write a longfic, I just want to write a 2k fluffbomb.” Good for you! I love 2k fluffbombs. Ask yourself the questions anyway. Like I said, most of it won’t end up on the page, but you’ll know, and the fact that you know these things comes through in the feel of a full and interesting world.

Other AUs have different demands. Historical AUs demand scads of research, not just on battles and kings, but on daily life. Canon-divergent AUs demand that you ask, “okay, if X happened/never happened, how would that impact characters A, B, C, and events E, F, and G?” University AUs force you to ask, “what are their majors? how are they paying for school? what kind of school is it? Exactly why are they in the same class?” And so on.

This feels like a lot. It is a lot! But you’ll get used to asking the questions as part of your writing process. Sometimes you’re not interested in the answers. That’s fine. But ask the questions and see what your brain spits out. 

Have fun!

[faeiri-tft]

abe? :o

during the kakuna wars i was stuck at a club event, which meant i couldn’t go on stream, but i COULD intermittently check the live updater. i got basically nothing done that day, and when charizard got released i almost started crying into a robot. that’s still basically how i feel about anniversary red

anyway. headcanons:

he’s always wanted to Do A Science–specifically, to learn something new about the world, to put it there for everyone to see. because pallet town is so small and he knew like 5 entire people, this meant he wanted to be a professor

he spent a lot of time around the lab, sometimes reading stuff, sometimes helping oak

blue actually spent a lot of time in the lab too, but that’s partly because it was the only place in pallet town with internet

oak’s computer had the outside world’s 2014 internet, and no one figured out anything was up until postgame

abe used to look up to professor oak a lot, which is…unfortunate, in retrospect

he’s pretty quiet naturally, and he’s not good at interacting with people and will generally default to doing stuff by himself, but at the same time, if you show anything remotely resembling friendship toward him, he will get Immediately attached

after AR ends that probably…contributes to why he doesn’t interact with others much

on the current point on the timeline he’s getting better about that but Everyone He Knows Fucking Dies, so. hoo

he’s pretty forgiving of people in general as long as they actually demonstrate that they’re changing. still, it’s kind of a “forgive but don’t forget” thing

abe’s a huge nerd but you already knew that

i picture him looking basically like FRLG!vanilla!red but with glasses

he has a tendency to pretend he’s doing Perfectly Fine for as long as possible which leads to the inevitable crash being like 10x worse than it would have been if he Admitted His Life Sucks

he spent the whole time between the kakuna wars and the battle tent in partial-shutdown pure-determination only-kinda-verbal pretending mode, and not even pretending well because, uh, i’ve never decided EXACTLY how old he was at the time but it can’t be more than 13

the battle tent was SO bad that leech king had to fucking telepathically confront him about it, which was the only reason he worked out that if he didn’t let himself have an emotion he was literally going to die

but it still took until way after AR, once the Voices weren’t watching, for him to sit down somewhere and have the good long cry he needed that whole time

the funny thing is that his Big Science Thing might have turned out to be the pokedex even before he got possessed and told to do the impossible?

he likes putting names to stuff, having a list of This Is How This Works. hence the whole map thing, and the dome thing, etc

after AR and until the end of anicrys he spends basically all his time tracking the glitches, seeing what forms they come in, and trying to figure out what the fuck they want

a lot of this involves sulking in a damn mountain (because mt silver in any universe is Important), which a) relatable, and b) works out pretty well for him because he’d. rather not deal with people right now anyway

 the thing about abe is that he can be oblivious about things while being scarily smart about others. he theorizes that the dokokashira glitch might be a thing before the Voices even enter a universe where it’s possible. and yet…actually i can’t think of a good example right now. i was gonna say something about time but i realized time doesn’t exist

plot stuff:

the PC was always a bit of a sentient location–the Voices thought it was specifically a murder machine but that was mostly because we suck–but there was always a world inside there, and it was always kinda alive

after bill died, oak got his hands all up in this interior world and, after fucking up a bunch of times (and with the help of the PC itself, which wanted to Be Something, had absorbed a lot of knowledge from deposited pokemon and what stuck was a lot of PC war lore shit), managed to make it into a copy of runwun kanto, from a few months before the Voices arrived.

oak designed this virtual kanto as a trap for the voices, where, once they got a Host, he’d give them an impossible task to keep them there forever

and protect all the REAL people out on this side of the PC. and it didn’t matter if anyone in the PCverse suffered, and it didn’t matter if the Voices helped create something that would rip that whole world apart–because it’s not like they’re real, right? they do a good job of pretending, almost fool him a few times, but they can’t be ALIVE, right?

oak only really feels guilty when interacting with AR!blue, and the first time he feels regret is when he realizes that somehow, AR!blue is starting to remember the “real” world (and also tpp1!blue is starting to remember the PCverse, but that doesn’t come up until way later)

oh yeah, and then it turns out that olden doesn’t just have power in the PC

even with all the ways oak miscalculated, it still takes him a long time to understand that the PCverse folks are, like, Real People Who Exist

fucking asshole

uh i witnessed the battle tent incident and it was like a creepypasta and my favorite part is the individual parts of that glitch (especially the “no pokemon -> black out forever” part) can mostly happen in the original games

i’m still upset about the whole “char comes back as a fucked-up glitch hell ghost and probably tells abe it’s his fault because Glitch Angery” thing

ahhhh fuck that makes a lot more sense in retrospect actually. that was already my lore and then we got the reason Glitch Angery being a double serving of “pissed off because they died and everyone moved on like they didn’t give a shit” no WONDER. huh. i’m aware i made half this up but still, why does everything in tpp happen so perfectly

character stuff:

i think AR is the most i’ve ever cared about the actual pokemon instead of getting too distracted by crying over hosts, so:

i started typing something about leech king and i think it’s turned into a full-fledged ficlet, which hopefully i can post in the next couple days, so thanks

charizard was The Best, and a huge sweetie who also loved just fucking destroying shit–in one of my personal runs i had a gyarados like that, he’s great–and i’m still fucked up about her

we have a charizard ‘M in sidegame right now, which because i love pokemon glitches is Hell The Fuck Yeah, but at the same time when i try to lore about it i’m not sure if i’m…ready?

like, i want to believe but, if it IS her, how much of it is really her and how much…isn’t? i mean, i keep applying the same trope to Every Character In TPP but idek. i miss char

kakuna was more of a symbol than anything, but then i’m generally of the opinion that the casualties of our PC wars are no one’s fault but our damn selves

(anicrys is weird because it’s post-canon and post-given-save so it’s like, schrodinger’s releases, so it messes with the mood in all my lore)

the fact that abe and alice are now in the same universe and can interact with each other is Terrifying

in my kanto fusion timeline, they were the ones who got the multiverse transfer working, since it needed one person on each side. i think alice figured out how to communicate with the PCverse too–oak had a window to the outside but he couldn’t go back and forth, and he burned pretty much every way in (but alice is Also Smart)

together they design and invent a bunch of shit that, uh, it’s cool, but i’m also afraid, although i also love them

abe was pretty sure baba died in the pc and had no clue about her situation until a random girl walked up to him and introduced herself as his fish, so it took him awhile to, like, believe that

i’m really big on tpp multiverse theory so i headcanon that a lot of our repeat-design hosts are AU selves

this doesn’t always apply–like, i usually headcanon napoleon and pepe/petrov/whatever-his-name-is as brothers. but all our male hosts from pallet town are from the same stock, is what i’m saying

abe is a lot like (but not exactly like) how red would have turned out if we hadn’t hivemind overloaded him straight to hell

their relationship is complicated. the only time red tried to kill abe was the first time they met, which all things considered is probably a good sign

abe mostly views red like a weird older brother he didn’t know about. red’s thoughts on abe vary a lot (and he still can’t believe abe’s a domist what the Fuck) but eventually he’s kinda fond of him. he Gets It in a way that most the other hosts don’t   

this isn’t a CR but i, personally, IRL, will tear a window into the tppverse and punch oak with my own bare hands

[jujyfru1t]

hello my name is *yells about Furuba*

I dunno what I’m doing but I have Feelings so let me rant about them, by me.

Some of y'all may not know that Fruits Basket is my favorite series on the planet– well you do now. That comes with a caveat of favorite manga, not favorite anime (that honor goes to either Noragami or Chihayafuru, with Madoka Magica as an honorable mention). I do also love the anime dearly! But comparing them is like apples and oranges, horses of different colors, etc etc, not least because the anime was made before the manga was barely halfway through. futile hope springs eternal for a full remake. So most of my feels rant will be manga-centric although the general feels apply to the anime, and uh there may be spoilers idk it’s been out for a long time???

The first volume came out in the US five days after my *deep breath* 15th birthday. I got it for the next year’s bday present from my big sis, aaaand that was when the gates of otaku/manga hell swallowed me up (I was somehow unaware that Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh were also Japanese pop culture, go figure.) I have no memory of how I found the anime– my anime-bittorrent-whateverthefuck knowledge was nonexistent but I don’t think it was airing live. I got the box set for some Christmas but that would’ve been after I was a massive fan so *shrug*

Anyway I watched the dub first and holy hell if I wasn’t planning to marry Yuki Sohma before then I definitely was after that, thanks Eric Vale. (I still have huge love for the dub cast fight me). Yun-chan was my first 2D crush and tbqh I’m still in love with him. Also I stg he’s the whole reason why pretty boys are a Big Thing of mine. And wait omg Shigure’s first appearance?! Like, that’s probably why dudes with glasses are also My Thing wow I just blew my own mind but moving on

Fun fact I couldn’t choose between Kyoru or Yukiru bc they were both cute (present me@young me: u will realize eventually grasshopper) but I was 100% cool with Kyoru happening because of course then I could be with Yuki. Cue me dabbling in a few paragraphs of self-insert fic.

uh lemme cut this it’s becoming a novel

Random things (this whole thing is random wtf):

I was blessed enough to get my hands on the entire Tokyopop run, plus the fanbooks!!! before they shut down. I’ve been warring with myself for ages over whether to start collecting the Yen Press specials but. my resolve is weakening. I also have all of Takaya-sensei’s other stuff yeet (Phantom Dreams, Those with Wings, Songs to Make You Smile) except for Twinkle Stars which I’m def gonna get and OBVIOUSLY THE INSTANT FURUBA ANOTHER COMES OUT IM GRAB meanwhile if I remember to check out the scans

been a while since I reread it(it’ll be my third one~) but off the top of my head some favorite arcs etc are: obviously the major one at the end of vol 6. The Red Cap. Hatori and Kana (RIP ME) The Summerhouse (Jason the bear jfc). Akito’s reveal. Kyoko and Katsuya’s entire thing obviously (EXTRA RIP ME I’m crying just thinking about it). “The plum on your back” scenes. Kyo and Kyoko. THAT FIRST NEW YEAR’S WHEN YUKI AND KYO RACE BACK TO THE MAIN HOUSE BECAUSEtheir girlfriend MY DAUGHTER IS SAD AND LONELY AND THEY MAKE WISHES ON THE ROOF heck me upppp– also literally all roof scenes (karate kid Tohrutm) BUT THAT ONE HHGBNCCSV!!! Also my fav episode along with the AU-ish final 2.

Furuba fandom is my biggest fleet of ships by far which is hilarious bc I have a lot of fandoms and a lot of ships and you can see them bc i’m a derp but since nobody looks at that and nobody will read this (?) I’ma talk about them here. I DO WANT I WANT YO

but seriously I support

literally all the canon ships except HanaxShishou, pardon me Takaya-sensei but why. Wtaf.

a metric fuckton of non-canon ships bc of COURSE I DO

my low-key ships include

MomijixKagura. pairing the spares if you will XD

KaguraxTohru

RinxTohru. yes I have bi Tohru headcanons mmkay

Future!Kisa/Tohru (blame this fic)

KyoxUo.

YukixHana. all symmetrical-like (but wow i forgot i highkey shipped it for a while until…)

GurexAaya. like, come on. Also poly Mabudachi Trio

MomijixTohru. they’re super hecking cute ok, edging into high-key

my high-key ships include

HanaxUo. ok this??? is a big OTP, and 99% why I’m hella salty over HanaxShishou (at least KurenoxUo had an actual subplot!!). They are Tohru’s adoptive moms and I will forever protec (and yet. HanaxTohru and girls OT3 are also Good Ships but tbh super low-key) also I MADE SOMEONE SHIP IT

YukixTohru. see the start of this post way up there somewhere

KyoxYuki. my first rivalshiptm

HaruxYuki. “He was my first love” one cannot simply– have a character say this and not expect fans to ship. Also bi Haru is canon. lotta bi folks up in here imo

KakeruxYuki. CUTE GODDAMN DORKS WOW

But my flagship, my OTP to end all OTPs and my polyship to end all polyships in any fandom is the SS Yukyoru. KyoxTohruxYuki.

I’ve had polyship predilections for 6-7 years now, though it’s more recent I’ve started polyshipping every love triangle i encounter bc I‘m so done with them… there wasn’t really any lightning-bolt moment when I realized I shipped them much more together rather than apart. but like, I ship all three permutations so at some point my brain went HERE’S AN IDEA which tbh is how a lot of my polyships happen, i mainly have OT3s (if I ship 2 outta 3 there’s a good chance ima poly it)

but anyway! there’s absolutely no way to convey how much I adore this ship and IT’S A HUGE EMPTY YACHT I NEED CREW MEMBERS PLZ

I am building it up one fic at a time and if you’ve made it this far and have any interest at all plz read my shit and general Furuba screaming is appreciated as well of course!!! (also look at the most beautiful piece of fanart ever)

More fic! have my mixed bag of bookmarks (Sure For The Axis is my absolute fav, 2nd is Little Prayer) u can also find my Yukyoru stuff on AO3 ehehe~ and oh look HanaxUo!

and holy whoa i’m done. TLDR FURUBA IS THE BEST MANGA EVER AND YUKYORU IS THE PUREST RARESHIP EVER

THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT

[allisonilluminated]

The Seven Sins of Fanfiction

Hey all,

This blog is primarily focused on helping newer writers (and maybe some older ones) improve their fanfiction and increase their views.  Since that’s the case, it’s important to understand exactly what not to do when you’re writing.

These are the worst things you can do while you’re writing.  I can guarantee everyone reading this post has done at least three of them, and probably all in some shape of form.  This is the sort of thing that makes you want to click away immediately, that you cringe at when it’s in the first paragraph or laugh at how bad it is.  These things that make you stop reading other stories, just think about it for a moment.  What if fewer people are reading your own work because you’re making the same mistakes?

Yeah.  If you want to improve, you gotta know what you’re doing wrong.  Number Seven is the least worst, then the list descends to Number One, the worst thing you can do in fanfiction.

Note: This is a subjective list.  There are people who disagree with some of these points (especially the non-grammar ones), so it’s important to remember that these are the things I find most degrading to the quality of the story being written.  As a writer, you have the creative liberty to write whatever you want.

#7 – Bad Romance

“Wo-o-o-o-o, o-o-o-o, o-o-ah, caught in a bad romance fanfiction but it’s the only 100k fic for my OTP so I’m like contractually obligated to read it.” - Lady Gaga, mostly

We’ve all been here.  You know that moment when two characters meet, then suddenly decide to kiss, and the next thing you know they’re screwing on the patio with some kinky ass BDSM shit.  What about those cringe fics where suddenly Harry is spouting some creepy possessive stuff like “my only” or “softest light of my life” to twelve year old Ginny.  You know what I’m talking about.

Good romance is an art.  It’s about flawed characters (later) coming together in a beautifully intimate way (later) to make something even more beautiful.  There is so much bad romance on FFN and AO3 that it just blows my mind.

Giving tips would take an entire post, so here’s a good article on the absolute basics you need to write a good romance: https://www.nownovel.com/blog/romance-writing-mistakes/

#6 – Bad Dialogue Tags

“No!” he howled.

“Yes,” she growled angrily.

She retorted snarkily, “Well, screw you.”

“Fuck you too,” he scowled sadly, before gratingly mumbling “I still love you though.”

Alternatively:

“No!” “Yes.”  “Well, screw you.”  “Fuck you too.  I still love you though.”

There’s a glorious word in this social construct we call English, and it’s “said.”  Use it.

You don’t need a fancy word for every tag.  You don’t need a fancy word for almost all tags.  Eighty percent of your tags should be said, exclaimed, and asked, and more of said than the others.  Maybe a whispered or a yelled for some flavor.

Adverbs are your enemies.  I struggle with this, but you should use them extremely sparingly.

On the flipside, if your reader doesn’t know who’s talking, your dialogue is meaningless to them.  Also, use line breaks every time there is a new speaker.

The trick is finding some happy medium between the two examples.  A handful of fancy tags, a lot of said, and if there are two people talking back and forth you don’t even need to tag every sentence.

#5 – Bad Messaging

I don’t want to put down an example for this one, because I think writers feel liberated to write some really awful shit in fanfiction because it’s “not a serious medium” or “it’s the internet, I have free speech.”  Let me say this right now:

Stories that make rape a positive thing are not okay.  Stories that portray suicide in a glorified light are not okay.  Stories that show slavery, or torture, or all of the other horrendous things human beings do to each other in a romanticized or glorified manner are not okay.

I don’t care if it’s your fetish.  I don’t care, it’s just not okay to write about these things in a positive light.  The only reason this is so high on this list is because these stories aren’t as common as the rest, and are mostly marked M/Explicit so you can avoid them.

#4 – Overdescription

Hi my name is Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way and I have long ebony black hair (that’s how I got my name) with purple streaks and red tips that reaches my mid-back and icy blue eyes like limpid tears and a lot of people tell me I look like Amy Lee (AN: if u don’t know who she is get da hell out of here!). [[I’m not related to Gerard Way but I wish I was because he’s a major fucking hottie. I’m a vampire but my teeth are straight and white. I have pale white skin. I’m also a witch, and I go to a magic school called Hogwarts in England where I’m in the seventh year (I’m seventeen). I’m a goth (in case you couldn’t tell) and I wear mostly black. I love Hot Topic and I buy all my clothes from there. For example today I was wearing a black corset with matching lace around it and a black leather miniskirt, pink fishnets and black combat boots. I was wearing black lipstick, white foundation, black eyeliner and red eye shadow – My Immortal

Oh boy.

Writers, let me introduce you to this wonderful thing called your profile.  Assuming you aren’t drowning in copypastas, this is the perfect place for your character descriptions.  Alternatively, have you heard of Tumblr? Literally, stick them anywhere except the middle of your story, and I can guarantee you the readers that actually care will find them if you mention them in your A/N.

Show, don’t tell is one of the fundamental principles of writing. When you’re describing a character, you probably don’t need more than three adjectives and a one sentence description of their outfit. Yes, that applies even if your character has a special non canon outfit.  If we must know, work the details into the story. Info-dumping description is telling, and is one of the worst world building and characterization mistakes you can make.  Period.

#3 – Epithets

The blond girl walked to the door, and started as a burly man opened it.  “May I help you?”

“Yes, I’m here to get a consultation,” the graying businessman said as he ran a hand through his oily hair.

The youthful therapist nodded as she shut the door behind him. Rummaging on her desk, she asked, “Why are you here?”

“Well,” said the jaded economist to the buxom woman.  “This author thinks they’re being clever by not giving out names, but they’re ruining this story.”

The best way to get someone to leave your story is epithets.  

Epithets do not create mystery.  Epithets are not a good substitute for proper nouns.  Epithets will not make a clever opening, or add variety to your dialogue.

Epithets will ruin your story, and should not be used.

They come in varying degrees of horror.

The noun.  You might be able to get away with saying just “the woman” or “the child” under certain circumstances. This is almost an excusable offence.

The noun with one adjective.  This is already unacceptable. If you though you were going to solve Sin #4 by doing this, you’re digging yourself an even deeper hole.

The noun with one modified adjective.  Because they can’t just be sexy, they have to be shockingly sexy.

The noun with multiple adjectives.  This is automatically overdescription on top of being a horrible thing to subject another person to.

The noun followed by a relative clause.  Because there’s always a way to make it worse.  “The girl who was now holding his hand” is absolutely disgusting, and so is “The girl that was sitting across from her” or especially “the girl she knew had a chocolate bar somewhere in her pocket.

The noun followed by a relative clause with adjectives.  Put it together and what have you got?

Compound Epithets.  Oh. My.  God.  This deserves its own sin.  Even if your character has blue hair, you should never ever ever call them a bluenette.  Ever.  Ever ever ever. AAAAAAAAH!

The author has made her point.

#2 – Bad Grammar

I find bad grammar extremely agitating, mostly because there are a lot of great tools and easy fixes to solve the problems.  Most word processors have a built in spell checker, and a lot of them check for grammar as well.  If you need an alternative, grammarly.com has a good free version that’ll catch a lot of mistakes.  Of course, proofreading your work before posting is always a great idea.  Here’s a quick list of some of the most common grammar issues you should be on the lookout for:

A new paragraph for a new idea.

A new paragraph for a new speaker.

Dialogue formatting

Periods

Commas

Run on sentences

Using line breaks

Spelling

Capitalizing starts of sentences

Capitalizing proper nouns

Choosing CONSISTENT capitalization for canon terms (Pokemon vs pokemon, for example)

Repeated words.

Sentence fragments

Tense

#1 – Bad Characterization

“What?” you’re probably asking yourself right now.  “How is bad characterization possibly worse than poor grammar?  Than epithets?”

Allow me to explain.

When an author writes a story, a good story, they are creating characters who act like people.  They have wants, needs, hates, motives, and a concept of who they are, even if they’re only fictional.  The author gives them life, spirit, a spark that keeps you reading and wanting to learn more about them.

That sense of identity is what makes them real to us.  Why you binge a show on Netflix, or read a novel in one night.  Reading is a connection with these characters on a deeper level than you might realize, and this connection brings them to life.

Take that away, and your story is dead.

Your gray OOC Gary Stu overpowered Ravenclaw Harry who grew up with Snape and has a goblin half brother AU is not a story about Harry Potter.  It’s a story about an OC named Harry Potter, and Harry loses any integrity he had as a character in Rowling’s books.

That’s why there are fics with horrible grammar and massive following, alongside fics with incredible grammar and sentence construction but no followings.  Unless you maintain a basic level of your character’s identity, the essence of what makes them empathetic, you’re not writing about that character.  This is the worst sin, because even with all of the others in play, if there is good characterization you can still create an incredible story.

Just by fixing these seven problems, your fic can instantly jump from bad/meh to incredible in the way people perceive it.  Hopefully this list can help you determine things to either go back and revise or work on for future chapters.  When have you committed one of the seven sins?  What other sins do people make all the time in their writings?

Thank you to all of the amazing people who have followed, Allie

Support Me:  Fanfiction.net - Archives of our Own 

[rakuraiwielder]

I'm working on your ask, but here's some for you: I, A, M, S, P, O, T

Ask prompt here: x

thanks puffin!! this is gonna be long and nostalgic eyy

I - HasTumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why? 

I wouldn’t say “actively dislike” butthe toxicity of fandom on this website has sucked away most of my passion for Voltron lol. I used to really dig itthe first month or so after getting really into it when S2 aired. I still havean unfinished draft for a 7-parter rarepair fic //ey guess my fav duo ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)// sitting in my folders. don’t think I’llbe touching it any time soon though. im rather burnt out from this fandom, evenif I do still enjoy watching all the new seasons thereafter.

another is StevenUniverse ah a. (but in its and my defence, I wasn’t really into it anywaysas compared to other fandoms. the songs are still good, but I haven’t beenkeeping up with the newer Steven bombs, one part because of motivation, andanother because the thought of going into the tags to reblog contentintimidates the heck out of me pffft)

A - Ships that youcurrently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone hasOTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed.

(puffin this question is gonnatake up half the ask oh god)oh bOY where do I start hahahaha. there’s so many aph and fe callbacks hahaha few otps aside I really have too manycrackpairs and platonic friendship ride-or-die squads I would die for. theseare only a few really relevant ones from the top of my head-

OTPS:

Norway/Vietnam (Hetalia) – alWAYS. i dont talk about and reblog much aph anymore but i still think about these two frequently. they were my first and closestthing ever to an actual otp in all my years of knowing what an otp was gosh Ihope to write about them again soon. their dynamics are the peak of mypreferences.

MU(avatar unit)/Silas (FE Fates) – thechildhood friends + loyal knight and liege trope + a pinch of memory loss wasnever really my thing, but guess there’s a first for everything ha h a ah a….silas is too pure for the angst I put him through im so sorry ಸ ل͜ ಸ

Berkut/Rinea (FE: SOV) – the second that one cutscene of these two played I got1000% more invested in the story pffft. anyways rinea may be top tier fav andberkut shit tier fav, and their story tragic as heck (and I would also arguethat he doesn’t deserve her), but their genuine and honest love for each otheramidst the incoming death flags gets me every time

707/MC (Mystic messenger) – honestly they can either be a really good platonicdynamic duo or a solid otp. purely from the perspective of my own MC, theycomplement each other well; perfect balance of light-hearted teasing and asolid wall of comfort for each other.

Ray-Saeran/MC (Mystic messenger) – ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ﾉ

(Other) Ships:

Seychelles/Iceland/HK (Hetalia) – they are good togetherromantically or platonically hahahaha. a good golden trio of kids

Russia/Vietnam (Hetalia) – their potential relationship and clashof character due to conflicting personalities fascinate me. a totally differentnoir vibe from norviet and one I hope to explore if I ever come back to aph

Nyx/Leo (FE Fates) – nyx ships are reallyrare but half of them are surprisingly sweet and poignant. Odin and Laslow tooare really sweet candidates to woo this jaded grandma’s heart.

MU/Laslow (FE Fates) – got to thank a wacky7-11 employee au dream I had for this one. but in the games their supportconversations are surprisingly thoughtful and low-key flirting which was notwhat I expected at all. wholesome.

Ham/Kai (MUxMU, FE) – remember when I said protag/protagships are the good stuff? yea h thatprincess tutu au is coming along swell

Alm/Celica (FE: SOV) – the rare main canon couple I love whodon’t die and get their happy ending (LOL this sounds really pathetic now thatI’ve said it)

Leon/Valbar (FE: SOV) – no one is surprised LOL. romantic orno, as long as leon is happy with where he stands with valbar and valbar ishappy with where he is im happy for them both

Conrad/Rinea (FE: SOV) – I know there are a couple of youreading this whos gonna give me that look but liste n; they could have met, and there is potential for them.(honestly this is just like another norviet situation where I put my 2 topfaves together for crackpair experimentation bUT IT WORKS I ASSURE YOU)

Zen/MC (Mystic messenger) – zen is so earnest that I can’t refute himhahaha. he also has a special seat in my mysme heart, since he was the firstroute I played and made me create content for the fandom proper

707/Jaehee (Mystic messenger) – they are rapidly gaining OTP status ꉂ (´∀｀)ʱªʱªʱª aaaa nightmare flashbacks because justlike norviet they really are the rarest of crackpairs and have almost to no content(gonna get down to business and churn fic out one day). these two are moresimilar than they’d think too.

Cecil/Haruka (Utapri) – ahahaha a good ship from a guiltypleasure fandom

(Purely) Platonic:

Izuku/Iida/Ochako (BNHA) – the first golden trio of thisseries. I love them so much.

Vanderwood/MC (Mystic messenger) – they parallel each other. truly thebiggest ride-or-die duo I will support to the end of time

Zen/Yoosung (Mystic messenger) – zen is such a mother hen to yoosungwwwww truly wholesome

Chise/Ruth (Ancient Magus Bride) – platonic master/familiar-partner relationships where both of them care for each other so much to the point where they would die for the other are my one weakness. its the reason i love writing more fleshed-out pokemon aus and loyal dogs/animals in longer fics. anyways these two are good

M - Name acharacter that you’d like to have for a friend.

707. It would be a trip justknowing him. (apart from the memes. but my life is already 80% meme, honestlywhats the difference ahahaha aaa-) Just, I feel like it would be really fun tohang out with him and revel in his wackiness (even if that personality is afront, maybe one day when i finally get into his inner-circle of friends, I hopeto be privy and be a good listening ear to his truer, more sombre personality.)

On the other hand, myself-confidence and 2nd hand embarrassment will be directlyproportional to each other (And im 100% sure Seven is the kind of person whowill exploit that hAH)

S - Show us anexample of your personal headcanon (prompts optional but encouraged)

Every relevant character inMysmes is either a type of asexual (greysexual etc.), or on various points ofthe bi-spectrum. Yeah; even self-proclaimed, “straight-laced” Zen lol.

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (wealways need more ideas)

Vampire/Selkie AU ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

a selkie whose skin gets stolen and hidden from a human man is forced to become his bride and taken back to his village. there, to escape the stares of bigoted villagers and the clutches of her overbearing and possessive husband, she takes refuge in the only place he would not go; the old holy church.

only, she finds she isn’t the first to occupy this place of solitude. the master of the church notices her soon enough, and when vampire recognises the ancient weave of magic that flows within her, he appears; intrigued for something other than a fresh meal.

(basically a deviation from the standard vampire (romance-ish) novels lolol plot bunny hit me pre-Christmas eve dinner/yesterday and sofar im digging it. still planning the ship and fandom though; it might very easily be OC-based)

O - Choose a songat random. Which ship or character does it remind you of?

since 1 is never enough, hereare 4 songs I was listening to recently:

Little Knights, Nem feat.Noire : Zen/MC(a zen-ish song through and through)

over and over, Yanagi Nagi : Saeran Choi + 707&MC(more saeran-centric with interpretative lyrics and referencing to both ray andunknown personas)

Finding something to do, HelloGoodbye : 707/Jaehee(fits their “don’t go where I can’t follow” dynamic haha ow.)

Life will Change, Shoji Meguro + Benjamin Franklin feat. Lyn Inaizumi : Kai(mui) or Ham(let)(honestly the entire persona 5 ost is massive fe fates protag feels)

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons thatyou will die defending?

Not really. I’m a very flexible person when it comes tointerpretable lore and content, especially if it’s the type of HCs that thefandom collectively comes up with. Unless it’s a canon fact, I like to dabble orjust stay away from HCs in general. If I have to come up with some in my fics,then so be it. But most of the time these HCs are either super vague or onlyapply to the context in this particular piece or series of writing. Basically Idon’t mind switching HCs for charas frequently as long as it does notfundamentally change their own character. (HCs for hobbies and loves and habitsand relationships apart from their inner circle, etc. are all fine)

Honestly it just boils down to expectations lol I know myown limits, and I know not to be disappointed when canon updates end updebunking (popular) fandom HCs or my own.

[fyrapartnersearch]

Video Game, and Fandom Search

Hello!  With the summer coming to an end, I need some new partners to Write with! But,here is a quick run-down.  Name/Alias: Bocaj Age: 22 Time-Zone: EST Fandom Characters or OC's: This is Tricky.Some I like OC's, some I don't. So with any Fandom, I will make a note, of which.  Reply Length : Typically, a paragraph or two. Open to write more. Reply Time: I try to get at least one reply per day, will always attempt more. But, real life always comes first.  POV: Third Person, Past Tense.  Medium: Email or Discord. Email:Onesplendidbubble@gmail.com!  So, if you are still reading, lovely~!  Time, to list through what I am into currently, and any thoughts for plots and such. I always, always love a sense of story added in. In general, adventure themes, action, romance, Time-Whimey, War, and others, are themes I lean towards. Of course, for each Fandom here, not all apply to such.  Fandoms Start here:  JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Ahh, JoJo's.. Started it last year, because a co-worker had mentioned it was something to really enjoy, and at first I was a bit iffy. Though, now I am obsessed. I won't try to say I am the best fan around, but I do love the series from what I have read and seen. So, for this Fandom, I am open to both :Canon and OC Characters. Just not mixed together. If we want Canon, let's stick with them. Or, OC's, let's go that route only. I think, because the Multiverse Does Exist within Jojo's, creating our own Timeline within can be fun! Our own JoJo, and Jobro team! Perhaps have it set during a War, and see how Stands could turn the Whims of Fate.  Or, a more modern setting, with Stands.  Some Canon Characters I adore are: Caesar, Joseph (Both Young and Old) Jolyne, Josuke, Giorno, Bruno, Diavolo, DIO, Any Zeppeli if I am being honest, Lisa Lisa, SpeedWagon, (Not finished SBR) But I do like Johnny too! Others of course, too! Tales of Berseria: Probably my favorite Tales game, that I have personally played. For this, Canon Characters only. Though, very open to AU ideas for this game.  Perhaps, some school AU? Like their School DLC costumes. Or, take a Bizarre Route and give them all Stands and a JoJo like problem/World to deal with.  Not too many ideas for this game yet.  Persona 5, 

my first Persona game. So, I am a little bias when it comes to this series. I have a understanding of Persona 4, though I do not have any real want to go back and play that title.(Nothing against those who love P4. I hear all the time, its better. And perhaps it is, I am not denying that.) I love the Phantom Thieves and their story, and can not wait for Persona 5 Royal!  When it comes to P5, I prefer to stick to Canon Characters. Open to add our own little head-canon thoughts to them. Also, a great topic of Debate: Ren or Akira.  I like Ren, because I am a Star Wars geek, and Ren makes me think of Kylo Ren ; however, either work for me. I was first introduced to the Akira name, from one of the manga series. But, again, I am not too stuck on it. If I had a choice, Ren, but Akira is just as good. (Kinda pairs him up with Akechi a little more, when its Akira, I feel.)  When it comes to ideas, I am quite open as well! One thought I have had, and it needs some work, is Crossing Persona 5 over, with Kingdom Hearts. Both Deal with Hearts, right? It could be as simple, as Persona 5 is a world within the Realm of Kingdom Hearts. But, the idea of having the Phantom Thieves, or at least one or two, work with Sora is such a fun thought! Open to do something based around the Dancing Costumes; I know in the Dancing game, its explained they are in the Meta-verse, for the entertainment of the Wardens, and their siblings. Though, I wouldn't mind creating some new Palace they deal with, where Dancing is an really odd and big factor in it.  If we want something with Shipping, my favorite ship is: AnnXMakoto.  Or, any AU spin. Phantom Thieves, in the world of Pokemon? Sure! Why Not>! Kingdom Hearts! Fill me, with the power of...Darkness! Another series I have loved for a long time. What's your favorite Trio?! Were you satisfied with KHIII? My trio, is Sea-Salt. As I loved 358/2 Days (Read as: Three, Five, Eight, Days Over Two....for some reason....)) and as for KHIII, I was! I know some weren't, but it delivered on everything I needed to feel, the feels.  Canon Characters, please.  But, again, any head-canon thoughts, feel free to share them!  For this Fandom, we can dive in anywhere. Want to explore a certain game more, with our own twists? Let's! Wanna do an AU, with our favorite characters? An AU Inspired by Final Fantasy X-2, starring Aqua, Kairi, Nanime, And Xion? I'd love ya! Re-write some Canon events, and create a new KH time-line? I love timey-whimey problems!  Favorite over-all KH character?  Xion, for me. Something about the quiet girl has always appealed to me. Though, Luxord, despite what short amount of time we see him, is another favorite. 

Akira Toriyama's World, of Dragon Ball I have specific ideas for this one.  1) Deals within an AU, with Gohan and Videl, more focusing on their jobs as Saiyaman and Saiyman-2./Woman. The Buu Saga, wouldn't have occurred the way it did. Instead, allowing Gohan time to be more of a hero. Though, new foes would appear. Perhaps, the non-canon movie villains, like Bojack, Cooler, and others. Android 21, if we want to slide her into the mix too. Canon and OC's. But, Canon are the main focus. 2) Within Universe 6,  I'd like to adapt the Tuffle Arc from GT, but with the Universe 6 Saiyans! Cabba, Kale, and Caulifla having to fight off the Tuffle infection! I'd like to include the Twin Tuffles from Heroes, but open to OC Tuffles being the main Antagonist.  Despite what anyone might think of Disney's control of the Franchise, I am still quite in love with it. I do have high hopes for Episode IX. Though, I don't want to focus any RP in the new era. Instead, I'd like to go more in some AU route (A running theme in this post, I know..) But, The Force Unleashed in DLC, had plots of this nature. With Luke falling on Hoth, due to Starkiller, and Leia taking up the 'Last' Jedi role. And, if one does a search for scrapped Concept Art for Battlefront-4, they had all sorts of AU thoughts: Darth Obi-wan, Jedi-Maul, Sith Luke and Leia, Light-Side Vader, and so much more! I think, diving into some AU could be fun! An AU where Luke and Leia, serve the Empire, and its up to an Old Light Side Anakin to redeem his kids?  Instead of Qui-Gon being killed on Naboo, perhaps it was Obi-wan; allowing Qui-Gon to become Anakin's Master, but with the scar of losing his Padwan.  Or, perhaps a tale on Anakin and Obi-Wan, during Anakin's training. I finished reading Master and Apprentice , which is a canon book about Obi-wan and Qui-Gon, and loved it.  Or, another idea, dealing within EA's Battlefront II and Inferno Squad. I'd like a story with them, actual being the Elite Squad for the Empire, and not becoming Rebels. Might be odd to write from the Empire's POV. But, I wish they had gone another way with those characters. It is was so underwhelming to see Iden just randomly have a change of heart. Without seeing the Bad-ass Special Force Commander. 

Though, I do not have as many ideas/thoughts for these, here are some others. ! Sword Art Online/Gun Gale Online My Hero Academia  Super Sentai/Power Rangers Power Rangers 2017 Movie-Verse Pokemon The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Catherine/Katherine Thanks for reading!

[saffrondaze]

7 / 13 (any character you wish to! if you have no idea tho--maybe karen from gsc's elite four??) / 14

salty ask meme. content warning: if you dislike varying opinions, please go ahead and skip this post. it will not be under a read more.  

7. Is there anything you used to like but can’t stand now?*

Does certain characters due to their interpretations of them count? If so, then yes.

I don’t like my favorite characters highly sexualized and turned into nothing but fuck toys for others amusements. If others do, fine, just don’t involve me in it.

I don’t like my favorite characters reduced to stereotypes as well. It’s fine to take it as a joke every now and then, but when it becomes prominent, it gets tiresome to deal with.

I like continuity; I like creating stories.

I don’t like bullshit.  

13. Unpopular opinion about XXX character?

I … actually don’t have an opinion on Karen. I’ve never really thought about her character beyond her design and her specialty.

Okay, let’s go with characters in general.

One thing to keep in mind, that folks seem to keep forgetting, is that all stories are written with a bias, and it’s virtually impossible to remove it. In the case of the games, they’re written to ensure that the ‘hero’ of the story is almost always your character. It’s a fairly common thing, extending outside of the pokemon fandom. If not the ‘hero’ you’re the villain, which would be the case of say Marche Radiuju from final fantasy tactics advanced. 

You play a character who’s goal is to ‘head home.’ It seems like a noble goal, right? 

Well, in this world, your little brother isn’t sick anymore able to live freely and on his own, for once in his life he isn’t in the hospital, bedridden or wheelchair bound to the point he can’t even wheel on the worst days. He doesn’t have to be constantly reminded he could die at anytime. Your best male friend has his mother back to life and his father has become a respectable man instead of the drunkard who’s on the verge of losing their home. And your female friend (who can be your romantic interest as well) is free from the angst of being bullied for her naturally white hair that gets even her mother down every time she stares at her.

Along your journey, they tell you about their struggles in the real world. They fight you because they want to protect this world, and how they can’t return to that other world.  

You still return everyone home, and everyone still likes you in the end.You’re still the ‘hero’ for bringing everyone back from the final fantasy world to the real world.Everyone just accepts the fate their given in the real world.

The same could apply to plenty of characters here. The game’s mechanics make it so that certain things have to happen in order for the ‘hero’ to be the hero. In the case for pokemon, it means that it would seem that plenty of league members would take a back seat to the protag or that the villainous characters are easily taken down by a teen or even less than depending on the game.

It’s what keeps it a ‘children’s game.’   

14. Unpopular opinion about your fandom?

I don’t like the idea of ‘blank slates’ when it comes to prominent NPCs. 

This includes members of the League such as Gym Leaders or even the player’s mom in GSC/HGSS. They’re NOT blank. THEY HAVE A FRAME, a base to build off. There’s quotes that can be pulled off from the characters themselves and from those around them. Depending on the game, there’s even the fame checker. The television within the games sometimes gives a clue as to the characters of the character themselves. It can go as far as their general designs giving a clue onto their character. 

People take inspiration from other sources all the time, but there’s also plenty that can be taken from the primary source. 

People need to stop pulling out content from other sources without properly adapting it to their character. Slapping on ‘inspired by’ when a huge amount to the point the only part of the character that isn’t from the original source is a few missing major events it’s not ‘inspired by’ any more, IT’S JUST A CANON DIVERGENT / AU OF A CHARACTER.