#this or that gothic edition snippets

[leviiackrman]

After PINING for so long… I have made a new oc hehe…

[gelphiebigbang2025]

🌟 Gelphie Big Bang 2025 FAQ 🌟

Welcome to the Gelphie Big Bang 2025! This event is all about bringing together writers and artists to create collaborative, high-quality fanworks centered on the relationship between Elphaba and G(a)linda (Gelphie/Gelphaba) from Wicked—whether you’re inspired by the musical, the movie, the book, or your head canons come from a mix of all three. Welcome and thanks for joining!

❓ Gelphie Big Bang FAQs:❓

🧹 What’s a Big Bang?

A Big Bang is a fandom event/challenge where writers craft a long-form fanfic (minimum 10k words), and artists are matched to them to create visual art of all different kinds, inspired by their story. At the end of the challenge, both the story and the art are revealed together—(with a BANG! <- pun intended)

This is a classic Big Bang.

📚 Writers: What You Need to Know

Minimum word count: 10,000 words.

Your fic must focus on Gelphie as the primary ship. Other characters and relationships are welcome, but Elphaba/G(a)linda must be the emotional heart of the story.

Genres, Crossovers, and AUs are absolutely welcome—bring on the gothic dramas, soulmate AUs, non-magical AUs, There's nothing wrong in Oz, Elphaba had caring parents, Gangster 1920s AUs, and more.

No previously published work. You must write a brand new fic specifically for this event. Though, if you have a fic that you have not updated in at least 6 months that you'd like to use this as a means of inspiration to get you to finish it, those will be considered on a case by case basis.

First drafts must be actual drafts, not just outlines. They must be at least 6,000 words and include the full arc (beginning, middle, and end). You can polish after matching, but give your artist something real to work with!

Final fics go live during the reveal period only. No sharing snippets or edits early unless scheduled as part of the Big Bang and requested by this blog/Mod. In short, no early posting. You’ll get instructions closer to the deadline for how to post to AO3.

🎨 Artists: What You Need to Know

You’ll be matched with a story that inspires you—based on a blind summary selection process (you won’t know the author’s name when choosing). This will need to be a first come first serve basis, as all fics need to be paired.

Art requirements:

Images must be at least 400x600px.

Videos must be at least 1 minute long.

Fanmixes must include cover + back art (400x400px min) and at least 6 songs with accessible links.

Any type of visual or audio fanart is welcome: digital art, traditional art, manips, vids, music, fanmixes, etc.

Your work must be original and unpublished before the reveal date. No reposting old works.

Some flexibility with edits is okay after matching, but talk with your writer before making big changes.

Art will go live during the reveal period. Please wait to crosspost off AO3 until reveals are complete so both fic and art can shine (in a galindified approved) way!

🛠️ How to Post on AO3

There will be an AO3 collection to publish both fic and art. If you don’t have an AO3 account, I can help you get one!

Once you submit, your work will be unrevealed (hidden from the public) until the official reveal date.

You’ll be able to edit your submission until reveals begin.

You can crosspost your work anywhere (Tumblr, Instagram, FFN, etc.) after reveals are done.

💔 What if I Need to Drop Out?

Life happens! If you need to drop out, please do so before you are matched with a partner. That way, no one is left hanging mid-process. I’ll communicate drop-out deadlines clearly via email and this Tumblr. If you drop out respectfully and in time, you’re absolutely welcome to join us for future Gelphie events! In the event that you need to drop out after you've been paired with someone, that is where a Pinch-Hitter will come in.

🚨 Important Rules

No plagiarism. That includes fic, art, AND AI-generated content that replicates others’ work. If your submission is found to use AI it will be removed.

If you suspect plagiarism, please do not report it unless you have clear evidence, such as a side-by-side comparison.

👥 Roles You Can Sign Up For

📝 Writers

You’ll write a 10k+ Gelphie fic, submit a draft for artist matching, and collaborate with your artist until final posting.

🎨 Artists

You’ll review fic summaries, claim one that inspires you, and create a beautiful piece of fanart to match.

✏️ Beta Readers

Betas help writers edit and polish their drafts! You can sometimes serve as a source of help or inspiration when the creative juices stop flowing. You’ll check for grammar, plot holes, character voice, pacing, and overall coherence. You can sign up as a beta reader even if you’re not a writer or artist!

📣 Cheerleaders

Cheerleaders are the supportive backbone of the Bang! You’ll encourage writers and artists, help brainstorm through blocks, and be a friendly hype machine for the writers/artists.

🦸 Pinch-Hitters

The heroes who step in if a writer or artist drops out after the match. You’ll be contacted only if needed and asked if you’re available. Flexible, low-pressure, but extremely appreciated!

🔁 Can I Sign Up for More Than One Role?

Absolutely! You can write AND beta, or make art AND cheerlead—just make sure you have time to commit to each role responsibly.

🎭 Anonymity and Reveals

All fics and art will be posted anonymously until the end of the event. There will be 2–3 creation reveals per day during the reveal period so that everyone gets a spotlight moment. You’re welcome to crosspost your work afterward wherever you like!

📅 Key Dates (Draft below!)

DRAFT TIMELINE: (which will be updated as needed)

📝 May 11 – Writer & Artist Sign-Ups Close ✅ End of May – Check-In #1 + Writing Sprint Weekend 🖋️ Early June – Writer Rough Drafts & Final Summaries Due 📅 Mid June – Writers & Artists need to submit Match Forms 🧹 End of June - Last opportunity for drop outs  🫧 Early July - Sneak Peak #1 🎨 Early July – Artist Claims Open 💌 Mid July – Matches Announced! 🧹 Early August – Check-In #2 + Sprint Weekend 🫧 Mid August - Sneak Peak #2 ✅ Mid September – Final Fic Drafts Due 🖼️ Mid October – Final Art Due 🫧 Mid October - Sneak Peak #3 📅 October 23 – Posting Schedule Announced 🎉 October 30 – Posting Begins!

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Check out this AMAZING Comic by one of our talented Artists/Creators, troy_and_h_art (IG):

❓Still Have Questions?

Feel free to reach out to to us here at anytime! I'm happy to help—whether you're wondering how to write your first draft or how to link a fanmix on AO3.

[jinnybinghamsghost]

writeblr intro

hello! this is a writing blog!

i'm just getting back into writing after a long time, so i have no full wips yet. i am hoping to use this blog to get back into the swing of things.

i usually write urban fantasy/horror, with some general fiction in there too (but i don't want to rule out genres, i'll write anything if inspiration strikes)

my favourite things to read are gothic lit, horror, and fantasy, particularly those including f/f couples (but again, i will read anything)

i'll post snippets of writing here under #my writing, and potentially also aesthetics/moodboards under #my aesthetics

i will of course also reblog posts like other people's writing, prompts, advice etc.

i'll edit this post with links when this blog is more established!

[ayara-resara]

Jin’s non-kagepro songs Part 1 (2011-2019)

Names in bold are official releases, mostly links from his official site, NND page and Youtube channel. The rest are album exclusives, etc.

2011

Kamoshika ft.Kagamine Rin - Oppai Omurice (arrangement only)

Jin - Kage

Jin - Iro

Mizuta - Kyoukai Necro (re-arrangement & lyrics only; part of fan-project "Touhou Vocal Arrangement" based on game's music)

2012

Jin ft.IA - Nihonbashi Koukashita R Keikaku (album "IA/01 -BIRTH-") + full ver.

Jin ft.IA - Murakumo Girl (album "Shoujo Sensou | ARMS")

Soraru - Kimi no Me wo (album "Sora Ai")

Jin ft.IA - Captain Little (album "IA THE WORLD ~Hikari~") + ~Superhero ver.~ from album "VOCAROCK collection loves IA"

Goboumen×Jin ft.IA - Color Index (album "EX:P3 ~Ex:Producers3~")

Jin ft.IA - Himawari Biyori (album "Shikisai Ongaku Irodoriti")

Nakagawa Shouko - Dream Driver (mini-album "nsum ~Nakagawa Shoko ga Utatte Mita!~")

Jin ft.Hatsune Miku - Sky of Beginning (single with ryo's ODDS&ENDS)

Jin ft.IA - World Calling (single & VOICE FES 2012 theme) + longer ver. + Teddyloid remix

Jin ft.IA - LIVEDRIVE (single & anniversary of Super GT) + full ver.

Jin×Ishifuro ft.IA - Bokura ni Kigeki o Misete Kure (album "VOCAROCK collection 4" & MV from game IA/VT -COLORFUL-)

Jin ft.GUMI - Cinderella Delivery (album "TamStar Records presents ALL VOCALOID ATTACK #1") + IA ver.

Ten, Tsukinouwa, Touyu, Vivienne - QUEST (C83 album "QUEST")

Touyu - Sunrise Battle (C83 album "QUEST")

2013

Jin ft.IA - America ~We are all right!~ (album "IA/02-COLOR" & IA 1st anniversary & Super GT's album "CiRCUiT BEATS")

Hirano Aya - Mirai Voyager (single "TOxxxIC")

Shirakami Mashiro ft.IA - Kagi no Nai Heya (guitar only) + his other song where Jin is credited as "special thanks to"

Jin ft.IA - BOY MEETS GIRL (re-arrangement of old song for album "VOCALOID3 meets TRF")

Haruna Luna - Ai wo Utae (Monogatari Series S2 ED1) + ClariS ver.

Shirakami Mashiro - One Day, One reason (guitar only; fan-project "Senbou First Notes" based on Touhou's music) Jin was also a guitarist for song No.4 which starts from 4:22 in crossfade

2014-2016

Jin ft.IA ROCKS - Inner Arts (game IA/VT-COLORFUL- theme)

Jin ft.IA - Neko ni Cider (Omatsuri Ver.) (re-arrangement of Ramune's song for bonus CD of album "8-Bit Cider") no song! only a short snippet starting from 8:18

GARNiDELiA - Ookami Shoujo (guitar only; album "Linkage Ring")

LiSA - ANTIHERO (album "Launcher")

LiSA - Rally Go Round (Nisekoi S2 OP)

Kanshou Vector - DI-DO-DA-DU-LA (single with Jin's re-arrangement of the song he already covered in 2013)

2017

Jin - Re:Re: (re-arrangement of old song for album "AKG TRIBUTE")

Lia - NIRVANA (Japanese Ver.) & NIRVANA (English Ver.)

Aki Okui - Plumeria (18if ED5) + acoustic ver. from 2022's "Allegories" limited edition B?

Haruto Tsukishiro (CV: Nobunaga Shimazaki) - if (18if ED13)

Kaban & Serval (CV: Aya Uchida & Yuka Ozaki) - Nakayoshi March (Kemono Friends character song album “Japari Café2”)

“Doubutsu Biscuits“ (Serval, Fennec, Racoon) - Fun Fun! Melody♪ (Kemono Friends single “Fure! Fure! Best Friends”)

2018

Jin×kemu feat.Hatsune Miku - Million/Ones (HATSUNE MIKU 10th ANNIVERSARY SONGS -Miracle Mirai-)

TOUYU - Halation (album “Second Heart”)

Jin feat.IA - Euphoria (single & IA/04 -STAR-)

Masaaki Endo - Vital (Satsuriku no Tenshi OP) + acoustic ver.

sakana - S•K•Y (piano only) + Miku ver.

Kano - 「Q」 & 「A」 (Purebato!! ED)

2019

Gothic×Luck - Hoshi wo Tsunagete (Kemono Friends S2 ED) + full ver.

Soraru - Gunjou no Musica (single “Eureka”)

Suntory Nomu - Life is tasty! (song for virtual YouTuber) + acoustic ver. from 2022's "Allegories" limited edition B?

"Clover" (Kana Yabuki, Shiho Kitazawa, Serika Hakozaki, Umi Kousaka) - Clover Days (THE IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE! Blooming Clover 5) + full ver.

Soraru - Genjitsu (album “Wonder”)

Luo Tianyi - T.A.O. (song for virtual singer & Onegai! Ranking ED)

Part 2 (2020-2024)

[ghostcaterwaul-doesnt-write]

Tarot Prompt #7! I used another prompt from Tarot for Writers by Corrine Kenner.

The draft was written in about 7 minutes, stream of consciousness, then edited and revised over the course of a week.

Picks up where the last one left off.

I’m thinking of doing a taglist for these, by the way, if anyone’s interested! Should I do that? I’m probably going to make a masterpost of them as well.

Constructive feedback or words of encouragement are always welcome!

This snippet contains mentions of alcohol as it takes place in a bar.

Deck used: Joseph Vargo's The Gothic Tarot

Card: 10 of Swords

Prompt from Tarot For Writers by Corrine Kenner: Gossip

Alice sipped on her absinthe, savoring the sweet, herbal, licorice flavor of the chartreuse liquid. She looked around the tavern as Gareth talked to the other patrons. The Tavern was a circle, with a circular bar in the middle made of a pitch black wood with a rainbow opalescence. Booths with purple velvet upholstery lined the gray brick walls. The floor was marble tile designed to take the shape of a purple goblet with an olive green jewel. All the windows were blocked out with stained glass designs depicting various goblets except for the front window, which was clear with the exception of stained glass script spelling out The Ghastly Goblet. Crystal sconces adorned  the wall, radiating teal, violet, and magenta light and there were matching centerpieces on the tables and every 3 seats at the bar. A silver chandelier that’s arms only held incense hung from the ceiling. The tavern had a warm, sweet, earthy smell with hints of spice and vanilla and a smoky resinous scent. 

Alice gazed around in awe, eyes wide and mouth agape,, her heart pounding with excitement. She almost forgot about her drink until she saw Gareth take a sip of his Bourbon Manhattan. She sipped her drink and looked around once more, her eyes landing on an unnaturally large black-purple vulture with piercing fluorescent green eyes that had flown into the front window’s view and perched on a planter hanging from a street pole. The planter held a plant with cascading stems of blue and purple bell-shaped, bioluminescent flowers with gently flared petals.

Suddenly, whispers filled the tavern.

“There’s that old crone’s bird again.”

“Why does it come all the way out here?”

“Probably looking for Astrid’s next victim.”

“Do you really think she killed her husband?”

“Oh, now all of you shut up.” Gareth’s voice boomed throughout the tavern and reverberated off the walls, shocking the rest of the patrons into silence and causing Alice to jump a bit. He continued, “We all know Astrid did no such thing. And you all go to her for spells and potions anyways. How dare you take advantage of her skills only to talk behind her back!”

There was a hum of murmurs for a moment before regular conversations began to pick up again.

Alice was still partially transfixed on the vulture outside as she gazed into the carrion’s mesmerizing eyes. “Who’s Astrid?” She asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. Alice couldn’t help but be intrigued by this mysterious witch.

“An old witch that lives out in the swamp.” Gareth said. “That bird is her familiar, Edgar.” 

“A familiar? That’s a really special animal to a witch, right?”

“To put it simply.”

Alice went quiet for a moment as she still admired Edgar until he eventually took flight.

She turned to Gareth. “Can I meet her?”

“Astrid? Yeah. Sure, kid, I’ll take you out there later.”

[sugarpsalms]

WIP TAG GAME!

Rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your wip folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Tag as many people as you have wips. People send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! 

wheeee thanks @physics-of-one-piece this is cute! okie time to clown 🤡 working titles indicated by (wt). Otherwise, they're final. Spicing it up and adding my original WIPs too qjdwjd

FANFIC

(wt) Not As Bad As It Looks — shuggy, rated T

(wt) Really, Rosi? In Church? — dq bros, rated T (ch. 2 of TDBT)

To Azazel, With Love — doflaw, rated M

(wt) Nice Rock! — chopperlaw, rated T

ORIGINALS

What Winter Takes — YA arthurian fantasy (in final editing hell, will perhaps kill me)

Blood, Bitch! — horrorotica

Fallon Hall — gothic romance 

uuuuh tags ummmm @dytabytes @allmightskitten @tideswept @heirofdragons @withercrown @flamboyant-vampire

[weylersource]

Wyler Valentine's Day 2024 event is over! Thank you so much to everyone who participated! We put this together at the last minute, but there were still so many amazing contributions! I am constantly in awe of the talent that exists in this fandom. In this post, you can see every single contribution to the event. If we missed any post, please let us know and we will add them 💔

In chronological order:

DAY 1 : Jail/Prison

Gifset by @remusjohnslupin

Song/Playlist by @diamantdog

Moodboard & Snippet by @wednesdayandherhyde

Fanfiction ('The Blessing') by @thetornadodream

Gifset by @tastethesetears

Fanfiction ('The One That Got Away; Or So He Thought) by @iamfandomcrazy

Fanfiction (‘Emergency Button’) by @wincestation

DAY 2: Letter

Gifset by @remusjohnslupin

Fanfiction ('Letter to a Purist') by @gothic-icarus

Prompt + Cover ('To Be In Love with a Masterpiece') by @averyaddamsromance

Gifset by @tastethesetears

Moodboard & Snippet by @wednesdayandherhyde

Fanfiction ('The Moon and The Yew Tree') by @gothic-icarus

DAY 3: Key

Gifset by @remusjohnslupin

Fanfiction ('The Key to a Woman's Heart') by @wincestation

Gifset by @tastethesetears

DAY 4: Flowers

Gifset by @remusjohnslupin

Song/Playlist by @diamantdog

Gifset by @mistressvera

Edit/Moodboard by @wednesdayandherhyde

DAY 5: Spring and/or Blindness

Gifset by @remusjohnslupin

Song/Playlist by @diamantdog

Fanfiction ('He Must Be Blind') by @wincestation

Gifset by @tastethesetears

DAY 6: Heart

Fanfiction ('This Is What Dreams Are Made Of') by @iamfandomcrazy

Gifset by @remusjohnslupin

Song/Playlist by @diamantdog

Story (‘On Looking Into the Eyes of a Demon’) by @gothic-icarus

Gifset by @mistressvera

Gifset by @tastethesetears

Fanfiction ('Come Inside of My Heart') by @onlyelaine

DAY 7: Red

Moodboard & Snippet by @thelovelybookworm

Fanfiction ('Resurgam') by @writerrose1998

Song/Playlist by @diamantdog

Gifset by @mistressvera

Gifset by @remusjohnslupin

Gifset by @tastethesetears

Fanfiction (‘Stealing More Than Just Hearts‘) by @iamfandomcrazy

Fanfiction ('Red is an Exception') by @wincestation

[captainhollowstories]

Working on a new story and wanted to share a snippet near the beginning. It’s a gothic romance/horror AU. The outline is complete and the first chapter is finished. Just trying to decide if I want to write more before posting, or if I should just post the first chapter once it’s edited. Either way, should have something ready by the end of the month—or sooner, depending on what I decide.

(Feel free to like or reblog if this story sounds interesting.)

Excerpt:

[et-cant-phone-home-no-signal]

i watched nosferatu in the cinema with two of my best friends yesterday and WOW! i'm honestly not the most massive dracula/nosferatu fan but i really liked it! the cinematography was stunning, costuming, set and prop design was gorgeous, the cast and their acting decisions were phenomenal, and i actually really liked and understood the storyline. pacing could have been a little better at times imo but it's genuinely a really good film and i even dressed up cute and did my makeup for it just to add to the gothic vibes.

i'm currently writing for erin's story and i'm making good progress on the two towers (or book II as i call it in my writing). currently on the white rider chapter and man, i love gandalf! i love the three hunters!! i love erin interacting with these idiots!!! it feels good to feel good right now, despite my utter tiredness (i have been sleeping like total shit lately and i don't have any weed to help me right now </3) but yeah i'm super chuffed and i might post some snippets? i've also kind of changed my writing style for the fellowship to match the book vibes a little more and i'm thinking of going back and doing some heavy editing on the hobbit to help it match just a bit more but that's a very daunting thought so idk should i?

[joswriting]

⸻ WIP intro: On the end of everything

✶ Key words: science-fiction, multiverse, self-acceptance, queer main characters, gloomy comedy, omniscient narrator, toxic friendship / qpr, death

Most inhabitants of the multidimensional Whole (whether they be human, animal, sentient toothpick or hyper intelligent gas cloud) were out for more or less the same thing: to understand and to be understood. However, with existence being so enormous and complex, and their own minds being filled to the brim with contradictions and meaninglessnesses; they barely managed to understand themselves, let alone the situation they were in. Each person had their own way of dealing with this — some found God, others wrote poetry and many decided to ride their bicycles on pavements topped with 20cm snow. And though everyone had to deal with themselves on their own, all were connected through the shared experience of having to take part in existence.

It is fitting, then, that those who were connected by the mere act of living at the same time, should also meet their ends together; without ever having understood what it was all for, anyway. And so the "world" ended neither with a bang nor a whimper, but with a collective "What?". - Prologue

✧ general info ✧

✶ genre: soft scifi approaching science fantasy at times, NA, comedy, philosophical? perhaps not, apocalyptic (technically)

✶ pov: third person omniscient, past tense

✶ status: worldbuilding all but done, writing first draft

✶ (tentative) full title: On the end of everything + 25 ways to feel comfortable in your own skin

✧ main cast ✧

— Celia

full name: Silke Quesada

nickname: Celia

pronouns: she/her

origin: our universe

age: 21

occupation: student

orientation: lesbian

flaw: wishes she was normal

fear: being a burden, not being liked

sources: picrew | faceclaim

— Lea

full name: Beatrix Lea Reiter

pronouns: she/her

origin: our universe

age: 23/24

occupation: cashier

orientation: aromantic hetero

flaw: wishes she was normal

fear: being a bad person (she kind of is)

sources: picrew| faceclaim

— Cornelius

full name: Cornelius Brož

nickname: Nelly

pronouns: he/him

origin: a universe not quite unlike our own

age: 30s-40s

occupation: professor

flaw: wishes he could go back to normal

fear: never getting back the life he had

— Mouse

species: non-sentient mouse

function: former lab mouse, Nelly's pet

origin: universe that I like to call. the eugenics universe (it's not pleasant)

pronouns: it/she

now flaws <3 just mouse 🐁

sources: picrew

✧ practical ✧

✶tag/s: #wip: on the end (for reblogs), #wip: oteoe (for orignal posts such as intros and snippets)

✶ possible CWs: medical malpractice, experimentation on human subjects, dissociation, body horror, death, xenophobia, internalized homo-/queerphobia, internalized ableism, "romantic" relationship with bad power dynamics

✶original title: Über das Ende von Allem + 25 Tipps, um sich in der eigenen Haut wohl zu fühlen

✶ languages: German (original), English (translated by myself once completed). I will probably also translate snippets now and again

✶ writing tools: analogue writing in note book (1st draft)

✶ edit sources: images: space-like background | fonts: Heavy Rain, MS Gothic

✧ taglist ✧

no one here yet. ask to be added (comments, asks, messages, carrier pigeon)

[downtoithaca]

WIP Intro:

LAST RITES

tw: disease/pandemic, gore, violence, psychological abuse, detailed medical imagery,

About

MEXICAN GOTHIC X DRACULA X THE STORY OF BURKE & HARE

A queer Gothic Historical Horror set in Victorian Edinburgh ft. mushrooms, cults, the cutting edge of (1800s) medical science, spooky manors and bodysnatchers.

Synopsis

Dr Ernest Mayweather is the only patient he can't treat. He's dying, and he's looking desperately to find a way to stop it. When a colleague of his at the prestigious University of Edinburgh Medical College discusses the avant-garde idea of using one disease to cure another, he begins a pursuit of the thing that will save his life. It leads him to a strange illness wherein strange flowers and funghi grow within the body. Curious, and keen to study it, he visits Auchindrain House, a sanctuary for the illness run by two mysterious aristocrats and their Italian acquaintance. When the horrifying nature of the house and its occupants come to light, Ernest must soon choose between accepting a quick and quiet death or chasing something potentially endless, with all the blood and horror that might come with it. What will Ernest's conscience allow him to do to survive?

Snippet

Status

It currently stands at around 69k, though by the end of this draft I think we'll be looking closer to 120k.

As of October 2023 I'm currently working on the second draft! I did a detailed re-outline after the first draft which I completed in April 2021 for Camp, and now I'm filling in all the extra scenes I need before I rewrite the novel again following the comprehensive developmental editing plan I've made, focussing on adding extra detail and coherence, especially in terms of the plot. I was initially hoping to finish this by the end of October, but at this rate, it's looking like that's not going to happen, so I'll probably pick this up again in February. (One thing you have to know, is that each month I shift projects to another one of those in rotation. I aim to always have one new project, one dev edit project and one later-stage project in rotation at all times to reduce fatigue!)

[hesperidia]

the bsd characters using tumblr post made me come up with more hcs:

Ranpo would get into petty discourse. he would doxx ppl if left to his own devices. once he got into an online feud with Fyodor which resulted in callout posts and blocklists but he laughed it off

Poe has a writingblr and shares snippets and writing advice, alongside posts of bookshelves and gothic aes all in the same blog. there's the occasional Karl pic alongside the book he's currently reading

Lucy Louisa and Margaret are all mutuals and celebrities of cottagecore tumblr. their blogs are super well curated and lovely and i'd 100% follow them

Katai has one of those blogs dedicated to recovering lost media and talking about niche old console video games. he will give you links for downloading whatever game you want to play if you ask

Higuchi would make the loveliest edits and gifsets from her favorite shojo manga and series. No posts about her personal life at all

Nikolai has like 5+ gimmick blogs called smth like "evilclown69" and keeps making banger posts accidentally

[manonamora-if-reviews]

Sweetpea by Sophia de Augustine

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

Play the game See other reviews of the game See other games by Sophia

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

Someone claiming to be your father is trying to break in. Following the eponymous Sweetpea is: a mosaic faced guardian angel, something wearing her father’s guise, and the detritus of life in their gently crumbling mansion.

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

Sweetpea is a Twine (Harlowe) game, submitted to the 2022 Edition of the SpringThing. It is the first game of this author.

Status: Completed Genre: Horror

CW: Unhealthy family dynamics, Unreality, Ecclesiastical content, Body-horror, Injuries, Violence, Alcoholism, Home Invasion Note: there is also animated text.

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

First Played: during the SpringThing 2022 Last Played: 21-May-23 Playtime: around 40min (one run) Rating: 4/5 Thoughts: A chilling and confusing snippet of life told through the eyes of a small child dealing with struggling parental figures, in a gothic style.

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

The game follows Sweetpea (name unknown), a young girl home alone, as she is woken up by her father's texts asking her to let him inside the house. Which would not be an issue if she hadn't seen him in his office not long before...

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

The game starts with the game's illustration of the eponymous Sweetpea, whose big eyes and scared demeanor grabs you and pulls you (into the darkness).

Pressing start will move the player to a makeshift phone, where Sweetpea exchanges messages with her supposedly father, who hounds her to let him inside the house. [I liked the timed appearance of the messages, and the slight wonky-ness of the its look added to the unsettling feeling]

Continues a series of choices where Sweetpea goes on to explore the house, recollecting past events and feelings while she examines bits of rooms or objects. Parts of the text is animated or transformed to add onto the strange and horror-y setting. There is multiple mention of a Micheal, which comes back later in the story [and whose description reminded me of the Archangel Micheal? <- not well versed in this, so could be me missing the point.] Still, you are often reminded that there is someone at the door, struggling to get inside. [The vivid description of the unusually lit rooms, the creaking sounds around, or the comforting taste of sweets or touch of a sweater, or the pain of the icy window, creates an intense imagery, enthralling any reader from looking away.]

Finally, Sweetpea decides it would be best to go take a nap instead of opening the door to some stranger who kind of looks like her dad, but also not really. She is still woken up by said father figure, a nightmarish apparition which frightens her, even if some part are strangely familiar. She is forcefully tucked in, before (or after?) witnessing blood on the floor and the not-dad-maybe-dad feeling sick in the bathroom. [I didn't catch this the first time I played the game, but it is heavily implied the father is an alcoholic following the mother's departure (death?), behaving strangely in her eyes when drunk. The horror of every day life...]

[The next part confused me quite a bit at first, not because of the change of background marking a new beginning in the story, but by the shift in the story going from a grim reality told through the eyes of a child, to being swooped by some sort of guardian angel in some imaginary place and being served breakfast. Then afterwards, the context of alcoholism with the father kind of makes it as if the dad was sobered up then, caring for his child.]

A confrontation between the Guardian Angel and the Father-Not-Father ensues, where we can read snippets from the guilt of the father over his behaviour and lack of care towards his child since the passing (death?) of the mother/focusing more/too much on his work, as well as knowing Sweepea, the child that she is, notices the changes in behaviour and the important trinkets tucked away.

Still, the game ends on a positive note [and the visual shows it, moving from dark colours to a bring pink], where things turn around for Sweetpea, announcing the turn of a new leaf for her, with brightness and happiness [following the dad's recovery/promise to do better?].

After reading the author's Post Mortem:

HA! I was right on the Micheal thing.

Also Micheal and dad are not the same person, apparently...

The fact that there was no set plot before the story was written strangely adds onto the uneasiness of the game, and works to better show how the mind of a child goes from one thing to another. Also, insane.

The path where Sweetpea does open the door instead of taking a nap was cut for time, and while it would have been interesting to get a more "obvious" hint at the father's strange behaviour, it does work in the game's favour of the child's portrayal (more likely to back down when scared, also it's the middle of the night).

A few random notes:

Sweetpea can/will visit the study twice; during the second visit, the game will not acknowledge the first (this is minor, and due to the construction of the game, done without variables, which is impressive in an of itself.

The choice of colors, while delightful and creepy, made it sometimes hard to read (the white on pink at the end) or to find links (the light pink being very close to the text colour), similarly with the textured words (animation/custom). But from a style/story perspective, since we are in the mind of a child (for the most part), this fits with how Sweetpea would be feeling (the uneasiness/hopelessness/happiness).

The description of the child being left alone for days on end just broke my heart...

The gothic style shines through the text, and makes the horror not just more vivid, but more visceral to feel. Chills going down the spine at every turn.

[cat-esper]

Past/Current/Next Tag

Hey, thanks for the tag, @pb-dot!

Rules: Write about three WIPs, past is a WIP you stopped working on/finished; current is a WIP you're currently working on; next is a WIP you want to write.

Tagging (no pressure): @awleeofficial, @writeouswriter, and @chiefwritesbook

Past: None of my WIPs that I intend to publish are technically complete due to procrastination (editing my beloathed) so I'll dredge up an old WIP that has been shelved permanently, The Void Drums. This one is sort of Jackaby meets Pirates of the Caribbean with dark, gothic horror vibes. Calixto, a young man from another dimension, is tasked by the villainous Lord Governor with retrieving the Fractal Glaive, an artifact of great value and power. In exchange, he will not be sentenced to a fate worse than death for his crimes. He has no choice but to accept, though of course, he plans on finding the weapon and running off with it the first chance he gets. Meanwhile, in our world in the late 19th century, Emily, the daughter of a forensics expert recently fallen ill, investigates gruesome murders that leave very little of the body behind. Their paths cross and it becomes evident that the murders are caused by creatures from Calixto's home and that they have something to do with the Glaive. There's body horror, there's layers of betrayal, and since this story will never see the light of day, I don't see why I shouldn't reveal that this whole plot is a trap, the key to finding the Glaive involves realizing that Calixto's memories were erased and he was the one who hid it in the first place, and everything ends horribly with the villain winning, yay.

Anywho, here's a snippet (cw: body horror):

He shut the door and Emily bristled. She knocked again but there was no answer. “Detective Harkins, please!” She huffed, pounded harder but it made no difference. He was being ridiculously stubborn and she couldn’t believe this was happening. “Damn it,” she muttered under her breath. Calixto sighed. “What does it look like?” Emily glared at him. He could have helped instead of standing there looking like a vagabond. “What?” Calixto pushed himself off the wall. “The journal. What does it look like?” “Like a journal,” Emily said bluntly. And then she sighed. It was Harkins she was mad at, not Calixto. He was just easier to get at at the moment. “It’s black leather, a bit worn and it’s got a red ribbon tucked into the pages.” “I’ll get it for you.” Emily narrowed her eyes. “And how are you going to do that?” As satisfying as it would be to break down the door, she’d probably get arrested. Calixto smirked. “You’ll want to look away.” “Why?” Calixto didn’t wait for her to turn her back. At first she couldn’t tell what was wrong with him, only that something was. He seemed to go just slightly out of focus and trying to watch him gave her a headache which pulsed softly at her temples. She was staring straight into his eyes when it happened. They seemed almost to unfold into a blossom of fractals, eyes within eyes within eyes, an infinite regression that made her lose her balance. But it wasn’t just his eyes. It was every part of him. She caught glimpses of muscle superimposed over skin and bone on top of that but under it at the same time. Nausea swept through her and she doubled over, afraid she was going to be sick right there on the floor. “I told you not to look,” the voice came from so many miles away but she stayed hunched over, her head hurting, her pulse pounding, putting all her concentration into breathing slowly and steadily, praying for the feeling to pass. A journal fell to the floor at her feet, the piece of ribbon sticking out of it. She refused to look up. “You can get up now. You’ll be fine.” Emily was already starting to get her nausea under control and she carefully looked up, afraid she would once again see all those impossible angles and planes and they’d make her sick for real this time. But when she looked up, it was just Calixto standing there, as human-looking as anyone else, staring down at her with sharp, albeit normal, eyes. She winced and stooped to pick up the journal. “What are you?” she managed to get out. “Oh, I'm as human as you," Calixto replied. "Just from...elsewhere." What a lie. “And the journal?” A quick check inside assured her it was the right one. But Harkins would have kept it in his desk. “Nothing in your dimension is hidden from me,” Calixto said. “I simply took a detour through 5-Space and plucked the journal out from inside the desk. Harkins was there but he could not see me. He won’t realize it’s missing until he checks for it.”

Current: I'm working on so many WIPs at once, but my absolute favorite is Project Paladin, a 12 book YA science fantasy series. Chelsea Seaver watched her parents being abducted by aliens and she's determined to get them back. Her investigation quickly leads her through a portal to an alien world where she falls in with a group of characters at odds with the Syndicate responsible for her parents' abduction for reasons unknown. She becomes a student of the last remaining Paladin, Shay Finnegan, and the series follows her adventures through space (and occasionally time). She collects many friends along the way as well as some powerful enemies.

Here's a snippet from Book 2:

“They’re kinda like puppies,” Alexos relented, laughing. “The poor little guys. We should name them.” “Name them?” Alexos put the paper bag of wrapped fish meat on the counter. “Do we cook this stuff or what?” “No, they eat it raw,” Kovna said. “Yeah.” Chelsea put their newly acquired plates down next to the fish. “Drat. Forgot to get a knife. That way we’ll have something to call them. Since we’re babysitting them and all. There’s three of them and three of us so we each get to name one.” “Mine’s Hieronymus Bosch,” Alexos said promptly. Chelsea raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you even know who that is?” “Yeah. A guy with a ridiculous name. Your turn.” “Well which one’s Hieronymus?” Alexos thought for a moment and then pointed to the dragon that was currently trying to chew on its sibling’s tail. “That guy.” “That one’s the female,” Kovna corrected. “How do you know?” Chelsea snickered. “How do you think?” “Well. Hieronymus is a gender-neutral name.” “Whatever.” Chelsea picked up the dragon that was having its tail chewed on. He was still warm from the oven. He kicked his feet a couple of times until she had her arms under him and then he stared at her with his snake-like face framed by bristling feathers. His eyes were dark and round and she could see her reflection in them. He would need a good name. Something majestic. “This one’s Falkor,” she announced. “Falkor who?” Chelsea cradled the dragon against her chest. “From The Neverending Story. Plus they’ve both got feathers.” “Okay, nerd. 612, what are you naming yours?” Kovna looked at the last remaining baby, who was sniffing around the water bowls. “You can name him.” “Come on,” Chelsea said. “If it weren’t for you, they’d be sick. It’s fair.” “I wasn’t programmed to have an imagination.” Chelsea placed Falkor back on the floor and scooped up the third dragon, bringing him over to Kovna. “Come on, look at him. He’s so cute but so sad. Look at his eyes. What do his eyes tell you?” She held the dragon so it was staring in Kovna’s direction. “Um.” Kovna looked as if he’d just been called on in class and didn’t have an answer to the teacher’s question. He stared at the dragon in bafflement and then said, “Ben?” Chelsea grinned. “Ben it is.” “Hieronymus, Falkor, and Ben. What a trio,” Alexos said.

Future: This one is so hard to choose because I have a million ideas and I want to write them all and it doesn't help that the line between WIP I'm sorta kinda working on in the background and Future Project is very wibbly.

One I'm really excited about is a 4-part horror fantasy series that's sort of urban fantasy inspired by the Left Right Game. The premise is that every so often, the Road to Avalon opens and all those who brave it and reach its end will have a wish granted. But the Road is fraught with danger and haunted by 4 eldritch gatekeepers. No one has ever returned. Our main players are Leslie, a vampire who once braved the Road in a failed attempt to rid himself of his vampirism and is the only person to have ever returned; Ticua, a sprite from the West Rattlesnake Clan who tries to convince Leslie to be the caravan's guide now that the Road is about to open again; Bug, a fox wilding (that's like a reverse shapeshifter; she was born a fox but has the ability to transform into a human due to being born on a leyline), who unknowingly absorbed the map Leslie buried because he stupidly buried it on said leyline and it got washed "downstream"; and Dauntless, a Luminary (that's a sentient hologram projected by a swarm of drones) hired to kill Leslie, but decides that braving the Road is much more interesting.

[rusakkowrites]

WIP folder game

@wurzelbertzwerg tagged me to share my WIP folder, so here goes! These are story ideas that I’ve somewhat actively worked on at some point – I also have several notebooks full of scribbled ideas, but fortunately they’re out of scope for this game.

If you would like to share the contents of your WIP folder, consider yourself tagged by me!

Fandoms that I’m currently active in

Pride and Prejudice

Childhood Friends AU: Darcy and Elizabeth meet in London when Elizabeth is eight years old and end up meeting again over the years for various reasons. Probably won’t be finished because the plot involves some fanon-based characterisations and unrealistic scenarios that I don’t like anymore.

Different conversation at the inn AU: A short canon divergence in which Darcy can’t bear seeing Elizabeth in distress and ends up confessing his plan to find Lydia and Wickham. This leads to an earlier romantic resolution.

Elizabeth de Bourgh AU: AU in which Elizabeth’s father was Sir Lewis’s younger brother, who broke with his family, and her mother was Mr Bennet’s cousin. She’s been raised by the Bennets after being orphaned. When she’s 19 or 20, her paternal relatives take a renewed interest in her after she gets a surprise inheritance. Probably won’t be finished. (I actually also have some notes for a different AU in which Elizabeth is related to both the Bennets and the de Bourghs in a slightly less convoluted way – that one I might actually try to work on at some point.)

Hogwarts AU: An AU in which all the Austen characters are witches and wizards, mixing and matching plot elements from Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter. Currently on the back burner because I feel conflicted about writing or posting anything related to J.K. Rowling.

Kitty thinks Darcy is evil AU: A Pride and Prejudice sequel from Kitty’s point of view, featuring lots of ridiculous misunderstandings on Kitty’s part.

Pride and Prejudice and Compound Interest: A short exploration of the potential financial futures of Elizabeth, Lydia and Charlotte. I have a complete draft of this one, but I feel like it would require more research before I’m willing to post it, and I’m not really motivated to do said research at the moment.

Animorphs AU: Darcy’s proposal to Elizabeth is interrupted when an injured alien crashes his spaceship in Mr Collins’s vegetable garden. I have lots of ideas and snippets for this one, but the scope creep became kind of intimidating, so I don’t know if I’ll ever finish any part of this story.

Emma

Snowed in AU: An AU in which the Woodhouses, the Knightleys and Mr Elton do get snowed in at Randalls on Christmas Eve. Mr Elton drinks more wine than in canon, his proposal is even worse, and events butterfly away from there. This one I’m actually actively working on at the moment (but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will ever be finished).

P&P + Emma crossover

P&P + Emma: Elizabeth’s trip with the Gardiners is cancelled and she persuades her father to forbid Lydia’s trip to Brighton, so the meeting at Pemberley doesn’t happen and Lydia never elopes. Instead, Elizabeth is invited by the Gardiners to visit some of their relatives in a little town called Highbury – and coincidentally, Mr Darcy and his sister happen to have family there too. The additional characters cause further complications in the already convoluted plot of Emma.

Northanger Abbey

To Rip What You Sew: A very short little Henry/Catherine piece inspired by a stupid pun. I need to find a suitable Gothic novel to reference before moving forward with this one.

April Lady (Georgette Heyer)

April Lady canon divergence: I actually have a preliminary summary for this one: “A dresser’s discretion and a kiss that is not interrupted put Lord and Lady Cardross on a different path towards reconciliation.” I’ve got most of the story written, but it’s been sitting and waiting for editing inspiration for a few years because I wasn’t quite happy with some parts of the plot.

Permanently abandoned WIPs from fandoms that I’ve moved away from

Yuri!!! On Ice

Yuuri of Green Gables: An AU idea inspired by L.M. Montgomery’s works. I only have a very vague recollection of what the plot was supposed to be, but I remember that it would have spanned from Yuuri’s childhood through his university years and that Yuuri became an artist. There was also a dramatic romantic resolution involving a broken engagement. I also had plans for a sequel that involved Yuuri getting measles and hallucinating. All in all it was a sprawling project that never got much beyond a 12,000-word bullet point plan and a few draft scenes.

Stand Still, Stay Silent

A Dangerous Midsummer: An AU in which Emil went to Finland with a group of cleansers after the first adventure and (of course) ended up working with Lalli. I remember that the story involved troll-hunting shenanigans, swamps, midsummer traditions and eventual romance.

Bedtime stories and lullabies: A story about Onni’s childhood, exploring his relationship with his family through bedtime stories and lullabies.

Tuuli Hollola: A fic about Tuuli Hollola from Kaino’s perspective.

Side effects: A story from Year 0 told through clinical trial documentation.

The Swedish mage: A story about a Swedish original character who accidentally found out that he was a mage during a visit to Norway. I remember that the dreamworld was involved, but I think I hadn’t quite worked out the entire plot when I abandoned the story.

I generally only post stories that are completely or almost completely pre-written, so these WIPs fortunately aren’t sitting abandoned on AO3 causing me stress. Most of them will probably never see the light of day, but they were fun to work on nonetheless!

[beepbeepbeepjeep]

Jumpscare!

If a story is about life, does it ever truly end?

hellooooo! welcome to the Official The Magic School Jeep blog on tumblr!! for context, you don't need context. :)

this is just a silly little blog we made for a semi-original story we're writing. we r srs in the sense that the story is meaningful-ish but we're also unsrs in the sense that

^^ these are only some of the Riveting snippets from this Professionally Written story by Us

speaking of Us, here's a list of the Evil Masterminds behind this:

asphalt (@twoturtlesinatubetop) - she/he

pastaboy (@februarytodeath) - he/they

cakegirl (@skylarquantity) - she/they

nicocaine (@probablyprobablynot) - she/he

pussyoreos (@realtaunymuahahaha) - they/he

sauceza (@discounttaunywow) - he/him

(it's rlly only asphalt and pastaboy behind this. the others are just here idk . we love them though !! except for sauceza /j

edit: you know I colorcode and proofread the text before i post the chapters right =m= -cakegirl

we ly for that - pastaboy)

things you can expect from us:

nothing

debatably copyright-able content

snippets i guess

art question mark

it all depends on whether pastaboy will actually do his (unpaid) job

important srs PSAs : we are all minors, we are all queer (yippee), we are all esteemed scholars (real not clickbait), we are unfortunately filipino. dni if yu (<- inside joke,, 3/4 the things we say are inside jokes actually), but also dni if you're like . a bad fucky wucky person :3

here's a more srs introduction focusing more on story details!

aaaand our story masterpost :3

taglist under cut!

bold Franklin Gothic - important things

now I know my ABCs - actual story

Heck Inc HQ - story discussion

mindmaps - out-of-story chr discussion

weewoo machine - shitposting

read ol abowt it - extra ficlets

summoning circle - asks

🔺 bermuda triangle - art

shoutout to my music teacher - playlists

AND relationship/character tags 👀

ann without an e - savannah

bbq - beau

catholic school hasbeen - tauny

says things like ciao bella - ascot

kissed a girl and liked it - liza

doctor doctor - cato

chimkn - [UNNAMED GAME SHOW HOST]

starchild - [WHO IS THAT KID]

gingerbitch - beau/tauny

hairdye and pronouns - ascot/liza

flower arrangement is my passion - beau/cato