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madasthesea · 4 years

Note

I’m sorry for being so mean. I had a really bad day and didn’t mean to say such awful things. But I am frustrated my fics always get ignored, especially by the big names in the fandom such as yourself that claim to support everyone. I’ve written so many fics in this fandom and have been doing so for over a year, yet I only have 30 subscribers. I get really frustrated and feel like I’m a bad writer because everyone ignores me and my fics. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I’m sorry.

(2/2) For a fan community that claims they are inclusive, everyone sure doesn’t act that way. Everyone already has their friends and people like me who don’t have many friends get ignored. The big names in the fandom don’t support or read the fics by the new people. It’s not just me. I’ve never received a single kudo or comment from you or anyone else that’s popular like you. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong but people don’t read my fics.

Ok, I’m answering this in the middle of the night in the hopes that not a lot of people will see it so it won’t become A Thing and then as soon as this fic exchange is over I am turning my anons off forever. Anon, I guess I have to give you credit for coming to apologize, but I have to say, where before I was perfectly capable of laughing off your extremely rude message, I have to say, now I’m annoyed. Because there is not a single instance or bad day or frustration that makes what you said acceptable. You came into my inbox and threw a temper tantrum because you knew my name and I happen to have anons on unlike most of the “fandom big names.” You told me I had the worst fics in the fandom, told me I publish outlines instead of stories and accused me of writing incestual pedophilia because you had a bad day? I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you’re young because that is the only possible excuse I could give you. As I said in my original response, if I were already an anxious writer, you could have caused me to delete all of my fics and put me off of writing forever. Someone commented on your original message and said that they don’t post their writing because of messages like that one. You’re right you shouldn’t have taken it out on me, and you wouldn’t have if your name had been associated with it. But here we are, and I’m going to try to make it so this never happens again, at least with the two of us.

Now, onward to your frustrations. I am sorry that you aren’t getting the attention you want, but one) yelling at me on anon isn’t going to fix that. Two) not to be like callous and insensitive, but that happens to almost every writer I know. I’ve been writing fanfiction for 12 years. This is the seventh fandom I’ve written for and no one ever read my fics before this. My first year on AO3 I published six stories and had 500 views total. I get the frustration, but sometimes you just have to get the perfect combination of exposure, plot, and interest. Three) Do you have any idea how many stories get published in the Peter Parker & Tony Stark tag a day? I’m sorry, I can’t read all of them. I don’t want to read all of them, in fact I have 14 different tags blacklisted. Just because I am a “big name” does not mean I owe you a comment or a kudos. If I like your story, I will tell you. Chances are, I haven’t even seen one of your stories, because I’m an adult with a job and hobbies and writing of my own to do. Most of the “big names” are the exact same except a lot of them also have school. If you want someone to read your stories, ask them. Say “hey, I respect you and your opinion, could you look at this for me?” They will probably say yes unless they have a good reason not to. Don’t just sit there and wait for it to happen and get mad when it doesn’t. Also, this is the third time someone has yelled at me for not reading or commenting on their fics and it makes me less inclined to leave kudos in general in case someone comes and gets mad that I read their fic but didn’t comment. So uh… don’t do this again.

As for the community, do you want to know how to make friends? Send asks (nice ones) not on anon. We can’t interact with you if you don’t know who you are. Reblog our fics. Comment on our posts. You can’t make friends if no one knows you exist. And the only way to show you exist is show yourself in our notes, in our inboxes. Sitting in your corner of tumblr and being bitter isn’t going to help anyone. This fandom is welcoming and it is kind and it is supportive. You saw how many people came to my defense tonight. If you talk to those people, they’ll talk back, but they can’t reach out to every single Irondad blog, it just isn’t feasible.

And finally, how to get your fics read more. Like I said, part of it is just… luck. I got in at the very beginning, as did losingmymindtonight, parkrstark, several others, and had already established myself before IW came out and the fandom got bigger. Lucky break on my part, but I’m also a good writer because I’m 25 and I have a Master’s in a writing heavy field and I’ve been writing my entire life. Sometimes it just takes practice. But there is stuff that all good fics have in common, so here we go:

1) Good grammar, good spelling, good punctuation.

I don’t know who you are so I have no idea what your writing is like, but this is stuff I had to tell college students as a teacher, so I’m just going to go over it.

Are there line breaks between every paragraph? No? There need to be. It’s hard to read when all of the words are bunched together, meaning automatic exits will happen, regardless of content.

Do you start a new paragraph every single time a new person speaks? You should.

“When someone is speaking,” I asked, “do you put a comma before the speech tag?” Commas, not periods. Not periods then commas. Punctuation goes inside the quotation marks.

Are you writing in first or second person (I or you)? Don’t.

Pay attention to your tenses. It is very confusing reading a story that switches tenses every sentence.

Are you capitalizing the beginning of every sentence and proper noun? You have to. Reading all lowercase takes energy and concentration and readers don’t like to put more effort in than they’re used to. Also it’s just pointless.

Get a beta reader. Get grammarly (but the free version, don’t pay) or another editing service. Google anything you have a question about. EDIT YOUR WRITING.

2) New ideas

Every fandom has tropes they love, but not every fic can be a trope fic. Every fic I write is, if not completely new, a spin on a popular trope.

Yes, there are some popular field trip fics, but most of them get lost in the weeds because they are all the same. And most of the people I talk to don’t even like them. (This counts for May dies fics, sensory overload… If you’re going to write it, you have to make it different and you have to make it good.)

Look to other movies or books for ideas, check out irondad-fic-ideas, something. Write something new, something only you can write, and at least some people will notice.

3) Good characterization

Now apparently everything I write is OOC, so maybe I’m not the best person to be giving advice on this :/ (I’m still annoyed. I’m getting over it)

BUT–the best way to write a well-known character is to know the source material. Listen to the way they talk, watch how they move. Ignore fanon. It’s hard, but try. Peter isn’t actually a perpetual ray of sunshine, chatter box 12 year old like we often write him, Tony isn’t 100% sarcasm and incapable of recognizing his own feelings.

If you can hear the character say it in their actual voice, it’s probably a good line.

4) Misc.

Fandom rule of thumb: cute fluff and hardcore whump win out over deep character studies on convoluted plot lines. If you’re just looking for hits or maybe a fic to establish yourself, that’s a good way to do it.

If you’re posting a multi-chapter fic, don’t post it all at once. People will comment on each chapter as you post and you’ll get more hits.

Respond to comments, especially at the early stages. It makes your readers more invested, it builds friendships, and it makes your stats look better.

There’s a blog that supports little known writers in this fandom! Rec your fics there!

Make sure to never, ever put “I suck at summaries” or “fic is better than summary” it is an instant turnoff. If you can’t write the thing that makes me want to read the fic well, why would I think I want to read the fic?

Tagging on AO3 is vital. Tag the right relationships, tag the right emotions (angst, fluff, hurt/comfort). I often sort just by these. Always put in the category, (M/M, F/M, etc.) and the rating. There is no reason not to, but not doing so makes people less likely to read. Always tag triggers.

Never steal fics or ideas. If a story inspires you, you can ask the author if you can write something similar and then link in your story back to theirs. Nothing will make you less popular in a fandom than stealing work.

Lastly, I know authors constantly talk about how important comments and kudos are, and they are so important to bolstering spirits, I get that, but if you aren’t writing for yourself first, you will always be disappointed. You should enjoy your fic as much when you read it in your word doc as when you read it online with comments and kudos. And maybe you write really niche stuff that doesn’t appeal to a lot of people, but churning out carbon copies of the Fandom Tropes and hoping for hits is not going to satisfy you and you will keep being frustrated.

Let’s not do this again, shall we? Next time you have a question, ask me nicely.

#answered #it is 2:30 in the morning but I was so annoyed I couldn't sleep so here we go :)))))#Anonymous

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scgdoeswhat · 5 years

Text

Yours - Beckett x Clarette

Summary: A prelude and postlude to The Elementalists Book 2, Chapter 9.

Rating: NSFW

Words: 5126

Author’s Notes: Wow. This literally has been over a month in the making. I originally planned to finish this the weekend after Ch. 9 came out but real life sometimes decides to dump a load, right?

This also stemmed from two things:

Many moons ago @numberonepoetryexpert requested jealousy smut and it didn’t feel right until this.

This was the masterplan I was alluding to in that one thread so long ago, @queen-among-writers, @ludextruction, @fluffy-marshmallow-heart and @drakewalkerfantasy ! See, I knew where it was going!

Thanks everyone for their patience while I’ve regrouped. Special thanks to @brightpinkpeppercorn @hellomynameisdevi @a-whore-of-rome for keeping me sane and for the support.

Hope you all enjoy! Beckett doesn’t belong to me (unfortunately), but the story does. No Beta used.

Sorry if the “Read More” link isn’t working. It’s Tumblr’s fault, not mine!

Tag list: @xo-endlessmayhem-xo @grungeisntmything @friendlylilshipper @felmasri @numberonepoetryexpert @hellomynameisdevi @beckettbaguette @siegrrun @choicesthatplayyou @retroangxl @askdana @50shadesofgrayx @darley1101 @kamybelen-blog @herdecisions @artchoicesreblog @teenytinymagician @choicesfannatalie @itsstillnotwhatyouthink @abigailpoe @flyawayboo @brightpinkpeppercorn @gardeningourmet @harringtons-honey @manateemilk @queenodysseia @thatcatlady0716 @divergentofhogwarts @pottershat @topsyturvy-dream @choicesyouplayandmore @zeniamiii @never-neverland @drakewalkerfantasy @syltti78 @elementalistshoe @maxwellsquidsuit @sleepingpillcorporation @tabithacarlisle @ludextruction @pbmychoices @wickedgypsymoon @mistychoices @izzycheeese @lady-kato @fluffy-marshmallow-heart @flynnomalleys @walkerismychoice @a-whore-of-rome @drakesensworld @laceandlula @rhymesmenagerie @shainaa00 @princessstellaris @itsbrindleybinch @donutsgirl36 @liamzigmichael4ever @mckenzie-powell @sunflowergirl05 @justendlesssummerfeels @friedherringclodthing @choicesarehard @desiree-0816 @elanorwaverley

Please let me know if you want to be tagged/removed on future fics and I’ll tag anyone I may have missed in the comments. Thank you!

"Clarette, are you sure about this?" Beckett sat on the sofa, elbows on his knees, his hands wringing while he looked imploringly up at the woman pacing the common room area.

She stopped in her tracks, turning to face him. "Yeah, I am. Knowing how Kane has operated so far, flattery will get us far."

"But how far are you willing to go to play this charade?"

"As far as I have to until I get the answers I need."

Beckett's brow furrowed, not liking her plan one bit. "I suppose there is no way I'll be able to dissuade you from this, is there? I’m afraid that you’re playing with fire."

"Shouldn’t you technically say ‘playing with air?’” She joked, trying to lighten the mood.

The poignant look that he gave in response took the smile off her face instantaneously.

Clarette walked over to the couch, stopping in front of him as she gently picked his hands up in hers, giving his fingers a small squeeze. “I promise I'll be safe. Besides, you and the rest of the Crue are going to be there to back me up, right?"

"Well yes, but – “ he angled his face up at her, apprehension etched over his handsome features. "I can't help but worry about you, especially with what you've been through." Beckett brought her hand to his mouth, brushing his lips over her knuckles. "I know I'm not good at sharing my emotions, but Clarette, you mean the world to me."

A tender smile crossed her face as she bent over and kissed him softly, relishing the feeling of his lips against her own. He responded with intensity, his hands finding themselves on her hips, bringing her closer. Their kisses grew in passion with each passing moment, the fire between them burning brightly.

Beckett pulled Clarette onto his lap, her knees on both sides of him as she straddled him. She ran her fingers through his hair, the affectionate gesture sending shivers through him. He groaned into her mouth, his grip tightening as his hands wandered to her ample bottom. Rolling her hips forward, she gasped, feeling his excitement under her, their eyes trained on each other before falling into another passionate embrace.

Minutes later, they broke apart, breathless. Her eyes remained closed while she rested her forehead against his, relishing the intimacy in between them. Her lids opened languidly and she found Beckett’s hazel grey eyes staring back at her, full of intense emotion. She took his face in her hands, cupping his jaw before kissing him once more.

"Beckett, you mean the world to me, too. I can't imagine my life without you in it. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me."

Beckett's gaze softened with her admission, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he gazed at her adoringly. “Hmmm, I believe you mean that you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he murmured, his hand coming up to her face and caressing her cheek. “What did I do to deserve you?”

Clarette felt the warmth of the sun spread through her body with the smile he was giving her, the unadulterated joy radiating throughout her core. She brought her lips to his once more, their kisses slow and lingering, opposite of earlier yet both savoring the taste of each other.

Her lips curved upward and she couldn’t help but pull back with a little snicker, burying her face in the crook of his neck. “All you had to do was be yourself, a.k.a., you know, be hot.”

Reclining back on the sofa, he rolled his eyes as a blush dusted his cheeks. “You’re impossible, you know that?” He replied, a teasing, exasperated tone accompanying the smile on his face.

“Uh huh, and that‘s why you’re with me,” she laughed, getting off his lap. Offering her hands to pull him up, she sighed. “Come on, I guess we have to go and meet the rest of the gang now.”

“Do we have to? We were so comfortable.”

“I know, I’d rather be straddling you the rest of the night, but we need to prep for Kane.”

“Why are you always right about everything?” He reached for her hand as he stood, his mouth quirking as she helped straighten out his shirt and blazer without a second thought.

“I don’t know about everything, but if we were keeping tally, I’d definitely be lightyears ahead of you,” she ribbed, smoothing out the lapels on his jacket before running her hands down the front of his torso.

“I’m pretty sure if we started keeping track, I’d be able to match your score and obviously overtake it.” Beckett chuckled, a soft smile on his face as he bent over, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

“You wish, Harrington.” Giggling, she slipped her hand into his as they walked out of the room to hatch a game plan to take on Kane later that day.

The Penderghast consortium stood alert in the now barren space that had been a teahouse not even ten minutes ago. The entire setup was just an elaborate illusion concocted by Kane to lure Clarette into joining him that afternoon for a supposed friendly chat, even though the destruction surrounding them told a different story.

Moments prior, the Air Source had cupped Clarette’s face, his mouth at her ear, whispering words that were meant for her alone before he disappeared in a flurry. The intimate nature of his actions led to an awkward silence around the room, despite the number of people present.

“I need some air,” Beckett broke the silence with his sharp outburst, frowning in displeasure. Turning on his heel, he stormed out the door before Clarette even knew what was happening.

Katrina watched her younger brother stomp out of the decrepit bar, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “I should make sure he’s okay,” she mentioned to no one in particular, although she made no move to follow him out.

Clarette put her hand on Katrina’s forearm, her brow knitted in concern. “I’ll go. It’s because of me we got in today’s mess, even though Beckett warned me not to.” She gave a hasty wave to everyone else in the room, running out to find Beckett.

Crossing the threshold of Penn Square and arriving back on the Penderghast campus, she ran down the main corridor, sprinting the last few meters when she saw his solitary figure marching towards the dormitories.

“Beckett, wait!” Clarette tapped her foot twice, enabling the Super Speed Spell she learned the year prior to catch up with his long strides.

He slowed his gait enough for her to draw near, but did not stop as the atmosphere grew tense between them on their silent walk back to his suite. Glancing up at him, she saw the contempt written all over his face.

‘Good job, Clarette. Way to fuck up the best thing you’ve ever had,’ she thought, her brow puckering in disappointment at herself. She followed him into his room, locking the door behind her as she braced herself for the inevitable breakup before they were ever officially together.

After a few strained seconds, she Spoke up, the prolonged silence making her anxious. “Please don’t be mad at me.” Her voice was unnaturally quiet, the opposite of her usual, self-assured nature.

“Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you?!” He exclaimed, turning around to face her. “I am angry, but it is definitely not at you.”

The glint in his eyes was almost feral and his face was red from the exertion of the battle earlier, yet Clarette knew there was something else with the way he was looking at her. Without warning, he crossed the space between them, wrapping his hand around the back of her head before bringing her in for a searing kiss that left her weak in the knees.

“Clarette, I could never be angry with you,” he murmured, pulling back as his eyes bore into hers.

“Oh.” That was the only word she could get out, her head spinning before he laid his mouth on hers once more.

Beckett nipped at her lower lip, lightly sucking on it while his other hand found its way to her ass, pulling her closer to him. She moaned as she felt his length press against her and he took full advantage, sweeping his tongue into her mouth and deepening the kiss. Feeling her legs going weak, she grasped his shoulder for support; her reaction was seemingly the only thing keeping her standing.

Breaking the contact, he turned his attentions elsewhere, trailing kisses along her jaw, up to her ear, and then down to her neck, biting hard enough to undoubtedly leave a mark the next day. He captured her lips again before backing her up against the wall, his strong thigh in between hers, pinning her in place.

"Beckett, what are you doing?" The question barely passed her lips before her head lolled back with his continued affections. His lips attached to her neck, his tongue lightly licking her heated skin.

“You’re wearing too many clothes for what I want to do to you,” he breathed in her ear, his voice low with desire.

Beckett hurriedly hiked the skirt of her steampunk dress up, snaking his hand up her thigh, the smooth skin driving him wild. Holding her gaze, he lifted her leg by his hip, giving him access to grind into her.

Clarette met his every move, cursing the fabric that hindered the close contact they both craved. She felt the heat pooling in her belly, and she knew he could feel her excitement rolling off of her. Never had she seen Beckett in such a primal, primitive, and possessive state and it was turning her on to no end.

Making his way back to her mouth, he gave her a bruising kiss before pulling back, a wild look in his eyes. He stared at her, his steel grey orbs molten with desire and the fire within him blazing.

"Clarette, it drove me insane watching you flirt with him," he frowned. "When he touched your arm, it took every fiber of my being to not instinctively wrap my hands around his throat, Air Source or not. The insinuation that he had something special set up for you and him, only to then whisk you away to God knows where? All I could see was him caressing your arm and wanting more... and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. The next thing I knew, he had taken you from sight and you disappeared.”

"But you said you were fine with it and look, we're all okay-"

"I never said I was fine with it. Willingly let you flirt with another man? It doesn't matter that he's the Air Source; it was obvious from the beginning that he held a strange fascination with you. You always captivated him. Given the chance, he would bed you in an instant," he seethed.

Clarette's jaw dropped. "Beckett..."

He looked at her, his pupils wide as his nostrils flared.

"You're jealous."

Beckett's eyes narrowed. "You're damn right I am."

Her gaze roved his face before she kissed him hard, her tongue brushing against his. "You have no reason to be. It's only you, you know that.” She stared deeply into his eyes, their breaths intermingling. “No one makes me feel like you do. I'm all yours."

The air surrounding them was electric as they stared at each other with intensity. She found herself short of breath; his fingers started trailing a path up her inner thigh before rubbing her through the soaked satin of her panties. Pushing the flimsy fabric to the side, he pressed a thick finger through her slick folds, the act making her buck against his hand.

"Is this all mine?" He growled lowly into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

A gasp escaped her while her arms wrapped tightly over his broad shoulders and around his neck. "Yes," she whispered, her voice husky. "It's all for you."

Beckett smirked triumphantly as he watched Clarette's eyes close in ecstasy, his fingers moving unhurriedly in and out of her most private area. She leaned her head forward, resting her forehead against his shoulder as he continued his ministrations. Her hips rocked against the rhythm of his hand, his thumb glazing her clit, nearly undoing her.

"Please don’t stop, Beckett," she whimpered, his actions taking her to the edge.

Beckett removed his hand much to her dismay, her lids opening with effort only to see him licking her juices off his digits.

"Ah, ah, ah... not yet," he teased, bringing his fingers to her lips. Slowly inserting them into her mouth, his jaw fell slightly as their eyes locked and she sucked on his fingers, tasting the remnants of her honey. He groaned as her tongue swirled over his fingertips, the feeling of her hot mouth shooting straight to his member. Removing his hand, he held her against the wall once more, his lips descending and capturing hers in a scorching kiss.

He ran his hand down her outfit, a guttural sound emanating from his throat in dissatisfaction at the amount of clothes she was wearing. Setting her leg back on the floor, he took a step back, missing the heat of her body instantly. His eyebrow arched in disapproval as he calculated how many buttons and hooks held her outfit together until a smug smile appeared on his face. With a flick of his hand, he summoned his Air Magick and unfastened all the contraptions simultaneously, her outfit falling away at the seams.

Clarette bit her bottom lip as the cool air hit her heated skin, her nipples stiff from both her arousal and the instant exposure. She felt herself flush from her sudden bareness, his traveling gaze accompanied by a lick of his lips.

Beckett leaned over and kissed her with abandon, one hand tangling in her hair. "Much better," he whispered, in between kisses as his fingers slid down from the curve of her neck to her breasts. He kneaded the soft mounds, his thumb running over her darkened buds, taking gratification of her body’s reaction to his touch. Breaking their kiss, he trailed an invisible path from her jaw to her neck with his lips, pausing momentarily to suck on her pulse point. He followed the tender act with a gentle bite, eliciting a gasp from her mouth. Continuing further, he traced his tongue down to the valley between her breasts, squeezing them together as he peppered her bosom with feathery kisses.

Clarette leaned back against the wall for support, her hands gently scratching the back of his neck as he slathered his attentions on her breasts. She gulped in pleasure at his attentiveness, writhing underneath his touch as the caresses of his touch turned greedy.

Beckett grazed her nipple with his teeth, causing her to yelp in surprise at the different sensation. He took the sensitive peak into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the dusky tip before gently sucking any pleasurable pain away. Squeezing one breast roughly, he flattened his tongue against her bud, his eyes looking up to gauge her reaction.

"Was that okay?" His smooth voice ghosted over her skin; his eyes focused on hers.

She met his gaze, nodding in silence. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears and her chest heaved as she watched him continue his southern route, her stomach flexing under his featherlight touch.

Clarette's breath caught as she watched Beckett kneel in front of her, looking up with an enticing glimmer in his eye and a devilish grin crossing his face. He slowly slid her panties down, exposing her mound to him. Lifting her right foot up, his lips lightly brushed the inside of her ankle before making the journey up her long leg. He kissed the hollow of her knee tenderly, knowing it was one of her sensitive spots that drove her wild. Inhaling deeply, he let out an appreciative moan while he traced the inside of her thigh with his tongue, lightly biting the expanse of silky skin before soothing it once again with his mouth. His other hand gently ran up and down the backside of her other leg, gently squeezing her ass in a nonsensical sequence before his long fingers grazed the inside of her thigh.

She swallowed thickly as he rested her leg over his broad shoulder, her center completely open to him alone. The anticipation of his mouth on her was making her so wet.

His eyes shot up once more, locking with hers before he delved in, giving her pussy a long, languid lick.

"Oh my God, Beckett!" she exclaimed, nearly losing her balance as he proceeded to bury his head between her legs, kissing her fully on her lips.

His strong hands held her steady as his arm wrapped over the leg on his shoulder, the other gripping her ass as he brought her even closer to his mouth. Her hands flew down to help her maintain her position, one clinging to his shoulder and the other landing on the hand on her leg, squeezing his fingers to let him know that she was thoroughly enjoying his attentions.

Clarette swore she could feel him smile as he squeezed back, encouraging her to ride his face as he explored her core with his mouth. She rolled her hips forward rhythmically, her breath leaving her in short, little huffs as she fucked Beckett's face. She nearly toppled over once more after he angled his head higher, his tongue now directly running over the hood of her clit. Pulling back briefly, he glossed two fingers up and down over her glistening slit, easily sliding into her tightness.

A strangled sob originated from her throat, her head falling back to rest against the wood paneling of the wall as he pumped his fingers in and out of her. He studied her face intently, loving how her eyes scrunched shut and her mouth fell open as he fingered her just the way he knew she liked it. Bringing his mouth to her again, he teased her mercilessly, tracing his tongue around her pearl in a slow, deliberate pattern, wanting to hear her beg for him.

“Beckett, stop teasing me,” she pleaded, grinding harder against him.

“Then tell me what you want,” removing his mouth, he replied with a whisper against her.

“You know what I want.”

“I want to hear you say it.”

Her fist flew to her mouth, biting down on her knuckle after he ducked his head once more, tormenting her with a clever twist of his tongue.

“I want you to make me come,” she barely managed out, her head feeling like it was on the verge of exploding with desire.

With her magic words, he brushed her clit with his tongue, her center clenching around his fingers with his divine course of action. Starting slowly, he lapped at her nub without haste, fully tasting and savoring her essence. He gradually increased his tempo, flicking his tongue back and forth against her button, making her quiver as her legs trembled around his head, his name repeatedly leaving her lips.

“Please, I’m so close,” Clarette begged, so close to her release.

Beckett applied more pressure as he sped up his actions, licking her relentlessly and giving her no mercy in his quest to bring her to pure bliss. He wrapped his lips around her clit, sucking and swirling his tongue around her bundle of nerves, willing her to come as he continued to fuck her with his fingers.

“Oh God, Beckett, I’m coming!” She cried out, her walls pulsing around his fingers as she screamed his name out in ecstasy.

He kept his mouth on her through her orgasm, not stopping his movements until she finished riding out her crest. Carefully, he withdrew and set her leg down, holding her upright as he kissed his way upwards, his firm hands holding her securely in case her knees buckled under her.

Breathing hard, she leaned into his body, unsure of her own ability to stand by herself. She was on a complete high; her mind was dizzy with her overpowering climax and she could feel her wetness dripping down her leg.

Beckett pressed his body to hers as he nuzzled her ear, his straining bulge rock hard against her abdomen. “I hope you realize I’m not even close to being done with you.”

Clarette groaned into his mouth as he kissed her hard, tasting herself on his lips, his tongue tangling with hers. He shrugged the blazer from his shoulders, her hands pulling his shirt out of his pants before trailing down and squeezing his thick arousal, making him shudder under her touch. Her fingers deftly undid his belt buckle as he tore his shirt off, their gazes never leaving each other once. She pushed his trousers and underwear down, freeing him from his constraints as he stepped out of them, his body now naked as hers. Wrapping her hands around his erection, she stroked him up and down, squeezing him before running her thumb over his tip.

Beckett shut his eyes and his brow crinkled in delicious agony as he rested his forehead against hers. Eating her out had turned him extremely on and the feeling of her touch almost unraveled him at that moment.

“You’re so hard,” she breathed, her hand rubbing his taut flesh.

In response, his lids opened as he grabbed her hands in one svelte move, pinning them above her head with one hand while pressing his body against hers.

“This is what you do to me, Clarette. I can barely control myself when I’m around you.” Leaning forward, he kissed her deeply, hooking his other hand under her thigh. “I need to fuck you right now.” Their eyes locked as he claimed her with one rough thrust, a deep groan escaping him as he buried his big, thick cock completely in her sopping heat.

“Beckett!!” Clarette screamed in pleasure as he stretched her out, filling her completely with each of his slow, deliberate, yet powerful strokes. Every jerk of his hips sent tremors throughout her entire body, the blood in her veins sparking with electricity. She wrapped her arms around his neck for leverage as he picked her other leg up, lifting her entirely off the ground, her body completely at his will.

Holding her against the wall, he increased his pace and fucked her senseless; the only thought going through his mind was how wet and tight she was and how damn good she felt surrounding him. He pumped upwards into her, the sounds of their bodies coming together combined with their moans to fill the room with a lustful symphony.

Clarette dug her nails into his back, leaving an array of red scratch marks as she held on to him, her body bouncing as he pounded her without inhibition. There was an air of recklessness about him and this was the most animalistic he had ever been with her. One thing was certain: She wanted more.

“Harder, Beckett. Fuck me harder,” she pleaded, a desperate tinge lacing her voice.

Beckett pushed her flush against the wall, her legs wrapping around his waist as his engorged length slammed into her sex repeatedly.

“You like that?” His voice was hoarse as he plunged into her, fully sheathing himself with each surge forward.

He elicited a stifled cry from her in response, her mouth by his ear. The sounds she was making was like a drug to him, urging him to drive even deeper into her. He could feel her pussy start to throb around his swollen dick, each clench threatening to undo the last of his control. Turning his head, he seized her lips with his as he pumped harder, the glow on her skin emerging once more.

Clarette felt like a coiled spring ready to snap, the tension within her nearly at a crescendo. Beckett slid his hand in between their sweat sheened bodies as he glided over her clit, pushing her towards another climax.

“Yes, just like that,” she panted, getting lost in the sensations he was giving her.

She clung onto him tightly as he rubbed her pearl with his thumb, going faster as he filled her over and over again with his thick shaft. He could feel his own release nearing as her walls started to pulsate around his throbbing cock, his entire universe revolving around him being in her and both their pleasure.

A strangled moan left her mouth as he hit her spot, her body tensing as waves of ecstasy washed over her. She came apart in his arms and the sensation of her pussy gripping his member was absolute heaven. Her body banged against the wall as he hammered into her, his thrusts becoming sloppy as he pinned her in place for his own indulgence. The ache was almost too much to bear. He could feel the tightness in his balls building, his orgasm quickly approaching as he fucked her at an even faster pace than before.

“Clarette, I’m coming!“ Beckett groaned, kissing her deeply as he finished.

With one final thrust, he came hard, his seed exploding in her. He stilled and his entire body was pressed against hers, his muscles tight as he panted for air. His head rolled forward, heavy, and rested on her shoulder as they both caught their breaths, not wanting to relinquish the high they were on.

Everything that happened earlier that day was now a distant memory. The only thing encompassing their thoughts and the only thing that mattered at that moment were each other.

Hours later in his bed, Clarette rested her head on Beckett's chest, her fingertips lightly tracing over his skin. She took a deep breath while listening to his steady heartbeat, the cadence relaxing her. Beckett ran his hand up and down her back, sending light shivers down her spine, a comfortable silence between them.

After a few moments, she exhaled, a crease on her eyebrow appearing as she propped herself up to look at him. "For what it's worth, Beckett, I'm really sorry."

Beckett furrowed his brow, bringing his thumb to her forehead to smooth out the worry line that was currently present. "Hey, sorry for what? You have nothing to apologize for."

"But that's the thing. There is. Earlier when we were talking about my stupid plan, I heard the words that you said, but I wasn't listening to what you were saying." She laid back down, wrapping her arm over him and snuggling closer.

"Mmmm," He expressed wordlessly as he drew her closer, kissing the top of her head, letting her continue.

"I know I act first and think later, which is totally opposite of what you do, and the plan in my head - "

"- Sounded good, I know."

“So yeah, I’m sorry for not listening to you.”

Beckett tilted her face up to look at him, giving her a peck on the temple. “I still stand by my opinion that you have nothing to be sorry for, but I do wish you would consider plans that do not constantly put you in danger.”

"I just want to get to the bottom of everything, you know?" She sighed, laying her head back down on him.

"I know, and I just want you to be safe. You have people who care about you.” He paused. “I really care deeply about you.”

Clarette stayed quiet, mulling over his words. She had heard these words before in what seemed like a lifetime ago; before Magick, before Penderghast, and before Beckett. The words and the boys attached to them were always full of false promises. But this time? She truly believed him.

“Clarette? I was about to ask you something, but I felt a tear…“ he trailed off, slightly alarmed.

She sat up and wiping the corner of her eye. Sure enough, there was a bead of moisture on her face and its remnants his chest.

Sitting up to join her, her cupped her cheek, wiping the tear away with his thumb while looking at her intently. “Is everything alright?” he asked, concerned.

Clarette gazed into his eyes, his feelings for her unmistakable. She smiled, placing her hand over the hand on her cheek. “Yeah, it actually is. I just zoned out thinking about the past and how sometimes all of this is overwhelming. But I’m so lucky that I have you by my side through it all.”

He exhaled; relief apparent on his face. “And you will always have me by your side, whenever you need me. Even if you don’t need me, I’ll be there, too. In fact,” his ears started to turn red as he cleared his throat, “I would like to officially be there, by your side. That is, if you would like that, as well,”

She looked at him, a stunned expression on her face before it turned into a smile that rivaled the sun itself. "Beckett Harrington, are you asking me to go steady? To be official?"

“Well, when you put it that way, yes.”

“To be your girlfriend?” She pressed, a glimmer in her eye.

“Yes, I’m asking you to be my girlfriend.” Beckett’s face was beet red. "Please, Clarette. Don't make me regret asking this," he teased, a grin creeping onto his face.

She bolted forward, planting her lips on his as they fell back onto his bed. Their nude bodies molded against each other, limbs intertwining as they made out.

Beckett rolled them over until he was on top, pulling back as he brushed the hair off her face. “You still haven’t answered my question,” he smirked.

Clarette cupped his jaw, trailing her hand down to his neck before resting it at his nape. “Yes. As if it ever was a question,” she beamed before bringing him in for a kiss. “Though honestly, it’s taken you long enough!”

Beckett laughed, his eyes twinkling with mirth. “Well then, I suppose I should make it up to you.”

“And how are you going to do that?”

“I’m sure I can think of a few ways,” he replied, placing kisses down her body.

She writhed under his touch, her body temperature rising as he spread her legs in an unhurried fashion.

With a placating grin, Beckett kissed the inside of one thigh, then the other. “Ah, Clarette, you should know by now, you should never underestimate me.” With that, he lowered his head and spent the rest of the night and the next morning making up the lost time to his new girlfriend.

#beckett harrington fanfic #beckett x mc #the elementalists #beckett harrington #beckett harrington fanfiction #beckett harrington x mc #playchoices fanfic #playchoices #choices fanfic #choices #scg writes

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boogiewrites · 6 years

Text

Bad Bride

Word Count: 7700+

Summary: A power hungry woman finds herself suddenly having feelings beyond the professional for another gangster while engaged to another man. She decides to form a plan to secure her and her husbands rival, Alfie Solomons', place in the underground of London. She doesn't tell Alfie of her plan to get them everything they could want until her wedding day to his rival. How will he react when she confesses it's been for them the entire time? A fun, smutty little one shot.

Warnings/Tags: Language. Explicit Sexual Content: Dominant Alfie. Dom/Sub undertones. Dirty Talk. Getting off on being bad. Some angst, some fluff.

Click on my screen name, then go to my Mobile Masterlist in my bio on my blog page for my other works. (Had to do this since Tumblr killed links, sorry.)

It was your wedding day. By all usual circumstances, this should’ve meant it was the happiest day of your life and it wasn’t that you were unhappy. It was just the source of your happiness for the occasion was rather, well, unusual.

You were the picture of a blushing bride, but that was all a facade. You just happened to be very good at pretending to be things you weren’t. Your dress was perfect, your quaint Christian ceremony and lavish reception thanks to your wealthy husband was all a more simple and sane woman could’ve wanted. But you didn’t believe yourself to be either of those things.

You could blame your upbringing, your absent father, your troubled mother who was now wasting away in a sanitarium. But you knew what evil you did. You felt compulsory in your deviant behavior at times, yes, but you were always in control of it.

Growing up with a mentally ill mother and a father that only showed up in the middle of the night, pissed and high on gambling earnings with a birthday present that was 6 months too late had caused you to have to form a lot of layers to protect yourself from the world. With no money, you had to work early in your life. You soon found that money by any legal means was not enough. So you turned to crime. It was simple at first, petty theft and learning to manipulate men. But this set the tone for how you would end up where you were today. A gangsters wife.

Mind you, this wasn’t the first gangster to have proposed to you. You had made your way through them and too easily so. Once one had you, with a simple glance another wanted to steal you away. So you’d made your way up the ladder and here you were. But not for long. Not if your intention to kill your husband went to plan.

You had been rather selfish for most of your adult life, as growing up and fending for yourself can sometimes make you. You were always looking out for number one. Which was always you. With your air of confidence, your wild card behavior, and now your business mindedness as your ownership of a warehouse with a yard by the canal had made you of high interest to smuggling gangsters getting their alcohol to America during the prohibition. You were willing to work with them and with you being a woman, the police simply didn’t suspect you.

This was how you’d met the man that was on your mind on your wedding day, Alfie Solomons. And he was not your husband. He had offered to be at one point and even though it was nowhere near the first time you’d been proposed to it was your favorite out of them all. You had found yourself in a bit of trouble with a rival gang of the Jews. As you went to Alfie for a chat about your problem, as he was the smartest and most clever man you knew, still was, he rather clumsily offered to marry you to protect you. You were surprised. You hadn’t taken Solomons to be the sentimental sort but as your devious self found his eyes soft, his posture unguarded you pried into him with questions. He admitted to having a rather unusual stirring of feelings for you. He admitted he wasn’t happy about it, as these things, these emotions of the heart as he’d put it, they complicate things. And looking back at that moment, you saw things from your time spent together that made sense in a different light than they had. He had favored you over other criminals but in your ego, which was large, you had assumed he knew which side to play for and the best one was yours.

You tell him you’ll think about it. And having never been married up to that point, you needed time to consider all your options for how to deal with your problems. As marriage wasn’t a temporary thing that was easy to get out of. That was unless your husband died.

In a bold meeting with the gangster than you now called your husband, the biggest rival and enemy to Solomons it turned out, you had thrown your cards out on the table, metaphorically, and also yourself at him. With your physical ability, mental capability and emotional control you found the man wrapped around your finger very quickly. He proposed and you did hesitate.

You went to Alfie, told him of the proposition, as you hadn’t yet given him an answer. And that answer was no. You tell him you’re going to marry the other man. He’s furious, even though he tries to hide it. He expresses a softness towards you, something he does not do and you respond to his offer to help you by marrying the man that was an enemy to you both? You saw him pace his office, that handsome and heavy brow low over the eyes that could cut right through you. His plush mouth tight, that silver tongue rubbing over his teeth in thought. He stares at you and neither of you backs down. It wasn’t in either of your natures. As he gives in first with a heavy sigh, he gestures his hand towards the door for you to leave, and you set in motion a plan.

No man had ever interested you much. Not in any meaningful capacity anyway. Some were excellent fucks, some were funny, but none made you feel anything. That night in his office as he fearlessly faced you, never breaking as you hurt him emotionally, you felt something stir inside you. You were used to men reacting when you did these sorts of things. They’d scream or they’d throw things, grab you or try to kill you. He did nothing except stare into you, then let you go. In your experience men weren’t always capable of letting things go. When they felt hurt for whatever reason they lashed out and lost control. You’d never turned down a proposal and come out unscathed. But Alfie stayed cool. He let you go. He didn’t threaten you or his enemy. And ever since that night you had been planning on thanking him by killing his rival and your now husband. You’d have his money, his real estate and without his leadership, for what it was worth, his men would fall apart. This was your plan to take him down. And so far it was going swimmingly.

You sent a bipartisan messenger boy to Alfie, with the request for him to be at a small work shed on the grounds of where you were having your wedding. The boy that came back had no response, saying that the man had looked at it most curiously and sent him away. You didn’t know if he’d be there but you were setting into motion the plans to find out.

After a round of spinning and dancing, you see the sun setting through the windows of the grand hall your reception was being held in. You find your husband and with your usual feminine touch, you sigh and tell him the festivities are just a little too much and if he didn’t mind, might you have a lie down for a moment and eat something so you could recuperate from your excitement. He, of course, agrees, as he did with most things you said.

Skipping away to the dressing room you’d gotten ready in, you lock the door behind you. You open the window and gather your dress, sneaking out into the bushes. Under the cover of a darkening sky, you move through the decorative flora of the gardens and towards the work shed.

You look from around a large manicured bush, seeing Alfie in his usual daunting hat, dark suit, and cane. He has another man with him, and you couldn’t blame him, he had no clue what he was walking into. You sigh and smile, knowing he was smart but was willing to let his curiosity get the better of him. And you could appreciate that sort of combination. A cautiously open mind.

You emerge from behind the plant, your dress gathered in your hands to keep it from the dirt. The hand of the man behind him goes to his gun. Alfie does not flinch.

“What are you doin' 'ere? I’m busy. Shouldn’t you be off show boatin' about with your new husband? Right twat he is.” He declares angrily, a brow quirked and looking away from your wide eyes as you approach him.

“I’m the one who invited you, silly.” you reply with a soft laugh.

“You?”

“Yes.” You state obviously. “Why else’s would I be here at the advertised time? Wouldn’t I be at my reception with my twat husband?” You give him the same attitude filled face back.

His eyes narrow and he looks You up and down. “Trouble in paradise already eh? Can’t say I’m surprised” he snarks.

“On the contrary, today has gone to plan so far.” You give a casual shrug.

“So my bein' here is part of your plan?”

“A very big part.” you speak slowly and purposely.

He was highly intrigued, trying to not be distracted by how lovely you looked in the dress. “And what’s that then?" he demands.

“Could we speak inside?” You ask, walking towards the small isolated brick sheds faded green painted wooden door. “I’d rather not be seen with you out here.”

“With ya husbands enemy on your wedding day...I’d certainly say not.” He nods to the other man who hides and waits outside. He shuts the door behind him, the space small and all but one wall covered in hanging and propped up gardening equipment.

“Ya bring me here to kill me? A wedding present for your husband?” He rolls his eyes.

“No. The opposite really.” You say with a mischievous smile.

“Ya gonna help me live then?” He snorts out a laugh.

“Actually yes.” you grin.

“I know ya love your codes and like to think yourself to be mysterious but I don’t have the patience today and shouldn’t you be getting back to your, I'm certain, very expensive party?” he shakes his head with judgment clear on his face.

“No hurry for me. I told him the excitement from the festivities was getting to me and I needed a little lie-down.” A more wicked smile appears.

“And he believed that?” He lets out a short laugh.

“He believes anything I say.”

“Then he doesn’t know you at all does he?”

“No he does not.” You state plainly and Alfie's interest is rising, you can tell. “Not the real me. Not like you do Alfie.”

“Me? I’ve not spoken or done business with you in months. What do I know?” the anger breaks through in his voice.

“Doesn’t matter if we haven't seen each other, does it? I would bet that I’ve been on your mind as much as you’ve been on mine.” the coo in your voice frustrates him and reacts accordingly.

“What’s to say none?” he tilts his head and presses his lips together defiantly.

“Oh, Alfie. You don’t have to lie. It’s just us here." he hears you tease.

“Why would I lie?” he barks back.

“Because I hurt your feelings. And no one hurts Alfie Solomons feelings, do they?” you give him a little pout.

“No they do not. Not even you.” his chin wags as he sells his point.

“Again with the lying Alfie.” you scold. “I brought you here tonight to end the lies between us.” you roll your eyes and sigh.

“I ain’t lyin'. You made your choice 'n there was fuck all I could do about it, yeah? So I showed you the fuckin door dinnit I?” his posture is stiff and you can tell he's set to defend himself still.

“But not before you stared at me for a few minutes.” You smirk.

“I was trying to read you. See if there was somethin' there behind your eyes. I was wrong.” his eyes are cold to you now.

“You’re wrong about that. You did see something.” your voice is soft to offset his anger.

“What?” He asks more angrily.

“Me.” You say simply, stepping closer. “You saw me.”

“You were standin' right fuckin there." he gestures to the floor with his hand.

“Let your guard down for a fucking second Alfie, Jesus Christ. You’re so god damned stubborn sometimes.” you say with your lips in a tense line. “If I felt it I know you had to feel it. You looked into me that night. You didn’t look AT me. You looked into me, studied me like no one had before.” your voice gives away your honesty and he's confused by it.

He lets out a sigh and looks away. “Feel what?”

“That connection. That spark between us.” you lean closer to invade his space, make him face you.

He lets out a condescending laugh. “You think you’re gonna try 'n seduce me on the day of your marriage to another man? My enemy? Are you daft? If you’d wanted a fuck love you just had to ask, or accept my proposal. But ya didn’t. So you and ya husband can fuck off. You’re on their side now. Why the fuck did you call me here?”

“To tell you you’re wrong.” you state assuredly.

“Not many have the balls to do that mind you.” he points a finger in your face.

“Have you ever known me to be short on them?” You put your hands on your hips.

“No.”

“Then will you stop your defensive whingin' and let me answer you?” your voice rises.

He doesn’t say a word, he clasps his hands in front of him.

“That night. When you looked at me I felt something.” You nod earnestly. “And men don’t make me feel things Alfie. But you aren’t like most men are you?”

“I’d bloody hope not.” he answers with an exasperated tone.

“You’re not. You’re smart and clever and despite your reputation, when you go off the cuff I believe you to know exactly what you’re doing. You control your emotions. And no men I’ve ever met have controlled themselves the way you do. You are a rare one Alfie.”

“But you married that dimwitted cunt instead? You’re making all the sense in the world mate.” he rolls his eyes and sighs again.

“I married him for you.” You say more seriously.

“And how the fuck does that work?” he almost laughs.

“Because I married him so I could kill him. Something you couldn't get away with.” you bite back.

This grabs his attention. “And what the fuck does this have to do with me?”

“I knew that night when I told you no, that I would be killing him. As an apology to you. I can take his money, his real estate, and his businesses down. I can delete him from history and you can have it all.”

He looks You over inquisitively. “What are you on about?”

“I don’t want him. I want you. But I can’t let a man threaten me and get away with it. So I plan on killing him and taking everything.” he see's the passion in your eyes.

“Sounds like that benefits you more than me." he nods his head at you.

“Not if I marry you.” You state with pouted lips.

He narrows his eyes and tries to decide if he trusts you or not. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because I see a great deal of potential in you. I like how you do business and I like you.” you answer earnestly.

“Oh, now you like me eh? You should work on ya fuckin' timin' there.” he wags his finger at you again.

“I do. I have ever since that night. But more importantly, we both hate my husband.”

“I do hate the fucker.”

“And I’ve had to be with him while thinking of you. So, believe me, I hate him more than you for what I’ve dealt with these past months." you spit out.

“I might believe that.” he side eyes you.

“I can have financial safety for myself if I kill him. I can offer the demolishing of your biggest competition. You can take over the businesses that will be in my name. I believe we could be a true force to be reckoned with.” you look away almost bashfully at your confession.

“But why love?” his voice softens slightly.

“I’ve stated my reasons and you're only looking for excuses to not believe me now.” You say defiantly and he grins. “I like you. As a person and a businessman. I want to help you. And I saw that I hurt you when I said no. And I know you put yourself out there by asking me to marry you and confessing you had feelings for me and I’m trying to repay the favor by doing something you can’t.” your voice is quiet but sincere.

“I could kill him if I wanted to." he scrunches his face in defense of himself.

“Yes, but not get away with it. Not and also get his money and businesses. Not make his dim-witted men fall apart in their functioning. You’d get thrown in jail, I won’t.” you lean in closely to speak softly to him to use your charms against him.

“What makes you so sure you'll get away with it?” he gives you a stern nod of his chin.

“Slow poison and good acting.” You say confidently.

“That’s your plan?” he responds flatly.

“Yes. I’ll have exclusive access to him, his doctors, his records. And I can play the heartbroken wife and you get to sit back and watch him wither to nothing and know the truth.”

“Why not end him with violent means? Quick. Dirty.” his brow lowers over his darkening eyes.

“Because it’s obvious. Don’t go thinking like a man now.” you flash him a charming smile. “We must be patient and our patience will be rewarded.”

“I’m not known for me patience.” he shakes his head.

“Especially when it comes to something you want?” you smirk.

“Especially that." he nods.

“And do you want me Alfie? Your biggest enemy’s wife? The woman who is offering to help you conquer London?” you ask, your eyes narrowed and voice delicate as you lean in towards his face.

“I do.” he answers simply.

“And I want you.” You whisper. “And although I capable of patience, when it comes to things I want, I do prefer immediate satisfaction over delayed.” a playful smile grows across your face.

“And what does that mean for me?” he stares down at you, watching you glance down to his lips.

“Would you like to fuck him over before I even begin to poison him?” you offer, a tilt of your head and a wicked smile.

“How?” his voice rumbles.

“By fucking me.” you state clearly. His eyes go dark, heavy under his low brow as you touch his chest to yours. “You could know you had me before he did on our wedding day. Know that tonight he’ll be second to you physically and mentally all the nights thereafter. I’ll feel the pleasurable sting of you instead of him, think about you while he thinks he’s consummating our marriage. But I’ve already consummated the real relationship haven’t I?” you rasp up at him, feeling a tingle down your spine as you see his eyes dilate.

“You wicked thing.” he scolds.

“You have no idea.” You grin. “And to take me in my wedding dress nonetheless. The one he bought me? I have to admit my astounding naughtiness is making me wet already Alfie.” you give a wrinkle of your nose as a small laugh escapes you.

“And how do I know that’s not a lie?” he quirks a brow at you.

You slowly pull up the front of your skirt. “You’re welcome to feel for yourself.” you purr.

His eyes cut down to your bare thighs, peaking out under the dress. White stockings squeezing your thighs just so.

“Or I could show you? If you still don’t trust me?” You say innocently.

“Show me.” he gruffs out.

“You reach between your legs where you feel the cool air hitting the slick that followed your devious plans discussion. You’d been thinking about fucking Alfie for most of the day and all this other talk had built the tension within you. You take the wetness to your fingertips and show him with shifting fingers the clinging viscous liquid. You reach them out and touch them to his soft and full lips you’d wanted to feel on you. “You can taste what my impure thoughts of you today have brought forth in me.” You whisper. “I am as sweet as revenge, Mr. Solomons. I promise you that.” You speak certainly and he feels his own need bubbinlig up to the surface.

He opens his mouth and your fingertips enter his mouth and your lashes flutter, his eyes stay on your face. He sees your chest rise and fall noticeably, your face flushing, and the way your eyes went dark as he licks away at them.

“And this is my doin'?” He questions, holding your wrist with authority and a thrill rushes through you.

“Truly. This cunt is as good as yours.” You whisper and he exhales forcefully, a hand moving to the back of your neck with a firm grip.

“And what of this mind?” He rasps into your ear and he feels you tremble. He knew then it wasn't a lie.

“It thinks of you most often. It devised this plan to make you ours.” your voice breaks in your nervousness for his forcefullness.

“And of your heart?” he drags his nose up your neck to your jaw.

“No man has ever owned it before. But I believe you are the only one to ever make me question that fact.” You admit.

That was truly an honest answer. And he felt it as your skin broke out in goosebumps at his touch. If you’d been playing him you would’ve said everything was his, that he owned it all. But you hadn’t. So he allows himself to believe it.

“And right now, I can make this cunt mine?” his voice demanding and quiet.

“Yes. And the rest will be yours solely soon after.” you almost squeak out.

“And you’re going to kill him? For me?” his intensity washes over you.

“For us.” The answer makes him groan.

“And you want me to take you in your wedding dress in a dirty shed as you lie about your whereabouts on your wedding day?” his voice is almost a growl.

“I do.” You moan.

“Is that what you said to him today?” He smirks.

“And to you is the only time I meant it.” you shake your head.

“You are fuckin' filthy.” He scolds I’m a deep tone. “And I adore it.” He snarls, showing his dominance and holding you tightly by the face.

“Would you give me my favorite wedding gift then Alfie? Give me you for just a short while?”

“I will love.” He whispers, lips close to yours. “I’ll fuck you so well you’ll be left thinkin' 'bout me all those nights you’ll be left disappointed in him. You’ll crave it, sweetheart, you’ll want to risk being found out by sneakin' away in the middle of the night for it.” he coos.

“Those are big promises Alfie. You have the tools to back up that dominating sentiment?” You ask, reaching down to his trousers and finding him growing hard.

He lets his cane hit the ground and with one hand roughly undoing his trousers, holding your face so you could not see him, but putting your hand around him. “Why is it you think I’m not like other men love? It’s not just me brain.” He rasps, eyes looking over your face as you breathily exhale, finding him thick and long. You hadn’t been with many men that would be described as large, as most men that sought out power were compensating for something deep down. But when you say that he was the biggest you’d ever felt, it certainly didn’t mean nothing.

“You have no reason to try to make up for any lacking in this department do you?” You say with a huff of a laugh, that showed you were impressed. “When other men were worried about compensating you were busy using that big... brain of yours to beat them. You don’t have the typical shortcomings of a man in your position.” You elaborate and a slow smile moves across his face.

“Brilliant little bird. So observant aren’t you?” He coos, loving that you knew people on a level that he did, understood their deep dark motivations. “You still want me to fuck you love? Surely your husband is only going to be less than for you now.”

“I do still want it. But do you know how to use it?” You smirk.

“Do I know-?” He lets out a deep laugh that appreciates the taunt. “How 'bout I just show you love?”

“Please.” You whisper and shut your eyes for a moment, hands tugging him.

“Oh, she asks me nicely now eh? Dirty girl.” He growls, hands moving fast to your waist and pushing you against an uncluttered spot on a wall where you would be hidden from sight. He looms over you, lips grazing your cheeks, nose, and lips teasingly. “And how am I going to get at your delicious little body without making a mess of this dress?” He asks.

“Let me.” You say breathily, reaching and undoing the buttons at the neck of the gown. The large keyhole back stays clasped below your waist, but you bare yourself to him by sliding your arms out of the top and pulling it down.

“Much more obedient than I expected” He taunts.

“It takes a certain sort of strong man to make a powerful woman want to bend, doesn't it?” You admit, now bare to him as he licks his lips and looks over your breasts. “I’m not like this with anyone else. I don’t like men being dominating. But most are so boring about it.” you quickly explain.

He puts his hand around your throat loosely and you hear his heavy breathing in your ear. “This racing pulse of yours I feel under my palm would say otherwise.” His slides his hand over your chest, rough palms grazing over your nipples and making them stand at attention, causing you to release a small whimper. “These pert tits say you like it. Shall we see what your cunt has to say about it?” He asks as his fingertips trail up your thigh and shove between your legs, wet and soft and eager. “This little cunny fuckin loves it, dunnit she?” The words travel over your skin and break it out into goosebumps. He pushes into your folds and finds your clit, a task you sometimes wondered if men were capable of at all. Your knees buckle for a moment as he grazes and strokes. You let out a little moan and he teases your lips with his again. “That little mouth tells me you love it as well. I thought the lies were over between us?”

“They are” you whine as his circles your clit. “I like it when you do it.” You moan. “You’ve proven to me you deserve it.”

“Mmmm.” He hums, lips grazing your neck. He begins to kiss your skin, fingers still working away at you. His lips move slowly across your breasts before taking one nipple into his mouth and sucking away at you with a grunt of pleasure as his face pushes into the weight of it. He does this on the other side and releases you with an obscene pop. His nose moves up your sternum as your chest moves faster, his fingers threatening to end you before you even had him.

“Alfie you’re going to finish me before we even get started.” You whine.

“Oh, but we’ve started love.” he groans into your neck. “Has any man taken his time like this with you before?”

“No.” You admit.

“Then you are in for a treat love. You’ll be killin' that prick husband of yours even sooner now won’t ya? You said I wasn’t like other men, why wouldn’t that carry on into the way I fuck?” his confidence is intoxicating.

“I see your point.” you flash him a smile through a bitten lip.

“But do you feel it love?” He asks, fingers entering you and pressing the hard heat of him against your bare thigh. You let out a wanton moan at the sudden feeling and he puts his hand over your mouth. “You do feel it.” He coos, fingers fucking into you, exploring you and stretching you in ways you hadn’t felt before. “You can’t be so noisy, love. Someone findin' us would ruin your plan wouldn’t it?” You nod and whimper, he releases your mouth and you gasp for air as you breathe loudly through your nose to hold in your sounds of pleasure.

“Fuck Alfie.” You whine and mewl, eyes rolling back in your head. “I want to finish around your cock, and I’m close.”

“You will.” He says knowingly.

“But I’m...oh god I’m close.” your eyes begin to flutter.

“Don’t tell me no man has ever made you come more than once in one go?” his lips almost pout at you.

You shake your head, struggling to keep quiet. “No.” You moan, your hands now firmly gripping on his arms.

“Pet...” He coos, his hand now hitting into you harder with some sort of earth-shattering grip on you. “I’m going to ruin you for any other man.” he says so condescendingly in your ear as you begin to shake.

“Alfie” You whine, turning your face towards his.

“Yes, love?”

“Kiss me.” You plead, rubbing your hand to the back of his neck. “Keep me quiet with your lips.” You whine and he ruts against your thigh. Such a soft and needy little thing you were.

He answers you swiftly, feeling your muscles start to flutter and tense around his fingers. The kiss is harsh and biting. You knock his hat off as your fingers reach into that thick dark gingery hair you’d fantasised about running your fingers through. His lips just as thick and soft as you’d imagined. You share moans from each other mouths, feeling his arm against your back, pulling himself closer to you. it’s rushed and passionate and the most arousing kiss you’d ever had. The combination of his oppressive kiss and his pounding fingers makes you fall over the edge quickly. He feels the grip of your fingers in his hair tighten, the hitch in your breathing, the way your lips stopped and trembled against his as you began to gasp and squeak before he allowed himself to indulge in one sultry and wanton moan, rising from your flushed chest before sucking your bottom lip into his mouth and holding your face to keep it still and your lips together.

He finds himself losing himself in you. The way you were so open, you weren’t hiding your pleasure from him in some reservation or power move, you gave yourself to him freely and wholly and it was the first interaction he could think of since before the war that felt honest. As your cries quiet, now only noisy heaves of your chest, he withdraws his fingers, the mess he’d made of you being moved now to his cock which was at full attention with your performance and writhing against him.

“Oh my god.” You sigh out, eyes fluttering open again, hands on his face. “Where the fuck did you learn how to do that?” You ask earnestly and he grins.

“Us Jewish men are meant to please our women.” He croons into your ear as he kisses your neck.

“I’ve been with the wrong sort of men.” The post orgasm bliss making you let out a soft laugh.

“Clearly.” He growls and it brings you back into the moment. You feel his hands move against you. “We aren’t finished here love” he groans, hands finding the backs of your thighs and pushing you against the wall, your legs put around his hips and as you feel the heat of him against you the moans start again. “Such a wanting little thing aren’t you?” He grins into your chest, sliding himself against your soaked slit, tapping against your clit and pressing against your entrance.

“For you. After that how I could I not be?” you sigh into him.

“Then tell me. Tell me you want it.” he commands.

“You do love your words.” You let out a short lived giggle. “I want that fat cock of yours Alfie. I want you to fuck me hard and leave me a mess like I know you can. I want you to feel his little cunny wrapped right around you and know it’s yours.”

He groans at the words, forehead pressing into your chest for a moment to compose himself as he notches into you. “And what a tight little cunny it is pet, fuck me.” He grunts.

“Fuck.” You squeak. “Go slow love, go slow.” You breathily beg and in his animalistic frame of mind it makes him want to do the opposite.

“I won’t make it hurt, pet, it’ll only ever feel good with me.” He promises in moan laced words as she slides himself inside you, hands on your arse as he rises and you’re lowered to meet into one.

With raspy swears from you both, you meet at both the hip and mouth as he buries himself fully in you. Your lashes flutter and you let out deep moans into his mouth. “So deep, Alfie.” You whisper against his lips, arms wrapped around his neck. He holds you up, the wall helping him as one arm wraps around your lower back and the other laces under your knee to keep you open and up.

With a slow withdraw, that isn’t quite pain, he takes a deep breath to prepare himself. He didn’t expect you to be so tight, but who was he to assume you’d been with a man recently? He starts to wonder what other things he’s only assumed and has yet to learn about you. But right now he was more interested in learning your body, submitting it to memory as he wa sure this coupling would haunt him in his dreams until the next time it came. He follows as you ask, a slow pump of his hips in and out of you, feeling your lashes flutter against his cheeks as you panted your subdued moans against his face.

You splay one hand across his cheek, the bristle of his beard against your palm, your thumb pulls his bottom lip down for you to stretch your neck and take it into your mouth. He was so much softer than you’d imagined. A light chap to the center of his lip is gone as you suck away at it, little moans of enjoyment given up as you take him in from both ends.

“Faster, Alfie.” you whisper against him and he obeys your command. With a grunt, he moves his hands grip on you tighter, strong forearms holding you up. With your knees higher and pushed back, he begins a harder pace, watching your eyes threaten to roll back into your head.

"Like that, love?" his gruff voice asks. Even though it was a question, it felt more like a command in his deep tone, the steady smack of skin to skin hitting, the sound filling the shed.

The moan that escapes you from the question is small and light, which was the opposite of what you were feeling. "Yes." you rasp out, tongue flicking out against his lips, set in an almost snarl as he felt your body tremble and shake. Your eyes eventually bat and close over the whites as your pupils dilate and they disappear into the back of your head. "Does this feel so good because it is wrong?" you ask, a small smirk before he grinds into you, making you gasp as you took him in to the hilt. "Or is it simply you Solomons?" you grin and feel

"Certainly not your fuckin' husband is it?" he groans through gritted teeth before, nipping at your lower lip as it hung loosely as he pumped into you, building a second release.

"No it's fuckin' not." you let out a deep chuckle, a girlish gasp as the mention of your decisions of the day bring a possessive sort of anger in him. "Shit." you squeak, eyes flutter back open as he hits into you harder. You meet his eyes, blue and cold and half hidden under his intimidating heavy brow. "It's all you isn't it?" you moan out, meeting him with a harsh kiss that he returns with teeth and force.

"That it is." he growls as you part for a few rbeaths as you start your worldless lamenting of how good he felt. "Is it all for me, love? This cunt? Killin' that fuckin' daft prick of a man?"

"Yes." you moan out, the acceptance and embrace for how bad what you were doing was, was adding to your pleasure in a new way. You'd never been with a man to talk to you in such a way. "For you, Alfie. Since the day I told you no. For you. For us." This was more than the boring dominance that you had experiened before. This was beyond calling you a slag before bending you over and slapping your arse. He was in your head, and that was a place no man had ever been before. You were finding it to be just a pleasure as him being inside your cunt.

"That makes you mine then, yeah? Makes everyfing you do from now 'til that wanker dies for me. Ya dinnit marry him today did ya? Ya fuckin' married me. You schemein' little minx." he moans out, letting himself give in to his feelings for you, for the warm tingling that ran from his head to his balls at the thought that you'd been thinking of him as he had you for these months.

"Oh, fuck, Alfie." you sigh out, your eyes looking tired as let the warm waves of pleasure start lapping away at you from his words. "Oh fuck me, you're gonna make me come with a mouth like that."

"Dirty girl." he growls, pounding into you now, trying to let out all the heavy hurt he'd felt knowing you were with another man. But you were his now. "She knows how fuckin' naughty she's been. Gets off on knowin' what a lyin' little bird she is." he bites into your skin with his teeth and words as your head tilts back and the moans grow louder.

"Yes. Oh god, Alfie, yes I do." you grin and gasp.

"And now you're fuckin' your husbands enemy on your fuckin' weddin' day you filthy thing." he moans, pressing his forehead against your shoulder. Finding himself liking the deception of your actions as much as you were. "And you're gonna think 'bout me every night innit ya love? Ya gonna lay in that tacky fuckin' bedroom of 'is, 'n think about what a real man would be doin' to ya if he were there. Wonderin' if ya could kill him faster just to get back to me 'n these hands...this cock that knows what a brilliant fuckin' woman you are, yeah?" he lets it all go, giving you the mental stimulation you never knew you needed.

You let out a low and rumbling laugh of pure enjoyment that makes his balls tense. "I will." you gasp, lowering your face back down and leaning in towards his, making him look at you. "I'll be thinking about you fucking me every day. About this big cock. Imagining what filthy words this clever brain would be whispering to me. Ugh, Alfie, you've gone and ruined me haven't you?"

"I deliver on my fuckin' word for you, love." he grunts.

"Fuck, Alfie I'm gonna come." you moan, moving into another round of harsh kisses. "Give me soemthin' to think about on those lonely nights, Solomons. Give me something to keep me warm for you until his body goes cold." you moan into his mouth and his eyes roll back into his head.

"I'll fuckin' fill you up with warm, love." he growls, teeth knocking as you both gave in and started to shake.

"Fuckin' do it." you growl and the sound makes his nails dig into your skin. "I'm gonna come around this thick cock and I'm gonna milk you for all you've got, Alfie. Fill me up. Leave me with the reminder that I'm yours dripping down my thighs after you leave." you whine out, fingers tight in his hair as you snarl and your brow lowers, your body starting to seie and convulse.

"Fuck." he growls, hitting as hard as he can, a more helpless sound escaping him, feeling you tighten around him. "Take it. Fuckin' 'ell take all 'a me." his words rise and fall with his moans, as the feeling of you around him proves too much. A deep guttural sound rises up as your noses bump together, both unable to kiss as your lips trembled and his snarled as you came.

Coming down together was something new for you, there was something strikingly intimate about watching the hunger fade out of each other's eyes, sharing breaths as you both heave and recover. You both mutter swears, small droplets of sweat on your temples, that you wipe away from his handsome face. He was much more rugged than your husband was, you thought. An unshaven face with power behind his eyes, a strong brow and nose over what you could feel was a well-rounded chin hiding beneath the gingery beard. Your husbands was smooth and plain, a perfectly acceptable face but not much unique about it. Brown hair and brown eyes, thin lips and a chin that was lacking, even if it was minor. He led his men, but he didn't hold a candle to the charisma that Alfie exuded without even trying.

He speaks first. "Let's put ya down, now." he says with clear eyes and a nod. You let out a girlish grunt as one foot hits the ground, his hands warm and firm against your soft thighs, making sure you were stable before they regretfully departed from your skin. He puts himself away into his trousers as you pull up your dress.

"Would you?" you ask softly, the tone and doe eyes so different from just moments before as you turn and hold the high neck of the dress together, asking him to help you.

"'Course." he says in his usual gruff tone, thick square tipped fingers managing with the small pearl buttons.

You turn and dust yourself off, seeing no real damage done to the dress. "Am I decent?" you ask with a tug back of the corner of your mouth.

"Entirely not." he teases, an easier going and charming smile across his face as his fingers tuck loose hairs back into place, a brief dusting of the back of your dress, before a cheeky slap to your bum that makes you giggle. "It's a shame you look so lovely." he says quietly. "Such a waste of beauty on an absolute git." he tsks. "'Spose it's good you got to wear white. Won't get to do that again, eh?" he grins and bends to pick up his cane with a grunt.

"Suppose I'll be getting used to wearing black soon enough." you say with a flirty tone and he recognizes the mischief in your soft face.

"Unless he was already dead, it would not be soon enough." he says and leans in to drive his point home.

To his surprise your hands reach out and take him by his loose collar, pulling him in for a kiss. "I will begin my work tonight." you whisper, nuzzling your nose against his, an affectionate gesture he did not anticipate. "And I'll find a way to be in touch. With him ill we can most likely arrange something to see each other again."

He hears the hopeful tone in your voice and it convinces him you mean what you're saying once agian. "And if not... I look forward to seeing you at the funeral." he grins boyishly and tenderly touches your jaw. "I'll be the one that won't be payin' no mind to the body. Only you." he whispers with a soft press of his lips again. It carries on, a soft back and forth, something gentle to off set the hard of earlier. "You better get goin' now. Else you'll be missed." he says with a sigh, a light tap to your nose before he leans away.

"You're right." you nod and take a deep breath. "I must admit I thought leaving you and going back to my life in there would be easier." you willingly express your fondness for him with a soft smile.

"And I thought watching you leave would be too, love." he purrs back, making your stomach flutter.

"Until next time?" you say with a more playful smirk.

"Until then." he nods, stepping away from you.

"I'll be thinking of you, Alfie." you say softly, silhouetted in the doorway to the shed.

"I know." he grins, a low chuckle rumbling out across the space between you. "And I you, love. Now go, pet." he says with a shooing motion of his hand.

With one final up and down of him with your eyes, your hitch up your dress and move back to the dressing room. You climb in the window, shut it, and rest on the bed for a moment before freshening up.

"Miss?" you hear after a knock at the door after you'd been staring out the window for a moment. "Your husband wanted me to come check on you. Are you unwell?"

"I believe too much champagne was the culprit." you say with a feminine lilt you were used to performing.

"Do you require anything?"

"No." you say with a sigh. "I'll be out to get him shortly." you say with a smirk.

@fangirlfreakingout @jaegeeeeer @cosettewinchester@lookuptheskyisfalling-blog @brianaisasongbird @cry5t4l-w4rri0r@iliveonchocolateandnetflix @jess2464 @hardygal69@thegarrisonpublichouse @a-flock-of-angry-pigeons @pootle@negansdirtygirl22 @musingsby-night @wtf-is-wrong-with-this @shine-dont-shadow @inkinterrupted @vale0413 @lafayettes-baguettes-1 @sxlomons @aphnxrising @emerald-bijou @elaenom@give-jack-a-lightsaber @anrm1 @ultrablackwidower@tinastarkandco @arrowswithwifi @marvelgirl7 @they-are-not-just-stories

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dragonofdarknesschaos · 6 years

Text

Look at Me Twirling my CVS Receipt!!

DelaneyArt said:

Me again.

Here. If you wanna get yourself involved even more than you already are. This is what Sky said to me recently. And I’ve agreed to her terms. Me and her are MUTUAL I never said we were friends.

Transcription if the image does not load:

From Skyrawathi, 12/24/2018

Okay so I have read your letters. I understand what you mean. I am just not sure if you are honest with your apologizing and with willing to end this war. I mean it is hard now for me to trust you because I am afraid that you will start insulting me again soon. I hope I am wronf. [sic] Maybe I just need some time. I guess we both need to calm down. Especially it is Christmas now. Emotions are hard to handle. I am also sick of this situation already. But if what you say is true and you want to be honest with me, ans [sic] you don’t want use [sic] anymore to be enemies then it is so cool

I could show you how you can develop your art, where you can find inspiration and how to use them to create sth original. You really don’t need my art that much and you don’t need to redraw them. I mean it is so cool if we could inspire each other, but you have to start first creating something original. And yeah, you can because as you have mentioned that comic Possessive of yours, you prove with this that you can be creative and inspiring for other artists. Just lets calm down because I never intended to be your enemy, I never wanted to. But you see how far this conflict went and it is stupid? Don’t you think?

I understand that sometimes it is hard for everyone to come up with sth new and we lack new ideas. Every artist suffer this so it is nothing to be ashamed of. I can show you how to fix that so you will always have awesome ideas in head.

But first you definately [sic] have to credit me. And if you want to make a redraw of my work then you should write in post that this pic is study of Skyrawathi’s art. And it is nth wrong because lots of artists study others. Me either. I always mention the source of the pic that I used as reference.

So yeah, we can definately [sic] end this war and come to agreement. But just please, do what I ask. Credit me when you use my art, and if you can be that cool to ask me for permission before you do a redraw then that would be really awesome of you. Then you will never ever deal with reporting because your hands will be clean.

In return to show you that I am not evil, I can help you with improvement. I can show you how to turn your inspirations into original ideas and how to draw chamiko so well that you will never ever need someone’s pic as a base.

Does it sound ok for you?

Now, from what I’ve gathered from the first paragraph of this email along with mentions to prior emails in the same chain as alluded to in the PSA post, D decided that before Christmas–a time when everyone wants to relax and spend time with their families, friends, and loved ones; the season of comfort and joy–was an excellent time to send insulting emails and threats to her most inspiring idol, just for reporting D’s facebook page. I cannot imagine what was said, but the way Sky is reacting leads me to believe that the insults were so volatile that they may never see the light of day again. Sky might have even feared for her well being and that is why she is offering to help. If this is how D treats someone she claims to hold in such high respect and idolize, then I cannot imagine how she treats anyone below such a pedestal.

Actually, I can. For telling the admin of a closed Xiaolin facebook group that D was plagiarizing other artists, which resulted in D getting kicked from the group, I was called “a crazy bitch” back in September of 2018. I have not once insulted D, yet she continues to berate me and harass me on multiple social media sites for warning others about her. I’ll speak more on this later.

Back to the email. To summarize what Sky is saying:

Sky is tired of this war; it’s stupid and she wants it to stop

Sky doesn’t know if she can forgive D

D’s actions have repeatedly shown that she cannot be trusted

Sky is willing to help D improve so that she can get better and not need to copy other’s art

In order to get to that point, Sky asked D for four things:

give Sky credit on the art that D has already posted

start crediting and sourcing the artists whose work D “studies” or “copies to learn from”

ask Sky (and any other artists) for permission before doing a redraw of their respective artwork

create something original

At no point does Sky say they are friends or “mutuals.”

At no point in this email does Sky say that D and her are mutual in anything, but I would infer there is a mutual understanding that D must do better. None of this excuses D’s harassing and abusive behavior.

Alright, if D wants to work on herself and get better let’s see how she is doing on her end of the deal with crediting and sourcing artists. I’d give links to D’s OPs, but she has me blocked.

“Version inspired from [Sky’s real name] aka Skyrawathi”

Ah yes, I always love getting doxed when one of my fans credit me without linking back to my original work! Please don’t do this. Only villains do this.

Three instances of “Inspired from Skyrawathis version”

Again, no link? Not even going to mention the title of the piece? Sky has HUNDREDS of pictures! How am I going to know which one D is copying? How will I know where to find Sky’s original works if you DON’T LINK TO THEM???? I am but a lazy potato!

“Inspired from Skyrawathi Chamiko Great Wall Kiss”

Better, but still no link.

“Inspired from Skyrawathi “Together in Snowflakes” ”

Getting fancy with the formatting here, but WHERE IS THE LINK??????

“Original design and concept”

Ah, finally! Something original, just as requested! Although… Chase’s pose looks kinda familiar. So does that horse. I wonder…

Chase’s pose is Dashi’s character art from the Xiaolin Dragons Kickstarter art dump part one.

Oh, and Kimiko’s pose and horse are literally the second result for “mulan horse” on Google images. But, tell me again how D has changed and is crediting artists and making original drawings without reference?

If you want to credit people, please use MLA format for your citing. Or if that’s too hard to remember, here’s a handy formula:

[Artist’s username]. “[Title of Piece].” [Publishing platform or publication e.g. Tumblr, Deviant Art, Instagram, Time Magazine etc.], [date published], [source URL].

@Skyrawathi. “Together in snowflakes.” Deviant Art, December 24, 2017, https://www.deviantart.com/skyrawathi/art/Together-in-snowflakes-721748400

Here’s a more casual way to credit someone if that’s too formal for you, with links bolded:

Couldn’t get enough of @Skyrawathi‘s “Together in snowflakes” so I had to redraw it (with permission)!

Here’s an original image I made using these references: Chase’s pose (Grand Master Dashi), Kimiko and Horse.

The point is to LINK BACK TO THE ORIGINAL ARTIST. Simply mentioning them as plain text does not work. LINK TO YOUR REFERENCES. I should not have to do an internet search to find what you are referencing. The citing I did here took less than two minutes. If someone cannot take two minutes or less to show such a basic level of respect then there is no hope.

As for the matter of being “mutuals,” I am sorry for jumping to “friends,” but that is usually what “mutuals” means on Tumblr; “two people, usually friends, that follow each other’s blogs.” Not all mutuals are friends and not all friends are mutuals. I jumped the gun a bit based on personal meaning assigned to that word. However that doesn’t explain this:

Facebook status post from D that reads:

[Sky’s real name] (aka Skyrawathi) is an amazing Chamiko artist and I am truly inspired by her work. I should’ve credited her in the beginning, I didn’t think I had to but I will from now on out of respect for her work. I hope to improve my art as much as I can and strive to get my skills to her level, even though I know I have my own set of skills and will still continue to be inspired from her work and in general in the future, but I hope to not have to rely on a reference to draw. I appreciate us coming to an agreement and I hope we can be mutual in all of this. Thank you Skyrawathi, and it’s a dream come true to be able to become friends with the person who has inspired my work all this time. I will work on making original Chamiko art that is 100% from me (heart emoji)

Once again, don’t put someone’s real name with their URL. It can be construed as doxing. Do not do that. It’s highly disrespectful gesture towards someone one claims to hold in such high regard, but as has already been established, D lacks this basic understanding of respect.

I have been doing art for almost three decades. I know people who have been doing it two and three times longer than I. We all use reference. Do not set yourself up for failure by saying you “hope to not have to rely on a reference to draw,” because that is never going to happen. This goes for everyone. Using reference is not a crutch. Reference is a tool for when you do not know how to draw something. Young artists use a lot of references because they do not have the knowledge or experience of drawing a hand 500 times, or a head 1,000 times, or a leg 250 times! There is no shame in that perceived lack. Getting around it is just practice. Find photographs–either free and open stock or your own–and draw what you see. D has a great eye and very nice photos on her Instagram before it was taken down! She could learn a lot by doing studies from her own photos like this. But Sky’s art, my art, everyone else’s art is NOT anyone’s reference! It took me a while to understand that, but I’m lucky in that I didn’t get myself into any trouble with that misunderstanding. The best way around that misunderstanding, should it occur, is to first, apologize to the artist you referenced; second ask what they would like done with the artwork you made. If they want it taken down–remove it from all platforms. Do not reupload it anywhere. If they say it’s fine, just credit them, then credit them as I explained above with LINKS. “Crediting” the original artists as plain text shows that D has not changed as she claims to, or is only trying to placate her audience to believe she is telling the truth about her change.

Continuing with that lack of change, here is the text I bolded:

“I hope we can be MUTUAL … it’s a dream come true to be able to become FRIENDS…”

What is the truth, Delaney? Friends or Mutuals? Since D is so unreliable in her narrative, let’s hear Sky’s take:

Transcription of DMs:

Sky: Sorry, that I will bother you with Delaney but she has just written to me. She said that there is some drama on Tumblr. Said that she never called me and her friends and I approved it because I am hell no friend to her. And she also asked me what kind of problems people still have with her…xD and I was a bit like WTF. But I told her again that she has done so much harm to so many ppl that she cannot expect from anyone to just simply forget.

[…]

She actually left me in peace and I am happy about it. And even if she writed sth [sic] then I just ignore her, because I don’t want to have anything to do with her. But I just checked this letter about Chaos. Anyway I would very much appreciated if she wasn’t mentioning me and using my person as a ladder for her business.

This is what I also told her. She can’t expect from us to be ok with her. Nobody will start liking her just because she said sorry.

Once again, I repeat, Sky is NOT D’s friend. Sky wants nothing to do with D. Sky does not even want D to mention her at all, ever. So all that artwork I have screen capped from D’s blog should not even be posted, because–per Sky’s wishes–D cannot credit Sky without mentioning her, inevitably associating the two together. As such, D cannot have any of the artwork she copied from Sky posted without violating the wishes of someone she claims to highly respect. Furthermore, posting the artwork she claims to be “original” while still copying well known and iconic material without due credit or sourcing shows that D has not changed, or even attempted to change. All this drama has bungled things for D so much that no one is wiling to talk to or work with her. Thus, all of the terms Sky set up to help D have been violated. If D wants to claim she has changed she needs to SHOW she has changed without words, through actions.

That means that instead of finding my three month old post about her and replying “lol” on multiple occasions has to STOP. Replying to my posts about her misdeeds has to STOP. Messaging people who give notes to those posts about her has to STOP. Directly messaging people who give her original posts notes asking them to follow her has to STOP. Harassing everyone and anyone who slightly disagrees with her has to STOP. All of this:

D replied to your post: You’re so wrong. And if anyone is toxic in this, it’s you for not letting this go. You re jealous of me. Period. That’s why you can’t seem to let it go. I have apologized and redeemed myself. If you people can’t get over that, that’s on you.

D IM: You have issues if you can’t seem to let this go. Me and sky are mutual now. Not that I have to explain anything to you. I have redeemed myself and apologised to everyone. Still you people make posts about me, trying to diminish my following but it’s never gonna happen. Thanks for the publicity again

D asked me: Please get a life, It’s pathetic

D replied to your post: Again, me. Clearly. Let it go like Elsa.

HAS TO STOP.

I have made three (3) posts about D including this one (excluding reblogs). In total D has left harassing messages to me 7-10 times. Not once has she apologized for harassing me on dA, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, or Twitter. Not once has she shown me any sign of changing her ways. All we have asked for is BASIC RESPECT. At every turn D promises to start respecting us and change her ways, then laughs in our faces for even thinking we were worthy of Her respect and attention.

Respect is an interesting thing. You have to give it to get it. Even a three year old understands this. Until D shows the capacity at this basic level to show respect and common courtesy to her peers, superiors, and kohai no one is going to interact with her; she will continue to be treated as nothing more than a joke.

You want to learn how to draw using reference? I have a rough tutorial for that.

You want to learn how to use and learn from your studies? I got something for that too!

You want some references? Try Senshi-Stock’s official app or what’s left of Tumblr. AnatomicalArt has thousands of references and tutorials, and with all of this on Tumblr, crediting your sources is easier than ever!

Or, you know, take some selfies and not have to credit anyone. ;D

TL;DR

D: you’re wrong; I never said Sky and I were friends; we’re MUTUAL! D: here are some terms Sky made that I agreed to–

Sky’s terms:

Give Sky credit on the work D has already copied

D must credit and source all other artists she copies

D must ask permission to copy anyone in the future

D must create something original

If all these terms are met, Sky will help teach D how to use reference correctly so D can draw better.

Receipts showing the following:

6 instances of D not properly crediting Sky

D claiming something to be original without citing referenced materials

Mini guide on how to properly cite an artist or reference:

LINK TO THE ORIGINAL POST AND ARTIST PROFILE!!

Seriously, it’s not that hard!?

Facebook status from D calling Sky both “a mutual” and “a friend.” [what is the truth.gif]

DMs from Sky saying as follows:

Sky is not D’s friend!

Sky wants nothing to do with D

Sky wants D to stop mentioning her altogether

Sky cutting ties like this means that D cannot mention Sky to credit her on reposts of the copied art.

>violates term 1

D has few other artworks to post, so she cannot credit other artists.

>fails term 2

Everyone is so hurt by D that she has been completely shut out and will be hard pressed to find anyone to give her permission in the future.

>fails term 3

D’s attempt to create something “original” resulted in copying and not sourcing more artwork

>fails term 4, 3, and 2

Please stop harassing me. Look at all these receipts! Learn some basic respect before coming back.

Have a few tutorials and resources.

#submission #long post #Chamiko #PSA #RaiKim #delaneyart

16 notes · View notes

archived--hell · 6 years

Note

1, 2, 17, honestly all of them if you’re up to it

1 - already answered

2. Do you have a personal favourite among your OCs?

L O R D T jupiter fuck man got damn id die for jupiter

3. Have you ever adopted a character or gotten a character from someone else?

i have adopted characters before, but ive never done anything with them, and i have received characters Back from people but besides that nah

4. A character you rarely talk about?

HI PLEASE I BEG OF YOU ASK ABOUT THE GODS PLE AS E IM DYING

5. If you could make only one of your OCs popular/known, who would it be?

fuck uh.. honestly if its only semi popular would i do this bc being Well Known would be nice, yeah, but.. it scares me? idk but uh probably leo or aero, theyre two boys i hold close to my heart

6. Two OCs of yours that look alike despite not being related?

:) eldur and leo kinda? idk i try not to make any of them look alike rip

7. Are your OCs part of any story or stories?

YES! theyre actually all part of one universe called cooking with demons! i have a whole game planned out for the man cast kinda? but all in all its all set within one universe, with multiple different stories occurring within it jhfdksg

8 - already answered

9. Would you ever be willing to give any of your OCs to someone else?

unless specfifically made for them upon request, no. ive already tried that once and it lead to me losing any and all control i had over my characters. At this moment, i only “share” a few ocs with my boyfriend @coffee-burglar and even then, its taken almost a year to even be able to do that

10. Introduce an OC with a complicated design?

uh, all of them are kinda complicated for me, but as of right now, that would go to leos full form. (if u want a ref hmu and ill post it, but it wont be my art)

11. Is there any OC of yours you could describe as a “sunshine”?

like a ray of sunshine? yeah! angel and stitch would fit perfectly for that!

12. Name an OC that isn’t yours but who you like a lot

@coffee-burglar their oc chrome n koh, or derek but thats bc im a hoe

13. Do you have any troublemaker OCs?

aero, jhor, innis, leo are all trouble makers to some degree, leo being the most trouble some

14. Introduce an OC with a tragic backstory

uhhhh fuck what counts as tragic?

i guess id have to say leo or jupiter mostly, but eldur fits too

15. Do you like to talk about your OCs with other people?

if youd let me i would yell about these fucks for hours on end, ive done it

16. Which one of your OCs would be the best at biology (school subject)?

the best but wouldnt enjoy it: Jupiterthe best and would absolutely enjoy it: colby

17. Any OC OTPs?

stitch/lavaaero/kohcolby/derek/inniswill/happiness aeyr/Eberictderek/Xhaztolleo/eldur

18. Any OC crackships?

jhfkdfsjghdfkjhgdkfjsgl i never talk abt it but will/aero is fucking A+

19. Introduce an OC that means a lot to you (and explain why)

ah,, leo. i originally made him to project the worst in myself onto, and because of that ive made his life a living shit hole. but,, recently ive been hell bent on giving him a good ending, one where he heals, and lives his life ok, where he finally, finally has a chance to be happy and get help. its,, kind of been a tiny growing point for me? he just, means a lot to me because of that haha

20. Do any of your OCs sing? If they sing, care to share more details (headcanon voice, what kind of songs they like etc)?

uhhh all of their voice claims are songs n such but only a few of them actually sing in canon! heres the voice claims of the ones who do sing:

Aero - thats his voice, but hed probably more likely to sing Something Like ThisAngelStitch - this is her voice! but shed be much more likely to sing something a lot more upbeat, kind of like thisColby (its jeremy from bmc jghfdkg)

and one i dont have a voice claim for yet that does sing canonically is Sycamore!

21. Your most artistic OC

!!!! oh thatd easily be will! hes nothing professional at all, but he does enjoy drawing and making diy type projects :0c hazels also artistic but with food :0c but what would you expect from a kitchen witch

22. Is there any OC of yours people tend to mischaracterize? If yes, how?

Hi My Names Skinny Penis And No One Has Ever Even Looked At My Ocs For More Than Two Seconds

23. Introduce OC that has changed from your first idea concerning what the character would be like?

lordt all of them would fit that, but the one thats changed the most? lordy thatd probably be will! he used to be a persona that was mostly only interested in dying and getting fucked, but now hes? evolved into a fully fledged character, and has even changed from being human lmao

24. If you could meet one OC of yours, who would it be and why?

jupiter, simply because he is The Biggest Comfort i have. hes,,, really important to me and i love him a lot

25. The OC that resembles you the most (same hobby, height, shared like/dislike for something etc?)

:) its bold of you to assume they dont all resemble me in some way. the most though? damian. lazy motherfucker with 200 emotional issues and no motivation to fix any of them

26. Have you ever had to change your OC’s design or something else about them against your will?

…yeah.

27. Any OCs that were inspired by a certain song?

Nope, most tend to be born from ideas spawned by me n my bf concepting about my ocs, and what would happen if this thing happened? yknow?

28. Your most dangerous OC?

He has yet to be revealed >:)c his names icarus

29. Which one of your OCs would go investigate an abandoned house at night without telling anyone they’re going?

INNIS, GOD INNIS WOULD AND HED PROBABLY DIE

30. Which one of your OCs would most likely have a secret stuffed animal collection?

secret: damiannot so secret: colby

31. Pick one OC of yours and explain what their tumblr blog would be like (what they reblog, layout, anything really)

uHHhhHh

damian would probably have a very shitty coded blog theme (or default) and would genuinely only reblog shitty, abstract memes, and nice food recipes for hazel to make him

32. Which one of your OCs would be the most suitable horror game protagonist and why?

protagonist? if youre going for the scared baby, colby. if ur going for the stoic “thats weird but ok” one, innis or aero.antagonist tho???? Leo and angelica :)

33. Your shyest OC?

uh, a oc thats genuinely shy and not just anxiety filled? angel :0c shes had a very limited interaction pool with anything thats not other angels so she tends to shy away from others bc she really, really doesnt want to get into awkward situations

34. Do you have any twin characters?

Jupiter and leo!

35. Any sibling characters?

Jupiter, leo, angelica, damian, eldur

jupiter, leo, damian, and angelica are all related via their dad, while eldur is related to damian via their mom

36. Do you have OC pairs where the other part belongs to someone else (siblings, lovers, friends etc)?

uhh if im understanding this question right yeah i do! derek, koh, n a lot of others belong to @coffee-burglar ! ive just roped them into my universe dkjfhkdjgh

37. Introduce an OC who is not quite human

Op All Of My Characters Are Inhuman

38. Which one of your OCs would be the best dancer?

surprisingly? aero! hes got really good rhythm and can actually dance really well, its kinda scary

39. Introduce any character you want

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) Ill let yall have a choice, pick one

1.) Lust2.) Greed

40. Any fond memories linked to your characters? Feel free to share!

fond?? uh,, not really. but damian does have a very important memory attached to him.

tw for suicide ment hjgkdfs

with damian, i created him after i tried to kill myself and was stuck in a mental hospital. i had just finished reaing the first shadowhunters book, and decided to try and draw the first demon(???? was that what he was?? im a dumbass and its been over 2 years) you met, which had bright blue hair and if i remember correctly, electric green eyes? but yeah. i made him to cope with all the mental stress i had while being forced to be in that hospital, and hes become very close to my heart because of that

41. Has anyone drawn fanart of your OCs? If yes, maybe show a picture or two here (remember sources & permissions!)

!!!!!!!!! yeah!!! my boyfriends drawn damian and most of my characters bgjkfdhgkfdsgl but one i do hold close to my heart (bc at the time, i barely knew them) was when @stuck-in-the-ghost-zone drew aeyr! it made me really happy tbh. i still have it saved to my phone actually!!!

42. Which one of your OCs would be the most interested in Greek gods?

uhhhh,,, provided that they found a way to get anything involving earth and their beliefs itd probably be either angel or colby. angel enjoys learning anything and everything she can, while colby enjoys hearing about the Tea™ that comes with greek shit

43. Do you have any certain type when you create your OCs? Do you tend to favour some certain traits or looks? It’s time to confess

lordt ok

i really just? enjoy making demons really, or anything that doesnt quite fit “conveniently attractive” in at least one form they have. (i also favor making guys bc im Gay)

44. Something you like about your OCs in general

how well theyre coming together, for so long, their stories have been little fractures and pieces that never fit together. Fragments. but now, theyre almost fully put together and its… wonderful to see

45. A character you no longer use?

a hi have.. one. their name was angel aura, a steven universe oc. i got rid of them because of too many.. bad things.

46. Has anyone ever told you that you treat your OCs badly?

not directly, but yes. it.. actually helped me give a lot of them a ok life, or at least a good ending

47. Has anyone ever (friendly) claimed any of your OCs as their child?

@coffee-burglar eldur, colby, will n a few others lmao

48. OC who is a perfect cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure

ELDUR GOD ELDUR PLEASE SOMEONE GIVE THIS KID BACK TO HIS MOM

49. Which one of your OCs would most likely enjoy memes

damian

50. Give me the good ol’ OC talk here. Talk about anything you want

ghjkfgkfdhgklfjhglkjdfhgslfjdgh give me a actual thing to talk about bc im dying op

#general oc tag #Anonymous

12 notes · View notes

inky-thoughts · 7 years

Text

How to Organize a Zine 101 #3

Hello~

I already talked about figuring out your zine and the zine’s schedule as well as what you should bring with you to successfully manage a zine.

I think the next step should be building up

Web Presence

I already talked a wee lil bit about it in Part 1 but I think I should elaborate a bit more on it as it’s basically the backbone of almost every fanzine nowadays.

A small disclaimer: Please take everything with a certain grain of salt as I am not a professional when it comes to social media managment. These are just some pointers I consider useful/helpful as they worked for me or other zines I had a brief overview of.

Where to post?

First of all, think about what platforms you want to use, and get familiar with them if you aren’t already. Learn “the way” of it to know which rules/guidelines to follow, because not every platform is the same in tonality or which kind of content spreads fastest.

The most common platforms that I’ve found to work with zines pretty well are Twitter and Tumblr. As both are available as apps for practically almost every phone, it’s also easy to check and keep updated with when you’re on your way.

Tumblr is quite interesting because it’s bascially like a website (and yes, you should keep in mind that the mobile version doesn’t support tumblr sites) and you can conveniently store all info to your zine, answer questions in public, and reblog post e.g. previews of zine entries. It’s easy to spread information quickly if you use the correct tags and post them in the best time frames for your audience.

Twitter is kind of like a news ticker, or gets used by many like this. It’s easier to engage with people and “spread the word” by tagging people who might be interested in the zine.

Also, think about where you as a manager have the bigger following so you can forward e.g. tweets or posts or make your own announcements about the zine to your following and potential customers.

What to post?

Obvious things are announcements like schedules, FAQ, details on the zine, application progress, previews, contributor lists, links to online shops, etc. This is kind of basic together with updates like if important e-mails to the contributors went out etc.

However, this isn’t everything at all. What I found great in other zines (which we completely ignored for our zine and I think that’s a very sad thing actually) was having specific dates (in fandoms stuff like characters’ birthdays, anniversaries etc.) or more general things like widespread holidays, or “event dates” (? - like world women’s day, labour day, you get the twist) that somehow correlate to your zine. For example, one zine I participated in was about the girls of a certain fandom, so they chose the Day of the Girl to start previews to kickstart the preorder phase - and I really loved that! It brings everything in another perspective because it’s not just a zine for a few little nerds to enjoy, but it conveys a much more pronounced message that way. Including those kind of dates, whether it’s just a small post like “Happy New Year” with a small update on the zine progress, or a special sale because it’s xy character’s birthday and it happens to also fall perfectly into your schedule, it just makes your zine feel more honest and considerate of their passion for the zine’s content. It isn’t mendatory, but it definitely has a more lasting impression.

Also, you might want to think about what medium you want to choose - photos/pictures generally get more attention as it is highly visual (plus it’s easier to find on a twitter accound for example) and can be a nice addition to your text. This is where you definitely should think about some kind of corporate design for your zine that is eye-catching enough to get attention from a lot of people and still matches tone and intention of the zine. Gifs may give a post a bit more animated, funny, or simply emotional expression, so having a few sets of gifs/images (perhaps from the source material if it’s a fan zine) handy isn’t such a bad idea. It’s something we didn’t have and I basically have only regret about it.

How?

You also might think about the tonality of how you appear on the zine’s social media. Generally, fandoms are a rather friendly and casual place to be, so you can slip a small joke or something like that into your posts, however, you shouldn’t go all “LOLZ dat boi xDDDDDD” because you still want people to take you seriously and (if it’s a for-buy zine) pay real money for your zine. Keep a certain level of professionalism but don’t have a complete stick up your butt is all I’m saying as you don’t want to alienate people because of one thing or the other.

If you’re modding the zine with several mods (which I highly recommend!), also add signatures at the end of each post (we did it with -Mod [our name]) so it’s easier to clear up misunderstandings etc. as people know who they’re talking to and maybe one mod just didn’t read the memo or something. With tweets it’s just wasting precious characters but on tumblr you aren’t limited at all.

Also remember tagging: It feels like a science itself, and partly it is. First, tag what it’s about. You need to reach the fans, so if it’s about a certain ship or characters, tag those. Tag the fandom, and, very important, tag that it’s a zine. having those covered at first makes you pop up in e.g. tumblr search more as tumblr had changed that only the first 5 tags will be where you’ll appear. Some blogs which collect zine posts have a specific tag they’re tracking, so including some of these comes in quite handy. The rest is mainly to maintain a system on your blog, which everyone needs to figure out themselves. Tagging on twitter is kind of different as you have a limit, I would always go with ships/content first, then perhaps fandom, and zine only if you’ve got some characters to kill. Also please don’t use completely unrelated tags only because they’re currently trending - this is just plain annoying and it’s more likely that people will ignore you instead of gaining some interest in your project.

When?

Do your research on what times are the best to post your content to get your target audience, especially as shipping can be very expensive so you want to have national interest in first place. Every social media has their own specific timeframes where content goes viral the fastest. There is no 100% correct formular, but some tendencies at least, so you can help your luck out a little bit.

Grooming Your Media

To most social media, the key to success is consistency, so you definitely shouldn’t sleep on this. Luckily, social media are (except for most forums but then again your phone usually also has a web browser) usually available as app version, meaning you’re quick to responst or check in. - That’s what you usually think but truth be told, apps also don’t always work perfectly, and especially the tumblr app is known to be rather wonky. I also (this is a personal preference, though) find it easier to compose posts and pick the right pictures on my computer, so if you’re the same way as I, I would advise you to calculate half an hour up to maybe 3 per day/every two days to check in on all your zine’s accounts. It depends a bit on how active the current phase is and how many questions/inquiries people are sending your way.

Tumblr luckily has the queue option, and it definitely saves you a lot of time when you need to bring up an important post regularly. Through the queue, the blog also stays more active, thus has likely more traffic or is simply more noticible as it stays fresh in mind.

Twitter, however, doesn’t have this function (or I’m definitely not aware of it), and, truth be told, also isn’t concipated for this kind of thing. There aren’t really many updates you can post during certain phases of the zine, but there might help the above mentioned dates you might want to keep in mind. Tweeting about the occassion and connecting it with your zine might raise interest and more traffic on your account. And yes, then there are the really busy phases where you simply can’t keep up with social media as the zine demands all your attention. However, sometimes people just want to know how busy you are, so tweet it! A sentence or two are probably enough, and then you’re basically good to go for the day. Just remember to retweet your tweet during your breaks.

And, again, checking on your media should be a regular thing because waiting for an answer for 1-2 days is a different thing than a month or so later (this accidentally happened to us because we didn’t get a notification), so don’t just check “does the system signal me that there are new messages” but actually go into all possible messaging systems directly to check because sometimes tech is a bit wonky. (Also check the message requests!!!)

To maintain a certain level of activity can be a pretty tough job and by now I’m actually inclined to believe that one of the mods should be responsible solely for the social media management while the others work on the actual zine. However, I can’t say I’ve had experience with handling stuff like this that way. It definitely would have gotten a lot of pressure off my shoulders (I mean there’s a reason why companies have a special department handling all this stuff.)

Also, when I say “post regularly,” you can determine what is regular. This can be 24/7, every other day, or once a week, maybe also every two weeks but I suppose no less than that or people might forget you even exist. It’s just important to keep that schedule up so people can build a habit of expecting and getting to see a new post at a certain time.

It feels a bit hypocritic for me to talk about this topic because I think I’m not doing a very great job at it myseld simply because I easily neglect stuff like this, but again this small series is about learning from our/my mistakes so you don’t have to make them with your zines.

Thank you for reading, I hope I’ll find the time to write the next installment soon!

<< last | next >>

Masterpost

#inky rambles #zines #fanzines #fandom zines #how to organize a zine 101 #fan zines #long post #advice #art advice

121 notes · View notes

davidcbrighton · 7 years

Note

hi, do you have any good molliarty fic recs? :)

Of course! Below are some of my personal favorites. Also, you should definitely check out @whyimmathere‘s recent Molliarty post. It’s got lots of fics and the links at the bottom lead to her huge personal collection of Molliarty stories scoured from the internet. It’s a fantastic resource for any Molliarty reader and I’m very grateful for her dedication to this ship.

In no particular order:

Say Something Ordinary by TheWormThatTurns

Chapters: 6/6Words: 5485Rating: Teen And Up AudiencesWarnings: No Archive Warnings ApplyRelationships: Irene Adler/Molly Hooper, Molly Hooper/Jim Moriarty, Molly Hooper/John Watson, Mycroft Holmes/Molly Hooper, Molly Hooper/Greg Lestrade, Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper

Additional Tags: Happy Ending, Unhappy Ending, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Alternate Universe

Summary:

Soul mates exist. They know one another, if they meet, by the words on their flesh. The first words they will speak to one another. Molly Hooper is one person amongst millions, if not billions, born with a banal remark on her skin. True love is hard to find. AU. f/f & f/m, mostly the latter.

The Molliarty in this story is only one chapter, but I enjoyed the whole piece very much. It even has a bit of Jim POV!

Daddy by the sublime mime

Chapters: 1/1Words: 643Rating: TSummary: “Let’s play our favorite game.” Jim says. “Let’s play pretend.” -a little dribble, in which Jim is very alive and very angry with our favorite pathologist-

A shortie, but I liked it. Bit of violence in this.

I love you as I love… by CalicoKitten

Chapters: 1/1Words: 3584Fandom: Sherlock (TV), His Dark Materials - Philip PullmanRating: Not RatedWarnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive WarningsRelationships: Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, Molly Hooper/Jim MoriartyCharacters: Molly Hooper, Jim Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft HolmesAdditional Tags: Alternate Universe - Daemon, Daemons, Molly is a BAMF, she’s also not as innocent as everyone thinks, Unhealthy Relationships, Death ReferencesSummary:

Molly knows Jim Doyle (because that’s how he introduces himself, hands sweating and shaky, stuttering in the cafeteria) is bad news as soon as she sees his daemon grin.

That doesn’t put her off him. If anything it makes her say yes all the more quickly.

Fantastic story that makes good use of both source canons and also mythology. Knowledge of His Dark Materials is not necessary. There are a few grammar/word usage errors but don’t let that put you off—the story is so enjoyable it doesn’t matter. I’ve read it many times.

I O U by retorica

Chapters: 8/?Words: 20761Rating: MatureWarnings: Graphic Depictions Of ViolenceRelationships: Molly Hooper/Jim MoriartyCharacters: Molly Hooper, Jim Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes, Eurus Holmes, Sebastian Moran

Additional Tags: Psychopath in Love, Loss of Innocence, Molly is his queen, molliarty - Freeform

Summary:

“Are you in love, Jim? Has sentiment overcome your faculties?” (4x03 flashback compliant)

This story. It’s a WIP. Slow to update but so, so good. It’s sort of set in canon? Canon-themed, maybe? I’m not sure how to describe it, honestly, but retorica really amps it up here. Beautifully written and the author shows zero fear of taking turns with the plot.

What Sober Couldn’t Say by ribcage

Chapters: 1/1Words: 4603Rating: Not RatedWarnings: No Archive Warnings ApplyRelationships: Molly Hooper/Jim Moriarty, Molly Hooper/James MoriartyCharacters: Molly Hooper, Jim Moriarty, Toby the Cat (Sherlock)Additional Tags: Drunk Texting, Texting, Happy Ending, molliarty - Freeform, Inspired By Tumblr

Summary:

“(11:23 pm) Drinking again

(11:24 pm) And since it makes me too sad to go on my blog anymore thanks to you, I figured it’s only fair you become my new place to vent

(11:25 pm) You’re probably not receiving these messages anyway so no harm no foul

(11:25 pm) Right?”

Molly drunk-texts Jim over the course of several months.

They say that nuance is lost over text, but Molly’s pain is very palpable here. A large part of this story is comprised of text messages, but the author writes well and the medium works here. Bit of a happy ending. Love this one!

Junior by ll_again

Chapters: 1/1Words: 1907Rating: Teen And Up AudiencesWarnings: No Archive Warnings ApplyRelationships: Molly Hooper/Jim MoriartyCharacters: Molly Hooper, Jim Moriarty, Toby the Cat (Sherlock)Additional Tags: Jim is a cat person, Post-Episode: s01e03 The Great GameSummary:

So what’s a beleaguered pathologist to do when the UK’s Most Wanted turns up to visit her cat?

Lovely writing and ll_again just portrays Jim and Molly so beautifully. This one is a little more lighthearted than some of the other stories here. If you like sexual tension and humor, you’ll love this. It’s great!

A Bedtime Story for a Madman and a Queen by sillythings

Chapters: 5/5Words: 17411Rating: T

Summary: Moriarty stops by to tell Molly a bedtime story.

This might be my favorite of all time. Hauntingly beautiful. The author’s portrayal of Jim is so good it’s stunning. The storytelling here is masterful, and spins stories within stories. It’s dark and loving and just wonderful. Strong Sherlolly theme in this one.

Power in Potentia by sovery

Chapters: 1/1Words: 1268Rating: Teen And Up AudiencesWarnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive WarningsRelationships: Molly Hooper/Jim Moriarty, Molly Hooper & Jim MoriartyCharacters: Molly Hooper, Jim MoriartyAdditional Tags: feminist reclaimation of the text, Fairy Tale Elements, Vampires, darkish, (it’s all about the ish)

Summary:

Molly does not imagine that this is how Jim expected their confrontation to go.

Bit of formatting issues in this one, but it’s so well-written it’s worth the read. Not exactly a relationship fic, but I loved Molly in this. A good, dark story.

The Fox by Anarfea

Chapters: 1/1Words: 3767Rating: ExplicitWarnings: No Archive Warnings ApplyRelationships: Molly Hooper/Jim Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, Sherlock Holmes/Jim MoriartyCharacters: Molly Hooper, Jim Moriarty, Sherlock HolmesAdditional Tags: Missing Scene, Season/Series 02, Anal Play, Anal Sex, Dirty Talk, Masturbation, Oral Sex, Sexual Fantasy, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Vaginal Sex, molliarty - Freeform

Summary:

“Close your eyes and pretend I’m Sherlock Holmes,” he murmured. “I don’t mind.”

Oh, the smut. In character, well-written smut. Fantastic story.

Nameless by Ridiculosity

Chapters: 9/?Words: 37733Rating: MatureWarnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive WarningsRelationships: Molly Hooper/Jim MoriartyCharacters: Jim Moriarty, Molly Hooper, Sherlock HolmesAdditional Tags: Soulmates AU, i… don’t know, Angst, Lots of Angst, Psychopath Moriarty, normal molly, molliarty - Freeform, lemon tarts, this is so trashy

Summary:

The first name was expected - even welcomed. The second, on the other hand, left much to be desired. And Jim would never understand what it was about it that was compelling. [Soulmate AU: On one hand, the name of your soulmate, on the other - your enemy. Molliarty.]

WIP. On the surface this is sort of a funny story. I smiled a lot reading this. On occasion, though, it delves into pathos, and it’s very effective. I like a bit of pain in stories and this delivers. Well-written and enjoyable.

The Rose Point Manor by BookishTea, Roz1013, stbartsmolly

Chapters: 6/?Words: 17923Rating: MatureWarnings: Graphic Depictions Of ViolenceRelationships: Molly Hooper/Jim Moriarty, Molly Hooper & Meena, Sherlock Holmes & Molly Hooper, Molly Hooper & Original Female CharacterCharacters: Molly Hooper, Jim Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mycroft Holmes, Meena (Sherlock), Greg Lestrade, Sebastian Moran, Mike Stamford, Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s), Jim Moriarty’s Mother, Jim Moriarty’s FatherAdditional Tags: Mystery, Drama & Romance, Dysfunctional Family, Family Secrets, Alternate Universe - Victorian, Post-Episode: The Abominable Bride, Mark Hooper - Freeform, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Love Letters, BAMF Molly, Molly Hooper Appreciation, Explicit Sexual Content, Explicit Language, molliarty - Freeform, Possessive Sex, Jealous Sherlock, Possessive Behavior, Haunted Houses, Possessive Jim, Female Friendship, Female Protagonist, Abandonment, Past Child Abuse, Emotional Manipulation, Sexual Tension, Murder, Aftermath of Violence, Violence, Minor Sherlock Holmes/Molly HooperSummary:

A young woman struggling in an unjust society takes a break from the theatrics of pretending to be her male counterpart, Mark Hooper, and decides to relax at the quiet but foreboding Rose Point Manor. There she comes to a realization that something far more sinister lurks there than at her morgue back home.

WIP. Still in the early stages but I just love the setup here. Mystery? Paranormal? Epistolary writing? Count me in. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

Quite a few of these authors have multiple stories, so I have linked their profiles too so you can check them out.

#molliarty #fic recs #asks

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kin-assistance · 7 years

Note

I was suggested to ask Mod Lu what fictionkin is, and to say that their brother sent me

Yes, he told me about an hour ago. I’ll give you a basic rundown then you cam do some more research on your own.

Being fictionkin, or fictionkind as some of the older folks are moving towards, is when you identify partially or entirely as an entity from a fictional source on a nonphysical and involuntary level. Every word in there is important, so here’s what that means but longer, in case we lost a couple of details in there:

-It is not physical identification. I am not physically an Absol, regardless of what my brain tries to tell me sometimes.

-It is not a choice. You can just not be aware of it, but you do not choose to be fictionkin, and repressing it really isn’t going to help you. It’s like denying your eye colour. You can wear coloured contacts all you want, but your eye colour isn’t going to change. Neither will your fictotypes.

-You aren’t just identifying with them. If on a deep level that normal ‘#same’ feelings don’t apply any more, the words fictionhearted and synpath might be of use. You identify as these entities. They are you and you are them.

-Partially or entirely. Most people don’t always feel 100%, 24/7 like their fictotypes. There are shifts, as we call them, that can amplify those fictionkin-related emotions (kinfeels!) in certain ways, but you aren’t always going to be completely in a shift in the same way you aren’t eternally stuck to one emotion. Sometimes it’s more prevalent than other times.

-Your fictotypes are fictional. Identifying as a unicorn is not really fictionkin, unless you are a unicorn from a depicted fictional source. A general unicorn falls under theriomythic. A unicorn specifically from the film The Last Unicorn is both fictionkin and theriomythic.

--A side note on that- human fictotypes are possible, but are considered fictionkin but not otherkin. The otherkin and fictionkin communities share roots and some similarities, but they are distinctly not the same thing. Here

So that’s the definition of things. There are other subsets of being alterhuman, which is the main umbrella term for both the entire species / person identification side (therians, otherkin, fictionkin, otherhearted, copinglinkers, etc) and the multiplicity side (DID/OSDD-1 systems, endogenic systems, soulbonders, tulpamancers, etc).

Now that you know that, I’m going to bet your next question is “cool, how do I know whether that’s me and how does that even work?”

The first part can be answered in our FAQ- I have a guide up there from my personal kin blog, and one of the older mods has a different one up. Both can be found in the FAQ, probably near the end if I remember correctly. Don’t quote me on that.

The second part is a broad question, so I’ll try to cover the basics. You’ll learn more by scrolling through this blog and learn of all the other questions we answer.

The most prevalent ‘signs’ that you’re fictionkin are almost always categorized under the very vague term kinfeels. This includes homesickness, certain peculiar-seeming habits, vague and sometimes clear memories, exotrauma, phantom limbs (both normal and supernumerary), missing abilities, etc etc.

Being naturally good at something that you should not know about (i.e., knowing how to do basic ballet without ever being taught, or certain cooking tricks) is at least something to consider, though memory is a strange thing and you could just not remember learning it.

The most telltale sign is the homesickness: sitting in your room in a chair, rocking back and forth, feeling sick to your stomach because you want to go home and this is not your home, and you have a very distinct idea of what home is and this is not it. The homesickness alone is one of the more difficult to deal with- it is at least partly why most of the kin self-care blogs exist.

Missing abilities is another big one, you’ll hear about it a lot. Those of us from magical worlds will attempt active magic and get confused for a few seconds when it doesn’t do the thing. It’s as much of a habit as reaching for your keys in your pocket after you’re started using a lanyard around your neck is. I cannot count how many times I’ve tried to make my pen write things down while I have both hands on my phone just by attempting to will it to work. This is not a sign you’ll be able to miss too easily, though it’s often dismissed as simply an overactive imagination.

Phantom limbs, both normal and supernumerary, is one you’ll hear about likely the most next to the homesickness. Some may tell you that it’s ableist to amputees to call these things this, but phantom limbs is the medical term and that’s what we’re using. Do not confuse them with astral limbs, astral limbs involve the astral realm and I would talk to a practitioner about that in the same way I’d ask a spirit worker about spirits. Astral limbs are something else. Phantom limbs are well documented. You know that trick where they hide your arm and show you a fake one, ‘attaching’ it to your shoulder, and then they rub both your hand and the fake hand, then drop a hammer on the fake hand and watch you recoil?That pain is because the fake arm has become a phantom limb. Of course, that trick is done by lying to your brain. Sometimes it’s the other way around, and your brain maps out limbs that aren’t there, for... some reason, we don’t actually know why, just that it happens. A phantom weight on your back is very common, for some reason.I will remind you, however, that do not blame medical problems on your phantom limbs. If you are in pain, you can check the phantom problem after you see a doctor to make sure it isn’t something detrimental to your health. Don’t ignore your body focusing on the one your brain keeps trying to tell you that you have that you clearly don’t.

Memories and exotrauma end up going hand in hand. They only apply to some fictionkin, usually the spiritual-based ones whose experiences come from things like past lives. Exotrauma is exactly what it sounds like- trauma originating from somewhere other than your current body and life. For me, that feels like trauma having happened about thirty years ago, in a different continent. Which would be fine if I wasn’t seventeen and always lived where I am. It’s a little disputed, but I think we need to bring the term back from the void.Memories are just that. As someone who I don’t remember once put it, being fictionkin is a lot like having been five. Your vague memories from having been five are going to look a lot like fictionkin related memories. If, you get any at all. Most don’t, so don’t stress it.

Lastly, let’s talk about the community. (Then you can have some links to other resources.)

Tumblr is about the worst place to learn about this, especially considering fictionkin. If someone says they’re ‘kinning’ a new character, run. Fictionkin is not a verb, you do not choose your fictotypes. That person has no idea what they’re talking about. If you’ve been in the community for a while, feel free to correct them, but that’ll be at least a year away for you.

If they say they have kins, also run, they similarly don’t know what they’re talking about. The word is kintypes- fictotypes for fictionkin, theriotypes for therians.

If the older fictionkin and otherkin seem grumpy, it’s because they have to put up with everyone wrecking their community. Be nice to them, they deserve it.

When antikin get you an argument you don’t know how to beat, hit up who-is-page’s AOK tag and take a run through it. You will find that argument somewhere and Page will have utterly destroyed it. No, really. Page is really good to learn from solely because they make more sense than most people. Plus their blog has plenty of snakes, so if you like snakes you should follow them.

Use your block button very liberally. There are a lot of antikin thanks to trolls and the above kinning/kins people (usually known as tumblrkin or wishkin); and we’re constantly beating them out of our tags. They don’t really listen. Block them and move on if you don’t have the time or patience for arguing with them.

Above all, try to be respectful and nice to those around you. Treat others as you want to be treated, so they say.

And, some links. Pings slashed because I’m sure they don’t really want the pings.

@/fromfiction is a good blog to start. Felix knows most things about fictionkin, and I consult them for what I don’t know.

@/who-is-page, who I’ve already recommended to you.

@/jarandhel. Check their recurring links, they have plenty of things to learn about generally being otherkin.

@/elevengrackles. An older member of the community, can help you if you’re lost.

@/shadowfae. That’s my personal kin blog, if you want to contact me more directly.

@/katt-but-spookier. A copinglinker and fictionkin person. Generally very nice, also knows about who to avoid like the plague. I’d trust Jes with my life.

I’m probably forgetting a few people. My apologies to those, it’s a little late for me.

~Mod Lu

#fictionkin #otherkin #into the tags you go #have fun little post #dreeming-royalty #asks

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jackaccletonfutureworks · 8 years

Text

DD2000 - Research blog for a path into industry

Portfolios and their importance

Now before we even get to the building up to our chosen job and how we get there we have to talk about arguably the first and most important step when going into any industry, a good portfolio.

A portfolio in definition is according to many sources such as google, the oxford dictionaries and the free dictionary

a set of pieces of creative work intended to demonstrate a person's ability to a potential employer.

Example: "she had a portfolio of crayon portraits"

now reading the definition you should get an idea as to why a portfolio is quite the important tool in any industry but allow me to elaborate, a portfolio usually contains all of your best and well presented work that you wish to show off to a future employer in the hopes that it will impress them enough to consider you for the role available and hire you into it.

Even if that doesnt happen they are important tools for ensuring people dont soon forget you, if its good enough your employer might talk to his co-workers about it and the work that was in it, might recommend you to other companies and give you an easy-ish way into the industry, not only that but if its up online somewhere it can allow none industry people to view it and get invested in the work you do, get invested in your ideas and anything to do with them and begin to support you and want more of your work which is hard to ignore from people in the industry.

But an important part of a portfolio is to make sure it fits the job role, its nice that its all neatly presented and stunning work but if your going for a modelling job and bring in cool doodles of swords instead they will more than likely enjoy them but dont cross your fingers for the job or even being well remembered in a good way.

Now lets take that Modeling job as an example, if your looking into that job there are some things that would work well in your Porfolio

What to include generally

Some well constructed and unique models to show your skill, talent and creativity. Make sure to have beauty shots (Three angles) a Uv render (Shows off the uv maps of the models showing you do know how to Map and texture) and a wireframe

some more bland models that everyone has but it shows you can model things of this type, guns, corridors things like that

all of the work should be finished and if not it should be a w.i.p showing of how the model developed or something you are working on recently and wish to say “this is my latest project”

Portfolio : About myself

Every portfolio for every job must be different and suited for the job role your looking to invest into. Now my portfolio will have me looking into narrative design so there are some things i do need to include when constructing mine and things i need to look out for

What i should include

Well written stories of varying length and style as well as on different matters and subjects to give a quick look at the range i can write at and my ability with different styles and topics

Character development if possible, Original character, fan characters and things like that, let people in the industry see the work and love put into them and how you created them from the ground up, even include the most trivial detail if needed it will show how i think about even the smallest things for characters and bring them to life

Same applies for world building, show worlds you crated and the living breathing atmosphere they have, show off head canons and theories about already made worlds if you wish

Show dialogue and scripts made, this includes roleplaying and back and forth between characters of your own and friends

Work done that is not narrative directly but does still link to it

Any writing done for games, this includes small projects and twine games

Now what have i done to go towards this portfolio as of writing this?

I have written many short stories and poems some better than others i cannot lie however i tend to struggle sometimes with motivation in writing longer tales if they are not split into parts either via working time or as part 1, part 2 etc, 3 twine games which could be improved but stand at a decent enough quality and i do intend to create more, have an entire blog built for role playing (character creation and building, dialogue, world building) this is where i let alot of my ideas roam free as well as some of my more out there character traits, this character has spawned off into his own story and world view from a character that had nothing to start with, he has spawned countless side characters and alternate realities surrounding him and all of them have their own stories and worlds not to mention many pieces of college work.

All of these very important in the portfolio especially for the job role im looking to enter.

General Examples of both good and bad portfolio's

Networking

Networking is in short terms the connections you make with people be them big or small, it forms a web coming from you of connections you made. If you meet David and David knows Susan but you dont know Susan, she is still now in your web of networking due to knowing David.

Networking is important to the industry at it is a key way to get into the industry and get yourself known to people, without the links to people it would be almost impossible to get a way into the industry without directly going up to someone and asking for a job or applying yourself.

Networking can also offer unexpected help from people inside the industry through simply talking to them.

But how can networking help my career path into a narrative games career?

More importantly what kinds of networking could help my cause?

Well the obvious one to start off in narrative would be social media, its a great place to store and write small stories or tales and build character/worlds. It is also perfect for getting your small tales out to a large audience of people very quickly.

Take tumblr for example, its blogging allows for quick short stories or grand giant multi-post tales to be re-blogged , twitter is also a good example here as many industry insiders use twitter and could be a great way to share your narrative ideas and work with them to get feedback and make yourself known to them

It is also a prime location to show off portfolio w.i.p work and gain interest in what else is inside your portfolio both from regular people and industry insiders which could lead to job offers or simply having you in mind when a place does come up

Another prime example would be Game conventions, they allow for examination of upcoming games as well as series of games with over arching stories as well as the idea of communication with industry insiders as well as games media about games and your general idea. It could also provide you with skills and much needed tips if your willing to buy some people a beer. Game designers are just people like you and me so most of them have no issue sitting down to talking.

There are a few that take place here in the UK :

EGX - EGX is a British made Gaming Convention sponsored by Virgin media and s currently set to take place in the Birmingham NEC arena on the 21st -24th of September

Play Expo - Play Expo is a British games convention set in Manchester England at event city.

There is one that comes to mind and does take place in the US

Ludem Dare - Ludem Dare is a game jam hosted this year in San Francisco that gives people a theme and 24/48 hours to create a game, this allows people in the industry to see how people work under a tight deadline and the quality of games they can create with minimal information. It also allows for the people involved to brush up on their skills or develop new ones.

Well i say one but you cant talk US and game gatherings without mentioning

E3 - E3 is a yearly multi company convention in which the biggest games are shown and revealed and many of the gaming industries top professionals visit to give their games that needed star power, a place like this is perfect to ask questions, build connections and show off work you had done in hopes of making an impression

One important thing to know about networking overall however is that you should never be afraid to talk to someone or ask questions to them, they are not some untouchable idol who will simply scoff at you, they are infact just as human as you are and i imagine they they have trouble talking to a person from time to time. Plus there is only things to gain instead of things to lose

The Ideal Work Place/Key Companies In My Field

When it comes to an ideal work place that generally comes down to preference, some might want to work for Bethesda, maybe you want to work for EA but this is in general terms which company would be the best suited for the field i would like to enter

The first company that instantly jumps put for narrative focused games would be tell tale who have generally been known to create heavily emotional narrative focused point and click/episodic games based on existing IP’s such as The walking dead, borderlands and game of thrones

https://telltale.com/ - 4000 Civic Center Dr, San Rafael, CA 94903, USA

https://telltale.com/jobs/

As of this moment in time they are only looking for a senior writer in the job field i wish however that doesnt mean i cant apply for another job they are in need of to work my way into a writing position for example they are always looking for q/a testers so using that i can wiggle into a narrative design or writer role by suggesting things that could improve the story experience or helping with the writing of scripts and dialogue.

An issue with telltale however is it is hard to single out a game from their library as more narrative focused or important than any other, walking dead offers a dark saddening take on the world where every option and choice you make will have an impact later. This is in stark contrast to say tales from the borderlands which yes does have a similar choices matter mentality however the story in that game is less serious and grim and more light hearted and lovely.

With tell-tale they cover so much ground in their narrative focused games its hard to single one of them out alone

Not a company that comes to mind when thinking of narrative but one that i would enjoy a job at would be gearbox, they are mainly known for creating the borderlands franchise and as of now are in the process of making the third game . Their narratives tend to be somewhat serious but have a lighthearted tone to them with alot of dirty humor.

Borderlands and its sequels probably are the most notable games they have created and do narrative in an inventive way in that it is both serious yet not at all serious at the same time i mean....the planet your on is in grave danger from a tyrant hell bent on wiping life as you know it off the planet with an alien doom weapon, but at the same time the villian mocks you with such childish insults and sarcastic nonsense its hard to take it seriously, even more so with some of the side missions like “shot this guy in the faace” which is exactly as it sounds.

http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/ - 5757 Main St, Frisco, TX 75034, USA

http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/careers/

Gearbox software have an odd internship program that allows people of all skill levels to join and it is called the cogs program, in their own words the cogs program is

“The COGS program at Gearbox Software is designed for future game developers to get a chance to start their careers by becoming embedded with the veteran, professional developers at our world-class video game development studio and actually contribute to a commercial video game project. It’s the real deal. This is the foot in the door. This is the chance to prove yourself.

The COGS program differs from a traditional internship because Gearbox Software will actually pay you during your time at the studio. What?! Did you read that right?! Yes, we’re going to pay you to prove yourself. We must be nuts.But forget about us being nuts for a minute – the COGS program is as real as Clap Trap’s malfunctioning artificial personality.

COGS stands for Contractors of Gearbox Software – you will get a contract and it will say that you have become an actual, official, paid professional inside the studio that is home of Borderlands, Duke Nukem, Brothers in Arms, Homeworld, Battleborn, and Randy Pitchford’s flamboyant shirts. The contract terms can be for as little as three months or as long as a year, depending on the timing and the role. During that time you’ll get free soda. Also during that time you’ll contribute to a real commercial product at our AAA development studio earning valuable experience and credit that will not merely be rewarding and insanely gratifying, but will also set-you-up to be very valuable and sought after by the industry. And there’s free snacks to wash down with the soda. Did I already mention the soda? It’s a cool deal.”

quote directly from here

This is all to simply prove if you deserve a job or not

Key people in my field

http://www.evanskolnick.com/games

His portfolio is rather well put together and lists all of his skills and accomplishments as well as any and all of the projects he has worked on it also seems to show his wide range of work as he has taken part in narrative roles on project such as mafia 3 which is full of gore and racial angles and tension to the kid friendly hi-jinks filled over the hedge game and movie.

This is a portfolio i should keep an eye on and learn from

https://twitter.com/evanskolnick?lang=en

Evan Skolnick is an american born writer who has previous worked on marvel comics as a lead writer and now has jumped into narrative video game design, his most recent project/job being the walking dead : a new frontier by telltale which makes him a key player not only in my field but a company based solely around the field i wish to work in

has a book out called : video game story telling, what every developer needs to know about narrative techniques

the description of the book and what it may offer

“With increasingly sophisticated video games being consumed by an enthusiastic and expanding audience, the pressure is on game developers like never before to deliver exciting stories and engaging characters. With Video Game Storytelling, game writer and producer Evan Skolnick provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow guide to storytelling basics and how they can be applied at every stage of the development process—by all members of the team. This clear, concise reference pairs relevant examples from top games and other media with a breakdown of the key roles in game development, showing how a team’s shared understanding and application of core storytelling principles can deepen the player experience. Understanding story and why it matters is no longer just for writers or narrative designers. From team leadership to game design and beyond, Skolnick reveals how each member of the development team can do his or her part to help produce gripping, truly memorable narratives that will enhance gameplay and bring today’s savvy gamers back time and time again.“

Edwin McRae isnt noteworthy due to the work he has done, though he has worked on many smaller titles and mobile games as a narrative designer and world builder. He is more notable due to his constant advice and tutorials on how to become a better narrative designer and how to build a living breathing world from scratch

He too like Evan has a book or two to be purchased and read which can be found here : https://www.edmcrae.com/books-and-comics.cfm

Another good narrative designer to take a look at would be Daniel Dick, he describes himself as follows

“ I'm a Narrative Director & Writer with over 15 years of industry experience creating, building, and implementing successful narratives (including multiple AAA titles). I also recently designed a narrative design and game writing course for the University of British Columbia's Creative Writing Program.”

Some notable projects he has worked on include

★ DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED Narrative Director Eidos Montreal ★ HOMEWORLD: DESERTS OF KHARAK Narrative Director BBI / Gearbox ★ SPEC-OPS Lead Narrative Designer & Writer Rockstar Vancouver ★ BULLY Narrative Designer & Writer Rockstar Vancouver ★ SOCOM: TACTICAL STRIKE Lead Writer & Narrative Designer Slant Six / Sony ★ SOCOM: FIRETEAM BRAVO 3 Lead Writer & Narrative Designer Slant Six / Sony ★ NEED FOR SPEED & SSX Story Consultant & Contract Writer Electronic Arts ★ TREASURE PLANET Game Designer & Writer Barking Dog / Disney ★ THE DAMASCUS LETTER: A Spy Novel Author Finalist for the AMAZON BREAKTHROUGH NOVEL AWARD in 2011.

His portfolio on Linkden is also very well put together and will have to keep an eye on this one as well

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldick/

The skills i need

When it comes to narrative design in general there are certain skills you will need when entering the field.

Atleast basic knowledge on pacing and tone to a story, you cant have characters fighting an epic war then suddenly 2 seconds later have a clown filled tea party only to mourn their friends for a solid hour or two after that, it kills both the tone your going for and pacing. Keep it balanced and consistent

Understand character and world building, it good to create a world or character but if they are blank slates of boring with a side of boring pie then no one will care.

To create a breathing living world you must think about every detail and bit of history, what does this town do for the world, why is this ruin here, where do these enemies live etc. However be careful as you cannot make a game with backstory and word building alone and people do not want to have to sit through hours of lore.

Characters are harder to build, they can have preset fears and goals and motivations and even backstories however alot of the time they need to grow alongside the player and inside the events of your narrative. If a character loses something precious to them show it, if they are tried from a long battle show it, if they have been beaten badly and took a massive hit to their pride again show it to the player and in the character.

Script/dialogue writing skills and understanding what goes into creating them. Make sure every bit of dialogue fits who it is meant for perfectly and try to avoid repetition if possible. Ensure scripts are clear to read for the voice actors

Ability to take critique and improve from it, maybe someone thinks a certain aspect of your narrative is a bit off and wants to give feedback, it would be your job to take that feedback in and maybe change the narrative a bit to fit it.

Interpersonal skills, do you really think your going to be working alone....yeah no it doesnt work like that as you will be with a team of writers more than likely who will be throwing in ideas into this world or character and trying to make them perfect. Listen to what they have to say and work with them. Plus you will be working with other departments, maybe the environment designer needs specific dialogue for a fire area and you need to take a look at the area to gauge what kind of dialogue to fit into it, Maybe the character designer needs help figuring out how this character might speak and what they could even say

You have to have the ability to understand the genre of what it is your writing, cant have a kid friendly platformer suddenly have sexual jokes and decapitations now can we?

Organization in your writing is a good skill to possess as well as good motivation skills and time management

My work and evaluating it/General Evaluation

Now that i have mentioned the skills needed and the work i have done it is time to evaluate it bit by bit and see if i meet the standards set above and if not how can i achieve them from where i am now

My work

Short stories and poems tend to come to me in the moment and usually come from my already made characters, existing characters from movies/tv/games or from some random idea i had in my mind. However as mention before they tend to be a one time thing and rarely branch out and become longer, any longer story usually gets forgotten about due to motivational or memory issues even if broken into parts (For example i got 5 parts into a dark souls 3 story before forgetting it and never really going back to continue it). If i wish to get into narrative i need to work on long stories

The few twine games i have made so far are at a time where i have minimal knowledge of twine and one of them i cannot add to my porfolio due to content inside it. They are not nearly to the standard they could or should be and i should spend time completing and working on them to put them at the level i believe they could be.

The blog is personally my proudest bit of writing, i started the blog with a charcter based on an ingame mario enemy that had no backstory or anything, no personifcation or even personality. I took this enemy and gave it life and a soul, gave it wants and needs and fears and a personality, it has goals and a past now and as said has spawned countless Alternate worlds and ideas from it due to the story i have told with him. However alot of the writing tends to be very informal and dailouge based and the blog also has some informal and silly content to go through, will need to isolate the writing from this blog to show on the portfolio

As said he has spawned countless characters off of himself, from a sweet gentle shy king, to an evil dominating tyrant, a lonely yet wise last of his kind hunter, a sickening horrific yet lovable spider hybrid creature, a shy 1 limbed mechanic looking into necromancy to power his robotics to be honest this is stuff to include in the portfolio however it mention it here as no matter how many characters i do have i should continue to add more to the mix and develop them every chance i get to do so.

Skills and myself overall

In terms of skills i would like to atleast believe i own some of the needed skills for my job role, a basic understanding of pacing and tone, world and character building experience as well as interpersonal skills and abilities. Perhaps i do struggle a small amount with critique as sometimes it dont learn or go back to redo what is told of me.

Out side of skills to myself in general im a generally approachable and creative guy who could keep tensions low and ensure that everyone in the company is keeping themselves happy and destressed, i would also like to believe im willing to advance and learn even if it is painful.

But to evaluate you have to speak of the bad too, which is sometimes i can be very unmotivated and avoid/put off work for as long as possible even if i understand and know i have work. I can also get frustrated easilly with things that i cannot do or do not understand, if i wish to advance in my industry i willl need to put these under lock and key

My path into industry due to what i have found here

Due to the information i have found here there are a few paths into industry i can take

i can look for a indie or triple A developer looking for a q/a tester and work into the company from there offering the skills i do have to help construct the game and help any struggling member of the team during my none working hours, this iwll show them my previously obtained skills and allow them to remember me above all the other Q/A testers thus getting a foot in the door

I could also use my Voice acting talent and get in through that, voice a character and offer changes and help to the script as well as developing the character which again gives me a foot into the door.

another option is to wiggle into games journalism, this way i can write about and meet many developers as well as play some of the hottest games before anyone else and offer my opinion on them and what could be changed.

#FWDD2000

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