Why Is This My Life?

reminder to worldbuilders: don't get caught up in things that aren't important to the story you're writing, like plot and characters! instead, try to focus on what readers actually care about: detailed plate tectonics

@trensu I just want you to know this has been living in my head rent free ever since I saw it

I have no words other than the simple fact that i have exhausted the current amount of tma au fics that aren't just fluff right now and... well, isn't that how the saying goes? if you can't find the fic you wanna read yourself, you may as well just write it yourself.

Simple premise is au where monsters aren't really as we see them in TMA, and can be controlled by the use of crafted sigils, either as a means of warding them off, binding them to an object (usually a book so their powers can be used once the monster's consciousnesss dies) or to destroy them entirely.

Jon is a special case by way of his rather permanent transformation at the hands of Elias, who'd crafted a very special sigil of his own to bind Jon to his command as part of a much bigger plan. Trapped with Jon, although not bound or created by Elias in the same manner, is Gerard Keay and Michael Shelly, with the latter being very miffed to say the least at being unable to kill any of the institute staff, (including most pertinantly, Gertrude Robinson the one responsible for the sigils binding them there for her uses under threat of death).

For a long time things seem absolutely hopless when Gertrude's last plan to stop Elias fails and she dies as a result, Michael and Gerry still bound to the institute and being used as unwitting labor by Elias in the aftermath with Jon staying as far away from the institute as he can until the time comes when Elias will inevitably use the sigil to force him back to the institute again.

Needless to say meeting and saving Martin blackwood from his own monsters was not something any of them could have forseen.

I think in large part that’s why I love creating and seeing new stories, because the power of characters and fiction as a whole is that it helps you make sense of yourself and the world.

This character is who I was back then, but more. This character is still learning to love themselves and puts others first way too often, this character is scared shitless and just wants to be happy, this character is the embodiment of how much my negative coping mechanisms can and have destroyed me, and this character is someone who really just needs a hug.

To me at least it’s about taking out all the little pieces of yourself and making them their own person, someone you can see and want to help, and then giving them the hug and the friends they need to heal and as a result, maybe heal yourself too.

I like to include bits of myself in a lot of characters, like, this one also thinks purple is the best color (because it is!), this one can't handle anything remotely spicy, this one hates an adrenaline rush, this one loves plums, etc.

But then there's always one character in the lot where I'm like, "sorry buddy, you're getting the brunt of my worst flaws this time" and it's awful but fantastic because I get to process and idealize those flaws without just staring at myself.

Anyway I think writing yourself into your characters is normal and healthy, even. Thanks for coming to my Sleepy Talk.

Some Human John & Arthur content for us starving souls

(Click image to view in better quality)

Arthur: *calls John a Sour Puss*

Me: *proceeds to lose my fucking mind*

Have to routinely stop myself from bashing myself for making characters certain races and genders bc “what if this is insanely offensive to some people?” by asking one very simple question:

Do people like this actively exist?

If the answer is yes, then maybe I can stop feeling bad about giving my beautiful, disabled, black, baby boy dnd character a love of the colour pink.

Ya know, bc art is all about translation, and people are gonna people regardless of if some random asshole on the internet decides their existence is problematic.

Getting over art block by drawing me and my brother’s sonas as our favourite eevelutions.

yall see “love” and immediately go to “romantic love” if you translate “love is the whole point” to “romantic love is the whole point” you need to rethink everything because love is found in everything. in community, in friendships, in family, in food, in nature so actually love is the whole point and u can die mad about it. hope this helps <3

First: once you know something’s name you have power over it. This is an old, old rule. Be careful giving out your name, because if it can be given it can be taken, and you along with it.

Second: the fae love beautiful things, and they will steal what they love. Sometimes it is to keep the object of their affection pristine and unaging, unravaged by time; sometimes it is just for the sake of having it. (They don’t love in the same way we do.)

Third: a changeling is a replica created to hide a theft. Sometimes it is a fae creature fully alive and wearing a stolen face. Sometimes it is simply a bundle of branches wrapped in magic, meant to die a wasting death and leave mourners who never suspect the truth.

Last: our city was beautiful. It was known far and wide, and because of that had names spoken in many different tongues. But it was not so hard to gather them all, in the end.

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