For Me and For You

Send a number in my friends. 

Drabble list from  @drabbledrabbledrabbledrabble , altered a bit and I threw in some of my own. 

1. “W…Was that you making that noise?”

2.“Is it possible to love too much?”

3.“I love you a lot, but please stop trying to cook me dinner, you suck.”

4.“I can’t stop thinking about you.”

5.“I could never leave you, I love you too much!”

6.“I waxed the floors, grab your fluffy socks.”

7.“IF YOU USE UP ALL THE HOT WATER ONE MORE TIME IM GOING TO BAN YOU TO THE COUCH FOR A MONTH.”

8.“I wasn’t planning on asking you, but it appeared to me that life is short. Will you marry me? ”

9.“I beat you at Mario Kart and now you’re banishing me to the couch for the night?”

10. “You’re like a space heater dude.”

11. “Don’t come crying to me when you fall off that thing.”

12."I came home to a Nerf gun on the front porch and a note that says ‘Here is your weapon. I have one too. Loser cooks dinner. Good luck. xo’”

13.“ I bet it’s a girl/boy.”

14.“Your dad is really excited to meet you soon, it’s driving me crazy.”

15.“Our kid is totally the one who wanted to build a pillow fort, not me.”

16."Babe, you have a problem, please, let me help you”

17."Spare some change please?”

18."Wanna dance?”

19."Oh, my god! You’re in love with her/him!”

20."If you die, I’m gonna kill you!”

21."I think I’m in love with you and I’m scared to death”

22."Could you be happy here with me?”

23."Well….don’t keep me waiting”

24."I know, but I just really don’t like him.”

25."Are you drunk?”

26."I don’t need friends, they disappoint me.”

27."I’m flirting with you.”

28."Do you ever think we should just stop this?”

29."Have you ever wanted to hate someone?”

30."You can’t protect me.” 

31."Come home with me.”

32.“What do you mean he’s escaped?”

33."I see the way you look at me when you think I’m not looking.”

34. “Oh, really? Try me.”

35. “No, seriously. I’m an expert.”

36. “It’s 2 a.m., how’d you even get in here?

37. “Are you trying to kill me?”

Rules: Followers send a number to your ask and you write a drabble using that sentence/prompt in your piece. Try to keep up! Expect a TON of requests!

“The skirt is supposed to be this short.”

“How long have you been standing there?”

“I may be an idiot, but I’m not stupid.”

“Who gave you that black eye?”

“You haven’t even touched your food. What’s going on?”

“I just like proving you wrong.”

“Everyone keeps telling me you’re the bad guy.”

“Forget it. You fucking suck.”

“Quit it or I’ll bite.”

“If you use up all the hot water again, I swear to god! You’re on the couch for a month!!”

“If I die, I’m going to haunt your ass.”

“I’m pregnant.”

“Looks like we’re gonna be stuck here for a while.”

“Take. It. Off.”

“Well, you’re coming home with me whether you like it or not.”

“I’ll kick his ass if you want me to.”

“Stop it! It tickles!”

“It’s okay to cry…”

“And that’s how you ruin a life. Congratulations.”

“D..did you just make that noise?”

“He’s a bad kisser.”

“You can scream if you want.”

“I didn’t know we were keeping track.”

“We’re playing checkers. If you don’t like it, leave.”

“One of them’s missing.”

“Save some for me.”

“Oh, fuck off.”

“You’re still mad?”

“Come over here and make me.”

“You better watch yourself.”

“Eat your lunch and you wouldn’t be hungry.”

“Why did we have to have kids?”

“Call on Line 1”

“He creeped me out. I’m not gonna lie.”

“I’m done! You can fix it!”

“Can we just watch a movie and fall asleep on the couch?”

“Where did he go?”

“You leave whenever you feel like it.”

“I forgot I was a single parent.”

“Don’t apologize if you don’t mean it.”

“You’re going out dressed like that?”

“For the hundredth time, I’m not your babysitter.”  

“Frost the damn cupcakes.”

“Well that’s the second biggest news I’ve heard all day.”

“You look pretty hot in plaid.”  

“I thought you were dead!”

“I thought it was a one-night-stand…and now we’re married…”

“We’ve become the clingy couple that you used to complain about.”

“Quit touching me. Your feet are cold.”

“You know you want it, sweetheart.”

“I’m your husband. It’s my job.”  

“You just wanted them because the light up.”

“That wasn’t very subtle.”

“He thinks he’s a mind reader.”  

“It’s just you and me tonight. I was thinking we could have a little fun.”

“I don’t do hugs.”

“Don’t talk anymore.”

“I’m just a guy with a wife, two kids, and a Harley.”

“How do I even put up with you?”

“I said get rid of it.”

“They didn’t just find out. They already knew!”

“You’re not as quiet as you think you are.”

“Can you just man up and change his diaper?”

“Just don’t buy a goat. I don’t care what you do, just no goats.”

“I have a secret.”

“I won’t let you get hurt.”

“You’re strong, baby. You have to be.”

“He’s four years old!!”

“I’ve had enough! I want to be alone!”

“I can’t stand seeing you like this.”

“Me and the boys will handle it.”

“You’re competitive and so am I, and it’s going to lead to a fight.”

“Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?”

“You’re a dork, just like your father.”

“Mind if I join you?”

“Daddy!”

“I lost our child.”

“That’s my shirt. So is that..wait?”

“My name isn’t Leslie…who’s Leslie?”

“There’s a surprise upstairs for you.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“I’m not your boss? Well then who is?”

“You can’t eat solids, only liquids until Thursday.”

“Come on, baby, up to bed.”

“They got you a present. Isn’t it sweet?”

“Am I scaring you?”

“Run! You said you’d work out with me!”

“After everything…I’d still choose you.”

“And when did you plan on telling me about this?”

“Trust me.”

“Scoot over a little bit, please.”

“You’re so clingy, I love it.”

“You didn’t just wake me up at 2am because you were ‘in the mood’.”

“Did they hurt you?”

“You’re cute when you’re all worried.”

“Stop being grumpy. It’s lame.”

“I don’t need a hero, I need a husband.”

“Don’t shut me out.”

“You got a cute butt.”

“I just got out of the shower, I can’t dance. What if my towel falls off?”

“Don’t be an asshole. Asshole.”

“Do you really think I could ever replace you?”

“Sharing is caring. Now give me your fries.”

“…or we can chill in our underwear.”

“You can’t make up for it by giving me a tic-tac.”

“Keep pedaling and don’t stop, okay?”

“You, me, popcorn, two liter Dr. Pepper, and a movie. You in?”

“Have you seen my contacts?”

“Life is a highway, and I’m always drunk. So I’m not driving.”

“Quit stalling. Where’s your father?”

“You can’t just hug me and think everything’s okay.”

“Is he coming home?”

“I prefer blondes.”

“No more dogs. How hard it it to understand?”

“I let you win.”

“I broke your nose, and I’m sorry for that. But what you’re doing isn’t fair.”

“Can I do your hair?”

“Your favorite superhero can’t be a villain.”

“I told you not to jump on the bed!”

“He’s pampering me, let him be.”

“Ready or not, here I come.”

“I’m worried about losing my job!”

“Oh, did I scare you, big boy?”

“Happy new year!”

“Quit moving, I’m trying to sleep. Wait…are you…what?!”

“You nap, I’ll stay awake.”

“It’s turbulence. It’s normal.”

“Don’t touch me. We’re fighting.”

“I’ll give you a massage.”

“You fell asleep in the tub?!”

“Are you doodling?”

“We’re not playing strip poker. I don’t care what I said when I was drunk.”

“Slushies aren’t just for kids, fuck society.”

“Are you scared…Then why won’t you look at the screen?”

“Enough with the pillow talk, I’m tired.”

“You had a nightmare, tell me what it was about so I can fix it.”

“We need groceries, not just junk food. You’re worse than the kids.”

“Is this our closet? Or your closet?”

“If I win, you do dishes for a week.”

“Fist bumps are cooler than high-fives…”

“Use your words.”

“Hold my hand so he gets jealous.”

“Ew, your hand is sweaty.”

“Get out of my face before I hit you.”

“I don’t care if your 4 or 40, you don’t hit people.”

“You only care about football, beer, and raking leaves.”

“Look! Fireflies!”

“Why do you only kiss me when I’m sleeping?”

“I just need ten minutes.”

*Make Your Own*

aka “I can feel my cheeks blushing from just thinking about what I want to say to you”

“I like the way your hand fits in mine.”

“You have something in your hair, umm… Do you want me to get it out?”

“It’s nice that your voice was the first thing I heard today.”

“You can call me whenever you want… Even if you don’t have a reason to.”

“I’m bad at texting first, so I always end up hoping you will.”

“This movie is really scary, but you’re into it so I’m trying not to cover my face the whole time, but- WHAT IS THAT?”

“Wait, don’t pull away… Not yet.”

“You look really cute in that sweater.”

“Half the time I get too embarrassed to say anything.”

“No, it’s fine.  I can wait until you’re done talking to them.”

“No, like…. It’s just, I can’t believe you’re actually wearing my clothes.”

“You’re a big piece of inspiration for this, honestly.”

“God, you always make me blush so damn much.”

“I’ve been trying to get ready for like an hour and a half, because I know you’re going to look so good and I need to try and match up.”

“Would it be too cliche if we matched clothes a little?”

“First second I saw you and I couldn’t get over how beautiful you were.”

“I wanted to say “I love you” for the first time without stuttering, but that failed.”

“Could you hold my hand?”

“You can’t leave without letting me hug you first.”

“I really love holding you, darling.”

“That pet name was so gushy, but it was also so cute.”

“Aw, you’re blushing like a rose.”

“Your lips are really warm.”

“I can’t get over how a few months ago I wanted to learn your name and now you’re having breakfast with me in my sweater.”

“No, mom, don’t tell him/her I said that about him/her!”

“My friends get so annoyed by how much I talk about how sometimes.”

“Wanna, like– I mean, if you’re not busy… We could get lunch? Or even just coffee if you don’t have a lot of time?”

“Wow, I didn’t think you could make me smile this big.”

“You don’t need to leave so soon.”

“You look so comfy, and cuddle-able.”

“Quit smiling at me, I can’t stop messing up my sentences when you look at me like that.”

“You’re hiding under the blanket because you’re blushing?”

“You make me so happy.”

“Don’t give me that puppy dog face.  How am I supposed to say no to that?”

“You made these cupcakes for me?”

“I look forward to holding you close in bed soon.”

“Let’s share my coat, since you’re so cold.”

“I can’t believe I got the first date, let alone a year.”

“You make me feel so damn gushy.”

“How do you always manage to look so captivating?”

“Would you mind if I kissed you?”

“Are you sugar personified or something?”

“I know I’ve kissed you like, ten times, but just like another ten, please.”

“You’re the perfect height for me to rest my chin on your head.”

“I would’ve had breakfast ready, but you were sleeping on my arm, and I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Is it cold outside or are you just blushing?”

“Yeah… Huh? Oh, sorry I was just thinking about my girl/boyfriend.”

“I’m so in love with her/him, I don’t know what do do.”

“I remember practicing how to ask you out to the mirror.”

Writer’s choice

1)     Coffee shop AU

i)       Barista and person who has a ridiculous coffee order

ii)      I’m worried about your coffee dependency

iii)     you accidentally poured boiling hot coffee over me so you’re responsible for taking me to A&E

iv)     you give me a different fake name every time you come into starbucks and I just want to know your real name bc ur cute but here I am scrawling “batman” onto your stupid cappuccino

2)      Flower shop AU

i)       You buy a weird amount of flowers and I’m concerned as to why

ii)      I’m allergic to flowers but I work in a flower shop – you’re a customer who’s very confused as to why I’d do that

iii)     (this is also a good way to incorporate flower meanings eg, buying certain colours/types for person to represent feelings etc.)

3)      Library AU

i)       You’re overdue on this book and I want it so I’m tracking u the fuck down

ii)      I work in the library and I’m a little concerned for your health bc you never stop studying

iii)     The library’s pretty empty save for you and me and OH that couple making out loudly in the shelves somewhere

4)      Awful first time meeting

i)       I accidentally punched you in the face when I was too overexcited about something

ii)      I thought you were my friend who’s just done something awful to me (read: cut my hair while I slept, dyed all of my clothes pink, etc. etc.) because you look similar from behind so I stormed up to you and shoved you from behind while calling you an asshole

iii)     You get the gist to this one

iv)     Oooh when you told me your name I thought you were joking because it’s fucking awful and I made a joke about it and things got awkward real fucking fast (perfect for a Hannibal au just saying)

5)      Weird places to meet/awkward meetings in general

i)       We live in the same block of flats but haven’t ever talked and Sunday morning we were both doing the walk of shame and had to stand in the lift together

ii)      “okay I know that being in the woods at 2am is a weird thing to be doing but my friend called me and- wait, why are you in the woods at 2am, fuck I’m going to die aren’t I?”

iii)     A personal favourite of mine – first day at a new job and oh fuck my boss is the person I drunkenly hooked up with last weekend/night

iv)     We keep accidentally running into each other I’m not a stalker I swear

v)      You live across from me in our apartments and we smile when we see each other but we don’t really know each other and oh you’re the stripper at my friend’s stag do/hen night fuck this is really uncomfortable

vi)     “My shower’s broken but I’ve got a date tonight could I possibly use your shower please?” “Oh sure (neighbour that I’ve been crushing on for the past six months) of course you can use my shower to get ready for your date (fuck fuck fuck)”

6)      Friends to romance – pining and all that wonderful shit

i)       You’ve got a date tonight and you asked for advice on what to wear but I’m so in love with you and damn you look good in the outfit I picked out for you

ii)      I really like you but you’re my best friend’s ex

iii)     You’ve liked me for ages and were really obvious about it and I didn’t like all the attention but now you’re over me I really miss it and fuck I think I like you too?

iv)     Somewhere along the way of getting into bar fights together, staying up all night with movie marathons, other friendship things, I’ve fallen in love with you but oh my god this could ruin EVERYTHING

v)      Friends with benefits oh wait I like you

7)      FAKE DATING HOLY SHIT I LIVE FOR THIS

i)       It’s my highschool reunion and I need a hot date so I can rub it in the faces of the people who hated me

ii)      My homophobic parents are coming to visit will you pretend to date me as an extra “fuck you”?

iii)     There’s a person who won’t stop bugging me will you pretend to be my partner so that they’ll fuck off?

iv)     I told my sister I have a boyfriend so she’d stop trying to set me up with people but now she’s coming to visit and I’m in too deep I need a fake boyf ASAP

8)      Soulmate aus

i)       The first words your true love(s) will say to you are tattooed on you and why the fuck are their first words something really ridiculous like ‘I’ll pay you a tenner to punch me in the face’ or ‘quick what’s your favourite animal’ or ‘fucking shit hell holy fuck wow oh my god jesus h Christ fuck me’ etc. or even worse a really ridiculous song lyric like  the opening lines of uptown funk or a high school musical song or smthing did you have to serenade me the first time you saw me asshole?

ii)      You get an ‘impression’ of your soulmate when you turn 18 or something but all I got was a strong smell of bananas or an overwhelming feeling that Thatcher was a good prime minister or an image in my mind of a fucking unicorn

iii)     The more ridiculous the better actually

iv)     Something like whenever your soulmate sings a duet you can’t help but join in and my fucking soulmate is in a goddamn band but I can’t sing for shit

v)      Or maybe something like soulmates always sneeze at the same time and I cant be sure but me and this kid in my French class just sneezed at the same time are we soulmates or was it a coincidence (proceed w character trying to make themselves sneeze around said person to see what’s what)

9)      Alternate universes for real

i)       Mermaids

ii)      Siren and asexual pirate who doesn’t understand why all his crew are losing their shit that person has a nice voice sure but what the fuck is happening

iii)     Hogwarts

iv)     We live in a world where the greek gods are real and you went and got yourself cursed and now I have to go on a fucking quest to sort this shit out why do I love you again?

v)      Pacific rim au (either they’re drift compatible or one of them is a ranger and the other stresses constantly bc what if they die yes I have read a fic like this no I didn’t come up with this one but it’s fucking good) (also if you haven’t seen that film go watch it now)

vi)     Literally any movie or book universe you like tbh just go for it

10)   Other aus that I like

i)       I wanted to go on the ferris wheel but there has to be two people to a cart come on random person let’s go oh wait are we stuck at the top? Fuck

ii)      We work in the same office and you have a goddamn squeaky chair and you wONT FUCKING STOP SQUEAKING IT BECAUSE YOU KNOW IT ANNOYS ME

iii)     Our mutual friend set us up on a blind date and I thought I’d hate it but you’re actually… kind of funny? But because I expected to hate it in no way am I going to let you change my mind just because you’re gorgeous and funny and intelligent oh no my friend is not winning this

iv)     It started to snow and I’m the only one of our friends who would go outside with you – I soon found out why none of the others would go out in the snow with you (this works best if they’re new friends who don’t know each other all that well) when you shoved a handful of snow down my back and declared snow war

v)      It’s nowhere near Christmas it’s literally still November would you calm down about Christmas wait no why are you getting the tree out no stop please stop (if you do this pre-relationship you can have the grouchy one secretly finding the other’s excitement endearing and falling in love with them actually that works for established relationship too)

vi)     Current partner got a new job in America (or other country far away) and we’re getting by on skype calls and emails but it’s not easy and then I met someone new (can be poly or can be finding the OTP person)

vii)   You want us both to get in shape and I hate working out/running but your ass looks really good in shorts oh the things I do for my friends and their nice asses

viii)  Carrying on from 10.vii. you’ve caught me checking you out in what I thought was a subtle way too many times and now you’re calling me out on it what do I do???

ix)     You’re an actor/other famous person that I really admire and I just saw you in the street and as I was debating whether or not to say hi you came up to me and started flirting what do I do??

x)      You were waving at your friend behind me but I got confused and waved back at you and now I’m dying of embarrassment but you think it’s cute

xi)     I sat down in the wrong class and I’m panicking but don’t want to get up and leave because the class has started and you think it’s hilarious and shut up you dumb fuck you don’t know me aahhh

xii)   I’m a waiter at this wedding and you’re a drunk guest who will not stop hitting on me please I’m trying to work no I can’t dance with you omg let me find you some water

xiii)  Our best friends are that awful ‘cute’ couple that make-out in public and call each other “sweetie” and “sugar” and “babe” and god they’re awful let’s talk about how awful they are – develops into “shit we’re the awful couple now”

xiv)  You pissed me off in class so I threw a book at your head and now I’m in detention and jesus fuck I hate you so much and the teacher made me apologise and wait you’re cuter up close and the way you talk is kind of nice actually oh fuck no

Okay I could go on forever but this is over 1,500 words of auing already I have too many ideas christ

(gif courtesy of http://ilyone.tumblr.com/)

HOLY SHIT MY LAST POST ABOUT WRITING  WINGED CHARACTERS (which you can find here) GOT A SHIT TON OF NOTES! SO I DECIDED TO MAKE ANOTHER ONE ON SHAPE-SHIFTERS!

There are a lot of shape-shifting fics and stories out there. Like. A lot. Whether they be about were-creatures or about characters that just have the ability to shape-shift, a lot of the times- like with winged characters- these shape-shifters are not written very well.

They may be unoriginal, or they may be super Mary-Sues/Gary Stus when it comes to the fact that they have an infinite amount of power or whatever. So I decided to tackle the issues that come with creating a shape-shifting OC or making a canon character into a shape-shifter.

1. Decide what your character’s shape-shifting will be mainly used for

Shape-shifting can be used for a variety of reasons, and that’s why it’s critical for you to figure out what your shape-shifter will mostly be using their powers for.

Here are some reasons why shape-shifters can use their powers:

-Battle (transforming into a bigger creature to overpower enemies)

-Disguise (transforming into something that blends in with the environment around them to hide from enemies)

-Forced to shift (AKA werewolves)

-Spy work (transforming into antagonist’s lackeys to infiltrate the base or even vice versa)

2. Set Limits Right Off the Bat

Shape-shifters are incredibly powerful, and in theory, they can be practically invincible when it comes to battle and hiding from enemies.

However, that should ONLY be in theory. Your shape-shifters CANNOT be all-powerful like their abilities can call for them to be. Here’s where Mary Sue/Gary Stu elements come in, because many writers just state that their characters can shape-shift and leave it at that.

That brings up questions like:

“If he was running from the Big Bad™, then why didn’t he just shift into a wall or a chair and disguise himself?”

“If she had to fight the Big Bad™, why didn’t she just transform into a dragon and deep fry him?”

“Couldn’t they just masquerade as the Big Bad™’s minions and get inside the secret lair?”

Then, the author tries to make up for the lack of rules by giving us some half-assed explanation halfway through the third book.

As soon as the reader finds out that the main character is a shape-shifter, you have to lay down the groundwork for the limits.

Can they only transform into animals?

Can they only transform a certain amount of times at any given point?

Is there something that distinguishes them from the object/person/animal that they’ve transformed into?

Can they only transform into inanimate objects?

Can they only transform into other people?

Does transforming take a lot of energy and therefore they don’t do it often?

Is transforming painful?

Take Beast Boy from Young Justice/ Teen Titans/ various other things as an example:

He can transform into a lot of animals, yes, but they’re all obviously green and unnatural, making it difficult for him to blend in with other animals. his means that his shapeshifting would be most used for attack than for disguise.

You need to set limits, or else your character will be all-powerful and the plot won’t be all that intriguing to the readers; they know that the protagonist will win, so they won’t bother to really get invested in the story.

3. There are many forms of shape-shifters. Just because the mainstream media is all about werewolves with sixteen packs that can cut glass doesn’t mean that you have to make werewolves only

Did you know that technically, a werewolf is just a subdivision of were-creatures?

The prefix “were/wer” means “man” and is usually followed by the name of an animal, ANY animal, to imply that the man (or woman) is transforming into it. Therefore, there could be werecats, weretigers, werelions, wereunicorns, and were[insert plural name of creature here]. You should really look up the different kinds of shifters from all different cultures and regions of the world. They’re actually quite amazing!

Here’s a list of some of my favorite shapeshifter creatures (Note that these are not all of the shapeshifters, just my personal favorites some of which I feel needed to be represented more in literature):

-Were[insert name of big cat here]

-Werewolf

-Skinwalkers

-Animaguses(Animagi?) (don’t use these they’re JK Rowling’s I just really like Animagi)

-Generic, run-of-the-mill shapeshifters

-Were creatures that are actually just the creature trying to masquerade as a human/ a creature that has a human form

-Transforming into huge gruesome monsters (it’s good shit 10/10)

4. You don’t have to describe the full transformation every single time. The first time is enough.

Readers don’t want to have to go through long, agonizing paragraphs of description every time your character changes, especially if they change during a battle. They don’t want the bloody, gory action to be disrupted by a description of a transformation that they’ve read a hundred times before.

If you truly want to describe the transformation more than once, though I highly advise against it, never describe it more than three times, and make sure to make it unique every single time. If you don’t think you can do that, just describe it once.

You should, however, describe the symptoms that come with transforming. Is it painful? Is it uncomfortable? Does it feel incredible because it makes the character feel a rush of power? Gimme the deets, but not all of them.

Things that happen during transformation that you can describe:

Painful

- Fur/scales growing (stinging and itchy)

- Bones breaking and reorganizing, as well as new ones appearing and old ones transforming

- Muscles ripping and elongating/shrinking

- Fingernails/toenails turning into claws

Invigorating

- Heightened sense of sight/smell/hearing

- Adrenaline rush

- More power/strength/speed

As a limitation, one thing that would be really interesting is conservation of mass. So let’s say your character can shapeshift into the form of any animal, from blue whale to snail – fine. But if they’re an 80-kg adult human, they can only be an 80-kg something else. An 80kg wolf would be a little small for its size; an 80kg blue whale would be a T I N Y W H A L E, and an 80kg snail would be the biggest snail on the planet. 

In the comments, someone brought up clothes. The single best thought I have on shapeshifters and clothing is, if they KNOW they’re going to shapeshift today, what if they disguise their skin as clothing? So instead of being “Frank the human” (naked + clothes), they shapeshift to “Frank the human wearing clothes) (naked, but LOOK like they’ve got clothes on)? It solves the biggest hurdle of shapeshifting, which is the convenience aspect. 

Also, items. If your character has items (like a wallet, or a sacred amulet, or The Charm Potion), make sure you mention it and the problem of carrying it when they’re an 80kg snail. (If they can be Frank the 80kg clothed human, why can’t they be an 80kg snail with a pouch?) 

Just some thoughts. Best of luck! 

For reference to newcomers or the curious, the others in this particular series are here. At least I think this is the particular set of demon and lover prompts that anon is referring to, I have a lot.

“The heart wants what it wants.”“That’s not an excuse for blood sacrifice! Like, oh my god, can’t you just devour half a cheesecake like a normal person? Why do you always have to pull this shit?”

“I feel like you’re starting to warm towards me again. This is good. We have in jokes.”

“Hell would freeze over before I ever warmed up to you again.” 

The demon snapped their fingers. “I can arrange that, you know.”

Hmm… you’re really testing me on my general knowledge of the earth here, so I’m answering this publicly in the hope better informed tumblr users will correct me or add to what I have to say on the matter. Prepare yourself, as this answer gets long…

But to keep things simple, I’m going to focus on your examples. Those being: mountains rising from the earth in hours and rivers diverted hundreds of miles from their original position.

Animals/Habitats

For both of these things, the first thought that comes to my mind is ‘whole habitats could be destroyed’. When you look at a place like the Amazonian rainforest, the area only survives and thrives in the way it does because of the ecosystem that exists there. Every living thing in the Amazon contributes to the cycle in some way, creating a tentative balance in one of the most uninhabitable places on the planet. If you tore into the Amazon with a bulldozer and started culling the wildlife and plants, it wouldn’t be a case of a few frogs having to up sticks and relocate; it would destroy entire species. One insect dying out would have a knock-on effect throughout the whole forest. Heck, moving the fungi that grows on the ground would devastate plant and animal life on an unprecedented scale.

If a mountain suddenly sprouted out of the ground on a flat plain - not including animals that would be killed in the process - the life there previously wouldn’t be able to adapt quick enough to the change. Mountains are huge (in case you didn’t notice, ha ha!) and the temperature up on the top of some mountains is drastically different to that at the bottom. Animals only live on the top of mountains if they can survive the harsh climate and are adapted to navigate the tricky terrain. If any animals did survive a mountain tearing through the ground and pulling them several thousand feet above the earth, then they would either freeze to death or die horribly from a nasty fall. Not to mention that animals already adapted to that height (such as large birds of prey) would then take advantage of the helpless creatures stuck in a place where they don’t belong (as they would be easier meals than what they’re used to descending for).

In the case of a river being diverted to another place, the same kind of rules apply. Fish, like most animals, respond to an innate life cycle; they know exactly where they have to swim to lay their eggs (thus giving them the best chance of hatching) and also mate in very specific places. If those places suddenly didn’t exist, the fish wouldn’t be able to breed properly and their offspring might not survive. Not only that, but habitats previously separate from one another would become merged, introducing fish and other underwater creatures to a species that could be potentially dangerous to their survival. Animals that do too well in any habitat can single-handedly ruin an entire species one meal at a time. In England, there is a shortage of red squirrels thanks to the introduction of grey squirrels. They’re more aggressive and pose a great threat in the food chain, which is why the red squirrels are rarer than the grey ones.

Water is also a very strong force. You’ve probably seen the devastation left behind from tsunamis. A river rushing across the earth would drown and destroy everything in its path. That’s whole packs of animals on the ground washed away, killing off more ecosystems and habitats.

Generally, for living creatures, drastic terraforming would be a horrendous experience.

The Weather

Mountains don’t just have their own climate which is separate from the rest of the world. They have a profound influence on the climate of the surrounding area in which they stand. In the case of mountains, ‘the surrounding area’ is thousands of miles from the base of it. For the best example of how extreme the climate can be on either side of a mountain, I’m going to take you back to the good ol’ Amazon. On one side of the Andes mountain range, there’s the famous rainforest. On the other side, there’s a desert:

The winds that circle our globe have to move over the top of the mountains (since it can’t move through them) and as the air rises, it cools and condenses, forming it into clouds and precipitation. The Andes mountains act as a barrier in this case, which isolates the rainfall to one area (the Amazon) and away from the Atacama desert. And the Atacama desert isn’t just any old desert - it’s thought to be the driest desert in the world!

Sprout a mountain in the middle of nowhere, and the weather is going to get much more complicated. We have mountains to thank for the Amazon-Atacama phenomenon after all. And if you want a more extreme example than that, you just have to research a little on the Rwenzori Mountains that border Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

It’s all a little different with rivers though, as it’s the climate that makes the rivers! Precipitation and moisture from the mountains creates the headwaters, which then expands down the length of it, finally reaching flatter lands. Making mountains would make more rivers and more rivers means more water, which means more opportunity for new and varied habitats to form. Animals do adapt after all, even after a devastation. Who knows what new and wonderful creatures would sprout in the new environments created by terraforming, or how current animals would alter their course and emigrate to places they wouldn’t usually be able to survive in.

Tectonic Plates

Over the years, the earth’s tectonic plates have moved. If you look at old world-y maps, or even back to when the dinosaurs roamed, the countries we know today were either merged (and have since gravitated away from one another) or were further apart (and have since moved closer together). Despite my earlier suggestion, mountains don’t just pop up out of the ground perfectly formed. They are the result of years and years of plate convergence. There are therefore two ways that mountains (or volcanoes) are created as a result of tectonic plate movement.

One is the subduction of oceanic plates against continents. Think of a continent as an iceberg and the upper mantle is the sea that keeps it afloat. The upper mantle is what we call a lithosphere and it’s rigid, where as the lower mantle (the asthenosphere) is molten. The lithosphere (otherwise known as the earth’s crust) is broken up into tectonic plates and they slide in a constant but agonisingly slow movement against one another. I’m going to skip the geography of it, but generally, where the boundaries of the plates converge, this motion causes the earth’s crust from one plate to be dragged beneath another; almost like they’re overlapped. Since the continental crust is less dense than the oceanic crust, when these two plates hit, it causes the continental crust to ride up over the top of the oceanic one. This often births volcanic mountains.

The other process is continental crust hitting into another continental crust. Since the plates are equal in density, the ground just bunches up to form large mountain ranges.

If this process happened super fast, then you can’t imagine the earthquakes and disruption it would cause. It would be like squashing an aluminium can between your hands, but instead you’re God-sized and you’re probably killing people and animals as you do it.

So yeah, this is a very basic understanding of what would happen if the earth was dramatically altered. Our planet exists in a very precise way and we’re lucky that the conditions we have support our lives in such perfectly balanced circumstances. However, screw up that balance, and shit wouldn’t half hit the fan.

I hope this helps you somewhat and thanks for being so patient. This question is a daunting one and my information is likely inaccurate (since I’m no geography Queen), so followers and Admins are more than welcome to correct me or add to the answer.

Best of luck!

1. A story entitled “A New Beginning”.

2. A story about rising to a challenge.

3. A retelling of a fairytale.

4. A story about three siblings.

5. A story set in London.

6.  A story about finding something that has been lost.

7. A story about a journey.

8. A story set during a war.

9. A creepy story.

10. A story featuring a countdown.

11. A story set at a full moon.

12. A story about a contest or competition.

13. A story that takes place entirely inside a vehicle. 

14. A story from a villain’s perspective.

15. A story set at a concert or festival.

16. A story that begins with a gunshot.

17. A story set in a country you’ve never been to.

18. A story about a historical figure.

19. A story set in a theatre.

20. A story written in 2nd person narrative.

21. A story set on another planet.

22. A story written from the perspective of someone dead/undead

23. A story about a birthday.

24. A story that ends on a cliffhanger.

25. A story set at the summer solstice.

26. A story about nostalgia.

27. A story that features a song or poem.

28. A story that ends at sunrise.

29. A story opening with the words “F*** you!”

30. A story about a magical object.

31. A story set at sea.

32. A story about a curse.

33. A story set 100 years in the future.

34. A story about loneliness.

35. A story that features a real recent newspaper article.

36. A story written from an animal’s perspective.

37. A story about a scientific discovery.

38. A story set on another planet.

39. A story with only one character.

40. A story about a secret.

41. A romance that ends in tragedy.

42. A tragedy that ends in romance.

43. A retelling of a recent Hollywood movie.

44. A story that takes place the year you were born.

45. A story about a near-death experience.

46. A story about anger.

47. A story about a magic spell.

48. A story set in a strange small town.

49. A story about justice being done.

50. A creation myth.

51. A story set at Christmas.

All mythology is true yet false. if you look for it, it will never be true. That is why the gods of myth reveal themselves in back parking lots at 3am to tired students and children lost in clothing stores. They are not looking.

One mythological creature governs human invention so that it may one day be made. But its creators keep giving up on the project that will one day make them.

In the future when humans are all gone, the technology they have left behind elevate their creators to mythological status. Any remnant of human society is celebrated. 

It is not the mythological gods that are true and come to reclaim and govern earth, it is the elder gods. They do not understand why humans have such needs as ‘light’ or ‘tacos’. 

A time traveler travels back to see the worship of mythological gods but is instead mistaken for one with their powerful ‘chariot’. 

Since I had an earlier ask about slang, I thought I’d pull together a few resources:

Historical Dictionary of American Slang - allows you to search by year

Slang Terms for Sex (And Related F*ckery) - Bow chicka wah wah

Medieval Slang Terms and Terminology - PDF File (Use these sparingly)

Shakespearean Slang and Sexual Language

Elizabethan Slang and Terminology

Victorian Slang Terms - Again, use sparingly

1700s UK Slang Terminology

Military Slang (Revolutionary War Era)

Slang From Colonial America

Civil War Era Slang

1920s Slang

Great Depression Era Slang

1940s Slang

1950s Slang

1960s Slang

1970s Slang

1980s Slang

“What does it matter?”

1) She didn’t mind the ghosts in the corners of her eyes - they reminded her of what she had sacrificed to get to where she was. She liked to tip them glasses of champagne as they floated by. 

2) “This is not fucking Hamlet, go away,” she hissed at the apparition. Of course, it didn’t. They never did. She had to find a way to make them vanish - there had to be a reason, because she refused to admit to a guilty conscience. Maybe someone was poisoning her. The apparition smiled, and gave no answers.

3) She pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes, gasping for breath that didn’t want to come. Not real. They couldn’t be real. “My - are you alright-?”“Don’t touch me!” she reared back in panic.

“i know we hate each other but it’s christmas eve and your flight was cancelled please come inside”

“i got you for secret santa so i got you this really expensive but sentimental gift that you’ve always wanted, hoping you’ll never find out it’s from me - and that i’ve been in love with you 1234567 years”

SNOWBALL FIGHTS

“hi we’re neighbours and omg are you alright i could smell cooking burning - whoaaa now that’s just embarrassing? step aside i’ll handle this”

person a seducing person b into taking a few steps back/backing them against the wall (”oh look, how did that mistletoe get right there????”)

“you’re in the hospital for the holidays so i came in while you were sleeping to decorate your room i love you merry christmas”

“YES I BOOBY TRAPPED THE PRESENTS BECAUSE YOU DO THIS EVERY FUCKING YEAR”

“i live below you and i was minding my own business watching the snowfall out the window WHEN I SAW A BODY FALL ARE YOU REALLY PUTTING UP CHRISTMAS LIGHTS NOW”

I KNITTED YOU A JUMPER

MY MOM KNITTED YOU A JUMPER

“we’re strictly ‘platonic’ but we’re snowed in omg we’re gonna have to repopulate the earth”

“i slipped on ice outside your house and you ran out barefoot to help me quick let’s get inside under a blanket”

“’it’s a wonderful life’ aww it sounds so cute babe sure we can watch it! *30 mins later* “YOU MONSTER”

“we were playing in the snow and you suddenly tackled me to the ground and now…we’re just…staring… at each other…”

“YOU DON’T LIKE MARSHMALLOWS IN YOUR HOT CHOCOLATE? WHY DO YOU HATE LOVE”

TREE DECORATING (bonus points if one of them is doing it completely wrong omg why am i in love with you) 

“we took our kids to santa’s workshop and they both wished we would get together” FRIENDS AU - “our christmas party turned into a tropical theme because the radiator is broken and it’s hotter than hell in here - damn you look good without a shirt i never noticed before asgdhfjgkhl” 

“we’re co workers who hate each other but you had too much to drink at the staff christmas party and admitted your love for me i don’t know how to act around you now” 

DRUNKEN CAROLLING (”that’s not a thing” “oh yes it is”) 

TEACH ME HOW TO SKI (lol jk i know how you’re just so fucking cute)

“there’s a storm and omg i’m losing signal are you okay?? hold on let me drive 489432 miles to get you the night before christmas” 

PULLING YOU IN FOR A KISS WITH A SCARF 

~A series on miscellaneous world building tips~

On Creating Fictional Cultures

Culture is not shared. Nor is it meant to be.

My Catholic family had Brigid’s cross over the doorway. My Catholic neighbors did not know who Brigid was.

My family called it a clicker. Mostly everyone else in my town called it a remote.

My friend assumed from a young age that she would attend an Ivy League university because her father had “connections”. I didn’t know what the hell an Ivy League school was until I was a teenager.

Everyone drinks orange juice cold. My cousins warm theirs up in the microwave. God knows why.

Cheese curds are  found in abundance in Wisconsin and in parts of Minnesota and Illinois. Everyone else in America is deprived of cheese curds.

My friend knows a lot more about Confirmation within Catholicism than I do. We both went through it, together, but all I can tell you is that a Bishop is there and it’s like Baptism Part II.

My family’s idea of a vacation was a cabin in the woods. My friend’s idea of vacation was going to the beach for the day. My neighbor’s idea of vacation was spending a week at a resort in Mexico.

You should have variation like this when you create fictional cultures. Your characters will not be aware of everything within their culture. They will have different ideas of what something is/should be. Religion will vary by place and even by family (even if those families are from the same place). Not everyone in the same town will practice a holiday the same way. Not everyone will attach the same significance to elements of their culture, their religion, or their home/country/ancestral land.

If all of your characters (including the background characters) walk around with the same knowledge about the same topics, your culture is going to lack depth. 

One character might have been told X about a certain magical creature where another character might have been told Y. One character might have many family traditions whereas another character’s family might not have any. 

In summary:

Characters should have varying levels of knowledge of their own culture, heritage, history, nation, etc.

Variances in language, religion, tradition, etc. should exist among characters who belong to the same language/dialect, culture, religion, etc.

When creating these differences, consider how certain factors such as place of origin, age, socioeconomic class (past, present, class of parents/grandparents), religion, education, family, and language create these variances.

i kind of think of the blank page of ms word as like. when you walk through a doorway into a room and are like “wtf was i even doing.” for some reason our brain sees blank and then draws a blank. and ur like. i was actually really excited about that 45 seconds ago?? come back idea we can still be friends!!

so how do you. not do that? here are some tips that i just PERSONALLY LEARNED and aren’t like. purdue university. 

THE IMMEDIATE BEFORE:

don’t you dare even look at tumblr or any other site tbh just get out asap

if you have trouble detaching from reality, have an emergency Music Bin of classical music/instrumental/video game music saved on ur computer. Not the internet. not the internet. bc you type “youtube” in the url bar, goodbye cruel world. 3 AM and you’re watching compilations of cats talking. just have it saved somewhere on ur library and hit play. block out the noise of the Rest of the World.

the sound of rain/mood/white noise helps, there’s a bunch of sites for that, but tbh just download rain sounds from youtube when you’re bored one day so you don’t get lost in one of those ~calming masterposts~

if something is Immediately Pressing, try to “write” internally and do the thing at the same time - i can’t tell you how many good ideas i’ve had while making myself a sandwich. being away from the blank page and handling my hunger help.

don’t wait. write it now. NOW. now. not “after scrolling another second” no now , right now. i have left bed at 2 AM to write. you gotta #commit bc the truth is if you don’t, you have the worst anticlimax when your brain lets you down. it gave you a gift and you said you’d open it later and now it’s mad at you. don’t do that. just open the gift.

don’t fear. if it comes out bad it’s still OUT. writers live in the Void Of Self-Doubt, where sometimes we’re like “how can i do this idea justice?” and we get so tangled in being good enough for it that we never do it. who cares if you accidentally write like 3 sentences where u meant to write 16 pages. it just means that you’re concise as hell my guy. it’s always easier to build from something than nothing.

fuck everything else. if your brain is like “!!!!!!!!!!!” like mine is (24-7 my guy) it’s hard to “turn it off” how do you write when everything is crowded up there? my solution is to turn the writing up. turn up your imagination so loud it shouts down everything else. you can’t make inspiration but when you start thinking, those cogs get turning. and everything else drowns out. THE SCARY SCARY DURING:

fuck ms word. it’s so blank!!! tbh a lot of my writing gets started ANYWHERE ELSE, bc i can’t look at a blank page without getting Writer Sweats. start it at the bottom of your english essay. type it in a tumblr text box so it’s lowkey and not official. i have a saved document of just like … half-stories or story ideas and bc they’re not Official, they can be weird and painless and quick.

you gotta write bad stuff before you learn to write good stuff so who cares if it’s not poe like it’s yours just keep writing even if it doesn’t “measure up” to what you want it to exactly look like.

don’t start at the beginning, fuck the beginning. your brain started with the idea halfway, right? so you start there too. sometimes i just pick up in the middle of a sentence - “and it was good enough, at last.” who cares what happens before that, my idea starts there, so i’m gonna start there! 

on that note, trust your readers. half the time i just decide - u know what, i see this world like this, and you can catch up as i go. a writer when you sit there and have to explain “in this world mice are hording your secrets and They Know,” great, now you’ve written the whole story in one sentence. just write it and let ppl figure it out. don’t waste the inspiration trying to explain the rules behind your floating city. write the city and run in it while you have the energy. 

parts missing? like you just really have a setting there but wtf is the plot gonna be? or holy shit a character with bazookas for hands!! handgun guy!!! but like in what world — yeah it happens to all of us. the thing is, instead of being like “this is nothing,” remind yourself you have so much to explore because you just fucking invented something. even if you write fanfic and the world is already there and stuff like that - dang son explore everything. is there dust in the house is he allergic to cats what’s it like in the forest are there many dogs? does he like being kissed upside down how’s that desk they keep doing it on and what has it seen poor thing. and when you start that, you realize - wait! that’s the story! the desk breaks or family shows up and asks to buy it (why won’t u just sell it, laura dear, u hardly do any real work at it) - that’s where it’s all hiding. think of ur brain as giving you the whole idea every time - it’s just up to you to look. 

don’t edit fuck editing you’ll get around to it eventually

“oh i changed a rule i should go back” no don’t you’ll get to it eventually, just keep writing

“does this sound natural?” who cares just write

fuck it sometimes i literally will change what i’m saying in the middle of a sentence but instead of deleting i just keep it up because then i’m not starting back at the top 

grammar is a silly silly myth and you can break it with your big strong lobster claws and i even hope you do break it

meaning if you’re like me and sometimes don’t write in Caps or you start going forwards in Txt speech it literally doesn’t matter just go, heck, once i was in the flow and instead of writing a response for something i just had a character say “>:I” and it worked.

if none of the above is even helping not at all: DON’T CLOSE IT. SIT . BE GOOD.  SIIIITTTTT…. SIT. stare at it. stare it down. when u give up too fast the idea is like “fine. i wasn’t good enough to fight for? bye.” i would say that the average “stare-down” time i’d give an idea before giving up on it is 15 minutes. not 15 “changing the tab to be on fb” minutes. 15 don’t you dare look at anything else minutes. bc chances are? minute 5 your brain will become Bored - and it will open up bc it’s like “fine fuck you if this is all we’re gonna focus on let’s go.” THE GRUESOME AFTERMATH:

go get water and pat yourself on the back kid

So, let me guess— you just started a new book, right? And you’re stumped. You have no idea how much an AK47 goes for nowadays. I get ya, cousin. Tough world we live in. A writer’s gotta know, but them NSA hounds are after ya 24/7. I know, cousin, I know. If there was only a way to find out all of this rather edgy information without getting yourself in trouble…

You’re in luck, cousin. I have just the thing for ya.

It’s called Havocscope. It’s got information and prices for all sorts of edgy information. Ever wondered how much cocaine costs by the gram, or how much a kidney sells for, or (worst of all) how much it costs to hire an assassin?

I got your back, cousin. Just head over to Havocscope.

((PS: In case you’re wondering, Havocscope is a database full of information regarding the criminal underworld. The information you will find there has been taken from newspapers and police reports. It’s perfectly legal, no need to worry about the NSA hounds, cousin ;p))