An Update on the future of The (Un)Official Guide to Hero-Keeping!
Hey all!
Recently, due to some rather traumatic events in my life making me change my outlook on how I've been living as a whole, I've had this sort of a... fire lit under me, I feel. Finally. I can maybe go into a bit more detail if y'all are curious, and I certainly don't want sympathy (least of all because I view the effects of it as such a positive), but it has changed, honestly, everything. As cheesy as it sounds.
I want to publish (Un)Official Guide one day. I'm going to get it published. I want people to know my characters and I want to tell my story, and I want to inspire people in the same way that I've been inspired, and yes it would also be nice if I could have people who obsess over my work the same way I do with both my own and others work. I want to create that drive in people too. It's every writers dream, I think. And at this point, I've learned that if I want something done, *I* have to do it, because no one else will. Especially with something like this.
I'm going to publish this book series one day.
So. Where does that leave my posting chapters on tumblr?
Well, as it is now, the chapters that are up aren't amazingly representative of where the characters and story are now. It'll need a SHIT TON of revisions, definitely a full rewrite, but the base story is still there and thriving. So what I'm going to do, is I'm going to keep writing and posting the chapters. For now. And I'm treating this as basically a Draft 0. Just getting EVERYTHING I could ever possibly want and dream of into the story and posted, every single plot point and whump scene and extraneous character that I feel deserves my time. So basically, fuck yes, I'm going to keep posting.
I will say, I'm not very versed in all of this, and I'm learning as I go, and I already know I'm gonna make mistakes. I may can absolutely see a future where I decide not to post all of the chapters and save the plot twists and story for the books themselves. But for now, I'm going to keep going, keep writing gratuitously for myself, and then reign it all in and turn it into something actually readable and that I can be proud to show the more general public later, just as I've always done.
So that's where we are now! I'm currently working on getting every single thing about the worldbuilding written down and organized, which is. A lot. But I'm fixated on it so hopefully it wont take too long, and then I'm going to plot everything out. And there's a lot of plot. This is going to take a while. I'll probably also start posting chapters again as I'm doing that, maybe, but we shall see! I also have a full-times worth of commitments in real life, and my work style is also extremely sporadic and insane to begin with, so it's very hard even for me to predict when I will be getting chapters up. It'll happen though, I just ask for your patience.
I'm also going to be creating a tag for me just kinda yapping about my writing process and documenting everything as I go, #tug updates, to hopefully help with motivation. Please follow or block as needed.
I'm very happy to be back and sharing this with all of you! Above all else, I just hope I can make y'all, and myself, proud. Love y'all always, and don't hesitate to send asks and or interact, if you have advice or encouragement of questions or critiques! I'm working on my backlog and I always love to interact lol.
(Sorry for the tag, beloved taglist, I felt that this was important. As always, if you'd like to be added or subtracted, please let me know. No hard feelings :) This taglist is still solely just for chapter uploads.)
WHUMBLE BEEEE I LOVE YOUR WRITINGGGGGGG IS UNOFFICIAL GUIDE GOING TO GET CONTINUED?? IF NOT THAT'S ALSO OKAY I LOVEEEE YOUR WORKS THEY GIVE ME LIFEEE HAVE A GOOD DAY I LOVE YOUUUU
It will be yes! And holy shit I appreciate it so much AAAAAAAA
Fkn insane about my characters too I love them so much and I can't wait to continue the story when life lets up and lets me lol. But HOOO BOY THANK YOU AND I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY TOO <3333
Hi I just binged The (Un)official Guid To Hero-Keeping! The ptsd flashbacks really got to me. Thanks for writing them
Of course! Trust me, I still have plans for (un)official guide, there will be more >:) You would not believe how the story has evolved since I started my accidental hiatus lol, I'm so excited to share it with yall.
But I really appreciate that you enjoyed it and took the time to tell me! It genuinely does help me with my motivation so much <3
Spoiler guess: stans not wearing his binder, did he get top surgery?
-🕯
No actually, that's not the Easter egg, but good observation. Stan's maybe gonna get top surgery WAY later in the story. But for now-- even though he does have the binder-- he's just not wearing it because in Declan's words, "what, you planning on going somewhere?"
Right so. I may have jumped the gun. As these next coming weeks are finals weeks for me lmao. That being said, if I have time I'll still try to get them done! (Ie if it's not here in two weeks literally kick my ass)
And in the mean time, have some art I did awhile ago of Stan and Declan being all domestic together. Totally nothing wrong going on there oh no ofc not.
And hey, there's actually a small spoiler in there too, send me an ask if you think you found it >:)
Though I just wanna beat up Vaughn, he's too smug 😒
I mean if you try to fistfight Declan you're gonna lose. Hell, he probably won't even hurt you about it, he'd probably just grab you by the arm and spin you around and pin you to the wall in an arm behind back hold until you surrender. Might even pull your arm up to make you squeal if you're difficult about it lol. It's all in good fun tho he wouldn't actually hurt you unless he had to. Oh, and also "what exactly did you think would happen there, bud? There're more forward ways to tell me you think I'm pretty ;)"
And Vaughn? Uhh yeah he's barely tall enough to be considered "not a twink," you could beat him pretty easily. He fights dirty though, the little bitch, and Lana will definitely be hearing about this if you do. So I personally wouldn't bc you do NOT want to be on Lana's bad side, but hey, not my funeral. Say hi to Lana for me when she throws some cute pastel grenade at you and Vaughn when he literally lights your nerves on fire after receiving you as his newest subject :)
Yeah this is the right vibe I'll post the drabble here, sure
Man This Edible Ain't Shiiiiiiii~~ (*enters warp space*)
(Aka the thing I wrote while extemely high from the perspective of a character who was drugged and kidnapped. Completely uneddited. Enjoy.)
(Un)Official Guide Masterlist
Content: mentions of kidnapping/violence, noncon drugging, extremely jarring tense changes and POV shifts, y'all this is terrible lmao
(This would take place during chapters 16 and 17... with any luck I'll be posting 17 tomorrow <3)
* * * * * * * *
Deafening roar in the ears. All encompassing. Almost as they they were cotton. Pressure. Pressure everywhere, pressure in the jaw, slow motion, pressure pressing in on all sides, you're not even sure if it's good or bad, but. Can't remember. Spacing out. Coming in. Scared you fainted? You're sitting just as normal. When did you eyes close?
You don't know.
Time lost.
When did that last song end?
Everything is so slow but it's disappearing so fast. Eyes heavy. Someone laughing. Augh. Losing time. Can't focus. He should run. He should escape. He want out. Can't get out. Help.
Home home home home home home home home home. Home home home home.
Woah. Excessive. Body feel numb body full. Dark dark dark. Not bad though. Not good? Who can even know anymore?
Like floating. Except you can feel so heavy and painful the way your body contacts the real world. Hallucinating? Synth music? Doesn't hurt though. At least. Can't really move though. He can make the conscious thought to move, but then it just disappeared. As if he passed out. Is that what immediate memory gaps feel like? He can't remember.
He does want food though. He'd heard of munchies when you're high, and that mixed with the hunger he'd felt after not eating for two days straight created a different sort of terrifying monster.
Can't pay attention. Losing to the sands of time. Eyelids heavy. Ungrounded
Just sleep. Blackout. Eepy. Go sleep. Easier. Easier. Easier. Easier. Easier. Easier.
Want away. Want sleep. Conversation? Woah. Should lie down. But he I can't. Strapped in. Scared. He will hurt me don't do it he will hurt me.
Sludge. Pressure. Pressure. Pressing in. Relax. It'll be okay. Help help help. Help help help help help help help let me go. Let me go. Let me go. Just open the door just do it Holy shit get me out if here Holy shit Holy SHIT augh throat weird drugged drugged drugged.
* * * * * * * *
(So yeah that's what's happening in Stan's head while Declan is off threatening cops and almost getting hit by cars lmao. And yep that's the end. Except for Stan it's just going on forever and always. Poor buddy.)
△ declan, does he have any siblings & how many? :3
This ask game
8/10
You can see him visibly deflate as you ask the question, and he rolls his eyes at you with a sigh.
"Yes. I have a lot. It's complicated, really, but technically I have three half-siblings."
He doesn't elaborate further.
*cue sounds of the God of this world, me, forcing him to elaborate, some shouting about how he answered the damn question, maybe the sounds of a piano cartoonishly falling down the stairs, etc.*
"Fine, fine! If you tell anyone about this, I will find you. So I have a big family, yeah? My mom and all her siblings are really close because of, well, our culture, plus the circumstances that we live in which was not asked about so I'm moving on." He eyes me, God. "So all their kids, my cousins, are basically like my siblings. Except some of them refuse to talk to certain family members for certain reasons... That's not to even mention that some of them don't consider me family, because of my dad. But I don't know him, I never knew him, and I don't care to know him or any of his other kids. I like the family I have. Mostly. Again, its complicated."
He looks up at the indescribable mass of bumblebee fluff that replaced the sky. "Does that please his majesty?" He asks, voice dripping with sarcasm
His majesty (me) doesn't respond. Eh. Good enough.
