Drabble 01/03/2022

Drabble 01/03/2022

Four Random Words for today:

admit

reasonable

health

agreement

"Admit it, this is a reasonable explanation for this," your friend exclaims triumphantly. He was looking pretty smug as he looked at you, as if he had all the answers in the world.

"... no. Never. Nope. Not doing it," you reply after a pause, and you have to hide your smile as he deflates a little bit and looks at you in shock.

"Seriously?!!?"

"The agreement DOES. NOT. MAKE. SENSE," you reply, emphasizing your words. "Honestly, who would agree to that and have it think it was a valid thing to agree to-"

"I don't care - maybe their health was declining and so it made perfect sense in their mind. Either way, that book is brilliant and I am sticking to it!"

"So you're telling me that Mr. Body somehow just... forgives his 'friends' from trying to kill him at the end of EVERY Clue book and invites them all over again and think 'well, maybe they won't try to kill me this time and we can have fun!'. I THINK NOT!"

You plop down the 'child' book series. "This is ridiculous and could NEVER be a real life thing. You cannot make a series or a movie out of this. It barely passes reasoning in the books. I think it should just stay a book series and leave it as that."

"And I think it would make a FANASTIC series on TV! Every episode is one of the cases - "

"And every third case they supposedly kill him and somehow magically comes back to life in the next to begin the dreaded three again? No. Never."

He plops down onto the sofa with the loudest groan. "Ugh, you just don't see brilliance when you hear it!"

You smile and grab a handful of his popcorn. "And you need to realize not all books have to be made into a movie or a show."

The beginning of one of the possible options...

I have to admit, I am unsure if this is the one I want to proceed with. I will post this here so I have easy access..... and then maybe post the other one and decide later. (Honestly, I may have posted this before - who knows by this point.)

It was an odd request - that you know for sure. Not only because of how you received the invitation, but the shock that surrounded you once others you once worked with found out who the request was FROM. 

It was no secret - there was something mysterious about the household that seemed to have one of the most brilliant minds reside within it. No one has actually seen the main man himself, just dealt with the people who work for him and maintain the household. 

His employer truly was brilliant and was able to change the approach that best suits the situation-

Which is why the request that reached you was so hard to believe. 

“What do you mean you are requesting I do this project for you,” you asked your friend, hand frozen mid-air, holding a book you were about to put away. 

“Please please Y/N, I need you to do this - you are the perfect fit and we don’t want to risk losing him as a client,” Jisoo asked, giving you her adorable pout. But that wasn’t about to work on you. 

You finished shelving the book then put your hand on your hip as you looked at her. “Seriously, I know nothing about this client except that your company does a lot of work with them and their projects are highly sought after. You probably have plenty ready to jump at this type of opportunity-”

Jisoo shook her head as she cut you off. “No. Because this isn’t a normal request. You will have to PHYSICALLY go to their manor and help with arranging and cleaning up their library.” She let out a heavy sigh as she tried to think of the best way to explain this to you. “We have no one who is qualified for that-” “Then get a librarian. I work at a bookstore-” you started as you lightly shook your head to go and attend back to what you were doing. 

“It’s going to take a while - in fact, we have no idea how long it would take,” Jisoo stated. She then grabbed your hand, a begging look on her face. What in the world would drive her to this type of despair?

Wait….

“Does that mean I have to quit here?” You couldn’t help the disbelief that was obvious in your voice. “My boss already talked to your boss and you have the approval to leave - with a full offer to have your job back once this has been completed,” Jisoo murmured, slightly embarrassed that this is all coming to light before you even agreed. “So…. that means you’ll take it?”

“You are so lucky I love you,” you reply, unable to hide your stunned state. 

“I know. And Jennie says thanks too - and she called you a lucky-” You held up your hand to cut Jisoo off. “Yeah yeah, I get it. I don’t even see why you think I am the right person for this, but your company definitely doesn’t take short-cuts when it comes to him. I’m in - but-”

Jisoo squealed and hugged you, practically spinning the both of you in your spot. “THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Once you get off your shift today, head over to my office. We’ll talk details and pay and arrangements - I mean you’ll also need to make sure you have time to pack because I don’t know how long you staying here-”

“Wait-”

“Oh yeah, we were going to go over that this afternoon. But you’ll be staying there as well. Not just driving there every day,” she stated before practically dashing away and waving. “Thank you again!”

“JISOO!” you exclaimed. She didn’t - but - what- staying there? Oh she was going to get an EARFUL from you when you got to her office.

The sounds of the tires hitting the gravel knocked you out of your stupor and had your brain finally accept the fact that the beautiful scenery and sights you were viewing was actually real and not some sort of dream or movie. 

Though it CLEARLY belonged there. 

The driver pulled around on the half-circle driveway, stopping at the doors in the middle. You did the stereotypical action of looking up at the view while remaining behind the window because oh my goodness what kind of world did you step into? Jisoo had given you a basic rundown of the place - they only sent people out here like once or twice and it was for time-sensitive work because the whole company preferred to work via the internet - but the description she gave you did not do it any justice. 

Then again, her description was more like “Oh my God Y/N, it is gorgeous from what they said - almost like pulling into a fairytale story,” but still. It somehow did not prepare you for… THIS. There were many miles of just land. Acres really, and even then, it felt like the home overtook the gorgeous and natural view around it. What in the world did she get you into?

You were so caught up in the view that you missed the initial sound that the driver made to get your attention. The second time he cleared his throat was MUCH louder and almost sounded painful. It made you wince and look over bashfully, caught in just gawking. You swear you were an adult. Sometimes.

He offered you a polite smile and tilted his hat at you as he was glad to have your attention. “Mr. Kim will be out soon. He wanted to greet you personally - since this was more of his project than anything.” “Oh, okay. That is fine, I’m just-” before you could continue the car door was opened for you and a hand magically appeared in front of you. Out of instinct you took it and allowed it to help you out - almost feeling like a princess.

Only to be met with one of the most - no, THE most - handsome man you had ever laid your eyes on. You couldn’t help but blink. Then look around. Is someone pulling your leg? You turned back to the car - “Are you sure you took me to the right place,” you asked, forgetting that the man in front of you could clearly hear you.

The tall man cleared his throat, a grin appearing on his face, his dimples clearly showing. “Greetings Miss Y/S/N. You are Miss Y/S/N, correct?”

Hearing his genuine question made your head turn to look at him again - and looked up. He really was tall. “Y-Yeah. Sorry. I think I might just be a bit tired - the drive was a bit longer than I had expected?”

Yeah, you ended that with a question. Brilliant, Y/N, just flipping brilliant. 

“And you must be Mr. Kim. He was telling me you’d be here,” you started. 

That caused him to smile again, and man that was just so darn charming. You know what, if you are being pranked or somehow fell into some sort of novel, you’d just accept it for now. Definitely could be worse. “Yes, my name is Kim Namjoon. You can call my Namjoon if you prefer-” “No, Mr. Kim seems to work best for me right now,” you answered, lightly shaking your head as you offered him your own smile. 

That made him chuckle. “There are actually three ‘Mr. Kims’ here so maybe you’ll adopt a name for at least one of us,” he responded. “But we are truly very happy to have you here. I’m not going to lie, I should have had this attended to much sooner, but well, what I prioritize is slightly different than The Master’s. His being more business while mine is more of a personal whim.” 

As he spoke, he had motioned for some of the servants to attend to your luggage and before you had realized it, the driver had opened the trunk and they were all hauling it away while your attention had been captured by the man in front of you.

You almost felt like you had been duped - he was distracting you as the others made your stuff ‘disappear.’ It was ridiculous but seriously, how had he captured your attention so much? “We have a lot to cover I’m afraid,” Mr. Kim stated as you started to follow him.

He had made no statement nor any actual movement for you to follow, but his presence just commanded it and you found yourself obeying - again questioning if maybe this truly is a place of magic because really - 

“That is fine, I suppose. I got some of the basics when I was originally approached for the position,” you responded, wanting to seem like you had some sort of professional experience. You did, just somehow the atmosphere and the people momentarily made it disappear. “Though I must admit she didn’t give me much to work with in regards to details.”

Mr. Kim nodded in understanding. “Yes, I’m afraid we didn’t give much either. Yoongi - Mr. Min is what you may know him as - tends to not care too much for certain information to be given if it isn’t needed. I would have happily told them more if they requested, but they seemed to have accepted the little he provided.” He sounded a little confused about it but you couldn’t help but try to hide your smile.

You knew EXACTLY why. They weren’t going to miss another opportunity to really get in with their good graces. Didn’t want to give much info? Fine - they’d get it to work as best as they could. Wasn’t something they normally did? Who cares. To keep getting requests from the Bangtan Company was just an honor and they weren’t about to lose it. All about staying on their good side because everyone kept saying that Bangtan was essentially just THE company to work with - even with their slightly smaller size. The brilliance was there. What they did always seemed to be golden.

“Mr. Min - he is the head secretary, correct,” you ask, which Mr. Kim nodded in confirmation. You have a feeling that you have just as much authority. “So, what is your position?”

That made him grin. He couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped him at your statement. He is definitely going to have to tell Yoongi that one.

“Fancy title: Majordomo,” he started, then looked around to make sure he was leading you the right way. “Chief steward of the household is another way to think of the title if that helps.”

“It does,” you confirmed.

So I have my main-ish story that I want to work on, but am being reminded I have a "Trope" Series I was going to do and I am excited-

Yet cannot write a darn thing. HA. Maybe I should try editing my main story.

Commenting fanfiction is the easiest thing in the world once you start doing it. 

Antagonists, anti-heroes, and villains: A how-to (part 1)

Antagonists are what arguably drive a story. From facilitating conflict and plot progression, to defining and shaping the protagonist. A well written villain could turn your story from meh to unforgettable.

manipulation_.

Good and bad isn’t black and white. A well written villain will bring intrigue to their points and make them appeal, even if you don’t directly support them.

For example, 1984 by George Orwell was greatly improved thanks to O’Brien - while I don’t think he is correct in anything he’s done, I was immersed in his reasonings and manipulative personality.

Taken from the book, I fully believe this following passage shows gaslighting and manipulative anti-heroes and the effect they have on the victim:

“...but the aim of this was simply to humiliate him and destroy his power of arguing and reasoning. Their real weapon was the merciless questioning that went on and on, hour after hour, tripping him up, laying traps for him, twisting everything that he said, convicting him at every step of lies and self-contradiction until he began weeping as much from shame as from nervous fatigue. Sometimes he would weep half a dozen times in a single session. Most of the time they screamed abuse at him and threatened at every hesitation to deliver him over to the guards again; but sometimes they would suddenly change their tune, call him comrade, appeal to him in the name of Ingsoc and Big Brother, and ask him sorrowfully whether even now he had not enough loyalty to the Party left to make him wish to undo the evil he had done. When his nerves were in rags after hours of questioning, even this appeal could reduce him to snivelling tears. In the end the nagging voices broke him down more completely than the boots and fists of the guards. He became simply a mouth that uttered, a hand that signed, whatever was demanded of him. His sole concern was to find out what they wanted him to confess, and then confess it quickly, before the bullying started anew.”

Other examples include Mother Gothel from Tangled and Light Yagami from Death note

Knowing the importance of a manipulative character, here’s how to write one:

Seclusion. By secluding and isolating the victim from other influences that can counter the scheming tactics. By taking someone away from familiar settings and people, they are more vulnerable

Guilt tripping and (mildly) degrading comments. Even minor playful ‘jokes’ or ‘teasing’ can contribute. By making someone feel worse or making them feel in debt, they feel morally obligated to stick around. Some might call this ‘playing the victim card’ (Some manipulators might switch between victimizing themselves and being the bully. Whatever is most convenient at the time)

Trust. There has to be a level of trust between victim and the character before they make any moves. Someone is more likely to overlook manipulative advances from someone who has helped them, shared moments with them, etc,. The victim will logically be more likely to trust a friend more than a stranger.

Remember, this doesn’t always happen immediately. Manipulators may be skilled in their craft, but they aren’t magic. It can take take days, weeks, months, or even years for a character to manipulate their targets.

base it off real life_.

A realistic character is always more interesting that a 2d one. People have layers, caked upon each other. If you're having trouble to write your antagonist - base it off real life.

E.g. You want to write a clown serial killer, base it off The Joker from batman, or "Clown Killer Gacy" (John Wayne Gacy)

THIS ISN'T AN EXCUSE TO PLAGIARIZE! (And you don't wanna get sued from making it too similar to a real character) read this post to learn about how to avoid plagiarism

(tw: don't google this next guy if you're not comfortable w gore + murder)

All villains have motive, taking the example of Blake Leibel - he tortured and murdered his fiance because their newborn daughter was taking away all the attention, as well as stress from avoiding Russian mob bosses that were trying to get money back from his brother.

Analyze villains you like from your favourite books, animes and movies. Delve deep and do research!

this was long, so i’ll make more parts to this and link them here. hope this helps!

Drabble 02/08/2022

She put her ear to the door, trying to overhear what was going on. Normally she wasn't one to eavesdrop but there was something weird here and she needed to know if she was safe or if an escape plan was needed.

Because this was clearly not what she originally signed up for when she was asked to attend to this estate's library.

"... can't hide it for much longer," the female stated.

She thought for a moment. There weren't too many females here, was it the young woman Mulan. She remembered that conversation because she had grown up watching that movie and hearing that tale -

But that was a thought for a different day.

"Then what do you suggest," an exasperated adult male asked. "She is important to all of it working. Without her, we fail and we will never get the truth out. And that means LIVES Mulan."

First - confirmed female voice. Second - what?

"I know," Mulan replied, tried to keep quiet. "But I am also terrified. What if it doesn't work - should we not let her know?"

"You want to risk the life of the others," the male said. There was shuffling and a possible sniffle. "They all deserve their truth and freedom."

Another pause. "Okay, we keep as we are, and pray she truly is the one we have been waiting for. For everyone."

That was enough. She needed to back away. She was not in danger but not needed. But she felt a drop in her stomach. Because there was no way that she was the one they wanted or were waiting for. Couldn't be. She didn't want to let them down, but what is she to do?

She needed to figure out what was going on and who they were waiting for. But she knew she could not be blunt about it.

She took a deep breath and headed back to the library. That was why she was here, and that was where the answers lay. She would no longer hesitate or just dally. She was terrified of the monster that seems to appear in there from time to time but someone always came in time to rescue her and bring her to safety.

And the monster seemed to never show itself when others were there. The inhabitants of this estate always seemed to come when she needed them most. So she would have to keep the faith that they would or would come if called.

Someone needed her to do her job so she could get the RIGHT person there. And she wouldn't let them down.