#[ a fleshed out plots page coming eventually... ]

[ofgreyskies]

hey, y'all. i'm beth (she/her, 25, est/edt) but i might be changing my alias because i lowkey just don't vibe with beth anymore lmao so stay tuned! and i am ten thousand and a half years late as usual! this is ash kwon or grey. you can call him either. friends tend to call him ash but he came up with grey and thinks it's sexy or something so idk 🙄

take a peak below the cut for (a lot, sorry) more info on this guy and give this a like or send me a message if you would like to plot with him ♥

past

okay so he was born in san francisco and considers it his hometown but did a fair bit of traveling with his mom for her job growing up. full list of places pending but probably includes like tokyo, london, seoul, queenstown nz, among others. he flitted between fancy private schools in san francisco and some other places and homeschooling during a few brief periods depending on where he was (and you can tell!). was super into music and dance as a kid.

he moved to los angeles shortly before high school and attended a performing arts high school (you can tell!)

he always knew he wanted to pursue music, but he really went all-in during high school. he uploaded covers and original songs on youtube and soundcloud, spent his fridays at open mics, etc. in his senior year of high school, he connected with a songwriting/music production group based and he signed with them shortly after turning eighteen. he worked with their la headquarters initially.

anyway, he worked as a songwriter and producer throughout 2015 and 2016, with credits on several major korean and u.s. artists (including eternal's "chained up" and "hot enough")

he also debuted as a solo artist with "put my hands on you", which was technically his american debut. it went pretty under the radar, as did his second us single "love".

near the back half of 2015, he started spending more time in seoul as he worked on song for a korean debut. his first ep and korean debut was released in 2016. it was more popular than his american debut, if still not... you know, a top selling album of the year or anything. enough people listened to land him a couple of brand deals at least!

he ended up moving to seoul around the time the ep came out. his move to seoul was supposed to be short-term at first, but he's still here seven years later so...

he released an additional single album as a solo artist before parting ways amicably with the company in 2017

exact timelines can be discussed with the other deep blue members but i imagine ash started working with deep blue around february (?) that year, only a couple of months before he left his company

anyway he fell in love with deep blue and was all-in when the opportunity for them to sign to culture creative arose. (in my headcanon, although again this can be discussed with other deep blue members) despite being the last member to join, culture creative nudged him toward an official leader role because he had a couple of years under his belt working in the industry in a professional capacity already

he participates a fair amount in songwriting and producing for the band (and very heavily in his solo music). he also continues to write for other artists, including angelic, true north, mirrorworld, and future/femme

2019 was a big year for him! he went on superband, where the cover he participated in of ilysb went viral. it earned him quite a few fans but also began a narrative that he wasn't fully invested in deep blue because people were like, dude, you already have a band why are you competing to be in another one?

he wasn't in the winning team / band so it didn't matter anyway lmao

he released some music on soundcloud during deep blue's early years, but his first official solo single since being a part of deep blue came out in 2021, "instagram". this is his most known song as a solo artist and even helped get him a mama award for composer of the year.

present

these days, he's still the main vocalist / guitarist / leader of deep blue. loves deep blue to death no matter what anyone says

(some people question his loyalty since he debuted as a solo artist first and eventually did get back into releasing solo music — he refutes any such accusations by saying some music works better with the band and some music works better solo — and also because of his stint on superband)

things have been a little slower for deep blue release-wise the past couple of years so he has been working more as a soloist again, particularly venturing back into the us market with all-english tracks. he'd love for deep blue to drop another project again soon though!

he also does some mv directing. has been into filmmaking and photography for years, but first participated in mv direction for his first ep. his first directing work outside of his own music was in 2020 on true north's can you see me

ummm technically he lives in seoul and in los angeles because he got a place in los angeles while working on miito, but for roleplay purposes, he'll mostly be in seoul

while his fame and fandom stats are above average, his reputation is below average. dude is honestly just a little too defiant and messy. he's got a messy personal life, he gets bitchy with fans that cross his boundaries, he's gotten on stage drunk a few times, may or may not have almost gotten caught smoking weed... it's not great optics and culture creative doesn't do all that much to rein it in as long as he doesn't do anything actually career-ending

personality

a little emo boy. too emotional for his own good.

also too reckless for his own good and convinces himself it's just independence and it's a good thing!

one of his toxic traits is claiming to hate fame but craving the validation of an audience to kind of absurd levels

can be very flighty and hard to reach, but is incredibly loyal to those he values most

falls in love every two business days, writes a few songs about them, breaks his own heart, writes more songs about that

says he hates conflict but will start an argument just to feel something sometimes

lives in his head and not in a fun lil manic pixie dream boy way but a slightly self-obsessed anxiety spiral kinda way

you thinks he's so cool and different and then the law pulls up and he won't get in the car and you're like oh god damn not another rockstar 🙄

plot ideas

roommate / former roommate ? he's the kind of guy who needs his alone time and would rather live on his own, but he might have had roommates in his early days in seoul (2015-2016ish) or even now because one or both of them is in between places. could've been roommates with a deep blue member at any point in his timeline too tbh

musical collaborators. fellow songwriters and/or producers he works with sometimes. singers whose voices he'll use on demos when his won't really work (so mostly female vocalists or guys with really unique voices).

muses he's worked on music for or featured on their music or directed an mv of (or will in the future)! directing an mv is the most limited here just because he has a specific style but i'd love to try to work something out for anyone

it'd also be cool for him to branch more into photography and maybe shoot a photoshoot for someone? again, he has a certain style, but i'd love to try to work something out

here's a list of ways muses can be involved in his career items if anyone is interested !!!

people whose work he's a fan of! this is easiest with singers who do r&b or more indie rock type stuff or directors tbh, but actors who have been in kind of grungy / existential / artsy stuff are also an option lmao

alternatively people who are fans of his work ? could also be a never meet your heros, met him and it soured their opinion of him type thing

older people who sort of mentor and guide him because they see he sort of needs it lmaaoo. if they're too obvious with their guiding it would lowkey annoy him tho

younger people he's a bit of an older brother figure toward! people he sees as having similarities to him or who he feels need a shoulder to lean on (even if he's not the most reliable in that department)

people he hates. maybe he thinks they're too much of a goody two shoes / too fake or they disliked him first or they had a bad encounter where their personalities clashed

people he knows from his earliest days in seoul (2015) when he was just songwriting and hadn't become a celebrity of his own yet. maybe they were already famous, maybe not, but either 1) they're still friends to this day which feels like something of a miracle or 2) they had a falling out at some point

people he knows from his childhood or adolescence? people from san francisco / the bay area or los angeles are easiest for this, but he did spend short times in other places with his mom like tokyo, london, new zealand, so they could have met there as well

exes / former flings. he loves love but is honestly just a lot to handle after the honeymoon phase so he's had a lot of failed relationships / flings. they can be friends now or still hold resentment or still have feelings for each other. endless possibilities tbh [can be any gender]

hear me out... a deep blue member he hooked up with because he's messy

a really serious ex. they were very committed. might have lived together or even been engaged but the end of the relationship was super hard on ash [can be any gender]

current flings / fwb. similar to above. again endless possibilities that probably depend on the muse [can be any gender]

[delinquentfiction]

A Day in With Alastor

Content: x reader, no use of y/n, fluff, indoor picnic, platonic romance, short read, cozy

No TW

Less than 1,000 words

~~~~~~

Rain pattered softly against your window as you curled up with a good book, enjoying a cozy afternoon indoors. You had just reached an exciting climax in the plot, your position changing from a lazy shrimp-like position to sitting up, slightly wide eyed and taking a closer look at the page as if the words would run away if you didn’t. As the grand exposition came at an all high, a crinkle of static interrupted your focus and a sigh escaped your lips.

“Good afternoon, my dear!” Greeted Alastor’s filtered voice cheerfully. You gave a small smile, bookmarking your page as the Radio Demon manifested in your room.

“Hello Al,” you said fondly with only slight irritation. You patted the couch cushion beside you as an invitation. Alastor took a seat, draping one arm casually along the back of the sofa.

“And how are we enjoying this dreary day?” He inquired, taking your book to peer at the cover curiously.

“It was going well until you interrupted my reading,” you teased. “Now I’ll have to start the chapter all over again!”

Alastors’ smile widened impishly. “Forgive me, darling, but I came with a proposition to make your afternoon much more diverting than literature.”

You raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Alright, I’m listening. What did you have in mind?”

Had it been a few months ago, you would have been much more wary of this offer of his. Always intimidating and ominous, he had managed to have a natural repelling aura that kept you away for the longest time since you moved in all that time ago. It all changed one night when you couldn’t sleep. You had been listening to old records you kept in your room and hardly ever used them as you didn’t want to disturb the other people living here. The music was kept low and you hummed along, but it wasn’t low enough, it seemed, as Alastor had recognized the songs and invited himself in. Ever since that small instance you and him had grown quite close.

Setting the book aside, Alastor snapped his fingers. A picnic basket appeared on the coffee table before you, tied with a tartan ribbon. “A picnic in the parlor, my dear! I packed all your favorites.”

Your smile widened as you were touched by his thoughtful gesture, irritation from earlier suddenly evaporated. Alastor didn’t show affection often, so these little acts of care always meant the world. “What a lovely idea! I suppose I can forgive the interruption just this once.”

Together you unpacked delicate finger sandwiches, pastries, fruits, and various small dishes made by the man himself. Human flesh excluded, most likely. Making yourself comfortable on the rug, you sipped some cider and occasionally fed each other bites between chatting amiably. Alastor stayed away from the pastries and sweeter fruits as he only really packed them since he knew you were fond of them. The various dishes stayed on the savory side, a few that had a bit of kick to them, a lot of it probably being foods he made for his mother when he was alive. Every new scent from every plate that was brought out made your mouth water all over again even when you already felt full.

The rain picked up tempo against the windows as you whiled away the afternoon enjoying each others’ company. Eventually the food was finished, yet you lingered close. Even closer when you got back on the couch and basked in the warmth and rare intimacy of the moment.

Alastors’ arm found its way around your waist as you leaned against his side, head resting on his shoulder. His clawed hand came up and idly toyed with strands of your hair, sending shivers of delight down your spine.

You felt contentment here, in the warmth of the fire and of your friend with a full stomach. The woody yet metallic smell coming off of him could keep you here forever if it’d be allowed. You pull back a little to check on him, searching his face for any signs of discomfort as you know he’s not entirely fond of having this much contact with others, You eyes met his crimson, slightly glowy ones that only looked back at you fondly and half-lidded. It seemed genuine as is but him lightly brushing your hair behind your ear sold it further. He felt just about as ok with this as you felt.

“You surprise me, my dear.”

You raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I never thought I’d find myself in the company of another in this way, Yet here we are. In each others’ arms and quite content.” He leaned in, forehead against yours.

You brought a hand up to cradle his sharp cheek, overjoyed by this development. “Alastor, you know I care for you deeply. I am always here if you’re ever feeling touch starved.”

His ever-present smile simmered into a smirk before so painfully tenderly placing a peck on your forehead. “Thank you very much. If you would like, I could repay you for these small moments in grandeur if we strike a deal.”

[cryptids-and-muses]

Post canon homestuck crew play Dungeons and Dragons

Karkat and terezi

Co dms

Unstoppable when actually working together

Terezi will get sidetracked messing with karkat

Karkat trying to write a deep and well fleshed out campaign that’s thematically resonant vs terezi’s desire for chaos and traps and trying to “trick” her players FIGHT

Terezi believes in karma and will make the world bend to this

Karkat is trying to set up romance arcs and argues about how it adds to the theming

Dave draws them fanart of their characters. Terezi loves it while karkat argues about accuracy before admitting yes he also appreciates it

Calliope also does fanart and karkat praises her skill and accuracy unlike some people

John

Arcane trickster rogue

Forest gnome

Just a goofy little guy!

Mostly just playing to have fun, starts off with a fun but simple character who develops over time

Ends up SUPER invested and taking this so so seriously

Karkat worked a dramatic reveal into the, in his words, “bare ass bones two paragraphs that a fucking wiggler could have written backstory” and John did not see it coming and loved it

Goes head to head with terezi a lot on her various traps she designs for them. She is getting more and more absurd with it. Karkat had to talk to her about breaking the world building with things she’s introducing. He is the only rogue. Send help.

Rose

Drow warlock

Tries to justify picking drow as anything other than she just thought it was cool

Nearly went old ones for patron but settled on archfey for story reasons

Has a 10 page lore document detailing her tragic past and her toxic relationship with her patron

It became 15 pages after going back and forth with karkat for a bit and adding even more

Only her and one other person are taking the romance arcs seriously and they become karkat’s favorite players

Tries playing morally ambiguous but terezi can be annoying about that and claims it’s just “the consequences of her actions”

Her and karkat both get very very into the scenes between her and her patron, the drama! The acting! Dave is uncomfortable and karkat brushes it off, it’s not like him role playing as his sister’s abusive girlfriend is weird. It’s in fact very important to the plot Dave

Has written fanfic of the campaign

Jade

Dragonborn barbarian

Path of the beast

Don’t ask me I just know

Her GLEE when she says “I’m gonna rage :D”

ANIMAL COMPANION! She nearly went ranger just for that but knew she wouldn’t have as much fun. Found a way to get one anyway.

It was harder naming her animal companion than her character

Having fun and likes the problem solving side of things, but likes breaking things with her massive strength just as much

Terezi likes to throw stuff at her, both traps and encounters, and finds it funny if she can just wreck her way through

“See John that’s how you deal with a pressure plate trap”

Takes the rp side of things very seriously

Once argued with Karkat over if her favorite npc would do that and cursed him out

Has read roses fanfic of the campaign

Dave

Plays a teifling with grey skin and orange horns

“What are you talking about karkat this is just my dude, don’t you like him?”

Hellus Jeffus

He’s a valor bard, eventually multiclasses paladin

Starts out just trying to mess with people but like John starts getting into it, though he tries to down play it

Have hellus more of himself than he realized and it’s making him face things about himself

Eventually hellus self sacrifices to save the party in this deeply intense moment. There were tears, Dave was wrecked, they went on a whole quest to revive him. It was touching and karkat is smug

Dave might have worked through some things

Jane

Halfling cleric

Her and John are small buddies!!!

Started out life but wasn’t having a lot of fun with it so with terezi’s permission switched to war or tempest with later s few levels in fighter

Her John and Jade are the biggest front liners, John’s character ends up really close with both of them as it’s easier for the rogue to bond with the person giving them sneak attack

Jade and jane’s character have an in game arm wrestling match

Took a bit to get into the rp side of things but eventually got the hang of it

Roxy

Tabaxi, easily, it’s so obvious

After much deliberation settles on glamour bard (though wizard and rogue were tempting for the joke, she wanted to branch out)

So many horny bard jokes but very little actual follow through, karkat gets frustrated by this as she’s all this talk but isn’t pursuing any of the romance options he’s giving her

She has SECRETS! She is HIDING THINGS!! Her cheery persona is a FASADE!!!

Cue complaining to karkat about how hard it is to wait to tell the others about her secrets and him threatening violence if she tells anyone before the in game reveal

She tells jake

Lots of egging on Dave and helping him with his fucking around

The BOND between her and Dave!!! They are the duo to end all duos. Team rocket type shit. There is nothing stronger than the bond between the bards of the party. My theory is it has to do with trading bardic inspiration.

Dirk

Half elf Druid circle of spores

Wildfire seemed fun to him but wasn’t as good

Wasn’t originally planning on being a Druid but after going over all the classes he liked all the customization and decisions that go into Druid like prepared spells and such

Didn’t really think about his backstory much, just improved something. He keeps improving new additions and it’s getting more and more elaborate and complicated. He has multiple hidden and long lost siblings by this point. Still doesn’t write any of this down. If he messes a detail up he justified it with more improv.

Yes his character has spiked up red hair and sunglasses. Don’t question how the Druid got sunglasses karkat.

Really likes the tactics side of things, he’s even pitched a few things to terezi she updated and later worked in

Sometimes works on plans and strategies out of game or making a million back up characters that play off the others in interesting mechanical ways

Is considering becoming a dm some time

Jake

Needed some help making his character, he just didn’t know where to start

Eventually after much discussion settles on a teifling bladesong wizard

Wanting to get away from his usual adventurer style Roxy helped with the backstory and they came up with this evil scientist raised in a cult who’s good hearted but was never taught right and wrong

He gets very into playing him and his moral struggle but can lean a little too good for his backstory, karkat points this out and Jake swears to get better at it

Dave pitched a lot of names for them and it was eventually settled on “Bernard Gunn” even though he has a sword. Jake just likes how it sounds

“Why is he blue jake?” “…..uhhh” “why is he blue?”

Calliope

SHE LOVES THIS SO MUCH

Teifling Druid with a focus on healing

Circle of shepards

Not a troll color pallet like Dave though, honestly it might get a bit trickster

Beautiful backstory that she coordinated with one of the others to make joint. The most obvious choice is Roxy but I think it was actually jade, Jane or John.

She gets so into it you guys, like so into it

Gives at least one dramatic speech completely on the fly

The other character who takes karkat’s romance arcs seriously and his other favorite player

Has also argued with terezi about world building and consistency. This may put her above rose in karkat’s eyes

Was also allowed to read rose’s fanfiction and offered full on reviews

Also considering going into doing but for the opposite reasons to Dirk

Vriska

Fairy artillerist artificer with a dip in war magic wizard

Min maxxed to hell and back

(Technically there was a better race, but fairy has its own advantages and she couldn’t resist)

An elaborate backstory too with some secrets of her own, I’m thinking full on lost princess

Yes she is That Player, you know the one

Has nearly been kicked multiple times and now won’t leave on principle

Not the best at sticking with the party and not just doing whatever she wants, but suprisingly Dirk has been able to talk her into it with his talk of tactics and playing smart

Second most effective is John who just looks at her like “vriska you’re not making this very fun :(“

Kanaya

Fire genasi ranger

Really tried to get into it but this just isn’t her thing so eventually decided to leave the group

Karkat came up with a fun story reason for her to leave and eventually brought her character back as an Npc

Did help rose make a cosplay of her character, after which John, Calliope, and Roxy wanted to make ones too

Vriska eventually tried to “manipulate” into helping her make one for her character

[writingquestionsanswered]

I just started outlining, and wanted to check with you: My MC is a warrior-in-training, and their goal/want is to be an excellent warrior to protect their Kingdom (they have a more personal relationship with the Royal Family and cares deeply for them). There is no war/fights in history, but an antagonist eventually comes to threaten the Kingdom - they're not evil, but villainous. I think they'll accuse the Royal Family of something... Is this a good enough for a conflict/plot?

It's a good start but it needs a little fleshing out...

1 - Protect them from what? Your character's normal world is being close with the royal family and living in a kingdom that has no history of conflict or war. Still, your character wants to train to become an excellent warrior in order to protect the kingdom... but protect the kingdom from what? There has to be some sort of extant threat to the kingdom, even if it's on the distant horizon, otherwise there's nothing to protect it from.

2 - The accusation against the royal family... The problem/situation behind this accusation (whatever it is the antagonist is accusing them of) could be a good source for your extant threat. What unpleasant problem/situation is the antagonist going to blame on the royal family? Who or what is really responsible for this problem/situation? How does pinning it on the royal family benefit the antagonist? How does this problem/situation present a threat to the kingdom even before the antagonist shows up to accuse the royal family of being behind it?

3 - The problem that needs to be solved... Your story's conflict is ultimately a problem that the protagonist needs to resolve. This problem is kicked off in your story by the inciting incident, or in other words the event that introduces the problem to the story. This usually occurs within the first 10-15% of the story (so between pages 10 to 15 in a 100 page story), and certainly no later than the 25% mark. As long as your antagonist shows up by then to make this accusation, and as long as this accusation kicks off the big problem that your protagonist must solve, then yes--that's enough for your conflict.

Happy writing!

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[crowns-of-violets-and-roses]

Translation State

Anne Leckie returns to the world of her Ancillary trilogy for a second independent novel in the setting. This one rotates between three protagonists. An heir to an old family shuffled off world on a diplomatic mission to find someone who meant missing three hundred years ago (explicitly a sinecure - there is no expectation she makes more than a token effort to find them). An adoptive child working an ordinary job who finds he may be the descendant of the disposed ruling dynasty to a deceased station. Lastly and most interestingly a young translator one of a species created to server as an intermediary between humans and the incomprehensibly alien

The beginning of the book is attention grabbing. Each of the protagonists are interesting in their own way. After that initial burst of promise it never felt like it reached it's potential.

Getting a perspective from a Translator was great. They were one of the most interesting parts of the Ancillary books but the best chapters about that were all early in the book and the facts that a point of view was a translator felt less and less relevant as the story continued despite it being crucial to the climax.

By the end of the book the diplomat Enae's perspective became increasingly superfluousness. The other two protagonists are deeply tied in to the climax and Enae is also there.

My biggest complaint about the POV's is that we didn't get to see Reet and Qven's viewpoint after they matched. It would have automatically made me like the book a lot more if we saw that and it was even half decently executed.

It's not a book with surprising twists. It telegraphs everything. The first idea you have about what will happen will nearly always be what actually happens. It does this all well in advance of events happening. You can see plot points long before they actually eventuate. I don't need shocking twists but events happening exactly how you would have expected a hundred pages ago gets tiresome.

There's references to the setting's history but they feel like isolated events with no real connection to each other rather than a detailed fleshed out history.

The depiction of polities and how those with influence in them act was simplistic. Leckie only seems to view them at a very high level and an individual level and is blind to anything in between. A lot of the political beliefs of background characters are more like caricatures rather than what someone would genuinely belief. In other cases the beliefs are plausible but the manner in which the characters frame them or justify themselves rings false.

The arcs of the main characters are didactic and the book is equally opinionated about events that are only focused on in passing. We can never just be shown or told about something; we must be told what to think of it. Leckie's views aren't objectionable but the messages imparted aren't complex or novel. It often seems as if Leckie simply doesn't trust the reader to draw their own conclusions rather than her having something she feels is important to say.

All this combines to make the world feel wooden and hollow. A mere facade constructed by Leckie to attempt to wow the reader rather than a fully realized world.

I am being somewhat harsh here. This isn't a bad book. It's certainly better than the average SF novel but I see Leckie in general and this book in particular in the context of award nominations and accolades and it doesn't meet that standard.

Simplistic is the word I keep coming back to for it. The world, the non-POV characters and the messages it intends to impart all lack any real complexity. It was a reasonably enjoyable read albeit frustrating at times but ultimately not anywhere near as good as the accolades suggested.

[swifty-fox]

mmmmm gimme that 18 and 22

18. from that one WIP thats no plot just vibes

all my MOTA fic is plot but ive got an old wolfstar supernatural murder mystery i abandoned

Remus is dreaming. Or at least he thinks he is.

It’s the type of dream where he can feel the tips of his fingers and the weight on his chest and every single molar in his jaw. The type of dream where dread and horror and fear sit in his lungs and prevent him from drawing breath. 

He is buried alive. 

He can feel the rich fertile earth covering his body, taste the clay and silt in his mouth. Crawling, desperate, hungry things slither over his body. He can hear the sounds of their chewing in his ears and he wants to scream only if he opens his mouth that will let them in. His flesh rots, his eyeballs melt out of his skull. The skin around his lips turns wizened and desiccated, peeling back from his teeth like the pages of a book.

Remus is bones, is decay, the worms feed on his decomposition and snakes slither through the latticework of his sternum. He breathes, and his lungs fill with mushrooms and soft nesting things. Butterflies alight on his corpse and sip the sweetly soured decaying flesh. There is a buzzing in his mouth, a soft wet bumblebee struggling to get out.

He opens his mouth. Mud fills his throat. The bee ceases her noise and a giant black spider emerges, scuttling past his lips and into the forest. 

His parents are screaming his name, screaming for him. To run. To fight.

Fight it, fight it Remus, you have to fight it.

Remus opens his mouth. He opens his mouth and the spider escapes. He opens his mouth and the hungry things come pouring in, devouring him from the inside out. He opens his mouth and screams.

There is a bird who sits on a tower. With beady eyes so clever. Who sees the curling petal. Of every single flower.

A boy is staring at him. A boy with blue eyes and blue lips and blue, bruised, dead skin. His palms are stained and his body is bare, dehydrated and loose-limbed like a porcelain doll torn from its stand. He smiles at Remus with bloody, perfect teeth.

22. that is so blissfully indulgent

me hwne Gale angst and also he loves John

Gale takes a deep breath to compose himself, tucks the jagged angry edges of himself back to face inwards. “You said you would write.” 

He glances up at Bucky and it's the other man who averts his gaze this time, face paling. He sits down heavily across from Buck and rubs a hand across his mustache, still avoiding eye contact.

“I meant to.” He finally says then laughs sharp and bitter, “I musta put pen to paper a thousand times. But I- well. The words just wouldn’t come. Figured eventually I might as well drive out and fetch you back with me.” 

Gale's anger stutters and then goes out completely, leaving him hollow. Of course, of course he wasn't the only one with memories that nipped at his heels. And John, the man that he was, had decided to do something about it for the both of them. Who shouldered a sixteen hour drive because of course a letter wasn’t good enough, he’d already chased Buck into the heart of enemy territory, what were a few state lines?

“John Egan,” Buck drawls, “always to the rescue.” Bucky laughs, a genuine noise that sounds so foreign in the cold bare kitchen.

John was fake on the surface and all real underneath. Real bravery and real heart, a man who jumps on an armed German guard to save his friend. Who volunteered on the next mission out all because his friend had been shot down. And Gale, well he was just the opposite wasn't he? All real on the thin top layer and below that nothing much of substance. A good soldier, a good leader; good at being a man in all the ways that garnered approval and respect. He honed it to perfection, perfect responses full of bravado, not too harsh but not too intimate either. But below that…there was very little to behold. No matter how many times the other guys told him, he told himself, there would always be the fact that John faced down armed guards and Buck ran

[very-gay-poet]

Hi!

I just read your pinned post, after reading your post on the writers group page which we are both in and I just wanted to say your fic sounds very exciting. I am also working on a huge project of writing marauders years 1-7, plus the war, plus beyond (hopefully). Anyways what you said about JKR hating your fic resonated strongly with me. People often complain about having to tag the Harry Potter (JKR) fandom on Ao3 because they don't like her, and I say, I'm proud to tag it because I've created something she would HATE! *Cue Evil Laugh*

It's like a big double fingered bird.

Or a stinky cow pie on her front porch.

I hope your writing is going well. It's really hard work. But I love it. I'm hoping to move through the original seven books eventually but I'm following canon events :( I'd like to write from anyone's POV but Harry's though. And then I want to do some uplifting afterlife stuff because all my characters die.

Do you have a time goal for when you plan to start posting?

omagosh hello!!!! I'm so excited to read your fic honestly it sounds like its something I'd enjoy!!! lmk when it comes out!!! It sounds really good if you could tell me a bit more about it (if thats cool ofc) about like what ships you'll be doing etc etc (I can NEVER find anything detailed on remus's pov in PoA always just a summery :( like I WANNA KNOW WHAT THAT SAD GAY MAN THINKS D:)

anywasy THANKYOUSOMUCHAHHHHHHHH I originally started this idea with a "what if" in Harry Potter and then it kind of spiraled into spite-fiction (you see what I did there? ;D) and it means the world to me honest, when I read this I was smiling all day <3

I really don't like JKR for obvious reasons but also because like??? she gave us nothing??? I honestly don't understand how she's missed the point of HER OWN STORY so hard and tbh it seems like she was more interested in writing Tom Riddle and his backstory, not Harry's. I think she should've made a Tom Riddle story she just seems to write better for him than any other story line (not to mention how complicated she made it how much time she put into the villain's origins story instead of her MCs and how he was the most fleshed out character in all of HP but that's just my opinion) her writing is flawed, her plot were eh, basically none of the characters had any kind of character growth/ arc and they felt like cardboard not even mentioning a bunch of shitty stuff in there as well as, ofc, how there's NO FLAVOR. All of them are just straight white cis people (mainly men too???? like where's the feminism in the self proclaimed "feminists" writing???) and only included any kind of diversity when it was more acceptable (don't even get me started on Dumbledore being reveled gay but she killed Remus Sirius and Tonks off bc they were too camp when she was writing it) and beneficial for HER. not to mention all the misogyny, anti-Semitism, racist stereotypes, and harmful gay stereotypes and just plain bad writing like AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

about the "my favs dying" OMG YESSSSS literally EVERY SINGLE BOOK IVE READ my favs die :( I know its on purpose but like :(

I'm so thankful for your kind words they really did make my day and I do truly hope you'll push through and remember you've always got my support bbg <33333

as for a timeline I'm trying to get organized right now and its a NIGHTMARE. but thank you still have the best day you beautiful rays of sunshine and may Apollo like you enough to put you in his good graces <333

[waldensblog]

So I finally caught up (my library hold came in) on Born of Blood and Ash.

Full review including some spoilers below the cut, but my TL:DR of the book/Flesh and Fire series as a whole:

I really liked it, 4/5. Some parts did drag on for me, but I was ultimately satisfied with the world, the story, and the romance, and it's not a series I'll forget anytime soon. I'm eager for a Primal of Blood and Bone next spring to see if the FBAA series sticks the landing for me the way FAF did.

Worldbuilding:

I really vibe with this world. I like the Greco-Roman inspired pantheon, with all the different primals and their courts and the fates. I also love the concept of the drakkens and a lot of the different creatures we see, and the way that drinking blood is something associated to the Primals/Gods - it ties in really well to the Ascended/Vamprys needing blood and being undead as Kolis' creations, compared to the Atlantians, created later, who can walk in the sun, etc.

That said, it does get very confusing. There's just.so.much. In part because of how much time went between books (due to publishing dates and the wait between library holds), and just the sheer volume of world-building, I sometimes had to open google to remember what a dakkai was, or the difference between a Demis and a Godling, etc. The Romance: I love Seranyktos. I picked up these books for the Persephone/Hades vibe, and I love how it evolved, with her becoming the True Primal of Life as he remains a Primal of Death, the yin/yang of it, the way they're heartmates, how even though he had his kardia removed he fell in love anyway.

But, sometimes, the smut was a bit much. And I'm not saying that in a prude way - no no, I like smut, I'm all for spice, it's one of the reasons I picked these up. What I mean is... sometimes they'd be going at it for like... 30 pages? Just over and over, and then finally leave the room to do something else, or they'd just get horny at the most random times, etc. It just felt weirdly placed at times, or like the smut wasn't thematic, which is a contrast to how it was in the first two imo. Idk, I guess I like when the smut informs the characters or advances the plot, rather than is in there to be in there as I felt it was in the last volume.

The Story:

I like it, I like the epic scale of the story taking place over eons, the connected generations through Sotoria's line, the eternity of Callum and how it all comes together between the two series. You don't have to read FBAA and FIF together, but it's clear they're meant to go together.

But it did definitely drag at times. The pacing was just off.

Language/Writing Style:

I'm mixed on this one. One the one hand, I really do not mind the more sarcastic tone of these books - it's kind of fun, actually. It's kind of funny when there's meta poking-fun commentary (everyone pointing out that "Lasania" sounds exactly like Lasagna for example).

On the other hand... the writing could be very repetitive. Sometimes Sera would think something, and immediately proceed to say it - which was just... redundant for the reader, or a character would actually say "Not to be repetitive, but". And I lost track of how many conversations had Sera eventually say "Oh, my gods." JLA really does seem to like to give her characters their catch-phrases, and that's not a problem when used in limited doses. But... over and over can be a bit much, and at times I started scanning dialogue pages to get to the point.

There was also the way sometimes something slipped in that shouldn't - I've heard people mention "wind tunnels" before - I don't remember seeing that, but I did make a face when in one of these books, I read "What the hell?". Why is someone saying "Hell" in a world without a Hell? They have an Abyss, that could have worked...

Overall

So, overall, I'm giving these books a 4/5. I do really like them, despite their flaws, and I won't forget them any time soon, and if Primal of Blood and Bone sticks the landing, I might be interested in re-reading them in the future and falling back into this world and the romances.

[yatorihell]

Noragami Reread Volume 18-21

We've finally come back to the original wish, and there's a lot of foreshadowing going on... I wish I had Discord emojis

Vol 18

68

Takemika and Yato still fist fighting in the background as their guides chat

Kiun defending Takemika's actions from Sekiun

This is the first time we've seen Nora get banged up this badly

Nana sees a whole army and is ready to catch hands I love her

Kazuma shows up to stop Bishamon and the whole flashback of him hold her hand

'I will always be by your side' (40 chapters later)

God remember when this chapter dropped and so did Kazuma hhfg

69

The whole flashback of Kazubisha then going to current situation I hate this manga

Who's that beefcake god Yato took the garment from hello

'You will never save anyone' vs recent chapter

Father neck cut tracker: 1

Baby Yato panel and then he just obliterates Heaven

'I'm not letting dad kill another drinking buddy' then he slashes her

Oh I'm so sad Adachitoka you make me so sad that Kazuma is carried away

Oh I'm so sad Adachitoka I'm going to kill myself in front of you that flashback to choki vs the bloody ear I'll never forgive you

70

Oh yes we're back to tying up Yato

I PROMISE I WON'T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO YOU

Hiyori imagining Yato dying like Ebisu then going to be useful find Bishamon

Yato popping off on heaven

Amaterasu reveal followed by immediate death sentence hshdh

BOXKINE ARRIVES @boxkine I miss you <3

God remember when we got that memory page and dissected the hell out of it, thentheories on what container it was

71

Tenjin coming in clutch with the trial by pledge

Remember the reaction to Tsuyu getting beheaded jsbdbn Tenjin and Yato's faces when it happens

Daikoku volunteering I'm so sad Adachitoka you make me so sad

Yato's reaction to it all I hate this

Yukine memories breaking through nsbdb hell

Yato's dark nature seeping out why couldn't you show it to us king

Oh remember how bad this cliffhanger was with the fact Kofuku is a bad luck charm

Volume 19

72

Oh Hiyori's hand on Yato's face she's so relieved

Small trio panel jsbd

Kofuku’s guilt over not wanting to risk Daikoku but tbf they all acknowledge they wouldn't risk their own guides

Hiyori waiting for Yukine to fall asleep before leaving him

Yukine's bloody nails not a foreshadowing at all

Kuraha scratching the door, poor thinvs stuck in form until Bishamon wakes up in 5 years

Arahabaki faking Nana's death to bring her home

'I abandoned my little girl' there are several daddy issues in this manga

Yukine trauma getting stuck in the dark it gets worseee

Adachitoka sweetening us up with happy trio panel as if they didn't just traumatise Yukine

73

Time for a lughthearted chapter of Ebisu getting kidnapped

Kunimi bargaining for vacation time as if Ebisu's life isn't on the line

Kunimi with no sleep is how I feel

Little Nora is so innocent she won't kill you

Ebisu not cared for and he knows he'll be replaced, but at this point it's child neglect

'Death doesn't mean the end of flesh it's the end of memories' running of the most recent chapter live laugh lobotomy

Hiyori being useful finding Ebisu with scent

Remember the superkunimi photoshop trend we did

Oh Hiyori and Yukine height difference grows I'm so sad

Yukine having a scary dream but it was Yato and he felt better

WILL THEY HAVE TO FACE IT EVENTUALLY

I WANT TO BE HERE WATCHING OVER THEM

Adachitoka is really giving the trio content before separating them for like 5 years

74

Hiyori narcolepsy plot finally returns

SO EVEN AFTER I GROW UP I WANT TO REMEMBER IT

Oh look at all the photos I'm so sad Adachitoka you make me so sad

Hiyori shooting down the flash mob idea and it happens anyway

THOSE COLD DEAD EYES I mean it's accurate

Yato thinking Bishamon can come as if she isn't hanging by a thread

Takemika joining because he thinks it'll teach him how to be like Yato hdhd

Nora fuck off I forgot what you're about to do

Oh they're at the naming place I'm so sad

ALTHOUGH YOU MAY STUMBLE AND LOSE YOUR WAY I'M HERE TO CALL OUT YOUR NAME there is a gun in my mouth

Oh I'm going to end it the blossoms and his real name is spring tree oh I'm so sad Adachitoka you make me so sad

Hiyori's wearing her old uniform and Yato notices she's grown

Nora you fucking slut you ruined the whole chapter (I'm not slut shaming I'm just mad)

75

Oh Yatori are ao happy it's gunna end so soon

Yato forbidding Yukine's romance ahhg

Takemika just bursting through the roof like it's nothing

God another ablution for Yukine you'd think he'd just come out with it after the last time

Kiun is a whore confirmed

Oh this is the last time the three of them are together I'm so sad it was when Yukine runs off and then jdjdbd

'You think Yaboku's going to come for his daddy's head' yes <3

God what is that face Nora I can't tell if she actually likes Yukine

Nora girl bossing gaslighting herself into Takemika's employ

Oh my god as soon as I saw Hiyori with the bike I realised where I was I hate this

'Maybe you don't even realise when you're in love' what if I died

Yato read her diary NO THATS WHY HE'S DOING IT AAAAAAAA

He's following Bishamons plan I'm so sad

'I KNOW THAT YOU WILL NEVER FORGET ME HIYORI' Oh my god its because he believes he can be reincarnated from Hiyori

'YOU'LL SEE ME AGAIN' YEAH AND YOU'LL BE A CHILD AND HIYORI GETS KILLED

Vol 20

76

Yato really giving it all up about Father he's finally serious about ending it

'I wanted to be together until the very last second' vs recent chapter

'I still have Hiyori' he's thinking of reincarnation he puts so much belief in her

Arahabaki is basically running an orphanage

Nana hunted a bear for dinner jsbdb

'I don't want anyone taken from me ever again' vs recent chapter

Yato clicking Bishamon is unprotected then flashing to Father killing her oh we were so pressed after this chapter

77

Oh that intro had us we thought Bishamon reincarnated

Rip Kuguha you duplicitous bitch

Kazuma hatred for himself and everyone else he's microwave meal ready to be your burial vessel

Yato admitting he admired Bishamon and he was jealous as a war god

'I want you to die Yato' isn't that the bloody mood

Iwami not wanting to change history so he lets it repeat over and over watching this child suffer

Kazuma giving Harry Potter vibes with that unbreakable tracking spell on him and Nora

Nora showing up to Yukine saying she's been abandoned and her names are gone this was sus in the first place but we had a few nice chapters from it

Saying it was a lie liking him but Yukine still seems to like her

Oooo Father you're a mean one you're so slimy die

78

Nora wanted names to fill a void because she's not figured out she wants to live

Yukine wanting to take care of Nora

Yato just name him why do you feel such a way about sharing shinki bsbd

'Sweet innocent girl as a human sacrifice' fucjifbh

Hiyori death forshadowing tracker: 5

'You'll never have Yato' hhdbd probably not

Kazuma projecting his rejection from Bishamon on Hiyori telling her to try confessing to Yato

GODS CANNOT LOVE MORTALS I hate this life

A GOD AND A HUMAN CAN NEVER BE TOGETHER we've just been ignoring the signs <3

I LOVE YATO

Kazuma forcing Yato to name him and kissing his Kazu name I'm unwell

Oh they're both crying same

79

'So I never forget' girl you're about to forget so hard

'A gentler version of myself would suit him better' fuckifnnf Yukine would be such a good big brother

I'VE ACTUALLY GOT SONEONE I LOVE TOO hellscape

Hiyori's diary must show up in the final chapter it is the catalyst

Tenjin knew she liked Yato all this time jdbd

'They spend countless reincarnations waiting and that something becomes cherished' Oh Yato's going to be waiting for her when she's an old lady like grandpa Iki

'God's love isn't only about giving also taking' vs recent chapter

'Whether you live and forget or die and forget you have to give an answer' I hate this manga

Yukinora hanging out and him treating her like she's alive

'If I'm going to forget it'll be like we never met at all' hate hate hate

Volume 21

80

Hiyori ignoring the warning from teacher about falling behind and going to look for Yato girl you may as well die

Rekki practice

Father reincarnated into random bodies which is interesting, and he got the powers of a god after returning from yomi?

Yukine daddy issues have been stirred

'Nora died a terrible death'

Oh no Yukine's thinking about his death

81

Yukine came that close to breaking Daikoku and Kiun

Kofuku knows Yukine's is doomed I hate this, I wonder where they go since they disappear for a while

Yukine starts looking at news articles about people who have died sjd

Nora trying to stop Yukine but it turns out she's not trying she's sowing the seeds for him to seek out Father

'I want to meet my mum and dad' are you sure about that

'I chose to stay on this side, it's fine this way' ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT

'You're smiling and that bothers me' fucking mood

Father's really just a bastard and now Hiyori's cord is damaged

82

Masaomi forgot Yato but not the shadow or ayakashi which is interesting for Hiyori's future links to Yato

Hiyori death foreshadowing tracker: 6

Masaomi remembers Yato and says was good looking but kind of pathetic djdnnd that's how I like my men

Kazuma doesn't realise Bishamon chose Nana so Kaazuma wouldn't die

Bishamon tear oh she heard it all I'm so sad

Yato in the traffic cone using Takemika as target practice kdnc

I'm not gunna get won over by the Sorcerer' ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT

Oh he's taken the protection charm he believes in it (it doesn't really work <3)

Vomiting is this the last time he sees his home (Kofuku’s)

83

Poor Ebisu please learn to dress it's not hard

Takemika's messy hair is a look

Daddy Daikoku making a kite with Yukine

Ajshbd coo phone taking a dump on Takemika

Rip Takemika Kofuku is swearing vengeance

So the og plan is the Gods go hunting with Amaterasu without shinki

Yukine you dumb bitch this manga could've ended like 26 chapters early and with significantly less trauma

I'M NOT YUKINE GET THIS OFF ME

I'LL BE TAKING YUKINE

[willmarstudios]

Bookworm Will Review 2024 ( #17 )

Title: 'Fourth Wing'

Author: Rebecca Yarros

Rating: 2 / 5

Review: (MILD SPOILERS)

Oh yea.

You all knew this was inevitable.

And I'm sorry to all the dragon rider fans, but this was not worth the hyper in my honest opinion.

It read almost like it was trying to include every trope and the kitchen sink. Don't get me wrong, I am fully here for a good trope, but when you're reading and just mentally checking off a new box on the trope checklist, it can get really old really quickly. I'm going to be honest and say that this had potential, expect none of it was utilized to the fullest. It ended up being very predictable with a lot of plot holes and general world building questions that I eventually stopped caring to think about.

Everything just fell so hard that it became difficult to keep my own attention. Plus they killed like one of the only redeemable characters so like rude.

I really think that if instead of trying to put so much into it, that they could've cut out maybe 200 pages and focused in on fleshing out the characters. Its marketed as adult fantasy, yet reads like YA (almost borderline fanfiction-y), which baffled me considering how hard it tried to come off as mature. We didn't need two sex scenes either. The worldbuilding was decently set up.

That being said, we all could use palette cleansers and sometimes a good mindless read, thats what this is, so if you enjoyed it, great! I'm really happy you found something you enjoy and I hope you enjoy the sequel(s).

[ask-obt]

What steps do you usually have for creating each page, and how long does each one usually take you? Do you do stuff like thumbnail entire chapters in advance, etc?

I don't know how big your page buffer is, but you seem to get pages done at a really impressive rate, especially considering every page is clean and colored, so I'd love to know how you manage it :)

// this is a long ask, so buckle up!

all of my pages start with an outline, which is then fleshed out into a script- over time I've found that having an entire chapter done before starting any other step cuts out unnecessary fat that comes with editing. if there's one thing I learned from preboot OBT, trying to figure out what exactly happens on a page as you're drawing it can lead to a lot of heartbreak if you decide to change it (a lot of preboot OBT's chapter 4 was subject to this- I have a million drafts of rune and fienne in the market because I didn't know what I wanted them to do there). my scripting program is actually the beta version of a program one of my classmates in college made, and if it ever goes public I'd be happy to pop a link since I believe they want to make it open source eventually. on average my scripts are about 5000-6000 words long, and are written (casually) like film scripts since that's the format I was trained on as a film student.

my outlines are a bit sloppy because it's just like a stream of consciousness flowing out while I try getting ideas slapped down as quickly as possible. I try not to worry too much about details unless I have a clear vision in mind because I think writing the plot out in one go flows the most smoothly.

and then from there, I expand that outline into a script.

after the script is completed, and assuming I have enough buffer, I thumbnail the entire next chapter- or at least as much as I can stand in one go. I'll usually either be working on rendering the previous chapter during this step, or I'll have the previous chapter completed so I can devote my attention to it. either way, I try and give myself room to do a variety of tasks depending on my mood. thumbnails are easy to work on while on-the-go for example, but they require a lot of thought to put together. coloring can be tedious, but it's great to do while multitasking of on lunch at one of my jobs.

part of the thumbnailing process for me includes putting down text bubbles. surprisingly, this is a very tedious task, so I try to get it all done in one go so I don't have to agonize over it. and this is where my process gets a bit convoluted, so bear with me.

to do this, I take a look at my script and break all the dialogue into different text bubbles. I've gotten to the point where I think I do pretty well naturally finding breaks in pages, and I just go in chronological order putting text down. for this step I have page templates prepped, which show the safety margins that I need to follow to prevent text from getting stuck in the binding when printing into books. I make sure all the text is safe, and then move onto the next step.

after that, I copy the page with text bubbles, and then shrink it really small into thumbnail size. on a layer above this screenshot I trace the text bubbles, and then treat those bubbles as "dead zones" to draw around while working on the thumbnails. this might be an unnecessary step if you have a good grasp on how much text takes up a panel, but I am historically awful at judging that so knowing the exact text bubble size when thumbnailing helps prevent my bubbles from getting in the way after the art is already rendered. then, rinse and repeat for the rest of the chapter!

some chapters I'm quicker at thumbing than others- on the low end we've got chapter 5, which I wrapped up in 2 months (I did roughly 1 thumb per day)

and then chapter 6 which I dragged my feet on a little bit, at around 6 months

(and chapter 7, which is twice the length of a normal chapter for me, took 4 months!)

after that is sketching, the part I dread most when working on a chapter. it's the part that requires the most thinking on my part, and I did away with sketching completely for most of chapter 3- but I've been trying to make my lines thinner lately, and until I build up the confidence to work without sketches, I'm afraid I'm stuck with them. I try to do 1-2 sketches per day, but some days I just don't do them if I'm not feeling up to it.

(I'm actually avoiding sketching while I work on this ask)

while most of OBT is done in CSP, the one thing I don't do there is lines- for that I use Autodesk Sketchbook. sketchbook has a pretty incredible predictive stroke tool that adjusts your strokes after you make them. it takes a bit of time to get used to, but with it I can draw much faster than any other program or with any other stabilization tool. I gave CSP an honest shot with lining by trying to use it for 6 months, but sketchbook was just too powerful so I live the multiprogram life. I try my best to keep all my lines closed during this process because it'll make coloring WAY easier. like I think coloring used to take me an hour, now it takes me 20 minutes tops.

then I flip off the visibility on all layers except the lineart layer, save as a PNG (saving a working file as well if I'm feeling spicy), and then import to CSP! where the most fun part begins.

to start, to do that colored lineart thing where the lines on my characters are darker on the outside than the inside, I start by coloring characters their inside color first (using the "lock transparent pixels" layer option). for comics this is reduced to a simple "warm palette" color and "cool palette" color, which are brown and blue respectively. it's subtle, but you can see it in action with rune and eilwyn here.

then I use the magic wand tool, my best friend. I select the negative space around the characters, invert it, and then with the dark color selected in my palette (for me it's a dark brown approaching black) and the transparent pixels still locked, I use the "outline selection" option to outline the characters. I usually outline them by 6 px, but it'll depend on what looks best.

then for coloring, with the characters still selected, I use the "shrink selection" option to shrink it by 1 pixel. this helps prevent aliasing when I use the fill bucket to fill characters in with a base color! after that I pick them out by character and manually add their main color by hand, so they look something like this.

and here's the part where I impart upon ye, dear reader, with the forbidden knowledge I learned while doing the Monster House Marathon this month. see, I really like doing these daily events because they push me to my limit. a page a day is the most comfortable fast pace I can work on the comic, but it can still be a bit of a strain to get a page done before my bedtime, so I'm much more willing to learn shortcuts in order to get a nice juicy 6 hours of sleep instead of 4.

if you do a closed lineart method like me for most of your character's markings, the "Set Reference Layer" tool is going to become your new best friend. using this, I set the lineart layer as the reference layer (and only the lineart layer), move over to my coloring layer, grab my fill bucket tool, and then I can just start literally filling in characters within seconds. some characters have unclosed markings that I'll have to do by hand, but this is extremely quick and I love it so much.

finally I add a multiply layer where I do some light shading. this step used to be full cel shading, though over time I've found that my art reads a little more clearly without it. and shading also used to be miserable because it was another 30 minutes to an hour of rendering that kept me from completing a page, so it sometimes got a little miserable.

and finally, I add backgrounds and lighting effects. I have a pretty decent library of pre-rendered backgrounds I've made that I can just plop in a scene, but sometimes for new or one-time locations I'll make a new one by hand.

and that's a completed page! it's a bit hard to calculate how long a singular page takes start to finish since I try doing everything before the lineart in batch style, but I'd say it all roughly evens out to 2-4 hours. breaking it down, it looks something like:

Thumbnail - 10-20 minutes Sketch - 30 minutes - 1 hour Lineart - 30 minutes - 1 hour Coloring - 10-20 minutes Rendering - 10-20 minutes Background - 20 minutes - 1 hour

so pages are pretty quick for me to make! this helps me build a pretty sizeable buffer, I think my previous record was somewhere around 40 pages? maybe 70 if I included dielle's wish. though I will admit during this Monster House Marathon, I actually ran out of buffer on day 7, and I'd been laying the tracks in front of the train until, uh, checks watch, the 27th! as of writing this I finished the buffer through the MHM, so I can rest easy. this ask probably won't queue until after the MHM has ended so this probably sounds a little comedic. the main reason I was able to manage these daily updates without a buffer was because of an art high I was experiencing this month, which is also why I did a marathon in the first place.

though usually, I really am an advocate for buffers. having a buffer of at least 3 months means I can hop around with different processes as my interest in them flips around. my brain usually likes to focus on one task at a time, and a lot of it, so having that freedom is great for me. and sometimes, I just wanna take a month off to play a new game or hyperfixate on stardew valley once again! it all comes down to practice and developing a workflow and schedule that works for you.

[captainknell]

BOOK REPORT

I had wanted to read this book eventually but it got immediately bumped up on the list when someone pointed out that it had basically the same plot as my WIP. I dropped everything and started reading to make sure it wasn't too similar. The book was just getting good and explaining things when the free pages on the internet ran out so I had to wait for the physical copy to come in the mail. I am pleased to say that besides the basic plot, it is not like my book. And now I'd like to read the next two in the series.

Anyways, the report!

The book is about a history teacher named Richard Davey that has a very boring life. He is a fan of Napoleon and finds out that time travel is real and possible through a mysterious shop keeper so he goes back to Waterloo to try and change history and give his life more meaning.

It was an interesting story and I never knew what was going to happen next. It starts right when he goes back in time but explains how he got there by use of flashbacks. I actually loved how this worked. Usually when there's a back and forth or either time or characters, I find myself having a clear favorite and wishing the other one would hurry up so I can get back to the good part. In this book, both were the good parts! I was just as happy to be back in time as I was to be getting the explanation of how he got there and vice versa.

Unfortunately, the tense of the story was driving me crazy. If I wasn't already interested in the topic, I probably would've ditched it by the end of the first page. Here's an example of what I'm talking about that doesn't contain any important information:

He returns to the carriage and rummages in his bag. He extracts his penknife and the dried sausage wrapped in his handkerchief. Standing at the open end of the cart, he spreads the square of linen as a tablecloth and carefully cuts several slices. He throws the small hunk of meat attached to the string to the back of the barn. At least he will know where the rodents are for a while. The sausage's pink flesh is mottled with white fat and shreds of garlic. The skin is covered in fine white mould with the texture of paper. He teases it free and adds it to his offering among the fallen timbers.

He chews each slice slowly, savouring the taste as the rich meat replenishes his energy. When finished, he takes a gulp from his round, wooden water canister. British army issue is pale blue but his is plain inside a hessian jacket. It would not help his cause to fall into French hands in possession of British army kit. He replaces the cork stopper and repacks his haversack.

My other big problem with the book, is that Richard is being described as being middle aged, balding, and kinda pudgy yet every young attractive girl in the book is flirting with him/throwing themselves at him. The other characters are good though!

Bonus (?) we get to see Napoleon in a dress

[minheeskitten]

"2k is long" is also nonsense i'm so sorry 😭 2k is barely anything if you're trying to introduce an AU and actually flesh in a setting and especially if you're trying to show different personality traits 😭 your fic are mostly AUs with really well thought out lore, and it needs the word count to breathe and establish everything. if someone's attention span is too short to read more than - what - 2 pages? that's their problem, not yours! fwiw, my fic lengths range with the shortest starting at around 5k and the longest getting close to 30k and i have never had anyone leave a complaint about the length! people are more than willing to sit through 10k+ just to get to the smutty stuff, and they usually end up enjoying the rest of the fic as well. do not worry about it! you're doing just fine 🩷

I don't often look at the length of a fic unless im updating someone on how long its getting. My shortest wip is 100 words. And. Ive posted it to here bcs i feel it'll never be finished.

If it does get finished eventually then i will post it as a fic but. Until then it sits in my drafts.

My fics almost always include worldbuilding to at least 3k now. Though not all of them were like that.

Do you want in on a secret? I don't think out the world for my aus. It fleshes itself out. I think on what may happen n go from there. The story writes itself. I am just a vessel for the words and visions.

I am absolutely terrible at worldbuilding if im doing it consciously.

Its why i have visible headcanons for idols. But i just can't put them into words haha.

The most i think through is 'what sort of details would enhance this and make it better to read'

And then thats where i go from!

Siren!ivan was originally supposed to be more non-con than it is rn. The consent is not proper consent tho but thats bcs. Well. Siren wants what he wants and he will convince dann to give it to him.

Though. Thats a little bit of a spoiler. It is going to be tagged accordingly. Don't worry ill tag fics right.

The fic i thought through the most, probably is one ive not even started wtiting. The dissection fic. I gotta do all sorts of research so i can make sure its accurate and well done.

Which unfortunately means i gotta look at anatomy from a more medical standpoint. Need to go find a book for that..

The first fic i put out actually has a very strong plot hole. That i told myself id patch before posting it but. I didn't.

That plot hole was the reasoning as to why ivan was doing that to hwon. It has a very weak reason and i could absolutely fix it now. But. Not this year.

I write ab 5k minimum most of the time haha. I prefer letting the story fill itself out n then helping fine tune details. Its why i really can't tell you how long a fic may be.

So far my longest fic is 16k words. Published. Theres more unpublished. That's for the abandoned but not orphaned one.

I may return to it eventually. That's why i didn't wanna orphan it.

All of my fics stop at a point they organically would have stopped at. When i feel it can't really take another scene. I end it. That usually leaves spaces for part twos to them as well!

But i like exploring aus as i write them.

Fun fact! I write aus bcs im worried that if i do anything else i may accidentally copy someone else's idea.

I do get inspired by the other kd writers. Oh gods do i get inspired.

Lee, lunar, eve, even erin, who encourages the hwonicide. They all inspire me in their own ways. Does that usually come in the form of a prompt to note down asap? Yeah.

But other ways are helping with details for fics. And they are all very welcome to chat ab fics w me. I don't steal ideas. Not without permission and changing it to be my own.

I have a prompt that is inspired by eve's fic Clear My Mind (eve is karmacumover btw!)

But it is different. I may show her the prompt itself if she wants to see it haha.

But i love working on fics. Even if I can't be proud of them as a 'look i made this!' i can still look at the work and go 'yeah. Thats good.'

Thank you lee for helping me figure out how to do that. It was amazing to be able to step back and go 'thats a good story' if i removed myself from it.

The lee im referring to here is intenselysalmon. So she knows who im referring to.

One day. One day my goal is to be proud of how much I've written. Of what I've written.

Its a goal i think is far away. But the more i talk to other writers. The more i realize.

Im not as bad at writing as i think i am.

Honestly id never even considered myself a good writer, until i asked writers like lee and erin their feedback on my works. And they both said i write well. Maybe a little dialogue heavy but. Thats fine i can work on it.

Im doing my best. And im trying to ensure i continue getting better.

The more i talk to other writers and see how they talk ab my writing. The more i go. 'maybe im too harsh on myself' but. As they say, you are your own worst critic.

Honestly i never even considered my work good enough to do much with. But. Lunar still offered to possibly do a collab or fic trade. And i keep thinking on it. Maybe.

It makes me think they find me a better writer than i find myself to be.

Then i see eve, reacting to some of the xlips of airen!ivan ive put out. And she's reacting as i would for any of lee's clips. I find lee an amazing writer. It seems eve thinks of me that way too.

Im trying to wrap my head around it. But the reason i am so harsh on myself is. Anxiety and self doubt. And i need to work through them.

Thats the first time ive admitted that.

I will work through my weaknesses, and be better than before. Slowly. It takes time. I have to be patient.

One day. One day i will be able to proudly say 'im a good writer'

Its not today. But. It will be an eventuality.

Moots mentioned in this post:

Lee (@intenselysalmon )

Erin (@kurenaiwataru )

Eve (@karmacumover )

Lunar (@kingdoms-babygirl )

[sticks-and-souls]

8, 22? :)

Thank you so much for sending this ask, I've always wanted to do one of these!!

8. What projects are you currently working on?

Long fics! (mostly) Which ultimately means I’m doing a lot of writing and not a lot of posting. I’ve never posted long fics before and I’m discovering that—because I’m trying to aim for certain places in a story—I need to have a strong foundation in my opening chapters. So I’m reworking them and revising them (hopefully not to death) every time I build another chapter. My two main long fics are:

a) Foxiyo political intrigue! I fell into Foxiyo on tumblr by accident (the way most of us have) and was so in love with them and came up with all these fluffy scenes between them that made me want to try my hand at a multi-chapter fic. Except I had no plot.

e.g.  Me: They’re hiding in a supply closet and overhear critical info! The ambiance! Such atmosphere! 

        Also me: What info, Souls??? How did they get there? How can you describe people plotting against them if you don’t have any plot???

…And in the process of finding any plot, I ended up coming up with a LOT of plot. But I really really like it so far and I’m really proud of the world building that I’ve done on the Coruscant political scene and imagining how Riyo and Fox each exist in that world and how they need support (and find it in each other). I’m hoping to start posting this fall/winter.

b) Maul redemption arc via Force Quest(TM) with Ahsoka. I have no chapters written but an entire outline composed of many staple fleshed out scenes, overall plot/character arcs, and main themes. This started as a casual musing of “what would cause Maul to turn to the Light?” that has ended up tackling the big questions about what makes people do evil acts--and when does that cross the line into them becoming evil people, whether people deserve forgiveness, is the world inherently uncaring, covered with loads of my own interpretations of the Light and Dark sides of the Force. 

In the meantime, I miss actually posting, so I have a thranto short-fic of loosely related one-shots tied together (the thranto brain rot is so real) that I’m trying to fit in to my writing time, and also the vibes for Battle Scars just refuse to let up and I have a 3rd chapter idea that’s starting to take shape. 

I have two other WIP ideas with enough of the plot/narrative sketched out that I haven’t let them go yet, but based on how long it takes for me to write content for the projects above that I really care about, I’m not sure I’ll ever get to them. (but if anybody goes rabid over them posted here I’ll consider them more closely). They are:

a) Codywan Pride and Prejudice AU. It would be a parody vibe and I would be trying to practice writing humor but I watched P&P this summer and I think my idea of execution is solid. 

b) Rexsoka Modern-day Road Trip AU. I actually really love this one and if I come back to Rexsoka, I would love to do this. Anakin wants to do the Great American Road Trip for his bachelor party; themes include coming of age, you can never go home but maybe that’s not as bad as it sounds, and found family. 

22. Do you know how your fic will end before you start writing?

If you define writing as “opening a file and starting to create a chapter that will eventually make it to AO3”, then, for the most part, yes (Battle Scars being the glaring exception). The details of that ending are vague, but if I were to give a summary of the entire work, I can tell you the sentence that describes the ending before I decide to start writing. In fact, it’s usually the realization that I have enough plot/character points for a full story that incentivizes me to finally start writing “Chapter One”. 

That said, at least 75% of my “writing time” is a Notes file with my story ideas and completely informal scene sketches. Even for my two “probably never write this” ideas above, I have Notes files several pages long outlining the plot points, random scene details, story ambiance, and even some dialogue for key scenes that I didn’t want to forget. And I seriously will probably never find time to write them. 

Thanks again for asking and I would honestly love to ask these same questions back to you!

[dalesramblingsblog]

Brief Thoughts on Judge Dredd Novels, Part VII: The Hundredfold Problem by John Grant

The Hundredfold Problem is in many respects the odd one out when it comes to Virgin's Dredd novels. It's the only book in the series not to be written by an author who went on to cross over to their Doctor Who line, and the only one to later be republished as a standalone novel with the Dredd/2000 AD elements taken out.

As you might expect, it's a rather strange beast of a book. I certainly didn't actively hate reading it, and it rarely outright bored me; in fact, there's an appealing number of appropriately gonzo ideas crammed into the novel's pages, not least of which is the Big Dunkin Donut, a Dyson sphere populated by transported Neanderthals millions of years ago.

As a certified enjoyer of The Also People, I'm always a sucker for Dyson spheres, and Grant captures the BDD in enough detail that it makes for a suitable first off-world excursion for the novels - and, depending on how Silencer and Wetworks shape up, possibly the only such excursion. The culture of the Skysouls is fascinating, and doesn't really feel derivative of the People at all. The exploration of colonialism is perhaps not as elegant as it could be, but it's basically functional. And, well, as far as nineties explorations of a hypothetical "War in Heaven" go, I suppose I've got to give it points for originality in being the only such piece of media where the solution to said War is to get involved in a lesbian polycule with a deity.

So y'know. It's got that going for it?

But equally, there are numerous little things that don't quite annoy, but definitely make for an odd reading experience. Petula McTavish is a reasonably solid character with a good arc, but the way the novel consistently sexualises her left me feeling more than a little uncomfortable.

The exploration of faith - a perennial nineties theme, this being the decade of "I Want to Believe" - through a heated theological conflict between two rival atheist sects named after Oliver North and Margaret Thatcher of all people is an amusing premise, but the decision to give all the preachers comically thick Southern accents really starts to grate after a while, even if it makes sense for 1994 and the era of Pat Robertson's ascendance.

Similarly, the idea of Heidegger's possession by a force opposed to Korax fades completely into the background for much of the novel, rendering its eventual importance to the climax borderline incoherent until the final chapter just relentlessly infodumps to explain everything with a handful of pages left to go.

So ultimately, thinking about it, we're left with a deeply mixed bag. It's more coherent than something like The Medusa Seed - though coherence never seemed to be Stone's primary goal with that book, or arguably ever - and fleshes out its setting better than Dread Dominion, while its ideas are far more adventurous than anything in Cursed Earth Asylum.

And yet, thinking back on it, the various little annoyances really do start to pile up and colour my perception of the book, so I can't really put this above second-last. There's still a pretty sizeable gap between this and The Savage Amusement, as barring the climax it was generally pretty easy to keep track of the plot's motion from point A to point B, though Grant does have a tendency to elide what would seem to be rather crucial details in the timejumps between chapters.

So yeah, ranking so far looks like this:

Dreddlocked

Deathmasques

The Medusa Seed

Dread Dominion

Cursed Earth Asylum

The Hundredfold Problem

The Savage Amusement

[lightstar789]

Rules for Rule Breaking ARC Review!

Once again, huge shout-out to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for giving me access to this ARC!

Hello dear followers, it is I, lightstar789, back again with another book review! Obvious spoilers ahead, so let’s jump into it!

Rating: 4/5

I’ve gotta say, after reading so many mediocre romances in the past few months, it’s refreshing that this one was good. Like, really good. It’s true enemies-to-lovers goodness, filled with witty banter that made me cackle.

Both Winter and Bobby were such compelling characters, and as a fellow honors student in their same position, I heavily related to it all. While there were some things that could’ve been improved, such as pacing, I don’t think it affected the overall experience. This novel is definitely on the campier and humorous side though, so if you’re expecting a shit ton of character depth, there isn’t much of that. Now, let’s move onto…

THE GOOD:

THE HUMOR: God, where do I begin? One of the best parts of this novel comes from the fact that Winter and Bobby stay enemies for so long, so there’s ample opportunity for clownery between the two. From daring each other to break mediocre laws, to their commitment to making each other’s lives hell, we get plenty of humor throughout the book, which makes the enemies to lovers dynamic all the more appealing!

THE ROMANCE: Well, this is to be expected, given that this is a romance book, but it was incredibly fun to watch Winter and Bobby slowly warm up to each other, and eventually fall in love. I especially adored Winter teaching Bobby how to relax and to be himself and change for the better, while Bobby convinced Winter to finally start "meeting her friend halfway" and put more effort into her friendship with Emmy.

THE CHARACTERS: The main characters were very fleshed out, but the side characters weren't. However, I cut this book some slack in that department, because the book is mainly focused around the 2 main leads.

Winter Park: Ah yes, a Winter that finally doesn't have a boat load of trauma! I'm kidding, obviously. Spunky, petty, and witty, she's confident and dead-set on going to MIT to be able to work for NASA. The only thing really stopping her is her rivalry with Bobby, and some issues with her best friend Emmy. I honestly find her struggles with trying to keep her friends in her life relatable, especially as they move away. I’ve had a fair share of my childhood friends move away when I was a kid, often leaving me lonely and upset, as Winter feels she will be when Emmy pulls away, and how her grandmother felt after Emmy’s grandmother Nai Nai passed away, creating a compelling generational parallel. I also loved how, despite the rivalry and the moratoriums, Winter still tried to help Bobby get closer to his roots and loosen up, which probably were the first signs she was falling for him.

Bobby Bae: He’s absolutely pathetic (affectionate) and he’s literally just like me. Prone to tears, yet highly strung and dedicated, he's already decided his college and stubborn to go on the trip with Winter, until his girlfriend breaks up with him and everything comes crashing down. One thing that I found interesting is Bobby's home life, and how his parents are kinda...neglectful, to say the least?? They feel very distant from him (he doesn't even know what their jobs are!), so for Bobby to be longing for connection to everything makes sense. From his culture, to Winter, to the rest of his family, I found that this was the common theme tying all of his subplots together, which I appreciate as a key theme of this novel.

Now, here are the things that made me want to deduct a star from the rating:

THE BAD:

PACING: I’ll be honest—I could barely get through the first 25% of the book. There was so much set up required for this plot and I kept turning the page, wondering whether they will finally get on the road or not. While this set up was needed in order to establish the characters and their respective conflicts, it felt like a slog to get through. This happened again towards the end when they finally end the trip and GO BACK TO SCHOOL 😭 before talking normally to each other again like that’s crazy to me. I honestly feel like the ending was an unsatisfying way to wrap up the book, and it would’ve single handedly deduced a star from this rating had the rest of the book not been THAT good.

The romance also falls victim to annoying miscommunication tropes that could’ve been resolved within a page but I’m not even going to touch that right now other wise this would turn into a full blown rant.

Overall, while having subpar pacing, the rest of this book is able to make up for it with its stellar characterization and hilarious wit. Let me know what you guys thought about this book in the comments, and have a great day. Happy Reading!