#I keep thinking I need to write my book first so I get a copyright but that's a lot of work man

[smolgirlbigdreams]

Can I ask y'all something? Was it hard when you were first sharing your OCs online? I've had these OCs for like ten years and most of them and their stories have never seen the light of day because I'm so scared to post about them. I guess I'm paranoid that someone is gonna steal from me. 😅 Have you guys ever dealt with that or just me? Any tips for coping/starting out posting original content?

[scarletwinterxx]

the grumpy cat's secret soft side - chwe hansol imagine

hiiii ~ tbh i liveeee for the black cat turn into golden retriever type of guy🥺😭😅 this one is soooo cute, i hope you like it🤍 i’m trying to make up for being gone in the past weeks hence why the back to back posts.

for my other svt fics, check them here

if you want, u can buy me coffee(totally optional but any donation is very much appreciated!) thank you🥺💛

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2024 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

(pics not mine, credits to rightful owner)

You’re hanging out with your friends at a café, and, as usual, Vernon is sitting at a corner table, a frown fixed on his face. His arms are crossed, his eyes barely leaving the book he's reading, and his presence is just… intense. You know the drill—no one dares to approach him unless absolutely necessary.

Your friends chatter away, but their eyes keep flicking toward Vernon, trying to gauge the seriousness of his aura. You can practically hear them whispering:

"Does he even smile? He looks like he's plotting something dark."

"I bet he has some secret double life where he's a villain or something."

You roll your eyes, amused by the misconception. Sure, Vernon has this reputation of being the "grumpy cat". The guy who scowls at anyone who dares to speak to him but you know the real Vernon. The one who’s soft, playful, and okay, maybe a little too clingy when you're alone.

You sip your coffee, trying not to laugh at the thought of what they would say if they knew. They think Vernon is all sharp edges and cool indifference, but when it’s just the two of you? He’s a total golden retriever.

Later, the café empties out, and it’s just you and Vernon. You lean against the table, watching him flick through his book, clearly trying to seem like he's deep in thought.

"You know, you should really smile once in a while. People are starting to think you're some kind of cold-hearted villain."

He grunts in response, his eyes not leaving the pages "I don’t need to impress anyone. Why pretend to be something I’m not?"

You can feel the smile tugging at your lips. If only they knew how dramatically different he was when no one else was around. Just the other night, he’d insisted on cooking you dinner and then gotten mad at the TV when you laughed at a cooking show he didn’t even like. 

And the way his voice softens when he talks to you? Don’t even get you started.

"Mhm, sure. Just make sure no one sees you with your 'scary' persona, or they'll think you’re a supervillain." you tease him, a playful smile on your face

Vernon finally looks up at you, raising an eyebrow.

"You do realize you're the only one who gets to see me not acting like a 'villain,' right?"

You grin, taking a casual sip from your drink.

"Yeah, lucky me."

Fast forward to a few days later. You're out with Vernon and a few friends, walking through the park when you trip over a crack in the pavement. It's not that big of a fall, but you scrape your knee, and it stings just a little.

No one notices at first—except Vernon. His eyes snap to you, and you can see the panic flicker across his face. 

Before you can even fully recover from the stumble, he’s already by your side, crouching down with an expression that can only be described as dramatic concern.

"Oh my god, are you okay?! Did you hurt yourself?"

You blink, slightly surprised at how intense he’s reacting. He’s usually so calm in public, but now his eyes are wide, his hand hovering near your knee like he’s afraid even the slightest touch might cause more harm.

"It’s just a scrape, Vernon. I’m fine." you stutter, still surprised by his actions

He shakes his head vigorously, ignoring your reassurances, his face completely serious.

"No. You’re not. You're bleeding, and... you’re my responsibility!"

You blink at him wide eyed, "It’s really just a small scratch. It's not like—"

"Small?!" He looks at the tiniest red mark like it’s an open wound that could be fatal. His voice grows louder. "You’re going to need a bandage! I’ll—I'll carry you home!"

You can’t help but laugh at how over the top he’s being. The guy who looks like he’s plotting world domination in front of others is now losing it over a scraped knee. But he doesn’t seem to find it funny at all.

"Do not laugh! You’re injured, and this is serious business." he scolds you, already helping you up still chuckling, as he holds out his arms like he’s ready to scoop you up at any moment.

"I don’t need you to carry me, Vernon. I can walk." you assure him

"I insist." 

He’s so dramatic about it that it almost seems like he’s going to faint from the sheer concern he’s radiating.

"Is he seriously offering to carry you?" Dino asks, watching the whole scene

“What the hell is happening?" Seungkwan mumbles

You hear your friends muttering from the sidelines, their voices full of surprise, and you can’t help but smirk. This is the first time they’ve seen Vernon act this way, and they’re all shook by it.

"Vernon, seriously. I’m fine!"

But he’s already kneeling in front of you, looking up at you with wide, concerned eyes, ready to scoop you up into his arms like you're the most fragile thing in the world.

"Nope. I’m not risking it. Let’s go home. You need rest, and I need to make sure you’re not going to pass out or something."

You can’t hold back your laughter anymore."You're impossible."

"I’m just trying to keep you safe."

You finally let him win, letting him gently lift you as if you’re the most precious thing in the world, completely ignoring the curious stares from everyone else around. And despite how embarrassing this all is, you can’t deny it. You love how much Vernon cares about you. The "grumpy cat" persona is a total act.

You lean your head on his chest, feeling the warmth of his embrace.

"You know, I’ve never seen this side of you before."

"Good. Keep it that way. I’m only like this for you, got it?" voice full of seriousness

"Got it."

And in that moment, you realize, as much as Vernon tries to hide it from the world, he’s completely smitten with you—and you wouldn't have it any other way.

[writingquestionsanswered]

I'm planning on publishing my written fiction online in both Portuguese (my native language) and in English (the other language I speak which might help to share the story with more people), but something is worrying me.

I watched a movie where the a main character (a writer) had a book that wasn't popular and another character "translated" into her language (what she actually did was rewrite it as an erotic novel) and the book was super loved there (the readers didn't know the book was supposed to be different)

Sometimes I see artists who allow fans to share translations of their comics, but I'm concerned on what could happen if someone asked for permission to translate. Do you think it's worth the risk of someone making my story popular with something that goes against my values, like supporting disregard to a human right or making it erotic when it was supposed to be family-friendly?

Worried About Fan Translations

I want to be clear that this advice is specific to fiction published online versus e-books or print books, which are a different matter entirely. First and foremost, if you post a story online, give permission to a fan to translate it, and then they rewrite it into something else, that is plagiarism and a copyright violation, and you have every right to ask them to take it down. If they refuse to cooperate, you can threaten them with a lawsuit, even if you don't really have the means to follow through. That could be enough to get them to take it down. If not you can report them to the platform for stealing your work. You can also let your fans know that this person has stolen your work and to please block them or refuse to engage with them.

If you post a story online and are approached by a fan who asks to translate it into their native language, there are some things you can do to potentially protect yourself:

1 - Do not give them permission to post the translation on their own account. Thank them for their offer and let them know you're happy to let them translate the story, but they will need to e-mail it to you so you can have it vetted and post it on your own account with credit. Be clear that you do not give them permission to post a translation on their own account. That way, not only does it dissuade people who are only interested in plagiarism or benefiting off your hard work, it also means you keep full control of your story and its translations.

2 - Do your best to vet the translation. You can try to find a beta reader who is fluent in that language who can read it and make sure it's a good translation, though you'll likely have to pay them, which is worth it to make sure the translation is accurate. Or you could copy chunks of the story into Google Translate, which isn't a great translation service, but at least you'll see right away if the person has added erotica or written anything that's drastically different.

3 - Do your best to vet the translator. Another thing you can do is try to vet the translator. Ask them if they've ever translated a story before, and if so, ask them for examples. Look at their account and see if they have posted other translations or have posted links to translations. Investigate the authors of the stories they translated and see if there are any complaints. Read through the comments of the original story and the translation (you may again have to use Google Translate if it's a language you're not familiar with... not perfect, but just fine for this application...) are similar. If a lot of comments on the translation mention elements that aren't mentioned in the source story comments, that's a potential red flag.

I hope that helps!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

[blushpawss]

𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐘 𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐄 ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ

ᡣ𐭩 masterlist .ᐟ ᡣ𐭩 wattpad .ᐟ

hi lovelies! 𖹭

i’m yuzu — a 21-year-old asian writer who’s just here to spread cozy vibes ~ currently working on love and deepspace, my fics are all fluff, zero angst/tension/smut. this blog? strictly sweet moments, no drama. just here to make hearts smile — one cute story at a time!

when i’m not lost in my stories, i’m probably curled up with a good book or vibing to my fav music. oh, and i’ve got an adorable orange kitty named garfield, who somehow always knows when i need a mood boost ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ !

english isn’t my first language, but hey, i’m working on it — one word at a time. writing feels like my personal little adventure. sure, progress is slow, but hey, at least i’m getting somewhere��� right?

anyways, welcome to fluffy paradise! if you’re here for the fluff, stay for the feel good vibes 🩷✨️ ～

𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ

1. no reposting

please don’t repost my work anywhere without my permission! sharing the original link is totally fine, but reposting the content itself is a no-go.

2. translations

translations of my fanfics are okay, but only with proper credit! please credit me as the original author and link back to the original post. just let me know if you plan to translate anything!

+ any unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of my works without permission is prohibited.

3. copyright notice

all the content here is my original work, so let’s keep it real! i love when you share and enjoy my stories, but please don’t claim them as your own. we all love a little kindness, right?

4. fluff only

this blog is strictly for fluffy content — no angst, tension or even smut in sight. if you want something edgier, head over to my main blog, @sushiyuzu

5. no hate

this is where readers and writers can enjoy soft, comforting content. if you’re bringing hate or negativity, you can leave that at the door. let’s keep it kind and supportive!

6. requests [ closed ]

fanfic requests are currently closed! thanks for your interest, but i’m taking a break from new requests for now. keep an eye out for updates when i’m back!

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ

i love hearing what you think about my work! comments, reblogs, and constructive feedback? always welcome! let’s keep the love flowing and support one another! 🩷

curious or have questions? just swing by my third blog @salmonyuzu ᡣ𐭩 ～

and of course, don’t miss out on my ongoing sylus fic book! go check it out if you haven’t already — it’s a journey you won’t want to miss!

[londonfoginacup]

Dude I’m slogging my way through a batch of books from the 1800s trying to figure out if they’re out of copyright or not and that’s TOO HARD so I’m just gonna post about something totally unrelated I’ve been thinking about.

I haven’t actually seen it in this fandom at all but probably because our fandom didn’t exist pre- 2010. But like there’s been a general *idea* circulating recently that fic authors are *too sensitive* now and in the old livejournal/forum days people *begged* for critiques on their fics. They think it’s insane that we, the authors of today, keep telling people to stop being assholes and putting negative comments on fics.

And first of all, I’ve got sort of a “and then everybody clapped” mentality about it. Like I’m just side eyeing anyone who’s like “yeah I wanted everyone to give me HARSH FEEDBACK so I could IMPROVE” as if Hans Christian Andersen himself didn’t lay down in the mud and cry when he read a bad review. It is not in human nature to be like “here is my precious child now everyone give her a good prodding with a knife”. It’s just not.

But ALSO you know what was DIFFERENT about LJ days? The community was SMALLER. I might be more willing to risk some negative critiques if the fandom is just me and, say, 300 other people who are so insanely into said fandom that they’ll track down a fucking livejournal community for it. Fandom is SO accessible now that 1. The Normal People (no offense) are involved and 2. Much YOUNGER people are involved. And that’s a big demographic shift!! (Okay “normal people” needs explained but like. A quick explanation being that fandom used to be for the people who would unabashedly say “squee” and “glomp” and wear cat ears in public. If you are not that level of brazen you may be slightly on the normal side. It’s not bad. It’s just different).

Like I personally do not want a negative critique left by someone who hasn’t figured out that a negative critique isn’t “I didn’t like this plot so the fic sucks”. I TOOK A CLASS ON CRITIQUE IN COLLEGE. I do not expect a high schooler who stumbled upon my fic to be able to leave a helpful negative critique! They’re new to this!

But also like. I’m gonna be real. I don’t care what a stranger thinks of my fic. If they post a negative critique on my fic and I read it and I cry, that’s not me caring about what a stranger thinks, that’s me walking along and being punched in the face by a stranger. I still don’t care what the stranger thinks but I will be getting a restraining order bc I don’t want that to happen.

I *will* sometimes go to my friends whom I *trust* and say “hey this fic is a mess pls help” and they DO they say HELPFUL THINGS. And maybe that’s actually what Fandom Olds are thinking of. Because in a small fandom community you can TRUST people! Like being in a church of 20 where everyone has known everyone for forever versus being in a mega church of thousands. I’m not gonna trust a rando in a mega church. I’m gonna trust Linda from the tiny neighborhood church because she makes the best pizza casserole and she cat sat for me once. Expecting critique in a tiny livejournal community =/= expecting critique in the vast ocean of ao3.

Anyway I’m getting on a tangent. The point is, is authors aren’t *weak* for not wanting negative critique. It’s natural. I don’t know you or your history with fic. I will take comments and compliments because that is fuel in the fire of a writer’s heart. That’s symbiosis. I will not let you prune my writing tree with big loppers because I don’t even know if you’re a tree surgeon, and pruning a tree in the wrong places KILLS IT. DON’T BE A TREE KILLER. Yes this is two completely unrelated metaphors. No im not changing my them.

[davidmariottecomics]

It's Weird Being Between Two Jobs

Hi there and happy new year! 

Title kinda says it all in this week's blog, but the strangeness of this time in my life is really settling in. 

Just because of how things worked out with leaving IDW and starting the new job, I ended up with a little under a month of free time. And the first week and some change of that was the end of the year holiday season. But the past week has been me sort of watching from the outside as people started going back to work. I did finish up some additional new hire paperwork, but that took maybe an hour total and I'm still over a week from starting the new gig. It's an odd space to be in. I'm not working for anyone--I'm not getting a paycheck (and am currently sort of living this month off of my last IDW paycheck plus paid out time-off)--but I'm also not so far removed from a gig as to be strictly freelance. 

And to be totally honest, I don't know that I really like it. I am not great at having free time. I like the idea of free time. I like the idea of having time to write for myself or relax with my hobbies. But I am not great at the latter and the former betrays the fact that even with my free time, I'm often trying to switch into work mode. Heck, at the end of the day, my starting this blog and crossposting it as a newsletter/Tumblr/Patreon is all influenced by my not being good at not at least trying to be productive with my free time. 

If you're also someone who has been working from home and especially if you've been working from home freelance, I'm sure you know all the complications of the domestic and recreational life against your job and probably are familiar with how helpful routine and scheduling is with all that. Right now, I'm freeform. I don't want to just use my old habits--the advantage of time off is specifically that I can break a 9-5 M-F format--but I feel like I don't have enough time to start building new routines. So, it's been a challenging couple of weeks. I have not done nearly as much as I think I'd like to have at this point, but I also keep needing to remind myself that I have done a number of things that were on my to-do list and that it's okay to have time off for myself. 

As such, instead of a really specific blog on something of late, let me share a couple quick bits that've been on my mind. 

The Anti-EGOT I recently finished a big relisten of season 2 of Dungeons & Daddies and in the intro to the show of one episode, Anthony Burch introduced the idea of an Anti-EGOT. I think he retroactively changed it in a later episode, but the general idea was to be a writer in four of the least respected mediums and not win an award for any of it. I believe, in the initial mention, the idea was the four mediums of choice would be video games, comic books, podcasts, and pornography (with wrestling being retroactively either added or replacing one of these, but I don't think I'm much of one to write for wrestling). Honestly, that kinda sounds like a dream to me. As I was listening to this stuff in the run-up to the new year, there was a part of me thinking "is going for the Anti-EGOT my resolution"? And I ultimately decided, no. I don't think that's a good resolution, but it is sort of my stretch goal for the year. If I can write in all those fields, get paid for it, and not win any awards (or, y'know... do) in my lifetime, I'll be pretty stoked. 

What my actual goal for the year would be is I want to try to release 6 comics. Different lengths and varieties. I'm not currently anticipating having that be like a single mini-series or whatever, but I want to try to do more in comics with what I am producing. And if I can maybe branch out into one of those other areas this year, even if it doesn't have a release for another year or more, I'd be cool with that too. 

Steamboat Willie Last year, you may've read my four part explainer about copyright! One thing that is repeatedly touched on there is the public domain and what all that means. Obviously, this year, Steamboat Willie and two other Mickey Mouse shorts entered the public domain. And it's been really interesting to watch that play out a little. It seemed like--and I know it's only been a week--most everyone got it out of their systems within the first 2-3 days of the year. A lot of that probably goes to Steamboat Willie and those early shorts not actually being all that interesting (fun, but very story-light). A lot of it goes to so much of what people would want to do with "Steamboat Willie" is either already legal because it falls under parody, is not actually meant to be sellable in any way, or was knocked out in a day. A lot of it too probably goes to how unclear what counts as public domain remains. For a character like Mickey, people have been pointing out are you using elements that were added after 1928 or treading on issues of trademark that are not copyright and are not as available. I am very curious to watch how this continues to play out this year (if it does), how things develop next year, and in the next couple of years, watch how things fall in preparation for about a decade from now when more of the early Disney catalog will be public domain (including Snow White) and other major companies start having some of their big hits become PD (like, say, Superman). 

I'm also kinda bummed to have not seen any immediate announcements/releases of new comic versions of Lady Chatterly's Lover like there were of The Great Gatsby or anything. That's the other really interesting/wild thing about this year--to me, it seems like the majority of the fuss was around the Mouse and the things that've remained popular in part due to the mouse, Peter Pan and Tigger. I have not seen nearly enough talk about One Million Cats or any of the film or music. 

Post-Twitter

The other day, Diana Sousa was asking on Bluesky (and Twitter, I guess), if Twitter is still the major non-convention way that comics editors discover new talent. And I responded as someone who is NO LONGER ON TWITTER but who is still needing to have discoverability of comics artists. I said, part of it is I am on other socials. I see new folks on Bluesky or Instagram or whatever. I also keep an eye on various databases--you don't have to be on Twitter to have access to #VisibleWomen or the Cartoonist Cooperative database or Cartoonists of Color or the Queer Cartoonist Database or the Disabled Cartoonist Database or any of these many sorts of resources. Something I didn't mention there, but will mention here is when you've got a company email address, you've often got agents of various sorts emailing you about talent, internal talent databases and/or recruiter-type folks, sharing info with other editors (and, y'know, I've in the past shared talent who I didn't have a gig for with editor friends at other companies because I thought they'd be a good fit). 

As I've mentioned before, the lack of access to talent was why I did wait so long to delete my Twitter (and also wanting to make sure I had ways of keeping up with world events and following non-comics people). But, genuinely, I am not stressing over continuing to find new people now that I've been without it for a little bit and know I've got a system.  Check Yourself for Midjourney Training Hey, speaking of my explainer on copyright and the lengths of time therein I talk about how "AI" is a tool of theft and companies trying to avoid paying artists for the use of their copyrighted works, the lawsuit against Midjourney's resulted in a list of names of "artists" they've scraped. Now, I only put "artists" in quotes because the list was made by incompetent tech bros and/or their clueless lawyers, and so there are a number of writers listed who do not particularly do art but where you can extrapolate that the artists they work with were scraped as well as companies, systems, game platforms, etc. While I understand that of course lawsuits are expensive, I do know a number of artists have been reaching out to the lawfirm of the existing suit and seeking to join the case as plaintiffs. If you're a visual artist, probably worth the time to double-check and, if you can, do something about it. 

Okay, I think that's it for this week! See ya next time! 

What I enjoyed this week: Dungeons & Daddies (Podcast), Reverse 1999 (Video Game), Nancy (Comic), Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Links (Video Game), Baldur's Gate III (Video Game), Blank Check (Podcast), Spy x Family (Manga), How to Read Nancy (Book), Hitman 2 (Video Game), Pokemon Conceirge (Cartoon), Ted Lasso (TV show, finally started season 3), Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Movie--can you tell I'm in a D&D mood?), The Floor (TV show), my new discord (friends can ask for access!), sending out some feeler emails for new projects and getting to do at least a little bit of writing for myself.  

New Releases this week (1/3/2024): Sonic the Hedgehog #68 (Editor)

Announcements: The Cartoonist Cooperative is still doing E-Sim cards for Gaza and at least 500 people have shown their proof of donation. You can donate a digital sim card so that residents can get access to the internet and have more functional phones and, in exchange, get some comics or a drawing or whatever else is available from the many participating artists. 

You can also give more directly. Things are obviously still very bad in Gaza as we've hit 3 full months of them being under siege. Over 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, including plenty of women and children. Israel has killed more journalists than any single conflict in my lifetime. They are attacking not just Gaza and the West Bank, but other neighboring countries. I hope the Internatioal Court of Justice can help bring this to an end, but in the meantime, the US has significant influence over the situation (between internatioal political power and the weapons and money we're sending as both a nation and that are being sent my many corporations in the US). You can call or fax or email or show up at the offices of your representatives to demand a ceasefire or to protest their inaction so far or to throw eggs at the president for participating in and encouraging a genocide. You should keep aware of actions, demonstrations, protests, and celebrations in your community too. Given the nature of the things, they often come together fairly quickly, so do exercise your due diligence. Also, of course, being informed and just giving your time to Palestinian journalists and writers is incredibly valuable. I don't tend to be a big TikTok fan, but it has proven to be one of the most reliable resources for firsthand accounts of what's happening on the ground. 

Meanwhile, Becca's got their first show of the year next weekend, 1/13 at Alesmith for a mini-con with BizBaz! Come pick up some new for 2024 stuff! Also, they've still got a little room in their schedule for this year, so get them for your comic project before it's too late! 

Finally, calling out my Patreon again as well as my webstore (final stock on basically everything there except Jimmy Squarefoot), my Kofi, and my eBay account as I am between paychecks for a while and those are other ways you can support me! 

Pic of the Week: We went to one of our favorite local restaurants, Rakitori in Hillcrest. They had a spicy cheesy tonkatsu ramen and I'm not a food picture guy usually, but I did quite like this photo and I'm actually very fortunate we ate there at the tail end of 2023, otherwise I'd have already eaten the best meal of 2024. 

[ashen-crest]

Hi RK! I think about you a lot as far as seeing the writer I want to be out in the wild. You self-published, right? Do you have a Guide for those of us wanting to follow your path, or advice on Where to Look for going in the self pub direction?

Hello and thank you so much!! I apologize if this gets rambly- there's a lot to cover, and I hope you stick with me through it.

I am indeed self-published! Everyone's situation and goals are different, but for me, I work full-time, write on the side, and want to push out professional-looking books because...well, because I want to. I currently don't plan to move to writing full-time, and I do have a job that helps cover the costs of an editor, cover designer, etc.

That's all important to establish up front, because that majorly impacts basically everything else about my strategy.

Because I work full-time, I can't write as fast as other folks. I also don't have as much time to spend on marketing. But because I work full-time, I can set aside money for a line editor, a cover designer, a proofreader, and an illustrator if needed, as well as cover a website, pre-order goodies, author copies for giveaways, a BookFunnel subscription, etc.

So, with all that...

Step 1:

Assess your goals, your abilities, your limits, and plan your strategy around that.

I realize that sounds really vague, but there are so many aspects to self-publishing, and so many things that can either cost $0 or $1,000, that it's worth jotting down the following first:

What you are comfortable & proficient with doing yourself (cover design? proofreading? making your own pre-order swag?)

What you have time for (things like social media, newsletters, and designing your own cover all take time)

What you have the money for (if you're going to spend money on anything, the conventional wisdom is cover design + editor)

What you have the energy for (book release speed, marketing, etc)

What your end goal is (publishing for fun? for a career? for something in between?)

Once you have all that jotted down, I'd plan out the following (and this is really starting from square one):

Your Books' Content

What genre do I want to write in? And do I want to put effort into targeting a sub-genre or sub-sub-genre (a successful strategy for career-focused indie authors), or would I prefer to keep myself flexible for creative purposes?

How much research do I want to put into this genre? A lot of intense indie authors will read a ton, research genre expectations, analyze tropes and covers, etc. But if you're just having fun, that's totally cool!

How quickly do I want to write? And the corollaries: do I want to write a bunch at once, then rapid-release? Or write and release one at a time?

What do I want my editing process to look like? I'd consider things like beta readers, sensitivity readers, and professional editors and/or proofreaders. (For later: don't forget about front and back matter, like copyright pages, acknowledgments, "leave a review and sign up for my newsletter!" pages, etc.)

Your Author Presence & Marketing

How do I want to appear as an author? Do you want to go all-out with a website, newsletter with reader magnets, Patreon and/or social media presence? Or pick and choose a few/none of those things? These are major time-sucks, and the conventional wisdom is that you don't want to try everything at once (particularly social media sites). Master one thing first, then move on to the next. (This is a, uh, do as I say and not as I do kinda situation...)

How do I want to handle cover design? Maybe the most important part of marketing besides your blurb. Please please don't skimp on it.

How do I price my books? Check other books in your genre and see what their average cost is.

What do I want my release strategy to look like? Pre-order goodies? ARCs? Giveaways?

Do I want to participate in any promos or paid advertising? The answer is typically 'no' at the beginning, but I've found BookFunnel to be helpful when it comes to distributing reader magnets and joining group promos.

The Technical & Business-y Aspects

(Not things you have to worry about right now, but things to eventually research and keep in mind.)

What format will my books be in? E-books are cheaper to produce than paperback and net you higher profits. But if you really wanna hold your book in your hand (like me) and write in a genre where readers buy paperbacks, then it could be worth planning for that as well.

How do I want to distribute my books? There are a ton of ways to distribute your book. Amazon, IngramSpark, Draft2Digital, Gumroad, Itchio, selling directly on a personal website, etc. If you also want your books in libraries and brick-and-mortar stores, that will impact your distribution strategy.

How will I typeset/format my book? You can do it through Word or Scrivener or even Reedsy's site, but there are also paid programs that make it easier and freelancers who can do it for you.

What sort of licenses do I need to sell books? The really not-fun part. Check your federal, state, county, and city for any required selling permits, business licenses, and tax rules. I'd also look into if you want to set up a DBA ("doing business as") or an EIN (basically a business tax ID number so you don't have to use your personal SSN).

What sort of ID numbers do my books need? For example, in the US, you need ISBN codes sold by Bowker. Not required for ebook, but required for paperback, with a separate code needed for hardcover, translations, or subsequent editions.

How do I copyright my books? For the US, it's the US Copyright Office.

(US Only) Do I want an LCCN (Library of Congress control #) for my book? This helps you get into libraries. If you want a #, you need to fill out a form before your book publishes.

Resources!

I realize this is a LOT to research. Please don't feel like you need to do all the research at once or know everything right away. Put most of your focus into writing and set aside some time to tackle the other topics as you go.

Here are some resources I found to be helpful:

FB Group: Wide for the Win (all about distributing across multiple platforms)

FB Group: 20Booksto50K (very business-focused, almost to a fault, and has some failings, but also has some great advice and detailed insights. I'd recommend using this page only if you're very serious about self-pub)

FB Group: Author Unleashed (great for getting blurb feedback!)

David Gaughran's "Starting from Zero" free online video course, all about marketing when you're totally new to the game

Tammi Lebrecque's Newsletter Ninja books and resources, if you want to delve into newsletters and reader magnets

The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Bucket Siler

The Indie Author's Bible by Christopher D Schmitz

Becca Syme's series for indie authors

A word of warning...

There are a lot of people out there making money off writing resources, aka selling mining equipment to the miners rather than mining themselves. There are thousands of self-publishing gurus with books, consultation packages, sales funnel advice, etc. Before you throw a lot of money at those resources, do some research and take a look at what other indie authors recommend first. (If it helps, I really do trust David Gaughran, Tammi Lebrecque, and Becca Syme for starters.)

Okay that's it!

That was a lot. I'm so sorry. I'm happy to answer any specific questions or concerns you have!

[braveclementine]

Chapter 1

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

🧡🧡 🧡 🧡 🧡  

𝕴 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖎𝖓𝖌 a nice, pleasant conversation with Severus. By nice, pleasant conversation, I meant that my lips, and his lips, were touching and he was holding me in a way that made me want to stay there forever.

But we couldn't. Dad would probably kill me- or Severus- if he walked in on us. Considering he lived here, there was a very high chance of us being discovered.

I lowered my lips from his and said, "You should probably go. Dad'll be looking for me now that the meeting is over." I whispered. A lovely shiver went over me as his lips went to the side of my neck. My hands, which were on the front of his robes, curled into fists, pulling him closer to me.

"In a minute." he whispered. I grinned as he brought his lips back up to touch mine. I closed my eyes and fell deeper into the kiss. I could just barely feel the tip of his tongue on my bottom lip.

"Alright." he said, pulling away as we both gasped slightly for air. "Now, I'll go."

I got up from the chair and he stood and ran a hand through his hair. "It looks fine." I said, handing his his traveling cloak. I, meanwhile, checked myself in the mirror. My hair was a mess. I quickly smoothed it down. Severus kissed the top of my head.

"I'll see you later." He said, his fingers trailing across my cheek.

"Bye." I said and he left the room.

Once he was gone, I felt happy for a little longer before the depression I'd been suppressing set back in. I took in a shuddering breath and tried to push Cedric's death out of my mind.

I went to the dresser in the corner, in the room I got to myself, and quickly pulled out parchment, ink, and a quill. The only way to get my mind off Cedric's death was to write to Harry.

Harry wasn't here. Dumbledore didn't want him here yet. I thought it was bloody stupid that we weren't allowed to tell him a damn thing. There was a large injustice to it. If it wasn't for Harry, none of us would've known that Cedric was dead- or Harry for that matter. And because of that, we wouldn't have known Voldemort was back. (Well except for the fact that I had visions and would've told them unless Peter had managed to get to me before Severus). So, I tried to tell him as much as possible.

In the first couple weeks of June, Dad and I had stayed at our house and I had been really glad about this. Sirius had stayed with us and I had gotten to hang out with Trang every day. I had also explained every detail of last year to her.

Trang had been very alarmed about Voldemort rising- she'd accepted my story without questions. She was also alarmed that I'd been tortured to stop me from preventing the rise of Voldemort, and that a student, my best friend in the Hufflepuff house, had been killed.

I clenched my quill as an image of Cedric lay, eagle-spread on dead grass and dirt, eyes open and blank entered my mind. I quickly pushed it out of my head, trying to think of him alive, soaring on his broom, chasing a snitch, racing me, dancing with me- but even thinking of him alive was painful. A tear dropped onto the parchment. I cursed and tossed the parchment in the trash. I didn't need Harry knowing I'd been crying while I wrote to him.

But now, Dumbledore had made Sirius move into 12, Grimmauld Place. Dad had moved in as well, mostly to keep Sirius company, and so had the Weasley family- minus Percy- and also Hermione. But that meant that I was far away from Trang, for Trang had not moved into the house, and Dad had told both of us that it wasn't a good idea for either of us.

So, we had to contend ourselves to sending letters and only seeing each other on Saturday and Sunday when Dad would let me go back to the house using side-along apparation- we were never allowed to use the floo network.

I knew what it was like to be trapped and so this is why I wrote to Harry telling him as much as possible.

Now we were in the second week of July and today I wrote:

Dear Harry, I know you're looking for information on Voldemort or what's going on. It's hard to say, you know? But you deserve to know so I'm going to try my best. I know you've been watching the Muggle news and getting the Daily Prophet. No, the Daily Prophet is never going to print anything about Voldemort- Fudge won't let them. Voldemort, we've decided, is laying low so you're not going to hear anything on the Muggle news either. I know you're frustrated with Ron, Hermione, and Sirius for not giving you more information. I would find it frustrating as well considering you are the one that came back to tell us Voldemort is here. I've asked Dad to ask Dumbledore to let you come but Dumbledore keeps saying 'not yet'. I don't know what he's playing at. You should probably know, so you're not surprised, that Dumbledore has people following you. I won't share their names just in case, you know? We also aren't at the Burrow, so, while I know you're tempted to fly there- don't. I'm not allowed in the meetings so I don't know what the adults are talking about. It's stupid really. I thought Sirius would let me in even if dad wouldn't, but even Sirius seems to want to keep me out. Says I've been through enough. Bloody hell Harry, I know for a fact he'd let you in the conversation in a minute! It's so unfair! But I won't talk about unfair while you're stuck there and I'm at least here. Even Severus won't tell me anything! (Professor Snape). I'm trying to see if Dad will let me come and visit. I haven't asked yet. I'll let you know soon. I'll send this the minute Sadie comes back from visiting Trang (or if Hedwig shows up before Sadie gets back). I won't tell you to be a good boy or stay out of trouble (though I hope you do). But it is of utmost importance you do your best not to use any magic. The Ministry would love an excuse to put you on trial and expel you from Hogwarts. I'd tell you to stay inside at all times but I can't because I'm inside at all times and it sucks. Write soon, love, Elizabeth

Yes, that looked about right. I was giving him information- Voldemort wasn't doing anything, people were following him, meetings. . . but not too much information.

I set the parchment aside and heard a knock on my door. I quickly pulled some runes homework onto my desk and said, "Come in!"

Dad came in, closing the door behind him. My eyes quickly scanned the bedroom in case Severus had left anything but he hadn't and my eyes flicked back up to Dad. "Meeting done?" I asked a bit coldly, turning back to my homework.

"Elizabeth." Dad said in a warning voice, "You know perfectly well why I won't let you into the meetings."

Yes. Because I had a tendency to try and take things into my own hands and dad was afraid I was going to do something rash and dangerous with the information.

"Besides." Dad continued in a soothing voice, "Fred and George aren't allowed to attend and they're two years older than you."

"Yeah, but you're not supposed to keep me out of stuff." I said grumpily. "We promised not to lie to each other."

"I'm supposed to keep you out of trouble and that's what I'm doing. And it's not lying, it's just not telling you more than you need to know." Dad said sternly. "Now, have you seen Professor Snape?"

My cheeks flushed red. Bloody hell. "Why would I have seen S- Professor Snape?" I asked, letting my hair fall down the left side of my face so Dad didn't see the flush on my cheeks.

Dad sighed. "Alright Elizabeth. We need to talk about this."

"No we don't." I snapped, standing up angrily. "Don't you think your being a bit unfair?" I regretted the words the minute I said them. I ran my hands through my hair, frustrated and sat back down, my anger blown out. "Sorry." I muttered. "I didn't mean that."

"Parents need to keep dangerous things from children." Dad said, standing before me. "but children are never supposed to keep things from parents because they could be doing something that is dangerous."

I narrowed my eyes. "Well maybe you're right about that, but then again, it's a good thing I'm no longer a child."

And I snatched up my letter and stormed out of my bedroom. It was Friday. I couldn't wait for tomorrow. I was going to go straight to Trang's and not come back ever again. Except I said this every Friday when I got angry with Dad, and then ended up coming back because I missed him.

I went up the stairs, retreating from the rest of the house. And then up another flight of stairs into Buckbeak's empty room. Buckbeak was so used to me, I didn't even have to bow anymore. I locked the door behind me and went and sat down next to Buckbeak, petting his feathers.

Sadie flew into the room, dropping a letter into my lap from Trang. She saw the other letter next to me all folded up and ready for mail and stuck out her leg.

"You don't want to rest first?" I asked softly.

She hooted and kept her leg out. I tied Harry's letter to her leg and I kissed her head. "Safe flight Sadie."

She flew out of the room and I leaned my head against Buckbeak, closing my eyes to rest.

🧡🧡 🧡 🧡 🧡  

𝕴 𝖜𝖔𝖐𝖊 𝖚𝖕 to someone carrying me into my room. "Dad you're going to hurt your back." I muttered, my eyes fluttering open to see his drawn face.

"No I'm not." he muttered stubbornly.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." I said sleepily. I really was sorry. I hated when dad and I fought.

"And I'm sorry I called you a child." Dad said though he sounded more amused than anything else.

"Well I guess I can't blame you when I throw childish fits." I muttered.

Dad sighed, laying me down in my bed, pulling the covers over me and sitting on the edge of my bed. "I haven't tucked you in since you were ten." A pause and then, "I am sorry I'm keeping you out of the meetings. I just don't want you to get hurt Elizabeth."

"I know Dad." I said, taking his hand. "I get it, I'm just. . . just frustrated I think. . ."

Dad bent down and kissed my forehead and left his lips there for a second longer and then pulled away. "Good night sweetheart."

"Night dad." I said sleepily.

The door clicked closed softly. I lay awake, my eyes looking up at the ceiling above me. Slowly, I sat up. I crept to the door and looked out both ways, making sure no one was there. Then, I crept back into bed and opened up a side dresser drawer. I pulled out the charm bracelet that I had gotten from Fred in my first year. On it were charms from Cedric and Fred. I fingered the charms on the bracelet that were from Cedric, my pointer finger resting on the Snitch.

'Your going to make a great seeker one day, Elizabeth, I can feel it.' Cedric's voice seemed to whisper through the air. I swallowed hard and tossed the bracelet back in the drawer and buried my head my pillow, my sorrow overwhelming. I took in a shuddering breath and did my best to fall asleep.

⬅️➡️

[witherfide]

Swinger! AU infodump cuz i desperately need to talk about it

————————————————————————

so this au isn’t even CLOSE to being fully fleshed out in any way but i would like to write down some of my visions for it just to have them somewhere (this is masons garbage dump after all…)

as always, feel free to add onto these ideas/express your opinions on them :]

here we go!!

—✧ General Info ✧—

the characters are under a copyright license and were bought for the rights to use by an elderly man to try and earn some love back for the art of jazz, and in turn, swing.

Jazz is not as popular as it once was in this futuristic world and the unnamed licensee thinks that using the beloved characters of Fazbear Entertainment will help people to gain an appreciation for swing again.

the animatronic’s casings have been completely redone in favor of a simpler, classy look. Freddy now closely resemble his original counterpart, with the rest of the Glamrocks having their face paint + other accessories removed.

takes place in a separate location from the Mega Pizzaplex. it is not nearly as large, resembling a ballroom + diner (if that makes any sense…). specific areas like the Superstar Swinger’s Club were added onto the original building to provide lessons.

the animatronics have no prior memories and most of the original programming has been completely removed, so their mannerisms and behavior develop from scratch (they used to work at a normal Pizzaplex, but were transferred to this location as there was not enough business to keep it running)

Sun and Moon are the main dancers in the building, with Freddy and the gang still playing shows with more jazz-centered instruments. the licensee is the one who teaches them how to dance, along with the technician, who downloads information about the different types of swing into their drives.

the Superstar Swinger’s Club is where many of the live events/lessons take place, with the main room of the studio being a diner of sorts

dancing is how they build a relationship with someone. the more a duo dances together, the closer they become. you can find out a lot about someone through how they dance.

the animatronics have a tendency to shut down randomly (was an issue at their first location, inadequate battery life)

—✧ Characters ✧—

there isn’t many in this category since i haven’t fully thought out their personality and dance styles yet !!

————————————————————————

Unnamed Licensee

he/him pronouns!!

older gentleman with a passion for jazz!

doesn’t have any children/grandchildren who are interested in swing, so he takes it upon himself to teach the robots what he knows.

he learned his best moves from his grandfather, who was around during the height of swing’s popularity.

using simple terms, i would describe him as a short and chubby black man with a heart of gold. still prefers to dress in his patterned button-ups and slacks!

a real joy to be around, so much passion! happiness almost exudes from his body when he gets to teach some newcomers

loves a good joke or tease. has one great laugh

not always at the studio due to having multiple jobs, so the animatronics have their own lists of responsibilities (along with help of the technician who comes by) gotta pay the rights to Fazbear Ent. property somehow…

Charlie (technician)

she/her pronouns!! (nonbinary)

has faded red-dyed hair with a short wolfcut. top layer of her hair is in a ponytail in the back. has snake bite piercings and thick black eyebrows.

past employee at original Mega Pizzplex location (Freddy’s former handler)

heard about the renovations of the animatronics and thought it was the coolest thing ever

absolute shit dancer but tries her best for Sunny

downloads informational books/videos about swing into the animatronic’s hard drives (sneaks in some music)

big ol’ softy!!

feels so at home when she goes to the studio. (living conditions aren’t the greatest)

Sun

he/they/she/it/xe/sol/solar pronouns!!

Sun is the main face of the Swinger’s Club, being the confident and overly passionate character of the Dance Performer duo.

got the nickname “Kicker” because of their dance style, mainly consisting of Lindy Hop and Charleston moves.

doesn’t matter if you’re good or not, if he asks to dance, you’re dancing!! they take any chance they get to make a new connection through dance

good luck if you’re new, sol can be a bit fast at times.. (dances to songs with higher bpm ~180)

tends to trip themselves up on other people’s shoes (apologizes profusely while sobbing)

can’t sit still to save their life. always bouncing their leg or swaying side to side

sun is aroace and in a QPR with moon. (they are separate beings in this au!!) they have a strong bond thanks to how much they’ve grown/learned from each other. they’ve been side by side since the opening of the club.

you can find the duo practicing their choreography together at any given time

still a neat freak! everything’s got a place when it comes to Kicker

Moon

he/they/it/xe/moon/light pronouns!!

the softspoken one of the duo, can still be a little shithead /aff (teases the hell out of sun for little things)

doesn’t like being in the spotlight like Sun but tends to forget about everything else when they are in the zone

almost feels as if they glide across the floor with how quick and light on their feet they can be

got the nickname “Dizzy” after they fell of the stage during a turn and couldn’t stand up straight for an hour (licensee is the one who uses this most, moon absolutely hates it)

does more solo than Sun does, still trying to find a confidence within themselves

likes slower tempos and dance styles like Blues and Balboa (does lindy with sun a LOT)

always trying new moves and dance styles out with Kicker (Sun loves trying things that would definitely get them both hurt)

————————————————————————

the story between these two starts at the very beginning, with them bonding through learning everything about swing together. they spread so much love throughout everything they do that it’s almost overwhelming.

if i were to write about them, it would be about how they adjust to their new careers as dancers and how having zilch code to go off of makes it even harder

((just imagining them tripping over each other and making sure the other doesn’t fall as they try their hardest to copy licensee’s moves))

————————————————————————

aaand that’s all i’ve got for now! phew boy….

sorry it’s long hehe- i am just so happy to have an au that i hold so close to my heart for once!!

[strangestcase]

Ok so in regards to That Awful Fic, You Know The One, I’ve realized that a babified, dumbed down Hyde that doesn’t get to kill not only contradicts Hyde’s characterization in the original Novella, but also his characterization (AND reason for being) in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen -both the comics and the movie-… which is ironic since That Awful Fic is supposed to be a riff of LXG, and the author is currently writing for an LXG AU supposedly written to fix the issues with the comics in which their god-awful, ableist take on Hyde appears to be the one in the League

and this is because:

Hyde being a dangerous, violent murderer is the reason he is in the League in the first place. In the comics, the League is recruited by the British Empire, so there is a certain level of commentary on a story in which the goverment knowingly hires a mutated, cannibalistic version of Jack the Ripper to use as a living weapon. In the movie, the League is a ploy by Moriarty, and Hyde is recruited so that Dorian can spy on him and present Moriarty both with the serum and information about him, so that Hyde’s state can be reversed engineered and used to create super-soldiers. If Hyde isn’t all that dangerous, why is he there?

Hyde being intelligent is an important plot point in both the comics and the movie. In LXG, Hyde is portrayed as he is in the book: governed by animal instinct, yet with the reasoning skills, intellect, and knowledge of an upper-class scientist, because that’s what he is. Without his intelligence, LXG Hyde would absolutely useless- unable to negotiate the terms of his recruitment with the League, unable to put his instincts behind when he needs to think clearly, unable to improvise plans (much quicker than the average human!) if he has to. Sure, the League wants him for his superhuman strength and enhanced senses, but him being much MUCH smarter than he looks is, literally, a key point in his characterization in the LXG franchise. Taking that away is a step down from Moore and Robinson’s scripts, and makes the claim that That One Fic is depicting Hyde “better” than most movies (and particularly the LXG movie) not hold any water (other than being rather ableist, keeping in mind they only do that because Hyde is a “child” in their eyes… my guys he’s over 50).

In a meta sense, Hyde not being evil or dangerous enough, portrayed as a spineless coward (I’d say he is a coward but not a spineless one lmao, it’s literally in the OG book, he has more of a spine than Jekyll could ever dream of) defeats the purpose of Hyde being a character in LXG in the first place. In the comics, he’s the let’s say token evil teammate… though he does share that title with Griffin and to a lesser extent with Nemo (who, despite being the villain of 20k, was right, you know). But in volume 2 Griffin betrays the team and Hyde becomes the sole villain-in-the-good-guys-side. In the movie it’s a bit more extreme since Griffin, due to a copyright dispute with Universal, had to be replaced by a new character, Skinner, who is nowhere near as messed up as book!Griffin or comics!Griffin, with Dorian Gray as the traitor- making Hyde alone in being a villain in a heroic team again. Even then, the point of LXG, at least in the comics, was to spoof the idea of a crossover superhero team like Avengers or the JLA- Moore makes the thesis that putting characters that have very different backgrounds and moral alignments in a goverment-backed contingency team is a recipe for disaster, and the “the Empire has trouble distinguishing its heroes from its monsters” line drives the point home. The British Empire was awful, Moore says, they’d gladly have goddamn Edward Hyde of all people work for them and get his hands dirty for them. I do agree that the comics. Dropped the ball hard on the satire but (gestures) Hyde was awful in them for a reason. You don’t have to like it but the reason is there.

The magic in Hyde’s interaction with the League (in the movie, which I like so so so SO MUCH better than the comics!!) is that he’s upfront about being a monster, and willing to latch on to the team like a lost puppy the INSTANT he notices they begin to see him as the human being with feelings that he is. The other members still have their demons, and I’d say the only character that is 100% a hero in their source material is Mina- Hyde is at least honest about his issues, because he literally can’t hide them- he was made to embody them. I don’t know- stripping Hyde of all the traits that made him a scary, compelling villain in the first place is already bad writing if we’re talking OG book fanfiction, but to put that watered down Hyde (the extreme ableism in his depiction aside) in an LXG inspired writing project is like writing an Avengers comic in which you make Bruce Banner a calm, collected, healthy person that doesn’t know jack shit about radiation, and claim you did “better” at writing him than the 2012 movie because you didn’t like that Hulk wasn’t grey like in the first comic! Hmph!

Anyway rant over

[rainbowchewynuggets]

Update - re: Focus and Rags

So remember how I said I’d be working on my first original comic next, Rags, now that I’m done with TMA: Encore?

I haven’t actually worked on it in months. I’ve instead been hopping between other writing projects and working on a much less conceptually complicated video project.

And that makes me feel terrible. But the thing is, I’m not sure I should feel that way.

On this edition of I’m Having to Rethink the Way I Learned to Make Art and Am Posting About It to Organize My Thoughts and Maybe Help Someone Else, I’m gonna be considering the entire purpose of why I make art. Wheeee here we go.

POINT ONE: The Thing vs. the Making of the Thing

So I was raised to make art as an object, not an action. Any project needs to have a beginning, middle, and end, or else it’s a failure. I accepted that because people encouraged it. Having a finished piece that people would appreciate made me feel good. And I liked having a finished piece of art. The drive to see something sparkling and complete in my hands has pulled me through many a difficult spot in a project.

However, it was always framed to me as a business thing, extended as a self-worth thing. If you want to be an Artist, you have to produce art. You have to sell it effectively. It’s about proving that you deserve the role of making art in the first place. The second I started being “good” at art, people were telling me to cut out the “bad” pieces for my portfolio. And that’s awful. I can’t stand the fact that that’s something someone taught me before I turned ten.

And that’s what Rags is. Was. Is. I had a really low point a couple months ago where I never felt like I’d measure up in life if I didn’t start selling my art. Rags is a fully original idea with a finite scope that could be made into a book and sold, which might bring me closer to the role of Artist. The story and design of it are all tributes to things that I love emotionally and writing it brought me joy, but it was being made out of a fear of failure and inadequacy. That’s... also awful. Honestly. I don’t want to make art for that reason. I may never get to make art full-time or even part-time, but nobody can take away my role as Artist. That’s just not how it works.

Furthermore, I don’t think finishing things even why I make art. I make art because the act of making it does something for me. It’s interesting. It’s educational and a little bit spiritual. It’s a physical stim and meditation activity. Writing feels like a simultaneous act of building and solving a puzzle. Drawing, painting, and sculpting feels like a wild experiment with turning feelings into lines and shapes. Making art about bigger art may be a never-ending copyright firefight, but it helps me process why I like that art.

And therapy. Art’s a great opportunity for therapy. It is the only form of therapy that has ever helped me. Pouring my woes and flaws into the shoes of my characters and then having to research and conceptualize solutions for them to build their arcs is a kind of self-loving praxis that is slowly peeling back layers and layers of trauma and ignorance in me. I want to do it and share it with people forever.

In embracing this, I remembered that my childhood wasn’t all business anxiety. There was also this really cool person making the coolest videos I’d ever seen and giving it out for free on purpose. Her name’s Nina Paley. Go watch Sita Sings the Blues.

POINT TWO: Going in Circles

So having the object of art hasn’t turned out to be as valuable to me as doing the process of art. Which is why I can’t seem to finish anything. Which is because I rapidly switch between projects. “Rapidly” sometimes means spending months on something or an afternoon, it always depends.

This never happened to me as a kid, but it’s been a nonstop occurrence in my adult life. Maybe it’s just that I don’t have eight classes worth of homework to keep my ambitions down anymore, I don’t know. But I always felt bad about it. It’s the kind of thing the kids with ADHD in the seats next to me got yelled at for. And I should get yelled at, because it means I’m never going to get anything done.

Well, no. Because that’s not the point. And fuck them for yelling at people.

Also, I do get a lot done. I looked back at my personal website a few weeks ago and felt floored looking at all the little things I’ve made over the years. No big impressive monetizable comics, but a lot of cool ink drawings, some weird paintings, a big group project, and one music video that I literally still can’t believe I made. (Here’s a link to all that, if you wanna look at it, too.)

I through my docs and found so much fun writing that I’d given up on because I “failed” to finish it. So I went back to them, and now they’re a little bigger and even more beautiful than before.

I did all that amidst the circle-going. Because I’m not broken. That’s just how my brain works. Leaning into it works so, so, so much better than fighting it. I realized this while watching an anituber I like, Hazel, talking to her illustrator wife on a Q-n-A about how they get projects done (genuinely can’t remember which one, but here’s her channel). It turns out that they both cycle through projects like I do and have both made enormous and wonderful bodies of work (and careers) that way. I can’t tell you how good it felt to find that out.

POINT THREE: What now? / TL;DR

I’m gonna not latch onto big projects... declaratively anymore. I’m just gonna post updates to things I’m working on currently. If the thing I’m fixated on is a thing that’s already on the index, I might put a little flag to it so that people popping by can see what I’ve added to most recently.

But in short, I’m treating the blog as more of a living archive. I might even put up stuff from my website, too. If I make a poster, it’s a poster and not an announcement. I've always wanted to make trailers for big projects, but it would be better off interpreted as a stand-alone thing made for the sole joy of the art of a trailer. Dev art is dev art. Etcetera.

If I get something big all the way done someday, that’ll be icing, not the cake.

Right now, I’m working on an animatic entitled Chuncho, about Yma Sumac and birds and Peruvian festivals. Here’s some stuff from it:

I’m trying to get it done by mid-September (Yma’s birthday). But if I don’t, that’s okay.

As always thanks for reading,

Rainbow / Carlie

[dgct2]

This is a FANTASTIC article written by Marisa Roffman who runs Give Me My Remote. Definitely worth checking out if you're a member of the Wolfpack and want to help out the writers and actors.

FBI MOST WANTED

For FBI: MOST WANTED showrunner David Hudgins, this marks his second strike. The first time, in 2007, he was a co-producer on FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. Now, “it’s really interesting to be going through this…where I’m a showrunner and I’ve been doing this 17 years longer,” he explains in the video below. “The issues to me are incredibly important.”

Hudgins acknowledges that some of the bigger issues impacting writers are in the streaming world, “but I’m here for basically the younger writers—the people down below,” he says. “Because we got to give them the chance to make a living…it’s not fair. And I think about what they’re dealing with now versus what I was dealing with back then. And something needs to change. And I think now is the time…we’ve got all these people out here, and nobody has relented.”

While arguments have been made online that people should just accept their one-time initial payment for the script or acting performance—a specious argument considering the revenue syndication continues to bring in for the studios—Hudgins shares how he explained it to his family: “If you write a play, you keep the copyright; if you write a book, you keep the copyright. If you do television or film, it’s a work for hire, you don’t own the copyright and the compensation for that is a residual. And they’re not paying enough. So it’s gonna take something like this to get them to come to the table, I think. And we’re not going to stop until they do come back to the table.”

HOW FANS CAN HELP

Entertainment Community Fund

WGA Strike Hub

Donate to TTIE ( Think Tank For Inclusion in Entertainment ) which has various funds.

Use Your Social Media - Amplify what is being said by WGA, SAG, and writers.

Come out to the pickets - Follow the rules here.

Sign the WGA Petition to have the lot at NBC Universal made safer for Picketers. Anyone can sign it.

Contact your member of Congress or Senate and tell them that you support the strike by the actors and writers.

[scarletwinterxx]

WE NEED MOREEE Taeyong dad au honestly all ur dad aus r so good liekkkk

a/n: hiiiiiiii ~ honestly i didn't think about writing more abt taeyong dad au, i loved writing the first one and how simple and cute it was. but never say never 😅 so here we areeee. thank you for liking my stories🤍🥺

For my other works you can check them out here, and for my other story series’ you can check them out here.

and if you want, u can buy me coffee(totally optional but any donation is very much appreciated!) thank you🥺💛

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2024 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

The sight of your husband sneaking around the house to prepare for the twin's birthday. The big 7. It feels like yesterday you were inside the bathroom making Taeyong look at the pregnancy test first because you were too nervous.

As the two kids grow up, they showed more of their individuality which you and Taeyong love watching. Minseo the ever confident one, she took a liking in joining school musicals and performances. She's always been the star in your household and she shines just as bright whenever she goes. Minhyuck, on the other hand, is a big bookworm. As soon as he started to learn how to read, there wasn't a day he didn't have a book on hand. He's also very into drawing much like his dad. You have a collection of his drawings hidden away to keep forever.

If there's one thing you and your husband learned about being parents, it's that time really does fly when you have kids. One day you have to hold their head up for them and the next second they're out making their own marks in the world.

"Do you think they'll like this?" Taeyong asks, looking at the rows of balloons he got for the twins. "They'll love it"

"I got the pink scooter with purple glittery handles Minseo wanted and the orange bike Minhyuck wanted"

"Good job"

"Are we forgetting something?" "Taeyong love, what are you stressed about?" you chuckle

"I just want tomorrow to be perfect and a day they will always remember. They only turn 7 once" he pouts, recalling the days when his babies were younger. Indeed wondering where did the time go.

"Aw love, come here" you open your arms for him, stepping in your embrace and burying his head between your shoulder

"They're going to love all the gifts you give them, we taught them well to appreciate even the little things"

He picks his head up to look at you, "They're not babies anymore"

"I know, I'm sad too but more so excited about they're future. I'm excited to see them explore more, know more about themselves, grow up" you play with the ends of his hear on his neck, looking into his big eyes both your kids inherited. Thank the heavens.

"Does it make you sad, that we never had kids after the twins?" you ask him

"Of course not" he answers without missing a beat, "You, Minseo and Minhyuck are my everything. There isn't a day I felt like there something missing in me the moment I met you" the same words he told you the day you got married.

After the twins birth, it was very stressful for your body to the point you were told by your doctor it was going to be very dangerous when you decide to have another kid. Taeyong is right, the twins are enough and there isn't a day you felt like your family isn't complete. But there are moments, very few, where you wonder what it would be like if you had more kids.

"If we're blessed to have more then that's good, if we're not then that's okay too. Losing you isn't a risk I will ever take. Don't ever feel pressured about that, okay? I love you very much and this life we created together" he tells you, holding your face in his hands

"I love you too" you give him a sweet kiss, finishing the night.

The next morning, very early you get the cake ready for the twins. Waiting for them to wake up. You light up the candles when you hear voices coming down the stairs,

"Gotta keep your eyes closed okay, no peeking" Taeyong appears with one child in each arm, carrying both down the stairs. He puts them down before telling them it's okay to look, "Happy Birthday!" you and Taeyong say at the same time, the two kids immediately smile upon seeing the surprise waiting for them.

The two blow their candles and open the gift you and Taeyong got before you eat breakfast as a family.

It's days like these that makes life worth it, making you excited for the days yet to come and the future you're going to live. You look over your husband, playing with the kids and letting them put icing on his face and think your self how much you love your little life.

[smol-grey-tea]

Hi! Sorry if this is a bit weird but I recently finished Nameless and have been trying to find more content of it because I love it so much, and came across your Tumblr. I've been reading your posts on the game and I especially like your one post talking about Yuri because you put into words what I couldn't. Thank you! I also really love that you're transcribing Nameless into a book! I was wondering if you want some help with that because I cannot get over this game and am planning to go through it all over again

Hi (●’◡’●)ﾉ!!!! This isn't weird at all, it is very very appreciated!!! 😁😁😁😁 I'm always glad to see anyone who loves Nameless, new or old :3 if you want more content of it, I do recommend the dlcs!! ^^ I'm very glad you love my own Nameless content!!! 😊😊 it means a lot to me :)

Yes, Yuri is such a fascinating character!! I have more to write about him and others, there really should be more Nameless essay content imo!! I am doing the Lord's work here!! 😂

Transcribing it has been such a passion for me recently, I like that it gives me a sense of purpose, so I'm very glad people like the idea of it!!! But some of it is difficult yes, and I would appreciate some help 🤔ᴴᴹ

I've already completed Eri, Lance and Yeonho's books, but before I can do anything else with them, they'll all need to be proofread. I've attempted to proofread Eri's before but rereading shit that I've already written, especially for the purpose of looking for mistakes, is actually so. Fucking. Boring. My mom's tried to but she never has the time either, so she can't..

I'm rly not sure how to get someone to proofread it but I think it'd cost a lot of money?? 😦😬 ouch.. So if there's any way you could help with that, that'd be very much appreciated!

After they're proofread ik I want them to have pretty covers :) my dad told me to make the covers myself but, (￣ヘ￣）ᵁᴹᴹ no 😂😂 I think I want them properly done, but preferably by someone who's already a fan of Nameless. I have a couple different people in mind for commissioning the covers but if you'd like to make them, please don't be shy!! We can definitely talk more in depth about stuff in dms if you'd like!! :) ^^

After they've all been proofread and such, I can I think get them self published on Amazon? It should be for sale both digital and physical but I would highly prefer for people to buy it physically since that's the whole point I'm making it

The more time passes, the more anti-digital I am.. It's about media preservation. Streaming services can pull your favourite shows or movies at the drop of a hat, just because they don't bring in enough profit, not to mention the strikes lately. If buying isn't really owning, then piracy isn't stealing. I'm growing to appreciate physical media so so so much more.

I love Nameless so so much, it is my biggest passion in life, that's no exaggeration. It's highly unlikely, but if it was ever unavailable to play, for whatever reason, I don't know what I would do.. I don't care if Cheritz throws copyright issues my way, I am determined to commit this game to a physical copy. To actually touch the pages and display them in my room and keep them forever.

So that's why I'm doing it. I do still of course plan on releasing it digitally, and will always keep the 1st chapters of each book public, but releasing it as physical copies is the reason why I'm doing it in the first place, so I'd really love if people would enjoy them physically :)

In the meantime! On the subject of Nameless merch, I do recommend (￣ヘ￣）ᵁᴹᴹ @/nocturnal-lullabies because they've made their own Nameless merch before as well! I'm not sure if their old stuff is still available but they've said recently that they wanna start doin merch again, so keep an eye out for any new posts of theirs! :)

[myulalie]

spoiler alert: I won't be writing fix it fics. because I don't need to ;)

More seriously this is full of spoilers from live-reacting to the movie, beware.

That opening in Japan was so cool? Like I was into it. Loved the suspicious silver bullet too, just saying...

Animal Shelter owner Scott is confirmed AND single by thirty I wrote the movie before the movie (just kidding, the fic I'm thinking of has a different premise but I'll rec it because self-promo is hot : The Cure with Sterek endgame too!). Also Scott got a buzzcut like his buddy Stiles!

"We call him the Alpha" just no, it doesn't sound as cool as you think it does, it's so corny.

I love how they re-enacted the interactions at the clinic for Scott and Allison, it's sweet. JR Bourne my love, I could feel your distress, but I have to say the bardo concept thing sounds weird (like, phonetically).

Lydia's reintroduction scene was glorious and how beautiful can this woman be??? She ages like fine wine.

Baby Hale in da place, such a fun scene! I mean what did Derek expect, keeping the Jeep at Hale Auto... Daddy Hale is a good look on him and suggesting they call Stiles... they're married, called it.

No seriously they keep mentioning Stiles and somehow don't even show flashback of him? Would love to be the tiny mouse in the copyright talk for this movie haha.

Malia and Parrish are a thing??? Where did that come from? I like that they lean into her non-commital communication styles and I did connect with their relationship (or lack thereof) immediately, especially when it becomes awkward with Scott later on (#thecure by the way).

I did suspect Chris has something to do with the release of the Nogitsune, that was badass.

Eli is such a Stiles rip off it's almost annoying, I like his back story with Derek's beta-shift more.

Allison is hot too wow, damn ladies. Melissa ROCKS obviously and Finstock still got it.

The partial memory recovery twist for Allison to turn her evil is the oldest trick in the book but I like the way they pulled it off. She's off hunting Derek and they're hopeless, some things never change.

Jackson is a delight and he's still with Ethan 15 years later, LGBTQ+ for the win. I am here for it.

Eli and Derek parallels with Sterek again, here goes the whump for Derek...

Sheriff Stilinski has the one and only braincell in this movie.

Peter is here baby, and I loved his entrance. I say: Melissa, Peter and Chris OT3.

"Go get her" no Melissa, no. Not the right line, not the right time.

I kind of feel bad for Scott's girlfriends (Kira, Malia) who came after Allison like what about his feelings for them??? I understand Allison was his first love and holds a special place in his heart but the others feel really swept under the rug.

Alpha roar check. It felt like a to do list at first but considering Eli's back story I kind of like it as a trigger for his own beta-shift.

For a moment I wondered between Kate and Harris summoning the Nogitsune but I'm kinda glad it wasn't Kate. Idk it feels more insidious with Harris.

Also I do like how the other Kitsunes are all brand new and not rip offs, it's more interesting, and I was interested in Liam for once haha, cuties the two of them.

Derek has better things to do than saving the world, he's too busy parenting... oh well, that was wistful thinking.

Finstock is so proud to say Greenberg and honestly so am I. I wish it was only Eli on the field though, Scott playing makes no sense and doesn't serve any purpose.

Did I just see Tyler Posey's ass when he scrambles up in the Nogitsune's illusion world??? I wonder if it was on purpose... also they messed up with his shirt it went from bloody to clean just to make the next blood loss more obvious...

I did like his attemps to reason with Allison and her big ass smile when he tells her he's still in love with her, but isn't it "burning the exact/same blend of wolfsbane powder into the wound to heal it" rather than just "burning it out"???

Peter going down on the ground to sniff blood that is right in front of him... you were a better werewolf than that before Peter... but banging Allison's head on the railing then Chris switching side makes up for it.

The aesthetics for the illusion in the colored rooms was GREAT and Lydia kinda broke my heart, but I'm glad we had this scene (also Jackson. you have a tail. with venom. use it???).

I will not adress Derek's untimely demise because why would he abandon his son, like Peter could have taken his place to hold the Nogitsune down? (also that twist with the werewolf bite was nice, I liked it, it made sense). plus Allison came back from the dead so he will too. In my fics. It's not a fix it it's canon compliant ;).

Why the fuck are they kissing when Derek just disappeared into thin air seriously. Poor Eli, really get someone else to take custody of you than Scott.

I feel for the Sheriff, seeing Eli like that must remind him of Stiles when they lost Claudia...

The little nudge at the end with Eichen House and there always be new teenage werewolves was so on the nose I loved it.

conclusion: I found it extremely fun, well paced with good aesthetics.

Made me want to watch the series (which I've been pushing off for fear of being disapppointed) actually.

So yeah unpopular opinion, but I had such a great time watching Teen Wolf The Movie I wish it was in theaters because it would have been great on the big screen!

[theotherackerman]

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Any recognizable elements belong to Attack on Titan or the Beach Read  

NOTES: Not the fic update you thought but one none the less. Still working on others as well!

CHAPTER FOUR:

There was a part of Mikasa that felt guilty for having feelings for Eren again. She came to this conclusion as sat trying to write her romance book.

First thing was first, she had to figure out who these characters were and what they wanted. 

Wasn’t the point of every romance novel to find romance? 

Well, expect Jaeger’s. 

There was always something else going on in the background besides the romance. 

Then again, she hadn’t read any other romance novels. 

She wasn’t even sure what possessed her to read Eren’s novels. 

Okay, another lie.

Too many lies. 

Too many things to keep straight in her head right now. 

The cursor flashed on the screen. 

This was even worse than the other novel. 

Maybe she should just write a novel about Porco getting killed by a ghost.

Her phone went off.

Mikasa stared at her phone for a moment. She almost typed yes but thought better on it. 

Eren sent her another message before she could respond.

Had Eren really propositioned Mikasa? 

Yes. 

Did he regret it? 

Yes.

Did he make it weird?

Apparently not because now she was pulling the front of his cart through Target. It was literally the only department store they had in the small town. 

She had also vetoed the sheets he had tried to buy. 

“Ah. Newlyweds. Remember those days?” An older woman said as they passed them. 

Her husband just grunted as they went by.

Mikasa ignored it so Eren did the same.

“So tell me why those sheets won’t work again because these are twenty dollars more expensive,” Eren asked as he leaned on the cart.

“Because I had them. I had to wash them ten times in a ridiculous amount of fabric softener before they didn’t feel like you’re sleeping on plastic.”

Well, that was a good enough reason for him. He took the plain black sheets from her and dropped them into the cart.  

Mikasa laughed. 

“You know I’ll have you know I’ve never had a woman complain about my sheets before.” 

“That’s because they didn’t have good taste. Besides, who shopped for them before?” 

Mikasa did have a point. His mom had been the one when he went off to college and Carly had done it when they had lived together. 

But he didn’t really want to think about Carly so he changed the subject.

“Armin is coming up towards the end of the summer,” he informed Mikasa.

Mikasa smiled, “really? I haven’t seen him since college. How is he?” 

“He’s good. Always working on his PHD these days.” 

“I cannot imagine being in school for that long.” 

“Me either.” 

A comfortable silence drifted over them as they made their way to and through the check out. 

It was strange because Eren didn’t feel the need to fill the silence between them. It just felt natural. He wondered if Mikasa felt the same. 

Eren had opened the trunk, then put his purchases into the back of his car. 

“So what reckless thing did you do?” Mikasa asked as she watched him.

“What do you mean?” he frowned. 

“Once your engagement ended, what reckless thing did you do?” 

Eren laughed, “nothing. She moved out. Why? What did you do?” 

“Oh. I covered my tattoo I got with him.”

Eren raised an eyebrow, “you got matching tattoos with him?” 

Mikasa laughed, “I know. It was stupid. I thought he got it. I thought he understood that I can’t love anyone. I won’t love anyone. At least not in a romantic sense.”

“I’m sure you could fall in love,” Eren teased her as he unlocked the doors.

“Hmm…maybe in your world everyone falls in love but in mine….”  Mikasa got into the passenger seat. 

“What happened to make you so cynical?” 

“Before or after most of my family died in a fire during a family reunion?” 

“Shit. I knew you mentioned that Levi saved you, I just didn’t know….”

Mikasa shrugged, “it’s not that big of a story. Family reunion at a fancy hotel. Fire started in the basement.  Levi carried me through the fire and then…Kenny tried to go back but it was too late. Glass exploded just as we got out. Levi and I were both hit with glass, Levi worse than me. That’s all there is to it.” 

“Oddly calm talking about the death of your family.” 

“Years of therapy. Kenny and Levi wanted to make sure I would be well adjusted.” 

“And not believing in romantic love is well adjusted?” 

Mikasa shrugged. “Romantic love fades. Yeah, sure. You feel it then things get hard and it stops. Porco swore up and down he loved me. You don’t cheat on someone you love. You don’t fuck someone else when you know how much that will hurt the person you love. That’s not love.” 

Eren nodded in agreement. “That is true. It’s why I can’t understand what my dad did. If my mom approved, it would have been different. But….I don’t know. I can’t wrap my head around it.” 

“So what’s the deal with his first born?” 

Eren scoffed, “you probably know more than I do.” 

“Because I live here? I live out in the woods for a reason. There were kids who called me a witch during Halloween because I had no candy. I wasn’t expecting anyone to come out there. But besides that he works with Hange, I know nothing about him.”

“His instagram didn’t tell me anything when I checked. Not even a post about our dad.” 

“Seems like he didn’t have a good relationship with him either then.”

“I guess not.” 

“We’re both very depressing, huh?” Mikasa laughed.

Eren found himself laughing as well. 

“If you want, I can see what I can find out about Zeke. Petra knows everything about everyone around here and she won’t tell anyone.” 

Eren thought about it for a moment. Did he want to know about Zeke? 

“No need to tell me right away. Just if you ever decide, I can,” Mikasa interrupted his thoughts. 

“I don’t know,” Eren muttered. 

Mikasa nodded. 

“What was your tattoo?” Eren asked to change the subject.

Mikasa groaned. “It was on my ribs. It was stupid. It said forever his and he had one that said forever hers.”

“Wow…”

“I know, I know. It was stupid. But it’s covered now. He got his covered not long after I did.” 

Eren nodded, “so what did you cover it with?”

“A tree,” Mikasa answered simply. 

“A tree?” 

“A tree.” 

“Why a tree?” 

“I don’t know. I like trees?” 

Eren laughed as he turned onto the gravel road that led to their cabin. “Okay but what kind of tree?” 

“I’ll show you when we get back. What about you? Got any tattoos?” 

Eren smirked, “a few.” 

“Hmm…”

“What’s that about?” 

“What?”

“The hmm….”

“Oh. I just never thought you’d be the kind of person to have a tattoo.” 

“Why? Because it doesn’t fit your prince charming ideal?”

“You’re never going to let that go, are you?” 

Eren laughed, “no. Not really.”

Mikasa rolled her eyes before she laughed. "So you coming over to have a beer or are you going to go wash your sheets?"

"Both?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow.

Mikasa laughed again.

-----------

It wasn't long after Mikasa posted the picture that her phone began to blow up. Honestly, they just talked about stupid shit from college. It hadn't been anything exciting.

------------

Eren shouldn't have been surprised when he returned home that he got a message from Jean.

--------

Mikasa's phone went off.

-----------------------

Taking a chance, Eren swapped over to instagram.

-------

Mikasa may have turned on notifications for when Eren posted. She grinned as she pulled up his page.

Mikasa stared at the comment before she switched over to twitter.

--------

The notification of Eren being followed by Zeke Fritz on instagram pulled the smile off of his face.

------------

Mikasa was waiting out there, smoking. 

She didn’t speak. She was just there. 

Eren ran his hand through his hair. 

“It’s so fucked up,” Eren sighed as he walked towards the railing. “I…I just…”

Mikasa moved closer to the railing. “Is there anything I can do?” 

“I don’t even know what I want to do.”

“Egg his car?” 

Eren snorted a laugh. 

“Just an idea. A bad one but an idea.” 

“Thanks.”

Mikasa nodded. “You know you can talk to me anytime, right? I know everyone says but….I mean it.” 

Eren nodded. 

Mikasa gently reached across and put her hand that was not holding the cigarette on his arm. 

His eyes locked with her’s. 

Mikasa looked away, removing her hand. She lifted the cigarette almost to her mouth before Eren grabbed her wrist.

She stared at him again.

He lifted the cigarette still in her hand to his mouth, his lips briefly brushing against her fingers before he took a drag. 

It was single handedly the hottest thing Mikasa had ever witnessed. She was slightly disappointed when he released her hand.  

His eyes locked onto her once again. 

Did he feel it too? 

This electricity that was coursing through her body, like how she felt dancing at that party with him. 

This was bad.

This was so very bad.

If this was just some college crush that she could push away, it would be easier. 

But no.

They had chemistry. 

But had that ever really been a problem? 

Sure, they were rivals but there was also this underlying sexual tension. 

Eren ran his hand through his hair again. “What are you doing tomorrow?” 

“Huh?” Mikasa asked, being pulled from her thoughts. 

“Tomorrow. I know I said you could go first but I think I just got an idea.” 

“Nothing. Staring at my laptop, waiting for inspiration to strike.”

“Good. I’ll pick you at seven. Goodnight, Mikasa,” Eren said before he turned back towards his cabin. 

“Goodnight,” Mikasa called to him.

She was going to need a cold shower.