#I really can’t guarantee what you might get if you choose writing

[allisonreader]

Ho, ho, ho. I want to play Santa Claus this year. Send me an ask with one of the following below and close to Christmas I’ll answer it, leaving you with a little gift of your choice.

🕯 A phrase of your choice written out with my fountain pen

🎄 A Christmas themed doodle

🎁 A surprise of either a doodle or a short snippet of writing

📜 A short piece of writing

(Wish lists welcomed, but I can’t guarantee what you’ll end up with.)

[showf4lls]

ʚ ― lipstick ; various

info! headcanons, fluff / gender neutral reader

cw! no CWs

includes! chuckle sammy boys

request! lipstick trend

notes! i’m alive! sorry for taking so long y’all; life really hit the fan these past few months. i genuinely really do appreciate everyone’s patience through all of this. i can’t guarantee that i’ll be writing as regularly as i’d like to be since i’m supposed to be graduating at the end of this school year, but i’ll write when i can! glad to be back for now y’all. thanks for having me :]

TED

⎼ it wouldn’t take a lot to convince him. once you clued him in, he would be all about it, little to no convincing required

⎼ would mostly do it for the chance to take cute polaroids if i’m being honest

⎼ ted is in the business of doing whatever it takes to make you happy, little to no questions asked

⎼ he really does love the attention though, you sitting in his lap and peppering kisses all over his face, only stopping to reapply your lipstick. he likes the closeness, the fact that you’re looking only at him, the opportunity to hold you by the waist while he makes heart eyes at you

⎼ you have to do it three separate times at least because at the end of each go he just says, “ya know, i think we should do it again. no yeah, we can definitely do it again. these are all smudged... yeah i think we have to do it again, honey. sorry, i don’t make the rules.” and you cave every time

⎼ doesn’t think about the consequences until it’s actually time to take off all of the lipstick marks

CHARLIE

⎼ would be a little reluctant, if i’m being honest. i would say that he’s the most logical out of all the chuckle sammy boys, so he would immediately realize the consequences of covering his face in lipstick marks

⎼ he would definitely cave after enough asking, though. say “please” all nice and he’s a goner. another man that would do absolutely anything if it meant making you happy

⎼ jokingly agrees under the condition that you let him choose the color(s)

⎼ i have a feeling that the texture would kind of bother him, but he might make himself soldier through it for your sake

⎼ keeps his nose scrunched up the whole time, eyes closed since he can’t see anything without his glasses on anyways

⎼ definitely takes advantage of the opportunity to get some cute pictures with you

⎼ more goofy than lovestruck throughout the whole thing

⎼ as soon as you say that you’re good and finished, he begs you to take off the makeup as quickly as you possibly can

SCHLATT

⎼ really resistant to the idea. it’s an absolute no from him, so if it’s something you really want to do you’re gonna have to be sneaky about it

⎼ you’d have to do it (or at least start it) while he’s busy. maybe he’s cooking, or driving you home, or on a call with some friends and you randomly start kissing his face

⎼ he’s only half paying attention to you, so he doesn’t notice the red kiss marks that he’s slowly accumulating on his face

⎼ like i said though, you’d have to be sneaky about it, so it would probably be best to spread the process out over a couple hours, giving him kiss marks in intervals. he would probably just assume you’re being more affectionate than usual today and not that you’re actively scheming for some tiktok clicks

⎼ you would also strategically have to keep him from touching his face so that he didn’t smudge all of your hard work away

⎼ once he figures out what you’re doing, you better get your video quick because not only is he scrubbing that shit the fuck off his face, but he will find an equally embarrassing way to reign his vengeance upon you

[rq-producerperson]

Hello!

Basic question: any tips for getting into a career involved with creative stuff? (Anything, but specifically audio design and writing.)

Additional information about my specific situation I suppose: I'm heading into my second year of college, and have been working towards getting my degree in anthropology with the hope of going into artifact preservation/restoration. However that's kind of always been a... Second priority, I suppose, as I've always wanted to make a living off of my writing, but assumed that even if that was really possible, I should get a degree in something else.

Last year at school I was working as a stage tech for the college of the arts there (mainly for concerts, not theatre), and I loved it a ton and genuinely wouldn't mind a career in that vein.

The last three months I've been working a shitty assembly line job (9 hour days in a windowless room doing the same thing over and over and over and-). The only plus side to it is I've had plenty of time to listen to stuff, and I've gotten really into Magnus. The Q&A episodes and things like that made me realize that there are other things I could do (and love) in a creative vein than just writing. I'd also never considered that my enjoyment of doing tech for live stuff might translate outside of that, but I really genuinely think it would.

So next year I'm taking a bit of a jump and I'm going to be taking some of the introductory journalism courses at my school. (There's a film and media production emphasis under the major with plenty of room for more fiction-oriented work. And then grad school is something I've been seriously considering since I learned the word anthropology, so that's still very on the table if I choose to pursue this.)

This has been a really big switch for me, and quite frankly I'm terrified of getting stuck at a job like the one I currently have for the rest of my life, with a creative degree just rotting in the corner. (At least with anthropology there would probably be another five+ years of school after undergrad, so that was less of a looming issue.)

Just... Any advice on getting my foot in the door? Especially with hopes of eventually moving out of the states?

Sorry for such a long ask, I'm very bad at being brief. :p

Thank you!

Heya, thanks for the Ask. I’ve had this one sitting for a while thinking of the best way to answer, because the truth is that life is variable so I struggle to give what I feel is meaningful advice when the landscape is always shifting.

However, I’ll do my best with what I know.

The keys that I think are best are Patience, Perseverance, and People.

First, Patience.

I’ve mentioned this a few times but it’s important to remember, life changes quickly and the creative market is constantly shifting. Being able to pursue a job in the creative industry means having the patience to wait for the right wave to paddle to, the right gust to lift you up. But like with nature, there is never a guarantee that the winds or tides of fate will flow your way. There’s an element of chance to it.

You have to be prepared to change and take chances when you feel they are right for you. Shoot out before you’re comfortable and you’ll sink, wait too long and you’ll miss a great wave. I can’t give an answer to when is best to know your ready or what the right chance is to take. I CAN however advise that waiting, watching, and learning is the best chance to take that shot. So, learn as much as you can and stay curious and adaptable.

Second, Perseverance

When you have decided a path to trod, a wave to ride. You commit. Know how to move with the current and keep your focus. It’s easy to keep laying out options, but when you have found that Moment that’s right for you to act on your chosen course, you can go in half way.

Before RQ and during the first half of my employment here I was always working two jobs. I’ve done retail, freelance, post graduate work, office administration, accounting, entertainment hosting, you name it. I was an office assistant when I started at RQ but quickly knew that even though I couldn’t make money with it (it was still just Alex in a Yurt at that time), I wanted to commit to it, to make that job the best thing I could do, and I kept a simple day job to make ends meet. I got lucky, I found a mentor who taught me how to advocate for myself and that I had a creative voice after spending years being beaten down. But I also had the conviction and perseverance to know there was something worth building on.

And we did that together.

Which brings me to my last point, People.

You hear a lot in the creative industry that it’s “about Who you Know” and that’s true, but not entirely in the way you think. Learn about people, what their strengths are, how they compliment each other. Surround yourself with likeminded people that want to attain the same goal, have the same passions. Breaking through the creative industry cannot be done in a vacuum. Always make sure you have a support network of other passionate, skilled, and dedicated humans.

Don’t know how to meet people? I bet you do more than you think. Fandom was my in, not just from shooting my shot, but for teaching me how to work creatively with others. (I still try to do art companion work with fanfic writers when I can)

So yea, maybe it’s a standard answer or underwhelming, but the truth is there is no magic key. There’s Skill, Luck, Determination, and Community that make these kind of jobs possible.

[cynautica]

One thing that kills me about Alyou is that for their relationship to develop you kind of have to address and utilize the isolation that goes unsaid in the game.

Like, we know Robin isn’t some social outcast. She enjoyed her work and was pretty outgoing. The only live interaction we get to see with another human is with Hal where he says she’ll be missed. She quite literally abandons everything to investigate Sam’s death on a harsh alien planet on the far reaches of the galaxy. She chooses to make herself an outcast. Anyone close to her that hears that is counting the days before she’s assumed dead and missing.

Al-an on the other hand is actively seeking his own people. The entire game is him looking for the other precursors, a goal we can only assume extends well beyond the game. Of which for Robin we can only assume two outcomes: they find the architects within her lifespan or they don’t.

If they do find the architects, how does their relationship fair? Does Robin get sent back to human civilization a hero to architects but a nobody to her own people? There’s no guarantee if she wrote about the precursors anyone would even believe her. Or, doing so makes her and the architects a target for Alterra. There’s no guarantee she’d ever be able to find a job she loved ever again, or, best case scenario her writings about the species make her famous. What then? Sure she might have money and fame, but she’ll no doubt never be able to talk to Al-an again with loads of questions still unanswered.

But what if Robin brings Al-an with her back to the human world? She doesn’t seem to have a lot of faith in humans not acting terrible, trying everything from putting him in a cage to keeping him as a trophy. He might get a kick out of being a science subject at first, but we know he’s not quick to make friends. Maybe he shares some advancements with the humans? If he trusts them that is.

The same goes in reverse in what if Robin stays for some time with architect society? They’d no doubt want to learn everything they could about humans resources willing. However it took Al-an a whole game to understand the nuances of human socialization before they even let him near one. I can’t imagine Robin being comfortable in a whole society full of very tall, very advanced, and very nosey aliens. Best case scenario Al-an shares his etiquette and respect with the other architects or they mostly ignore her. Even with this outcome Robin is still in a world not built for her in mind. She can still make friends with the architects, but they’d no doubt feel clinically asocial.

Then of course the third option, both are fully isolated. They neither find the architects and Robin chooses not to return to human civilization. They both have eachother to keep company, but they’ll always be alone. Humans are designed to seek other humans, and architects no doubt feel the same being social creatures. Sure one another might be “good enough” but there will always be that unmistakable feeling of solitude. Alone together, till one of them dies.

Then what? Does the other move on, driven purely by their desire for scientific conquest on the far reaches of the stars? Adopt a pet and live their life alone like Maida?

The closest thing to a perfect ending is that both the architects are alive and Robin chooses to return to human civilization, but both species are able to build a good working relationship. Both Al-an and Robin are regarded as heroes on both sides and still have the ability to talk every once in awhile. It would be really neat to see precursors join the supporting cast for subnautica 2, being our access port for advanced tech. But then us Rob-an shippers have to face the idea that their relationship would probably end with just friendship or both would still be ostracized for being weirdos

In any solution though there has to be some compromise. A perfect ending isn’t necessarily possible.

This is why I think Alyou should officially be classified as tragic yuri send tweet

[tarotchariotpickyourcard]

PAC: Single as a Pringle looking 4 love

You asked for it, you got it. Can’t guarantee how helpful this will be, but let me give it a go. I like pringles, but wow the price for those things have gone through the roof over my way.

Today, I need you to get in a quiet space for a second, take a breather. I want you to focus and concentrate. Think about anything in your past romance wise. Whether there has been something, or nothing. How does it make you feel? What does it make you want?

Now, 3 choices. From left to right: 1 - The magician. 2 - 8 of wands. 3 - Ace of cups.

Choose however you see fit.

Note before we begin. The energy in general has me thinking there’s a need to be a little more focused on what the single pringles here want. 

GROUP 1 - THE MAGICIAN

First impressions: Embarrassment. Hiding under a shell. Feeling the need to stop before even starting. Sadness. Needing comfort.

So first we have Let your friends help you. Ask for and accept support from others.

There’s a few ways this card can play out in my opinion.

Firstly, the obvious. If you want to get out in the dating game, or at least see if you think anyone is your cup of tea, see if there’s some social outings that you can hop on. To get involved with anything or anyone, you need to be seen. So if you’re not the type who’s comfortable going out on their own, existing connections could help. It happens fairly often that a couple meets for the first time through mutual friends. It would also help to know that as a result, they may already share similar taste, likes, dislikes or values. Ps. It doesn’t have to be a bestie that you socialize with, it can be a co worker you get along with, or family, or a club.

Secondly, this actually has me thinking that you might feel a bit stuck as friend material. If that is the case for anyone, I really want to remind you that friendship is so crucial. It can be the strong foundation that makes a relationship last.

Thirdly, get talking about your desire for a partner. I initially felt a sense of embarrassment, so this makes me wonder about worrying about looking or sounding a certain way just because you want what everyone wants: love.

Reconciliation. Someone from your past is returning to your life.

There are sooooo many ways this can play out in my head. So many scenarios.

I wonder, if you connected with anyone very soon, would that just be a rebound? Is there someone that you miss, or feel didn’t connect with you the way you wanted. 

Seek solace in friends (online or otherwise) or loved ones. Get the comfort you need, from the ones here and now that care. Tell them. Tell them what is weighing on your chest. 

Rest and reconsider. Some quotes: “You’re tired, and sometimes, you just want to give up. You may have been disappointed and hurt in the past. Know that those past sorrows have made you stronger. This is a good time to briefly step away from any conflict or issues about love. Rest and reconsider your methods.”

The figure on the card looks like a very adventurous person. I feel that you’re a very strong person, and you’re the kind that stands up for others. I wonder if some here tends to put their all in relationships, and sometimes receives a whole lotta nothin’. If this is the case, now is the time to put the bookmark at this page, take a stretching break (ie. do something fun, yourself, or with platonic connections) and come back to it with a fresh mind. Especially if there’s someone you’ve been missing.

If there is an ex who wants to show their face, it might be best to not get right into things again with them. Have a think to yourself first, and watch for getting involved in an argument quickly. It might help to also write or type down a letter that explains all your issues or complaints about a person or situation, and burn it/bin it/delete it straight away.

For those with no previous interest such as that, I feel that you need to relax and consider what you’re looking for exactly, and communicate a little of that with people you can talk to. Ask yourself, what do you expect from another person as well. What kind of effort do they put in? What values would they need. 

Choose your battles. I really feel especially now that you guys put so much effort in for others, or stand up for people, and the things you believe in sometimes to your own detriment. If you get with someone, it needs to be a ride or die. No half ways.

If anyone disappointed you in the past, I want you to know they didn’t have the METAL to be that person for you. I’m talking about this whether this was someone you were just chatting to and maybe they ghosted or whatever, or the person that left you high and dry after a year.

You have so much to give, and it just reminds me of the big question: How much is that person or relationship worth of yourself? Or is it not worth an ounce of your energy.

I get the idea that people have judged you or looked down on you. Maybe even love interests themselves. I’m not having it. You’re cool. I mean that sincerely. Those people are too busy trying to look a certain way. Never be ashamed of wanting love, real connection. Always stand as yourself and say this is me, take it or leave it.

If they still want to place themselves as higher than you, it’s honestly their loss. I mean that.

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GROUP 2 - 8 OF WANDS

First impressions: Very decisive. Find it hard to talk? Something about the voice. Maybe not so open as others.

So this whole layout gives me the scenario of past romantic connections that may have potentially been a little obsessive, intense. Past life relationship might mean that some of you could have gone through a very karmic, very memorable connection that traced a lesson for you to go over again. This is very spiritually connected. I want to inform you that just because a relationship may be karmic or spiritual in some way, it doesn’t mean it’s the one, or the best. A lot of these connections can be really tough, even hurtful.

There’s a connection also between seeing dynamics of relationships in the family such, as how your parents treated each other and how you expect to treat or be treated.

I see self esteem issues here that may have been taken advantage of.

Oh, there are so many aspects to it. It is a web that you must trail. But it is so worth it for you. You must look at yourself, really, look. Look at your childhood. Look at what you saw of love growing up. I see a disparity. There is this genuine, true connection of the heart that you desire so much. So deeply, yet, anything that has come your way I would describe it as a mockery to your heart.

But it is only a reflection.

If you are spiritually inclined, may I ask that you not focus on finding whether someone has a past life, spiritual connection. It can mean anything, and it could be useful, or useless to you.

You are the most joyous thing of all. It might be helpful for you to do a past life reading, recall, guided meditation or journaling of some kind. To get a gauge of your specific situation or patterns. In this regard, it might be that there could have been a lifetime with control issues in love, lack of integrity, or lack of heart to heart connection. It seems to achieve the wonderful and true relationship that you want here and now, the most genuine connection. There is some inner work to do. And that’s actually a great thing! Because you will know the difference between fake and real.

There is a need to feel desired or wanted, so you might want to look at why you focus so much on that. Have you ever accepted someone's affections without a thought, just because it was affection/interest? 

The cards advise today instead of looking outwards on why you are single right now, look inwards on matters of self esteem, control and how they connect for you.

What does a harmonious, balanced relationship look like to you? What does that mean on values and behaviors of a person? How do their actions align?

…How do yours?

Are you being honorable, just the way you might want another to be? This isn’t to judge. 

If you look at what you might be mirroring out, you might get a bit of a laugh. Things reflect in some interesting ways.

You’re more powerful than you think, as well. There is no meek one and strong one in a relationship of any kind. There is no higher or lower. There are no real separate goals. Only shared or supported.

I also see the need to protect your heart but at a cost. How can truly connect with a closed heart? What is there for anyone to see when it’s guarded so strongly? There seems to be themes of control and vulnerability inwardly and outwardly. This could come out in ways such as not wanting to be rejected, so you reject first.

I want you to know that however hard some of this might seem, this is a journey that is very worthy. You will reap rewards of your inner love and work.

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GROUP 3 - ACE OF CUPS

First impressions: Some progress here. Stuttering. Nervousness. A little surprise is coming. Anticipation. Distraction. Pausing and returning. (Perhaps a few here might have one of those on/off situations with someone). A situation could be tiring right now.

Are you already talking to someone in particular? If not, I wonder if you’ll be connecting soon.

Getting to know eachother - As you reveal your innermost selves to each other, your bond deepens.

If there is someone now, or soon, there’s a connection to childhood.  Either they have had an interesting childhood, a troubled/poor one, or you could have met even just once during it. I Feel like it’s a sign as well, when you connect more deeply with this person who’s due for you, talk of childhood will be brought up because they may feel more open or vulnerable with you which is a positive sign. This new information may confirm something for you, or it may help you understand why they say or do a certain thing. This might even literally be “Hey, I don’t tell people straight away but I’m a single parent, I have a child”

There is a lovely connection available here now or on it’s way I believe. Someone’s friends have a lot to say which amuses me. I feel like this is one of those where the person has a friend or 2 reading messages over their shoulder.

This looks like it is or will be the seeing each other kind of stage, where options are still open. I feel strongly I need to say to be clear about intentions. So if you are playing the field so to speak, let it be known. If you’re looking for fun or they are, let it be known. Make sure you know the same for them. It doesn’t have to be serious like it might sound here lol. If you wonder if you should see each other exclusively, let it be known in a timing that you believe is best. Be clear on expectations so that waters don’t get muddied. (Like a ross and rachel thing, were they on a break? I don’t know.)

If you’ve found things have fallen through after a bit of talking with people, this might be advice to communicate a bit more clearly instead of trying to guess what they want or hoping that they get the message subtly about what you want. We all know, no one is THAT psychic, so let’s make it a bit easier for ourselves. Plus, we love an honest and upfront person.

If you need to put your foot down after some game playing, as well, do that if you feel it’s time, and you’re bored now.

I really feel like something will be putting you in a chipper mood soon. Weirdly, to attract more romance, joy and fun, I see to connect to your inner child. If you have a child, play more with them too. It would amuse me if you met someone who also had a kid at the playground locally.

There is going to be someone who you don’t even have to speak with to connect. You will be able to look in their eyes and that will be more than enough for you.

I’m excited for you. Let yourself have fun here. Get in the vibe, play the romantic music. Get really savvy on what you expect from a partner, or suitor. Get really clear and ready to go.

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Well that turned out differently than I thought.

[findyourlovely]

Purging my thoughts on my millionth rewatch for science:

Ep 1.01

It’s truly incredible to see Andrew Lincoln back at it after all these years. This man might be the best actor in Hollywood.… is that doing too much? I really don’t think so.

We see three escape attempts in this episode and in all of them he barely manages to make it out of city limits, if even that. Tbh it’s wild to me that he never gave in to the ideation, but even without hope his subconscious is still fighting for his family 😭

I know feelings are mixed on his choice to cut off his hand (what was the plannnnnn Rick) but if this man has been alive for this many years I need to know he tried everything to get home

God, Michonne looks so so good

The lighting and color grading when he’s in CRM territory vs his dreams. The only time he genuinely smiles is when he’s sleeping, imagining all the ways he could meet and fall in love with his wife

Why does Beale allow Okafor to make these secret plays when he knows he’s up to no good? He can clock Ricks motives immediately but he can’t get a read on a man he’s known for a decade?

For my own sanity I hope we never see Esteban again so I can just tell myself he lives a long happy life with his journalist girlfriend in that air conditioned prison city

All this secrecy but nobody knows how to lock their doors huh

I’m endlessly intrigued by Okafor. This man is so compelling (and fine, sheesh). He keeps Rick captive for the hope of using him to change an irredeemable system. breaks Rick down to nothing and gives him in all the power to completely destabilize the CRM, but I struggle to see this plan as anything but a drawn out suicide mission. Even if they’re successful taking out leadership, no way they won’t die in the aftermath. And what guarantee is there that the next military leaders won’t pick right back up where Beale left off. What is the plan???

“You didn’t save my life” World traveling poker player Pearl, and she don’t understand Rick at allllll. She thinks not shooting him during escape #4 was kindness, but every day that poor man spends isolated from his people is worse than death. What good is it to survive if your soul is destroyed in the process. He doesn’t see the sun, or the sky, or the water, y’all. This shit is breaking my heart.

It’s interesting that when Rick writes his final goodbye letter, he tells Michonne he doesn’t see her in his dreams anymore. But in the very next scene he betrays the point with the “five pizzas and a wedding ring” proposal.. baby boy you aren’t ever getting over this woman, you know that right? He chooses to give up but his subconscious can’t accept it until she’s completely burned out

That reunion! He can’t even believe she’s real, you can literally see his brain buffering trying to understand what’s happening in front of him. This man had spent half a decade surviving off doodles to keep her image alive in his mind, finally gave up all hope of ever seeing her again and here she is, shot him right out of the sky.

I was really curious to see how this pilot would compare to the original series, and it totally blew my expectations. Can’t wait to see how they finish this story.

[fishing-lesbian-catgirl]

There was a period in my life where I really didn’t understand why people write fanfiction when they could be writing their own stories and characters. But over time I eventually figured it out. People can’t see all the ideas in your head unless you write them, your characters need to have a substantial amount of writing and be of a certain quality for anyone to be able to get invested in them, and they have to be open to reading something completely foreign to them in the first place. But for fanfiction people are already invested in the characters, they already know stuff about the story and setting. The writer doesn’t have to do a ton of work setting all that up and can instead get right to writing the juicy scenes they want without committing to writing a whole bunch to establish everything. And at the end of the day theres no guarantee anyone else will like your characters, but if its a story about a character they already like then its so much easier to get people to read it. These definite advantages are very appealing.

That said, there are also disadvantages. Someone with no interest in the property it’s based on is more unlikely to read fanfiction than original work, both because they don’t have any interest in reading a work that is derived from something they have no connection to and because fanfiction expects reader to have at least a baseline understanding of the story. Another thing is that readers might disagree with your interpretations and headcanons about characters and events. It’s also harder to get published, and people who do “file the serial numbers off” a long fanfic are frequently looked down upon for understandable reasons. One of the major parts of it that I saw as a downside, which was the reason I used to not understand why people write it, is that it is ultimately a derivative work that cannot exist without its source material, and it is not a purely original work of your own creation.

That last part, about pure originality, is what eventually led to me realizing that “hey maybe a derivative fan work can still be valuable and gold”. As I was trying to work on my own things, and trying to be wholly original, I came to realize how impossible it is the come up with ideas that are not at least partially shaped by your perception of the world and how the things you’ve seen have affected your tastes. You can’t write a work of fantasy, sci fi, or any other fiction genre without reflecting the art in the genre that you have experience with. The most extreme version of realizing that no idea exists in a vacuum was when I was trying to come up with names for things. Coming up with a name for something without any outside influences is essentially impossible other than by throwing random syllables around and creating something that hasn’t been used by chance, and even then the syllables you choose will be reflective of the language you speak and other factors that influence your thoughts and who you are.

[siofra-river]

Ive been trying to play morrowind. But unfortunetly I grew up with Skyrim and I can tell it's effecting my gameplay descisions. (Just picking something up, but I couldnt see any indication that I was stealing) Any begginer tips?

I almost deleted this ask by accident gave myself a heart attack 😭 but um ok I’ve got a few tips.

So #1 would honestly be. Get openmw. It’s not hard to figure out how to download but it’s basically a new engine for the game and it’s super easy to mod for things like bug fixes(which you really want), new textures, better texture mapping etc. really useful stuff. You also need morrowind on steam to run it iirc so maybe snag it when it’s on sale. It might be on sale rn I think the winter sale on steam just started …

2. Find some kind of character making guide. Unlike Skyrim and a lesser extent oblivion. How you make your character like really really actually matters. You choose your race, your class, and a star to be born under. All of these have different stats that mesh w eachother differently . Like each race has stats they’re better in and so you want to choose a starting class that can actually mesh with those skills. Skills are separated into major,minor, and misc skills which determines your proficiency in them. The game is very very reliant on your skills and like th other games the more you do it the better you are but if your short or long blade skill is like 5, you’re not going to hit someone very often. ALSO, there’s a lot more skills than Skyrim, armor is divided into 3 class skills, heavy medium and light, swords are separated by long sword and short sword. There’s skills like armorer which will determine how much you can fix your own armor, and some skills will level up just as you run around like acrobatics. Also, just bcuz your skill levels up does not mean you leveled up, you have to level up a bunch of skills before you get a whole level up.

Which also gets me into 3. Which is like. Combat and dying. Combat is weird and a little clunky, you’re not guaranteed a hit every swing but neither is your enemy (again, dependent on skills) ,stamina really matters, and if you choose magic (which iirc is like one of the more first time player friendly paths) than you regain magic by resting, not passively overtime . Which is smth I wish I knew first time I got into a fight I was so confused 😭. And uh, you’re going to die a lot at first? It’s frustrating but like it’s part of the growing pains imo. If you can stick with it you’ll get a lot a lot better.

4. Would be , get used to a different way of questing. In morrowind you don’t have a quest marker, you don’t have a quest list, and you can’t fast travel outside a few select ways but even then not to everywhere. If you join the mages guild they can teleport you to a few other mages guilds, for a small fee, or you can ride a silt strider for a much bigger fee, but again they don’t take you everywhere. You may also run into a spell or scroll that can teleport you. It may sound intimidating but I swear it gets better, it’s not as bad after running around for a couple hours. You do get a map, but like it only fills out where you go, which I honestly really like, gives a good sense of your progression. But most importantly, you store all your quest info in a little booklet, which will automatically update as you progress thru a quest, so it’s important to remember and check it when you need directions .

5. A little cheesy but . Have fun? It’s a different style of game and can get a lot of getting used to, if it’s really frustrating, not fun at all. Don’t be afraid to step back and look at what might be frustrating you. If you don’t like one style of combat don’t be afraid to start another character and try another kind.

I know I have a few friends who know a lot more abt morrowind so if they wanna add on to this I don’t mind. But yeah, morrowind is a good game! With good(and crazy) writing!

[iwriteasfotini]

The Rules I Broke: a Rant and a Warning

Our Love is Written in the Stars is a Marauders era series which depicts my head canon as it applies to the original seven Harry Potter books, it might not be your head canon. That's just the way it goes.

I’m new to the current fanfiction space which can be a benefit or a drawback. I’ve read some popular fics, blended inspiration from them with my pre-existing head canon, and created a pretty solid mental characterization of these lovely people. The drawback is I didn’t and still don’t know or understand the rules and divides which exist in the fandom. Over ships, over characterizations, over plot, over canon compliance, etc. Side note, because of this I will NOT label my series as canon compliant, even though in my mind it is. 

Thus I found myself frequently thinking “am I allowed to do this?” The last time I was in the fanfic space there were fierce debates over certain topics (often very frivolous things mind), so when I started writing there was a little voice in my head telling me what I was writing might be wrong. I brought this up with my partner, and he said, “whose rules are you talking about?” I had no answer. So I finally chucked the supposed rulebook out the window. I know it is going to create some drama. My ships, my characterizations, my plot, it isn’t going to jive with everyone. I never expected it to. So please, before you dive into this epic but fantastic series, know that I broke rules. I did so intentionally because I found the rules to be silly, limiting, and honestly not founded in anything valid (to me). I have read the original series A LOT, I have read books written about the original seven books. I can get deep into canon and into the world. But my own story is meant to be fun. It is meant to be entertaining. Not analyzed for literary merit or if my characterization matches with your head canon (or heaven forbid JKR’s intent) one hundred percent. 

I can guarantee this story will disappoint you at some point. Because I have read some great fanfiction and every single piece disappoints me in some way. I have a mental model of the characters which the author skews just slightly, or I have a problem with a tiny piece of plot, or how a scene was written. There is always going to be something, and because it’s fanfiction, there is always room to wish the author had written it slightly differently. How many people read published fiction and think, if only they had characterized so and so better, that would have really made the story. Instead we read published fiction and think either Amazing!, Good, Ok, Meh, or I don’t like this book. You can’t reach out to the author directly and tell them exactly how and why what they wrote was annoying to you. I’m not saying a broad appreciation of an entire work can’t happen with fanfiction, but I have been there, reading something people rave about and thinking it’s so good except… (I always choose to keep those thoughts to myself, BTW.)

There will be that in this story. Because I am me, and you are you, and this whole story is my except, this story is my I wish there was more or I wish it was done differently… and we will not agree. 

So yes, I bridged the void between Severus and the Marauders. Yes, I have Regulus and Severus and Lily in a mutual friendship dynamic. Yes, I have endgame Jegulus in a canon event compliant story. Yes, my James is Indian, and my Severus is a Spaniard. And Yes, I did create some ships I have personally never encountered before, though I would venture a guess I am NOT the first person to go there. 

And for me it works. For me it not only works but it is fantastic. Because I don’t want to have to choose. Unless it is between Jily and Jegulus in which case I chose Jegulus every time. Wolfstar is untouchable canon. Sev and Lily are WAY more than they were ever given in canon. Regulus! My beloved is so amazing. And I know the debates go long and hot over who can be characterized a certain way and why, who can ship with who, according to you and to your interpretation of canon, or even just your personal opinion. Who cares! 

I am not trying to debate or make any lasting points. I want people to be entertained, to laugh, to experience more fantastical magic (isn’t this what drew everyone to the series in the first place, it wasn’t the ships, that’s for sure). If you find you aren’t enjoying the story, please for the love of everyone STOP reading. And if you try to discredit my imagination I’m going to kindly remind you that we don’t have to agree on everything. And do not get me started on the Death Eaters. Yes they did awful things, Dumbledore is a piece of work himself. James can be an insensitive arse hole. So can Sirius. And there are ALWAYS two sides to a story. So let’s have fun! Let’s return to Hogwarts with first years and watch them mature into adults. Let’s feel what it is like to play a game of quidditch from someone who works their arse off (James) and from someone who is naturally a phenom (Regulus). And if anyone throws a ‘well Sirius said’ or ‘well Snape said’ comment at me, I’m going to shrug and reply with, Harry is an extremely biased narrator, Sirius is a trauma survivor who spent twelve years in isolation in a dementor infested prison, and Snape is one of the smartest and most deceptive characters in the series. You think any of them ever painted the whole truth, I think not. 

If you want to hop aboard this train, I welcome you with open arms. If you plan to board just to throw rotten veg at the other passengers, I’m going to politely ask you to please disembark. 

The glorious madness begins in fifteen days. I hope you are ready. I hope you are excited. Because we are going back to Hogwarts!

>>><<<

This is one of my Author Notes for the series Our Love is Written in the Stars which will begin daily posting on Ao3 on October 31.

[topazadine]

"How Do I Start Writing?" (Or; A Psychoanalysis of Newbie Writer Questions)

This is for my aspiring writers here, who have never done much more than write essays for school.

If you go onto the r/writing subreddit and type in this exact question, you will get pages and pages of posts going back years, most of which have about 15ish comments. And most of those comments will be something like:

Or, this super bitchy response:

And yes, "just write!" is helpful in some way, I guess. But it doesn't actually get to the root of the matter. It doesn't acknowledge why someone would ask this question in the first place.

It's also kind of insulting, because the people asking for advice about writing already know they need to write. They know that writing actually involves doing the writing.

So why do newbie writers keep asking this?

This Question Probably Isn’t About Concrete Advice

Stay with me here. Stay! Good.

These fine individuals are on the internet. They have likely used Google at least once, perhaps to look up a recipe for an apple crumble or to spoil a book they didn’t feel like finishing.

Or, like me, they’re searching things like “does my dog love me” while their dog is literally curled up in their lap. (I just want a second opinion, you know.)

My obsessive Googling to psychoanalyze my dog’s every move is exactly what is happening with said posters, too. They want external validation that they can write. That they have permission to write. That they are capable of writing.

This may not be true of everyone that posts this question, but I like to believe that the majority have the wherewithal to seek information on their own. After all, it takes more effort to make a Reddit post and type out a short message about your backstory than it does to put a single keyword into a search engine. They probably know there are thousands of good writing guides out there.

So it’s not laziness, or absolute befuddlement about the concept of writing; said inquisitors clearly do know how to read and write, or we’d never know of their plight.

No, this is about validation: “See me! Hear me! Tell me it’s okay! Assure me I won’t fail!”

And that is fine. It is fine to need those things. We all need comfort sometimes, and I’d never shame someone for wanting some support.

They want someone to tell them, personally, how to write. And to tell them that they can.

But why ask for support that way, then? Because it’s less vulnerable and painful to simply say “how do I write” than to admit what you might really feel deep down:

“I’m scared that I’m going to mess up. I’m so overwhelmed, and I’m thinking of all the times that I got dinged for not including something in an essay, and it’s stifling my desire to write. I have all these good ideas in my head; I imagine how fascinating they’d be to explore. But I get to that GDoc, and I panic, and my brain goes as blank as the screen.”

And the reason, I believe (though I may of course be wrong), is that you want a list of rules like you’ve always gotten before.

Asking “How to Write” Reveals a Need for Structure

You are desperately hoping someone will give you a prompt, a list of things to check off, because that’s what you have been taught that you need when you write.

If you have never really written for fun, you might be intimidated by that blank page that only you get to choose what to do with. There’s no fill-in outline, no list of resources … there’s nothing but limitless white space that belongs only to you.

Depending on how you look at it, such a concept is either the most exciting thing you can imagine or the most horrible thing in the world.

But, dear writer, we can’t do that for you. We can’t give you an outline for your book, and we can’t just promise you that if you do X, Y, and Z, everything will be okay.

We can give advice based on what works for us, whether that is hyper-specific things like our plotting format or the ways we develop characters, but there’s no guarantee that it will work for you personally. Maybe we can direct you to good writing guides, but those may not always be super helpful anyway.

Creative writing is far more individualized than academic writing, which is “include X amount of resources, answer Y question, and provide it in Z fashion.”

Or, we could snark at you and go "just write!" as if that helps you. Which it does not.

No, here's what you need to realize, internalize, and chew on before you start writing.

You’re the Boss Now

Most of the people I see who ask this question are younger, either in high school or college. At that stage of life, you have never really been in control; you may have responsibilities and stresses, but someone else has always given you a pathway to success.

You are told when to get up, when to arrive somewhere, what to bring, what to complete and at what time. At least one person is always there to check in with you, to grade your work, to give you specific guidance on what to do next, and to give very clear pass/fail feedback telling you whether you did well or horribly.

With creative writing, you take that role instead. You check in with yourself. You assess your own work. You find the guidance and identify the problems.

And you, of course, decide whether you’re happy with it or not.

This is not to say that other writers can’t be of help: certainly having a mentor or two is invaluable, because they can see the issues you might not see yourself and help you troubleshoot ways that will work for your story (that you are the boss of).

People can give you advice on specific issues you have, but they cannot give you a list of things to follow. If they do, you might as well be ChatGPT, and that’s no fun.

There is no secret recipe to success in writing, because every piece of creative writing is its own beast.

There Are Just Two Firm Rules of Writing

Just two. I am genuinely serious here. Anyone else who says there are dozens and dozens of rules is bullshitting you.

So, get out your notebook. Prepare your highlighters. Preemptively put your hand up to ask questions. Listen carefully. Here are the rules.

Writing consists of words placed in a logical order that is meant to communicate something to someone (maybe you, maybe many others).

This is what makes writing a book different from writing a shopping list.

Generally, "logical order" means that you will have a capital letter at the beginning of the sentence, and then there will be more words until you come to a period, question mark, or exclamation point. You will then continue doing this same process for a whole paragraph, and then another, until you no longer have any words left to put anywhere.

After that, you’ll probably have to remove a few. Or maybe add them. Shuffle them around a little. Shuffle whole sentences and paragraphs, even.

There are subrules to this one that consist of things like grammar, punctuation, syntax, and so on, but they all fall under the heading of “communicating in a way that other people will understand.”

That’s all grammatical rules are, anyway: the literary social contract. We get mad at people for breaking them because it makes the rest of us look bad.

... And You Have to Keep Doing It if You Want to Be a "Writer"

I remember meeting someone once who proudly proclaimed herself an “authoress,” but she had never published anything, and she admitted, without an ounce of shame, that she had not written anything in seven years. This was when I was like 21ish and she was the about the same age, so … being generous, she had not written anything since age 14.

Seven years is a long time. Her last writing creation would be in first grade, eating snacks and falling off the monkey bars.

Yeah, I would not consider that an “authoress.” That would be someone who wrote something once and then just basked in the glory of it without doing any of the work.

Think about it like this. Most people in licensed professions need to get their licensed renewed every two years-ish, right? And they have to take continuing education courses during that time.

If a nurse lets their license lapse, they either get in big trouble for operating without a license, or they become a former nurse. They cannot just skate through life being a nurse without continuing to sharpen their skills and proving they are still capable of doing the job.

Writing is the same way. I’m not saying you have to write every single day or you’re not a writer. Even the most skilled professionals need some time off.

But, like a nurse, you need to continue working at it. You need to keep learning, and you need to practice.

It can be as simple as a ten-minute freewrite before work, or committing to 500 words in the evening. Maybe you take one day a week to review your work and outline. If your life is very hectic, perhaps you schedule one hour three days a week to just do something with your writing.

And, as you will see everywhere, reading is a part of writing too. All kinds of reading, whether that is:

The news

Nonfiction books

Blog posts about writing

Beta reading someone else’s work

Literary novels (preferred option of course)

So, with a mix of actually doing the writing and reading about the writing, you can consider yourself a writer.

But you have to do it regularly. Consistently. Incessantly. Until you die.

Doesn’t that sound wonderful? It sure does to me. Not the dying part, but the rest of it.

And, Dear Writer, You Will Fail.

All writers fail. We fail hard and we fail often. We write awful stories, we get ripped apart. Someone tells us that we might as well pack it in and be a rodeo clown instead.

But that is part of the process. That is what makes you a writer: failing a lot, then failing a little less, until you’re mostly not failing (only sometimes).

You need to accept that you will suck at first.

Everyone does whenever they’re learning something. This is especially true if they are taking a skill they already knew (putting words in front of each other) and doing it differently.

Transitioning from plain-jane Five Paragraph Format writing for schoolwork feels uncomfortable because you’ve had certain rules jammed into you, berated at every turn if you don’t execute them perfectly.

All those papers bleeding red ink because you didn’t start with a topic sentence make you internally flinch when you think of not doing exactly what is asked of you.

This, I believe, is part of the reason that many new writers get so much comfort from the rigid prescriptivism of things like “show don’t tell” – because that’s familiar.

It’s daunting to realize how limitless fiction writing is: how you could give five writers the same prompt and they would turn out something totally different until you can barely tell that they began at the same starting point. So new writers retreat into their rule barricade and grow snappish if anyone points out that those are training wheel tools, not meant to be clutched at forever.

Because they’re scared of failing. They think that if they stick to the rules, then it’ll all be okay. Maybe that’s true, but something else is more true (is that possible?).

Failure is not a bad thing. Giving up is.

If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not learning anything because you sprung from the godhead as the lovechild of Shakespeare and Sappho. It’s great to fail as a writer! Welcome it! Because every time you fail, it means you tried at all, and it means you have an opportunity to do better.

The only thing you cannot do is give up. If you do that, you have not just failed on one story or one submission or one whatever, you are a failed writer.

Believe In Yourself

Even if no one else believes in you, you need to believe in you.

Believe you can do it. Know it will pay off.

Make it a habit to reread your old work and compare it to your current work. You’ll see an amazing amount of growth after a while, and it will only make you more excited to keep going.

And you know what? Even if you don’t believe in yourself yet, that���s ok. Because I know you can do this. I believe in you already.

Now that you're revved up and ready to go, maybe you'll consider purchasing my book, 9 Years Yearning?

9 Years Yearning follows two young men (those guys up there actually) as they study at the War Academy, future protectors of a country perpetually besieged by their neighbors. In between Codes of Valor and Military Tactics classes, Uileac finds himself growing intrigued by Orrinir, a boy who is rough around the edges but deeply sweet inside. They fight, they support one another, they ... act like total fucking idiots who can't bear to share their feelings. And there are horses, too.

If you do decide to purchase my book, don't forget to leave a review!

They are crucial for visibility on Amazon, which uses all reviews (good and bad) to determine whether a book is worth anyone's time.

Also, I've been told that if you leave nice reviews on indie books, you'll never drop your PB&J sandwich jam side down ever again. Isn't that wonderful? Give it a shot.

[lelandsgirl9027]

Tcm character description.

Hello friends this is the author speaking, I will be writing a new story on the tcm game and it’s my first story I have written bare with me it might not make any sense and there is guaranteed to be a lot of grammatical errors, but hey that is okay you’re just here for a good story. Btw if you’re confused about the character’s age it is a jumanji style based story :) 

Name:Jemma Smith

Age: 20 born in 2004

Height: 5’6”

From: Estes Park, Colorado

About her: An all around It girl who likes to smoke a little bit of that zaza. One day she comes across an old video game called The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Interested she decides to buy it, she gets sucked into the game and now she can’t tell if what is happening to her is real or if its just a really bad trip from the brownie she ate. 

Ability:Spare Me

If in the presence of a family member when ability is activated the family member will spare her for a brief moment.

Level 1- lasts 7 seconds, cooldown is 200 seconds, reduces stamina cost

Level 2- lasts 9 seconds, cooldown is 180 seconds , no stamina cost

Level 3- lasts 12 seconds, cooldown is 130 seconds, if another victim is nearby it will also apply to them.

Toughness-15/50

Am I bleeding, Bounce back better, full hearts, jump start, no sell, stunt double, tougher stuff, what doesn’t kill you

Endurance 40/50

Choose flight, conditioned, empowered, extra drip, first in last out, high tolerance, I can make it, ran track, immunity, lone survivor, slippery

Strength- 20/50

Bad blood, been workin out, dead weight, jack in the box, no time to bleed

Proficiency- 30/50

Exit strategy, fast hands, highly skilled, lucky lockpicker, pick on me, saboteur

Stealth- 10/50 

Sneaky pete, get it off of me, overlooked, parting gift, radar detector, spotter

Unique Perks:

Am I high- consuming sissy’s poison will give a speed boost for 5 seconds

Level 1- 5% 

Level 2-10%

Level 3- 15%

Contact High- after consuming a health bottle if attacked by a family member they will be stunned and become disoriented for 7 seconds

Level 1- 1 charge

Level 2- 3 charges

Level 3- 5 charges

I got spirit how bout you- if applied before match all teammates will get boosted points in each category

Level 1- 3 points

Level 2- 4 points

Level 3- 5 points 

So that is the character description I hope you enjoy.

[mobscene-london]

MOB SCENE ADVENT CALENDAR: DAY ONE.

All right, so this particular writing event is a little throwback to some vintage Mob Scene, and it’s quickly become a London tradition, too! I would like to first start off by thanking and crediting Lia, as it was originally her idea many years ago. ♥

The event is still going to be called ��Mistletoe’ because I’m not creative.

THE GENERAL IDEA:

For every character you play, you get a piece of mistletoe.

Each piece of mistletoe gives you the chance to nominate a couple–any two taken characters in the group–to meet underneath it.

The players behind the couples will write out the interaction of a mistletoe moment, and you will get to watch it unfold. Many will likely have to be written in an AU format, because I know you people are going to be extra as fuck about this, but the players involved do have the option to make it canon if they so wish (be it in the present, or something that happened in the past.)

THE RULES:

Please read them, because many of you are notoriously bad at doing so.

To select your couple of choice, just send the word ’Mistletoe’ to the main page, followed by the two names, and I will add it to the list. If the couple has already been suggested, I may prompt you to send another to get a more even spread.

You can send your nominations in straight away.

If you play multiple characters, you may send them in all in one message.

Nominations don’t have to be in character. You’re choosing. That said, if you want to have fun with that, you absolutely can. It’ll give me a chuckle.

Nominations must be off anonymous, so I know that you’re only picking one couple per character played. That being said, I’ll be the only one who knows which couple you’ve picked, so it will be anonymous in that sense.

Any format is acceptable. Whether you want to gif chat, do a joint-drabble/self para, mini-paras or a full-blown novel, all is good. Whatever you have time for.

Please don’t nominate a couple that includes your own character, vain bitches.

Please try to get involved! It’s not compulsory, but it’s a bit of fun, and I’ll be kind of disappointed if you don’t bother. If for some reason you really are opposed to the idea of your character being involved, however, send me a message as soon as possible and we can make it known. It’s not a problem. I just want everyone to be happy and comfortable with what’s going on.

When the list of couples is posted, if you have too many characters nominated and you don’t think you’ll be able to keep up, just let me know! There’s no need to feel pressured. This is just some fun, and you shouldn’t feel overwhelmed.

Lastly, after I post the list of nominated couples, if your characters aren’t amongst those selected and you would still like to be involved, I will pick a partner for you! Don’t be afraid to come forward if you didn’t get nominated but wanted to be, and remember not to take it personally. With limited numbers of selections, we can’t guarantee that everyone will be picked. Remember, I know you people and know this is going to turn into massive fucking trolling, so it’s not a dig.

Please like this post when you’ve read it.

The closing date is Wednesday December 6th, but I would recommend getting them in as soon as possible so we have longer to write the drabbles/interactions/whatever they might be. The closing date for the interactions themselves, however, will be New Year’s Eve.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

HAPPY NOMINATING!

[sl-newsie]

Chapter One: Lodging House (Spot Colon x Female Newsie)

Ok so I’ve been sitting on some written Newsies material for a while and I figured the new 2023 year was a sign to let some of it out. It’s a 92sies Spot Colon fanfic, and I’ll leave it up to you whether or not it’s good. I’m proud of it, you don’t have to read it, but I do hope y’all enjoy it! :)

(BTW there’s LOTS of spelling errors due to me attempting to write a NY accent! I also added a few characters and songs, and I will take certain suggestions and requests!)

Ah, Manhattan. A place fer dreams ta thrive and die. I neva woudda thought that I’d have ta make a liv’n here, but we all can’t choose our lives. Be’n a resident of tha Manhattan newsies lodg’n house is plenty enough.

“Get up! Sell the papers!”

Ugh… morn’n already? My eyes squint as soon as my bed sheet is ripped off me.

“Morn’n sunshine!” A bright-eyed kid announces in my face.

I groan. “Hello Race. You’s lucky I’s ain’t fully awake yet, ‘cause if I was I’d throw you out tha window! You’s wake me up like this again, and I’ll see you’s banned from tha races fer good!”

“Aww, c’mon! Lighten up Beccy!” 

I sit up and stare square in his eye. “Wanna bet?”

“Not this early in tha mourn’n!”

I groan again. Then I, very un-enthusiastically, roll out of my bunk and grab my clothes bag hidden undaneath (I know some would steal it just ta taunt a goil). I’m a night person myself, but I’s found it best ta start early. I also make sure my modda’s gold ring is still in there. Ah, life in The Newsboys Lodging House… with a few exceptions, o’course. 

“Get up!” Kloppman yells at Skittery, who’s still asleep.

“I didn’t do it!” He jolts awake.

“What do ya mean, you didn’t do it? Get up! Carry the banner! Sell the papers! Sell the papers!”

Behind me I hear an argument already pann’n out:

“That's my cigar!” Race complains.

“You'll steal anudder,” Snipeshooter retorts.

“Hey, bummers- We got work to do!” Blink interrupts.

“Since when did you become me mudder?” Snipeshooter asks.

“Ah, stop yer bawl’n!” Crutchy says.

“Hey! Who ast you?” Everyone shouts back. I roll my eyes and try ta hide a smile. Mak’n my way ta tha washroom, I see it’s already bustl’n with boys.

“Mourn’n Boots, Mush, Blink, Skittery,” I mumble.

“Hey guys- it’s Becca! Give her some privacy!” Crutchy tries ta shove and make room fer me, but loses his balance. Luckily, I catch him before he can hit tha floor.

“Thanks,” he says in a small voice.

“No problem. Ya leg do’n ok?”

“Not tha best.”

“You’ll do fine,” I say encouragingly as I help him up. “Ladies can’t resist help’n a crip.”

“Alright, really guys- let Becca through! Give tha goil some room!” Mush yells. A path ta tha restrooms is unquestioningly formed.

“Thanks, Mush.”

“Anytime!”

“Now put a shirt on!” I holler as I walk away.

“You know ya like me!” Mush taunts.

“In yer dreams!”

I pull on my usual faded blue shirt, black suspenders, dark gray vest, black knickers, brown boots, and gray cap with my brown hair tucked undaneath.

Afta I’m done dress’n, I hear tha guys giv’n Crutchy suggestions.

“Try Bottle Alley or the harbor,” Mush suggests.

“Try Central Park, it's guaranteed,” Race inputs. 

Jack flicks some shav’n cream at Mush and joins in: “Try any banker, bum, or barber.”

“They almost all knows how to read!” Skittery joins.

“I smell money!”

“You smell foul!”

“Met this goil last night!” Mush brags at me. I gag dramatically.

 “Move your elbow,” Crutchy asks Boots.

“Pass the towel,” Racetrack demands, his face covered in soap.

“For a buck, I might!” Skittery jokes, dangl’n it outta Race’s reach. He stumbles and falls inta me, so I push him off.

Tha rest of us join in:

“Ain't it a fine life,

Carrying the banner through it all?

A mighty fine life-

Carrying the banner tough and tall!”

We all jump in line and file down tha stairs. I quickly grab a broom and sweep up tha dust, earn’n an approv’n smile from Kloppman.

“Every morning

We goes where we wishes!

We's as free as fishes!

Sure beats washin' dishes!

What a fine life,

Carrying the banner home-free all!”

I look ova and begin ta see tha rest of tha younga boys wake up. 

“Hiya Becs!”

“Sleep well, Beccy?”

“Morn’n Joey, Dusty, Kenny, Skippy. Can’t complain- but I still can’t get a full night sleep. You’s sleep ok?”

“Yeah, but Skippy threw up. And he’s warm.”

I frown. “Must be a bug or someth’n. Leave him here ta rest fer taday. As fer tha rest of yous- don’t work too hard today, boys.”

I follow tha boys a few block ‘till they split up and continue ta follow tha olda fellas. It breaks my heart ta know that such young kids don’t have a family and have ta sell papes.

“It takes a smile as sweet as butter,” Jack states.

Crutchy adds: “The kind that ladies can't resist.” 

Mush leans in, giv’n me a wide grin. I just punch him and roll my eyes.

“It takes an orphan, with a studda,” Race inputs.

“Who ain't afraid ta use his-” Jack starts.

“Fist!” Blink finishes.

We take off, run’n and jump’n through tha street, unaware of any odda passerbys. Next we have some fun and leap onta some barrels.

“Summer stinks and winter's waitin'.

Welcome to New York!

Boy, ain't nature fascinating

When you's gotta walk?”

 We all run back inta tha street.

“Still, it's a fine life,

Carrying the banner with me chums!

A mighty fine life,

Blowing every nickel as it comes!”

 Crutchy sings:

“I'm no snoozer,

Sittin' makes me antsy.

I likes livin' chancy.”

 We add:

“Harlem to Delancey!

What a fine life,

Carrying the banner through the slums.”

 We stop and notice tha church wagon com’n down tha street. We begin to walk ova and I see tha boys take off their hats. I’d do that same, but then my hair’d come out, and I’d get more attention than I’s need.

 Some Nuns call out ta us:

“Blessed children.

Though you wander lost and depraved,

Jesus loves you.

You shall be saved.”

 They hold out cups of coffee and rolls, and we’s all eagerly reach out.

“Just gimme half a cup,” Race begs. 

Tha nuns always give me dirty looks ‘cause I dress like a guy, but I don’t care. However I do care when they’s neva give me any food.

“Something ta wake me up,” Blink asks.

“I gotta find an angle.” Mush hands me half a roll, which I take gratefully with a smile.

“I gotta sell more papes.” Crutchy holds up his hands.

 “Papers is all I got

Wish I could catch a breeze

Sure hope the headline's hot

All I can catch is fleas.”

 “God, help me if it's not

Somebody help me, please.”

 We jump inta an alley and join in togetha:

“If I hate the headlines,

I'll make up the headline

And I'll say anything I hafta.

'Cause at two for a penny

If I take too many

Weasel just makes me eat 'em afta!”

 “Look, they're putting up a headline!” A group sings. I look where they’s point’n and see: Trolley Strike Drags On For 3rd Week. I groan.

 “What's it say? That won't pay!” Tha rest follow.

 “They call that a headline?

I get better stories

From the copper on the beat!” We all jump ova tha fence and make our way tha tha distribution center.

 “So where's your spot?”

 “I was gonna start at twenty,

Now a dozen'll be plenty.”

 “God it's hot!”

 “Tell me, how'm I gonna make ends meet?”

 We sing togetha:

“We need a good assassination!

We need an earthquake or a war!”

 “How 'bout a crooked politician?” Snipeshooter calls.

 We all shake our heads.

“Hey, stupid- That ain't news no more!

Uptown to Grand Central Station,

Down to City Hall.

We improves our circulation

Walking 'till we fall!”

I sing along, leap’n, dropp’n, and roll’n as I do.

 “Still we'll be out there,”

 “Look, they're putting up a headline

They call that a headline?

The idiot who wrote it

​must be working for the Sun-”

 “-carrying the banner man to man!”

 -”Didja hear about the fire?

Heard it killed old man Maguire-”

 “We'll be out there,

Soaking every sucker that we can!”

 “-Heard the toll was even higher!

Why do I miss all the fun?”

 “See the headline:

Newsies on a mission!”

Kill the competition!

Sell the next edition!”

 “While we're out there-”

We break inta jump’n around tha square.

 “-Carrying the banner through it all!”

 “A mighty fine life,

Carrying the banner

​tough and tall!’

 “I was gonna start with twenty

But a dozen will be plenty

Would you tell me how'm I ever

Gonna make ends meet?”

 “See the headline,

Newsies on a mission!

Kill the competition!

Sell the next edition!

We’ll be out there, carry’n the banner in the-!”

 We all stop and look ova at Morris and Oscar Delancey, tha two guys you most neva wanna see.

“Dear me, what is that unpleasant aroma?” Race jokes, fann’n his face. “I fear tha sewer might have backed up over tha night.”

“Nah, that’s too good a smell. It must be- tha Delancy broddas!” Crutchy taunts.

“Hiya boys!”

Oscar sneers at us, then shoves Snipeshooter ta tha ground. “In the back, you lousy little shrimp!”

I grit my teeth and step up ta fight, but Jack pushes me behind him

Race shakes his head. “It ain’t good ta do that. Ain’t healthy.”

“It ain’t good ta call people shrimps, unless you’s refer’n ta tha family resemblance of yer brodda here,” Jack points ta Oscar.

“Hey, who here’s up for a bet that Cowboy can take ‘em?” Race asks around.

“I’ll take it!” I speak up.

“Well if it ain’t Kelly’s baby sista,” Oscar sneers at me.

I sneer back. “Well if it ain’t Weasel’s goon and his dumber-than-a-box-a-rocks brodda!”

He tries ta grab me, but Jack steps in between us. 

“That’s an insult!” Morris says.

“Yeah, it is.” Jack leans in his face. “And so is this!” He swipes Morris’ hat and takes off run’n, mak’n tha Delancys chase afta him and earn’n a laugh from everybody.

While Jack goes ta taunt tha Delancies, I go inside tha distribution center and hear:

“ Go! Go! Come on! Get tha lead outta yer pants! Come on! Move it! Move it!”

I walk in and smile as I look up and see tha yell’s origin. “Hey, Flix! How’s it go’n?”

“Not now, Becs! I got these numbskulls ta work with! Don’t push it- you’ll have yer papes!”

Flix deals with print’n tha papes, and I likes to annoy him wheneva I can. When I see Jack again, he’s still run’n with Morris’ hat. Typical.

I also see a pair-a newcomers, who are a bit surprised and confused ‘bout Jack’s behavior.

“What’re you doing?” Tha olda one asks when Jack runs up ta him.

Jack looks ova his shoulda, then back at tha kid. “Runn’n!”

I smile wide and run ova ta join in tha crowd watch’n Jack take on Morris:

“Go get 'em, cowboy!”

 “It's a fine life

Carrying the banner-”

 “You got 'em now, boy!”

 “It's a fine life

Carrying the banner-”

 “Go get 'em, cowboy!”

 “It's a fine life-

Carrying the banner!”

 “You got 'em now, boy!”

 “It's a fine life-

Carrying the banner

It's a-

Go!”

We all break out laugh’n and walk up ta tha distribution counter.

“Ya got ‘em, Cowboy!” Race punches Jack’s shoulda.

“You’re too kind!” Jack bows.

“You’re dead, Cowboy!” Morris remarks as he and Oscar retreat behind tha counter.

We all join up again in line. 

“Oh Mista Weasel!” Jack taunts and rings the bell.

Tha window opens, and I hear: “I told ya before, the name’s ‘Whilesel’.”

Jack skims today's pape, while Weasel grows impatient.

“Well?”

“Back off! I’m inspect’n tha moirchandise!” Jack talks back.

I lean in. “Any good today?”

“As good as any old headline- noth’n new. But we’s gonna make it woik.”

When I pass Weasel my 50 cents for my papes (very stiffly, mind ya), he says: 

“Ya know kid, you really shouldn’t be sell’n. People see a goil in guy’s clothes and they get uncomfortable. Maybe try the workhouse-”

“I paid ya my money, now give me my papes!” I pound tha counter. I’s neva gonna work in a sweatshop!

“Watch it, toots. You wouldn’t want another… reminder, would ya?”

Rats. It’s tha Delancies again. Their ‘reminder’ I got last time was a black eye that lasted a whole week!

“I’s leav’n! I’s leav’n!” I bark at ‘em. I start ta go, see’n as I’s got a while ta walk. My sell’n spot’s tha furthest away aside from Race’s.

Behind me I hear: “Didja miss me, Weasel?” I have ta smile. Jack loves ta get on his nerves!

“Good luck today, guys,” I call.

“See ya, Becs.”

Oh yeah, that’s me. Rebecca “Becs” Carlyle, tha only goil newsie resident of tha Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House. Harlem and Jersey gots a few goils, but theys ain’t so friendly. Tha only friends I’s got is tha ‘Hattan newsies, along with a few from Queens. Odda than that I’s never been outside of New York. Our leader and my big brodda, Jack, says he wants ta go ta someplace called ‘Santa Fe,’ but don’t got the money for it. That’s how dreams die: ya wake up with a slap in tha face called ‘reality’. Now we’s just give up on dreams and sell papes. It ain’t much, but it’s a liv’n, and a family-a sorts.

Alright, time to get to work.

Chapter 2 will be out soon, I promise! If you have requests, please let me know! :)

[randomnumbers751650]

That post on Superman made me think why I’m writing my novel. Since it’s from a work that I haven’t got to finish (got sidetracked because I decided that I should write a fanfic where an idol reincarnates as a mech pilot), I’ll put under Read More.

I mentioned in the tags that gentleness is underrated strength in our current time (among others). Maybe I was just being a boomer when saying this, so you can ignore that, but still why do many people complain? I studied heroism and heroes from an academic point of view and I know that the monomyth/hero’s journey is bullshit.

In my novel, Mara is a loser. Both before and after going to Tabula. Before, she’s poor, ugly, unhealthy and perceives herself to be unloved and unlovable (she thinks her mom hates her and she’s only partially right). After that, nothing changes; even if she gets the “solution” to being poor, ugly and unhealthy, everyone there is brainwashed to serve her and those aren’t either freaking hate or pantshittingly fear her.

But one thing that I want to include is Mara losing all intellectual debates and discussions. I always hated the trope of small kid humiliating everyone else. Mara is just a teenager, she only doesn’t flunk because she’s studying in the literally worst school in all of Tokyo, they’re too apathetic to flunk kids there. Of course she has no capacity to win against an intellectual debate (1).

Returning to Mara, she has a few things: faith, kindness, gentleness. She’s the very definition of a good girl and that’s what being tested here. Tojava is doing all those things because, while she believes in the good potential of mankind, she thinks the best course of action is removing mankind’s ability to choose evil, no matter the cost. Mara has to be tempted to either agree with Tojava or become bitter and closed to the world (because she isn’t becoming a villain, she has no drive for that).

But I’m aiming for a third choice. Mara is a devout Catholic, but, in the beginning she’s one because it fulfills a need in her life (God is love), so she doesn’t really know why she is one. Her time in Tabula will test that and many times she’ll feel God has abandoned her. But through perseverance she has to learn she can’t be someone passive; if God is love, you have to put that in practice. Otherwise, her defeat is guaranteed because those fancy powers are temporary.

That’s what makes Superman so interesting as a character: he has a lot of fancy powers, but they don’t really define who he is; rather, they provide even more incentive for him to be kind, gentle, compassionate. And I hope to do something like that in my novel.

(1) There’s an academic edge to this, which is fitting because I work in the field. Aristotle taught us that debates can be won and the one who lost should submit (I only read his Poetics, but this I’m saying from a former pastor of mine who said this to me, who, in hindsight, was a bit too much interested in winning arguments, and whose church I don’t go anymore for a large variety of reasons and I don’t regret anything), but the more I study philosophy of science, the more I see that, from a technical point of view it’s impossible to win a debate because we’re always discovering new things in science that might make old debates outdated. It’s like attributing magical properties, the final word of a debate is a conversion spell. I won a debate once, when I had facebook, against a contact who always won against me; I managed to trap him and win…we stop talking (he was another who put way too much interest in winning debates), but even after “winning”, I felt it was one of the emptiest experiences of my life. Contrast with Ayn Rand, another person who had a bit too much faith in the miraculous properties of debates, and a big fan of Aristotle, who loved to create strawmen for her characters to beat subhuman antagonists; and whose biographers said it was invincible in debates, but her invincibility was more because it made the other realize “why the hall am I taking to her?” and just move on with their lives. This is why I hate the trope of "super genius defeats so-called wise men", because it's just so self-indulgent in a toxic way, even when I agree with the winning side.

[ziskandra]

10. How do you decide what to write?

12. Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?

10. How do you decide what to write?

It's usually the AO3 matching algorithm that chooses for me, given that most of my fics have been for fanwork exchanges! 😌

A less tongue-in-cheek answer: when considering the pairings and tropes I'll offer for an exchange, I’ll usually look for one of the following: - inspiring requests for fandoms I've written recently - open-ended prompts that would fit with something I already wanted to write - old fandoms of mine I would enjoy reviewing (when I have enough time on my plate to do so)

Even when I’m not doing exchanges, most of my other fics have been created for some challenge or request or prompt. I usually just need something to spark an idea, and if the first little bit of fuel is provided by someone else, the creativity process feels a little less lonely.

Conversely, it’s very rare for me to spontaneously write a fic because I felt the desperate need to share a story! I recall only three periods of my life when this has happened: when I first discovered fanfic as a kid (so many weird HP AUs…), when Mass Effect: Andromeda came out and I finished the game in two days in some sort of fugue state (writing near 10k of Rydam fanfic in a week), and … now with the Meresino. Two cakes and all that, but I think there’s a part of me that’s uncomfortable with writing something unless I know it’s not been written before? And I can’t guarantee that unless it’s a very small pairing or very new lol. Much to think about!!

12. Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

I don't really strongly disliked any tropes, but I never really understood the appeal of omegaverse until I read some excellent Ace Attorney ones that dug more into the gender roles and worldbuilding tropes of the genre — after I took that plunge with some trusted authors I was like oh I get it now. It’s still not something I seek out frequently, but I don’t automatically discount it now!

17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?

I know I’ve told you and others on twitter about this before but Meresino train controller AU. I have a lot of the characters’ respective roles planned out and a few different arcs I think it would be fun to explore.

Meredith is a train controller and Orsino is a signaller, of course. They both think the network would fall apart without them, and they’re right, but they also are yet to truly appreciate just how vital they are to each other’s roles.

Basically, train controllers have more responsibility when it comes to managing liability: making sure the signallers under their direction are given the information needed to do their jobs, and responding to emergency situations. BUT at the end of the day, it’s actually the signaller at the controls, and they need each other, even though they might hate each other times. … There’s a lot of tension, both sexual and otherwise!

(There’s even rumours that in other countries the signaller and train controller roles have been combined but Meredith’s just like ‘sounds fake but okay’)

Anyway, in terms of supporting characters, there’s Hawke, the beleaguered union organiser who used to work in the aviation industry. She’s dating Anders, who is doing a lot of grassroots organising around improving the transport system (and hence doesn't loop Hawke into his plans because he doesn't want to undermine the work she does in the union). Cullen is one of the department's current union delegates and is basically being punted back and forth by management and Hawke like a football. He is very out of his depth but by he is trying his best! Anyway, it's chaotic and everyone is trying so hard but they all have very different definitions of success, and what sacrifices they're willing to make to achieve it. And Kirkwall is a mess, like usual. Some days, the city's rail network is brought down by errant dragons. Some days, it's brought down by a nug nibbling through essential wiring.

Questions for Fic Writers

[douchebagbrainwaves]

YOU GUYS I JUST THOUGHT OF THIS

Hype doesn't make satisfied users, at least in our tradition lawyers are advocates: they are trained to be able to phrase it in terms of its variation from the random expedients other languages adopted. In the capital cost of a long name is not just that it makes life more tolerable. By all means be optimistic about things you can't control. I knew it would feel better; what's surprising is how much better it feels to be working on something, you'd think it might be that starting a startup you need to do things they never anticipated, rather than trying to learn about an interesting theoretical result someone figured out forty years ago, fascinating and urgently needed work. Prestige is the opinion of the rest of your days, even if they weren't paid for it—even if they had to watch over a bunch of changes that will be good for writing server-based applications, and there was my program, written in the near future will be a flop and you're wasting your time although they probably won't say this directly. A lot of people need to search for components, and before Octopart there was no good way to trick yourself into noticing ideas is to become the sort of lock-in that would prevent users from choosing you, don't believe it till you get the first big chunk of angel money will usually be the happiest phase in a startup's life. If you want to understand startups is to look at the spams you miss, and figure out what will make them happy, and that's why so many people said character was more important than ability: I would rather cofound a startup with a friend matters. When you find the right sort of person who has them. Part of the reason people in big companies is that they won't take risks.

Even so I can usually catch them. Startups' valuations are supposed to rise over time. What there has to be a VC by convincing asset managers to trust you with hundreds of millions of people use it in ways you didn't intend, and this trend has decades left to run. There have to be the scripting language of a massively popular language because it is not dense enough. Startups win because they don't—because they take people so smart that they would in a big company be doing research, and set them to work as hard as they possibly could at drawing for the next twenty years will be server-based applications. But he wouldn't, so we were pretty excited when we figured out what seemed to be nothing more than a website. In retrospect, I wonder how large this group has to be good at it; you have to install before you use it. Could this be a big deal. And meanwhile the past year has seen a dramatic increase in a new type of investor: the super-angel, who operates like an angel, but using other people's money, like a well. I don't think you're going to fail makes you stop working, that practically guarantees you'll fail. Make Web sites for people who didn't want them, we could make, the thing people will pay most for? Blogger is a famous example of a startup that went through really low lows and survived.

We often emphasize how rarely startups win simply because they hit on some magic idea. This is an astounding number, because I wasn't looking for it. But they won't always have to be really good at tricking you. Programming language design will not be about whether to make your language strongly or weakly typed, or object oriented, or functional, or whatever, and then figure out a way to answer the question, how do you design a language programmers will love as it is, represents the most economical route to the sea. Hacker, Eric Raymond describes Lisp as something like Latin or Greek—a language you should learn as an intellectual exercise, even though you won't actually use it: Lisp is worth learning for the profound enlightenment experience you will have when you finally get it; that experience will make you a better programmer, if it was not a tenth as motivated as the startup. In that kind of problem. There are a lot of external evidence that benevolence works. This is an instance of a very important meta-trend, one that Y Combinator itself has been based on from the beginning. Being at the leading edge of some rapidly changing field live in the future and build what's missing. How do you do that in a language without an interactive toplevel, and I tend to conclude with a few vague questions and then drift off to get a cup of tea. Maybe for the first couple months a startup may completely redefine their idea. Plenty of famous founders have had some failures along the way.

If anyone at Yahoo considered the idea of loving one's work. On the other hand, startup investing is a very good profiler, rather than having brilliant flashes of strategic insight I was supposed to be studying for finals. In a job there is much more damping. And so interfaces tend not to give you money. I've read was not in a book, and something to hack. Notice, though, that even with all the fat trimmed off its market cap. But you have to choose between spending time on the software. The company felt prematurely old. By the end of the scale there are so many universities competing to attract students that the mere establishment of a discipline requires little more than the valuation of the company, intellectual property issues, and so, later, was Perl. Typically these rights include vetoes over major strategic decisions, protection against being squashed by VCs in future rounds. This really is kind of a bug. If you can attract the best hackers to work for the hot startup that's rapidly growing into one.