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zombeebunnie · 3 months

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Trembling Essence:💙Choice exploration + finished scenes💙

Hello and welcome new followers, here's an update on how things are going with the game! Firstly a big thank you to the sudden influx of support I got this week, I'm happy knowing people liked the little meme video I did! :,]

This post might be a little long since I had to rewrite a few things, I was trying to upload a picture of one of the new areas you can go in but I got an error and couldn't save what I wrote. :,S

Anywho, I mainly focused on quality of life changes and continued working with the one of the endings you can get at the start of the game.

I don't really know where to start but this ending took a lot longer than expected to really hit what I've been trying to go for. At first, it was going to have two different endings. I took out one of them because I didn't have much of a connection with it and I liked the idea of it being straightforward instead. When I went back over it, everything happened too quickly for my liking. To fix this I went back and added a few choices to at least give you an idea of what the area is like and how it effects the player(Y/N) while making sure the dialog transitioned correctly with what you see on the screen. It's nothing too wordy but I do like it a lot more than I did before. Even though this is still considered one ending there is a alternate version you can get depending on a certain choice. Towards the end I fixed up all the spelling errors I could find and happily enough, there wasn't many. For right now I'd say this ending is finished! Yay! x]

Here's one of my favorite CG's I drew for it:

I love how it turned out because I really want to do different angles and perspective through the terrain, I think this one is my favorite so far! :,,]

Here's a evening time version of it:

It's suppose to be raining in this image but I still need to practice getting the angle correct. :,,]

I'm also fixing/brainstorming up the second/third ending. This one will have two different areas you can navigate through to get an idea of where you are and a few hints of lore that will be referenced later on in the game. Those that have played the [Extended Demo] you probably know which ones I'm talking about. >;]

I already like the idea of them but for one of the paths, I didn't have enough time to branch it out and make backgrounds for it in the [Extended Demo] so here's a peek of a placeholder since I'm still sketching stuff out, nothing is finalized yet. :[]

Super close to the cabin section, yay! I actually miss writing/drawing out the segments in the cabin a whole bunch so I really can't wait to fix up that part once I'm done with the swamplands. :,,]

I said last week I'd post some of the new backgrounds/areas so here you go:

Kofi update:

I also had a small talk with my play testers and one of the things they brought up is that I should be promoting my ko-fi better so from now on I'll have little mini doodles doing so at the end of every game development post as a way to promote it! :] All donations and tips help tremendously while I work on the game. If you like what I create, please consider supporting what I do here! I was able to use previous tips to get a new wrist support brace when I'm drawing so a very big thank you to everyone who gave a tip! :,,]

Q&A / Ask box is open:

If you have any questions about Trembling Essence/Noah feel free to ask here or on itch.io please. This makes it easier for me to see and answer accordingly! I would really like to hear from you guys!

I enjoyed answering the asks I got recently this week! I'm trying to finish the rest when I can including the ones I remember that got deleted. There were some I genuinely couldn't answer because it would require me to mention major spoilers/the questions have spoilers in them. :,]

This post is getting really long now so that's all I have to discuss, thank you guys very much for all of the encouraging support this past week, I appreciate it a whole bunch! :,,]

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gffa · 10 months

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Be proud of me, you guys. I got kind of knocked down the last week because of shark week and some bad reactions to food I ate, which had me utterly wiped, so today has seen me: - Get six hours of sleep, go me! - Up to over 4,000 bookmarks on AO3, where I'm probably halfway through the Star Wars stuff and then I can wrap up with the DC stuff. It took longer than I expected because I was doing some external bookmarks for some of my favorite X/Tokyo Babylon and Weiss Kreuz and Bleach fic, but mostly it's just that I've read A LOT of Star Wars fic. orz - Half an hour of exercise which was actually really hard considering how wiped I was, but I did it! - Finally started cleaning out the fridge and getting rid of the perfect temp (so cold it's on the edge of icing over) soda, you guys don't know how hard that was to let go, I love that stuff, it was exactly how I liked it, but I am determined to cut out the caffeine and aspartame. But. So hard to let go!!! - Six more bags of garbage on top of the usual stuff and about five more (little) boxes (of so much detailed stuff you have to go through piece by piece) to donate. - Finished Iron Widow and I would like Heavenly Tyrant to be out now, please. Currently, I'm trying to psych myself up to get back to cleaning the fridge again, I started Jade City by Fonda Lee and am enjoying it a lot so far, and now it's time to relax with stupid on-line stuff, I have a whole bunch of podcasts and video essays to catch up on!

#lumi.txt

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cordria · 2 years

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Need some help

I've found myself in a little pickle, and I need some thoughts from people who are not involved. If you'd like to read and answer the ending poll, please read more. Poll at the end.

Necessary backstory part 1: When I first met my brother in law (BIL), my husband referred to him as an 'asshole'. BIL was raised in a family with very 1950's thoughts of how women are supposed to be, drank all that kool-aide, and got a huge dose of 'I get everything I ask for' on top of it.

In the years I've known BIL, I've found my husband's initial description to be apt. Always needs the best stuff, saves no money at all, bounces between jobs, gets everything he wants but never seems to be happy. Took up drinking about ten years ago and never looked back. Haven't had a sober interaction with him in years.

Necessary backstory part 2: Every year, my in-laws do a big family reunion at the end of December. Plan it a year in advance. Put down a deposit on a large party room. This year, in early-ish December, BIL texts and says he got the greatest tickets ever to go to Mexico - super cheap flight and resort stay. Only the plane leaves the day before the big family get-together... so can we move it?? Everyone reorganize their schedules instead of him just not come?

And... yes. Apparently my mother in law bent over backwards to move this family reunion for him. Everybody lost our non-refundable deposits. Had to do the reunion at my mother in law's tiny little house. Had to listen to my husband complain for a week about the whole thing.

Necessary backstory part 3: BIL was married and had two kids (currently 18 and 21), then divorced and found this new girlfriend and had two more kids (4 and 6) with her. When he got these tickets, he had framed it as a 'family vacation' and said 'the kids were going to have a blast'. Apparently when he said 'family' he meant him, his girlfriend, and his two newer kids. Not his older kids, who had thought they'd be invited as well, only to find out they don't apparently count as family anymore.

So we're walking into this reunion with feels, right? And lots of people are walking into this reunion with FEELS. Tense would be a good word for it. Ready to punch BIL into oblivion if he says the wrong thing would be another way to describe it.

SO. Story time.

Holiday gifts are being exchanged. We get BIL and family a gift card for a dinner out, and get nothing in return (as usual). Towards the end, BIL pulls out his wallet and grabs a bunch of money. Calls his two older kids over and hands them each a hundred dollars. That's it. That's their entire holiday present. Then he calls over (most) of the rest of his nieces and nephews and hands them each fifty dollars. My son gets skipped.

Normally, I'd call him out on it, because he's drunk and probably forgot my son (who was quietly playing with his new Lego set in the corner) even existed. But the atmosphere was tense and I was definitely on the side of just let it go. It'd take more than $50 to stick my hand in that hornet's nest.

Nobody really noticed. My daughter did, even offered to split hers with him, but I shook that idea off and just gave her a hug for being awesome. Repeat the phrase I've said plenty: gifts are given, not demanded to be received. BIL is under no obligation to give everyone a gift - even if he's an asshole for skipping just one kid, it's his choice.

Party goes without too much of a hitch, but everyone is definitely happier when BIL leaves early to go to a different party. (although the amount of bitching about how we had to move the whole thing and he left early?? was just insane to listen to)

Afterward the party is over and we head home, daughter goes shopping with part of her money (donated some to the food shelf near our house, saved the rest) and gets some doll thing she's been wanting. Son picks out a dinosaur that roars when you squeeze it. (They ended up with a significant sum of money from several relatives.)

We go home, write thank you cards. (yes, I'm old fashioned. If you get money or a gift in the mail, you send a thank you card.) Daughter writes out her cards (she had five to send), son does his four (same four, then not one to BIL). Thank you cards are getting too expensive to send for not getting a gift. Mail them off, think nothing of it, move on.

About a week later, I get a text from mother in law asking when my son's thank you card to BIL would arrive. I reply back that he's not getting one. If one does not give a gift, one does not get a thank-you card.

CUE DRAMA. OMG levels of drama. BIL was too drunk to remember what happened, and thinks he gave my son some money, and refuses to be talked out of it. Thinks that if he really missed someone, he would've been told at the time. He's dug himself a deeeeeep hole and nobody's going to be able to get him out of it.

Current situation, which is now almost six weeks of this insanity: My daughter's birthday is coming up, and BIL is threatening not to come and bring a gift if we don't send him a thank you card from my son. My instinct was to respond 'you were not invited; I don't want your drunk ass in my house ever again', but thought better of that before I clicked 'send'.

MIL is on BIL's side, thinks I should just send the thank you card and keep the peace, that it's just a silly little card and it doesn't mean anything. Husband is on my side, thinking BIL is throwing a man-child sized fit my three-year-old is old enough to know not to do.

Nobody's arguing that I'm in the wrong here, btw (other than BIL). I'm not the asshole in this situation. Nobody thinks I am.

HOWEVER. Sometimes you can stand on the moral high-ground of one battlefield and watch the war fall apart around you. Makes you wonder what's the bigger goal? I'm not 'fixing' my BIL with this. I'm not making a dent in the toxic hell-hole of a FOX-riddled black hole he calls a brain.

So now I have to make a choice - a bigger choice than just the stupid $2 thank you card. And here's where I need your thoughts.

Option 1: send the stupid thank you card. I'll likely hear about this later when he tries to lord his 'win' over me, but it'll stop the family rift. My children will not have to be in the middle of an almost-50-year-old throwing a tantrum any two-year-old would watch in amazement. Even though I and my husband would be willing (and happy) to never see BIL again, it's harder to unilaterally cut that tie from my children's lives. They deserve to get to know their family, and understand their family - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Option 2: send an essentially blank thank you card. He'll get his card, but I am not sinking down to actually thanking him for anything. 50/50 on whether this would solve anything or make it worse, though. Would simply depend on his mental state when he gets it.

Option 3: hold onto my moral high ground, disinvite him from a party he wasn't invited to anyways, and wait for the chaos or for BIL to forget about it. This could possibly be the stake that drives BIL away (not sad at that thought). My worry is that where BIL goes, my children's nana will go as well. And the ultimate worry would be that we (me, my husband, and our kids) stop getting invited to family functions, since MIL coordinates most of them and she has zero backbone when it comes to BIL. It's a not-unreal possibility that this could cut a good portion of my husband's family out of my children's lives for some time (and most of the rest are wonderful people). And even if the worst was not to happen, this'll be a constant source of stress and strain on everyone.

So I'm... not sure really what to do. My family thinks I should hold my ground because morals are more important than having a relationship with a drunk asshole - and that there are more relatives to fill the hole. (all true) My in laws think I should just send the card because I'm not 'winning' anything here and I should look at the bigger picture. (also true) One even offered to purchase, fill out, and mail the damned thing for me.

I just... I dunno. This is just stupid. So, so, very, very stupid. Stupid enough it makes me want to cut BIL out of my life just because I don't want the anxiety surrounding this any more.

I'm trapped in a stupid, bizarre situation and I'm to the point where the thoughts of random internet people I do not know apparently mean something to me.

tl/dr: My asshole of a brother in law forgot to give one of my kids a gift, and is now causing major family drama by demanding a thank you card.

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inkabelledesigns · 2 years

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Hey gang, I have something special to share with you.

https://youtube.com/c/AdrenalineDubs

If you know me, you'll know I've been a part of Adrenaline Dubs since the beginning, a Sonic comic dubbing group that mostly focuses on IDW. We do a lot of charity streams to raise money for good causes. It's a very Sonic thing to do, use your powers for good.

Right now, AD is hosting a stream marathon week to promote the Sonic Hacking Contest, an event where fan creators can show off their hacks of Sonic games. It's an annual thing that's existed for almost two decades now, which is amazing. I can't believe I've never heard of it before now! Landy, our voice of Sonic and the primary guy that runs the channel, is playing a bunch of hacks this week to celebrate the amazing work being done in the community.

Additionally, our charitable cause this time is cancer research. Looking at the channel, you may have noticed Rouge is in the thumbnail this time around. Rouge is the primary role I voice at AD, and they have been an important support network while my dad battled cancer. He passed away in May of this year. The group asked if they could use Rouge in the content for this one as an homage, and I'm honored. My dad was one of the few people to know about my voice work and actively support it. He was also a charitable planner and worked with a lot of charities to help them get gifts and funding. I think this would have meant a lot to him, to see us do this. It's been really hard since he died, some days I'm fine and others I'm like a watering can, but I'm trying to do what he asked, live my life and find my happiness. And right now, the way to do that is by lifting my fellow artists up and continuing to create.

I've seen firsthand how a lot of cancer treatment stuff can go, and I've been amazed at how much cancer research has evolved in the eight years he fought the fight. There is so much amazing research being done that can save lives, and funding it is important, especially with a virus still devastating so many hospital systems who need more space and staff. If you have the means, I'd like to encourage you to consider watching and donating to the cause. There's a lot of perks, from certain donation marks going towards art commissions and voice requests, to milestones like showing off previews of future AD content, to just a generally good time celebrating our community. I've got the house to myself and will be joining for as long as I can today, and hopefully throughout the week I can come along for the ride. It feels like the right thing to do.

Here's wishing you all a wonderful week, and I hope you enjoy the Sonic Hacking Contest and AD's coverage of it!

#Sonic #sonic hacking contest #sonic the hedgehog #adrenaline dubs #sonic idw #sonic fans #sonic fan work #sonic fan mods #sonic hacks #charity stream #death #cancer #cancer research

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danpuff-ao3 · 2 years

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Danni! For the Behind the Scenes ask --- 5 & 12!

Scarlet!! <3

5.) What is the perfect environment for you to write in?

MY OFFICE!!!!

Eddie (my partner) and I decluttered and reorganized our home recently. We still have some smaller projects to tackle, like the kitchen cabinets and the outdoor shed, but...the point is, we've made a lot of progress!

(Forgive the rambling but I'm really happy and wanna talk about it!)

Our space has been super cluttered and chaotic for a while because my partner's work hours were insane, and they've only been slightly less insane the past year. And over time, my own motivation to stay on top of things, basically alone, waned. But late November/early December we were super motivated to get moving and we did! Every weekend we'd tackle another room. Donated a bunch of excess stuff. Got supplies we needed to set up some stuff. And voila!

When we moved in, what is meant to be a dining room (but neither of us has use for a dining room) was made into a computer room, and our spare room was...basically a library? But for our fantasy books specifically. But our needs changed over time, so now the dining room is my office! And the spare room is his fantasy/MTG/DnD/Nerd Cave.

So rather than just my desk crammed into the computer room (slash junk room, basically) I now have my very own space! My HP bookcase is in there, a bookcase for my astrology books, a desk bookcase for reference books. I have various figures all around, and my mugs on the wall, and SNARRY ART. SO MUCH SNARRY ART. I AM SPOILED BY SNARRY ART AND I NEED MORE. Ahem. Anyway. Basically I have a very special space and it's perfect and it brings me so much joy and I'm all teary just typing about it.

ANYWAY. I now have the Ultimate Writing Space. But I've not properly used it for writing yet. 😂 It's only been properly set up for a few weeks and I've not written much since I submitted White Lies & Silver Bells.

Wait wait I lied I wrote Again last weekend 🤣 So it might be more accurate to say I've not written much there yet. And tbf I was fangirling too much about writing fic for A_Loveunlaced's art to properly appreciate the experience. 😅

But it's great! The aesthetic is great. I have much inspiration from all the Snarry. I have candles to set the mood! I have comfort in the layout, from my laptop stand, to my ergonomic keyboard and my vertical mouse, and my footrest! I have lots of lighting options between my whimsical string lights and the mood lighting from our Philips Hue bulbs. I have much coffee! And since my office is what should be the dining room, it's so close to my InstantPod!!!! Just a few steps, grab a mug along the way, and COFFEE!

Ideally I'd have some ambient noise playing. I have enough room to prop up my ipad and pull up YouTube to pull up a video from MiracleForest or one of the Hogwarts Pomodoro videos. That way I have chill noise that isn't distracting and nice imagery!

Idk I have everything I need in one little area and it has such a good vibe and it genuinely brings me so so much joy. I still have a few art pieces to hang but once it's all finally finished I plan on sharing pics with everyone!! 😁

And with luck, I'll get more writing done there this weekend!! I'm getting a head start on Thon 😎 (in theory, anyway.)

12.) Is there a trope you haven’t written yet but really want to?

Omg!! Probably. But what is it...? 🤔

The big one that I can feasibly write soonish would be soulmates! Even though Snarry are soulmates so every Snarry fic is a soulmate fic, but I digress. But I have an actual idea for one!! Mega angst and wrongness and weirdness. I've made a few attempts but the time isn't right yet. It's not come out right so far, so I just poke at it every few months and see how I'm feeling about it.

Others I have vague desire to write, but have no actual ideas for yet, would be like amnesia!! I want a good amnesia fic where Harry forgets Severus and has a super negative reaction to his present life and Severus being all heartbroken and defensive...😌

Also! I'd love to write a case fic, I just don't know that I have the right skillset for that. Or maybe it just requires more time and thought than I can really give right now. Who knows! But I really do need more Snarry case fics in my life.

Oh! I actually do have an idea for an arranged marriage fic, but I'm still hacking out the details on that one.

OH!! And a sex pollen fic I need to write.

Okay so I have more Actual Ideas than I thought I did, oops. But yeah! Lotsa cool stuff to play with one day. But I don't really wanna pump out stories for the sake of writing an amnesia fic, but to have something really solid that I'm really excited about. And even when I do have ideas, other ideas are ones I'm more jazzed about and steal my attention...😬 So I'll get there one day! Maybe!

Behind the Scenes of Fic Writing: 30 Questions for Authors

Answered: 1, 4, 23; 5, 12

#asked & answered

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fairykukla · 10 months

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Season's Greedings, 2023!

Every year I try to post my Greed List (What I want for Christmas" which includes the even more vital "Do Not Want" list.

Do Want:

1. A functional dishwasher.

We have one, we've had it serviced several times, and I don't think it's ever going to properly wash dishes again. It needs to go away, a new one needs to be installed, and I have terrible decision fatigue about figuring out which one I want. I want it to wash dishes. I don't even fully understand the choices I'm faced with.

You can contribute in one of the following ways: cash or electronic transfer donations to the dishwashing fund, solid recommendations for a specific make and model, or bad "features" I should avoid.

2. Laundry on-site: I own a washer and a dryer. The washer is down in the basement, but has nowhere legit to drain. The dryer is still at my neighbors' house, in the garage.

You can either be part of the team to bring the dryer home and set it up, or throw some cash at the plumbing problem, or offer assistance to solve the plumbing problem.

Those are the Big Things. Here's the little stuff:

A handcrafted card. I'm a sucker for those, and it will be kept, treasured, and probably displayed every year for a long time.

BJD shoes. All my dolls have lost shoes due to the vinyl or adhesives disintegrating. I need all kinds of shoes, particularly in 1/4 and 1/6 scale.

Shoes for me. I need a good solid supportive pair of shoes to wear to work.

Feed my dish collections: black octagonal glass pieces are always welcome. (They say "France" on the bottom.) Also Steubenville Woodfield pieces, particularly the dinner plates which seem hard to find. All colors welcome.

DVDs: we can't stream, so I need hard copies of anything I want to see. I'd particularly like Marvel stuff (especially recent movies, I'm way behind), Leverage Redemption, anime, or something unusual that you love and aren't sure if I've seen it yet. Ditto for CDs.

Funny collectables: I still love gnomes, mushrooms, fairy aesthetic items, the Nightmare Before Xmas, Tea Party items, etc.

Cat toys. My cats like them and I love to play with my cats.

I do like shiny jewelry, but I appreciate handcrafted items the most.

Hand crafted items. Support an artisan and it's like getting two gifts in one.

I still love to get Lush gift cards. One year I got several and it was The Best Xmas Ever.

Toilet Paper. I am always delighted to receive disposable paper products like TP, paper towels, paper plates, etc.

Food: teas are always welcome. Heck, just bring me a bubble tea and I'll be thrilled! Candy is super tricky; I'd rather get a card and warm wishes than candy. Baked goods are welcome early in the season, but I really don't want a bunch of sweets in the house the week before I give up sugar altogether. (Jan 1) There are very few places I can go to eat, but I'd love gift cards for Thai Nivas, any sushi place, Panera, Cafe Mochi, or Pearl.

Food that you canned yourself. Jam, jelly, apple butter, even regular pickles (because my partner likes them) or, if you want to see me happy-cry, pickles with no garlic or onion in the mix.

Experiences: indoor things are fraught. However, if you want to give me a gift card for The London Tea Room (or better yet, offer to take me for tea) I would love it. Outdoor concerts or performances might be ok, but talk to me about it first.

Do not want:

I have a lot of post Covid issues, as well as my pre Covid IBS problems. Add in my Big Sugar Fast from Jan 1st to late March, and suddenly certain holiday standards don't work for me.

No MSG. This means soup bases, seasoning packets, salad dressings, flavored snack chips, etc. It also means no Alfredo or tomato sauces, and no mushrooms.

No garlic, onion, chocolate, coffee, or peanut. None. Zero. I can't have it in the house. Cross-contamination is a problem. If one molecule gets in the food I can't eat it. These were all things I loved to eat before Covid; now they are completely and totally ruined for me.

Try not to make me part of your Christmas cookie baking. May I suggest instead that you bake some salt dough "cookie" ornaments, and paint one to give me for my tree? Cookies and sweets are cruel unless you give them to me very early in the season.

I hope this helps.

#2023 #seasons greedings #greed list #2023 greed list

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asimovsideburns · 3 years

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Okay I /think/ I've asked this before but I can't find the original question if I did: What are some of your all-time favorite podcasts and what makes them stand out to you?

OKAY OKAY OKAY

LOVE to talk about podcasts!!!

(not in any particular order)

1) Welcome to Night Vale. A classic. The first podcast I ever listened to, and in fact I didn’t even really know what a podcast was, I just used my computer to go to the website and play the episodes there. I dropped off at some point, but then eventually got into podcasts and actually knew what they were, so I picked it back up again. I still am not current.

WtNV was an amazing, incredible thing to me! It had surreal horror-comedy, which I had never encountered before; it was a way for me, a person who hates scary stuff, to finally enjoy what other people loved so much. It had music I’d never heard before! It had a canon gay main character in the first episode!!! WtNV was, in many ways, a formative experience for me. It also has the single scariest moment I’ve ever experienced. I do miss the days when it was all over tumblr, honestly, it was so incredibly fun.

2) The Adventure Zone (and, in spot 2.1, My Brother, My Brother, and Me). If WtNV was my introduction to podcasts, this was the beginning of my personal podcast explosion. Seeing all the animatics for this, along with the clips from the MBMBaM tv show, is what got me to figure out things like “what is a podcast actually” and “how do I listen to podcasts easily” and “who the fuck are these mcelroy guys”.

I decided, okay, everybody’s talking about them. They seem pretty funny. I’m going to check them out. So what did I do? Did I treat it like a normal person? Of course not! I listened to every mbmbam up until the first taz episode, then I listened to every taz episode, and then I finished the mbmbam episodes. I listened basically every waking moment of every day. TAZ is the second thing I’ve ever written fic for (and the first podcast). I will, for the rest of my life, fondly remember the weeks I spent with the constant company of the podcasts in my ears.

3) Not Another DnD Podcast. I think this was my second actual play podcast. It’s extremely good! You just… really do have to power through the first bit, which is… something. Like, “I put the podcast down and only came back to it because of podcast withdrawals” something. I was just very uncomfortable! It’s a podcast that is often funny, often crude, and, surprisingly, often very touching. If you’ve ever seen the full “what an honor. what an injustice.” quote, this is where it’s from, and if you told me that while I was listening to the first episode I would never have believed you. Fondest moments are watching the campaign 1 finale in a livestream with just so many other people and texting my mom the truly unbelievable amounts of damage one of the characters was doing to the final boss every single turn, and the incredibly wild charity livestream they did where they had a bunch of CR1 or less creatures fight in an arena, tournament style, with donations affecting what happened—draw from the deck of many things and the animated armor gets banished! someone else draws the wish card and brings it back! it gets annihilated again! resurrected again!

It really is just a lot of fun, and the cast’s chemistry and friendship shines through at every moment.

4) Let’s Make a Music. Brian David Gilbert, Laura Kathryn Gilbert, and (depending on the season) either Jonah Scott or Karen Han take tweet suggestions themed around a prompt word and turn them into songs. Very fun, and they’re pretty dang good at the music thing, too.

5) Wow If True. This is a pretty recent one! I don’t usually go for podcasts where it’s just, like, people discussing things and sometimes interviewing people, but I follow one of the hosts here on tumblr so I was willing to give it a shot, and I’m glad I did! The concept is that it’s all about memes, but in practice it’s really more about just… existing on the internet? It’s not a comedy podcast, like most of the other stuff I listen to is, but it’s super interesting!

The hosts have great chemistry, they’re fun to listen to, and the editing and audio quality is quite frankly way better than any podcast I’ve listened to that isn’t making a lot of money and/or done by Professional Recording People (whether that’s musicians or people who do many podcasts or whatever). It’s a great way to 1) hear about the New Memes that are going on outside your bubble (or figure out what the hell is going on inside your bubble) and 2) get some interesting info on how other people interact with the internet. Recently they talked about disability and accessibility both on and off the internet, which was really cool.

6) Second Star To The Left. Alright, bringing it back around to WtNV-style audio dramas, SSTTL is my newest podcast. It’s also the one I’ve been the best at keeping current with so far, but that’s mainly because I started listening when there was still only one episode. It’s funny how you find things—I followed someone for her fanfic, and then years later read some of her original work, and then like literally a couple of weeks later she revealed that she had co-written a podcast, so naturally I had to give it a listen.

It’s about a scout who goes to an alien world to make it habitable for human life. She’s canonically disabled (prosthetic leg) and her scout-minder, who is the only person in the universe with a direct voice line to her, is a nonbinary person who uses they/them pronouns—and all this in the first episode! I hear they’re supposed to fall in love, too. So far the vibe has been… slice of life long-distance annoyances to lovers in space with occasional emergencies and science that is, while sometimes a bit improbable, not actually impossible/wrong given what we know right now. Also, I absolutely love the way they treat disability—Gwen has a prosthetic leg, and that didn’t stop her from becoming a scout; another character has an issue come up that causes a possibly permanent condition, and the way it’s handled is with incredible care and compassion.

Speaking honestly, SSTTL is probably my favorite podcast right now, and I encourage everybody to check it out so I’ll have people to talk to about it. I’m not sure how long it’s planning to run for, but I hope it’s a while, because I want to listen to it forever.

#mine #podcasts #ask #catcomixzstudios #scheduled post #because otherwise this is going to go up at 1:20am and literally nobody will see it #THANK YOU for this question gage I fucking love talking about stuff I like

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trans-xianxian · 3 years

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getting to know you

tagged by @wenofqishan ty harker 😌

why did you choose your url?:

well you see wei wuxian is simply trans

any side-blogs? if you have them, name them and why you have them:

hmmm well my old cql blog was a sideblog to my main on my other account that I literally never go on anymore but then I moved so it's on its own account now so idk if this really counts as a sideblog anymore? but my other account has a few sideblogs the only one I rlly use anymore is my art blog @mossy-rat!

how long have you been on tumblr?:

oh good god far too long... doing the math I've been here a solid 7 years (derogatory). but I've had this blog for a little less than a year and my last blog a little more than a year... at the end of the summer it'll be two years combined!! I got into cql like... Weeks after the last episode aired lmao

do you have a queue tag?:

baby I don't even have a queue

why did you start your blog in the first place?:

hmm well I started my first cql blog because I liked the show enough that I wanted to blog about it but no one can know that I like things so it got its own blog but I moved to a new account because it was just getting annoying having my cql blog be a sideblog and there was just a bunch of stuff I wanted to clear out/I wanted a better tagging system

why did you choose your icon/pfp?:

well you see wei wuxian is simply trans

but this is an exclusive pride month special... my usual wei-wuxian-crying-at-nevernight icon is because that scene makes me feel things so much and the acting.... *chefs kiss*

why did you choose your header?:

I don't have a header bby!!

what’s your post with the most notes?:

on this account it's a donation post but as for like... actual cql posting it's this one abt wei wuxians self worth problems. on my old account it's this one about lan sizhui and jiang cheng lmao

how many people do you follow?:

a pleasant 110

have you ever made a shitpost?:

everyday I'm haunted by that tony hawk wei wuxian post

how often do you use tumblr each day?:

😔😔😔

did you have a fight/argument with a blog once?

baby I've been in arguments you can't even Imagine. people have deleted their blogs because of me. most of the popular cql blogs have me blocked. I Live to antagonize the general public of tumblr, never shut the fuck up, and have no sense of self preservation.... of Course I've gotten into fights with other blogs before and oh it's happened a lot more than just once

how do you feel about ‘you need to reblog this post’?:

spiteful and belligerent

do you like tag games?:

I do! I don't usually actually do them when I'm tagged but it's fun to learn about the beloved mewtchuals anyway

do you like ask games?:

yes so much!!! tho I always feel bad when I forget to answer things for a million years or sometimes I'm scared no one will respond and well that's just embarrassing skhdmzuns

which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?:

I definitely don't have any Tumblr Famous tm mutuals but I have some Popular In The Fanbase tm mutuals tho they are few and far between because most popular cql blogs are evil... I think meisha is probably my post popular mutual? but she's on indefinite hiatus now :"( so I'm gonna say that hannah and teddi are probably my most popular mewtchuals by cql fanbase standards :^)

do you have a crush on a mutual?:

no but I love you all sm mwah mwah kiss me on the mouth etc etc

hmmmm I'll tag @jiangchengspsychiatrist @evakant @arla-fett and @ahomeboylives but of course no pressure *hands you a neat rock that I found*

#oh wow I just didn't put any tags on this earlier wtf #I came back to be like edit mei deactivated???#anyway akgdnzuksbjzksn #ghost posts #text #not mdzs

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sa-kae · 5 years

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(Danny Phantom voice) "I'm going goth!"

sorry I'm a bad lesbian and I didn't post for lesbian day of visibility, so here's a kind of late pride post!

I'm Kaelee, a 17 year old big ol Femme Lesbo Lez Dyke Lesbian! (She/her or maybe they/them? I have no idea) I love animals (especially reptiles and amphibians), drawing/art, video games, and cool weather. I also have a lot of (expensive) health problems, both physical and mental, most of which isn't treated bc I'm currently in the diagnosis phase, which is the longest and maybe even most expensive part, at least in my case.

I have diagnosed clinical depression/anxiety which I am on meds for and see a therapist, and I have a bunch of pain problems, which could be anything at this point. There are days where I'm just in constant pain, extremely nauseous, and/or just have zero energy. On top of this, my parents divorced last year and me and my mom moved out, and while I've already been more independent and paying for as much of my own stuff as I can, I've been trying harder to work to lessen the burden on my parents, which is hard with my health. I had to quit my actual job due to stress, school, and my health, and am now babysitting, but I normally only get 2 days a week and this week and last week I only got 1.

Long story short, me and my family are broke.

My CashApp is $KaeleeA

My PayPal is paypal.me/kaeleeah

If you can donate, any amount helps. But if you can't donate,

please reblog!

If you want something in exchange for money, I do draw and will do commissions. I need to make a commissions specific posts with examples and stuff, but please message me if you're interested and we can discuss price. I do pencil, ink, watercolor, marker, and digital. I can do stylized (honestly it varies so much based on my mood) or realistic. Either way having a reference is very preferable; basically, if u have a reference, I can draw it.

Help a broke lesbian!

#my post #help #signal boost #lesbian safe #wlw #lgbt #pride month

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sturdy-nerdy-stitchery · 6 years

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I've been watching that new Netflix show with Marie kondo about tidying up! Well some of the show gives me stress because it reminds me of all the clutter and crap that we have in our house...but... It does help in ways to get me organized! These are all my cross stitching cloth and needles... 90% of this was donated by my next door neighbor because she no longer used it! She also gave me a gallon Ziploc bag full of DMC thread but all my threads already organized so I don't need to worry about that LOL!

Marie Kondos method is to keep things that spark joy... Keep things that you truly love and that you want to have around... And if it doesn't interest you anymore or doesn't give you that same feeling like picking up a new puppy then get rid of it and I've already got rid of quite a few things that are going to head to Goodwill!

But I'm really pleased with this box because before I just had them in a tote bag just shoved in there and now everything is where I can see it.

Will I use these tomorrow? no... Will I use the next week? Probably not... Will I use them in a year? I highly doubt it but maybe! The thing is... Cross stitching gives me joy and I don't want to get rid of this stuff because I want to use it one day when I'm not so tired...

I would highly recommend the show for any and all Crafters were following my blog...Yes it may give you anxiety to watch... But when it comes down to it she does have useful tips on how to keep organized and I think it'll be really useful for all your crafting stuff when a lot of us might tend to throw it in a box and forget about it...

Heredia comes from an Asian mentality living an area where space is limited even including your living space until you have to organize your space effectively and only keep the things that you truly want to keep... A lot of times in this day and age of specially As Americans... We tend to buy things because it was on sale or because we have the space or because we want it or because it was the deal of the day... Our house just fills up with so much stuff

But if you think about it... A lot of Asians good. Japanese, Koreans, etc.... They don't have a lot of space to work with and so they have to really think deeply about what they want to keep, especially when their space is limited and they can't keep every single thing they want or buy... And I think that's where Marie Kondo's mentality comes from... Not a minimalist "get rid of stuff" kind of attitude but to value quality over quantity. You can still have more than 30 books as long as those books give you Joy and quality in your life.

I'm only two episodes in but I'm already using some of her techniques and advice! I'm making use of the small space I have in my office... And it's really small... So that I can utilize all my space efficiently

so I encourage all of you Crafters to go out there... to go to your spaces start work on organizing! Start getting rid of things that you thought you were going to use but it it doesn't hold your interest... find new ways to display your things or the store them so that they're not just piled in a messy bunch.

I know you can do it!

#marie kondo #cross stitch #cross stitching #organizing #tidying up netflix #marie kondo tidying up #netflix #marie kondo netfkix #marie kondo tidying up Netflix

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pbandjesse · 6 years

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Oops I deleted my post. Thankfully I was only talking about last night and hadn't really gotten to write much of the day because I keep getting distracted.

I'm really glad to be in bed. I'm very tired. And I don't feel 100% but I do feel a lot better than I did yesterday. Today was really a good day and I do feel very happy.

Last night was a different story though. I was miserable and I couldn't sleep. I ended up going through Facebook and try and figure out who was married for my graduating class. Because this year is 10 years since I graduated from high school. Which is Wile to think about. I can't believe that that used to actually matter. My people would have reunions and things. You couldn't pay me to go to a reunion for my high school. And then I woke up in the middle of the night with horrible pain. It was like a charlie horse from my side all the way down my leg. I got up a few times cuz I thought I was going to be sick. I was up for a while and eventually I was able to take a Motrin and feel okay enough to lay down. But I was still in pain. James is 1000000 degrees all the time so his body heat lulled me enough to go back to sleep.

I woke up briefly when James was leaving for work. I didn't even feel him get out of bed. But he came and gave me a hug before he left. I really needed to keep sleeping though.

I let myself sleep in until almost 10. And that's been kind of normal right now just because it's cold and I'm tired and haven't been feeling good so I haven't been sleeping well. But it's not like I had a lot to do today. I got up and I got dressed. I had a bagel. I watched videos. I'm most of them watching those SCP read through ones and I've been really enjoying those. They're the perfect amount of Creepypasta but they don't have to have a conclusion which is always the weakness in a creepypasta. So it's been very nice just Mindless sort of creepy and fun.

I left here around 11:30. I biked over to dickblick to get Sharpies for the kids. Which are way more expensive than I thought they were. But ended up getting a great deal on 12 pen Sharpies for like $7. The woman said they were actually mislabeled because they should have been $12 but I want out in the mist occurring and she still let me have the price.

I left there and I went to 7-Eleven. I got lunch. And then I grabbed the bus to go to work. When I got there I found that a whole bunch of stuff I've been knocked over in our storage closet. I went to go talk to coach Banks who sort of runs lunch time. But parent was yelling at him about her child being suspended. So I noped out of there. I found another t-shirt at all. But I just cleaned it off it was fine. I ended up having a funny conversation with health aid because she wasn't sure if I was a student or a teacher. And I explained who I was. And she was just like I've never seen you here before. It was cute.

I found some new organizational tools for our cart. So now each table has their own basket with their own supplies in it. So there'll be no more arguing. So is very proud of myself for that and then me and Chelsea were able to just chill. There wasn't a lot that we needed to do.

And we had a really nice day. It was really small class today we only had about 11 by the end. Just with the snow that was coming in and there's cheerleading tryouts in basketball practice. I think the robotics team also just started up again. But that was nice. It was nice to just be able to connect with the couple kids that were there on a one to one level. And they made good art and that was really nice to see. We talked about foreground middle-ground and background. And how you can use line weight to show those different distances.

We also have the art store today. And the kids are already raised enough money to have a pizza party. I was very proud of them for donating to each other. And they got to have a cool thing over it. Will probably save it for next week. But I'm so very proud of them.

When I woke up this morning it was very heavy on my heart but I wanted to talk to Damien's mom. When he was brought to our class for the first time. The couple days before. I was warned that he was really tough to have in class. That he was on the Spectrum and that teachers found him very difficult. But his mom is great and that if there was ever an issue she would come and get him right away and not to worry about it. But that's not been my experience with Damien. He's wonderful. He's a sweet loving little boy. Sometimes he has breakdowns. Sometimes he can't focus. But he is always first to help me and he has a really sweet temperament. And so I really felt like I needed to say something to his mom today. She came early to pick him up because his sister was doing some kind of presentation at an event. And I pulled her aside and I was like Hey I just really want to let you know how much I enjoy Damien. And I told her everything and she started crying and gave me a hug. And you can just tell she works so hard with those two kids. She's a really good mom and I'm glad that Damien was able to be in our class. He's a good boy.

We finished up today. We did vocab in Jeopardy Style. Where they had to say the definition and then someone else had to give the vocab word in the form of a question. Only about half of them understand that but it was so fun. We played a game and then we wouldn't have snack and then it was time to go home. Me and chelsi got to get out of there by 5:30 which was awesome.

I got the bus and I was able to get back to my apartment only a couple minutes after 6. I packed up some stuff for dinner and then I went to James's place. He made Tex Mex and use some of the stuff that I brought with me. And we watched videos and we talked. He explained the game he made to me. Which has a whole lot of numbers in it is hard for me to get but seems to have a really nice system of rolling dice that I hope this DND friends enjoy. And we hung out for a while. And we talked. And then he walked me home.

It had started snowing and he likes walking in the snow so it wasn't completely one-sided. We just enjoy each other's company and we talked and had a nice walk back to my apartment. He said goodbye and he went back to his.

When I got here I checked the mail and Not only was my new rabbit phone case here. The old one was very matted and I wasn't able to brush it out like I was hoping. My new reindeer Furby arrived as well. I'm not sure what to name him yet but he's very soft. He doesn't seem to work. His he won't turn on. But that's okay. He's still very cute. He'll probably get packed away with the Christmas ornament ones as well once the winter is over so he'll be a nice new face to have out next year.

I'm in bed now. Just enjoying that it's actually nice and toasty in my bedroom for once. I'm going to plug in my phone though because it's dying. And then I'm going to try to go to sleep. I am working at constellation all day tomorrow and I'm hoping to do lesson plans. And then me and James are going to go see a play about Johnstown. And I am really looking forward to it. Because I love Cults. Especially murder cults.

I hope you all sleep great tonight. I hope that your animals are nice to you. And that you have a really nice day tomorrow. Good night everyone.

#ootd #work #babe #selfie #furby #good xay #thursday

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zwiebel-and-the-doenerbude · 2 years

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Blood donation and my WIP Furby Human Juice Bag

What does one have to do with the other? Let me tell you!

I've been wanting to donate blood my entire life, it's a way for me to contribute a little something to making the world an ever so slightly better place. And now that I am finally 18, I am able to do so!

Here in Germany, you currently get 27€ per blood donation at any hospital. My plan is to become a regular donor and to donate a few times a year. I went for the first time last April. I am able to do so again at the end of August.

The money I got back then as well as the money I get in the future will be financing my wip long Furby, Human Juice Bag (A/B/0). I want this Furby not only to bring myself joy, but also as a tool to raise awareness of the chronic blood shortage all around the world. It's not much but it is a little something and if it only convinces one person to become a regular donor then I am already contempt.

Please donate blood, it is a precious resource, saving thousands of peoples lives every day!

So how do you donate blood? It's pretty simple:

First off: It's best to do your research regarding any legal issues, that might get in the way of you donating blood, that may be of concearn in your country. Usually there are charities online (or your local doctor or hospital) which can provide you with the necessary information. Things like age restrictions, health issues or body modifications may not allow you (temporarily or permanently) to be a donor. If you are not able to donate for whatever reason, you can still support the cause by spreading awareness and/or donating money instead.

If you don't know where the donation station at your local hospital is, just ask the person at the reception, they'll tell you.

It is important that you DO NOT donate to the Red Cross, if possible, as they demand money from the hospitals which need the blood to safe patients lives. While any blood donation centre charges hospitals, it is simply more efficient and cost effective, to directly donate to your local hospital (the Red Cross doesn't profit from the blood though, the price is compensation for the expanses of equipment and trained staff. Just as a disclaimer, as there is a lot of misinformation spread about this. The Red Cross stays a non profit but you should still criticize it for lack of efficiency, racial bias, etc.).

Usually any hospital will have a station dedicated to recieving blood donations, so please go there instead! It doesn't make a difference as to your experience donating, but it will also not cost the hospitals extra money that they might not have! If your only option is to go to a donation centre or the Red Cross then that is still better than not donating at all!

Make sure you drink enough (at the very least a litre of water but the more, the better) and eat a nice meal before you get there and you should be fine.

Once you're there, you will have to fill out a form regarding your personal information and asking you a bunch of questions regarding your health (this is why its important to do research beforehand so you know if you might not be allowed to donate), then they'll do a quick blood test (checking your nutrients and stuff) to see wether its ok to take blood from you or not. Next there is going to be a doctor doing a quick health check with you, nothing you haven't done before.

And finally, it's time for the actual donation, they'll take 500ml of blood from you, provide you with some dextrose and drinks, make sure you're feeling well, give you a little snack and send you off again! The nurses there are trained for this and know exactly what to do in case of something going wrong, they do this dozens of times a week, so no worries!

Alternatively you can also donate plasma, but I've never done that before, nor have I done my research on it, so I cannot tell you anything about it, sorry!

As for anyone interested in the making of Human Juice bag, I'll soon make a post about where I currently am in the process of making her, so stay tuned!

#furby #safe furby #custom furby #furblr #long furby

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writeinspiration · 7 years

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suggestions for a young writer? im 15 and i just started seriously writing about a year ago~ since then I've written mostly poetry but I really write other stuff like short stories or plays too! but i always have trouble making my ideas ideas into something and just deciding how or what i want to write. and i get so worried that i lose motivation! i think that i first want to tackle trying to make characters/a simple short story. advice, tips, or tricks? thank youuu!

Hi! I’m glad you’re ready to get started! Beingeager about writing is the best. Writing a poem is a lot like writing a shortstory, so you’re on the right track. Good writing is precise and almost lyrical.

It can be really difficult to maintain motivation.Most people will advise you to write every day, which is good advice, but it’sjust not always feasible. The more you write, the better you will get!

Personally, titles and concepts and characters areall equally likely to get me started on a project. A cool title might pop up inmy head, and then I develop what story and characters go with it. Or I’ll havea concept that I’ll develop and label. Other times, I start with a characterand figure out who they are and what they do.

Here’s my most popular post regarding charactercreation: https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/158687382194/how-do-you-create-characters-or-do-they-come-find

Keeping motivated can be really difficult whenyou’re unsure of your capabilities as a writer. But the more you wait to putyour ideas to the page, the harder it will be to pick things back up. Onceyou’ve gone a week without writing, one more day seems like nothing. One moreweek, one more month… where does it stop?

I’ve seen people suggest leaving off in the middleof a sentence. When you do that, you are setting up for success. You alreadyknow exactly how that sentence will end and where it will lead. So once you sitdown with it again, you can hit the middle of the sentence without staring at atotally blank page.

I have a lot of different posts and tags that mayhelp you out!

Writer’s block and depression (1), and again (2), and some pick-me-ups (3)

First drafts don’t have to be good.

Write a whole bunch of crappy sentences if that’s what it takesto get a good one.

Don’t let it get you down. Just get it done.

Your big ideas are worth pursuing.

This post in particular will likely resonate with you and how you feel right now: https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/132168477614/ive-been-trying-to-write-for-years-unfortunately (full text included at the very, very bottom of this post)

More below the “Keep reading” line!

Important links:

Big projects on the way!!

Feedback survey for WriteInspiration & WriteInspiration product survey

IT GETS BETTER (now on Wordpress too!)

Feeling generous and want to thank me for my work on this blog? Then please click here and donate via PayPal!

You can also become a patron of me on Patreon.

Don’t have a dime to spare? That’s totally fine! :) Thanks for your support~!

Click here to get a random “Why Aren’t You Writing?” post!

You can buy my stuff!

Useful tags:

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/search/young– stuff relating to young writers and characters

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/search/inspiration– inspiration

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/search/motivation– motivation

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/tagged/depression– depression

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/search/characters– everything relating to characters

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/search/writing+prompt

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/search/prompt

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/search/rapid+prompt

– writing prompts

Specific posts that address some of your concerns:

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/144610505447/if-you-see-a-need-fill-it– If you see a need, fill it.

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/152075979524/fuckyeahyoungadultlit-tachycardiia– diversity in YA lit

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/132168477614/ive-been-trying-to-write-for-years-unfortunately– starting to write

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/131428782622/cliches-in-ya-romance– clichés in YA romance

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/131034862609/lizardpeopledearreader-honestly-if-stephanie– There’s always someone worse.

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/104205593649/jetpack-johnny-rose-for-a-tenner-actually– Curiosity is important.

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/23740953643/setting– starting with setting

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/151665809147/learning-the-essentials-of-plotting-your-novel– plotting

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/149405245039/i-have-an-insanely-bad-time-writing-dialogue-any– dialogue

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/169191903744/behind-me-is-infinite-power-before-me-is-endless– possibilities

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/167418537238/startledoctopus-ronibravo-i-started-writing– any reason to start writing is a good reason

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/96119396642/cranky-crustaceans-pupukachoo– Pixar’s rules for storytelling

30THNOVEMBER 2013

QUOTE REBLOGGEDFROM BLOTS& PLOTS WITH 105,191 NOTES

Young writers should read books past bedtime andwrite things down in notebooks when they are supposed to be doing somethingelse.

— Lemony Snicket (via blotsandplots)

14THDECEMBER 2012

The question for each man to settle is not what hewould do if he had means, time, influence and educational advantages; thequestion is what he will do with the things he has. The moment a young manceases to dream or to bemoan his lack of opportunities and resolutely looks hisconditions in the face, and resolves to change them, he lays the corner-stoneof a solid and honorable success.

— Hamilton Wright Mabie

7THNOVEMBER 2017

PHOTO REBLOGGEDFROM FIXYOUR WRITING HABITS WITH 2,493 NOTES

[Image transcript:The Rules of Writing

1: Write crappy first drafts.2: Words don’t bleed. Cut them.3: Write now. Edit later.4: There are NO mistakes–only creative opportunities.5. Don’t think. Just write.6: Rules? There are rules?]

Starting to write:

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/132168477614/ive-been-trying-to-write-for-years-unfortunately

deathtotheselfie asked:I’ve been trying to write for years. Unfortunately I’m very young and theschooling I’ve received on writing is nothing like I what I write about. I’monly 14 now, but little phrases and ideas bounce around in my head. Howeverwhen I write I feel like it’s not good or mature enough because of my lack ofexperience. I can’t tend to think of original plots as I’m just surrounded inother people’s work. Do you have any advice on plot development? And do youthink I should continue trying to write?

Hi! Your question makes me quite sad. If you liketo write, then you should pursue it. It’s that simple.

School doesn’t help much in terms of creativewriting. Over the summer, when I was little, my mom would make my sister and mewrite short stories. It kept me in the habit of writing even when school wasn’tin session.

(Wanna know a secret? I often got stuck halfwaythrough my story, so I’d coerce my sister into showing me hers. Then I wouldwrite the same events but in my own words. I did this for quite a while onesummer. Maybe two.)

Not only does school keep you ridiculously busy,but it also doesn’t like teaching creative stuff much either, because math andscience are deemed as more important than anything related to the arts.

All those negative voices banging around in yourhead along with all the good ideas you have? You need to learn to silence them.Those things are what you are being trained to think.

Here’s what nobody seems to know about writing:you have to start somewhere. No one starts off as an amazing writer.

People expect writers to have this magical well ofintuition, but honestly, it just comes from practice.

You know that thing about practicing 10,000 hoursin order to become a master at something? It applies to writing, too.

Writers write.

You need to watch and write things down–what youobserve can be the basis for characters or plot or whatever. Eavesdrop on astranger’s phone conversation to get a peek into other people’s lives. Sit on abench in the mall and watch people go by.

Do you know how babies learn? They observe otherpeople doing things and then try to mimic them.

I don’t mean that fledgling writers are babies, ofcourse, but I mean that you can get your best work by reading other people’swork.

Figure out what you like to read, what you don’t liketo read. And then ask yourself WHY.

What is it about that book you hated? Was it thecharacters? The plot? The slow story-telling?

What did you love about that one book? How did itmake you feel? What parts made you feel that way?

I was in middle school when I began reading a Series of Unfortunate Events (I’m25, for comparison’s sake). Do you know what my writing sounded like while Iwas reading those? Lemony Snicket. It wasn’t on purpose, but that’s just whathappened. (Also for comparison’s sake, I now have had a short story publishedin an actual anthology and completed a 60-page poetry collection as my creativethesis, as well as a book that I’m trying to get published.)

The more you read, the more you gain. If you readenough books, then you’ll have influences from all over that create a uniquewriter: you.

You are the sum of everything you have ever reador seen or thought about.

Yes, you’re a teenager. But that doesn’t stop youfrom observing the world and teaching yourself to understand other writers’work.

If you want to write something but are worriedthat it sounds too much like somebody else, then figure out why it sounds thatway. Is it just you that thinks it sounds that way? Or do other people tell youthat as well? Find out what it is that makes it sound like that. Is it thenarration? The plot? The themes?

Regardless of your answers, you are able to makeit unique to you.

You are a writer, and whatever you write will beyours and yours alone.

As far as plot development goes, I find thatoutlining helps. I don’t always keep to the outline, but askingyourself “Then what happens?” after each event that you write down is thebest thing you can do for yourself.

A plot is a series of events. If you know whathappens naturally after something, then you write that down. It also helps ifyou understand WHY something happens.

She goes to the mall.

Then what happens?

She ends up going home and crying in her room.

Why? What caused this? What physical actionscaused her to want to leave the mall? What mental actions occurred because ofthe physical actions?

She runs into someone she used to be best friendswith, and they get into a fight. This makes her feel disappointed in her friendbut also unsure of herself because she doesn’t know what she has done to makeher friend act that way. She places the blame on herself instead of on herformer friend. This is because she has been told growing up that everything isher fault and that her younger brother can’t do anything wrong.

See what I mean? And it’s okay to ask yourselfwhat you would do in that situation. But your characters are not you. Theyprobably won’t react like you would. And that’s okay and important.

As I told my students last year, ask yourself WHYand HOW after each sentence, after each paragraph, after each plot point, aftereach whatever. It will keep your story going until it reaches its naturalconclusion.

Okay, this ended up being way, way longer than Iintended it to be, haha. But I’m completely serious and obviously verypassionate about this. And I can say way more on the subject at the drop of ahat, so if you have any more questions, then just give me a shout. :)

Best of luck. And don’t stop writing.

I mean it. :)

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