#Remember that one w.i.p. I showed at the start of the year that I never finished?

[that-fox-thing]

Mr. Bones -kroh / Villains show

[bugwolfsstuff]

Current W.I.Ps

Here's some of the W.I.Ps I'm working on with summaries, extracts and little notes i have written for myself. And as I'm about to post this i am realizing that most of these are about Dionysus lmao.

Please tell me what you all think about these w.i.ps tho. I am open to constructive criticism.

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

DEAD MOM(S) DEAD MOMMM(S) I NEEED A BIT OF HELP HEREEE

Summary: Leo and Connor Stoll bond over dead moms

Notes to myself:

[Con's mom died when he was a baby, and he seems nonchalant about it]

[the convo gets started when Con is looking for Issac Schuster. Leo doesn't know which brother of his that is and says that he's not used to having a big family and that it used to be just him and his mom. Con relates to that.]

Small extract: (this one only has a few words cus i got writers block)

The sun dipped over the forest of Camp Half-Blood. Casting a 

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

2. ..What?....You d-dont remember what she looks like?

Summary: Libary by Jack Stauber but as Dionysus and Ino

Notes to myself:

[Traumatize this man]

[Lines so i dont have to watch it over and over again]

[Behind curtain number one is... *Dionysus mouths Auntie* correct!]

[(have a pause before this) Wait]

[Y-You don't remember what she looks like!]

[Hey! Just make something up.]

[Oh! What you make is gonna end.]

[And get old too!]

Small Extract:

I never liked dreams much. 

When I was a demigod, they usually meant more trauma to bottle up and ignore (Yes, Chiron, I know that's not healthy, but I don't care).

When I became a god, the dreams...didn't disappear for some reason but got less frequent. Maybe because I learned to ignore my past more effectively, or maybe Epiales favours me because I gave him that bottle of wine for his birthday.

Tonight, it seems I have lost his favour.

---------

3. Wine child

Summary: After a fight with Hebe, Dionysus ends up in his 8 year old self and the camp have to take care of him.

Notes to myself:

[First person switching POV?]

[Dio shows up in a stained and torn girl's ancient Greek outfit]

[Following Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 28: Hera inflicted madness on them, so that Athamas stalked and slew his elder son Learkhos on the conviction that he was a deer, while Ino threw Melikertes into a basin of boiling water, and then, carrying both the basin and the corpse of the boy, she jumped to the bottom of the sea. Zeus changing Dionysos into a baby goat to save him from Hera]

[ "But I do not ask for the heavenly fire of your lightning, nor the cloud, nor the thunderclap… The sparks of the thunderbolt that killed my mother are no pleasure to me" —Dionysus, Nonnus Dionyusica 10]

Small extract: (since i have already posted a part of the first chapter ill put the second w.i.p chp)

Percy: Camp Half-Blood becomes a divine daycare.

"Why is everyone at the archery range?" Annabeth asked, deflecting Riptide.

I grinned, "Nice try, Wise girl. I won't fall for that trick."

She frowned. "No, Seaweed Brain, I'm serious! Something's going on."

I decided to risk it and take a look...and she knocked Riptide out of my hands and threw me onto my butt.

Yeah, I should have expected that. Classic Annabeth move.

But she was telling the truth though. Something was going on. There was a crowd gathered around the archery range.

"Maybe someone got claimed?" I said hopefully. That was the best-case scenario. A new camper gets claimed by their godly parent and moves out of the Hermes cabin. Worst-case scenario: it's another prophecy.

"A normal claiming wouldn't cause that big of a crowd, though." She replied, sheathing her sword.

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

4. The horse and the infant but with Leo

Summary:

Zeus comes to Prometheus with an offer.

An offer that if he does something for the gods, he is free.

The thing is to kill an infant, Leo.

Notes to myself:

[Hypatos—Supreme, Most High]

[Use this dialogue later: "You, Klytotekhnês, couldn't defeat a titan." Prometheus said.

"I know," "but I have to try."]

[Palamnaeus-(Punisher) of Murderers]

Small extract:

The cloud gatherer approaches.

Prometheus looked up from his rock to the approaching gods. His face—painfully—curved into a smile that held no warmth. A visit from him meant a break from those winged beasts. And a break from those winged beasts meant a reprieve from suffering.

"Hypatos Zeus, Aidoneus, what do I owe the pleasure?" he said.

Zeus did not return the smile. 

Sometimes Prometheus, in his endless free time, ponders if Hagno taught that boy manners.

Ever the social butterfly, Aidoneus — or Hades, as he prefers — turned invisible and left without so much of a greeting.

[astheskyisblue]

Chapter One: Brielle's P.O.V.

Author's note: Hi! I'm Sky! This is the first chapter of my W.I.P. Of Sunflowers and Rose Thorns (working title) If you see this, maybe reblog or leave a comment or a note! It would mean a lot :3

___________________________________________

"Now Girls, remember don't let your makeup run and listen to your teachers! That means you, Aria! I don't want to start the year off with a call home, alright?" Aunt Meredith swung around in the car. "I mean it."

"Yes, ma'am." Aria mumbled, barely looking up from her phone. She'd been texting the entire drive.

"Don't mumble. You know how I hate mumbling. Confident young women never mumble, it shows weakness." Aunt Meredith always gave us valuable advice, she was full of it.

"Yes ma'am." Aria projected, straightening up.

Aunt Meredith smiled, "Good. Now, have a great first day at school! You're going to be high schoolers next year, I can't believe how fast you two are growing up."

I smiled and hugged her before getting out. "We will, I love you Aunt Mer! See you after school!"

She hugged me back, patting my cheek. "My gorgeous Brielle. I could not be more proud of you."

"Aww, Aunt Mer! You're going to make me cry!"

"Don't. You'll mess up your makeup."

I nodded, "Yes, auntie." I looked to the light and blinked the tears back.

"Do you have your lunch?"

I patted the back of my bag, "Yep! Securely attached! I think I hear the bell! I love you, Auntie." I waved and started sprinting off.

"Brielle! Wait for your sister!"

Aria got out of the car and I took it all in. The amount of students at my middle school never ceased to amaze me. It seemed to get bigger every year. So many people. So many new friends to make!

I couldn't wait until highschool! It was supposed to be even bigger. How many friends could I make there?

Ariel, my cousin, had started high school that day and I made a vow that I would ask her all about it on the way home.

"Aren't you excited?!" I squealed to Aria, who barely looked up from her phone. "We're eighth graders, Aria! The whole school is ours!"

Aria slid her phone into the side pocket of her black leather backpack and started walking faster. "Let's go get our schedules."

"Alright!" I chirped, "I'm so so so excited! Think of all the amazing things we can do this year! All the new things we get to learn!"

Aria yawned. "Brielle, please. You're shouting. It's nine in the morning. Most people don't run off liquid sunshine like you do." She bumped me with her shoulder.

"Sorry." I lowered my voice. I often didn't realize how loud I was until someone pointed it out. Then I noticed all of the eyes I'd drawn to us returning to their conversations.

"It's alright." She grabbed my hand. "But come on, the schedules should be in the office."

"Ellie!" John called out to me.

I beamed and shot my hand out to wave at him. "John! It's so good to see you!" I dropped Aria's hand and ran to hug him. He smelled like Old Spice and soap. John had blonde hair, a few shades darker than my golden and green eyes, a constantly glimmering emerald, so full of life.

That day, he was wearing a grey shirt and jeans. The shirt said 'Go Lions!' With a decal of a lion roaring printed on it. School pride, even on the first day. His passion was why I loved him. Hanging around his neck was a black cross necklace that he almost never took off.

"How are you? I haven't seen you since Bible camp!" The past few summers, I had gone with him for a two week religious retreat at the end of the July. Every Sunday I went with him and his parents to church as well as volunteering at least one Wednesday a month at the church's youth group. I loved those kids and they seemed to love me, except when I couldn't give them candy of course.

"I'm good, I've been really busy. Football camp, the food pantry, back to school shopping. I'm sorry that we haven't been able to call much."

"Oh! No, it's okay! I've been busy too. Cheer camp, pageants, I have one this weekend actually if you want to come. Plus, I could've seen you if I'd gone to church but Aunt Flow had other plans for me." God, did I really say that? "Anyways, I'm rambling. I do that a lot…"

John shook his head. "It's alright. I missed you, though."

I blushed, looking at the ground. "I missed you too."

Aria cleared her throat, breaking through the buzzing excitement the air around us seemed to be filled with. I had almost forgotten that she'd been there. John made me feel like I was in a world all our own. "Let's go get our schedules."

Before Aria could corral me away, John asked me, "Oh one more thing! My mom's been asking about you. Can you come over after school tonight, maybe stay for dinner?"

"Sure! Let me just check with my aunt!"

"Bye, John." Aria called, walking away without a response.

Reluctantly I followed her. "Bye John! I'll see you later!"

The day went on as any usual school day, catching up with friends, meeting my new teachers. The only difference was that I didn't have cheer. Cheer tryouts wouldn't be for another week or two. The school wanted everyone to adjust to their schedule before adding extracurriculars. Some of the eighth graders, including myself had been picked to tryout for cheer captain the day before the regular tryouts. So, even though I wasn't excited to have a break from cheer, it gave me an extra week to practice the routine Coach Reynolds taught us at cheer camp.

I was pretty much guaranteed a spot on the team but I was still nervous. Everyone else was incredibly talented and beautiful, even if I had made the school's cheer team the past two years and had been a cheerleader for a total of eight years. Cheerleading was my life. The only thing I loved more was my family, of course. I would be nowhere without them. Aria and Ariel had been by my side since day one.

After school, I got into Mrs. Kipp's car. "Hello, Mrs. Kipp! It's nice to see you!"

She smiled at me from the rear view mirror, "Hello, dear. It's nice to see you too. How was school?"

"School was great ma'am! All of my teachers seem really nice!"

"I'm glad to hear that. What about your day, Johnathan?"

John shrugged. "It was fine."

"Do you two have any classes together?"

"We have two! Health and Geometry." I answered, John was staring out the window. Was he okay? I didn't want to embarrass him in front of his mother but I made a mental note to ask him about it as soon as we were alone.

The ride to his house was silent except for the Christian radio Mrs. Kipp played. It was comforting in a way, but also stirred a buzzing like bees in my chest, questions stirring around right under the surface that I feared I would never have the answers to. So, I ignored them. If I smiled hard enough, they would go away on their own.

Mrs. Kipp parked in the driveway of the Kipp's townhouse, "Well I'll leave you two to it! I have to make dinner before Evan comes home." The way that she said Evan was unique. It was filled with happiness and excitement and love that I'd never seen in such a long relationship. I longed to feel that way about someone one day, or perhaps we'd both feel that way. Perhaps, if I was really lucky it would be with John.

The thought of someone smiling every time they said my name was nice but when I thought about John doing it it made me absolutely giddy. He was so handsome and sweet and smart. He loved his family and God and he loved me. I was so glad we were friends, but maybe we could be something more.

The past two years would've been completely different to him. He had changed my life for the better. I couldn't imagine life without him, I didn't want to. I'd ruin things if I let myself feel anything more for him.

John motioned with his head for me to follow him down to the basement, where his room was and so I did.

He sat on his bed, wiping his hands on his cargo shorts. "Do you-" his voice cracked and he coughed and started over, "Do you want to watch a movie?"

I furrowed my brows, "You're acting off."

"What? No I'm not!" His voice cracked again.

"Yes you are." I perched on the edge of the bed. "Come on John, it's me. Don't you think I know you better than that? We're the best of friends! Two peas in a pod! Compadres!"

He cracked a smile but it wasn't as bright as his usual. "Right. Friends." He sat on his hands, still not looking at me.

"Do you not… Do you not want to be friends anymore?" Tears welled in my eyes, as I cocked my head to the side.

"No! Ellie, I swear it's not that. I swear to God."

I nodded, "Then what is it?" I hugged my knees to my chest, settling in beside him.

"I like you."

I laughed a little. How silly. "I like you too! We're friends! Of course I like you!"

"No, Ellie. Not like that."

"Then how?" I was met with silence, like he was searching for the right words.

"Can I show you?"

I nodded, "Sure!"

He took my head in his hands. "What are you-" I couldn't get out the words before his lips were on mine. The kiss was over as quickly as it started, not enough time for me to kiss back.

"Sorry."

My face felt hot, and I was grinning as wide as my face could stretch. "That was my first kiss."

"Oh Ellie I'm so-"

"Do it again."

"What?" He smiled, his shoulders relaxing.

"Kiss me again. Please. I really liked it."

He leaned in, this kiss was slow and passionate. Butterflies didn't flutter in my stomach, but my heart soared. This time, I kissed back.

"I'm glad you were my first kiss."

"I'm glad you were mine too."

We smiled at each other, just basking in the excitement of the moment.

"So, what are we?"

"Depends." He sat up taller, becoming the confident young man I knew him as. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"Yes!" I squealed, and his smile went wider.

"You're adorable."

I giggled, "thank you."

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and I shuddered. "Are you cold?"

"A little. Do you want to… maybe… watch a movie and cuddle?"

He handed me the remote, "Pick whatever you want, princess."

"Princess?" The world made the world seem even brighter.

"Do you like it?"

"I do."

"Well, as long as we're dating, you're my princess."

I smiled, "Very well then, my prince." We kissed again and I snuggled in his arms. I pulled his soft blue blanket around us before picking a movie.

Little did I know, that was the happiest that I would ever be.

[lettythepetty]

Hear my Song AU (from... My w.i.p. Also if you've never heard Preach by John Legend, go listen to it for better experience. It's all over this piece)

That was it; my plan was accomplished and I managed to get in, but Immediately wished I didn't.

There were so many people I felt like a sardine inside a can. I could literally feel them rubbing against me as I sneaked my way to the front row, some of them already sweaty, others almost squashing me between them; and even though the fact that i'm quite tall helped me a bit, at this point I was starting to understand what my friend meant with the phrase "curiosity killed the cat" earlier, since that awful mix of perfumes in the air, among other things, was killing me.

It's just that I've been hearing about this concert for weeks now, but I didn't even know who was going to be playing; and honestly I just wanted to ignore it completely. The problem is, that I couldn't. Not only because a post for it literally flew into my face while I made my way to the coffee shop the other day, but also because me and my friends could hear the noise of stuff being prepared here In the stadium from all the way in our appartment. So when the day come, I just wanted to know why people were making such a fuss about it.

Apparently it was a famous young singer, but how come I didn't know about him? Yes, I probably need to get out more, but I seriously never heard of Christian D'angel, Christoff D'angelo, or something like that. I've never even saw him or heard any of his songs, I literally only know him by name; so the possibility of seeing him now made me even more curious. Even if he turned out to be awful and all the people in the stadium had bad taste and I would just be wasting my time, I could still have a good laugh.

Once I finally reached the front row, I gasped as if I just came out of the deep sea.

"Urgh, my jacket is all wrinkled. This better be worth it." I mumbled under my breath as I straightened my clothes.

The stage was closer than ever. Especially because I was right in front of a catwalk; you know, that one in which singers walk in to be closer to the crowd; crazy stuff. I didn't know if that was a good choice, but there was absolutely no turning back now - not that I wanted to go back to the sea of people, anyways - and I would be able to get the best view.

The instrumental for "Preach" by John Legend, started. One of the things that i've heard about this concert was that the singer would do a cover of this song to open it. Claps and cheering intensified all around me, the show was about to start, and for whatever was about to come, whether good or bad, I was ready. A little insecure, but ready.

I narrowed my eyes, searching in the dark of the stage for him, "Come on... Where are you." I thought, "He's probably another show-off, might not even be attractive." I shrugged and put my hands in my pockets before looking down, "I bet he's not even good at singi-"

"Everyday I wake and everything is broken,

Turning off my phone just to get out of bed..."

A soft voice started, people cheered, and I couldn't help but raise my head slowly, as to make up for what I just heard.

"Get home every evening and history's repeating,

Turning off my phone 'cause it's hurting my chest..."

Then he walked in, with a microphone in hands; Christopher D'angeli, yeah, that was his name.

"And heaven knows I'm not helpless,

But what can I do?"

While everyone cheered and had proper reactions, I was open mouthed. He was definitely the most beautiful redhead I have ever laid eyes on in my 28 years of life.

"I can't see the use in me crying,

If I'm not even tryna make the change I wanna see-!"

All suited in black, he looked like he was ready to marry someone, and for a moment I hoped it was me.

"I can't sit and hope,

I can't just sit and pray that,

I can find a love when all I see is pain-!"

Suddenly I understood why there were so many people. Why they were so excited on seeing him.

"I'm falling to my knees,

And though I do believe..!

I can't just preach, baby, preach," He sang, and people sang with him too. I thought I was fine, until he walked to the end of the catwalk, consequently towards me.

My eyes widened.

He got down in one knee, right in front of me, looking straight into my eyes, making my whole body shiver, and giving me the impression that my heart would jump out of my chest on any second, and sang, "I can't just preach, baby, preach"

"Oh my God..." I mouthed, because no sound came out of my mouth.

He gave me a soft smile. The softest smile, before he got up and walked to the other side of the stage; and for a moment I looked around, looking for my friends so they could hold me once I passed out, but then I remembered they didn't come with me. "What's happening?!" I thought, once my brain seemed to function again, but at this point I knew I wasn't leaving until that concert was done. "This wasn't part of the plan!"

"All I hear is voices, everybody's talking

Nothing real is happening

'Cause nothing is new,"

I've never stopped to pay attention to the lyrics of this song before, but now that he was singing them, I did; and you know what? They started to make sense to me.

"Now in all this tragic

And I just feel sedated

Why do I feel numb?

Is that all I can do?"

I'm not the most... Emotionally stable person in the world; in fact, my emotions are always fucking me up. I don't even know how I got enough energy to come here, but I didn't regret one bit. Not anymore.

"And heaven knows I'm not helpless,

But I'm only human"

He just paraded around the stage, smiling, and my eyes followed him all the way. Even the spotlight was keeping up with him; shining over him, almost like an angel; and I know this may sound stupid, but listening that song... his voice, was just...

"I can't see the use in me crying

If I'm not even tryna make the change I wanna see"

So true to me.

"I can't sit and hope

I can't just sit and pray that

I can find a love when all I see is pain

I'm falling to my knees

And though I do believe... I can't just preach, baby, preach! Oooooh oooooh"

"I can't just preach, baby, preach..." The words just seemed to slip smoothly out of my mouth, even if it was so quiet that only I could hear it.

"And heaven knows I'm not helpless,

But what can I do?"

I put my hand on my chest to feel my heart beat; why was it beating so fast? Was it anxiety? Too much adrenaline?

"I can't see the use of me crying,

If I'm not even tryna make the change I wanna see-!"

I saw him slowly walking back to the center of the stage, and I gulped on my own surprise.

"I can't sit and hope,

I can't just sit and pray that,

I can find a love when all I see is pain,

I try to do the things that save it, I believe-!" He reached out, holding the microphone,

And then, like a chorus, almost like magic, everyone including him, sang, "I can't just preach, baby, preach!"

Then again, my whole body shivered as both him and the crowd continued singing; and I still couldn't get a proper reaction. I was just so shocked about everything in general, that I probably didn't think any reaction would be proper.

Why was this redhead, so... Intriguing? I couldn't look away even if I wanted to, especially because he walked down the catwalk again...

"I'm falling to my knees

And though I do believe..."

With a smile on his lips through the words he was singing, and a rather gentle look,

"U- um.." I managed to utter.

And did the exact same thing he did before.

"I can't just preach, baby, preach..." He finished softly, now he actually winked at me.

Yet again, I was speechless. However, the people all around me weren't. They cheered and clapped at their loudest, while I was just there, shocked.

He smirked again and giggled, and now I couldn't help but giggle too. "Hehe.. Heh..."

"Hello, hello, Brighton!" He greeted excitedly as he got up and walked away again, having the crowd cheering loudly once more.

"Hi..." I replied softly, almost as if that greeting was as personal as the smile, the giggle, the stares... I didn't know what was happening but I was definitely deluded already.

"This is going to be very special night!" he said, and the talking voice was as cute as the singing voice, damn.

At this point, I didn't know what did I just get myself into, because out of all things, I wasn't expecting any of this; but... Whatever it was, I loved it.

[thesundaymorningpost]

The Sunday Morning Post

September 3, 2017                                                          10th Edition

Current News:

Yuri on Ice: ShitBang

On August 31st, if you love Yuri on Ice, your feed may have blown up with stories and artwork created as a means for writers and artists to come together and work on a project together.

What is the Shit Bang you ask? It is an amazing event for writers and artists to come together and write and draw about the amazing anime we all love: Yuri!!! On Ice! But a little more than that this is a direct - non-hateful - response to THAT blog. You know the one I’m talking about. Yup. THAT one. - @yoi-shit-bang

The amount of stories and artwork has been astounding. From one-shots, to multi-chapters, all written by amazing authors. Then there is all the amazing artwork that has come with it, by some amazing and very talented artists.

Please keep in mind that many subjects may trigger, please read all tags before reading a story. 

Story Recommendation: we have loved the stars too fondly by @thehandsingsweapon

“We live in a blue planet that circles around a ball of fire next to a moon that moves the sea, and you don’t believe in miracles?”

After an academic career at MIT and Oxford, Yuuri Katsuki eschews job offers at places like NASA and CERN to go work at the Very Large Array in what Phichit Chulanont lovingly calls The Actual Middle of Nowhere, New Mexico, monitoring radio frequencies from light-years away. He's loved the stars for as long as he can remember, and the universe feels so big sometimes that Yuuri is sure it would be a cruel mistake for humans to be all alone.

Enter the latest scientist to join the staff of the VLA, enigmatic Russian genius Victor Nikiforov, around whom Yuuri’s entire universe seems to bend to make room, and the strange, recurring dreams Yuuri keeps having, where something like love carries him across the stars.

Does love travel faster than light? Do souls?

“The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.”

"Yuri, on Stars!!   This lovely short story will resonate with anyone that lives the heavens.  Dreamscapes thought to be a figment of Yuuri's imagination turn out to be a more real than tangible science, and Viktor is patient with all his insecurities.  With just the right amount of angst to give it depth, this vignette will take you into the endless cosmos!" - @darkrivertempest

Artist Spotlight:

we have loved the stars too fondly by @shadhahvar

Comic:

Good boy by @floccinaucinihilipilificationa  (Click title to reblog)

Support: 

This week’s Ko-Fi shout-out goes to Discoursemoth | @lowercasewrites  (Click to buy coffee)

im sei! im a non-passing trans boy with unsupportive parents, and im using this account primarily to pay for things that could help me pass better, such as a packer and binder. you obviously dont have to donate but i would really appreciate it!                                

Patreon: YukiPri | @yukipri  (Click name to become a patreon)

Hey there!! Thanks so much for visiting my Patreon. I'm Kazu, also YukiPri on Tumblr. I'm currently a freelance translator and illustrator who is HOPING to support myself primarily through art. My passion is telling my own unique stories through visual media, and I love world-building, costume design, and overall extensively over-thinking all of my stories. This patreon is a step towards hopefully better sustaining myself off of art so I can continue to grow as a professional artist and produce content that you can enjoy! I am unbelievably grateful to every patron who helps me continue to do what I love doing. My wish is for the majority of my work to remain public, but I also desperately need to support myself, and also have a variety of content that I'm not comfortable posting publicly for various reasons. As thanks for your support, my patrons will get access to exclusive content, including WIPs/sketches, previews, art progress/tutorials, higher resolution art, early access, and nsfw content!

Fun and Games:

10 Questions Every Fic Writer Secretly Wants to be Asked by @wyseink  (Click Title to reblog)

There are a lot of fic questions that float around online, but rarely do they ever ask specific questions about the fics themselves. Ask any writer one or more of these ten questions to learn more about the fic and show support.

1. Of the fics you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

2. Which scene was your favorite to write in [title of fic]?

3. Which part of [title] was hardest to write?

4. If you could change anything in [title], what would it be?

5. Did you make an outline for [title]? Did you stick to it?

6. Which scenes did you cut, and which were added in [title]?

7. Who was your favorite character to write in [title]?

8. Which came first, the title or the fic?

9. Which idea came to you first in [title]?

10. What are some facts readers may not know about [title]?

Story Prompt:

Monochrome by @diamondwinters An AU where people who are sad, down, depressed cannot hide it. Whenever you get sad, you start to loose your color. Your skin turns pale, your eyes loose their color, and turn gray or white, and your hair turns gray. Like an old black and white tv show, you loose all your color when you’re very sad. A little bit of sadness might dim your natural colors, but you wouldn’t loose them. It’s during a time when you feel heart broken, or very depressed that you go Monochrome. Such as a big break up, a death of a loved one, deep depression, etc. Monochrome is the medical term used by the doctors in this AU to describe turning gray in a world of color.

Some people who are unable to get happy, may use make-up, contacts, and hair color to hide the fact that they’re depressed, but eventually even those things will loose their color and will need to be replaced.

The best thing to do is to find your happiness. Be with friends, and family who can help you bring your color back. The brighter you are, the more vivid your colors are, the happier you are.

Art Prompt:

Imagine your OTP by @bumble-beany

Person A: Are you awake?                                         

Person B: I am now                                         

Person A: I was just wondering...                                         

Person A: What do you think it'd be like to be a pregnant male seahorse?

Person B: Really?! You woke me up for that?

W.I.P. Motivation:

Liquor Stash by @severeminx​

I want him.

When the full realization hit him, Yuri felt as though he couldn’t breathe. Detached and fleeting thoughts that had passed through his mind finally took shape in these three words at that exact moment. The I being himself, Yuri Plisetsky, age 17, a Russian figure skater with a list of impressive accomplishments to his name that seemed pretty pointless right now given the context. The want being desire, the need to bury himself, the thought to consume, but never actually act out except behind locked doors in empty beds or shower stalls. The him being the person standing across from Yuri sipping coffee from a take-away cup with creased brows, the low sunlight hitting his face just so to light up his otherwise dark eyes. Someone he considered to be his best friend, who came all the way from Almaty just to spend a week with him and who was blissfully unaware of the fucking turmoil Yuri was feeling in the pit of his stomach. Or at least, Yuri hoped he was unaware.

In which Yuri Plisetsky invites Otabek Altin over to stay with him in Saint Petersburg, freaks out over his feelings and delves into Lilia's liquor stash.

Please go read and support this artist. They are looking for kudos and comments to get them back into finishing this fantastic story!

Fandom Week:  (Click each line to go to blog)

Zarkon Week! September 3rd - 9th.

Yuri on Ice Music Week! September 4th - 11th

NSFW Yuri Plisetsky Week! September 11th - 17th.

Guang-Hong Week! Voting will be Sept 15th - 21st

SeungChuchu Week! October 16th - 23rd.

Help Wanted:

Needed: Tumblr theme editor. Please contact Diamond Winters for details.

Story recommendations!! If you find a story that you absolutely love, and you want to see it get some recognition, please submit a link to it with a 2-3 sentence review of the story. This way it could get in the spotlight in a future edition of the SMP. Requirements are that it’s completed, or a one-shot.

Artist Spotlight!! If you find a piece of artwork that needs more love, please submit a link to it so it may be considered for future spotlights in the future.

WIP Motivation: Please send your support to these writers or artist to encourage them to continue their story or artwork. No good story or piece of art should be left unfinished. - If you know of a good story that hasn’t been updated in a while, and would like to offer encouragement to the author, please let me know, so that I can link to their story here.

If there is ever any section of the Sunday Morning Post that you feel you can contribute too, please send an Ask or Submit to either the SMP, or @d2diamond so that it has a chance at making in a future post. Thank you!  

@yoi-shit-bang | @thehandsingsweapon | @darkrivertempest | @shadhahvar | @floccinaucinihilipilificationa | @lowercasewrites | @yukipri | @wyseink | @diamondwinters | @bumble-beany | @severeminx

[jackaccletonfutureworks]

DD2000 - Research blog for a path into industry

Portfolios and their importance

Now before we even get to the building up to our chosen job and how we get there we have to talk about arguably the first and most important step when going into any industry, a good portfolio.

A portfolio in definition is according to many sources such as google, the oxford dictionaries and the free dictionary

a set of pieces of creative work intended to demonstrate a person's ability to a potential employer. 

Example: "she had a portfolio of crayon portraits"

now reading the definition you should get an idea as to why a portfolio is quite the important tool in any industry but allow me to elaborate, a portfolio usually contains all of your best and well presented work that you wish to show off to a future employer in the hopes that it will impress them enough to consider you for the role available and hire you into it.

Even if that doesnt happen they are important tools for ensuring people dont soon forget you, if its good enough your employer might talk to his co-workers about it and the work that was in it, might recommend you to other companies and give you an easy-ish way into the industry, not only that but if its up online somewhere it can allow none industry people to view it and get invested in the work you do, get invested in your ideas and anything to do with them and begin to support you and want more of your work which is hard to ignore from people in the industry.

But an important part of a portfolio is to make sure it fits the job role, its nice that its all neatly presented and stunning work but if your going for a modelling job and bring in cool doodles of swords instead they will more than likely enjoy them but dont cross your fingers for the job or even being well remembered in a good way.

Now lets take that Modeling job as an example, if your looking into that job there are some things that would work well in your Porfolio

What to include generally

Some well constructed and unique models to show your skill, talent and creativity. Make sure to have beauty shots (Three angles) a Uv render (Shows off the uv maps of the models showing you do know how to Map and texture) and a wireframe

some more bland models that everyone has but it shows you can model things of this type, guns, corridors things like that

all of the work should be finished and if not it should be a w.i.p showing of how the model developed or something you are working on recently and wish to say “this is my latest project”

Portfolio : About myself

Every portfolio for every job must be different and suited for the job role your looking to invest into. Now my portfolio will have me looking into narrative design so there are some things i do need to include when constructing mine and things i need to look out for

What i should include

Well written stories of varying length and style as well as on different matters and subjects to give a quick look at the range i can write at and my ability with different styles and topics

Character development if possible, Original character, fan characters and things like that, let people in the industry see the work and love put into them and how you created them from the ground up, even include the most trivial detail if needed it will show how i think about even the smallest things for characters and bring them to life

Same applies for world building, show worlds you crated and the living breathing atmosphere they have, show off head canons and theories about already made worlds if you wish

Show dialogue and scripts made, this includes roleplaying and back and forth between characters of your own and friends

Work done that is not narrative directly but does still link to it  

Any writing done for games, this includes small projects and twine games

Now what have i done to go towards this portfolio as of writing this?

I have written many short stories and poems some better than others i cannot lie however i tend to struggle sometimes with motivation in writing longer tales if they are not split into parts either via working time or as part 1, part 2 etc, 3 twine games which could be improved but stand at a decent enough quality and i do intend to create more, have an entire blog built for role playing (character creation and building, dialogue, world building) this is where i let alot of my ideas roam free as well as some of my more out there character traits, this character has spawned off into his own story and world view from a character that had nothing to start with, he has spawned countless side characters and alternate realities surrounding him and all of them have their own stories and worlds not to mention many pieces of college work.

All of these very important in the portfolio especially for the job role im looking to enter.

General Examples of both good and bad portfolio's

Networking

Networking is in short terms the connections you make with people be them big or small, it forms a web coming from you of connections you made. If you meet David and David knows Susan but you dont know Susan, she is still now in your web of networking due to knowing David.

Networking is important to the industry at it is a key way to get into the industry and get yourself known to people, without the links to people it would be almost impossible to get a way into the industry without directly going up to someone and asking for a job or applying yourself. 

Networking can also offer unexpected help from people inside the industry through simply talking to them.

But how can networking help my career path into a narrative games career?

More importantly what kinds of networking could help my cause?

Well the obvious one to start off in narrative would be social media, its a great place to store and write small stories or tales and build character/worlds. It is also perfect for getting your small tales out to a large audience of people very quickly.

Take tumblr for example, its blogging allows for quick short stories or grand giant multi-post tales to be re-blogged , twitter is also a good example here as many industry insiders use twitter and could be a great way to share your narrative ideas and work with them to get feedback and make yourself known to them

It is also a prime location to show off portfolio w.i.p work and gain interest in what else is inside your portfolio both from regular people and industry insiders which could lead to job offers or simply having you in mind when a place does come up

Another prime example would be Game conventions, they allow for examination of upcoming games as well as series of games with over arching stories as well as the idea of communication with industry insiders as well as games media about games and your general idea. It could also provide you with skills and much needed tips if your willing to buy some people a beer. Game designers are just people like you and me so most of them have no issue sitting down to talking.

There are a few that take place here in the UK : 

EGX - EGX is a British made Gaming Convention sponsored by Virgin media and s currently set to take place in the Birmingham NEC arena on the 21st -24th of September 

Play Expo -  Play Expo is a British games convention set in Manchester England at event city.

There is one that comes to mind and does take place in the US

Ludem Dare -  Ludem Dare is a game jam hosted this year in San Francisco that gives people a theme and 24/48 hours to create a game, this allows people in the industry to see how people work under a tight deadline and the quality of games they can create with minimal information. It also allows for the people involved to brush up on their skills or develop new ones.

Well i say one but you cant talk US and game gatherings without mentioning 

E3 - E3 is a yearly multi company convention in which the biggest games are shown and revealed and many of the gaming industries top professionals visit to give their games that needed star power, a place like this is perfect to ask questions, build connections and show off work you had done in hopes of making an impression

One important thing to know about networking overall however is that you should never be afraid to talk to someone or ask questions to them, they are not some untouchable idol who will simply scoff at you, they are infact just as human as you are and i imagine they they have trouble talking to a person from time to time. Plus there is only things to gain instead of things to lose 

The Ideal Work Place/Key Companies In My Field

When it comes to an ideal work place that generally comes down to preference, some might want to work for Bethesda, maybe you want to work for EA but this is in general terms which company would be the best suited for the field i would like to enter

The first company that instantly jumps put for narrative focused games would be tell tale who have generally been known to create heavily emotional narrative focused point and click/episodic games based on existing IP’s such as The walking dead, borderlands and game of thrones

https://telltale.com/ -  4000 Civic Center Dr, San Rafael, CA 94903, USA

https://telltale.com/jobs/

As of this moment in time they are only looking for a senior writer in the job field i wish however that doesnt mean i cant apply for another job they are in need of to work my way into a writing position for example they are always looking for q/a testers so using that i can wiggle into a narrative design or writer role by suggesting things that could improve the story experience or helping with the writing of scripts and dialogue.

An issue with telltale however is it is hard to single out a game from their library as more narrative focused or important than any other, walking dead offers a dark saddening take on the world where every option and choice you make will have an impact later. This is in stark contrast to say tales from the borderlands which yes does have a similar choices matter mentality however the story in that game is less serious and grim and more light hearted and lovely.

With tell-tale they cover so much ground in their narrative focused games its hard to single one of them out alone

Not a company that comes to mind when thinking of narrative but one that i would enjoy a job at would be gearbox, they are mainly known for creating the borderlands franchise and as of now are in the process of making the third game . Their narratives tend to be somewhat serious but have a lighthearted tone to them with alot of dirty humor.

Borderlands and its sequels probably are the most notable games they have created and do narrative in an inventive way in that it is both serious yet not at all serious at the same time i mean....the planet your on is in grave danger from a tyrant hell bent on wiping life as you know it off the planet with an alien doom weapon, but at the same time the villian mocks you with such childish insults and sarcastic nonsense its hard to take it seriously, even more so with some of the side missions like “shot this guy in the faace” which is exactly as it sounds.

http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/ -  5757 Main St, Frisco, TX 75034, USA

http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/careers/

Gearbox software have an odd internship program that allows people of all skill levels to join and it is called the cogs program, in their own words the cogs program is 

“The COGS program at Gearbox Software is designed for future game developers to get a chance to start their careers by becoming embedded with the veteran, professional developers at our world-class video game development studio and actually contribute to a commercial video game project. It’s the real deal. This is the foot in the door. This is the chance to prove yourself.

The COGS program differs from a traditional internship because Gearbox Software will actually pay you during your time at the studio. What?! Did you read that right?! Yes, we’re going to pay you to prove yourself. We must be nuts.But forget about us being nuts for a minute – the COGS program is as real as Clap Trap’s malfunctioning artificial personality.

COGS stands for Contractors of Gearbox Software – you will get a contract and it will say that you have become an actual, official, paid professional inside the studio that is home of Borderlands, Duke Nukem, Brothers in Arms, Homeworld, Battleborn, and Randy Pitchford’s flamboyant shirts. The contract terms can be for as little as three months or as long as a year, depending on the timing and the role. During that time you’ll get free soda. Also during that time you’ll contribute to a real commercial product at our AAA development studio earning valuable experience and credit that will not merely be rewarding and insanely gratifying, but will also set-you-up to be very valuable and sought after by the industry. And there’s free snacks to wash down with the soda. Did I already mention the soda? It’s a cool deal.”

quote directly from here

This is all to simply prove if you deserve a job or not

Key people in my field

http://www.evanskolnick.com/games

His portfolio is rather well put together and lists all of his skills and accomplishments as well as any and all of the projects he has worked on  it also seems to show his wide range of work as he has taken part in narrative roles on project such as mafia 3 which is full of gore and racial angles and tension to the kid friendly hi-jinks filled over the hedge game and movie.

This is a portfolio i should keep an eye on and learn from

https://twitter.com/evanskolnick?lang=en

Evan Skolnick is an american born writer who has previous worked on marvel comics as a lead writer and now has jumped into narrative video game design, his most recent project/job being the walking dead : a new frontier by telltale which makes him a key player not only in my field but a company based solely around the field i wish to work in

has a book out called : video game story telling, what every developer needs to know about narrative techniques 

the description of the book and what it may offer

“With increasingly sophisticated video games being consumed by an enthusiastic and expanding audience, the pressure is on game developers like never before to deliver exciting stories and engaging characters. With Video Game Storytelling, game writer and producer Evan Skolnick provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow guide to storytelling basics and how they can be applied at every stage of the development process—by all members of the team. This clear, concise reference pairs relevant examples from top games and other media with a breakdown of the key roles in game development, showing how a team’s shared understanding and application of core storytelling principles can deepen the player experience. Understanding story and why it matters is no longer just for writers or narrative designers. From team leadership to game design and beyond, Skolnick reveals how each member of the development team can do his or her part to help produce gripping, truly memorable narratives that will enhance gameplay and bring today’s savvy gamers back time and time again.“

Edwin McRae isnt noteworthy due to the work he has done, though he has worked on many smaller titles and mobile games as a narrative designer and world builder. He is more notable due to his constant advice and tutorials on how to become a better narrative designer and how to build a living breathing world from scratch

He too like Evan has a book or two to be purchased and read which can be found here : https://www.edmcrae.com/books-and-comics.cfm

Another good narrative designer to take a look at would be Daniel Dick, he describes himself as follows

“ I'm a Narrative Director & Writer with over 15 years of industry experience creating, building, and implementing successful narratives (including multiple AAA titles). I also recently designed a narrative design and game writing course for the University of British Columbia's Creative Writing Program.”

Some notable projects he has worked on include 

★ DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED Narrative Director Eidos Montreal ★ HOMEWORLD: DESERTS OF KHARAK Narrative Director BBI / Gearbox ★ SPEC-OPS Lead Narrative Designer & Writer Rockstar Vancouver ★ BULLY Narrative Designer & Writer Rockstar Vancouver ★ SOCOM: TACTICAL STRIKE Lead Writer & Narrative Designer Slant Six / Sony ★ SOCOM: FIRETEAM BRAVO 3 Lead Writer & Narrative Designer Slant Six / Sony ★ NEED FOR SPEED & SSX Story Consultant & Contract Writer Electronic Arts ★ TREASURE PLANET Game Designer & Writer Barking Dog / Disney ★ THE DAMASCUS LETTER​: A Spy Novel Author Finalist for the AMAZON BREAKTHROUGH NOVEL AWARD in 2011.

His portfolio on Linkden is also very well put together and will have to keep an eye on this one as well

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldick/

The skills i need

When it comes to narrative design in general there are certain skills you will need when entering the field.

Atleast basic knowledge on pacing and tone to a story, you cant have characters fighting an epic war then suddenly 2 seconds later have a clown filled tea party only to mourn their friends for  a solid hour or two after that, it kills both the tone your going for and pacing. Keep it balanced and consistent

Understand character and world building, it good to create a world or character but if they are blank slates of boring with a side of boring pie then no one will care.

To create a breathing living world you must think about every detail and bit of history, what does this town do for the world, why is this ruin here, where do these enemies live etc. However be careful as you cannot make a game with backstory and word building alone and people do not want to have to sit through hours of lore.

Characters are harder to build, they can have preset fears and goals and motivations and even backstories however alot of the time they need to grow alongside the player and inside the events of your narrative. If a character loses something precious to them show it, if they are tried from a long battle show it, if they have been beaten badly and took a massive hit to their pride again show it to the player and in the character.

Script/dialogue writing skills and understanding what goes into creating them. Make sure every bit of dialogue fits who it is meant for perfectly and try to avoid repetition if possible. Ensure scripts are clear to read for the voice actors

Ability to take critique and improve from it, maybe someone thinks a certain aspect of your narrative is a bit off and wants to give feedback, it would be your job to take that feedback in and maybe change the narrative a bit to fit it.

Interpersonal skills, do you really think your going to be working alone....yeah no it doesnt work like that as you will be with a team of writers more than likely who will be throwing in ideas into this world or character and trying to make them perfect. Listen to what they have to say and work with them. Plus you will be working with other departments, maybe the environment designer needs specific dialogue for a fire area and you need to take a look at the area to gauge what kind of dialogue to fit into it, Maybe the character designer needs help figuring out how this character might speak and what they could even say

You have to have the ability to understand the genre of what it is your writing, cant have a kid friendly platformer suddenly have sexual jokes and decapitations now can we?

Organization in your writing is a good skill to possess as well as good motivation skills and time management

My work and evaluating it/General Evaluation

Now that i have mentioned the skills needed and the work i have done it is time to evaluate it bit by bit and see if i meet the standards set above and if not how can i achieve them from where i am now

My work

Short stories and poems tend to come to me in the moment and usually come from my already made characters, existing characters from movies/tv/games or from some random idea i had in my mind. However as mention before they tend to be a one time thing and rarely branch out and become longer, any longer story usually gets forgotten about due to motivational or memory issues even if broken into parts (For example i got 5 parts into a dark souls 3 story before forgetting it and never really going back to continue it). If i wish to get into narrative i need to work on long stories 

The few twine games i have made so far are at a time where i have minimal knowledge of twine and one of them i cannot add to my porfolio due to content inside it. They are not nearly to the standard they could or should be and i should spend time completing and working on them to put them at the level i believe they could be.

The blog is personally my proudest bit of writing, i started the blog with a charcter based on an ingame mario enemy that had no backstory or anything, no personifcation or even personality. I took this enemy and gave it life and a soul, gave it wants and needs and fears and a personality, it has goals and a past now and as said has spawned countless Alternate worlds and ideas from it due to the story i have told with him. However alot of the writing tends to be very informal and dailouge based and the blog also has some informal and silly content to go through, will need to isolate the writing from this blog to show on the portfolio

As said he has spawned countless characters off of himself, from a sweet gentle shy king, to an evil dominating tyrant, a lonely yet wise last of his kind hunter, a sickening horrific yet lovable spider hybrid creature, a shy 1 limbed mechanic looking into necromancy to power his robotics to be honest this is stuff to include in the portfolio however it mention it here as no matter how many characters i do have i should continue to add more to the mix and develop them every chance i get to do so.

Skills and myself overall

In terms of skills i would like to atleast believe i own some of the needed skills for my job role, a basic understanding of pacing and tone, world and character building experience as well as interpersonal skills and abilities. Perhaps i do struggle a small amount with critique as sometimes it dont learn or go back to redo what is told of me.

Out side of skills to myself in general im a generally approachable and creative guy who could keep tensions low and ensure that everyone in the company is keeping themselves happy and destressed, i would also like to believe im willing to advance and learn even if it is painful.

But to evaluate you have to speak of the bad too, which is sometimes i can be very unmotivated and avoid/put off work for as long as possible even if i understand and know i have work. I can also get frustrated easilly with things that i cannot do or do not understand, if i wish to advance in my industry i willl need to put these under lock and key 

My path into industry due to what i have found here

Due to the information i have found here there are a few paths into industry i can take

i can look for a indie or triple A developer looking for a q/a tester and work into the company from there offering the skills i do have to help construct the game and help any struggling member of the team during my none working hours, this iwll show them my previously obtained skills and allow them to remember me above all the other Q/A testers thus getting a foot in the door

I could also use my Voice acting talent and get in through that, voice a character and offer changes and help to the script as well as developing the character which again gives me a foot into the door.

another option is to wiggle into games journalism, this way i can write about and meet many developers as well as play some of the hottest games before anyone else and offer my opinion on them and what could be changed.