#and maybe that's the reason i just abandoned my wips because i'm so burned out in general

[intakeofbreath]

not brandon sanderson saying on his lecture that one of the worst jobs to have if you plan to write is the one i have 💀

[kakushigotofanclub]

Can I ask you about your wips? I'm curious

Oh boy you're so going to regret asking me this but THANK YOU SO MUCH I have been DYING to babble about all my wips

Enjoy this weirdly organized and non-exhaustive "list"

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The big one is Burning Bridges, which I have a whopping 25,000+ words written for already. Here's the summary:

After Muzan is defeated, Inosuke doesn’t know what to do with himself, feeling unable to either adapt to his new life or return to his old one. Restless and frustrated, when he comes across a chance to go back to demon slaying, he can’t refuse. But getting stuck in an alternate timeline in which Tanjiro became the Demon King was not exactly what Inosuke had in mind.

But, uh. I really don't know if I'm ever going to finish and post it, and tbh the main reason is kind of petty lol...like, a couple years ago I used to get tons of comments on ao3 and lately I just barely get any feedback anymore. I kinda don't want to post anything I've worked really hard on to avoid getting my feelings hurt. I'd be happy to talk about it, though, if anyone's interested.

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Another multi-chapter fic I will never post but would love to ramble about is A Couple of Bad Ideas and a Shot in the Dark, which is a KnY rewrite that takes place in the MHA universe. Although, this one is abandoned because I got too invested in a side-plot and literally forgot what I was actually going to do with the story.

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I've also got one called Smother, which I do fully intend on finishing and posting someday! I don't have an official summary for it but it's about Obanai living with the Rengokus right after he was rescued. Here's a piece from the scene where Kyojuro and Obanai meet for the first time:

“Hi! Why are your eyes two different colors? Where did you get your pet snake? Are snakes your favorite animal? My favorite animal is a cat. Or maybe a dog. Or an owl. I don't know, I can't pick! How old are you? I'm eleven years and five months and two weeks and six days old, which means I’m almost eleven and a half. What's your snake's name? Oh, and what's your name? My name is Rengoku Kyojuro. Do you have any-" "Kyojuro." The man who saved Obanai glared at a person that looked exactly like him except smaller and way more annoying. “Give it a rest. I don’t think he’s in the mood for making friends right now. Just shut up.”

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I have another fic about Obanai and the Rengokus—modern au, no summary but I think the plot can be summed up in this excerpt and the fact that I headcanon Obanai with ARFID:

“No! I said I was going to take her to her favorite restaurant,” Obanai exhaled sharply. “So I’m going to take her to her favorite restaurant.” He hesitated, gaze cast downwards. “That’s why I’m here. I wanted your…help.” “Of course!” Kyojuro exclaimed enthusiastically. “With what, exactly?” Obanai crossed his arms, refusing to meet eyes with Kyojuro. His face was red and he mumbled his next words: “I have to be able to eat food from there without gagging or freaking out by next week.”

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Then my reincarnation AU called Da Capo Al Fine, which I've posted a few excerpts from before—basically, everyone reincarnates a hundred years later and Tanjiro and Giyuu are the only ones who remember their past lives. Honestly this one I feel like would just be a pain to actually write the whole fic the way I have it in my head lol. I might write one-shots for it, though, idk.

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That's. Not everything but I think I've probably talked for long enough now 😅

[velkyr]

for the fic writer asks :) 🤲🌻 💫

🤲what do YOU get out of writing?

I guess it's a couple of things! it's the best outlet I have - I'm not very good at art or much that's 'physically' creative, but writing is something I feel I can do decently, for the most part. that makes it more enjoyable for me as someone who is cursed by the need to chase All The Dopamine All The Time. plus like a lot of other folks, I find it as good a place as any to project/work through my own neuroses in the subtext (or sometimes just the text. it be like that).

as a secondary thing, I also get like... a sense of validation for my younger self out of it? when I was a kid I always had teachers pushing me to write, insisting I should go down the path of studying english lit, etc. it's hard to explain, it was half encouraging and half incredibly stifling; unhealthy levels of critique that other kids weren't getting, all that shit. (it's also the reason I type like this when my actual style of speaking is so much more informal, sorry not sorry.) it burned me out of the idea entirely.

I didn't write anything at all for 4+ years after I left school, and I'm still kinda working through the baggage of it. it's part of the reason I massively over-edit ig. but doing it in my free time now, just for me? it's a good feeling. it feels like a middle finger to that particular part of my life

🌻what makes you want to give up on writing? what makes you keep going?

oh a lot of stuff does lmao. mostly, it's when I get in a massive rut about one scene I'm trying to write. I struggle to write things out of chronological order because of how scattered my brain is at the best of times, so leaving the part I'm stuck on alone is nigh on impossible. the second biggest thing is when I get far too in my own head about how I'm going to translate my ideas into words. which is fairly often.

what keeps me going, I guess, is how much it bothers me leaving things unfinished. in other aspects of my life it happens all the time, and it always plays on my mind. this feels like one place where I can maybe control that outcome. and that's not to say I don't have plenty of abandoned wips lol, but particularly w my current fic, I'm motivated enough to see it through to the end.

💫 what is your favorite kind of comment/feedback?

is it a cop out to say All Of It. yeah it totally is lmao. tbh basically any comment is gonna brighten my day, but I love it most when people comment on my characterisation/character 'voice', so to speak. especially when that gets used as a jumping off point for people to do deeper interpretations of what I'm trying to say with that characterisation. like, godddd, I live for that shit! it's so validating 😭 makes me feel like I did something right

(ask game in question is here!)

[everthewip]

i said i want to pick a new WIP to focus on for a bit and I meant it, but indecisive as I am, I'm gonna need some help. So I'm making a poll. I don't have room to describe each snippet in the poll so im just numbering them and you can read the snippets below the cut

please don't feel obligated, but if you'd like to read and vote to help me out, i would much appreciate it!

These snippets will be very short because I don't want to make this lengthier than it needs to be, but if you'd rather read more let me know and I'll post more.

1. Music echoed from the city center as she guided me away from the crowds. I did not recognize the street she took. Electricity was in short supply and the magic had been focused on the festival, so the street lanterns were dark and cold. There is a reason folk go missing at this time of year; a reason these poorer districts see a rise in theft and murder every festival. Danger always lurked in shadows, but she moved through the darkness like a wraith; swift, silent, and sure of every step. Her hand squeezed mine as if she feared losing me, a silent challenge to the night – I dare you to steal her from me. My fingers were growing numb. My head was heavy from the festival drinks, my thoughts twisted by incense that wafted from the tents of fortune tellers and witches...

2.

Autumn leaves had covered the forest floor, keeping a soft cushion beneath the bare soles of her feet. It was a comfort she did not expect to last. Too soon the trees began to grow sparse, the blanket of leaves giving way to cold dirt and pebbles. Along the border of the woods was a rocky hillside that stretched wide in both directions. Rather than attempt to find a way around, she gritted her teeth and began the ascent over it. Tough as her feet were they could not withstand the sharp edges of the rocks. Blood warmed the cold stone as they cut into her, but she did not stop or give in to the pain. The sooner she passed over the rocky terrain the better.  On the other side lay a valley, surrounded on all edges by the forest. Tall, yellowed grass swayed in the afternoon wind as mountain peaks loomed to the near east. On the northern end of the valley rose a writhing snake of smoke, its source a low-burning campfire. A wagon was stationed near it, along with three figures sitting around the flames. Two horses grazed nearby.  There was a scent in the air, of burning wood and fried meat. For a while she stood there, letting the blood of her feet seep into the grass, watching the distant figures. Her tongue watered at the scents, stirring the hunger rooted so deeply in her belly - in her bones. 

3. They had been dead for three days, of this I am certain. The last threads of their lives still linger; as thin and fragile as the first string in a spiders trap, or the broken wisps of a long abandoned cobweb. I must brush these threads aside to view the bodies more closely, but they stick and cling to my fingers and hair. “Go on,” I urge, only somewhat agitated. “There's no point in staying now.” But they do stay, always; they never listen. I cannot blame them. There are dark things in the shadows, hiding in the crevices of life and death - waiting for the stray thread of a soul to drift onto their tongues, pinned between their teeth. The forest is hushed here and the trees stir without wind, disturbed by the bulk of unseen forms; stalking, waiting. Three days. My stomach turns to think these last few threads are all that remain, to imagine the rest have already been devoured. Perhaps I will let them cling to me after all.

4. The hummingbirds would go no further. Tyah studied the dark pass ahead, where low branches and thorny shrubs curved inward to form a tunnel. The trees were massive this deep within the ancient forest and little sunlight could pierce the near impenetrable canopy high above. No light at all seemed capable of illuminating the tunnel. The young scout could not blame the hummingbirds for pausing here, where scattered ribbons of thin light could still caress the forest floor. “We'll continue on foot,” Rysen stated as he dismounted. “And keep your wings down, lest they snag on the brambles.” Tyah shuddered at the thought and did as ordered, resting her wings against her back before she dismounted, stumbling a little on her landing. A quick glance toward Rysen proved he hadn't noticed, his focus set on the dark tunnel ahead. She exhaled a relieved sigh and adjusted her belted quiver. ... “What will we do if they refuse to help us?” Even in a whisper, her question seemed too loud, bouncing off the darkness as if it were solid. “We will leave, as swiftly as we can, and hope the horrors of the Darkbrier are no more than children's tales.”

[esor-ogramira]

Update on the status of The Fenrathae Saga! And Other Stuffses!

TL;DR: I'm putting The Fenrathae Saga on mostly-hiatus due to burnout relating to it, and am gonna start working full-blast on another project of mine that involves my former RWBY OCs. I'm also gonna make a poll to see if anyone within my tiny but sweet following wants to watch me fail miserably at playing survival mode in Minecraft with cheats and certain gamerules enabled!

To read the whole thing, click on the "Keep reading" thingy below!

Sooooooo, I've realized that I'm very burned out with writing for The Fenrathae Saga. As in, I've been finding significantly more enjoyment in writing in my other projects and playing Minecraft than working on anything relating to The Fenrathae Saga and Volume 1, lately. I've also been thinking about my other projects much more often than The Fenrathae Saga, itself.

So I've decided to put The Fenrathae Saga on the back burner for the time being, aka, put it on a mostly-hiatus! For the most part, I won't be working on it as often as I have for the past 2 years, but I'll probably still chip away at the comic script every now and then. So no, the webcomic is not cancelled at all! This just means that the webcomic will come out a lot later than I anticipated.

The reason I'm doing this is because I know that if I force myself to work on something that I don't want to work on at the moment, then that something won't be done very well. I don't want The Fenrathae Saga to not be done to the best of my abilities, and I especially don't want that for the webcomic. Plus, I've been working on this iteration of The Fenrathae Saga nonstop since March of 2021. I've discovered that my way of working is to work on something full-blast for a few years, then pick up something else that I'd like to work on, set the first thing on the back burner, and then work on that something else full-blast for a few years. I definitely don't plan on abandoning The Fenrathae Saga anytime soon, another project that I've been working on on-and-off has just caught the rest of my attention when I really needed to switch passion projects for a while.

And that something else involves my former RWBY OCs! Yes, former RWBY OCs. Back when I was still really into RWBY, I developed some fan characters for a bit. I never really wrote down the story, but by the time I thought to write it down, the trailer for RWBY Volume 7 had come out, and just watching it made me realize that I'd gotten wayyyyy too emotionally invested in it to continue watching it. And then that one Twitter/X teaser where Team RWBY and Them were suddenly wanted by the government for canonical reasons really turned me off. Don't get me wrong, it's a pretty good show! Maybe not the best of shows, but it's still decent! Buuuuuuut, I just decided from that point on that I would not watch RWBY anymore and not follow any of the RWBY Official social media accounts, for my own mental health.

So after that, I decided to take my RWBY OCs and make them actual original characters and make their story and actually original story. And that's what brings us to today, where I've decided to work on their story and worldbuilding full-blast! So far, I have a good portion of the lore worked out, and most of the basics of the magic system (where there's actual magic and lots of magically-inclined mortal races of people). The story itself is still a major WIP, and I'm not sure what I'll do with the story once I feels it's ready to be shared.

OH! Also, I'm considering recording videos of me playing Java Edition Minecraft, either in survival mode with cheats and Keep Inventory enabled and no Wardens/Phantoms/Pillager Raid Parties spawning and Mob Griefing disabled, or in creative mode with all of those gamerules inplaces and cheats enabled. I know, I know, that's "not what real gamers do!" But I'm a very casual gamer, and I think the world needs more casual Minecraft YouTubers. Plus, I'm not gonna be playing to fulfill every last whim of every last potential subscriber, I'm gonna be playing Minecraft to make myself happy and to show the world how I play Minecraft. Those gamerules and cheats exist for a good reason, and that's to make the game more accessible for casual players who don't like dealing with certain annoying/scary aspects of the game! If you don't like the fact that I'm playing the game with those gamerules enabled and/or disabled, then... don't play in your Minecraft singleplayer worlds like that?? I don't know what else to tell those who don't like games being accessible to anyone who doesn't want to play games in constant fear of dying and losing all your stuff.

But since this post is so long already, I'm gonna make a separate poll to gauge interest within my small but sweet following about watching my hypothetical Minecraft videos! They'd all be uploaded to my second YouTube channel, which is @/EsorOgramiraMisc on YouTube!

[idrellegames]

Hello! This is not wayfarer-specific but a writing advice request: Do you have any advice on how stay on task/to not lose steam with projects, especially ones with so much time investment as IF? I have an idea I really want to write, but I'm afraid of losing drive before it's finished and abandoning it halfway through.

I’ll be honest, feeling burned out or losing drive to finish your project is one of the biggest challenges with any long-form writing project. I think it’s important to acknowledge that those feelings are valid and that they are going to happen. You’re going to have moments where you don’t like your project any more, where you think your writing sucks, or you just don’t have the energy to keep working on it.

Writers need to take breaks. Your creativity needs rest to rejuvenate; working non-stop trying to get something done will drain you dry. Put the project aside for a week (or a few weeks) and come back to it with a clear mind.

But unfinished WIPs are a part of the writing process. Sometimes you hit a wall with a project—which can happen for a number of reasons! Maybe you just don’t care for the material anymore. Maybe it’s not the story you want to tell. Maybe it’s not a story you can tell right now (I definitely had ideas I started in high school that I couldn’t really work on until a decade later, when I had seen more of life and experienced more things). Sometimes it’s just not time for that story to be told.

At the same time, finishing your projects is a crucial part of the writing process. You will learn more about writing from finishing a single project than creating a hundred WIPs. As important as breaks are, you also need strategies to get started again.

For me, the hardest part of writing is starting again after I take a break. I need to slowly build things up before something clicks in my head and I’m able to write easily. The first few days after a break are always the worst. My focus is all over the place, I check tumblr and Discord more often than my own word document, and I just inch towards an arbitrary goal. I try not to be too hard on myself during these moments, because I know it’s temporary—once I’ve had a few days of struggling, I’m back to normal.

Sometimes I need to trick myself into writing in order to get going again—do something that isn’t “writing” but actually is. Sometimes I’ll work on an outline, or I’ll jot down notes in a journal or a random piece of dialogue. I don’t feel like I’m writing, but I actually am. Take that, brain!

When I’m stuck, I switch up my writing method. Sometimes it’s as simple as changing the font or switching rooms. I also write by hand—I don’t usually get too much done this way, but it does help get the ideas flowing and helps me rediscover the enjoyment in writing.

Reviewing notes and outlines also helps. If I go over an outline and find a scene I’m excited about, that kickstarts the desire to get there. Outside of being a plotting tool, outlines help me get over writer’s block. If I’m stuck, I break things down into the most basic of basic building blocks (this happens, then this happens, then this happens). Seeing a scene (or a part of a scene) laid out step by step gives me easy goals to reach, which helps me feel like I’m progressing. Even if I only managed to write 200 words, if I hit a goal on the outline, I feel like I’ve done something and I can only get better from there.

Having a reliable way to get feedback and comments can also help, especially if you’re feeling like you’re losing steam or feeling negative about your writing. Find a friend (or a group of friends) who are excited about your project and are happy to read in-development sections. When I get really stuck, my partner reads over my work and lets me know the parts that he likes. Hearing someone else’s excitement about what you’re doing goes a long way to reinvigorating your passion for your story.

If your project is public (like a fanfic or a WIP interactive fiction game), don’t rely on external comments from strangers for this. It needs to be someone you know, an interaction between friends or a private writing group.

While the rush from getting a lot of comments and engagement on your public WIP feels really nice, it becomes a tricky line to walk when you make it the main thing to keep you going. You can’t control how much or how little people will engage with your work. When you don't get the amount of comments/engagement you want, it can make you feel like crap and that your writing isn’t worthwhile. And when you start comparing yourself to other creators and how much engagement they get, it can make you feel even worse. It’s hard not to do this, but don’t equate the worth of your writing to something that is ultimately out of your control.

The best thing you can do is to start writing. See where your project takes you. Get out of your head and find the enjoyment in writing. If you’re too worried about what might happen in the future, you’ll never start.

I hope that helps! Good luck! 💕

[chararii]

WIP DUMP 2020/2021

with a small fanfiction progress report (massive post inc)

It's been a long time since I posted anything but that's because I haven't really done much. Art, for me, is an incredibly time-consuming, frustrating and unrewarding experience. Everything I do, no matter how small, takes countless hours because I am striving for something I cannot achieve and my standards are, frankly, too high.

My biggest goal is to be able to draw like my favourite artist but that's simply out of my reach. As such I am stuck trying to imitate what he does without ever being happy about the results.

The artist is called wlop and while I'm sure that everyone has come across his work before, here is a link to his twitter:

https://twitter.com/wlopwangling

and his deviantart: https://www.deviantart.com/wlop

I am subscribed to him on patreon and got access to the brushes he uses which are used in the images below. Despite being unsure if or when I will ever finish any of these, I thought I might as well share what I have.

The first one is Alextrasza the Life-Binder from the Warcraft universe. This one was meant to be a gift for a friend and still is, if I ever finish it.

The idea behind it is heavily Dark Souls inspired: as the world slowly dies, she gives herself to the flame in order to keep it burning for the rest of her brood.

I have no concept of lighting so it's all over the place but the idea was to cover it up as good as possible with some heavy colour/effect editing.

The next one is a larger image dump since it's more detailed. My favourite Harry Potter character is, and always has been, Andromeda Tonks with Narcissa a close second. I like to play with AUs a lot and the one I will maybe, eventually, explore in that fic I keep fiddling with is basically Black Matriarch Andromeda.

An AU in which she decided that no boy is worth abandoning her family for and as the eldest of the sisters (I swapped the ages around) and the Black family being a matriarchy, she eventually becomes Head of the family.

Since Helena Bonham Carter is my favourite actress and she played Bellatrix in the movies, I used her as the basis for Andromeda's face and sharpened her features a little, gave her a more prominent nose to try and achieve an inherently aristocratic look.

Other than that, there's lots of raven imagery since those feature on the family crest and I like ravens.

The last one is just a sketch but it's still a wip so. It's one of my Warcraft OCs for this massive Ancient Empire/Highborne worldbuilding project I am occasionally working on. It revolves around Azshara, Tyrande, Vashj and various others.

The idea for those images was something resembling a tarot card set. There are five cards, one for each of the most "important" characters.

The Queen for Azshara, the General for Tyrande, the High Priestess for Neviril (OC), the Handmaiden for Vashj and the Consort for Zashj (OC).

This one is the Consort.

And that's it. I don't know when/if I will finish either of these since I'm currently trying to get back into writing to wrap up some of these multichapter stories I started for some godawful reason.

As for my fanfiction works, I recently published a oneshot about Tsunade and Sakura who both suffer from the consequences of the war. It's somewhat bittersweet and I enjoyed exploring yet another interpretation/version of my favourite character Tsunade.

If you check it out, heed the warnings.

Dead In This House: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30928934

As for the rest, I am almost done with the 5th Changeling chapter and there should be 4-5 left after that.

The next bit for Beware, the Three is the Origin set which is a 3-parter much like the Summons set. Shizune's is first and should be done within a week or so.

As for Loyalty, I am still on the fence whether I want to tackle it now or later but the thought is there.

Into the Depths will be postponed until I cleaned up some of the above wips since that one is something I can't work on alongside other fics. It's tricky and complicated and requires all my attention and I'm not ready to commit to that until I feel like I wrapped up some of the other fics.

Now I'm done. If anyone actually reads this long-ass post I salute you. If any of the chapters I mentioned above get released I'll make a post here because this blog is dead enough as it is.