#anyway. hope you're doing well nonsie :)

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quil I love you so fucking much you are the entire basis of this fandom

also thank you for pointing out the stuff about the satire blog it was making me really uncomfortable but I felt guilty about it cause im supposed to try to be a better person ya know? but im just a teenager trying to have fun on the internet in between school. yeah I get obsessed over random gay ships that have no chance of becoming canon but so what????

it's not wrong to try to see yourself in the story you're reading, is it?

sorry for the rant, I just wanted to say thank you for pointing that out

No need to apologize, Nonsie, and thank you, you're very sweet :)--though I'd say the fandom is based on the community of people, not any one person. I don't want to take credit for all the lovely individuals here that make this fandom what it is! Which might just sound like lip service, as I know I'm a big blog in the fandom, but I do mean it

As for the satire account, you're not the only person I've spoken to who's uncomfortable with it. Satire is a tool at the end of the day, but just in general I think mockery and negativity isn't an effective tool to get people to change--if that's truly what they're aiming for. I cannot speak to the motives of who runs the account, but sometimes it seems like being a "satire blog" is a cover/excuse. A kind of "it's just a joke" and "if you're uncomfortable, that's because you're the target and should better yourself" thing. Disclaimer: I am not saying that's what this mod would say, or that that's their motivation, just that it's the impression and vibe they're giving off so far. It inspires doubt

And it's not wrong to try and see yourself in what you read--that being said, it's important to be aware that not every story is for you. Sometimes stories are meant for other people to see themselves in it, to speak to experiences and identities that aren't yours, and that's okay. We shouldn't dismiss something's importance just because we're not in it; there should be variety, and it's an important skill to be able to engage with media and messages you don't see yourself in. It's part of how we learn about others and just good practice.

Given that the series we're talking about is kotlc, however, it's not one of those kinds of stories. So wanting to see yourself in it is a very reasonable, understandable thing! And you're not alone in it! I wish I saw myself represented as well, and so do many others in a variety of ways.

Anyway, point is that we are all people at the end of the day--and people (including us) can be shitty, yes, but people can also grow. But mockery of our peers doesn't encourage growth, and you're not alone in wanting to see yourself and express yourself without fear of ridicule.

[bookwyrminspiration]

Hello Quil, I was scrolling through your blog today and I saw you had reblogged a post you had made about trying to resist checking out library books (which is very relatable, by the way) and added two pictures of cut up books. (For reference this was in mid-October). So now I actually have two questions for you: 1) What were you making with those books? My guess from the round thing in the corner of the photo was that you were making paper pumpkins, and if so that is very lovely. 2) Do you know what books you were using? I thought I recognized a page as being from the Artemis Fowl books but I wasn’t sure. Anyway, good luck with the last few days of Nano! We’re almost there! - Amethyst

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Amethyst! Hola!! I recall the post--and yes, we were making paper pumpkins out of old books the library had. I don't remember exactly the situation, but it was one of those where the books would've gone to waste otherwise. They do a lot of crafts with old books--though I haven't gone in a while, because I'm not interested in thanksgiving/christmas crafts

And I do know the book! (I made 2 pumpkins out of one book). It was Choppy Waters by Stuart Woods. i know nothing else about it except its name, but here are the results!

and thank you for the luck! I powered through, and I hope you had a satisfying nano season as well!! very excited to finish the semester and edit/post all my work from this month :)

[bookwyrminspiration]

Hi Quil! I am happy to inform you that after many starts, stops, and literary detours, I have finally finished A Natural History of Dragons a few days ago! (I probably would’ve been about to finish it more quickly, but I have a habit of reading several books at the same time so it took me much longer.) I am planning to continue reading and discussing it, and hopefully growing the fandom by recommending it to a bunch of people.

As for thoughts on the book itself: I had a pretty good time reading it! It was really cool to see Isabella’s character development as she made mistakes and learned more about respect and good judgement. I thought the mystery was really good, although I wish we had learned more about the antagonists before they shoes up at the end. Also the dragons saving the day was just awesome. :)

Also, even though I kind of knew Jacob was going to die, I was still really surprised when it happened. I actually audibly reacted when Jacob got stabbed, and I think if a book can get me that invested it’s a pretty good book!

I hope you’re doing well and enjoying your summer, and I look forward to sharing my thoughts on future books with you!

- Amethyst

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Amethyst! Hello! I am so so pleased to hear that, there are very few people (at least that I’ve found) who’ve read the series, so it’s always delightful to share it with someone else. It is undoubtedly one of my favorites–for several reasons. So I hope you enjoy the subsequent books! I think the series just gets better and better from that first one, though the fifth one is a little odd. Not in a bad way, just in a “huh. wasn’t expecting it to be this kind of story, but alright.” You’ll understand exactly what I mean if you end up reading that far :)

It is so fun to watch her develop! The series spans decades so we get to see her learn and grow so much, which is really neat. And your notes are fair–we don’t learn much about the person himself (I can’t recall his name) until he’s there, instead more about how what he’s doing is impacting the world and specifically the dragons. Which does make sense to an extent, because that’s what Isabella is focusing on. And the dragon saving the day was an excellent choice–and it’s super fascinating to think about with the comment that Isabella makes about how the dragon grabbing the other person and not her was pure luck. Because it was! It really was just lucky, there was nothing else to it, and just how different everything could’ve been if the dragon had arbitrarily decided differently. Her life was in the hands of a wild, dangerous animal.

I did not know Jacob was going to die when I read the books, and when I read that he got stabbed I was like “Oh my god…they’re going to make him survive a stabbing in the middle of nowhere? lmao realistically he’d be dead but I’m not complaining.” and then the author was like “no no, we’re doing this realistically” and killed him. I’d been tricked by Isabella’s mentioning of a husband in the present tense for her future, but alas, I was played for a fool. I love Jacob very very much, if only we’d had him for longer </3

I am doing alright! Little nervous as always, but managing it! currently in california for a week just for fun, but then I’ll be back home and back to my shenanigans :). Ordered some books before leaving and hopefully they’ll be ready for pick-up by the time we get back–one of them is book 4 in this series! I own all the others but that one, which is ironic because it’s my favorite.

Anyway! I hope you’re also doing well, and I look forward to seeing your thoughts on however much of the series you read :)

[bookwyrminspiration]

Response to an ask from Ophelia:

Ophelia! Hello! Yeah, it wasn't exactly pleasant but it luckily wasn't too long and she wasn't very assertive. You could just tell she had some beliefs she didn't question the impact of and assumed that we all shared them.

Also I wasn't very clear about what guest teacher meant because I wasn't sure what to call her, but she's a teacher at the high-school level. The first period (I'm in fourth) of my english class is co-taught by her and my english teacher for ESL, so like she's a teacher but just not mine? And she came in to give a presentation as an example of what our final projects should look like. So she's a teacher but was a guest in my scenario

I'm really sorry that you had to go through/still go through that kind of stereotyping and discrimination. It's so unfair and really frustrating to deal with. And 100% not your fault. I don't have the exact same experience since as I grew up I went from a little brown kid to much paler, but I definitely at first meeting don't fit the stereotype of autism. I could talk (very stressfully) to the psychiatrists and excel at school, and so that immediately threw out their expectations and it was like...you'd think the 20 years of experience you claim to have would teach you that you need more than 20 minutes talking to me to actually understand me? You'd think they'd understand I might be masking and very stressed rn?? I said that I struggled to interact with people and she went "Well you're doing just fine right now!" Like thank you but also this is all a front and I will be exhausted later and it feels icky

That's not the same as the racial bias you've experienced, but I'm trying to understand and show that I'm paying attention so. It probably didn't help that I was alone; I don't like to have other people at my appointments, but that also means I'm at a disadvantage of being taken less seriously as a minor alone with two doctors. Add the very obvious anxiety and they think I'm just overreacting to things. At least I assume that's what's happening.

But yeah, those doctors you had sound awful but are a sad reality right now. There's injustice and stigma and stereotypes everywhere and we, unfortunately, can't escape it all. I generally surround myself with really great people, but I can't control everyone around me and sometimes I end up running into people like this and realize welp! The world is like this right now and even if we change it I still have to deal with it as it is right now! God this is frustrating! She's just out here thinking a certain mental disorder is evil like that's okay!

I have no idea if that teacher will learn as I will probably never see her again, but hopefully she will. I would've said something in the moment but I was momentarily stunned like...did you really just say that?? And trying to comprehend the arguments she was making (I don't do great with quick responses to auditory questions or statements) that by the time I'd gotten my own thoughts in order a different student was already arguing with her.

Emotionally I am preparing hot chocolate for the two of us while we watch the raindrops race down the window :) (sorry about your glitchy tumblr with no colors :/)

[bookwyrminspiration]

free space for you to talk about literally anything you want! rant about something?? write out a thought that you haven’t had the time to translate into words?? post the song lyrics or poetry you scribbled on the back of a paper?? idk just whatever you want. you’re cool :)

Oh oh this is perfect!! Also thank you, being cool is such a lovely descriptor!! Anyway, all the searching through my camera roll for pet photos recently has taken me back very far

Far enough that I ended up seeing some of my old photos of art from an intro level art class I took back in spring 2021, and looking at it I went…this is kinda good! But the only person whose ever seen it is that professor, so I’ve been considering sharing some!! And now you’ve given me the perfect opportunity!!!

i haven't included any of the reference photos I used for the art, but if you'd want to see them I can share them as well. Moving forward, I’ll put everything under a cut to save space :)

(all IDs are in alt text)

Okay so this one's a negative space drawing of some plants! Fun fact the one on the far left is an onion that had sprouted because we hadn't eaten in in time, because at the time I didn't have a third houseplant I could use for the reference and I needed 3

This one is a line weight drawing of a glass jar filled with water, a wyvern figurine, and an ornament! The ornament shows up a lot because it was required

This was just some notebooks, cloth, an ornament, a jar, and a piece of folded paper. A random arrangement drawn in charcoal but I think it looks nice. the cloth in the back is actually a pillowcase because that's what I had on hand:

And then this is another random arrangement of things, but this time drawing with white on black paper instead of the other way around! And it's got a twilight book in it so :) very me

then this one was done on a scratchboard! essentially I used an exacto knife to scratch away the black and reveal the white to draw this owl:

this isn't everything I drew in that class, as some of it is mundane line exercises and such, and some of it just didn't turn out in a way I'm proud of.

like my final. ugh. the requirements for that one fucked me over because she wanted us to have a certain number of things in the piece, but in doing so I was just cramming things into the composition. The sketch was cool! But the inking...not so much. I might still have the sketch if you're interested

but yeah!! these are some of my realism art pieces/studies from that one art class I took to fill a credit over a year ago. that class actually turned out to be my most difficult and stressful one that semester due to executive dysfunction, but I learned a few helpful tricks :)

thank you for the opportunity to share them, Nonsie! I miss doing art more often, so I can't wait to explore it again when the wings au is finished

hope you enjoyed! i will now be taking compliments about how cool and awesome and talented I am (that's a joke you don't need to do that)

[bookwyrminspiration]

Shbob nob job

I am trying to make meaning out of madness here, Nonsie. What does this mean? Is there a meaning? Is the only meaning the one I make it out to have? is this a test? To see what I'll do? Am I simply a vessel for your amusement, you providing me with nonsense to watch me run around in circles in search of patterns, in search of meaning?

If I write it backwards this says "boj bon bobhs" which doesn't have any meaning, except google translate says it means "Bose is the sister" in Bangla, however I doubt that's what you were trying to say or that google translate is accurate.

If we look at it backwards it's alliterative as well, so perhaps you're going for a BBB theme. In which case, what does BBB mean? The Better Business Bureau? Big Booty Bitches? Those are two very different things and if you're trying to communicate about one of them you're really putting a lot of faith in my ability to figure out which one

If the letters are rearranged they can spell hobnobs if you don't use all the letters, which is apparently a type of cookie according to the internet. I have never seen a hobnob before in my life. Google says they're british. The letters can also spell BB Johns Boob if you use all of them. That probably wasn't what you were going for either

Or perhaps you're trying to communicate a number to me. The letter s is used 1 time, h 1 time, b is used 4 times, o 3 times, n 1 time, and j one time. So if you put the number of occurrences of each letter in the order the letter appears you get 114311 if you don't repeat the letters. If you put them in alphabetical order you get 411131. 114311 is apparently the number of an asteroid discovered in 2002, hence it being called/referred to as 2002 XY52 if I'm understanding this site right. Then 411131 is another asteroid discovered in 2003, but it's apparently called 2009 WA216, so I don't know what's going on there. Is this what your message is, Nonsie? Are you trying to give me very obscure information about asteroids?

what's happening here what am I supposed to do with this message, how am i supposed to interpret this. There are so many other things you could be trying to communicate

anyway thanks for the ask hope you have a nice whatever time of day it is where you are!

[bookwyrminspiration]

I hope you're having a good day <3 you're amazing

thank you! this is super sweet of you to say <33 You're amazing as well, so I hope you're doing alright! take care of yourself, drink water, grab a snack, stretch, meow, pick up a few things, go to bed, whichever apply to you! and before you say "no u" just know I have already done most of these things (not going to bed yet but it's only eight so I've got some time) so gotcha!! you first!

also I did have a fairly good day! Today was my last day before break, so I get both Thursday and Friday off. Everyone else in the district got the entire week but i'm not salty...it's fine...but seriously I was aware I'd have to sacrifice breaks when I applied for the school so I'm not actually mad about it. I just jokingly sulk from time to time.

and my mother took my sister and I to the mall, so I got to purchase a few things. My sister was doing Christmas shopping (technically Christmas isn't our holiday as my family is Baha'i, but it's so prevalent and so many friends celebrate that we just kinda celebrate a little anyways) but I was just There too. And now I own a ring that has the phases of the moon and a shirt that has mushrooms and snails and berries on it--i'm like 95% certain I'm gonna alter it but it's also cute as is!

but the highlight of the trip was that there's a Barnes and Noble at the mall--usually I go to my local bookstore but I figured I'd stop by since it was literally Right There. I checked for Amber & Dusk just to see if they have it, but I couldn't find it so I'll just order it through said local bookstore. But!! I did buy a few others books, though I'm sure that's not a surprise in the slightest

I forgot that translations of books are something that is actually available for purchase where I am and not only in other countries and long story short I now own Twilight but in spanish. I'm not fluent enough to read the book completely without struggle, but I'm fluent enough that I can recognize exactly where in the story I am within a few lines every time I flip to a random page...but I think that says more about how many times I've read twilight than my proficiency in spanish.

oh also also!! my dad got strawberries!! he asked if anyone wanted anything and I said strawberries but I didn't think he'd actually get them because just strawberries wouldn't warrant an entire trip to the store, but he got them!! I've said it before but I'll say it again...fruit. it's so good and I love it so much. strawberries and whipped cream my beloved....excellency. the height of luxury. berries and fruit in general are the key to my soul. especially kiwis oh my gods I love kiwis so much.

that's a long way of saying that I'm doing alright! with the four day weekend I'm hoping to finally make a dent in some of my asks. I still have a few from like the last week of october and they are haunting me and I feel so bad about it but I'm hoping to remedy it!

so I hope you're also doing alright, nonsie! this was super nice of you and I really appreciate it <33

[bookwyrminspiration]

Hi!

hi, nonsie! how are you? this was a pleasant ask to receive!

personally, I finally remembered to take a shower for the first time in a while so I'm feeling excellent! I do have an essay due tonight that I haven't started and a french test, but I'll worry about that later.

okay but also since I have a lot of space to answer to ask with and no given topic, i am going to share my thoughts. what have I been thinking about lately, you may be asking. well, everything, but specifically thoughts. I've been thinking about thoughts and how some people have a much easier time translating their thoughts into words than others. and that's because we all think differently, right? some people think in pictures and some people think in words and some people think in concepts, etc! and what kind of thoughts you have determined how intelligent you're perceived because it affects how well you can accurately articulate yourself.

personally, I think in concepts and words. like I think of a concept and then my mind translates it into words automatically when I go to write something down. but! concepts are wordless (for me) and take a lot of words to explain, which results in me over explaining (in my opinion), but appearing articulate and verbose to others.

now, what is a concept thought, you may wonder--especially if you don't think in them. well, concept thoughts are what I've dubbed the wordless ideas you get that you just know and understand intrinsically but elude simple words.

an example: you know the whole "genie grants three wishes" thing, right? imagine you have three wishes. Make a wish, whatever you want. You know what it means exactly, you know what benefit you want from this wish. But you likely also know you need to be careful with your words so the genie doesn't screw you over. Whatever you say, the genie is going to take literally. Right now your wish exists as a concept you just know in your mind, but it's not in exact words and likely never will be. Perhaps you wished for world peace--but the genie takes that literally and now there is no conflict anywhere, not even healthy conflicts and disagreements. is that what you meant when you made your wish? probably not! You may have understood exactly what you meant by world peace, all the restrictions and subtleties, but those weren't included in your wording. it was part of the concept in your mind. that's how I would explain a concept thought!

continuing with the world peace example, you'd need to be a lot more specific to tell the genie what you wanted for your wish. hence, you'd end up with a lot of words you might think are unnecessary, or end up over-explaining--at least from your perspective. To everyone else it sounds like you're being precise and clear, and it sounds like you know a lot about what you're saying. They don't know that there's more to the idea that you'll never be able to properly verbalize and that the concept will never be fully explained.

that's what happens in a lot of my posts, actually. I get an ask, just know the answer I want to give, and then spend several paragraphs trying to explain as much of it as possible because my thoughts aren't always words. and at the end I often say "i'll stop here for now," and that's because there's more! there's always more to the concept because the concept itself is wordless and indescribable and I will never be done translating!!

anyways that was very unprompted and there's a lot more I could say on this--like how sometimes concepts are so known in your mind you struggle to put them to words--but I will stop here for now! I've been thinking about thoughts recently and wanting to write it down somewhere, and your ask came in a little after I started translating the concept into words, so I happened to pick yours.

I hope you're doing alright. Hi to you, too!

[bookwyrminspiration]

not really paranormal but my mom is super spiritual and all. she’s made me and my siblings hang one of those eye things up in our rooms to ward away bad stuff. every time we move house she sages out the whole thing. she’s very into the idea that the women in our family can cause things to happen, and that coincidences aren’t really coincidences, but magic.

oo interesting--I'm not spiritual myself but it's always fascinating to see what other people believe!! it's not exactly an eye thing, but my family does have a thing hanging next to our front door that's supposed to be protective. I don't think any of us actually believe in it tho, it's just decoration.

this isn't spiritual, but my mother kind of dabbles in ayurvedic things. she's got a bunch of herbs and things (that she uses alongside modern medicine, dw) and has a bunch of recipes from ayurvedic cookbooks that she makes frequently for herself. and twice a year she partakes in a cleanse that uses a bunch of those recipes because they're "easy on the stomach." There's also like, personality types? essentially there are three different energies (or something) and depending on which one is dominant in a person, it will affect the foods they enjoy and the kind of environment they do well in. There's Kapha, Vata, and Pitta, and sometimes she'll mention what she thinks one of us is (she thinks my dad is primarily kapha and that's why he likes spicy thinks and heat). She doesn't make anyone else participate or hang anything up tho.

but sometimes when i've gone on a little tangent about one of my interests she'll just respond by going on a little spiel about her ayurveda things and i just sit there like I am very glad you like this and enjoy it but none of this makes sense to me. then again I am probably the most atheist and least spiritual person I know, like I really just went no to everything that involves the slightest bit of belief. growing up religious (not christian or catholtic) really had no affect on me and I think it's hilarious

anyways, if you couldn't tell my mother is a middle aged white woman who does yoga and takes herbs. which isn't exactly like your spiritual mother but I feel like we can find some solidarity here

seeing people with a belief system is always like huh. you're really out there doing that and enjoying it. and not in like a judgemental or rue way, but like a "oh I forgot some people actually like that" because I forget people don't think exactly like I do.

same thing with paranormal stuff! which is what sparked this whole conversation!! I hope you and your spiritual mom are vibing, nonsie

[bookwyrminspiration]

Hi I'm back with my favorite parts so I can specify :D

Okay as for favorite parts I went and found some of my favorite lines (hope you don't mind that I'm copying them to put into here)

First one since I'm going in chronological order of lines/parts:

'But she could protect them, if she had the willpower.'

I dunno, this line just speaks to me for some reason. Maybe it's partially that my best friend is really protective and relates to Sophie so it made me think of her; maybe it's just a cool line. Maybe it's both.

I also love how you crafted the whole tunnel and underground aspect of the story- you really did well taking something and creating something new and wonderful with it. And the Councillors being in debt to the dwarves cracks me up for some reason.

Also the whole thing with the leaping crystal cracking? Like I find that genius. Wonderful work on that idea.

Tam's glowing eyes? I seriously wish I had art skills just so I could draw it. (and everybody else but you know-)

There's also this lovely bit:

'Sophie’s gut churned, and as bad as everything was turning out to be, it only solidified her resolve. She couldn’t trust herself to be a safe person--if she was still a person. And she didn’t want to be anywhere near her parents when--if--she lost herself. And she didn’t want them to see the process either. But if they were going to lose their minds...at least they’d do it together.'

I just feel like this is literally how I feel on a daily basis (sksk not me dumping my mental issues on you sorry-)

And then there's all the really interesting gnome stuff- gods you just put so much into this story already and it's absolutely amazing to read.

Also the end like dhjvbvhbvbdskv I'm simultaneously really mad at it and impatiently waiting for a new chapter but also wanting to be patient because I know all the hard work you're putting into this takes time-

Anyways that's my ramblings and some of my favorite bits.

!!! Nonsie!! You’re so sweet this was so much fun to read through (and dw I don’t mind you copy and pasting)

what if I told you some of those things you mentioned were completely unplanned…like the pathfinder breaking. I needed a way for them to end up in the middle of nowhere and so I was alike uh……crystal broke alright cool. I slightly altered added multiple elements of the kotlc world in this story—like Marella’s hands glowing with heat and shooting off sparks, Wylie’s veins shimmering sometimes, those little things. I just think it’s fun to take them further and show them in a different way! And the pathfinder was the same

also dw about “dumping your mental issues on me,” I don’t mind /g.

as for the worldbuilding…I’ve had this au for a very long time so I’ve definitely put a good amount of thought into it. I still think I could improve and go even more in depth, but considering all the other responsibilities I have that take up so much time, I think I’m doing a pretty good job

also dw about being impatient! It’s actually nice to hear as a writer because it lets me know you’re interested in the story! It tells me I’m doing something write that you want more! And also, I do very often share a lot of info/respond to all the theories I get, so if you send asks with questions/general comments that’s a great way to get more content as you wait the two weeks til the next chapter—and the next chapter is a lot shorter but definitely an important one (in my opinion)