#but it needs a little revamp and a lot of rewriting

[thebirdandhersong]

apparently the exhilaration of finishing one project means jump-starting another one

[crescencestudio]

Devlog #29 | 03.27.23

Hi everyone!

April is almost here, which terrifies me since the year is going by so fast. Before I get into game updates, I wanted to share a bit of a (somewhat) personal one.

This month, progress on Alaris was overall a bit slow---or at least, slower than usual. I noticed this month I was struggling a lot with working on basically anything, whether it was for school, work, Alaris, or just taking care of myself. And I realized basically a year late that I was feeling extremely burnt out.

For those who have been following Alaris for a long time, you may know that early 2022, I was struggling with a lot of personal circumstances. I had taken a week off back then to "take time for myself," but in actuality, I had continued working on Alaris and other things because sometimes when I have too much time on my hands, it's worse for my mental health. This was a recurring theme for basically all of 2022. Even during the holiday breaks (e.g., summer, November, December, etc.), I continued working on Alaris, partly because I love the project, partly because it helps me cope with irl things.

This past month, I think the break that I've desperately needed since the start of 2022 made itself Very Apparent and made progress slow on my end. I'm very sorry if the update this month is disappointing because of that! I tried to take a break this past week and am feeling a bit better now, so hopefully, things start to get back on track this upcoming month <3 With that, I'll get into actual updates!

Writing

I'm not going to lie to you all; writing was Slow this month LOL. Basically, the entire writing team got taken out by some sickness or another. I would say for 2-3 weeks of the month, there was no progress on editing or writing at all since everyone was sick at the same time <\3 We are starting to pick things back up, but please send your best wishes to the writing team since they were Going Through It this month!! Also, if you got sick this month and got whatever has been going around globally, I hope you are feeling better as well <333

I did update a good amount of the demo script---just rewriting things since my writing style has changed a little. Small things, but hopefully enjoyable changes nonetheless!

Art

As always, we have continued to make progress on BG art. This month, Vui finished the River BG and the Forest BG, both of which appear in Chapter 2 of the demo. We actually only have one more BG to finish, which is the Flower Field, and all the BGs for the demo will be complete (ahh!!!). It's been about 5 (?) months in the making to revamp all the BGs for the demo, but we are finally reaching the finish line, and everything is slowly getting ready for a revamped demo release ^^

preview of the forest BG

I also have a preview of the GUI for you all! There will be some small changes, like colors, before the final version. But a little crumb to feed you all since I didn't make much progress this month

I also mentioned in the last devlog how I might update the personality icons for Alaris, which were completed this month by the same item artist who did the affection point icons!

The overall vision for this was little potions to build on the "magical" setting of Alaris. I think they're much easier to differentiate and so cute <3

My focus was more on demo art assets for this month, so I finished up the individual CGs for each of the LI's introductions.

soft and fluffy updated Etza CG

I also started updating the sprites a bit---mostly small touches so the art looks a bit more cohesive since my style has changed a bit since the demo first came out. Aisa and Kuna'a are receiving outfit changes so that their clothing stands out from Central gang and looks more cohesive with the aesthetic that will be used for Fae.

Additional Notes

Something else I got to work on this month was finally reviewing the demo voiced lines in full. I hope you all are EXCITED to listen to them in the updated demo! A lot of the lines had me giggling (heehee!). I can't wait to see everything together once it's coded into the game ^^

I also opened applications for playtesters. They close at the end of this month, aka in a couple of days. So if you are interested, please don't forget to submit an application! Thank you already to everyone who has submitted something. The response was more than I expected, so as always, I appreciate the support you all provide wah <3

Market Research

Lastly, I actually got to do some "market research" this month (yay!). I finished up Piofiore finally.

the man, the legend: gilbert redford

Touchstarved also came out. I unfortunately haven't been able to play the demo yet since I was traveling when it was released, but I already know I'll love it and I drew Kuras even though I haven't even played the game yet LMAO

gender envy

Anyways, I think that's enough from me, so that is all for this month's update! Stay safe, and see you all next month <3

[shrinkthisviolet]

Savitar had so much potential honestly

No for real!! It makes me so mad. I’ve talked about it here, but it’s why people calling s3 the “best season” baffles me. Like…guys, the villain makes no sense, the interesting framing device (the closed time loop) is destroyed with no consequences, and they didn’t even do anything interesting with the main villain except in the finale!

(The “Masonville” scene makes me cry every time 😭)

I have so many plans to revamp s3 in my AU…and it’s gonna involve a lot of rewriting, because that season had so much potential that it squandered. And so much…random nonsense too? Like wtf was up with Alchemy, and why did Savitar genuinely try to kill them so many times…oh yeah, and why did they stretch out the mystery for so long?

(Part of me has always wondered if the Savitar-is-Barry reveal was actually planned from the beginning, because it really did feel like they were stalling…and also why would Savitar try to kill a past version of himself??)

And also, ofc, why did Team Flash suddenly treat a time remnant so poorly in S3’s future when, in the s2 finale, they were fretting about the life of a time remnant and genuinely mourning him??

Also also…the closed time loop was doomed from the start when it hinged on Iris’s death, because there was no way that was gonna happen, and also those aren’t high enough stakes. Should’ve been the entire Team or the world at stake…like in season 2 with Zoom (they sorta have Savitar pivot to this in the finale, but it comes off as so bizarre because he shouldn’t exist by that point anyway). Especially because of how Iris gets shockingly little focus in this storyline about her death! She gets her moments here and there, but…not much. And nothing really long-lasting, just some one-off struggles that she gets past. You know, as anyone who knows their exact date, time, and manner of death would! 🤦‍♀️ (she needs so much therapy. SO much. This poor woman)

Also…any version of Barry wanting to kill Iris doesn’t make sense. “Oh it’s a closed time loop, he needs to kill her to exist” yeah but the show makes him out to genuinely want to do it 🤷‍♀️ no exploration of anything deeper until after he fails to do it!

In conclusion, Savitar should’ve been Future Barry (not a time remnant, but genuinely a version of Barry from the future), and they should’ve let him impersonate Barry (or at least explained the scars if they really wanted him to have them)

[whimsicalwritingsandmore]

A little chat! <3

It's the post no writer wants to write and the one I've been dreading for a long time. I always told myself I will never leave a story unfinished no matter what. But ultimately, life does happen, and things change. I enjoy writing Ateez fics and when I started this blog, they were the group that I kept up with the most so naturally, I was able to pour my creativity into stories with them as characters.

This blog is my safe space, and I would like to continue to it, but I have come to realize that I need to let it evolve with me. A lot of you have shown so much love, support, patience and kindness.

I have mentioned my writer's burnout frequently earlier this year and the difficulty in getting a chapter completed unlike how I used to. After much contemplation and thought, I realize I need to make some changes in order to refocus.

So, what are they? Well... I'll be putting Aurorise and the Hybrid House on a temporary hiatus for now. I do see myself coming back to these stories at some point, I may even revamp and rewrite some chapters, but right now, I want to slowly branch out into writing for other groups (new Stray Kids fic maybe? 👀) that I like as well as characters from some of my favourite shows and series.

I'll still be writing for Ateez as I have drafts for Spy Family and Soft Hours, as well as an untitled angst draft (because it’s now my goal to write better angst). Updates will just be less frequent than before.

I am truly sorry to all of you who love Aurorise and Hybrid House. I understand your disappointment and if you choose to step away from my blog. I am forever thankful for your support and if you're interested in seeing my upcoming works, thank you deeply for giving me a chance. ♡

Stay tuned. xo

[flowerprose]

couple of updates! some new, some not:

i made a sideblog, @flower-reads, for reblogging writeblr/misc writing content, advice, etc. i have a lot of new faces following me, but i don't have a lot of my original content at the surface of this blog, which i realize can be tricky to navigate! this just allows my writing to sit at the top in case anyone's like, "huh, what does this girlie do."

i'm rewriting namesake! i've been debating this for the last two months now. the manuscript isn't even complete, but it's sitting at 130k. 130k and it's not even finished!!! it's too much. i made it into a mammoth, and now it's out of my reach - i can't trim, i can't satisfy my wordiness with my plot goals. so i'm reverting back to my original idea to write this from three pov's (demeter, persephone, and hades), shoving cosmo into the sequel where his lore makes more sense anyway, and aiming for 100k. i'm going to allow myself to cut and paste parts that i love, but this'll also give me peace of mind bc i have a few experimental techniques i want to implement, and i'm so, so excited to just... start fresh with a namesake 2023 doc. i also feel confident with the changes that i want to make and far less panicked and nervous. especially looking forward to telling this story without trying to include ten different myths within one little novel!

in the background, i am still trying to find a home for my weird little poem that unintentionally predicted the titanic fiasco of 2023. i'm also working on some short fiction and might put out some feelers for beta-readers if anyone is interested in poetry or literary short stories (4-6k word counts, typically).

i have edited nine novels this year! nine beautiful novels that went on to publication. freelancing has been going terrifically, and i'm proud. :)

i don't have the time or mental tenacity to do daily updates (as you can probably tell from any attempt i have ever made to do NaNo). but i absolutely love it when a fellow writeblr shares a huge info dump on their wip. they'll do chapter updates, share snippets, discuss their goals all in one post... and this is something i'd like to start implementing for my various WIPs. so expect to see large check-ins from time to time! i especially want to do this for my re-write of namesake. i think it would feel amazing to chronicle my journey from start to finish. my memory hasn't been so reliable the last few years, and if any of my WIPs get published, i want to be able to recount what it felt like from where i started to where i wound up.

i'll be revamping my mobile layout, making a writeblr re-introduction post, and creating 2023 namesake, ahwg, kalsar, and space eater wip introductions soon! stay tuned, and please let me know if you're interested in being added to any tag lists! (or if you're not interested/too busy and need to be let go from any of the lists!) 💖

all of my writing socials, all in one place: twitter - flower_prose, instagram - flower_prose, and threads - flower_prose!

[bonefall]

Interacting on this blog is so fun, it kinda feels like you’re the official author of the Warrior Cats series (you should be) and we’re just in the back popping out comments and suggestions. Like this is an actual story we’re all participating in. Anyways, here’s a few questions.

1. When you finish revising and rewriting everything, will you post the entire rewritten Warriors AU out? Like in wiki format or like explained through each timeline?

2. What are some parts of the canon Warrior Cats series you want to straight up delete? Or any part you are majorly wanting to rewrite but have currently no idea how?

3. Will the characters in the Bonefall Rewrite be changed slightly? A big thing I noticed and one of the reasons that caused me to stop reading the canon Warrior Cats series was the amount of lack of diversity, especially within characters. And I mean, every arc is like the same thing, copy and pasted and changed slightly. What irks me is how completely boring a lot of the characters are. Now, their backstories and plot are fine, but you know the artistic phrase “same face syndrome”? It’s like that but same personality. For example, a lot of the deputies are the same (“Oh wow I can’t believe I’m deputy! / “Oh no, my leader’s dead I’m so nervous to be clan leader!” / “I’m the deputy this faced with lots of hard decisions!” and etc.) and especially the leaders (“I’m so excited-surprised-confident-positive to be leader” / “I’m now stern, serious and respected). It’s a bit of an self indulgent person irk of mine but I really like it when a character has a personality and doesn’t change all that much. I quite like Firestar because becoming, warrior/deputy/leader never changed his values or personality too much. A lot of interesting characters once their arc is over just reverts to “background character personality” and it’s so frustrating. Also, on this note I really like personalities who directly contradict / doesn’t seem to fit what the character’s role in the clan is but it works well with it anyways.

4. Follow up to the last one, is there any plans for characters staying longer in arcs? Most characters have their time to shine for one arc and then becomes generic background character. Maybe we can bring old main characters to have a little more spotlight in the recent series? Like, not enough to have them be too noticeable but still enough so we can remember their notable personalities and the fact that they used to be main characters? I don’t think I explain it well here.

When you interact with this blog, you are coming to the workshop meeting where the writing team is spitballing ideas all at a big table. We all have coffee and snacks, as well

I like to think of it like we're all fixing it together, and I'm just the one who puts the stamp of approval on it in the end. I wish I'd picked a different name when I first started out to kinda reflect that-- I've thought of changing the name to Better Bones but at this point, Bonefall Rewrite is pretty established

When you finish revising and rewriting everything, will you post the entire rewritten Warriors AU out? Like in wiki format or like explained through each timeline?

A wiki sounds like fun, especially because then people could contribute to it! Right now I'm trying to make an 'overview' post for each arc as it currently is, in my ongoing quest to Fix My Masterpost

Though, this rewrite is nowhere near done. I have bones for nearly every basic arc reduxed, but the only one that really has meat is Po3. A lot of it is also going to be told through false SEs that replace or revamp existing ones-- like, for example, Yellowfang's Secret is being replaced by Brokenstar's Cataclysm

Maybe I also need a 'roadmap' post...

What are some parts of the canon Warrior Cats series you want to straight up delete? Or any part you are majorly wanting to rewrite but have currently no idea how?

DotC. It's the one arc I have sworn that I will not be faithful to. I know a lot of people have love for this arc, and I DO see that and promise to keep as much of that good stuff as possible... but I honestly, deeply feel like the ancient lore it sets up is bad.

And it's inferior to the field guides, which aren't the best but at least they feel like foundation myths! Sooo much of Clan culture is literally poofed into existence by StarClan instead of evolving naturally, and I can't stay faithful to the arc if I have to write what the Erins refused to.

I can't. I care too much about the sociology of the Clans to abide by canon.

It's not even just the ancient lore, either. The whole arc grinds to a screeching halt because they put the Fourtrees Battle SMACK in the middle, just so they'd have space to force in a redemption arc. An arc for a character who had would never want that, using TWO extremely forgettable Just Plain Evil (+ foreigner) villains to frame his growth.

AND THEN he doesn't even improve!! Nope! He's only slightly less bad in the SEs than in the main arc itself, constantly starting battles and getting people killed because he consistently needs to control and bully people.

I think it's actually disgusting how hard DotC bends over to engage in abuse apologia. Brambleclaw on his own is bad enough without once physically assaulting anyone, but in DotC? BOTH of the suspects involved in fatally mauling Bumble, the battered housewife, get redemption. Tom, the abusive husband who abandons his children, gets to have an Honorable Death saving them later. Fucking yuck.

Anyway.

I want to keep the stuff that is good about it. River Ripple will have an expanded role. One Eye is becoming a god now. Thunder is going to be born with 3 legs. Clear Sky is both a villain and a highly respected founder. But I'm going at it with a VERY different mindset from how I approach the other arcs.

Will the characters in the Bonefall Rewrite be changed slightly? + is there any plans for characters staying longer in arcs?

Absolutely. I'm not afraid to shuffle personalities if it makes for a more interesting Clan or tells a better story.

I'm also willing to shuffle POVs around when an arc should be in the paws of someone else; for example, Breezepelt is a POV in Bonefall AVoS; Ivypool becomes a POV twice because she is now taking many of Bristlefrost's roles.

A sampling of characters with total personality revamps:

Brokenstar: Has an extremely strong sense of justice, no longer "pure evil." Will do ANYTHING for ShadowClan, but violently spiteful towards all other Clans.

Runningnose: Broken's loyal and beloved dark advisor who communicates with the Dark Forest on a regular basis. Comes up with all sorts of twisted schemes.

Spottedleaf: Kind and dark-humored with a morbid fascination for death and forbidden magic. Like a big sister to Fireheart. Becomes a rogue StarClan warrior, acting more on her own behalf than theirs.

Lizardstripe: Old friend of Bluestar's, a bad parent but not in an emotionally abusive sort of way (more of a, 'girl please stop taking your children into the woods' way).

I'm also looking to completely revamp Sorreltail and/or Ferncloud, since they both blend into each other and the nursery deserves just as much attention to character dynamics as the warrior's den.

This doesn't even count the characters who aren't completely changed but were tweaked, like Jayfeather the battle medic, Sol who's actually a god and a mortal in a trench coat, Hawkfrost with his redemption arc, ALL of the Dark Forest trainees who're getting fleshed out across OotS and AVoS... or characters who didn't have personalities being given ones, like Marshkit and Darkstar.

Plus, of course, some characters die earlier, or don't die until later, and I don't do off-screen unceremonious greencough deaths.

I also plan to try to keep character personalities in mind even for minor things. Instead of picking names at random to shout out, "I <3 Xenophobia!" at clan meetings, each character has a 'political profile' of sorts.

Plumstone is aligned with Fire Alone. Sparkpelt bends Traditionalist. Thornclaw covertly follows Thistle Law. Scourge/Iceheart thinks naming is an important custom and doesn't approve of Millie's choice to keep hers. Poppyfrost wasn't political until Bramblefake exploited the code and now she's hard in favor of the Clan's Rights replacing the Leader's Rights. So on.

[divinecomedyproductions]

Fandom Woes Part 1: Big Entertainment Fandoms and their War on Creative Minds

I feel like I need to revamp my points it’s about what I perceive to be a problem with modern fandom, and the first issue is its hostility to creative dissent, especially in form of original works or fanfiction.

It seems that fandoms, Anti-RWDE in this case, have decided how story they liked handled a concept or idea is law and appointed themselves as the police force to enforce said laws, all proclaiming to defend those they deem worthy of the title “creator” while harassing those the perceived as “bullshit artists” I guess and feel have offended them and those they defend. And these people seem to be waging an ideological conquest of creative thinking in fears of becoming irrelevant.

For example, I explained how I was upset with RWBY the tragic ending of Pyrrha Nikos and her romantic relation with Jaune, and other characters and parings, Sun and Blake, Ren and Nora, Weiss and Neptune, and Ruby and Oscar, all who I dreaded would end up on the chopping block next.

I said how I felt they should have been couples who endured consequences and raised steaks, but they should have been allowed to survive through them, rather than losing each other driving the other forward kinda like Ed and Winry and Roy and Riza from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Or at least they could as a different set of characters in a different epic fantasy story.

That, and recently in retrospect, I’ve been looking at RWBY, it’s characters, and world, the ships I wanted, and what they could have been, some involves radical changes, minor changes, heavily different world building, using my Catholic faith as well as my own fictional universe as a basis.

Right now it’s a heavily reimagined RWBY AU part of a fan fiction multiverse which is mostly experimental, idk I can put up with the likes of Syto-kun’s RWBY Remnants, or Celtic Pyro's Fixing RWBY, but I might make it into an original story, Hell, I might even do both, the former first so I can see what other changes I might need to make,

Now as of recently I’ve discovered a Discord Server which I can discuss these things with other RWBY fans, most of who are also disillusioned with Canon RWBY, in a civil manner. Some agree with me, some don’t, but we all act in respect and good faith and we give each other the benefit of the doubt for our disagreements because we all deeply care about epic story-telling.

But In the past with the Anti-RWDE of the RWBY fandom, or whatever you want to call this a toxic minority, I got from was not honest disagreement, but rather disgust, abhorrence, and sneering.

I was sat down and lectured by toxic individuals how raised steaks and consequences forbid such things now, reading posts about Pyrrha and the likes of her and Jaune were only fit for tragic endings because “that's the kind of character she is.” as well these loyalists aggrandizing themselves for liking it mocking others like me with things like

"LMAO Holy Shit, you guys wouldn't like Madoka Magica" as if that was a problem

or "Lol go watch RWBY Chibi"

They resorted to passive aggressive judgment, gaslighting, and superior sarcasm at best, ranting and vicious chastisement at worst. Telling me I should trash my desires and ideas and just go watch Disney, Marvel, Romcoms, and Sitcoms instead.

They told me I was acting smug and superior and arrogant for doing a rewrite/reimagining AU or an original story in response how RWBY was handled, that what I did was inherently malicious and hostile towards Monty, and this attitude seems to come from a lot of loyalist fans who like things the way they are, and in my opinion think a little too highly of themselves for liking things that others don’t, but that’s an argument for another day.

Let me give an hypothetical example for their logic

Let's say among the Gurren Laggan and One Piece fanbase, there's a vocal minority of fanatics think that characters like Kamina and Portgas D. Ace and characters like them could only end in death to drive the characters and story forward and nobody was allowed to actively disagree with that, until Trigger recycled Kamina and Yoko as Galos and Aina respectively in Promare(though I think they recycled Kamina for Kill La Kill as Aikuro Mikisugi) 

Then it was okay for small-time creative people, fanfic writers or indie writers, to do it.

Before then, doing that was seen as “hostile” towards “creators” which they mean those who they deem worthy of the title, and they uphold as the law of epic fiction. Or at the very least, until then, it was seen as stupid and uninteresting.

That's what it seemed like to me, and I could be wrong

But it just came off as off obtuse and narrow-minded at best akin to Professor Membrane from Invader Zim, narcissistic and disingenuous at worst akin to Claude Frollo from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame combined with blind consumerist loyalty to big business whether it be western entertainment or anime studios. 

Now I’ve spoken to other people and my friends and others, all who mean well, one person who’s been more patient with me than she should have, who told me I might just have to disengage from the source material since I admitted it won’t change canon RWBY and how I am unhappy with it, and friends who said I should let RWBY go because it’s causing me too much grief while another assumed I wanted no adversity and struggle and wanted it to be all fluffy because I didn’t want mentioned ships ending tragically, and I think I came off as hostile

And I feel like this is more due to my failure to articulate my points, I’m not exactly the best at doing that.

And I don’t want the rest of the RWBY Fandom, RWDE or sane neutral fans to misunderstand me, mostly due to my last reblog I got too heated and not made my point clear

I’m not saying the direction RWBY went with V3 or Pyrrha and the rest of the cast being tragic in some way or another is objectively bad, it was just not my taste

And I am not saying every normal RWBY fan/RWDE person who liked it is an elitist about it nor are all of them trying to insult me and attack me personally or say my ideas are bad but rather help you guys understand my experience with the toxic strain of the fanbase.

and I am not trying to change canon or its “trajectory” , nor am I doing this to spite Monty, especially when I never knew the guy. This is a difference in handling ideas and concepts.

I’m doing my RWBY AU, which will most likely be revamped into an original story since it takes a whole different directions with the characters and world, but it's mostly because with post V3 and now in retrospect I saw what this world, characters, ships and other ideas could have been all in a story I believe is worth telling. And I was very disappointed and frustrated that it wasn’t along with my own personal exhaustion how epic storytelling has been going in several franchises.

I mean yeah it's also due to personal tastes and preferences and subjective feelings, at least I’ve been told, but I also try to integrate that in a meaningful way. 

Everyone, big business or small time creators, should be allowed to take an idea and take it in a different direction, even if it comes from a place of disagreement and/or distaste. 

That's one of the many ways inspiration works. Some of Tolkien’s own ideas came from his distaste how Shakespere handled the elves and his unhappiness that there were no talking and walking trees in Shakespere’s Macbeth, and the Valar Aule and his creation of the dwarves are akin to an anti-Prometheus.

I mean, what do Anti-Rwde and other toxic fans like them of other franchises expect us to do?

“Oh Ding-Dong-Diddly-Darn and Golly Gee Wally-Wilikers guess I gotta go watch another show and hope the storytelling gods give me what I exactly want next time, sure I saw a different story worth telling, but f*ck me I guess!”

I can only imagine how many small-time aspiring writers have been intimidated into giving up due to these petty rules these fanatics enforce, invoking the works and names of their appointed idols, even when said individuals and companies didn’t even ask them to in the first place.

It basically felt like to me was this, and I could been wrong here,

"Whatever you thought this story could have been, the world, characters, what ships you wanted, how it all could have played out, its awful, worthless ,and uninteresting and there's something wrong with you for thinking and subjectively feeling that, so you gotta throw it all in the trash unless those we deem worthy of being 'creators' do it first or you bend over backwards for us, and we might let create what you want. Otherwise, you're only allowed to use inspiration from source material you 100% agree with or else your being malicious and not a true storyteller.”

And then they used what they liked, whether it be Arkos ending tragically and the dark direction post V3 or Bumbleby over Black Sun in V9, as an opportunity to aggrandize themselves, flaunt their tastes and what they also like and mock and sneer at everyone else who’s unhappy and force their preferences onto said dissidents. All for what seemed like to me for pride, moral superiority, and social currency.

and they would turn around and lecture you for being entitled, smug, superior and smelling your own farts.

And once again, this isn’t directed at sane fans and RWDE who liked these things for honest reasons and objective analysis, you guys are fine and this is not towards you, its to help you guys understand where I'm coming from.

And from what I've heard, there's someone amongst the anti-rwde/rwby rewrite by the name of LilithFairen who used this to attack Fixing RWBY RWBY and Madoka Magica and fans of the latter.

While I don't like Gen Urobuchi's work myself and Fixing RWBY sounds too dark for me, I do not condone her behavior. Bullying behavior is not justified wether be based on objectively good storytelling or personal/subjective feelings or personal taste/distaste.

My grief is with a toxic contingent with fandom, who seem conceited, self-righteous, and self-absorbed that they think what they like, from broad things like lighthearted to grimmdark to nitty-gritty details like concepts and what direction they go, are the objective end-all-be-all law of epic fiction.

The only exception they'll make is those they admire who they see as the lawgivers who can write and repeal these "laws" and then once again appoint themselves as the police force to enforce these laws onto the peasants who they believe are obligated to be obedient to their will. 

People who have less wealth power than those they claim to defend.

This certainly has happened on the opposite side of the spectrum in the past.

With the Gmod community I used to be a part of in, the toxic among the My Little Pony fandom of Gmod flaunted the success of MLP and championed themselves as the avatars of friendship and accused anyone who didn’t like the show or aspects about it, especially due to personal taste and subjective feelings as those who hated friendship. And I've heard horror stories in regards to the Steven Universe Fandom.

And for a while, individuals like these on both sides of the light and dark spectrum had managed to get away with this.

Until, there’s been a growing audience who’s been tired with Big Entertainment, and choosing between what seemed to me either pure grimmdark or pure lighthearted

People who these individuals had at best, dismissed as the minority, and perhaps we were for a while.

But from my perspective, that changes over the years, it's a natural swing of the pendulum.

Now that's not to say an objectively well written story can withstand that, that's what critics are for, and neither does it mean subjective and personal feelings and tastes/distastes should be disregarded either, but all of this is for another topic for another day.

Until recently, many creative writers and audiences were limited to companies and corporations who’s mandates in creating works was very limited, and many stories, while didn’t follow these standards, were not well planned out and executed. Sword Art Online being my personal example.

Not to mention, in the past fan fiction was also seen as a joke due to teenager fan fiction stereotypes and the likes of 50 Shades of Grey.

Thus, making any contesting ideas against the status quo seem inherently bad and keeping any dissident voices in zones of restrictive dissent.

But the world isn’t like that anymore.

With people becoming increasingly disillusioned with the likes of Hollywood, Fanfiction has been getting significant amount of attention as well there being a bold new movement of storytellers going indie, and with new effective online indie platforms from webcomics, to novels, kickstarter and indiegogo, and the likes of YouTube all of which are also getting attention, and challenging or at least contrasting certain ideas and concepts from other works in epic fiction or how they are handled, all without the Anti-RWDE’s authorization.

In other words, creative individuals no longer need to bend over backwards to publish their visual stories on effective platforms.

Which, at least what it seems to me, makes these toxic individuals realize that epic fiction and its handling of certain kinds of concepts, characters, tropes, characters, worlds, and ships, right down to their ultimate fates, do not revolve solely around their terms or at least the terms of those they worship. Which in turn makes them insecure and upset.

So I have a message to Anti-RWDE and other zealot fans of these franchises who do this

Like it or not, and whether you agree with them or not, these dissident fans and creators are your only equal in this equation. 

The fact you would resort to your little manipulative games and would even go so far as to suck up those who you deem worthy of the title “creator” and have more power and wealth than we do to enforce these stupid rules puts you all a significant step away from your peers.

Which might sound inconsequential to you now, but in the long run will hurt you all, gravely.

because one day some of these dissidents will use that they liked and what they wanted to create fantastical epics in various indie formats(novels, webcomics, YouTube web-series, etc) or AU FanFiction, or most likely both

Whether the inspiration comes from a place of agreement or dissent

And when you come along to sneer at it and accuse it being “hostile” and “leeching off” other creators because its inspiration came from a place of disagreement, especially without any analytical evidence, you’ll end up enraging the audiences of those works, who might have been dissident and disappointed fans of the works you enjoy, and are now finally getting works that resonate to their tastes both broad things like lighthearted, grimmdark, or something in the middle and nitty gritty like concepts and what directions they go.

And they’ll remember how you mocked, lectured, gaslit and policed them and told them what they wanted was “uninteresting” and inherently “malicious” towards those you deem worthy of the title “creators”, and how you went so far as to suck up to “The Man” to do so.

I’m a Catholic, I’m taught revenge is sinful, but the other reality is that some people aren't as graceful as others, and those people may decide to give you a taste of your own medicine.

Those “creators" aren’t gonna be there to help you when that happens, I guarantee it. 

Because most of them don’t care about this whole ordeal, and might even be completely unaware of it, nor do they know who you are.

So maybe instead of jumping to broad accusations, bad faith, and intentionally misinterpreting what people are saying and their thoughts and subjective feelings, and assume this creative disagreement is inherently hostile, smug, and malicious, all without any evidence, you ask constructive questions or just disagree honestly instead.

Because of your only intention is to suppress alternative ideas, preferences, thoughts, and feelings along with lecturing everyone and silence a discussion of such things because they come from a place of disagreement and displeasure, especially when you say “It’s not gonna change canon”, then you should be the first person to walk away from the debate.

Because let’s say what we had in mind is just pandering, and nobody in would find it interesting, along with considering the fact whatever we do “wont change canon” of the stories you enjoy

With all things considered, then I dare ask, what are you doing in our conversations?

Why are you getting mad and jumping into our discussions?

Why are you trying to control what we create and enjoy, especially because we disagreed how something was handled?

Either we make a reimagined AU fanfic, or recycle what we liked and wanted for our original works.

Either way, as you said it yourself, it won’t change canon, people don’t find it interesting, and it’s only pandering to people who you seem to not like, so why are you inserting yourself into our discussions in the first place?

If we are making it your problem, how are we? Because we created something in disagreement how certain ideas and concepts were handled and we put it out there and it’s getting attention? Is someone making you consume our stuff?

Because from where I'm standing, you guys are the ones going out of your way to make it your problem, which in turn you use to justify in your mind what you do to other people.

Because you want to control and suppress what us poor people create and enjoy as well as control and suppress what we think and subjectively feel. Which is at best, very weird.

We're trying to do our own thing, and you're trying to control other people.

If you truly believe what you like is the end-all-be-all and transcends all of this and you yourself are superior for liking these things, then do yourself a favor, save yourself the time and energy, and get out of our tags, servers, and conversations.

Just move along and continue to enjoy whatever those you deem worthy to be “creators”

These types of fans of RWBY, and MCU, Star Wars, and any other franchise for that matter need to take that advice

“It’s not gonna change canon, it’s not for you, disengage from the material, and move on”

Because that advice only works, when you are fine when things are going

See the irony there?

If you’re fine the way it's going, and someone is actively disagreeing with it, especially through creative works…

“It’s not gonna change canon, it’s not for you, disengage from the material, and move on”

Just do not insert yourself into this.

Just mind your own business, and just gossip about it in your own groups, tags, and forums.

Be that indifferent, loyal, and culturally and morally superior overman/overwoman that you just love to position yourself as in these discussions and leave us alone.

[blazingstaro]

DotS + Life May Update

It's been a while since I've made one of these! Sorry about that!

The past few months have certainly been long ones. I'm starting to fully settle into my new job, and even as I'm reaching 3 months of employment, I'm still loving it! There's a lot for me to learn still, and it's a bit overwhelming, but I'm doing my best each day. It's nice to finally have stable income!

Personally, I'm doing well and having a lot of fun with friends new and old. It's been really nice reconnecting with old pals 🥺💖

I also feel ready to try for my driver's license soon, which is a huge step for me considering I've been too traumatized to drive for a decade. This is an enormous life change, but I'm ready for it. Finally ready!

In terms of DotS/DotS:MMM, most production has been at a full stop since starting this job. I've mostly been cooking up some worldbuilding lore in the meanwhile

Good news is that now that I'm starting to settle into this new life change, my fires for DotS are getting stoked again! Meaning I'm slowly getting back to work on things fully!

Currently I'm finishing up a bunch of character design revamps, most notably Twyla's. She's got the biggest changes of all due to some background changes I've mentioned recently. I'm changing up her colors a bit, adding some, removing some, changing up her hair a bit— the whole works! A proper redesign! Key aspects of her design remain of course, such as her wings, her purple hue, and striking green eyes 💜

Regarding DotS:MMM, I need some more time to cook on that one. A lot of things are still changing in the main story of DotS, and that's what sorta ultimately uprooted half of what I had written in MMM— that on top of how utterly long it was originally. And a certain character wedging themselves in 🤣

I'm half tempted to rewrite the script from the ground up following this first chapter since salvaging most of what I've made here has proven difficult. Honestly I might just go forward with that

There's one piece of dialogue in an existing page that I'm gonna go back and change. It's a reference to DotS' old story and has become a terrible loose end to try and tie up. My attempts so far have been real messy and kinda take away from the plot of DotS:MMM (plus it no longer has relevance in the main series), so I'm just going to take the easier option and edit that one thing out. I tried to salvage it, but it's an unnecessary subplot, a big nothing burger, and a hassle for me to deal with

Feel free to have a fun little hunt to figure out which page it is!

That's all for now! Things are moving along and stuff is getting worked on finally! It really sucks starting from no momentum, but I'm rebuilding it yet again 👍 Rebuilding just as I am the world of DotS!

[amaiguri]

Rewriting the Saegen Folk, a Chinese-Viking Fusion Culture (WIP)

So, you've seen what cultures look like when they're DONE -- when multifarious stories could live in them. But what about when they're not?

Here's my Saegen culture. They were originally just German-ish Viking-esque peoples and they were BORINGGGGGG and also, I built this whole culture for a different world YEARSSSS ago and then imported it into Yssaia. And at this point, my interests have just shifted at this point and I want to add more of my Chinese heritage (from which, I am very distant but I am interested in getting back in touch!) So, let's start looking at a revamp, shall we?

So, the above is basically what I had from my old world. I mean, I also had a whole law codex that was the equivalent of Hammurabi's Code as well as a Nobility Etiquette Handbook and the start of a story that got re-molded and re-written... But yeah. Here's what we're working with.

I started with the fashion (because Fashion parameters = easier new character design) and reworked it... barely. A little.

As you can see, the men barely changed but women were more changed (also yes, something something, clothes don't have a gender, etc.) One of the biggest things that changed was they now have a hanfu-style undershirt.

But this was a few months ago and I think an aesthetic change isn't the actual problem here... the problem is that the culture doesn't have a good emotional core to which I relate AND the story I wrote about Ymver, their hero, just doesn't resonate with me anymore either.

SO let's start at the basics: Geography & geopolitics. As you can kinda see on the above map, they live near the artic and, in part, under the Upper Continent. Here's another (admittedly, sketchy) map to help illustrate:

That means it is cold and dark. The only sun they get is in the mornings and maybe evenings, with that sliver in Selkie Territory that also gets some sun. So, fashion-wise, I have the right idea with the furs and multiple layers. Food-wise, they're going to probably be pretty reliant on the ocean and that breadbaskety area, since Nouveau Thuille took the river valley... Unless...

Right now, in my head, Saegenheim is just a normal city with brownish pallisades around it... But what if it had underground agriculture? Underground agriculture with some kind of fungi that thrived in the Permafrost? What if there's a whole ecosystem built on these fungi with insects and semi-aquatic animals and such? Now there's an a city that sounds interesting...

A while back I started a story for a class that was loosely inspired by Saegenheim, where Demons were being murdered but no one cared because Demons... I feel like that could work even better with a vertical "class divide" in the city. Very Arcane upper-city, under-city...

You know who else has upper/under cities? Hoyoverse games -- Belobog and, very soon here, Fontaine.

And you know what I just started on? A pre-emptive Fontaine fix-it fanfic called "The Sunken City" lol... Maybe I should take some ideas from that for my Saegenheim re-write....

Also, with how close to the North things are, I think they must see the Endless Ice to the North of them as like... a holy relic of the God of Winter, Asarlai. And given that he is the Father of Humanity in their eyes -- and also, the source of their magic/Sages, it makes sense to live nearby...

So maybe the North Pole of Yssaia is just a giant Ysse Crystal... "Asarlai's Throne"

^^^ This is all just me spitballing from my analysis. Like, you saw, I LOOKED at what I had and then started going "What does this need next? What ideas are inspiring me right now?"

Also also, the Chinese influence is easy to see where it goes now: Chinese culture is a lot about respecting your place in society, respecting authority, the responsibilities of authority, and harmony. (Obviously, it is more complicated than that, but now it's time to go research more!) BUT the way I can still give them the individualism that is the downfall of the North is to have the focus be on families and villages, while being distrustful of Outsiders...

Now, I just gotta look into how the Chinese handled the cold historically and implement some of those techniques...

So now it's research time! But this post has gone on long enough with me rambling. More of this as I do more of this rewrite!

[springsaladgaming]

Progress Update 2/1/23

I said I'd have a more comprehensive progress update before the month was out, but I'm a dirty liar! We get a February 1st update instead! In my defense, I get confused about whether my sister's birthday is on the 30th or the 31st sometimes, and that confusion made me confused about what day it actually was too.

So here's the more official first progress update of the year in which I'm going to talk about my current thoughts on Ninelives and what I will be working on for the foreseeable future.

It will be a year in March since the last official update to Ninelives, and for that I'm so sorry! Last year was a struggle in multiple ways. After such a long stint of lockdowns, quarantines, and travel restrictions (self-imposed or otherwise), people began going on vacation like crazy last year, and I was very busy with work. The work itself is not super time consuming, but the instability of it (I'm constantly driving around and sleeping in different places) certainly didn't help my focus. And then the depression hit me pretty hard the last few months of the year. It was all I could do to finish the first chapter of my other project and didn't leave me with much energy to think about Ninelives.

All that aside, I have a pretty serious helping of time blindness to go with my ADHD. Sometimes I will think it's only been a few days or weeks since I last worked on my writing, and then I turn around and realize months have passed. It's something I'm trying to be better about, but sometimes I just have to accept that I'm gonna slip up a lot.

I could sit here and make excuses and apologies all day, but I'm not going to! 🙆🏾‍♀️ I'll just finish this segment with a big ol' thank you for being patient with me! So let's continue on!

Regarding Ninelives as it currently stands, there are some things about the layout and UI that I'm not entirely happy with. There's a strong chance in the future that I will transfer all the work to a completely different template. I also think I've learned a lot more from working on my other project, so there might be general improvements to the way I've coded some things in the background. These aren't necessarily things that will be super noticeable from an outside perspective but will improve the efficiency of the choices and passages.

However, I've also been getting better about working on the drafting and coding separately. The last time I worked on Ninelives in earnest, I was performing both tasks simultaneously, and this was causing me to hit a lot of unnecessary speed bumps along the way. As such, I've been focusing on the two more separately with my other project, and I know now that's what I need to be doing for Ninelives too.

So any improvements and changes to the layout, UI, and anything coded up to this point isn't something I plan to worry about right now. The immediate priority is Chapter 3, and I want to talk a little bit about why Chapter 3 was always going to be such a big hurdle.

I've mentioned before that certain parts of Ninelives are getting rewrites from the original ChoiceScript version that I started with. Chapter 3 is going to have the most significant changes, going so far as to be a large chunk of completely new content. Some parts of the original Chapter 3 are getting carried over, but a lot of it is getting cut to make way for some events that I think will better lay out the greater plot.

To go into detail, while still keeping things mostly spoiler-free: The new Chapter 3 involves a party. This party will be an opportunity to gain more insight into what's going on with Sungjae, meet the ??? RO that I've been talking about all this time, and establish some more of the character skills a little bit earlier in the story. Oh yeah, it's also a party the MC is most definitely not supposed to be at. (How good is your MC at talking their way into a formal event?)

It's also a much-needed revamp of the inciting incident, because, let's be honest, the original inciting incident was way too random. (That's what plotting by the seat of your pants gets you.)

I think the revamped Chapter 3 is going to do a lot for the story that the original Chapter 3 simply did not do, so I'm excited to finally get it into a written draft.

So the first order of business is writing Chapter 3, no coding included. Once it's written, the process of coding it is a lot shorter. I don't have an ETA, but Ninelives is my full focus right now. I'll keep y'all posted with progress updates!

Thanks for sticking with me!

[can-of-pringles]

Hey!! Here to talk about fanfic with you!

Is there a fandom or character that you want to write for but haven't yet? Why is that?

Is there a fanfic that you would rewrite or look at again if you had the chance? (Personally I think your writing is fantastic but I know we as authors are our own worst enemies, and I'm curious to see your side of it)

What's your favorite part about Similarities so far? Of King and Lionheart? Of your Ariel fics?

What's one line from any of your fics that you're especially proud of? And why do you like it? (Particularly artful, really captures a character, great humor, etc.)

What's your favorite trait to give a character trait? Physical or personality. What's a trait in yourself that you often see in your characters (past neurodivergence and queerness, I mean individual personality traits like confidence or sarcastic humor)

Your writing is amazing bestie!! So excited to see what you do with Eliŝka!

Hi! Thank you!

Fandom wise, I'm not sure. I haven't consumed any new media recently except Vol 3. So I guess MCU? (If you don't count my Wandavision and X-Men crossover fic)

As for character, I haven't written anything for my newest OC, Eliška Hasek, and I'm itching to get started on that. Oh, also another OC, Tessa Hayes (Lee Quinn's birth mother) there are things in place I should do first before I start on these projects.

Probably majority of my fics from 2019 or 2020. And the first Kaia fics probably need a revamp.

For Similarities, I enjoy being able to write about Henry and El in a more domestic setting since escaping the lab and writing about their bond growing. Though funny enough I am looking forward to writing more of the future plot and angst with Beatrice.

King and Lionheart, I feel like it's still in its early stages but despite that has shown a lot of potential or progress if that makes sense? I also enjoy writing about Dream having to interact with a character so different than him (Lee) and having them learn to get along and their dynamic.

The Ariel ship! Ok, where do I start? I guess honestly it's a little fun to drag out the fics and have my readers waiting excitedly for when the big confession happens. I'm sorry I like to torture my audience 😈 but also Arith and Iriel banter is so fun and rewarding to write. I feel like they've come a long way. And you know what I still plan on writing stuff for them even after y'know 💀 because people read essentially prequel stuff all the time.

One line from any fic.... oh this is tough. Why do I feel like all my best stuff isn't published yet lol.

Ok so more than a single line (oops) but from King and Lionheart.

“I understand your warnings, but I would like to go with you, anyway.” She looked up at him with a determined glint in her eyes.

I think it just sums up Lee's character so well. She's bold, stubborn, and dedicated.

Favorite trait to give a character? Physically wise I think I either have to say freckles or piercings. Personality wise... I guess unique? Now hold on let me explain, I don't like to write about characters who fit a mold or something like that. That's boring. There has to be a little bit of going against the norm. Not fitting in but rather standing out as an individual.

I really hope that wasn't confusing or too much of a basic answer.

As for the last question, I think I tend to have a dry sense of humor and I like writing characters with a similar sense of humor.

Thank you very much!

[practically-an-x-man]

7, 8, 17, 23, 31, 35, 47, 52, 57, and 70 for the fic writer ask game!

Ooooh thank you so much!!

Ask Game for Fic Writers

7. tell us about the plot of the first fanfic you ever wrote

Technically it was this 5-page-long, super shitty fic in the Terfy Wizard Fandom that I wrote when I was 10 or 11. But we're not gonna talk about that.

My first fanfic that I wrote with the knowledge of it being fanfic, and posted on AO3, was an X-Men fic featuring an OC named Mira Hart. The plot basically just walked through the events of First Class and DOFP with Mira included (and in a semi-tumultuous relationship with Hank McCoy), and I had plans to eventually include Apocalypse, Dark Phoenix, and some original plotlines as well (though that hasn't happened, and I kinda doubt it will. Maybe maybe one of the original ideas but I'm not sure)

Given it was my first fic, I think some of the ideas still do hold up, though the writing does make me cringe a little lol. I think it would be cool to rewrite/revamp it and give Mira the love she really deserves, but on the other hand I have a much more interesting idea to write between Hank and a new OC that I think I'd rather focus on first. Not to say I can't write both eventually, but... Delphi is really fucking cool dude you'd love her.

8. what’s your relationship with constructive criticism and feedback like? do you seek it out? how well do you take it?

Hm... that's a tough one. I'm used to seeking out and receiving feedback thanks to theatre and FX work and all that (though the RSD is brutal sometimes and I hate that), but unsolicited feedback is one of my biggest pet peeves. I can take feedback pretty well when I'm expecting it, but when it comes out of the blue then my brain just will not let go of it and it leaves me feeling insecure and awful.

When it comes to fic writing, I don't usually seek out constructive criticism. I'm posting my fics for free, for fun, and to relax, I don't need people picking them apart (unless it's to point out what they enjoyed!)

17. what is your favorite line you’ve ever written?

Answered previously, but I also can never decide lmao

23. how do you deal with writers block?

In the short term, I try to switch to a different task to give my brain a break. I'll walk my dogs, play a video game, practice guitar or draw a couple sketches, whatever I feel like that doesn't require the same type of concentration. It helps unstick the gears a little.

In the longer term, I'll pick up a few new books or reread some old favorites. I call it "recharging my words", it's something I've done since I started writing and it really helps! I do still love to read even when I'm not under writer's block, but making a targeted effort to notice the author's voice and style can sometimes help me get back to my own author's voice.

31. tell us about one of your characters who’s an absolute joy to write

QUINN!!! Holy shit she's SO fun dude you have no idea!! Sometimes writing her is fun because it's cathartic, since some of her experiences with disability, counterculture, and gender are reflections of my own, and sometimes it's just fun because it's fun - she's so sassy and just a total ball of chaos, there's never a dull moment!

35. tell us about a character who’s very different than you who you love a whole lot

All my OCs tend to reflect me in some way or another, even if that's just a single trait or interest of theirs, but I think the one that's the least similar to me is probably Eris. I'm not a violent or angry person in the slightest, and their experiences are vastly different from my own, but he has just such an interesting view on the world and I love her to the ends of the earth.

47. what story are you most proud of?

Oh man... all of them? In their own ways? They each accomplish something a little different, and it's hard to compare them directly.

But if I had to pick one... Heartstrings. I love the dynamic between Jasper and Kyle, I think there's a lot of emotional depth to it, and we're at the point in the story where the plot is starting to pick up a little speed.

52. how many unfinished ideas/stories are you working on at the same time?

Oh man... I think I'm running at 7 simultaneous longfics (Smoke and Mirrors, Catch and Release, Who Waits Forever Anyway?, Heartstrings, Taking Flight, Heart in Your Hands, and Desert Song) at the moment, plus... I don't even know how many separate pieces. Let's see...

Eris (oneshot series, got 3 upcoming ideas)

Nikoletta (oneshot series, got 2 upcoming ideas)

Gia (oneshot series, need to start writing out her main story, no idea how many fics that'll end up being)

2 upcoming ArchAegis oneshots

Vivienne's story (probably a longfic but I need to start writing it)

Spider's story (also probably a longfic, albeit a shorter one, still needs an outline and a full OC bio and everything else)

Plus my writing ideas masterlist has 43 other ideas, in various stages of complexity and readiness, that I haven't even begun to start writing yet

57. what is the last thing that a fic made you google when you were reading it?

HAHA okay

"friends singing to marcel"

Context: mentioned it as a throwaway detail in the new chapter of Heartstrings, I was pretty sure the song was The Lion Sleeps Tonight but was just uncertain enough that I had to check

70. are you very critical of your own writing? how much do you find yourself editing (either during the writing or after the fact)?

I used to be very critical of my own writing, but now as I've gotten more comfortable with my style and voice, I'm a little more comfortable with it. I don't do a ton of editing, honestly: each writing session starts with me rereading what I wrote last time and making some minor tweaks as needed, followed by one more quick scan as I'm in the process of posting the finished piece/chapter, but I don't do a lot of intense editing.

[nobodywritingao3]

sorting through my writing problems

just for my own sake

how to be a human being au. originally was going to publish a sequel where tubbo and ranboo are introduced & more among us lore is revealed but i cant see an ending at all and i dont think id finish a sequel id start. additionally i wanted to rewrite a few of the chapters to include vore but im not sure it would be worth it. i think ill finish how to be a human being & set it down (for a while or permanently). if i want to write among us vore then ill just start a fresh au & make either wilbur or technoblade the impostor lmao

allies or enemies (how to be a human being rewrite). i reread it recently and kind of hated it. i feel obligated to finish it but i dont want to write out of obligation. ill probably put it on indefinite hiatus and then anonymize it so i have to look at it

lady lie. kind of a mess. i saw a scene in my head where 3/4 sbi minus tommy were the heroes and they found out that he was the top villain. and they try to parent him out of that but it doesnt really work. i saw a dramatic climax where tommy realizes who they are while theyre on the battlefield & he double crosses the villains and completely annihilates them. sbi would have to make peace with the fact that tommy is the most powerful one & it's only because he likes them that the villain empire has been shut down. i dont think ill finish it. probably put on indefinite hiatus and anonymize

im not angry anymore. ohhhh same problem as lady lie. i enjoy the [techno and wilbur leave for college and then tommy grows up bitter and they come back and hes v impressive and kind of hates them and theres angst] plot but i dont have anything special to add. i think id honestly rather ghostwrite what someone else makes in regards to that trope. indefinite hiatus and anonymized

cold love. im throwing up and screaming. im a little insane about cold love. the plot i saw for that was quackity, wilbur's friend from the village, being revealed as a dragon. he'd explain all the dragon stuff to sbi & sedate wilbur so he's brought out of his instincts. and then wilbur would wake up after a week and be a total mess because they know what his secret is & he feels guilty for all the havoc he wreaked while temporarily insane. id just ruin his life for a little bit. problem is that i dont have a solution to the angst and id probably finish the story with wilbur being a sad sack who thinks his family hates him. no ending. just angst. idk what to do about cold love.

very good bad thing. same thing. i just wanted the angst, i didnt want a real ending. i play around with very good bad thing as a warm up these days. i dont see a real direction to take it in.

your love. i think im as passionate about your love as i am with how to be a human being. i could see this story going very long form & i see different branches i could take it in. i want to finish this story but i have to admit that im kind of scared of it. i dont want to get overwhelmed or lose interest and never finish it because i think its a special story & it really freaks me out that i wont do it justice

shameful company. this doesnt feel like a story im making up, it feels more like a story im transcribing. i know exactly how it goes and i know exactly what happens to all the characters and how it ends. writing shameful company is more about actually writing it than it is about creating the plot and figuring out what happens. its a really long story and that kind of overwhelms me but i know what the story is so i really just have to put in the effort of doing it justice. i care about telling this story right

little soldiers. oohhhhhhhh little soliders. i need to revamp little soldiers. i had a plan in my head and i feel obligated to follow the plan but the planned story isnt as fun as it would be if i just wrote which parts feel natural. im afraid of little soldiers. this one needs a lot of work. i might start using google docs just to deal with little soldiers. little soldiers is a google docs level problem.

finish how to be a human being euthanize allies or enemies, lady lie, im not angry anymore use cold love and very good bad thing as warm up writing because i like the angst and dont care about the ending your love is my little pet project finish shameful company and jam pack it full of vore because im no longer self conscious about writing that trope give little soldiers as much as i can and if that fails, just humanely euthanize it

after ive made plans for all my current writing i can take a look at the insane backlog of story ideas i have & write my horrible vore in my horrible little vore corner

[businessflexx]

Revamping Your Business Plan for Real-World Success

Introduction

Business plans, the unsung heroes of every successful venture. They can be as thrilling as watching paint dry, but we're here to change that perception. In this blog post, we'll infuse life into the often-dreaded business plan, ensuring it's not only effective but also a more engaging process.

Chapter 1: The Basics, Minus the Boredom

Think of your business plan as the roadmap to your success. It's not your enemy; it's your trusty guide, ensuring you reach your destination. So let's keep things simple and purpose-driven.

Chapter 2: The Power of SWOT Analysis

Your business's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats aren't as intimidating as they sound. They're the cornerstones of your strategy. A bit like recognizing your team's superpowers and knowing which villains to avoid. It's all about leverage and preparedness.

Chapter 3: The Money Matters

Financial forecasting isn't rocket science. It's about estimating your income and expenses. Let's face it; nobody likes financial jargon. Just focus on ensuring you have more coming in than going out. Positive cash flow is the name of the game.

Chapter 4: Crafting a Winning Marketing Strategy

Marketing isn't about pulling rabbits out of a hat. It's about understanding your customers and delivering what they want. Skip the complicated jargon and aim for clear, effective communication. A little creativity can go a long way.

Chapter 5: Finding Your Edge

In a competitive world, it's essential to know what sets you apart. What's your unique selling point? That's what you need to highlight. Think of it as your business's superhero cape.

Chapter 6: Staying Adaptable

Plans change; it's a fact of life. Be ready to pivot when necessary. It's like finding a shortcut on a road trip – sometimes, a detour leads to unexpected treasures.

Conclusion: The Real Deal

Your business plan doesn't have to be a dull document. It can be a dynamic tool that evolves with your journey. Keep it practical, purposeful, and adaptable, and you'll find it's a valuable asset for your business's success.

So, rewrite that business plan with a fresh perspective. Keep it engaging, straightforward, and efficient. Your business's path to success just got a lot clearer.

P.S.

Why did the entrepreneur bring a ladder to the business meeting? Because they aimed to climb higher!

[memor1n0]

Moving on to more cast designs! You’ll notice that Lux and Hadron (now known as ‘the President’ and ‘the Captain’ respectively) look a little different. Tbh Lux could still use some work...

And Lumino is in a uniform again...in the end, I had to bring back the concept. ^^; To me, an action anime series without any uniforms is like a donut without icing...like, there’s nothing wrong with it, but it makes me sad anyhow...

Of course, she’ll only wear this temporarily...possibly for just one story beat. But I don’t care; it was fun to design~

I guess I could share how things are progressing, since it’s been a while...writing is going okay; the core of the story seems to be solid now (no more total rewrites! ^^) all that’s left to do is fill in the details-- like, actual script-writing. Which has been really easy so far; I just know all these characters too well at this point. XD Really the only things stopping me are all the active projects that need most of my attention, but today my mind has been pretty scattered, so maybe I’ll try to put a dent in this work.

P.S. I DID end up daring myself to draw the first episode...and I got three pages in before I had to give up. ^^; For one thing, since the early days Memor1n0 has always inspired me to try really inventive, difficult drawings that make gorgeous panels, but also need a lot of work just to sketch correctly (and atm I don’t have that kind of time to devote to it).

For another thing, I still have a lot of designs left to revamp...notably the “cannon fodder enemies” which I’ve never really worked seriously on before (even though they’re IMPORTANT??). So I can only go so far before I gotta stop and catch up the visual worldbuilding. However, one page made it to the coloring stage before I quit...just for the hell of it, I’ll let you see a WIP:

[magpies-gold]

I do wish weekends were three days long. I had the kind of week where I did eight days’ worth of day job in the span of five. I could have used a full day to just not be alive for a while. I was too worn out to be creative all week and today I was a s l u g.

(coworkers, pls, be more responsible, I beg; your slack is v heavy to pick up)

Still! Little victories. Today I did finish inking a comic page of Prophecy of the Circle that should have been done on… Tuesday? I also finally figured out the script for the page I painted last weekend. It needed three rewrites because of pacing errors I discovered while doing a read over of past and future pages. >>

I meant that to appear on Patreon on Thursday. Aiee.

Tomorrow will feel better. I can queue up some finished comic content for patrons. And now I’m doing thumbnails of the next two pages to come. Script rewrites meant layout revamps. Maybe I’ll have time to draw at least one of them at full size.

The best decision I ever made: posting the pages just to Patreon first for feedback and letting myself edit as I need to before release. The break-neck at-least-one-page-a-week schedule of webcomics leads to some awfully messy writing. I think this way it’ll be a lot better when I release the finished chapters into the wild.

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