#but like. the idea of it all is SO daunting bc i don't think i'll be able to do it well enough

[rostii]

distraught and screaming at this course application process like i just looked at what’s required and i don’t think i can even try and apply lmao

[talaok]

Hey, love! How are you? I hope you’re doing great 💕

Can i request a joel x fem!reader?

So, a few days ago I found a strand of white hair on my head and I freaked out cause I’m only twenty and wtf ?? And soo I had this idea of reader, Joel and Ellie being settled in Jackson, reader’s brushing her hair and she sees the white hair and screams and joel and ellie go to her thinking that something bad happened… joel keeps teasing reader about it but eventually comforts her because she’s a little insecure about it? Oh, and maybe age gap?

I also wanted to thank you again for your beautiful stories, they make my day so much better, you have no idea! Sending you a lot of love !!!

❤️‍🩹🫶🏼

Babe why are you always so nice you make me want to cry, also this is literally something I'm so insecure about bc I have a bunch of white hair and I don't get why so thank you for requesting this. 

(HUGE sorry for the wait I just really have to study)

A scream echoed through your house in Jackson, and as time stilled, and both their hearts jump-started, they came running towards your voice.

"What happened?"

Joel's eyes were clouded with fear just as the fingers gripping his gun trembled with worry.

"are you ok?"

Ellie's voice was thin, quiet, nothing you'd ever heard before.

You looked at them, the hairbrush still in your hand, the daunting discovery lingering between your fingers.

"I have a white hair" you spoke, your tone somehow more horrified than both of theirs.

"what?"

"look" you urged, bringing your hair more in the light, your face twisting in an appalled grimace.

"sweetheart..." Joel sighed, shaking his head and putting away his gun "I thought something bad happened" he frowned, a glimpse of a smile ghosting his lips.

"you scared me to death y/n" Ellie protested too now.

"I'm sorry" you murmured, "but something bad did happen!"

They looked at each other, their eyes wide with amusement, and they could not help but burst out laughing.

"why are you laughing? This is not something to laugh about!"

"I'm-I'm sorry it's just..." Ellie spoke between giggles "It's just a white hair y/n, it's nothing"

"Nothing? This is everything! If I get one that means I'll get more"

Again, their laughs bounced across the bathroom tiles.

there you were, despairing for a different colored hair in a world where zombies actually existed.

You shot them a look "I hate you, go away"

"y/n-" Ellie tried

"no, just leave me alone while I try to find a way to hide this"

They glanced at each other, a small - I'll handle this- traveling from Joel to Ellie was all that was needed before the girl went back to her room.

You went to stand up

"careful there, I'm not sure you're in the right shape to stand up on your own at your age" Joel joked.

"That's not funny," you scowled, making Joel finally understand how serious you were about this.

"baby..." he murmured, stepping closer to you "it's not a big deal"

"but it is" you replied, desperate

"no, it's not baby" he continued, wrapping his arms around your back "It's just a white hair." he persisted "You're still the most gorgeous woman on earth"

"that's not the point" You shook your head

"no, then what is it?" he spoke gently, his thumb caressing your side

You hesitated "I-I don't know"

Joel smiled, trying to reassure you "Baby if you think that's bad, look at me" he chuckled "I look like Santa Claus"

"you don't" you bit down a smile "and besides, it's different, you're..."

"you can say it, sweetheart, I'm old"

"you're not old"

"no, then what am I?"

"you're just... older than me"

"That's a nice way of putting it"

You shook your head, smiling as you soaked in the feeling of his embrace.

He felt like a warm blanket after a cold winter day.

He stroked your cheek "C'mon now pretty girl, you're an amazing woman, you're smart, beautiful, funny, kind, good, and beautiful, you don't need to worry about a little white hair"

Your lips turned into that little happy pout Joel adored

"You said beautiful twice"

"Yeah, I know I did" 

You hit his chest playfully, your hand lingering on his body "I hate you"

"why?"

"'cause you always make me feel better, I'd like to be mad or sad for more than two minutes once in a while, y'know?"

"I'm sorry" he smirked, his thumb tracing your jawline "I'll do better next time"

"you better" you joked, making him smile.

"Are you feeling ok now?"

"mh-mh" you gave a shy nod

"you want me to kiss it better?"

"you can't kiss a white hair better"

"now" he said "there's no harm in trying, sweetheart"

[daipeanutsaiban]

Hello! Um I know it's been a few months since you said people could ask you more questions on your tgaa thoughts, but I was hoping to ask about your baskerzieks and genshinxwife ones. Like how they met, or what their last in person convos went like before each couple separated/died, etc, bc I really adore your Lady B & Mrs. Asougi designs! They deserved first names 😭

Also I'd love to hear your genklint/ville thoughts too if you care to share those!

ALSO I wanted to say you're 100% correct that if Kazuma & Klint ever actually met good ending au Kazuma would think he's the most annoying person alive. It's funny if genklint is platonic or romantic too, it's like Herlock Sholmes is right there and instead Kazuma thinks his dad's bf (best friend OR boyfriend lol) is significantly worse. Something something hating your parallel

Anyway no pressure, and sorry if you aren't looking to answer more questions at this time!

HI i love to yap and to yap about dgs especially so you're good haha <3 i'm the kind of person who needs to be asked tbh bc i tend to be self conscious/doubt myself so questions are always super appreciated 🥹💗 this post got LONG so i'm going to put it under a break to spare anyone who's just here for art or trying to look at memes during their lunch break

TL;DR: klint and primrose were engaged as kids but it was broken off upon his parents' death, it was renewed when he earned prestige as a prosecutor; their last conversation was when primrose forced him to confess his crimes to her but she'd started having doubts months ago; in my favorite hc, gkv never pursued one another beyond dropping hints here and there but because i am bisexual i also want them to have fun; genshin and yukari met by chance as teens and genshin had to convince his father to let them marry each other after finding out she was pregnant; he could never say his last words to her because writing about the professor's identity could've endangered her and kazuma.

first of all thank you so much, it makes me so happy when people enjoy my designs and characterizations for lady baskerville and mrs asougi!! for clarity, i'll be calling them by the names i gave them in this post, primrose and yukari respectively.

klint and primrose's engagement was decided by their parents and they met as children- i think they were probably feeling awkward around each other for a while since children don't really care about such things (right..?) and primrose actually chose to spend her time reading when her father would take her to visit, and she might've even been more interested in talking/playing with barok because there wouldn't be the daunting idea of an engagement looming on the horizon lol. eventually, she and klint do grow closer and come to consider each other friends thanks to him putting in a lot of effort to make her feel welcome and also have more fun (she finds him boring- i characterize klint as having been a very serious and dutiful child, though he does play with and dote on his brother).

when the van zieks parents die in my hc, losing their life in a fire specifically, primrose's father chooses to cancel their engagement because he doubts klint can suitably provide for his daughter- a cruel but logical decision as klint is just fourteen years old with no backing or achievements. as an aside, the fire is declared to be an unfortunate accident but klint silently believes it was premeditated- this incident contributes to him considering prosecution as a career. out of care for his brother, he never brings up this idea to barok.

still, primrose is a very clever child who's acutely aware that her father's doting is a form of control (such as making her wear beautiful, white clothes to easily find out if she's been sneaking out, which i think i talked about before), and she insists on meeting klint either at his estate or in the city while they both (and occasionally barok) wear disguises/common clothes. the latter option allows them to meet people outside of their social caste, and to develop a sympathy for them from an early age which also contributes to klint's growing bitterness towards other nobles. throughout his struggle to be taken seriously by these men in spite of his age, primrose continuously encourages him and even spies on her father's meetings with other gentlemen to then report to him, and this continues in their adult life with her reporting rumors and "gossip" from other ladies about their own husbands (with perhaps dire consequences in the long run, haha...)

primrose has ambitions of her own, though, many of which are philanthropic in nature and stem from guilt at being born in a wealthy household to a father who does not care about people other than his own. they are difficult to achieve as an unmarried woman (or even as a woman in general), as her father would never greenlight her ideas, and as such she becomes enraged with klint when he allows the engagement to be dispelled due to believing she would ultimately "be happier with someone else" when it would effectively condemn any ounce of freedom she could have. from primrose's perspective, klint is the only candidate for marriage because he actually respects her and understands her as a person.

their engagement was eventually reinstated following klint's multiple achievements, chiefly when he made a name for himself as an extremely prolific prosecutor and primrose's father couldn't really object to it (ha) anymore. when i researched, i learned that men in the victorian era would commonly get married in their thirties once their careers were established, and i especially like that for this couple because it means that genshin could've attended their wedding. (it's also amusing to picture klint pitching him as the best man while primrose is firmly in barok's camp and they have a silly spat about that, haha. but ngl i prefer genshin as their best man because it was tradition that the best man would drive the married couple to their month long honeymoon directly after the ceremony so. he could stay behind a little while if you catch my meaning. teehee)

on the topic of genklintville, my ultimate preference/personal "canon" is that they never outright acted upon their romantic or sexual interests in one another although the tension was clearly there. but like any bisexual on the internet, i like to indulge a little bit, as shown in my previous paragraph hehe. i like to imagine a kind of kinship between genshin and primrose as they are interested in similar literature and share a similar sense of humor as well (chiefly teasing klint- in a deadpan manner for genshin). klint and primrose tend to dote on genshin in a way they think is discreet, because they can sense his loneliness at being apart from his family even though he generally doesn't voice it, but as we all know genshin isn't a fool and it leaves him quite flustered haha. genshin also relates to klint in the way that they are both heirs to something "greater than them" (the asogi clan/the van zieks heritage) and sometimes yearn to break away from it which might contribute to why genshin left for london if the first place. i'd like to add that if i draw genklint without primrose present, it's taking place with her knowledge and consent, though them being pushed to cheating due to increasing stress or suchlike circumstances is an interesting angle- it's just not something i see myself making at present. though now saying that has made me think about the ways it could be fun to explore the way klint's lying and gaslighting keeps piling up, so what's one more lie? so i'd be interested in reading a story that would attest to his guilt from committing the act and his gaslighting towards not only his wife but also to himself, hmm. the best way that i can put it is that if i'm to explore gk without the v, she must be a relevant character because i'm not about to discard a canon female love interest to focus solely on the yaoi lmao.

now for genshin and yukari, or genyu for short as i like to call it in my head (lol)... there's a lot to cover here too 😵‍💫 some of this, particularly the stuff concerning ayame, is still undecided on but i thought the more context the better!

to understand their dynamic, it feels important to state/repeat my headcanons about the asogi clan aka genshin's immediate family beyond her and kazuma, which were mentioned here. but to summarize, they are very patriarchal, strict, and the type to suppress their emotions. genshin is his father's illegitimate child, and his real mother is... hm, well, she won't ever appear in my art because it's suitable for her character, but she's a high ranking courtesan, aka "oiran", and therefore pregnancy/being a mother could bring shame to her and likely ruin her livelihood, because they are meant to project the image of being unattainable both in appearance.. and price. her disappearing for some months to a year wouldn't be all that suspicious as few men can even afford to meet her.

because the oiran brings the House where she works good money, they help her cover up her pregnancy and her son's existence by sending him to live with his father as soon as possible. once, genshin tries to visit his mother, but he is turned away. in short, his first experience was to be abandoned by someone who was supposed to love him. i think this backstory also serves to give reason to his name (written with the kanji 'shadow' and 'truth') because he is a truth meant to be hidden by the government. if you think about his father giving him that name, it becomes quite sad and implies shame for bringing his son into the world. i think it would also justify the personality i like for him, which is more reserved and serious than how i portray the rest of the visiting trio (with a boisterous but ambitious seishiro and a downtrodden but shy and earnest yuujin), and with a greater disposition for being suspicious... which is naturally a good thing for a detective.

genshin's father's wife lost her life to an illness some years prior to genshin integrating into the asogi clan, which is why he sought comfort from the oiran. to avoid unsavory rumors and to preserve both women's reputation, syoma (genshin's father) forbids his son from venturing outside of the house - paralleling primrose's childhood, which they could bond over later in life - until he turns a certain age. he's the dark sheep of the clan, to make it short. it's by sneaking out as a child that he meets seishiro, and then yukari who is accompanying ayame.

as an aside, i want to add that while syoma holds misogynistic beliefs, he still feels a sense of responsibility so he does eventually pay off the oiran's debt in the end- not that she's particularly grateful since he led her on and made her promise not to abort his child without ever planning to marry her. not a great guy, but def a fun character to write. those are things genshin deduces in his teenage years, and he swears to never become like his father.

as for yukari, her family history is also nebulous, and i don't know if i even want to establish her circumstances before meeting ayame and genshin because i like the meta irony of those details remaining unknown to us just as they were unknown to those around her outside of how she is tied to other people. ayame's friend, genshin's wife, kazuma's mother- never her own person. she reaches a breaking point during genshin's absence, but i won't go into detail about that for now because it's part of a long project of mine. what i can say about her is that she does housework for ayame's family in exchange for room and board, but she's not categorized as a servant because ayame cherishes her, a privilege that makes her feel awkward at times.

genshin fell for her due to her frank and joyful approach to life which was so different from the outlook he was raised on, and she piqued his curiosity with her unusual and often "silly", but free, behavior. he has the utmost respect for her, which is why as much as i like gkv and think it could work in a modern au with yukari's inclusion/approval + rapid methods of communication, i think realistically genshin wouldn't have the heart to start anything with someone else when she is waiting for his every letter so far away. he wouldn't be able to read the expression on her face, and she could easily lie about being okay with it.

in this wikipedia article about marriage in japan in the edo period (1600-1868), it reads: "Members of the household were expected to subordinate all their own interests to that of the [household], with respect for an ideal of filial piety and social hierarchy. [...] Marriages were duly arranged by the head of the household, who represented it publicly and was legally responsible for its members, and any preference by either principal in a marital arrangement was considered improper."

you might've guessed where i'm going with this, but genshin's father had already chosen a wife for him, and that person was ayame, who is from a 'good' family. obviously that marriage didn't go through with yukari becoming pregnant at 18 or 19 (!!), and syoma capitulated to genshin's request that he be given permission to marry his girlfriend which only further strained his relationship with his father further. as for ayame, she was fortunate that the man she was interested in was studying medicine, and therefore struggled less for her family to accept yuujin as her husband. but for yukari, although she knows genshin doesn't love ayame, there's always that nagging feeling that she was the "wrong" choice. after all, she has to witness the interactions between genshin and his family every day, and her presence is often the source of tension. her only rock after ayame's death and genshin's departure is her son, who starts rejecting spending time with her as he grows older because, well, he's a teenager (something i want to expand on in that project i mentioned).

in yukari's case, she was never able to read her husband's last words as even writing about the professor's identity could endanger hers and kazuma's lives, but perhaps genshin had promised he would briefly return at the half-way point of his stay overseas and then ended up having to break that promise by choosing to investigate the professor killings before eventually losing his life. yukari's feelings of helplessness were confirmed as the truth in her eyes then.

as for primrose and klint's last conversation, it's been sitting in my wips for a while LOL. i def think she had her suspicions, and when she finally gathered her courage to confront him, he broke down and told her the truth. i've revised this comic and especially its dialogue so many times that i don't even know if i like it anymore, please pray for me 😅

It's funny if genklint is platonic or romantic too, it's like Herlock Sholmes is right there and instead Kazuma thinks his dad's bf (best friend OR boyfriend lol) is significantly worse.

this made me laugh LMAO honestly kazuma would be so petty about it meanwhile i feel like he'd get along super well with the man's own wife 😂 i also think that as an adult kazuma would admire his father less and even be a bit of a tsundere lol, but yeah in a No One Dies/Good Ending AU(tm) he'd probably resent genshin a little for leaving him and his mother, whose struggles he witnessed firsthand for ten years. hell, maybe he does resent him in the current circumstances even if it's not the dominant emotion when it comes to his father, it of course being grief... still. lord van zieks get your paws off my dad!! 🙄💢 also if genshin starts reciprocating the attention kazuma might start killing LOL

...this answer is now well over 2000 words and i still feel like i'm leaving things out i feel CRAZY omg. autism diagnosis unnecessary atp lmfao.

also just found this in my #yukanotes i should've just copy pasted all this augh. i love yukari very much she is extremely dear to me. 😊💗

thanks again for your questions I'M SORRY IT'S SO LONG....... i DO love to yap 🥹🥹💗

[hedwig221b]

Hi! Love everything you do and all your gorgeously crafted fics. If you haven’t already answered, what’s your writing process like? Your last story was so good I actually started jotting down ideas, brainstorming. It’s the closest I’ve gotten to writing in years. The thought of actually doing it though can be daunting. How you process a story idea into and take it from an idea to the great stories we get to read??

Thank you! It may just be the greatest pleasure for a writer to inspire another to write. I am taking your hand - and I hope you feel its warmth just like my gratitude - and pouring all of my inspiration to you 💗 I hope you get sooo inspired to write and share the excitement of getting to create

I feel like I'm going to rant so I'll hide it under the cut. Major spoilers for Yes To Heaven, as I'm gonna give it as an example.

1. I usually just start thinking about one scene or a single concept, maybe a couple, and then think: oh, this could become something tangible. You gotta catch that scene in your head and really taste it, look around the characters (where they are, when, what universe), try to envision it in your head like a movie; look inside the characters, what are they feeling, like, right now, what their thoughts are, what are they saying? At this point, usually the idea starts to grow into my mind so deep that the only way to get rid of it is to write. Otherwise, it would drive me insane.

Example: with Yes To Heaven, it started with one scene where Stiles is surrounded with alphas, and everyone wants him, everyone looks at him and stumbles all over themselves to help him. And Stiles is blushing and beautiful and wondering what's all this for. And Derek in the corner, glaring at everyone and seething.

2. Ok, now it's time for the good old record scratch and the "you're probably wondering how I got here". I sort of step away from the scene: one step into the past and one into the future. I usually get really quickly to the "oh so THIS is the story, okay...". So you got the vague feeling of the plot.

Example: I literally started to think: why would Derek not intervene? Why would the alphas circle around Stiles and want him? What would Derek do, bc he can't simply stand aside and watch the vultures peck at his Stiles. Oh, Stiles is an omega. What if he was a rare omega? The only way Derek wouldn't intervene is if he didn't have the same reasons to circle Stiles. He differs from others. He's a bodyguard. But he intervenes in the end. Why?

3. And then, of course, you get the feel of the story. Ah, this is a story about beautiful Stiles breaking Derek's control and everything he knew about himself (sort of, in the most simple sense).

Then I get boring and go look at the trusted three act plot structure. I know there are a lot of plot structures out there, but this is the most common one and simple to follow. (I'm dying to explore other plot structures tbh, they look intriguing)

Once at the structure, I usually go for the big guns and straight up start thinking about the climax of the story bc I love drama.

Characters need to break. Something about them needs to: their body, their mind, their worldview, their very core and morals and beliefs. The climax is what your story will be remembered for, the very nail-biting tension at the height of it and the inevitable drop into the abyss. Characters need to change, that's why we follow the stories of them.

Not gonna lie, I don't struggle with this part, I'm always there for the ultimate angst, so idk how to tell you to get there.

Example: Stiles' hesitant trust for Derek shatters when Derek sends him back to the Institute. He didn't expect it and it is the worst betrayal for him. Stiles breaks. Derek breaks as well, bc Stiles rejects him. It changes both of them: Derek becomes ruthless (he could've killed Deaton from the beginning, but something always stopped him until now); Stiles, after Derek comes back for him, lets the trust to flourish, and he becomes content. For the first time in his life, Stiles has someone he can trust to come back for him and keep their promises. Derek would never leave Stiles - and that's the resolution for both of them.

At this point, I really see what the story is truly about: trust and its fragility, the false safety of feeling like you have that trust when you have nothing but the shadow of it.

Now I know what everything has to be about. The theme (trust, in my case) should be like the sun that shines upon all of them and soaks into every corner of the story. Everything should lead you step by step to the resolution of the theme. You don't have to focus every single sentence on it, but it should be there, always. Like the sun. You don't notice it, but it's still there.

4. Then, you have to think about the backstory. You really have to think why are they doing what they do, where do they come from, what lead them to where they are now. The backstory starts waaaaay before the tale does, but you have to develop it (because some if not most traumas come from childhood/adolescence).

Example: why is it so important to Stiles that someone comes for him? (everyone left him before, his mother and father). Why does Derek want Stiles so bad? (Stiles needs him to survive, Stiles is not afraid of him, Stiles accepts him as he is)

5. Now that I have the beginning and the climax, I usually follow the three acts points (you can create more acts, just keep raising the stakes and the tension). How do they meet, what creates the spark between them, the attraction and the conflict, what makes them fall in love, where does that love lead to?

6. Not gonna lie, more often than not I don't know how to end things. I get to the climax and just sit there staring at the wall, like, now what? The answer for me is to go to the beginning and make the ending reflect it but in a new light: either sweet, or bitter, or anything in between. It puts a nice bow to your ending, ties all ends, closes all arcs and creates a nice contrast.

Maybe, there's a false climax (like, with Stiles sleepwalking out of his father’s house alone at night and Derek nearly tearing John to shreds bc of it (it's just another push to him keeping Stiles solely to himself in the end)). You get a little breather before shit really hits the fan (the tension keeps climbing; maybe not with the angst but instead with sex or a side plot drama).

About the stakes: your character needs to lose something to change. Because, otherwise, how else do you make the change worth anything at all? You decide what the loss is, something good or bad depending on the story; the loss of a loved one? an old misconception? a harmful habit? a good habit? entire world?? life??? You also get to decide whether the character does it willingly. The change becomes valuable only if it costs something.

Example: Stiles letting go of his Dad (his past and his pain, his burden). He lets Derek take it off his shoulders - and trusts him to carry it right.

Tip: you really should try to tie all ends (unless leaving them open is intentional), at least as much as you can, bc you as an author will probably forget that you haven't told it (bc in your head you know it all), but the reader doesn't know shit and will be like, "And what about A, B, and C? You haven't told us, ergo you're a lazy writer". For me, that's for the editing stage. You have to really think whether you actually told that one important thing or you just thought that everyone would get it out of the context.

Example: I always envisioned Derek with a beard in Yes To Heaven, but after I started editing, I noticed that the first mention of it is at, like, 50k word point or something. Jesus, Hedwig, not everyone can read your mind, explain things! Or how Laura doesn't know that Derek is their pack's Left Hand (had to go back and make Derek and Cora more secretive with his job).

7. Welp, that's kinda it.

There is a lot more that comes to making a story better with different ways of storytelling (I love Chekhov's gun and red herrings, personification and metaphors, to the point where it gets repetitive).

Believe me, I get the dread and the sudden emptiness of mind that overwhelms you when you stare at the empty document. You sit there and stare, and nothing comes out. But, the thing is, instead of focusing on the behemoth of the idea in your head that leans over you like storm clouds, look down and pick at small things.

Maybe create bullet points: the climax scene, the incidents that lead to it, small stuff. Once you write it down, you'll see the whole story better. And it really helps when you're stuck and you don't know what to write next. Look in your notes, at the structure (you can print it or draw it and just write above the points), and you’ll feel more grounded.

Suddenly, it's not this enormous thing, it's this little thing that leads to this other little scene and, oh, they're sucking each other’s dicks.

The grand Idea is your sun that's always there and shines upon you, but you don’t focus on it, you're just making your characters fry pancakes. It will all come together, just... small steps. Small steps that lead you to the top of the Everest. Don’t look at that top, focus on the steps in front of you, else you'll slip into the crater of a burnout.

I hope this was coherent lol. Hope I helped you in some way 💗

[divider link]

[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

📚 🔮 🎨 i love u

Love you too!!! 😍💖🌸

📚 Is there a fanfic or fanfic writer you recommend? Aaaargh, you know that I forget any opinion I've ever held the second anyone asks me for one! There's so many incredibly talented ppl in this fandom, and so many fantastic fics, how am I to choose one??? Here's some I've read and loved recently:

hunter's moon by mourningshowers: a very intriguing werewolf AU with a cool, unique spin on pack dynamics, and stunning prose - the descriptions of ppl's scents in particular stuck with me, they're so vivid and evocative! butter, sugar, and northern mockingbirds by @thefreakandthehair: the most perfectest, soft, mushy, sweet bakery AU. If you're in need of a fic that will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy and happy inside, this is a definite rec! Never coming down (with your hand in mine) by @eyesofshinigami: the latest instalment in their omega!Eddie series, which I adore. If you're into a/b/o and omega Eddie, give this one a read!

🔮 Any advice for writers working through burnout or writer’s block?

Some things that work for me, personally:

Just write! I sit myself down, set a word count (100 words, 200 words, doesn't matter, it's about getting started) and don't get up or hop on socials before I have written that word count down. Maybe I'll find my flow and keep going, maybe I'll think it's garbage and leave it for the day. I never delete what I wrote, even if I hate it. Instead, I come back a day or two later and look it over with a fresh pair of eyes. Most of the time, I'll realize that it doesn't suck as bad as I thought it did.

Write something small! If my large WIPs seem too daunting atm, I'll try a microfic or drabble - something small and relatively low effort. Those also have the added bonus that I can yeet them out immediately after they're done, and the reactions I get usually give me the serotonin boost I need and motivate me to write more. (Bc I'm an attention whore like that! XD)

Let the brain run idle! I take a walk. I craft or doodle something. I play with my kid. I watch a movie or go out with friends. The main thing is, I don't write. I try to not even think of writing. That's often when my best ideas hit me out of nowhere.

🎨 If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

I am blessed enough to have a bunch of incredibly talented mutuals who have made so much wonderful, gorgeous, incredible art of my work. I look at it daily, it makes me feel so incredibly loved and cherished. I couldn't wish for more! That being said, if someone asked me, I'd probably pick for a scene from Someone who cares because that's my oldest fic (my baby, my firstborn, etc.) and it doesn't have any art yet.

Fic writer asks

[dallonwrites]

bestie how the fuck do you start writing again when you haven't written in years bc you're so paralyzed with Fear of Writing Badly mixed with How Do I Get Started and also WHAT do I write about HELP

I WANT to write but every part of it is. so. DAUNTING

Ohhh bestie I have BEEN there. Whenever I take breaks from writing I find myself scared that I'll have just….forgotten to write?? I think the fear of "bad writing" is amplified when you don't write for a while, however long, because you have to like hype yourself up to go back to writing and it's like what if I do all that and then I just can't do it? Returning to writing, especially after a long time, for me has taken a lot of mental work, trying to understand what will make writing fun and healthy for me. A lot of it, honestly, is easier said than done, but also it's mental work you'll keep doing after you start writing again and as you write, and for me it's easier to process my relationship with writing when I am actually writing.

A big part of that mental work for me, and something I think is so valuable, is to reconsider what "bad" writing is and give yourself permission to write it. Sometimes you will think your writing sucks, happens to all of us, but that isn't all it has to be. Like yeah, I'll think something I wrote sucks, but I still wrote it. I can revisit it and work on it and maybe I'll turn it into something I'm happy with. And even if I don't, I still wrote it, I learned from it. Writing does not need to be "good" by whatever standard we're holding it up to for it to have value. And you can delete it! Nobody has to see it! Also you can have fun writing something and still think it's not your best. I've written a lot of "bad" scenes that I had fun with because the scene was entertaining to me! I love when writing turns out how I like it, or I write a banger prose line, but equally I found it helpful to give myself permission to not worry about that all the time and just focus on my interest/enjoyment in what I'm writing, regardless of the "quality". Again, easier said than done, but something I've found easier the more I write, because you'll have bad writing days but you'll also have writing days that are so good

I know a lot of people see writing as a skill that they want to improve, and like I agree it feels really good to see your writing grow, but writing is so much more than the skill and the craft and the theory. There is no objective "perfection" to reach with writing like we are not Sims with levelled skills LOL. Writing is art and creativity and it should be fun and fulfilling. And IMO, the more you focus on what makes writing fun, you will grow and "improve" as a writer a lot quicker and in a way that is a lot more enjoyable than if you treat writing like some icy quest for perfection. You also get to decide what "good" writing is for you/your story. Some of my stories are more prose focused and I'll play more with language, imagery etc. Others are more about the plot and just having fun imagining this scene. Sometimes it's a mix of both. What is "good" writing depends on the writer, story, genre, etc. There is no one way to write.

I'm rambling a lot because I'm just really passionate about this and I cannot express enough how easier writing got, including all the difficult and ugly and frustrating parts, when I gave space to prioritise my enjoyment and fun. People love to romanticise the idea of the "struggling" writer. I see stuff on here and I'm like you guys….writing should be fun. Like yeah sometimes it's hard and we should talk about that but like, you Need to make sure you are having fun. Anyway I'm going to try not to ramble and bullet point some things that helped me:

Make Writing Fun: Lol! Literally whatever makes writing fun. Sometimes I just write super indulgent scenes and the fun of that sets me up to work on my projects. When I work on my projects I try to find what in each scene I'm going to enjoy the most, and focus on that to help me write the rest. I make playlists, moodboards, memes, art etc for my story because it's fun, and it helps me be engaged with my story outside of writing it. Just, have fun.

On productivity: some people will benefit from setting clear goals and running towards them. Some people don't. For me it depends on my headspace. I don't think productivity is a bad thing, it can feel good, but productivity should not be the only reason you write. And the most productive writing process is whichever one makes writing enjoyable for you, because that's how you'll get words on the page

On that note, please be wary of anyone online who who treats the writing advice they share as Fact. I'm not saying every writing teacher out there does...but some of them market it that way! And creators do not have an authority on writing just because they have a platform however big. There are some AMAZING content creators out there who talk about writing, and I have found them motivating, but like just let yourself be picky about who you listen to/engage with. I say this because I consumed some very Strict writing advice when I was younger and it literally contributed to my years long slump so like...I'm picky now LOL

About goals: Personally, gentle goals are what help me get back into writing. Maybe just write for 20 minutes, or write every day for a couple days. When I do word count goals, I base them on how I feel that day, and recently I don't make a word count, I'll transfer it to the next session but smaller. So if I try to write 500 words but can't I'll say okay, lets try 250 next time. Goals can be a great motivator and way to feel achieved, and maybe bigger goals will help you, but you're also allowed to adjust them as you go to make it easier

On finding new ideas, having been there before, you don't need a fully fleshed out idea to start writing. My longest break I came back to writing with...one character and a backstory? If you have stories/characters already you can revisit them, either build on what you have or completely change it. Or if you don't have that, if there's a piece of media you like you can take that concept and play around with it in your own way, or you can even just write fanfic until you have your own idea (if you want your own idea, fanfic is cool too!) You can even just find a cool pic on pinterest and play around with describing it, writing about it, seeing if you can get anything from that. Ideas are everywhere and they can be tiny, and I think if you have that want to write you Will find your story eventually. All writers have had the Idea struggle, but I think the more you engage with writing and think about what concepts and stories interest you already, the more you'll like train yourself to get ideas

That was very long and maybe a lot but like, I am very passionate about this! I've been in writing "slumps" where I didn't know if I would write again, I've started writing again with no ideas, and in those times all I had was the fact I knew I wanted to write. There are a lot of reasons why we end up having long breaks from writing and it is totally normal, sometimes beneficial for us, and we should never give ourselves a hard time for not writing for however long. But also remember that you can always come back. Every one of us has the capacity to create, whatever that looks like, and you can make it as self indulgent and self serving as you want.

[surveillance-0011]

got any headcanons for Douglas or Harper?

yeas :3 I'll do some for both but mostly douglas if that's alright!! 2nd half for douglas + harper hcs below the cut bc this got a bit long I have Many Thoughts on Douglas . lil warning for references to the whole skrendel thing for douglas and mentions of harper's military past but all in passing and whatnot . nothing super angsty or explicit just going over stuff. All of that is below the cut tho

Douglas

he/him. bicurious/questioning and a little shy about it, but it's more of an open secret than anything. He is slowly realizing he likes guys a lot more than he likes women and he's unsure how to feel about it

Space is very pro lgbt it's very much normal for them bc there's all these different species and civilizations. why would any of them be cisheteronormative lol?? But really he's more embarrassed about actually feeling strong attraction and realizing he's a mushier person than he'd like to think. if that makes sense. like "oh no i am giggling like a schoolgirl over this guy what do i fucking do"

In general he doesn't like being seen as a vulnerable person, both physically and mentally. The idea of being in love for real is a little daunting to him...

I'd say he'd probably eventually land on bi or pan tho? Just with a heavy male/masc/etc lean.

early 30's? for his species? Late 20's?

From a moon with seas on it, think a less icy Europa! Currently lives on Port Terrene or a nearby territory.

His species is a delicacy for some alien races, mainly those living on the moon but he was basically fair game for anyone in that solar system so he booked it by sneaking onto a commercial spaceship to safety. Living in the background and slimy underbellies lead him to be where he is now.

He thinks that this is kind of funny by the way he has totally taken some of the higher ups to a restaurant that serves his kind to either stare them down for the whole meal or insist they order it and then wait in the bathroom so they think he straight up got cooked

Pretty physically fragile. PT's conditions are similar enough to his home moon in terms of gravity and whatnot that he's doing alright but he needs the suit to thrive there and survive on many other planets. That and he's very vulnerable to physical damage out of his suit. So, the suit is mainly for protection and an advantage in combat but there's also the advantage of hiding what he actually looks like-- useful for his line of work, deceiving others, and not letting most know he's a squishy lil guy.

Does not like the cold. He will languish… please…

Amphibious, can spend time out of the water but needs to be moist to breathe + thrive. Suit mists him down too.

In general the suit is pretty well coded and whatnot... engineering masterpiece... it's like a little mini mech kind of in my mind.

Would kill to pilot a huge ass mech some day btw. Douglas needs a huge ass mech.

Garmantuous, Nipulon, and probably Giblets have seen him out of his suit or otherwise know/have been told abt it. That and whoever of the Skrendel Bros he had that little tryst with. or not. idk.

Everyone else? A good deal of people mainly those in the crime syndicates have seen him without his helmet or been able to kind of see his face through it but I'm under the assumption that only some folks know he's a straight up octopus. Assuming this since Kenny didn't know and it took Gus some time to recognize him/he had to figure it out first so ig that means most folk (Including Rel and Krubis) don't really know !!

As for how the whole delicacy thing. ig that's like. other side of the galactic community. niche shtuff.

While he's generally an asshole and cruel to those beneath him, when it comes to the other officers of the G3 he's generally friendly (by Douglas standards tho). Still it's very 50/50. Total wildcard, does whatever entertains him. Prone to mischief, trickery, and dragging others along in his antics, sober or not. Will be your pal one day and your worst enemy the next. Workplace warfare game is peak I'll tell you that much

He does a good job at worming his way outta trouble. He's a clever lil guy pretty damn resourceful. People don't give him enough credit bc for all the lack of impulse control he shows he's smart and slick enough to un-fuck up the situation if need be.

always a little pissy abt dealing with the long term consequences that he can't get himself out of but hey. he tries his goddamn best

Decently buddy-buddy with the Skrendels though this have been a bit Complicated since. Yknow.

Honestly I think it was Jonathan. Makes the most sense to me in my mind. The two are pretty much still just friends but Jonny boy kind of wishes there was more there now. Douglas doesn't, all that much. The other brothers know and Angela has probably pulled Douglas aside to beg "for the love of all that's holy let him down gently"

Mona was more like "If I so much as see a tear in my brother's eye you're calamari"

But they're all still pals. I guess. Everyone has their ups and downs? They still like getting up to mayhem when their paths cross and Jonathan is pretty friendly with Douglas still even if the other two are pretty... not all that ok abt the whole thing. the bros get protective.

Weirded out by Giblets but is honestly much too entertained by how pathetic he is to tell him to fuck off. He just tries to up the "what the fuck" factor when he can. On the other hand Giblets is very terrified yet very enthralled w/ Douglas. He is an enigma to the dr....

Things are also weird with Krubis. They kind of totally hate each other but it kind of makes them good friends. Above all else Douglas reminds Krubis of himself when he was younger so he kind of. Gets It and wants to keep a closer eye on him

like. they would get along so well but so awfully as well. there's no way krubis isn't jealous that Douglas has a better job and manages to keep it despite all the bullshit. There's no way they haven't been screwed over by Douglas once or twice by being caught in the crossfire of all the stuff he does. And I think Douglas is fickle with some of his workplace alliances some days he’ll take Krubis’s side others he’ll take Giblets he’s just like that for the goofs. Krubis gets pissed off w/ him a lot but I think they are low-key on the same wavelength. idk if that makes sense i'll probably draw or write it out in detail some day soon... hm...

Garm is Tired of Him. Nipulon is consistently disappointed and somehow also surprised with the crazy shit Douglas gets up to but does appreciate when Douglas comes around and does something competent by his standards. Gurgula found him annoying but is just. whatever.

Not always the best at reading the room.

A pretty optimistic person actually. Assumes best case scenario often. Even if his idea of the best case scenario involves killing people he doesn't like it's fine he's just a little guy

He can change colors somewhat, mostly at the tip of his tentacles. It's a signifier of health and emotion. There's a lot of patterns of flickering for communication and whatnot. They curl and deepen in color to denote distress, for example. And he's usually a pretty bright blue unless he's sick.

Epic gamer. With that many tentacles how could he not be. Total sucker for arcade games especially,,

Also big on party + group games. This is a man who has killed over mario party or kart… I just know it.

And drinking games ofc

Watches shitty daytime television on his days off esp when he’s hungover

Also loves riffing on shitty movies

Laughed over people crying about the space titanic movie only to bawl at the end. He blames the alcohol but we all know… we all know.

Facultative carnivore or omnivorous with preference to meat. main diet is like. fish shellfish maybe some sea plants... algae things... idk... he can stomach other foods but most plants just don't do anything for him nutrition wise. i say most because who knows what crazy stuff is out there in space. le shrug. gotta think the space food stuff over...

He thought Sweezy was annoying but useful. Lots of bickering but considering she doesn't talk during the fight he probably turned off her ability to with that inhibitor thing later on into their time together? because i do not think she would willingly be quiet for his sake.

Honest 2 god he coulda been a stand up comedian or an actor or written a book or something he's funny enough for it. But ig torturing people was his calling.

And he is a very creative torture technician! He's definitely squeezed information out of people well before. He shows enough prowess here that Garm is still impressed enough to not have totally gone sicko mode on him god bless

Beer and adjacent spacey drinks (there's a lot more choices out there in the galaxy after all) are his alcoholic beverages of choice. Some fruitier cocktails catch his eye sometimes too

Even when he is not going off on wild adventures or partying he is being generally bewildering.

he just wants 2 have fun at the end of the day...

Harper (i don't have as much I need to watch another play through i think)

she/they sapphic. Soft butch ish but dorky always looks like she's taking fashion notes from Luz (saying this as someone who hasn't watched TOH but. you see what i mean. and i mean this with affection and understanding.)

Thrilled to find about about axolotls on Earth. Frilly like her :) very fond of amphibians in general

Stoked to be learning all this cool shit about people and the world around her and doing cool shit as a bounty hunter and meeting Gene and stuff...

Kinda easily impressed. not used to having nice things.

Traumatized for sure but she's trying to be chill about it. Not used to asking for help

Generally A Bit Anxious at all times. jumpy in casual life

Vaguely morally fucked from being in that task force. This is kind of canon i guess... she'll be a little cheap or nosy or callous if she has to be and while i don't think she's super scummy I'm sure that cold blooded training will not be wearing off anytime soon

She does care about other people she's just bad at empathy and relating... and yknow... taught not to care... taught to be a soldier... but she cares she loves her pals so so much goddammit!!

The sort of person who googles her symptoms and convinces herself she's dying of ultra instinct tuberculosis

Professional armchair psychiatrist

Capable, just clumsy. She'll get the job done but not without some mishaps and taking the long way around.

Big fan of summer+warmer weather

Likes strawberry and mango... big on fruit in general. fruitpilled.

Ice cream and sherbet fan

But she love burger also. yes i am going to do the thing where a character mentions food and consider it their favorite sorry. i just love a girl eating aburger.

Never got to meet Kenny. They did, however, cross paths with Lezduit sometime before the G3's invasion.

I am a Harper x Sweezy truther. women... awesome... not yet tho i think it is a gradual thing... i like to imagine it just kind of happens. no confession or whatever just someday soon they wake up look at each other and say "wow i guess we've just been dating now"

could apply to other Gatlians but esp for her she likes to watch tv with gene and will totally watch youtube on the Bounty Hunter's computer... my little iPad baby...

Really likes nature documentaries. Worlds biggest casual geographic + Lindsay Nicole fan also

Speaking of I am choosing to believe both of them survive and start making alien zoology videos.

In an anthro or human au she would have a prosthetic leg

Either way anthro or not, the cybernetic bits are all kind of like a prosthetic and she talks to Gene sometimes abt disability + combat stuff during the uncommon occasions that she opens up about it a little.

And lastly a little prediction: if they bring back Kenny w/ a new VA then I'm expecting either an ability to switch which one you want to use, maybe having the option of dual wielding the two of them, or that Kenny gets an upgrade that makes him more powerful and he's a late game addition like Lez :3c

Or maybe pointing to a two player mode or switching perspectives with Lizzie if she finds Kenny wherever she is?? Kinda like Yokai Watch 3 switching between chapters until the two protags meet up.

[cybrdollettepix]

Dolly Chronicles

So me and the guy that I'm talking to called for the first time today. It was INSANE. He'd been asking for the past few days and I'd told him that I needed to find a moment where I'd be able to call him. Yesterday, I got that moment, but I got so shaky and scared and felt like I was gonna throw up, so I just figured I'd try again the next day. Well, today was that day!

Like the first thing he messaged me this morning was if I thought I could call, and like, I just flaked. I got panicked and knew I needed a moment to really just chill and think and calm down, especially bc everything between us has been so tense lately.

So I just sat outside staring at his message notification wondering if and how I would ever work up the courage to call him, debating if it was a good idea, if I should wait until I was more at ease, and then ofc, the daunting reality, what would be fairest for him (and best for our future together), despite my nerves.

After dinner I got a window to call him, and I decided that it would be a good idea to do that, a good way to cheer up my flakiness for today and yesterday. So I text him, all shakey, and asked if he was free. He said yes, ofc! So we called, and I think we were both pretty nervous, but conversation (especially romantic/flirtatious energy) flowed naturally.

I feel like as time goes on I'll get more comfortable with him and we'll just grow closer and he'll love my full personality.

But like, there's just one problem, I feel kinda a bit like he wants someone with a bit more...oomph, y'know? I mean he literally said he likes energetic people, and I'm not very energetic. I can be kind of a yapper, but I'm mostly chill. I feel like I know what he wants, like what he wants is similar to what I wanted. I can feel his disparity basically, and there's nothing wrong with that! But like, that ALWAYS ruins relationships. I should know, I've ended relationships BECAUSE of that! I'm just so scared that he'll be so busy chasing a high, a fantasy, of what he wants instead of genuinely trying super hard to get to know me. I can't lie, how fast we're moving is feeding into that, although I don't mind how fast we're going because nothing I've said has been ingenious. I'm just hoping that he won't think I'm too chill, or too boring, or god forbid too normal, and decides that he's going to leave me instead of wait for me open up.

It really isn't helping, and frankly kind of triggered the worries of a lot of what's in this post, that I texted him a "goodnight I love you" message and it's been on seen for like 30 minutes. Or that, although chemistry flowed well in our phone call, it wasn't exactly the most lively conversation. Oh well. I just feel like he's similar to how I used to be and I'm scared that he's gonna break my heart like how I would have.

Ending this post with "Never put all your eggs in one basket!".

[prettyboykatsuki]

As an excellent writer, do you have any advice? It's been a while since I wrote something other than poetry and I wanted to try writing a story. I managed to get started, but I'm still having a little trouble.

You have inspired me a lot for the record!

as an excellent writer u say...... u want me to cry ....

you've gotten through the hardest part which is simply getting started imo!!! so do not feel to discouraged bc that is like... so often the hardest part. and im pleased to have inspired u that is huge!!!!

when i get stuck on a story, i normally go do something else related to story writing. sometimes that's reading fic for a character, watching clips of them, or making a pinterest board. something to like... stimulate my creative desires in a sense? i find that reading fic is the most effective to get me to write a bit more

but also, try not to pressure yourself and focus on enjoying the process if you can ! i think the idea of completing a fic can make it feel sooo daunting but the best writing happens when you can pour into your story without certain expectations.

i would try to give u more advice about the plotting process but being honest i don't think i've ever actually outlined and plotted anything. i process everything by just writing - though if you're having trouble sometimes trying to build out a structure and then help can be really nice.

the best way though to just write is letting yourself just get the words on the page and going back to edit it afterwards. your first draft can be super dogshit and thats fine, because it lets you have an idea of what you want to say or are trying to say and not getting stuck just not writing. its okay if none of it makes sense the first time as long as smth is on the page

i have some other writing advice in a tag but all of it's old so idk if it'll be helpful. i'll add it to this post though so u can peruse it a bit since ppl have asked me before . for some reason fdkjsdk

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

Archon war anon- No worries about not having answers! I was just curious about that since you do really good worldbuilding! I'm writing this because I decided that Xiao's my blorbo and I'm going the route of him being actually pretty old and getting passed between many gods. With that as a motivating factor in addition to the sense of scale, I needed many gods for him to get passed between.

I ended up getting a map of Liyue and drawing boundary lines and going "Uh, there's another territory that a god holds at the start of the war". I named all of the territories, but honestly haven't gone and named most of the gods. And then I was like "The gods we know from canon are the ones who lasted the longest", so I'm having them acting as the main aggressors, and in my mind they're getting the biggest territories before they get pushed back.

I also decided that Sumeru did have more gods, but because Sumeru was entirely desert at that point they were all with wandering tribes and didn't leave any ruins behind.

I think that Cuijue slope supposedly had different architecture than the rest of Liyue? But honestly, there's so little on what's up with Cuijue slope. The Dunyu ruins supposedly had the fallen star fragment, but also they were apparently underwater until the end of the Archon War?

What you say about a China-split and reunite situation makes a ton of sense though!

One thing that I keep thinking about as I write is that even though Guizhong dies early, her presence is still pretty spread out? Like, she'd got that seat on Mt. Aocang, but she also died 1700 years before the war ended, which I feel like contributes to the split-reunite theory.

Also, yes, I have no idea what's up with Xiao's master in canon, there's just so little information. I don't remember anything about Chenyu's god being Xiao's master, but I might have just missed that?

In all honesty my thinking was that a lot of the ruins we see across Liyue are from Morax's people, but like, mostly after the war, and various things happened that made them leave the ruins? Like, Morax seems to have had control of Nantianmen when Azhdaha awoke there and did a little civilization ruining, and it was apparently Azhdaha's rampage that took out the people in Tianqiu Valley.

On a separate note, I also think that something happened recently that drastically affected the population of Liyue? Mybe the drought in Cloud Retainer's story, but there just seems to be a disproportionate amount of ruined wood houses in Liyue. And given that literally all of the mining sites seem to be closed, including the Chasm, I don't know where the miners are?

Sorry, got a bit off topic because I was having fun.

no worries! this is a wonderful ask

i'll answer under the cut bc the ask is already long by itself,,

xiao being passed around like a hot potato is so interesting actually, and it sounds like such a daunting task to write holy shit it would indeed make sense if the gods we know of lasted the longest, osial sounds like he was a pain in the ass till the very end lmao,,

dunyu ruins were indeed underwater at some point, but it's never explained why or when the water disappeared; idk about the star fragment, i probably just don't remember that tidbit. if it was in one of the books it might even be that we can't be sure if it was real to begin with sadly, though, cuijue slope does not have different architecture. i think the pillars might be what lead people to believe that? but even if you ignore the tomb's inside (which is guili architecture through and through) the little cobblestone ring around the stone slab directly in the center of the slope, outside the tomb, is also of guili design, so.

guizhong's seat in mt. aocang probably predates the war though. like i'm pretty sure there's a good chance a good chunk of the adepti who fought in the war with rex lapis n co all predate the war. either that, or they joined rex lapis halfway through, and the war never made it to mt aocang (even though i'm pretty sure it did make it to huagguang? i'd have to check). also what's funny is that i don't think we have confirmation that guizhong died 1700 yrs before the war ended. like i know we assign her death to that year bc that's the founding year of liyue harbor, but i think the jury's still out for if liyue harbor was founded immediately after she died. i'm pretty sure we have sources in-game that imply it was founded right after she passed, but there's others that imply rex lapis had to like- gather his people? from where they had scattered? after her death?? that could just be that the flood/battle/whatever it was that killed her and likely also ended the assembly (idek if we have confirmation that it was the same event LMAO) made everyone flee for their lives, and so like- rex lapis spent like a couple of weeks or months tracking everyone down to move south. but it also kinda sounds like they had scattered and had started lives already in other places? which would imply they didn't immediately move down to the harbor, and it might've even been generations between the fall of the assembly and the founding of the harbor???????? i don't know, it's all so confusing. what i was trying to get at is that guizhong could've died even earlier than 1700 yrs before the war ended, which is just fucking great. we don't know a damn thing about liyue's history, do we.

on chenyu vale's god being xiao's master- i can't say i remember very well which one is the mission where the dialogue made me think that? it was probably the main world quest with fujin and co, but it could've also been one of the branching sidequests that spawn from that. it was probably the main one though, bc i think it was fujin herself the one with the dialogue that made me go ?????? i remember it being something like- a mention of how chenyu vale's god used nightmares to attack his opponents? maybe? and that fujin and co disapproved and that's why they betrayed him?? i think??? it was something to do with dreams i'm pretty sure, and the only other god we know of that had something to do with dreams was xiao's master, so it just stood out to me as odd. it's also entirely possible that the mention of dream/nightmares wasn't even about chenyu vale's god, but of some other completely different god. idk. i can't remember rn. it could've been about guhua for all i know, wouldn't that be a shock. xiao would be xingqiu's older martial brother under that idea LMAO (p sure it wasn't about guhua tho)

the thing about tianqiu valley is that, to me, that has never looked like a settlement where people lived? like- it looks to me far more like a sort of... temple, or castle, or some big structure that's not necesarily meant for living. it's all on its own and it just doesn't look like houses of any kind? unless you want to argue that ancient liyue had appartment complexes, which- sure. not like there's anything to disprove that LMAO but regardless of if there were people living there and for some reason the village that surrounded the towers was completely wiped from the hollow, we do at least sort of know that azhdaha caused property damage there while fighting zhongli. that he brought the supposed civilization to ruins in the first place, or that he further ruined an already abandoned place – i don't think we know for certain tbh like- the way the tablet says that now those lands will no longer go back to their times of glory or whatever (right?) sounds more to me that... like- they were already not in their times of glory by the time they were destroyed, so now there is no hope for them to go back.

i do think however that all ruins throughout liyue that aren't wood-made have to be from before/during the war. they all hve the guili architecture, and the assembly fell during the war. i don't think any of the stone ruins could possibly from after the war. the way rex lapis moved everyone to the harbor makes it sound like the assembly was the last of the places to come to ruins, when it came to places inhabited by morax and guizhong's people.

you are so right and your brain is so wrinkly for that last part. the amount of mondern ruins/abandoned structures in liyue is honestly a bit shocking – all the houses to the west of mt. tianheng, mingyun village, the village in wuwang hill, the houses along the northern coast jueyun karst, some houses within jueyun karst itself, along the coasts of qiongji bay; they're fucking everywhere. that's not even mentioning the chasm, which we do have some sort of explanation as for its abandonment. i think an incident like if not the drought itself in cloud retainer's story would absolutely be a good explanation as to why liyue seems to have undergone a humanitary crisis fairly recently. wood doesn't take that long to rot and decay – those houses aren't older than a couple of centuries, not in the state most of them are and considering the wildlife of liyue. especially given a good chunk of them have thatched roofs. that shit disappears in no time!!! those are fucking recent!!

[the-cookie-of-doom]

1, 10, 11 for fanfic asks :)

I'm so good at reblogging ask games and then losing them, I had to spend 10 minutes hunting this down lol

Do you have a word-count goal for the upcoming year?

god, no. Every time I get hung up on word counts, it wrecks my productivity. It's bad enough when I post a multichapter fic, then get hung up on making sure the next chapter is the same length as the previous one. I always have a vague idea about writing 10k/month, which. lately I hit that in a day or two, lol, so I'm just going to see what happens. I'm starting the hardest part of my school so as long as I don't fail out in 3 months, Idk how much time I'll really have for writing, esp. as I get closer and closer to graduation in october. We're livin on vibes this year!

10. Will you keep a record of all the fics you write and/or post this year?

I mean that's what google docs is for, right? I've always wanted to be Super Organized and have like. A spreadsheet tracker for all my writing. But honestly I bounce around way too much to put in the effort it would take to update that kind of list, and seeing a list of all the projects I have in the air is... daunting. I get hit with decision paralysis real bad.

11. Would you like to try any new fanfic genres or tropes this year?

Hmmm. I think I want to write more tragedy/bad endings 🤣 I've never been able to commit to it, but I've gotten a few ideas that I really want to just. ride out, and let them stay awful. Aside from that, I've never actually written a coffee shop AU? I have two in mind; one of them is very cute and sweet, Kim lurks around Chay's coffee shop bc he can write music and no one bothers him, and their relationship grows from there. The other one features a younger Kim running away from the mafia and hiding out in the back corner of the café like a feral cat whenever he's overwhelmed by/angry at his family, and slowly bonding with Chay and Porsche (who adopts him immediately).

Send me fanfic asks for the new year!

[inkofamethyst]

25 August 2023

Okay, I'm finally starting to draft my Notion, and one page I'm adding will contain my saving goals. Each month, I plan to put aside anything I have left over toward some items I want to save up for! I'm already committed to saving 5% (may go up to 10%, we'll see) and investing 1.5% monthly (may increase to 3%... maybe), and then I'll save for specific goals (some serious, most fun) after my expenses. For me, almost any single item over $50 is an investment, and any frivolous item over $100 requires serious, long-term consideration before purchase (tbh anything unplanned over $25 feels exorbitantly expensive). I currently have six goals to complete in varying amounts of time:

bass guitar + kit -- I don't have a specific model in mind, but I think I want to learn bass as a treat for myself after passing quals!

american duchess shoes -- I just adore their oxford heels so much, but I think giving myself the time to actively save for them will help me decide whether I actually want them or just like the aesthetic on others

new laptop -- honestly I just want a laptop that's significantly more portable without sacrificing too much power/space (I don't know the slightest thing about computer specs though so I'm going to need a bit of research), and I want to save up enough to get a new one before my current one craps out on me (it's still going strong though!!)

england trip -- I would like to go visit a friend after my first year in grad school, but I'll likely have to dip into savings for this because that's a lot of money to save in a short period

starter emergency fund -- I know that I'm lucky to have familial support, but I want to have a base savings in my account I think to help with anything life has to throw at me. I won't be able to rely on my parents forever. I know you don't go to grad school to save money, and I know I want to live with a bit of comfort and glamour, but I still think this is an important goal to start actively working toward. Since I didn't spend much in college (and got a well-paying internship during lockdown which went directly into savings), I'm not that far off from my goal amount. Until I reach that amount, this one is my priority tbh (and I'll obvi keep adding after reaching this amount).

According to my Notion widget thing, I'd have to have $687 left over each month to reach all of my goals on time using my time and cost estimates (major note: literally $500 of that is going toward the possible england trip bc the turnaround is so quick lol,,,, ~$200 a month toward realistic saving goals aint actually all that bad).

I actually am looking forward to saving for things??? Which is weird and feels very adult. Like yeah having expendable income is nice but I love the idea of having a bit of patience pay off.

I was a little daunted by the idea of starting a Notion for my PhD because there are quite a few expectations I have for it, and I was afraid of not "getting it right" the first time (I recognized that it's unnecessary to create entirely new pages for each semester when I could just add them to a single dashboard to minimize the remaking I have to do each semester (grocery list, recipe book, etc), but this makes me feel like I would be stuck with whatever I crafted the first time even though that's obviously not true). That's a fault of mine that I have to work hard to overcome if I ever want to get anything done. But I watched a video about starting a Notion in ten minutes and the speaker plainly said to just start simple. Then build off of the simplicity in small chunks when you have the time. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to keep a lot of the same functions I've used previously that have worked (Academic Timeline, Spaced Rep calendar, grocery list and recipe book), add a savings tracker from a template which I know I want and will use, and worry about all the other little bits at a later date many later dates. Maybe I'll add a half-hour (or single-task) "Notion Tune-Up" to my Admin Friday routine. Play around and fix it up bit by bit brick by boring brick (da-da da da-da da da-da).

I'm going to be relatively close to one of the cities/venues where Welcome to Night Vale is performing on its tour this fall, and I am so so so so tempted to just buy a ticket and go alone. The only thing holding me back is not knowing exactly what my first semester will look like calendar-wise. Like I'd probably (maybe..) skip it if there was an exam the next day, you know? But that opportunity seems almost too good to skip considering the cost (esp since I'm going to have to miss out on The Crane Wives this fall even though they're coming near my hometown for their first tour post-pandemic and that kills me on the inside a little). I'd love to support my favorite scripted podcast if I could. I also just don't know the area at all or how safe it would be to go alone. I mean,,,,, I could just adopt a bit of the delulu and hope for the best. There are only a few more days for me to buy the ticket relatively guilt free and I'm pretty close to just doing it.

Today I'm thankful that my sibling had a good move in day.

I... ugh I really need to get started on my hair. My sister used a hack this last time on her hair where she braided halfway, banded, then came back to it after the roots were all done. I might implement that. There's no way I'll be able to finish all of my hair plus everything else I need to do if I braid every strand straight through. I want to be packed by Sunday night so I can use Monday morning as a last-minute-check period.

[jinglecats]

Wishing every health insurance ceo a very get killed violently <3

for reasons outside my control im gonna be losing heath insurance after this month for an unknown amount of time. looking at good rx makes the idea of having to pay out of pocket a little less daunting, but it's still a couple hundred dollars total. that I do not fucking have. On top of all the other things I need money to be able to get myself.

I'm nowhere near known/popular as an artist to get a steady flow of commissions so anything that requires spending a lot of money like this fucking scares me. I can't feasibly get a normal job that won't probably kill me in some way bc im disabled and disability support is way too far away for me to look to as a lifeline yet.

I have no idea how well/quickly medicaid works but i'll probably just ask my therapist saturday. Trying not to have a breakdown not gonna lie.

not a fucking day goes by where I don't at least once think that we need to start killing rich ppl before they kill even fucking more of us

[evansbby]

ack i honestly don't even know how to say this in a coherent sentence bc i'm freaking out !! but i'm the anon that wrote this and this ask based on the dear diary au <33

i just genuinely love creating writing but haven't been able to write anything for the past few months bc i'm scared that i'll screw up, so i've been turning to fanfic and drabble writing a lot because it's so, so fun and not at all daunting. i think specifically finding this blog really helped with my inspo, and as someone who loves angst, poyt was like THE PERFECT READ.

WHICH BESTIE??? QUEEN??? (AND OMG I'M A GEMINI TOO WHAT it must be the gemini vibes that gave me inspo) WHO'S THE REAL CERTIFIED AUTHOR HERE BC IT'S NOT ME??? i'm honestly just someone who loves writing haha, but you're the one who writes good and gripping and on-the-edge-of-my-seat CONTENT and you have a HEART OF GOLD. honestly thank you for even reading my ask, cause i was SO, SO nervous sending it in and immediately regretted it after but i couldn't keep the au in.

AND YOU WRITE SO MUCH BETTER. THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR WORK.

i don't know what to do with this au yet. I do want to post it on my tumblr, but damn i'm also scared lmao.

(also your ari and steve and anything you write >>>>>) anyways, thank you for making this a creative space + where anyone can share their ideas and work! you have a heart of gold

Sorry for the late response but !!!!! bestie i’ve already said your writing is something special and i’ll say it again!! and so so so many people agree, and you should be so proud! 🥹🥹💘🫶🏼 and i get that you’re scared, you should take your time and only post it if you want, but the anons you did send in to me were so good, like they really hit my in the feels!! you’re absolutely brilliant and i hope you know that!! 😌💘🥹🫶🏼 if you do decide to write this or anything else, sending you the best of luck!!! also omg thank you for all your sweet compliments😩😩😩 you’re literally the sweetest akdjsjsjsk 💘✨

[hinamie]

hi hina! i hope you've been well 🩵 for the art asks: 5, 6, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23 🎨🖌️🖼️

Mariam !!! It's so good to hear from you I hope you've been well also <3 <3 <3 this will get long

5. Anything you haven’t drawn yet but want to?

oooooh I've had an idea in my head for an s/e piece inspired by visuals from the blood sweat and tears mv for like 5 years but no matter how hard I throw myself at it I can never get it to look right so i've just been waiting until i manage to catch lightning in a bottle i guess :< (((I also found a few notes in an old "to draw" folder from like 2 years ago that include but are not limited to: jjk band au with guitarist brothers yuuji+sukuna/bassist megu/drummer nobara; gojo in crocs. ))))

6. Which artists inspire you right now?

HHHHH its the same crowd as usual i am so hides face in hands bc they intimidate me /pos :'))))) vacuumchan, ohprcr, gloomyhome, trickywagon, meru90 to name a few ANYWAY RUNNING HIDING

15. Biggest artist pet peeve?

this is a tough one im such a hater and everything inconveniences me ,,, when the perfect csp brush costs money >:C,, when u cant find reference from this One Specific Angle >:C,, when u dont realize youve merged the wrong layer until you've been working for hours and all of a sudden your folders are out of order and its a mess >:C SPEAKING OF MERGING LAYERS hot take i think that they should invent a way to let u merge layer modes without converting them all to the same type. let me put my multiply with my glow dodge !!! cowards.

16. What’s the most daunting part of your process?

rendering :') so much of it is trusting the process and there are so many ugly phases that make u wonder if u were ever good at art to begin with

17. What inspires you?

hdsj i mean im a fanartist so i think it goes without saying that I'm mainly inspired by the content I like ,, but i also am very inspired by fashion !!!! saw a guy walking the other day with a hoodie that said CASH FOR SOULS | COLD HARD CASH | CA$H4SOULZ.com and i had to take a picture of it like a creep bc tht + Sukuna ??? hello??? anyway yea ive got a pinterest board dedicated to insp-y clothes and a notes folder dedicated to jotting down cute outfits I see in public

18. Do you have any larger projects you’d like to pursue?

I've always wanted to do speedpaints ! but even more than that I want to do something aNYTHING with my ocverse but alas...time.....planning....plot.. so in the meantime they simply live in my head bouncing around like globs of wax in a lava lamp

19. Favourite character(s) to draw?

megumi jjk gojo jjk sukuna/yuuji jjk kotori love live rina love live ichigo tokyo mew mew + shiro n eden from My Brain ,,, im crying the duality of my fav chars is either feral shounen twink or idol/magical girl and eden is both simultaneously actually

22. When is your prime time to work on your art?

usually mid to late afternoon but it depends on the season because it gets so HOT in my room in the warm months which I dread >:( How it works is if I start in mid-late afternoon then I'm able to hit my stride and draw basically through the entire evening (also because of the aforementioned Heat I vastly prefer drawing in fall/winter because that means I don't have to evacuate my room at 4pm sdfhdgshd)

23. Do you listen to music or watch shows while you work? If so, what’s your favourite?

I have to have music or something on while I'm drawing or the fans in my cintiq will drive me insane . Sometimes i listen to music that matches/drastically contrasts the piece I'm working on but most of the time I can't be bothered and just throw on my youtube mix which consists embarassingly of mainly vocaloid and utau ,, though sometimes if a piece is kicking my ass and I need to just hunker down and get shit done then I'll put the entire discography of an artist I like on shuffle (some favs include 1D/waterparks/former vandal/harumaki gohan) and for some reason the Predictability activates intense productivity mode?? I cant explain it gdsj its like I have music on that I like but it's not jumping around between artists so I don't get too distracted or excited whenever the song changes

[theloveinc]

Hiiiii, i just saw tht post about writing and like formulas to do like big fanfictions/bigger pieces (i struggle too tbh, although it’s more like i struggle w writing in general lol) and even tho it’s not really a formula or something and u might already know it, i still wanna share in case it’s helpful!! Something that seems to make bigger writing works seem less daunting/easier to imagine and write is like, thinking of it like a puzzle. essentially doing very small portions (bc a 500 word/1k little blurbs is easier to write than a 30k, for example) at random/whenever/whatever strikes your inspo and then just piecing them in after you have a ton to make one large work. As for a formula of anything to write romance, i WOULD LOVE for u to share if u crack the code lol, im lost there too

Sorry if this wasn’t helpful bc u knew already and it didn’t really tackle the application of romance but i just wanted to potentially help! you’re one of my fav writers and you are an amazing at it so i know you’ll get there and it will be amazing when you do, like your work already is 🤍🤍

anon!! thank you sm for the tips <333 this is really sound advice... even if i'm gonna have to work my booty off to begin actually practicing it.

not to go off on a tangent, but i notice my struggle really lies in like... actually developing a plot/timeline/climax/intention? i often think of little scenes i'd love to include in something bigger... but i never really get to what that bigger thing is. in terms of other stories i've thought of, i always say... it's like i have point A and point Z... but i don't know how to get from one to the other (alongside like... making all the necessary transitions needed, and doing that properly).

i have started like... physically mapping out a lot of my ideas. from short stuff to long stuff, i write little blurbs of what i want each scene/chapter to be.... but even then, what usually happens is i either get stuck or scared (of whatever work is needed) and stop progressing. and alongside my crippling fear of like... doing a bad job (or not completing something in a way i'd enjoy)......... it's very paralyzing.

but that's just to explain how how i've been handling it (if u have any more tips or even just relate) + to say I AGREE W/ U that i, as well as others, should just... write what comes to me in any order and go at my bigger projects from there.

but....,....... :') i'm sure you already know. difficult.

thank you, thank you for this and the lovely encouragement tho!!!

it always feels berry nice to know you're not alone in whatever you're going thru, esp when it seems like the people around. i always just try to take comfort in the fact that we're all still pretty young... and that (not all but) a lot of my fave writers didn't start writing long things/publishing until WAYYY later. not that i want to do this publicly or anything, but.... there's lots of time for improvement, and to put the same expectations on myself at this point is... clownery tbh. you know?

but ARGHGHGHH if i do figure it out one day, i'll make sure you get the secrets first!!! til then tho, it just means a LOT to me that u like my writing even as is❤️❤️❤️ hugging u forever🥺