#first set of 2025! hopefully many more to come!

[capsthorne]

Charles Rowland + Family Line by Conan Gray pt. III/?

Dead Boy Detectives (2024) @dbdpromptober Week 9 -> Past

[sierrale8ne]

40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS CHAPTER TWO

thought i’d be lying if i said ‘i didn’t want you to myself.’ when you look me in my eyes and, tell me that it’s mine, i…

pairing wnba!paige bueckers x singer!oc

taglist @thaatdigitaldiary @ohbueckers @patscorner @wbbgetsmewetter @makethemhoesmad @authentic-girl03 @rosemariiaa

kalena speakss 🪽! wanted to give yall another chapter tonight since college is kicking my butt atm and idk when the next update will be. hopefully soon tho!

May 2025 — Los Angeles, California 

“I just don’t see why you keep acting like our relationship doesn’t matter. I'm tired of acting like it doesn’t piss me off.” Julian spoke, disrupting the peace I had created for myself as I got dressed in the bathroom.

We were supposed to be getting ready for the Sparks home opener game against the Dallas Wings. I was exhausted from getting into LAX at an ungodly hour of the night, and now the conversation was giving me a headache.

“Ju, are we together?”

“Yes—”

“Did you ask me to be your girlfriend?” I turn around, slipping the mini gold hoops in my hand into my ears.

“No, but—”

I cut him off before he gets the chance to defend his position. “Then we’re not together.” I sigh. “I like where this is going, I really do, but we can’t keep having this conversation, Julian. I’m tired of it. This is just the way my career is working out right now.”

“So what? You make more money when the public thinks you’re single?” Julian asks. He’s very visibly frustrated, as he has been since before I even stepped off the stage in New York.

“No. I make more money when I keep the main thing the main thing. And right now the main thing is my music.” The words bounce off the wall for a moment, silence cutting through the air. I feel bad. He really is a great guy, and I hate to put him in a position like this, but it’s the way it has to be. “Ju’ come on. You have to understand where I’m coming from. I’m sorry.”

My hand reaches out for his shoulder, attempting to lessen the blow. Instead he steps back from me, shaking his head with a huff and leaving the bathroom. 

“Have fun at the game, ‘Raye.” He speaks as he leaves, and it’s my turn to huff.

I turned around. Looking intently at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. 

This is the closest thing I’ve had to a relationship in years, and yet, I’m spending the majority of it fighting over something dumb. But is it really dumb, or am I being insensitive?

I really do like Julian. He’s funny and sweet, he never fails to go out of his way to support me; I mean he just caught a flight to see me on Jimmy Fallon. He buys me flowers, he cares about communication, and all the little things. But for some reason I Just can’t keep up with it. 

It sucks.

—

May 2025 — Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California 

The atmosphere in the arena is booming, and oddly enough I find myself surprised at how many people have filled Crypto. I’m seated courtside, underneath the basket nearest to The Sparks bench. The game is halfway through the first quarter and at a timeout when I take my seat. 

I have on a burgundy leather set from Fashion Nova. The shirt is a cropped button up that I only fastened at the bottom button and matching shorts. I’m wearing a pair of matching burgundy Prada slingback pumps that my recent success has gratefully allowed me to purchase. 

I sent a last minute text to my sister, telling her that Julian bailed and I would love it if she joined me, hence the slight tardiness. 

I’ve never seen Cassie as excited as she is right now. She’s beaming with energy, you would’ve thought she’s been planning this for months rather than being invited last minute. She’s for sure more of a basketball fan than I am, I credit that to my uncle. Whereas my dad made me more of a football fan.

“You’re gonna be getting infinite Christmas gifts this year for this, oh my God.” Cassie jokes with a kool aid smile on her face. I giggle, brushing her off.

“I’m glad you’re having fun, Cassie.” I giggle, brushing her off playfully. My phone dings, and I pull it up from my lap to check the notification.

Hey I feel like shit about earlier

Talk when you get home?

It’s Julian. Of course it’s Julian. I try to fight the urge to frown but I can’t help the way the disheartened expression forms in my face. I shut my phone off, shaking the feeling off and turning back to the game.

The buzzer sounds, alerting us that the game is starting again. It allows me to finally bring my attention back to the game. The Sparks are down seven, but you couldn’t even tell that the fans were bothered by it. 

“Jumbotron.” My sister whispers to me and I notice the camera moving past ‘celebrity row’ and getting shots of everyone.

“Bro.” I groan. I don’t hate it, it just gets so awkward. The camera man stays out there for too long and then I forget what to do with my hands. 

But regardless, the camera approaches me and my sister. I look up briefly at the Jumbotron before back down at the camera in front of me. A smile spreads to my face and I wave emphatically. Fortunately it doesn’t take very long and the camera man backs away a little.

Only briefly though, because within a matter of seconds he’s crashing to the ground and his large camera falls into Casandra’s lap.

During all the basketball games I’ve ever watched, I’ve always wondered how common the players run into the media crew or the stands. And every time I've sat in an arena, I’ve always said it would never be me. So you can imagine my surprise when a 6 '1 Paige Bueckers fell right on me after getting fouled going for a layup, knocking over the camera man in the process.

“Oh shit, man you good?” Paige asks him. Her hand helps steady him on his feet and Cassie hands him his camera back, mumbling hurriedly if he was alright. The man nods, patting her on the back.

My eyes meet hers, and suddenly I’ve never seen a prettier set of eyes. A shade of blue that was indescribable. Her hand reaches out to the both of us, palms outstretched as she asks, “Are you guys okay?” It comes out as a stutter and I barely notice it but it’s there.

I nod. And then I remember she still has free throws to shoot. “Yeah. All good, thanks.” I smile. Paige turns around, brushing her teammates off with thumbs ups and high fives when they ask if she’s alright. 

I would be an idiot to say that I wasn’t a little star struck. Sure, I wasn’t completely up to date with all things basketball, but I knew more than enough to know just how much Paige Bueckers was loved in the basketball community. Hell, the city of LA basically through a parade when they got that #1 overall pick.

She was a superstar, in all possible definitions of the word. You couldn’t go more than five minutes without seeing her face on TikTok or some commercial. 

And she was stunning; the last five seconds of me staring at her confirmed it in my mind even more.

—

“Thanks, Holly.” I beam with a smile. It only takes a few seconds of me walking away from postgame to hear yelling in my ear and Cam’s long arms around my shoulders.

In the least cocky way possible, I played an amazing game. Yes, the defense I faced tonight was different than when I was at Connecticut and efficiency wise I did struggle a bit. Who am I kidding— I played phenomenal.

26 points 9 rebounds and 7 assists, the pick-and-roll with Dearica racking up many of those. The team came out with a narrow win over the Wings, getting our season off on the right foot.

“That’s my fuckin’ rook!” I hear Azura Stevens hype me up. I dap her up cleanly, the smile on my face physically impossible to get rid of. For only being on the team for a month, they did a great job of welcoming me with open arms. 

I could definitely get used to this.

A towel hangs around my neck, picking up all the sweat from the game. I’m walking towards the locker rooms with a few of my teammates when I get pulled back for some autographs. I don’t say no, honestly I can’t remember the last time I refused to sign an autograph. Or if I ever did. 

There’s a young girl in front of me alongside her mom. She has on the UConn National Championship shirt from a month ago, her eyes wide as she pushes my sparks jersey up to me. I sign it with a smile, my heart swelling in size when she squeals and thanks me profusely.

“You’re welcome. Thanks for coming out!” I grin. My feet carry me through a few more fans. I sign all sorts of memorabilia from hoodies, to jerseys, phone cases, and shoes. As well as a wild number of selfies before I hear my name.

“Paige, come here!” It’s Rickea, as her voice has become widely recognizable in the last month that I’ve been here. “Oh my God, walk slower!”

I roll my eyes as I pick up my pace. She’s standing courtside with her warmups on. “Finally. I wanted you to meet a friend of mine. Maraye, this is Paige.”

When I look over it’s the girl from the TV last night, standing there with her purse in hand and— oh my God I ran into her like an hour ago. I fell into her lap. Oh my God this is embarrassing.

She looks even more gorgeous than when I was drooling over her last night. Her hair is the same, from what I can remember, but her outfit is completely different. The color she has on is similar to the one from last night, but the set shows off so much more skin. Her legs are toned, the top she wears is unbuttoned just enough to give me a show of the lace black bralette under it, and her gold septum shines in the arena light. 

“Hey.” I greeted her and the girl who sat next to her earlier in the night. “I do apologize about earlier by the way.”

“Don’t worry about it. It happens.” She reassures me.

“P, Cam, and I were watching the show last night. You did great, Raye.” Rickea pushes at Maraye’s shoulder. My eyes catch how she blushes in response. 

“You on a world tour or something? New York last night, and LA tonight.” I joke, and she laughs. Her laugh is possibly more angelic than her singing, and the way her accent popped out when she spoke might even have an edge on that.

“Nah. I just couldn’t miss opening night. Kea’ would never let me live it down, plus my sister is like a huge hoops fan.” She explains, gesturing to the two women next to us. 

I’m towering over her as I look at her but she still keeps eye contact with me. My eyes never leave hers, I didn’t even want them to.

“I was just telling her about Cam and Ben’s dinner party on friday.” Rickea starts. She turns to face me, but I’m still stuck on Maraye and her— well her everything. Rickea swats my arm as slyly as she can to get my attention. My eyes rip away from the musician with an incredulous force. “You are going to that, right?”

“I, uh, I’m not sure. I gotta check on when Drew and my dad are coming to town.”

“Maybe I’ll see you there then?” Maraye speaks. 

Someone please help me figure out why her eyes are so mesmerizing. They’re big and a perfect shade of brown. The slight tilt of her head when she asks me nearly drives me crazy.

“Yeah maybe.” I nod before looking at Rickea. I don’t know how long we’ve stood here, but what I do know is that coach will hand our asses to us on a silver platter if we’re late to the first media session of the season. “Yo, we gotta…” My head tilts towards the tunnel.

“Oh shit you’re right. It was so good to see you guys!” She jumps, pulling Maraye and her sister into a group hug. “Tell y’all folks I say hi!”

The four of us exchange waves and we walk off the court. By the time we make it to the tunnel Rickea is letting out a loud cackle and pushing me away from her. “You’re not even trying to hide it!” She laughs. I know exactly what she’s talking about but I act clueless, it’s too early for my teammates to be ridiculing me over my choices in women.

“You are sooooo going to that dinner party.”

A smirk spreads on my face and I roll my eyes. For the first time all month, I can’t even disagree. Nothing is stopping me from going to that dinner party.

[lizbetlovesbyler]

I’d say it took them around 8 months after wrapping season four to release the first volume.

If they want to reduce the wait for season 5 like they did season 4, and chose to break up the season in two, we could see volume one in august at the latest, then possibly volume two further into autumn.

Of course, if they split the season in two equal halves, we could see the first four episodes just as summer starts (pls don’t do that to me i have 12 exams to sit in june 🥲)

I can also see them choosing not to split up the season the same way they did before purely because season 5 is the last season, whilst s4 was somewhat of an intermediate season that was released over a longer period to maintain the hype for the show and keep people engaged.

Since ST is quite literally the most popular US show on netflix, i seriously doubt they are worried about keeping the hype alive as s5 is the last season, I can see them spending more time editing the whole thing and dropping it all at once.

It all depends on the amount of CGI compared to s4, the budget, the size of the post-production crew, and how much content they have to work with.

So here i’m thinking:

S5 is split into two equal halves: Vol 1 (e1-4) are released early summer, Vol 2 (e5-8) are released sometime in september or later.

S5 is split similarly to S4: Vol 1 (e1-5/6?) released in august and Vol 2 (6/7?-8) are released in september/october

S5 is not split and the entire season drops sometime in autumn 2025 (i can see them aiming for a late october/early november release to allign with the time of year the season itself is set in/link back to wills disappearance on nov 6th)

(very rare) S5 is released Weekly? Starting in october, ending in november - IMO this would have been great if the other seasons were released weekly, but since ST has always been formatted for a binger audience, so it might feel foreign to the audience and ruin the flow of the ending - i cannot see them doing this unless each episode borders on 2 1/2 hours long (i don’t even want to know how long this season is going to be but considering they’ve been shooting for a year straight it’s going to be so much longer than s4 despite having fewer episodes)

I know it doesn’t seem soon, but this will fly by! Plus this is purely based off s4, no one is more eager for this season to come out than the Duffer brothers themselves. I don’t know a lot about post-production, but i imagine they can hire twice as many people to hopefully get it out as soon as possible without taking away from the quality of the season.

Im grateful we still have time to be excited about new content and theorise about it because this is the last time we get to do it! Who knows when a show as good as ST will come along again, IF one will come along again?

The wait, however long, will be worth it!

Think about it like we’re closer to watching the final season than we are to when they started filming.

[lovebirdgames]

Progress Update - October, 2024

It is time…the first Quarterly Progress Update for our next game starts now! And we're kicking it off with a title drop!!! Drum roll, please! Tom, if you will help me out...

That's right! Heartbreaker joins the fray!

For the record that’s not the real logo, just a temporary one that I slapped together.

Before we get into it I would actually like to glance back at the past and detail what our development timeline looked like for Band Camp Boyfriend. It's possible this one might look somewhat similar.

2015-2017 - Writing 2017 - Commissioned art, created social media presence 2018 - Demo released on Itch.io in August Programming hell 2022 - Demo released on Steam 2023 - Full game released

The good news is this isn’t our first rodeo and I’m hopeful there won’t be so many growing pains this time.  We're also doing 4 routes and a shorter common route so that means less suffering for us. The bad news is I worked part-time 2015-2017 so I blazed through writing and now I work full-time…and I’m old…and my memory is failing me…but it’s okay, I’ve forgotten all the pain.

This time around we want to be sure we get all the writing down before we start commissioning art.  We had the tendency to keep going back and asking for more because the game kept getting bigger (saving up money was also a factor). We’re gonna make sure we know exactly what we want this time. We’d also like to save casting voice actors for much later in the process so they aren’t waiting around for years on end. So the demo for this game will not have voice acting. I believe I wrote about this a little before in our post-mortem. We’re learning from our mistakes, woohoo!

That said, this is what we’re hopefully visualizing for Heartbreaker.

2024-2025 - Writing 2026 - Big art commissioning year, a more exciting project reveal, hopefully demo release later in the year! 2027 and on - Programming hell! Casting! Soundtrack fun!

…If this was to line up with BCB that would mean 2031 release. Oh God. No, I wanna release it in this decade, thanks. This is very tentative and we’re determined to not take 7 years this time.

Enough about that! Here is what we’ve worked on this year!

Concept art: Lite was absolutely awesome (as always) and let us have sessions with her in which we worked on concept art of the main cast together. It was super helpful in bringing our visualizations to life and it will definitely aid in writing the story. I can't go on enough about how wonderful Lite is to work with, and it was amazing to watch her go. She would whip up a number of poses, face types, or hairstyles for us to choose from. It was really fun and we're very grateful for the time she spent with us.

The demo: That's right, the demo is written! Woohoo! Unlike Band Camp Boyfriend with its twisting, long-winded common route, Heartbreaker’s common route is a single day! Alex can sigh in relief because that’s one less nightmare in programming for her.

The demo will contain the one-day common route and the first two chapters of two different love interests’ routes (the other two are locked at the start of the game so you’ll just have to admire them from a distance). 

Brainstorming: Ahh my favorite part…talking long walks or going for coffee and coming up with ideas. Brainstorming is ongoing and includes character profiles, world-building, and route outlines. This game has a lot more lore and world-building than BCB, so it’s more of a challenge, but we’re here for it. I've already done a badly-drawn map of the setting. Just need to finish up some profiles for minor characters and do some of my own badly-drawn concept art. Then we move on to fleshing out the route outlines.

The first route: One goal I have is to try and finish writing the first draft of the first route by the end of the year! Which is insane because October is super busy for me, but I'm sure I can buckle down when it gets colder. It's a bit ambitious, but aim high, right?

That's all I got for now! Hope you're all feeling hyped and uh, patient, because we won't be able to show you any cool art for a while. ;v; Thank you so much for sticking by us and we appreciate every single comment that has mentioned looking forward to our next game! Enjoy the rest of 2024!!!

P.S. Today is my mom's birthday and yesterday was my sister's birthday, and also my best friend's birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAAYYYY to these very important people. <3

[dynared]

As Dreamworks's deal with Netflix for exclusive shows expires (they first signed a deal with Hulu for exclusives and now seem to be given shows to them and Peacock), shows have begun to leave the service en masse. However, due to the nature of staggered contracts, many of these shows will not be leaving Netflix for at least a year, while others may have several years left on the service. What's on Netflix did some calculations based on when the final seasons were added and came up with some removal dates for the shows -

Voltron: Legendary Defender (N Original)December 14, 2018 December 14, 2024

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (N Original)May 15, 2020 April 10, 2026

3Below: Tales of Arcadia (N Original)July 12, 2019 August 7, 2026

Wizards: Tales of Arcadia (N Original)August 7, 2020 August 7, 2026

Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia (N Original)May 25, 2018 August 7, 2026

There are plenty of other expiration dates on that list, but these are the big ones I noticed, mostly because they were attempts at franchise creation that fell completely flat. Voltron's big-budget Amazon movie is due for a 2025 release in a best-case scenario (worst-case scenario is more Robotech-style development hell) and with the rollout of a lot of classic Voltron merchandise including the oft-mentioned Voltron beer, the plan to erase VLD from everything come the film release is well underway. Dreamworks doesn't seem to mind, since they're still the video distributor for DOTU on behalf of World Events Productions, their name is on the Voltron beer.

She-Ra is a similar story. The franchise is also with Amazon via Dreamworks, for a live-action show directed by one of the directors of the Watchmen TV show. Hopefully, whoever plays Hordak can chew the scenery as hard as Jeremy Irons did. It probably will air sometime in 2025-2026 best case scenario as well, just in time to see SPOP eliminated from everything (something Mattel is only too happy to facilitate given their release of classic She-Ra figures for their Masterverse brand of toys).

Trollhunters was meant to be a franchise but despite a lot of big names attached to it, it went absolutely nowhere and everyone seems to have disavowed the whole thing after the ending. So it's just getting tossed to one side.

The internet means IP gets recycled and discarded faster and faster these days. And these are three examples of shows set to disappear from the face of the earth, to the glee of the license holders.

[aritsukemo]

My New Year Goals and Wishes + My Thanks

2025 is finally here and y'know what's crazy? There's a 70% chance I have either bronchitis or pneumonia. I'm actually tweaking out sooo badly rn-

That aside, 2024 had many ups and downs for me, but one of the best things that came out of it was this platform! Making Tumblr my main writing platform was def one of the best decisions I made this year, and to that, I wished to express my thanks to everyone who's made this decision such a great one!

⇻ My Followers

You all are such amazing people! I didn't do it much last year, but interacting with you all via comments, repost, etc., taking and writing your requests, and just seeing you like my works are just amazing motivators for me! It truly makes me giddy that 200 of you found my little corner of the internet and liked the place so much you decided to stay! I love you all and I hope good things like ya'll will continue to happen to me in this year to come! :D

⇻ My Mutuals

Ya'll- Omgosh where do I begin?

You guys made me so much more confident in myself! Joining Tumblr, at first, made me feel a bit overwhelmed. I had no friends on here aside from ivory, I knew nothing about Tumblr besides it being a blogging platform where people happen to write fanfics, and overall I just felt isolated and alone. Furhtermore, irl I had, and still have no one to really talk about fanfics with. I can't ramble on about my book ideas or my wips or talk about writing tips without someone growing bored of me and, ngl, I thought the same would apply here.

To be honest, as wonderful as my Wattpad days were at a time, my relationship with my followers/community was pretty rigid. I was pretty standoffish, and while I did have mutuals, it was nothing compared to my moots on here! Like, being on here and talking with my other writing moots is such a comforting thing and it's just UGHHH YA'LL ARE THE BEST AND I COULD LITERALLY MAKE A WHOLE POST ON HOW AMAZING YA'LL ARE!!

( I especially want to thank @nursedflowers! You are by far one of my favorite people to interact with on this app! Happening across your blog and befriending you by chance was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me and I hope our friendship can continue to blossom into an even more beautiful flower <3 )

⇻ Anons

Even though I know nothing about ya'll, you guys are hands down one of the most positive things on this app to me! Like, literally my favorite part of logging into Tumblr is checking my notifs and seeing an inbox from one of ya'll whether it's a request or some simple expression of praise! I feel truly cherished and loved here and ya'll are one of the main reasons why! ( Which I don't believe I deserve seeming as I barely repay ya'll.. I swear I'll work towards getting better at completing requests- 😞🙏)

⇻ Those I follow

I plan to tag some of ya'll in this just so you can see this, but to those I follow, thank you for uplifting me! I know most of you have no idea who I am, but I just wanted you guys to know that reading your amazing works, seeing your writing events, and seeing glimpses of your daily lives have brought me immense comfort! These past couple years have been by far my darkest and, to me, ya'll are like little candles keeping me lit! You guys have inspire me so much and I walk in your footsteps to hopefully one day be able to write like you all and be as fun and confident as ya'll. TLDR; thank you for existing, you and everything you create are amazing and I hope to one day be a little more like you! <3

Now onto my goals-

Every year I do this. I always love setting goals ( reasonable and unrealistic ) as it helps keep me motivated. In the past, a lot of goals I set weren't really centered around me and more so meant to appease my following, but this year I want to be a bit different. I wish to be a bit more selfish online if that makes sense. That said, here's my top five goals I wish to accomplish in these 365 days!

⇻ Paradise ( Ch. 5 - 10 )

Starting off with my pride and joy.

As I've said one hundred times already, this fanfic means a lot to me and I wish for my dreams for it to become a reality! I want to see all the moments, all the characters, all the developments and story arcs that replay in my brain play out on internet paper and I want to see your comments and reposts and likes supporting it! That said, my main goal for the year is to, at the very least, get five more chapters out! While my overall goal is to completely wipe out the Unwavering Resolve Arc ( Basically season 1 of demon slayer ), I think knocking out two of the mini arcs is much more reasonable for me to achieve! :)

⇻ Our Home ( Getting past the starting point )

While this story was originally created as a scapegoat to put off the publication of Paradise, I do yearn to see it develop as it's own story! AssClass holds a special place in my heart and though the fandom is pretty dead on here, I wish to indulge myself regardless. I don't have a specific goal for it like Paradise, but if anything, I at least wish to post the next chapter or two before the end of the year! :D

⇻ Work on other long-term fanfics ( KNY, Danganronpa, and Genshin Impact )

Over the years, I've had many ideas, and while many didn't stick enough to full on write about like Paradise or Our Home, there are a few that did that I just never wrote about because either my following didn't like my ideas, I prioritized completing requests over it, or I simply convinced myself that my currently published stuff is far more important to work on.

I have three stories in mind that have stuck with me, and while they still remain nameless, their plots are more or less fleshed out to a degree.

The first one is an enemies to lovers Muichiro x reader fanfiction that follows an original au I thought of. I very briefly talked about the idea on Wattpad a few years back and it just like..stayed in my head so here's the general synopsis of it..

Imagine you're the prince/princess/royal child of your kingdom, assigned a task to kill your fiancé after his coronation and become their ruler. You're not really distraught by this. After all, your fiancé was of the rivaling kingdom, the one that killed your beloved father and turned your kingdom into the laughing stock of the Eleven Kingdoms of Kimetsu. In your opinion, he had it comin' to him...

The only problem with this is, the young fourteen year old, your fiancé and soon-to-be king, is hopelessly smitten for you. How annoying..

Just as it implies, the story revolves around a world that's divided. From the simplistic layout I thought of, 50% would be Muzan's while the other 50% would be Ubuyashiki's with Muzan's half being more tyrannical compared to Ubuyashiki ( to play back on the original contrasts they have in KNY ).

In this au, the Hashira ( and you ) are royalty who own a small percentage of Ubuyashiki's 50%. ( While the Twelve Moon live amongst Muzan's 50% ) Each Hashira + you have their own kingdoms with there own customs & rules, powers, etc.

You and Muichiro's kingdom butt heads, your kingdom loses, and you have no choice but to brood over the loss of your father and the land lost to war for the years to come.

Years later, you receive a proposal from the Mist Kingdom. Essentially, they wish to prevent a repeat of a war between your two kingdoms and decided to mend your relationship through the marriage of you and the current king. Your family accepts the proposal, though not for the same means of peace, but because of a conniving plan to take revenge.

The plan itself is a simple one; marry the current king, kill him afterwards, and ascend to the position of ruler. ( In Muichiro's kingdom, when a monarch dies, the partner of the monarch would become ruler if they're alive. ) You initially go in with no remorse, believing that the current ruler was in his 40s and had direct dealings in your father's death only to find out that, one, the king is dead, two, the one your marry is younger than you by two years and isn't officially the king yet, and three, he's genuinely a good person who had nothing to do with your father's death and loves you with all his being.

The second one has been talked about on my blog before so I won't yap too much about it but it's a Danganronpa x Demon Slayer au fic that takes the plot of all the Danganronpa games and the characters of Demon Slayer. Also, for clarification..

It be a Y/n/reader insert

Though it'd follow the concept of the Danganronpa games, it won't be a copy and paste of them. The murders, developments, trials, etc. would all be original and unique straight from my noggin.

It won't follow a specific game in particular and would simply take ideas from all four games ( yes, that includes udg )

The third one is a genshin fanfic that follows the male traveler and reader. Essentially it's just the plot of genshin but with you added to it. Ofc, like my Paradise story, I'd give the reader depth ( I refuse to write bobblehead mcs/characters in general ) and their own backstory. In fact, I've long had ideas in mind for them! Some of which being..

They have their own 'Paimon' ( Who used to be a worldwide threat back when in wartime day who was turned into a harmless animal by Celestia because they were too powerful to kill

They're from a nation with similar concepts to Khaenri'ah ( basically a human-ran nation that has a human serving as their god ) but unlike Khaenri'ah, their nation is hated and feared by all of Teyvat

Reader has a twin who currently rules over that nation and is basically insane

The twin also has an animal companion that shares a past with your companion ( they both ran a group of powerful people who were all united under their shared hatred for the gods and Celestia due to past trauma caused by them and wished to exterminate them )

Reader is visionless but adept at the art of many weapons, martial arts, etc. Their companion in their human lifetime was able to wield all the elements as a product of a cruel experiment.

And that's just some of the ideas I had in mind.

With all this said, it'd be impossible for me to write and post all of this in one measly year on top of my other goals hence why my goal is to at least write the full draft of one of them before the year is over or at least the layout of one of them.

⇻ Stepping out of my comfort zone ( Becoming more vocal )

Now this goal is probably the hardest for me to achieve just because of my own anxieties, but I wish to become more vocal in the fanfic community. There are so, SO many fanfics I've come across on this app that I simply liked and blankly reposted without expressing my thoughts on it ( or did neither ) and I wish to change that! My goal is to just express my love for whatever I read loudly and proudly without fear. I also plan to try and make more mutuals/friends! :D

⇻ Fill my blog with more diverse content ( My starting goal )

To be simple and straightforward, this is just a restatement of the reason my blog exist; to get better at writing and grow my anime horizon. I wish to soar to new heights, write about different genres and themes and animes, and overall become a multi-versed writing weapon! >.< Of course, everyone has to start somewhere, and so, my goal is to fill up my archive and write something about my main animes I haven't yet ( so TBHK, Black Butler, Link Click, Sally Face, and HSR ). I think that's a great starting point on my long journey to come, don't you think?

Thank you all who took the time to read this excessively long post! And please, let me know what your 2025 goals are! I'd happily read them! :)

Tagging: @nursedflowers, @iivorydreams, @saioratral, @meowzfordayz, @romaritimeharbor, @mrs-k0zume, @helloescapist + anyone who wishes to yap about their goals! <3

[scribl1ta]

Thank you @headinmud😘😘some books I want to read in 2025 (I don't think I have 9 lol).

sorry if I also skip specific tags.... please share any favorite books or recommendations though!! As you will see below I've already started/mostly finished almost everything here <3

Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin

The only totally new book on the list😭my little sister recommended it to me and I've heard great things about the author so I am super excited to read it!! My literary horizons are pretty small ranging from about 500 BCE-250 CE so I trust my sisters to tell me what's good after that. And over my gap year I did this translation symposium thing and one of the students read a very beautiful and striking passage she'd translated from this book too.

The Injester by Ugo Tognazzi

Found in a bookstore in my city for $21, too much money for a book that's mostly recipes, so I am going to try and get it from the library and decide if I really want to own it since monsieur Tognazzi remains silent on his most notable and (in)arguably gayest role as Trimalcione. How one could leave that out of a book about food and movies is so heartbreaking, society still has so far to go #StopHate

Hadrian and the Cities of the Roman Empire by Mary T. Boatwright

This book is amazing and I've been relying on it so much for my screenplay :) I finally got a hard copy for christmas!!! I've been skipping around a lot so I don't have much to say on the reading experience but in terms of content it is truly invaluable, and the style is very precise and clear! I have trouble finding information on Athens during the Hadrianic era specifically so to have so much in one place is a Godsend.

肉蒲團/The Carnal Prayer Mat by Li Yu

I never really followed up on my Classical Chinese sidequest (now main quest??) last summer but this is how I'm using it so I don't forget too much, and hopefully get to do some research with a really cool professor I met this past semester while I was abroad🥰the book is not classical really, but I lost too many brain cells trying to explain the Chinese language on any level to my other, 老外classics professors so I won't repeat myself at the moment.

On the Set of Fellini Satyricon by Eileen Lanouette Hughes

I already started this book but I have to pace myself and make sure to actually read everything instead of always skipping to the cast photos🥸there are a lot of amazing stories in this book, definitely more than Dario Zanelli's (which is still a good one to read & focuses more on the concept behind the film), but there were a few places where the author is pretty condescending to the women she interviews, way more than the men... nevertheless a must read for you cultured besties.

Raptor by Gary Jennings

I am almost done with this book! I randomly bought it because it was cheap and looked fun and pulpy. It has a really strong concept but it's not executed on the same level imo. It's about a Gothic warrior who is born intersex and raised as a boy and as a girl, but eventually (perhaps obviously given the society) just lives as a man and as a woman only when it's convenient. The author brings up the character (Thorn)'s complex feelings towards his gender but doesn't truly explore them in a way that feels meaningful and especially that feels sympathetic to intersex people and to women. There is a lot of thorough historical detail but as much feels misplaced and it does have a reddit atheist/epicurean tone to it lmao.

I bought some books over the semester that I want to read but I don't have them at hand right now so I sadly don't remember exactly what they are called😟I might also read more of The Golden Ass in Latin for a research thing. I lost my commentary on Lucian's True Story which is so terrible👎🏻I don't know what to do I could barely read it WITH the commentary. I am also still considering coming back to Kate Quinn's Daughters of Rome series. It is SO well done, so well researched, I literally couldn't put down the first two books, and then the third... Sigh.... just when we had the perfectly paced, stylish, woman-centered historical series... I have so many thoughts on everything from the backstory she gave Antinous (mildly irritating) to the level of misogynistic treatment MISS VIBIA SABINA endures at the hands of her supposed "love interest" male author-OC (the word: NEFAS). She would not stand for being called a bitch every paragraph BY. A. M*N. THAT IS NOT MY AUGUSTA🤬🙅‼️

[laura1633]

Alright Laura!! I really need to say something and you’re the only person I think who would understands me (nobody around me who likes f1 is a max fan🥲)

I NEED A MAX WIN this weekend. And a Charles p2. And a lando blow that. Because I can’t anymore. 💔

To begin with, lando is closing in on max!! And I know the gap is still 70 points. But with everybody talking and calculating what lando has to do to win, it gives me stress. And it looks so possible…

Second, rb20 isn’t it. First I thought it can’t be THAT bad, but it is THAT BAD.😭 I don’t what they did with the car and why they have no clue how to fixed it but it makes me crazy.

And third, Lando’s car is a good car!! So if he doesn’t make a mistake I can see that he will win again this weekend. And that would be very dangerous because he will be closing in again…

Furthermore, I get the feeling max doesn’t want to keep doing this for longer if the car doesn’t show improvement. And am scared.

Am sorry for my stress rambling, but I had to get it off my chest😮‍💨

Xoxoxox take care !!!🤍

That's okay, definitely feel free to talk Max with me any time!! I definitely know how you feel. I would love a Max win so much this weekend or if not a win then just ahead of Lando would be enough at this stage!! 

I do think it could be a difficult block of four races (Zandvoort, Monza, Baku and Singapore) as it looks like Red Bull are working to identify the issues and reverse engineer the car a little bit. I have some hope that they can get to the bottom of it before the latter stages of the season though and we know Max only needs a competitive car to win, he doesn’t need the fastest. So hopefully things get better. We have seen teams have issues and then come back stronger towards the end of the year. 

Even if Lando does win this weekend I don’t think it would be time to panic too much. I just can’t see him winning all the rest of the races even in a dominant car, that would mean winning 10 races in a row … something Lewis never managed to achieve when he had a dominant car and I personally rate Lewis higher as a driver compared to Lando. 

We will just have to see. Max will do his best and hang on in there as much as he can and hopefully in the meantime they can at least give him a car to fight with. Hopefully the large gap last weekend was a lot to do with Max running the old floor to data gather and the fact they had practically no set up time (something we know Red Bull need in order to get the car balanced). Even then he still came in P2.

I know a lot of people want to see more ‘fighting’ talk from Max but I personally like that he is realistic and is saying that he will do the best he can with the machinery he has and then what happens happens. He is a multiple world champion, he has so many records to his name, he will go down as one of the greatest of all times. I think this season has shown what an amazing driver he is and what seemed like an awful weekend last weekend was P2!!

I would love to say that he will definitely see out his contract but he threatens to retire all the time 😂. The good thing though is that he only really threatens to retire from F1, he always follows it up by saying there is other stuff he wants to do so I definitely think he will continue racing. Getting to see him build this huge racing legacy across other series will be so much fun to watch and is going to be so satisfying. And maybe he will race in a series where it is cheaper to get tickets 😂 Or maybe he will see what happens in 2025 and then give Toto a call if things aren't working out at Red Bull!

Max is doing amazing things this season and will continue to do amazing things 💕

[thelazyhermits]

First off, every single part of your Twisted Wonderland story heals a scar in my soul I want even aware existed. The way you capture and expand on each character in the game has me falling in love with them over and over again like I did the first time I got into Twisted Wonderland. Everything right now has been kinda stressful for me and I had to take a break from TW for a good while (the regret of missing so many events 😭), but only recently I had gotten back in and that’s because of you! Back then TW had so many new fans and content that you could never get enough yet sadly I see more and more abandon or incomplete works and creators retiring, to which I completely respect and understand their circumstances, but it does break my heart. I love TW so much and to know that you write such beautiful, heart gripping stories of them is something I am forever grateful for, the Yuu you’ve given life to is one I love with my whole heart just as much as I love all the other silly little boys. She’s such a sweetheart and seeing her be so loved, so treasured, is so soothing and healing that I can only want more! So please do take the time to rest, heal and don’t forget to hydrate because as much as I, and many of your fans, love and want more, we want you to take care of yourself first and foremost 🫶 Coming back to TW with you as my welcome has been the best thing I’ve done so far because you really gave me a reason to come back to this place. I’m finally picking up the game again and just in time for Tsum3 hehehe, I apologize if this is so long and wordy but I sometimes can’t really comment much so I usually comment long before disappearing again （−＿−；）But know that you have an avid fan of your writing right here and I’m not leaving any time soon ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡

Setting that aside, I was wondering what event will you be writing about next after the Glorious Masquerade? By order I believe it’s the Port event right?

Awwwwwwwwww!!! This is one of the sweetest asks I've ever received! Thank you soooo much!!! 😭🥺😭🥺😭🥺

I am beyond flattered to hear that you feel that way about my writing. I seriously can't ask for a better compliment than being told that my writing & portrayal of the TWST boys has resulted in you falling even more in love with the boys. I am always so happy when I can make my readers fall even more love with the boys, especially my favorite boys XD

I'm so glad that you find my TW series to be healing/soothing. Nothing makes me happier than when my writing is able to help improve someone else's day/get them through a tough time, etc. since I always love to make my readers smile with my fics 🥰

It's wonderful to hear that this series was able to give you a reason to come back to TWST and was like a welcome back party so to speak. It's also pretty funny since TWST has a vice grip on me, which has lasted for two years now, and I don't think I'll be getting away anytime soon so it's like it's using my fics to do the same to all my readers. We're all in this together 😂

I'm sorry to hear things have been stressful for you as of late and that you had to miss some events as a result. I hope things will become less stressful soon, and hopefully, you'll get a chance to see those events again via reruns. Thankfully, JPN had a lot of those this year, so there should be plenty in the ENG server in 2025 haha

I'm so happy you like my Yuu since she's near and dear to my heart, and I just have so much fun writing her interactions with the TWST boys. There's just something endearing/almost poetic about how this girl, who never knew love, came to experience it for the first time in a school filled with "villains".

These boys are far from perfect. They're all a handful and can be a real pain in the ass at times, but it's specifically because of their "villainous" natures that the love/care they show Yuu is all the more special cause you wouldn't expect guys like them to care this much, but they do, because Yuu accepts them for they are, despite all their faults, and loves them, and they, in turn, just want to return the favor.

Because they're not villains and Yuu won't ever allow anyone, including them, think otherwise.

I really love writing about Yuu and these silly boys, so I have every intention to take good care of myself so I can continue doing so. You don't need to worry about my overworking myself since I've never been the type to forget to sleep/hydrate/eat cause I'm actually quite lazy irl and I really love to sleep/eat 😂

But thank you so much for your kind words! It really means a lot to me to hear that I have such a kind, wonderful reader like yourself supporting me 😊🥰💕💕💕

And please don't apologize for the long ask! I honestly love reading long comments/asks, so they're always welcome ���

Moving onto your question, I want to keep what event I'll be covering next a secret, just like I normally do, since the first chapter will get posted on Christmas Day, and there's nothing better than a Christmas surprise, right? XD

However, I will tell you this: It won't be Port Fest that comes next, even though a Jack-centered fic really is the ideal Christmas present, I must admit, and that's totally not my bias talking lol 😂

For the record, I don't follow an order or anything like that when I post events. I typically just post whatever event I feel like posting at the time, although I do try to post seasonal events at the right time of the year when I can, like what I did with the first three Halloween events and the Sam's New Year Sale event.

The next event I'll be posting is one I chose to post next because it actually gets referenced in my Port Fest event fic as well as other event fics, so in order to avoid confusion, it's best that this fic comes next.

Plus, it's a really long fic, my longest TWST fic to date, which is ideal for me since, during that time, I can continue working on my 2024 JPN Halloween fic and also eventually start on my Tsum 3 fic, one of which will likely come after this long fic finally ends.

I hope you'll be looking forward to it! 😊 Also, thank you again for this lovely ask! It seriously made my morning and will surely be the highlight of my day 🥰💕💕💕💕

[choiceofgames]

Author Interview: "Heavens' Revolution: A Lion Among the Cypress."

Author Interview: "Heavens' Revolution: A Lion Among the Cypress." by Peter Adrian Berhravesh. We’re proud to announce that "Heavens' Revolution: A Lion Among the Cypress." the latest in our popular “Choice of Games” line of multiple-choice interactive-fiction games, is coming October 24th to Steam, Android, and iOS in the “Choice of Games” app.

https://www.choiceofgames.com/2024/10/new-author-interview-peter-adrian-behravesh-heavens-revolution-a-lion-among-the-cypress/

You’re a prolific podcaster, writer, editor, and narrator in the fantasy and science fiction/fantasy space, with an impressive list of awards and nominations for your work, but I think this is more or less your first foray into interactive fiction, correct?

That’s correct! While I’d read interactive fiction prior to this, I’d never tried my hand at writing it. It was a huge learning curve, but I saw it as an opportunity to stretch my creative muscles and explore a new medium. I don’t know how successful I was! But hopefully players will enjoy the ride regardless.

What should our players know about the world of Heavens’ Revolution?

The world of Heavens’ Revolution is heavily inspired by eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Iran, particularly during the Qajar era. Alchemy is the impetus for interplanetary travel, as well as a host of other technological advances. But of course, as in the real world, those advances mostly benefit people in power. The game takes place almost entirely within the city of Seyj, which is on the brink of a conflict that’s equal parts the Rashidun conquest of Iran, the Iranian Revolution, and my own invention. I tried hard not to make the world feel like every other SFF empire/colony setting or the conflict feel black and white. I really wanted players to be able to explore the nuances of this world and forge their own path.

What did you find compelling about telling that story in ChoiceScript, in an interactive novel, as opposed to some other medium?

The aspect I found the most compelling was also the most challenging. When drafting prose, I’m used to writing characters into a corner and then coming up with a unique and cool solution for them to get out of it. But in Choicescript, I had to think of at least three unique and cool solutions for players to escape each sticky situation. It wasn’t always easy! But if I did it well, it will make for a more rewarding experience, and ideally make the game more replayable.

What surprised you most about the writing/coding process?

How difficult it is to code deception! So much of this game is about hiding your true intentions or playing one side against the other. But the more choices I created where a player could lie, the harder it was to track all of the possible branches (much like lying in real life, I suppose). If I were to do it again, I would certainly simplify this aspect, if only for my own sanity!

Do you have favorite interactive or text-based games you want to shout out?

Can I shout out a WIP game? I’m loving what I’ve read of Dragon Butcher by Summer Fletcher. I’m biased, since Summer and I worked together at PodCastle, but their prose packs such a wallop, and the world feels deliciously gritty and lived-in. I can’t wait to play the whole thing!

What else are you working on?

Too many things! I’ve written a traditional novel set in the same world as Heavens’ Revolution, so my first priority is revising that. I’m also co-editing an anthology of Iranian speculative fiction (with fellow CoG author Rebecca Zahabi) that will be out in 2025. And I’m (slowly) working on a new album of original and cover songs. On top of that, I have narrations forthcoming from Cast of Wonders, PseudoPod, and PodCastle, and I’ve written two academic essays on Persian monsters that will be published in anthologies from Oxford University Press and Bloomsbury in the near future.

[earthbound4project]

Hey guys! finally got a update again! there was a delay about a week ago since I got stuck with figuring out how to make Leo playable in this demo. while I could use a global value or flags to resolve this, I wanted to use events that make it easy to remember instead of using values or flags I decided to copy the test level and make it up into 2 separate scenes so we can switch Meryl and Leo!

Now with that issue out of the way, all that needs to be done left is to make finishing touches with the other 2 modes. There won't be any changes to the controls with item or sound tests, only the background color and additional music and few items to be added for the test! there might be new features to be included but for now this is all I can say!

Im posting here to let my followers know this is not dead and still ongoing. hopefully will be done tonight or tomorrow morning depends how Im doing!

the delay was taken up by ripping things from n64 game Conker for another side project which you will find out on my Rare Unofficial blog! This blog is for Earthbound related works only so lets stay on topic about that here lmao.

By the way, I have good news but it might not sound much. Gavin Thomas's portfolio site is back on just recent but currently no Oddity yet. He mentioned a website for Oddity couple years ago which might happen soon since he is currently active with doing sprite art for a mentioned "demo". Gav even predicted that Oddity will come around 2025 and thats next year! but its currently hard to believe at the moment as its still too early for them to announce anything after many years of broken promises, lies, and so much show off plus the team done a bit of abuse with bullying and ghosting around their community and I just happen to be one of their "victims" since I was on their Discord! :(

Oddity staff should be considered notorious, full of secrecy, toxic individuals, and poorly mismanaged! If I were the team, they should give up their game since its no longer the "Mother 4" we wanted anymore and even someone else said that the whole "rebrand" was only excuse to further delay their game and anger their followers! It makes you wonder how a fan project from 2008 could still go on this far when it was once handled by a much more friendly, loving, caring, and more social group back in the day before stupid Pastel came to ruined Azure's project that could been faithful for a Mother 3 follow up but as it already turn out, they screwed up and not anyone else besides that other group https://mother4.org/ ever accomplish a single Mother 4 attempt!

and thats why this project happen, I'll be the very first to make Mother 4 happen for real because I have all the time and THE GUTS to make my own follow up for Mother 3, a game that will never likely continue unless another company buys the EB franchise one day.

While this version of Mother 4 won't be accurate to Oddity's changed storyline, the characters and setting will remain the same because this project was meant to kick off Mother 4 from when it was last seen as a EB fan sequel before the rebrand with everything I gathered from what was already been known so far as of 2019.

The leaks made a excellent resource I wish this could been done the same with Kirby Cosmic Chaos (another fan project we also lost) but since theres nothing leaked from that other fan game we're screwed with Cosmic Chaos anyway lol.

Theres also very few leaked things found from the other Mother 4 but its not much. This project is to serve as a makeup from the mistake that both Mother 4 teams failed to provide or done yet, they hardly stay in touch with their community and let alone not sharing a single demo! Thats why Im doing this, the very early demos is to serve the followers here to give them a idea how the game will be played like. they are only proof of concepts and does not show the exact look of the game once I get down to the bigger versions of this project!

I had a few confused people in the past few weeks who mistaken my game for what it is. I want to clear up that the demos was something I would do with all my other previous projects since 2006. I always start with experimental demos and this shows! the experimental demos is to test the controls, sound, and other important features we might see in the finished game but at the moment you will have to enjoy what I can provide for now. I don't have all the resources to make a complete Mother 4 yet but at least whatever we got from the leaks can help with my own version of Mother 4 lmao.

By the way, I plan on going back to Starmen.net since Earthbound Eternal is still very inactive with fewer people online there. I used to update my project there but now my main page would be both Game Jolt and Earthbound Eternal as I have no better place where to share my games! :(

Mediafire would be a risky choice as I heard some files went missing on Mediafire plus Dropbox has limited space and only useful for personally sharing files privately with a friend or community.

Internet Archive would be another great choice but Im currently unable to share stand alones there due to virus total scanning them there and calling them malware when they are not! Im only able to share project files there so if you got your own copy of clickteam, you can make the stand alone yourself to run the game that way! However I like to stick with Game Jolt and Earthbound Eternal to release my EB games and demos!

Look forward to updates from me later tonight or tomorrow morning!

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

Introducing The Rainbow Book Club

Introduction

In its bid to listen to fans, Storygraph has finally allowed for Book Club and I think it's great as it brings a bit more community into the app. This has been a long time over due and I'm absolutely buzzing with excitement.

For those who don't know advocating through reading is a huge passion of me. I'm a 100% on the train of trying to diversify your tbr and as a queer person I've felt it especially important to get queer literature out there. I've set up an Lgtbq+ Book Club at my college and hopefully at my university. Its a way to have a space for people to explore different queer books and find ones they might not even be aware of.

Its been fun running an in person Book Club so I knew I wanted to do one online so let me introduce you too...

What Is The Rainbow Book Club?

Under a much better name then Lgtbq+ Book Club, The Rainbow Book Club is going to be an online Book Club open to everyone that will focus on reading and discussing Lgtbq+ Books. All books will be books that are labelled as and include Lgtbq+ representation.

The goal of this book club is to get people to essentially read with pride and each month on the Storygraph a poll will go up so that people can vote for the queer book they want to read. Unfortunately it'll have to be queer books I've read as it's harder to do an online Book Club without having read the book.

It'll run entirely online with this year's sessions being sometimes on tik tok live whilst other times zoom. From January 2025 though all book club discussions will be hosted on my tik tok live. Depending on circumstances as I'm aware America is potentially gonna have the app banned all together. I'd love to do zoom but I think larger numbers are more likely to be on live streaming.

When Will The Book Discussions Take Place?

All Book Discussions will take place on the last Sunday of each month from 8:30 GMT in order to give non UK folk a chance to join if they want too. So for example May and June's meetings will take place on the 26th and then the 30th. Unless I get ill or promptly too tired or something comes up, I intend to stick to the schedule.

I'll also be hosting readalongs on the side of Storygraph for anyone who just wants to take part on the reading side and not the discussion part.

For the first meeting we will be discussing Pageboy By Elliot Page. I thought I'd be best to starting with a queer book I've recently read in order to refresh the mind. On the 26th of May I'll be hosting a live stream discussion about Pageboy on my tik tok @fierymelody and will invite those to take part in the discussion on screen if they wish to be part of the live. I'll last from an hour as I won't be constraint by not paying for zoom.

Conclusion

I'm very excited to have set this up and I hope that it can evolve and gain more members once I've got into the flow of things better. Pageboy and Loveless are the first two picks and I'm excited to get many more after June's ended. Although the polls are still gonna consist of books I've read I'm sure the discussions are gonna be super interesting. Won't spoil but I certainly have some interesting thoughts about Pageboy.

I hope things go well and I'm gonna try get my tbr more diverse so that there's more diverse poll choices. I'm very excited to get this started. I've also made rules banning problematic authors and I'm gonna do my best to stick to that. Hopefully despite starting uni this year I can make things work. I'm really looking forward too it.

I'm sorry to say but after having both Storygraph and Goodreads, Storygraph has way better visually looking book club page. Now book clubs are here I hope it gets Storygraph haters quieter about the fact it had no social connections but now it does.

I use both but prefer Storygraph.

For those interested see you May 26th.

-Melody-

They/Them

[moons-and-runes]

Writing Goals for 2025!

💖 My main goal for the year is to finish writing at least one entire fic (but hopefully I’ll complete multiple)

🛳️ I have a oneshot idea for Benverly which isn’t really a new ship for me but I’ve never written for them before. I think I’d also like to write some Marylene stuff :)

🤔 Following on from the last Q, Ben, Bev, Mary and Marlene are characters I’ve not written before

🥸 Yes, I have a friend who I share most of my ideas with who also has some fic ideas in the works 👀

🥵…We’ll see. And if I do there’s no guarantee I would even post it lol

👻 Technically any genre is a new genre for me as I’ve never finished writing a whole story

🦄 I have a dual POV wip at the moment of Sirius and Regulus Black :)))

🐌 To finish a oneshot (3k - 10k words)

🦖 No I’m really only interested in writing IT and HP fics

🍄 None that I can think of atm but that might change as I read and watch more perhaps I’ll join a new fandom this year

🌈 Oh I’ve already done a ton of research for multiple of my wips. Things like looking up lunar cycle calendars, weather forecasts and major events from previous years as well as finding every character’s canon birthday and creating ones for those who don’t have one 😭 I have put in WORK!

✨ I’m pretty good at English overall but I guess spelling and grammar are my strongest areas. Although I do find myself wanting to look up certain grammar at times to double check I’m using it correctly.

🥕 Timeline? Plot line? Not sure how to word it but just managing to get all my separate ideas and scenes to flow into each other and form the bigger picture/full story

🫘 Currently in the works I have a reddie fic from Eddie’s pov (but with a twist), the dual pov Black brothers fic, a wolfstar au inspired by one of my favourite books and an angsty semi canon-compliant wolfstar fic

🥳 Allow myself to start making art based on my stories. I think if I do that before the fics are finished I’ll just end up settling for the art and never finishing the writing. However when I finish a fic I can then make art and also use it as the fic cover!

🎃 Yes I think it would be fun to do some holiday oneshots, especially Halloween and Christmas (or for character’s birthdays if I remember)

🐾 I’d like to say yes but I struggle so much with deadlines I just don’t see myself finishing within the short time frame 😔

✍️ Hits and Comments! I’d like to know that people are actually reading and enjoying the stuff I put out especially when I’ve worked so hard on it :) I would say kudos but since you’re only allowed to leave 1 per fic the numbers wouldn’t be as accurate to how many people are actually reading/enjoying it

👾 Not finishing wips 💀 I have so many ideas for fics and random notes in multiple places and I just need to focus on finishing the few I’ve started

🤖 Not really. I write wherever and whenever the inspiration hits. Whether at my computer, on my phone or on my iPad. And usually I’ll be in bed or at my desk

🦷 Any of the super angsty scenes I have planned (none of them are fully formed ideas yet though so I can’t share snippets or say what in particular I’m scared to write)

💥 Heheheh yes but I can’t really say bc I don’t want to spoil my current favourite wip. It involves brotherly bickering though :)

🍕 Posting schedules aren’t important to me. I’ll post whenever I want to post. However I think I’d like to have the full fic finished before I start posting it. That way there’s no chance I’ll abandon it as a wip with a cliffhanger

🛏️ Again, pretty much any trope is a new trope as someone who has never finished a piece of writing 😭

🪩 Not sure if this is specifically a writing habit but I’m super proud of the ideas I come up with and I’d like to continue developing my existing ideas as well as creating new ones

🎉 I will acknowledge that this is the first year I have set any writing goals and that I can always finish off my goals next year, just like how I’ve only completed 1/4 of my Goodreads goals so far

💌 Yes!! Although I think I need to build more of a following on here/ao3 before that happens :)

PHEW! that was a lot!! But also very fun!! I can’t wait to get more into my writing this year and hopefully 🤞 finish one (or more) of my wips

tagging: @staliamazing

Writer Goal Ask List for a New Year 🎉

These writer asks are always so fun to both ask and answer. Fanfic or original fiction writers, reblog away! These are asks based in new goals for a new year.

💖 What is your primary writing goal for this year?

🛳 Are there any new ships you want to write for? (Platonic, romantic, or anything in between.)

🤔 Are there any new characters you want to write about?

🥸 Does anyone in IRL know you write fanfic or original fiction? If not, do you plan on telling anyone this year?

🥵 Any plans to write steamy or spicy content this year?

👻 Is there a new genre you'd like to write?

🦄 Is there a new POV you'd like to try writing?

🐌 What is one of your smallest writing goals?

🦖 Are there any fandoms you wrote for in the past that you'd like to return to?

🍄 Are there any fandoms you've never written for but want to try?

🌈 What research do you plan on doing for your writing?

✨What's one area of your writing that you think needs the least amount of improvement?

🥕 What's one area of your writing that you think needs the most amount of improvement?

🫘 Spill the beans. What's a new project you're doing this year?

🥳 How are you going to celebrate when you achieve one of your writing goals?

🎃 Do you plan on writing any seasonal fics?

🐾 Do you plan on writing for any fests or competitions?

✍️ Which stat matters most to you (if at all!): subscriptions, kudos/favorites, comments, bookmarks, word count, or hits?

👾 Do you have any "bad" writing habits you want to break?

🤖 Are you looking to change your current writing setup? (Or establish one, if you don't have one?)

🦷 Is there a chapter, scene, or WIP you're dreading to write (but is necessary to your plot)? Share a snippet or tell us about it!

💥Is there a chapter, scene, or WIP you're most excited to write? Share a snippet or tell us about it!

🍕Will you be making any changes to your posting schedule (if you have one)? (Or do you want to establish a posting schedule?)

🛏 Is there a new trope you'd like to write this year?

🪩 Do you have any "good" writing habits you want to cultivate?

🎉 How are you going to be kind to yourself if you don't meet your goals?

💌 Are you willing to take requests or prompts for writing?

[the-witchy-housewife]

Updates & Announcements, January 2025

This is an article from my website, The Witchy Housewife. You can read it at the source here or look under the cut to read it here on Tumblr. If you enjoy my work, please consider subscribing (at the bottom of this page) to receive articles as they're posted via e-mail, exploring the shop, leaving a tip, or reblogging this post. I run this all myself, so all support is greatly appreciated. 💜🔮✨

Merry meet, my darlings. I am thrilled to share that there has been a great deal of momentum with this website over the past couple of months and there is a great deal still to come. It has been several months since our last update back when I’d first made the move from my previous web host, so I’ve decided it was absolutely time for another one so that every one of you lovely folks can be brought up to date with what has transpired since then and what is currently in the works.

What’s New?

The first thing I would like to note, for those who may not have noticed, is that the website is now optimized for mobile use. A large percentage of traffic – over half, in fact – to this website seems to come from mobile devices. As such, I thought it was a very important change to make. I am very happy to say that the entire website is now mobile-friendly, and I will continue to make improvements to user accessibility as we move forward through the year. With this change and with the release of my new commercial, I have also announced my open e-mail policy. This means that you can message me via e-mail regarding any topic relevant to the content of this website and expect a response. Admittedly, this has always been my policy, but as of now, it is stated plainly and publicly here for all to be aware of.

Along with the overall update to the website appearance, there have been new products added to the Shop, a refresh on all Intuitive Services, as well as updates to the Digital Grimoire. If you haven’t visited the shop yet, I very much encourage you to do so. As fair pricing is my #1 priority in running this shop, you will find that the prices of goods and services are much more affordable than most metaphysical shops have to offer. In addition to this, from February 1st – February 7th, I will be holding an Imbolc sale for up to 20% off select products and services. This sale extends to my Monthly Blessings subscription service using the code ‘IMBOLC25’ during the same timeframe for 20% off your first month for all subscription tiers. You may learn more about my subscription service here – though we will dive into some of the updates seen regarding that service right here shortly.

New in the Shop

Pictured Above: The Luxe Gothique Magick Planner Bundle (Digital Download) - Atlantisite Point - Self-Care Soul Water Spa Kit

Pictured Above: Elemental Tealight Candle Set - Pre-Enchanted Tealight Spell Candles - Prosperity Money Bowl Altar Kit

As for the Digital Grimoire, though some pages are still in progress as I move my written notes into my digital notebook, many of the pages have already been fleshed out, including: A guide to my Energy Key System, information on the Elements, information on the Planets, information on the Zodiac, information on the Months, and information on the Psephoi. The rest of the pages will be fully fleshed out this year, and hopefully a lot sooner – as in, within the coming months. As I’ve mentioned, this process is just a matter of digitizing my physical notes.

Returning to my Monthly Blessings subscription service for a moment, where I host my Monthly Energy Readings and Monthly Pick-a-Card Readings, along with notes and articles on my intuitive studies and theories on many of the weirder topics that may not necessarily be shared here for the moment. First, for those who are already subscribed, you will notice that there has been a refresh to account for some of the recent changes to Patreon’s interface. The work I share there is now organized neatly into various categorized, and many of my posts are also tagged by topic. I have also added a host of new things to the selection, among them being a Shop where non-members may purchase my Monthly Energy Readings, my new annual Luxe Gothique OneNote Template, individual rituals, and select exclusive articles should they prefer this to the monthly subscription. Note that I do encourage you to consider the subscription, however, as all of these things are included with all subscription tiers.

Finally, some of you may have noticed that I am slowly making my return to social media via Tumblr (the-witchy-housewife). Many of the things that I post here are set to be automatically shared to Xwitter (a portmanteau for X/Twitter) and Facebook, as well, for those of you who use those platforms instead. As I do not spend much time on social media, however, please note that, overall, it will still be easiest to reach me via my contact form. In addition to these platforms, you can also find my work for The Witchy Housewife on my personal Pinterest and my personal TikTok. I also have pages specifically for The Witchy Housewife set up with YouTube and Instagram, but we will discuss their plans later on in this update. These links are also available in the footer of this website.

Finally, for our last update, I have decided to change my schedule for articles from once bi-monthly to once monthly. There are great many articles I want to get out to you all that I very much want to catch up on, so this will become a priority for this year. I already have my article for February lined up for 8:00 AM CST on the first of the month.

What’s Next?

I am super excited to announce that preparations have finally begun to get back to creating my custom magickal blends and original products and artwork. Space has been made, and I am in the process of reworking some things to begin ordering the ingredients as soon as possible. I foresee these items returning to the shop come summer if all goes according to plan, starting with my original anointing oils, working candles, and infused soaps.

Preparations have also begun on YouTube content. I plan to start off with audio recordings for many of my articles for those who prefer such a format as well as my guided meditations. Once the Digital Grimoire is complete, which, as I’ve mentioned, will be happening this year, I will also be working on some video content relevant to the information provided there, which will be wonderful for those new to such information.

Work on Khthonic Wicca continues, and there are more updates to come this year regarding not only the book, but the path itself, as, in addition to fleshing out the Digital Grimoire pages set up for it, I plan to publish a few articles on the matter. I will also likely release some of my artwork pieces for the project for purchase as prints once they have been completed. In this same vein, I continue working on the writing and artwork for my Mythos Reimagined series. Likewise, there will be more information to come as I get closer to the release of these projects.

I am also working on my free course, The Aspects of Self, with plans to also release that this year. The self-paced course for self-discovery and growth will include a virtual textbook, exercises and assignments, printable materials, and the option to receive a printable Certificate of Completion upon submission of a final essay. A physical textbook will also be made for purchase for those who would prefer it rather than the free virtual copy. I feel that this course will be very beneficial to many, and I have finally been able to rework it to deliver a polished course I am happy with.

Finally, as a little very-early preview, I am heavily considering establishing a forum here on The Witchy Housewife. Previously, I have tried Discord as a means for developing my community, and time and time again, I have found that I am just not totally satisfied with it. I think a return to the old ways of online forums will be much more organized, allow people more time to think on discussions, and give the entire public access to many of the important conversations which may be had within the space. This would come alongside with some of the other membership ideas I have for the website, including access to a wish list tool for the shop. Currently, I have no set timeframe for which this will be released, as I am still thinking on it, but I would love to receive feedback on whether or not my readers would be interested in a community space like this.

Final Thoughts

As always, please feel free to share this website with your likeminded loved ones. Over the years of running this website, I have come to value authenticity in my writing over all else. Unfortunately, authenticity does not beat clickbait titles and corporate copywriting in the game of algorithms and search engine optimization. Word of mouth, therefore – be it in person or through any social media platforms you may use – is the best way that you can help me to grow this website. If you would like to support my work further, however, please feel free to check out the Shop, check out my Monthly Blessings subscription service, or leave donation of any amount via my Ko-Fi page.

Please do not be afraid to contact me if there are any issues or bugs that you run into on this website. As I do this work alone, there may be some issues here or there, and if there are, I would like to correct them as soon as they are noticed. Do not hestitate, as well, if you have questions or suggestions regarding the website, articles, or products and services within the shop. I aim to help as many people as possible with the work that I do here. Until we meet again, I wish you much love and many blessings on your journey. Have a beautiful day.

[inkofamethyst]

January 26, 2025

It is difficult to not despair.

Last Monday I taught myself Tunisian crochet. It makes a really nice, drapey fabric, but ultimately I think I just need to learn how to knit. I don't plan to do so until the fall at the earliest. In the meantime I shall work through the patterns I've just bought (the funniest part is, none of the patterns I bought are actually tunisian T.T I've been thinking they were for like a year but they're just regular crochet lollll (it's okay, I have other explicitly tunisian ideas anyway)).

I also did my first ever little lego-like set taht day, a white elephant gift from my literature-friend. It was a terrarium. It was fun and generally well-designed but also no joke. The final product was more delicate than I'd expected.

All to try to distract myself.

Someone (I think it was crutches&spice) on tiktok noted months ago how the FAFO mentality that so many on the left are holding onto so tightly is a symptom of Christian upbringing where the rapture or hell is thought of as a punishment for deserving, unrepentant sinners. It may be why I've never felt comfortable with either. Like, yes, I want people to recognize that Trump is a grifter. But I live in this country too; I don't actually want him to drive us into the ground. I don't wish hardship upon my neighbor, despite fundamental disagreements (and maybe that's because I have almost always lived in liberal bubbles so my interactions with disagreeable neighbors have been low). I think one of my earlier reblogs said it best: I can only hope for gross unproductivity.

Unfortunately, with four years off to plan, I fear that may not be the case.

When he was elected the first time, my thoughts were along the lines of "he's never held office before, what could he even do in four years." I don't feel as flippantly now, not after these first couple of days.

An assortment of thoughts:

It's also difficult for me to maintain any sort of "turn the other cheek" mentality when it comes to this. I swing between neutral dread and flashes of numbed panic. As a black woman right now, I feel utterly rejected. It is difficult in this moment for me to want to stick to my goal of welcoming open dialogue with anyone; I've really only felt comfortable discussing with other people of color tbh. I feel anger, I feel disappointment, I feel nervous, on edge. I don't feel brave, but I also don't have the urge to leave. I wonder if tiktok is actually different or if that narrative is conspiracy (I am much more distrustful of my feed now though). Hank Green has called us to be intentional with our attention, a new economic driver of sorts, and with that I strongly agree. What will happen come 2028?

--

Today I am thankful for my crafting-friend, the one I made at the library when I was making my ren faire outfit last semester. We got lunch last week and she's so lovely to talk with.

First day of classes tomorrow. Hopefully I'm able to cross register for the biostatistics class. I think I need to try time blocking this semester again. Haven't done that since the nebulous covid online class era. But I need to lock in. It's far too easy for me to waste a day despite setting goals.

Lastly, I'd like to quickly vaguepost: while I may not have a defined 'type' to whom I am attracted [edit: this isn't true,, it is well documented in my memory that I like a class clown charismatic man, an entertainer], a defined 'type' certainly seems to be attracted to me. Twice feels like a pattern. And in some respects it's flattering, but in many, many others, it is dreadfully confusing. I imagine it's confusing for them, too. Haven't pressed too deeply there, though.

[dollycas]

The Sunday Salon is a Facebook group that has become an informal week-in-review gathering place for bloggers. It is also a place to share our thoughts about things of a bookish nature. You can also link up weekly on Readerbuzz. The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received, and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE! We have a wrestler! Thomas who turned 8 a couple of weeks ago has decided to try wrestling. After several practices, he had his 2nd meet last Sunday. According to his parents, he improves each match. We are still figuring out the logistics for Nana and Papa to spectate as the gyms are very crowded and the matches at his age happen very fast. So for now they are sending us pictures and videos and keeping us well-informed. Remington played basketball last Sunday too. It was so cold but we ventured out. It was a trek to get to the gym but so worth it. His mom had to work but both sets of grandparents showed up to cheer him and his team on. It was a week where something finally clicked in all the boys and they played like rockstars. They scored the first win since these boys have been playing together 32 - 19. It should have been 34 - 19 but the girls handling the scorebook and scoreboard failed to note one of Remi's baskets. They won a hard-fought 2nd game 23 - 18. They did lose the 3rd game 31 -26, but it was a nail-biter too. Daughter #2 had us FaceTime her so she could see some of the games. Coaching these boys has been a fun for her. Hopefully, these will be the only games she misses. When it was time to leave we used a door much closer to our car so we didn't have to face the frigid temps as long and several other parents and grandparents did the same. This week, we have been following the chaos in Washington, and it just hurts my heart. I have seen posts on Facebook from rural doctors trying to obtain information that is no longer available due to all the reporting and websites that have been taken down. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and others provide health professionals with the information they need to treat their patients. With the Bird Flu becoming more prevalent, they need that current information. I have also seen several posts saying insulin is now $400 and higher after another executive order. The pardons were crazy and heartbreaking. They are rewriting history, firing inspector generals, and suspending all foreign aid and infrastructure projects that have created so many jobs. He has upset dignitaries and is at war with a Bishop. It has only been a week and this is just a small list of what he has enacted. I know we need to remain vigilant but it is exhausting which is just as intended. I can't watch any news programs and have decided to turn the news alerts off on my phone for at least a week. I feel so helpless and hopeless. It is going to be a long 4 years. How was your week? Weekly Rewind - January 20 - 25, 2025 Monday - My Reading Itinerary Monday! – Week #4 – 2025 Tuesday - Tartan, Treasures and Trouble: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Amateur Sleuth (A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery) by Victoria Tait #Review / #Giveaway – Great Escapes Book Tour @victoriataitauthor Wednesday - Cozy Wednesday featuring The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime (A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery) by Vicki Delany #Review / #Giveaway @vickidelany @crookedlanebks Thursday - She Doesn’t Have a Clue: A Novel by Jenny Elder Moke #Review @MinotaurBooks Friday - #FlashbackFriday – Murder at an English Séance (A Beryl and Edwina Mystery) by Jessica Ellicott #Spotlight #Giveaway @KensingtonBooks Saturday - Murder in Season (A Lady of Letters Mystery) by Mary Winters #Spotlight / #Giveaway – Great Escapes Book Tour @marywintersauthor Happy Reading Everyone! Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent Read the full article