#i will say. i do currently have like 4 or 5 other projects i’m working on

[codgod]

oh yeah started thinking abt slimeriana zombie apocalypse au again last night. i thiiink i’m gonna try and get back into writing it and just post each chapter as they’re finished rather than stockpiling them to post all at once. i think i’ve got the plot figured out enough by this point for that

[thesophistiicate]

hey im 20 year old female. recently i have recognised that i practice negative self talk a lot. any advices how could i stop or atleast reduce it?

how to cure negative self talk 🤍💭

the way we speak to ourselves can majorly impact our self worth and ability to reach our goals. i remember when i first tuned into my inner monologue… i was shocked and disgusted at how horribly i was speaking to myself all day every day. i had no idea! so i began researching how to stop it and implementing as much as i could. it definitely takes a lot of active work but i’m happy to say that years later i currently hardly ever have negative thoughts about myself (or others) anymore, and when i do it’s really easy to catch and deal with.

1. tune into your thoughts

it’s common for negative thoughts to run wild through our minds without us actually even noticing. the first step is to take some time to tune in and really notice what you’re thinking. the best time to do this is in “trigger” moments, like when you’re stressed, facing something challenging, looking at yourself, reflecting on a social interaction etc. how you talk to yourself in these moments will be very revealing.

2. actively reframe negative thoughts

flip any negative thought you have into an opposite, positive thought and/or speak to yourself with compassion and nurture. a common one for me when i was stressed while working and feeling stuck was “ugh i’m so stupid!” i changed it to “i’m smart and capable of solving problems”. it will feel silly at first but the more you do it, the more natural it becomes. with time you won’t have the negative thoughts at all.

3. journalling/writing morning pages

morning pages are from “the artist’s way”, which i recommend everyone read and try at least once in their life. but you write 3 pages of free flowing thoughts first thing in the morning (ideally). no self editing, anything that crosses your mind goes down. this is where a lot of your deep negative thoughts tend to spew out, and this allows you to see them, confront them, and view them as the silly little thoughts they are. your negative thoughts are from shame and fear; you need to express them and get them out. shame thrives in darkness but will shrivel under the light.

4. practice mindfulness and staying present in the moment

so often we spiral into negativity due to overwhelm. guided meditations helped me a lot (you can find them on YouTube, Spotify, insight timer etc). you’re essentially trying to re-wire your automatic brain response so you need to be able to stop running on autopilot and actually tune into what’s happening inside by gaining some control over your thoughts. it’s literally like training a muscle so is difficult at first, but you get better at it the more you do.

5. eliminate distractions and consider a dopamine detox

we numb and distract ourselves in a variety of ways. whether it’s constantly surrounding ourselves with people, scrolling social media, binge watching tv, over-using substances or other indulgences etc… these things are fine in moderation (and actually can be necessary to overall wellbeing, i think being constantly self aware can also drive you crazy and you’re allowed to have a break) but take note of how often you are actually numbing yourself out and promoting disconnection with your mind. you need to be able to face your thoughts.

6. notice how you think about others, too

i’ve mentioned before one of my worst qualities to overcome was the fact i could be very judgemental and arrogant. i actually found this was directly related to my negative self perception - after all, what we think about others is usually actually just a projection of how we feel about ourselves, our insecurities, our fears. so i also made an effort to stop judging others and instead find positives to focus on. this worked so well to overall retrain my mind toward positivity (and also started attracting much more healthy and positive relationships into my life too).

and consider tailored support if necessary

if you struggle with any of the steps on your own, a therapist, counsellor, coach, or other professional may able to be help with more personalised guidance 🤍

[aristocratic-otter]

Ok, I'm determined to post today, even though I'm way behind on responding to y'all's posts. I'll get to them, I promise! I'm about to return to work, and I'm far more productive on work days than I am on vacation (weird as that sounds). So I'll catch up soon.

This week may not have been the most productive, but it was amazing nonetheless. I got to meet Rainbow! and seven lovely fandom friends! It's been a wild weekend, just in time to have to go back to work :(

Here are six-ish sentences from some of my WIPs!

First, thank you to : @hushed-chorus, @wellbelesbian, @martsonmars, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @ic3-que3n, \

@thewholelemon, @artsyunderstudy, @bookish-bogwitch, @monbons, @rimeswithpurple,

@skeedelvee, @larkral, @noblecorgi, @roomwithanopenfire, @prettygoododds,

@whatevertheweather, @youarenevertooold, @ivelovedhimthroughworse, @messofthejess, @blackberrysummerblog,

@nausikaaa, and @emeryhall for tagging me over the last few weeks!

Here’s one snippet from 5 of my WIPs. Cupid’s Shield and Stars, Flowers, and Children are both currently on extremely smutty parts, so there was nothing safe to share. (That probably sounds a little weird, given the most recent posted chapter in Stars has the boys at 12 years old, but don’t worry, the boys are 18+ in the chapter I’m working on, chapter 13) (chapter 10 of Stars should go up this week).

From Saving Simon Snow (also has a chapter that just needs editing and will probably go up this week) (why do I seem to finish chapters in all my WIPs at around the same time???): 

“This is not what I—I don’t—Fuck!” He stops, and closes his eyes tightly, lifting his chin towards the ceiling. 

“Simon, I—” I reach out to him. It’s a mistake. His eyes snap open, and their blue is electric. He puts up both hands as a block to mine and I snatch my hand back. 

“No,” he says, then repeats it. “Nononononono—I can’t—” He’s tearing at his hair worse than before and I want to untangle his fingers from his curls and kiss his each digit to soothe him. But he doesn’t want me. 

From Snow Fox: 

I’d say the man across from me is a snake, but that wouldn’t be fair to serpents. 

I dig my fingertips into the brocade of the armchair. Tarleton can’t see my hands beneath the folds of my dress, so I’ll allow myself that much of a reaction. My face, which he can see, is perfectly smooth and placid, like my mother’s. She’s sitting to the right of me in the other armchair from my parent’s sitting room. Tarleton has turned around one of the plain wood kitchen chairs and is sitting on it backwards with his arms folded over the wooden back of the chair. He’s smiling at us with all his teeth. And none of his eyes. 

From TikTok Dancer: 

This is not good.

I watch as Snow dips and spins, and I worry. 

He told us that he wanted to dance alone today. I didn’t question it at the time…Snow has days like that, where the dance is everything and he needs the solitude to focus on nothing but dance. I think those are the days that he mourns what he’s lost. At least, his dance always seems a little sad, on those days. We still film him, of course. The work he does on those solo days is some of his most brilliant and gets the most hits and likes on YouTube and TikTok. 

But this dance…it scares me. 

From The Rat and the River (Chapter 2 just posted! Here’s a teaser from chapter 4)

I hope that the need for haste doesn’t make them careless. I suppose it hasn’t yet. 

I try to stay as unobtrusive as I can while I watch the team prepare. I can feel the bite of worry in my gut. Snow’s done this dozens of times without the slightest problem, and I try to comfort myself with that, but my peripheral nervous system is not listening to me. My fingers feel cold and faint shivers pass over my skin in waves. 

It’s minor enough that I can hide it, fortunately. I don’t need to put the burden of my fear on him. 

And from my new project, untitled as yet, the following (forgive me…): 

Penny

Simon looks like he’s seen a ghost. Well, I guess he has, actually, seen a ghost.

I know I speculated that Basilton might be dead, but I don’t think I actually believed it. There’s no denying it now, though. Basilton is quite clearly a visitor. I wonder who he’s here to visit? His cousin maybe? Or his best friend?

But no. The whole room watches in shocked silence as he paces unerringly towards my best friend. 

Tags and zen hugs to: @chen-chen-chen-again-chen, @bazzybelle, @dragoneggos, @erzbethluna, @palimpsessed,

 @frjsti, @fatalfangirl, @melodysmash, @moments-au-crayon22, @moodandmist,

 @mostlymaudlin, @onepintobean, @raenestee, @tea-brigade, @upuntil6am, 

@whogaveyoupermission, @carryonsimoncarryonbaz, @krisrix, @shemakesmeforget, @confused-bi-queer, 

@nightimedreamersghost,  @thewholelemon, @angelsfalling16, @mooncello, @shrekgogurt, @cosmicalart,  

@cutestkilla, @theearlgreymage, @alexalexinii, @Iamamythologicalcreature, @ileadacharmedlife, 

@thehoneyedhufflepuff, @best--dress, @j-nipper-95, @letraspal, and @facewithoutheart

[harpersdragons]

Theft in the Family...By Jason Todd Chapter 3

This chapter is a bit shorter, Exams are stressing me out xD

I have Chapter 4 done, it'll be posted once I finish chapter 5

The last week had calmed down some for Jason. He was slowly gaining control of the other gangs in Crime Alley, so now his job is mainly enforcing his rules and continuing his climb up the metaphorical food chain.

Currently he was on a rooftop overlooking the usual corner the working girls frequent.

He feels his half cape/cloak thing (Jason still doesn’t know what to call it, ok) waving gently in the breeze. It felt nice to have a moment of downtime, even if it was in the middle of the day.

Just as he was getting used to the (very rare) almost peaceful atmosphere, a child’s yelling cuts through the air.

Jason rushes off in the general direction of the sound.

He arrives just in time to see a large man slamming a kid against the wall, one hand wrapped around the kid’s throat.

Jason growls, jumping into the alley. He rips the man away, pushing himself in between the kid and his aggressor. “Leave. Him. Alone.” He draws one of the swords on his back, leveling it at the man’s chest.

Instead of scrambling back, the man stares at the sword and chuckles, pushing it away and drawing a gun. “The kid’s comin’ with me.”

“Yeah, nope. Not happenin’, jackass.” Jason draws his own gun with his other hand, this time aimed at the guy’s head. “Don’t think I only brought a sword to a gunfight. Besides, I guarantee you, I’m faster.”

Jason spares a glance behind him, and his heart nearly stops as the kid sits against the alley wall with a dazed look.

Fuck

That’s Damian.

Alright, fuck mercy. This guy is dead.

He uses the flat edge of the sword to knock the man’s gun hand wide, closing the distance between them. He uses his body to pin the man to the wall, and sheathes both weapons.

With his hands free, he wraps one around the guy’s throat (we’re gonna call him Chad now), and the other wrenches the gun from Chad’s grasp. “See? I’m faster.” Jason almost chuckles, before his tone turns dark again. “Do you know who I am?”

Chad barely manages to nod, and gasps: “Phoenix.”

“Good. Do you know what my main rule is?” Jason doesn’t even give him a chance to answer this time. “Do /not/, under /any/ circumstance, mess with kids.”

The man looks truly scared for the first time in this interaction. “I—I’m sorry! I didn’t know he was yours! He’s a Bristol kid, look at ‘em!”

“/All/ kids are under my protection. But you won’t get to make the same mistake twice.” Jason draws his gun again, aiming not at his head, but his groin. A cruel smile splits his face, not like the man can see that though.

The man whimpers, and Jason glances back at Damian again. The kid is still dazed, but he was standing and watching the scene play out.

“Get outta here, kid, I’ll catch up and make sure ya get home safe in a sec.”

Damian seemed to struggle to understand the instruction, but when he did, he stood firm. “No.”

“Kid—”

“No.” Damian scowls at him. Jason rolls his eyes, but mentally shrugs. The kid was raised by Ra’s Al Ghul, he’s seen worse.

With that, he turns his attention back to the weeping man in front of him. He debates saying something else, but decides against it. No need to draw this out any longer.

He takes a step back, and fires. The man screams, collapsing to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Jason holsters the gun (he’ll finish the man off in a second) and steps over to Damian. Kneeling down, he reaches out a hand and runs it through Damian’s hair, searching for injuries. “Y’alright, Habibi?”

“I have had worse.”

“I know, kid, but my question stands.” His glove comes away bloody when he reaches the back of the kid’s head, and Damian flinches slightly. “Alrigh’, I’ll take you home and clean you up, but you’re telling Bruce. Where even is the Old Man anyway?”

“I presume he is back at the diner, where I left him.”

Jason rolls his eyes, picking Damian up and settling him on his hip. “‘Course ya ran away. Now I’m gonna have Bats after me.”

A bark sounding through the alley snaps Jason’s attention away from his brother, and he sees Bruce and Ace running into the alley.

“God dammit, speak of the devil.” Jason mutters, eyeing the duo warily.

“Give me my son.” Bruce speaks lowly, clearly eyeing the distance between them.

Jason scoffs, “You lost him. I found him.”

The man on the ground groans, and Jason is reminded of his unfinished business. Without taking his eyes off Bruce, he fires another bullet into Chad’s skull. Bruce flinches at the gunshot.

“Give him back, before I call the cops.”

Ace growls, stalking forward. Bruce drops the leash, and the dog lunges forward.

Jason turns, making sure his body is between the snapping teeth and his brother.

Just before biting, Ace stops, his nose twitching as he sniffs the air, and his tail waves in the air. The growls turn to whines as he noses at Jason's leg. Something in Jason melts a little at the sight of his childhood dog.

“Ace!” Bruce calls, but the dog ignores him in favor of Jason.

“I think you have broken the dog,” Damian comments, and Jason pets Ace before pulling out his grapple gun.

He fires the grapple, watching Bruce’s eyes widen as he feels the familiar tug of the line hooking. Bruce lunges for him just as the gun pulls him into the air. In the short trip in the air, Bruce has pulled out his phone and is frantically talking to whoever he called.

In the same moment, Damian wraps his arms around Jason’s neck, and Jason remembers that this would be his first experience with grappling. With flying.

Jason smiles at his brother when they land on the roof, before realizing he wouldn’t be able to see it.

Jason grapples back to his apartment without saying another word.

When they enter (through the window, of course, no doors allowed), Jason sets Damian down and starts taking his gear off.

The hood and cape are first to go, followed by his masks and gauntlets. When he turns back to Damian, the kid is pouting at him.

“The hell are you pouting for, I thought ya wanted to see me?” Jason grabs the med kit from under his sink and walks over to his brother.

“I thought you would come back with me.”

Jason sighs, “We discussed this, Habibi. I can’t go back. Besides, Bruce doesn’t even know it’s me who has you. There’s gonna be a fuckin’ manhunt now.”

“He took your book,” Damian’s pouty face somehow… gets more pouty..?

“The one I gave to you?” Jason had to suppress a chuckle, but goes about cleaning the cut on Damian’s head.

“Yes.”

“What’d ya do to get him to take that from ya? He never took my books.’

“I may…or may not…have attempted to stab Drake.”

Jason scowls at him, “What did we talk about, Damian?”

“You said not to kill or maim anyone! It was just supposed to be a light stabbing…” The kid is sulking now. It’s almost cute, if Jason weren’t a little pissed at him.

His phone ringing cuts off any reply he may have had. He fishes it out of his pocket, answering it and setting it to his ear before going back to cleaning the cut on Damian’s head. “‘Sup?”

There’s silence on the other end of the line, before a faint voice comes through. “...Master Jason?”

Jason almost drops the phone in shock, and it takes him a second to remember how to use his voice. When he does speak, he’s choked up. “Hey, Alfie.”

Alfred takes a shuddering inhale before continuing. “It is good to hear your voice again, my boy. Although I do have a rather urgent reason for calling. We seem to be missing the child you delivered to us three weeks ago.”

Jason raises an eyebrow at the kid in front of him, finally putting down the gauze and medical supplies. “Are you now?”

“Yes. You wouldn’t happen to know where he is, would you?”

“Nope, not a clue. You should probably keep better track of your birds.”

Alfred sighed, seeming to realize the bluff. “Shall I inform Master Bruce that he is taken care of?”

Jason chuckles before answering. “Nah, let him panic. It’ll do him some good. Besides, finders keepers. Kid’s mine now.”

Jason can hear a hint of a smile when Alfred speaks next. “Hm. Well, try to have him back at the Manor for Sunday crepes. You are welcome to join as well.” It’s Thursday. That gives him four days with his baby brother.

And four days to make Bruce panic, which is always a plus.

He will have to move safehouses though, he wasn’t exactly watching out for cameras on his way here.

“Will do, Alfie. I’ll drop him off Sunday morning.”

They exchange goodbyes, then Jason drops the phone on the couch.

“Wanna explain why ya ran away?”

“I wanted to see you, Akhi. I had not heard from you since you dropped me off.”

Jason sighs, sitting down and pulling Damian closer to him. “You could have asked Alfred to contact me, kid. It’s not safe for you to run around Gotham on your own.”

“I can protect myself!”

“Like you did today?”

Damian scowls, “It is not my fault he caught me off guard.”

“Dames, no matter how highly trained you are, the people here will still win the fight when they are two to four times your size. You have to stay with an adult.”

Damian just huffs in response, and Jason gives the argument up. He’ll just have to keep a better eye out from now on.

[becauseimanicequeen]

WHAT I’M CURRENTLY WATCHING

It's been a while since I made one of these lists. But here I am with a new one, including the queer shows I'm currently watching. (As always, they're in alphabetical order, because that's just how I am, lol).

4 Minutes (Thailand):

This show is my current obsession. Period. The content on my blog being 99.999999999% about 4 Minutes right now says it all.

Addicted Heroin (2024) (Thailand):

I've seen both the original as well as Stay With Me, which were both fine. I was curious enough to see what Thailand would do with it, which is why I'm watching. And I'm loving it, so far.

I like Hero, even though he's an idiot. And I like the supporting pair. Hero's dad, though... No.

Battle of the Writers (Thailand):

I still have no idea what this show is about except for a couple of writers, two of which have a history together. But, I got to see three of my Playboy babes, so that's a win for me.

First Note of Love (Taiwan):

I'm spoiled with my beloved Taiwanese QLs right now. I'm even more spoiled that I have yet another very rare show where I can actually listen to the music played and sung without muting the damn thing. And I'm spoiled fucking rotten because I've got Charles Tu on my screen again.

I love everything about this show 5 episodes in, and it makes my Mondays a lot brighter (and my Mondays were fine before this, btw).

Happy of the End (Japan):

I like my Japanese shows dark and complicated. So, I'm obviously loving this.

Hidden Moon (Thailand):

I'm only one episode into this one so I don't really have much to say other than that I like the vibe and that it's visually stunning so far (always a plus for me).

I Hear the Sunspots (Japan):

I'm a bit torn with this one. But I love the representation of the deaf community because my great-grandfather was deaf.

(Kind of unrelated, but kind of not: My great-grandfather didn't know sign language, he just read lips. And he was always most comfortable around people who treated him like just anyone else.)

I Saw You In My Dream (Thailand):

Considering I only started watching this because I saw a gif of Ai wearing a Dream Theater shirt (which was my dad's favorite band before he passed away), I wasn't expecting much. But it's surprisingly enjoyable.

The only critique I have is that they ended this week's episode right in the middle of Ai and Yu kissing. Not that I think they'll go all the way in that particular scene. One of them will probably stop. But cutting the scene there... That's just rude. (I'm joking... But kind of not.)

Kidnap (Thailand):

I'm just one episode in so I don't have much to say other than that I love that Papang is in it. I always need more of him on my screen.

Live in Love (Thailand):

This is another one I'm only one episode into (the second one comes out today), so I don't have much to say other than that I really like the vibe so far.

Monster Next Door (Thailand):

I'm a simple girl. I would watch Big in anything as long as he's kissing boys, because this boy knows how to kiss boys.

The On1y One (Taiwan):

Again, I'm spoiled with my beloved Taiwanese QLs right now. And this one is everything to me.

I knew it would be amazing (it's from the same director who made Your Name Engraved Herein) so, no surprise there. And if I wasn't so busy screaming about 4 Minutes during the little spare time I have now that I'm in the middle of a big art project, I would be screaming about this show.

I only needed 10 seconds of the first episode to be hooked (them looking at each other was all I needed to be sold). 6 episodes in, and I'm in heaven.

Seoul Blues (Korea):

This is from the same creators of Blue Boys and Bad Guy and I'm watching it solely for the chemistry and the... how should I describe it? Mellow vibe?

The Trainee (Thailand):

I had a hard time getting into this one. Mainly because I can't relate to the whole office environment thing (I've always worked for myself). But somewhere around the end of the second episode or the beginning of the third, I was sold. Mostly due to the dynamics between the characters and that everyone is unique and flawed in their own way. Plus, the colors are amazing.

It's been a while since I had at least one new episode to watch every day (I think it was sometime before the summer), so I'm starting to get back to normal again. And I love it here.

[bisexualnerd]

Writer tag game

I wasn’t tagged, but I saw the game randomly posted by another user so I want to play anyway! (red for fic links and blue for series links)

1. how many works do you have on AO3?

35 (and only one draft because I don't really like working on multiple projects at the same time)

2. what's your total AO3 word count?

395,306

3. what fandoms do you write for?

I write the most for Batfam, mostly Tim and Jason but usually, the whole fam (more or less) is also there.

I write a bit more for some other fandoms but there are only one or two fics for each (2021 Produce 101 - Chuang Zao Ying, Hollywood Undead (but these fics are not finished), Julie and The Phantoms (1 fic - finished), Arsenal Military Academy + The Legends (they are kinda connected in 1 fic) and I have like, one translation project too.

I'm hoping to write Star Wars fics one day too. Really like the whole time travel thing and Obi-Wan is my beloved.

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Monster Under My Bed (The Monster Down The Hall)

"Back Away From Him."

if i lose everything in the fire, i'm sending all my love to you

Cold

A Pile of Sleeping Birds

5. do you respond to comments?

All of the comments, definitely. I really enjoy reading and replying to them and sometimes, I even come back to re-read the comments to feel validated 🤣

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I write angst a lot but I have a thing for happy endings. But if I look at the fics individually and not like, as a part of a bigger series, it might be i have so much to say but you're so far away. But if not just the ending but the whole plot in general, it can be any fic really (I would recommend Restless Heart Syndrome, And Now You're Home, The Monster Under My Bed (The Monster Down The Hall), and What The Heart Remembers).

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

They all have some sort of happy endings (though some fics that are a part of a series might not but the series will have happy endings). But since all I have talked about is Batfam, I would recommend this from Julie and the Phantoms. I don't write romance often, but this is just a short soft, cute love story of two ghosts (Reggie and an OC based on his real-life wife) plus some humour in the band - ‘Cause I’m Not Too Far And You’re My Favorite Place. I was very satisfied with how it turned out and I still come back to re-read for my own enjoyment a few times so I hope you guys will give it a chance.

8. do you get hate on fics?

My most controversial fic would be Hold Me Close, Don't Let Go (Watch Me Burn) but it's not like people showed hate to me. They just didn't like the story and how I wrote it so there were some unpleasant comments. The newest one, I think I did well with my response. It's a rather heavy fic because I went through a really rough time when I was writing it (along with many others) so if you want to read it, be careful.

9. do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I don't. My fics are all rated G or T (mostly because of swearing and violence, and also some with suicidal theme or idealisation because I did have a really bad time).

10. do you write crossovers?

Just for two fandoms, Arsenal Military Academy & The Legends, because they share the same lead actor and actress so I thought it would be fun to write something about reincarnation. It's Then and Now, Forever and Always.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think I'm famous enough for that.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, into Chinese, actually. It's The Monster Under My Bed (The Monster Down The Hall). The link to the translated fic is in the fic.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Not really. I planned my current series How To Steal A Brother with my friend Den and she is also my beta-reader for this series but I still write all of the stuff, which she reads and corrects the mistakes for me later.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

That's hard to choose. I really like Robin (Dick Grayson) and Starfire. It was like my first ship ever because I watched Teen Titans as a child. I also like Marinette/Adrien, very cute but the secondhand embarrassment is not very healthy for me (at least she has gotten better at interacting with him). The Doctor (10th) and Rose was one heartbreak that got me crying like a baby in 8th grade.

So honestly, I don't think I can pick because those were the three that came to my mind first, but I still have like a few dozen left.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

The Hollywood Undead fic - When Gravity Pulls You In. It was a really fun idea but then I ran into a big writer's block and I haven't recovered for this fic. I have been writing for Batfam again but I doubt I can go back and finish this one (at least anytime soon).

16. What are your writing strengths?

I don't think I'm too good with dialogue but I do have a strength in describing and like some sort of metaphor (English is not my first language so this is a difficult question to answer). I don't know if this is also considered a strength but like I said, I don't really write many fics at the same time so I can manage them pretty well. Most of my fics are completed before I move on to another one.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue. And I forget a lot of stuff so I have to go back to the earlier part so the plot won't be inconsistent. And of course, I write in English, which is not my mother tongue, so sometimes, I lack vocabulary or my grammar can feel weird.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I mean, I would add translation or explanation very subtly in there. But I saw a Star Wars fic where the writer had like, floating texts or something for the conversations in Mando'a so like, I will research on that if I need to write in another language.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Batfam. Tim-centric.

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Damn, that's like asking a parent for their fav child on national television.

In terms of like, wording and metaphors and descriptions and all the technical stuff - And Now You're Home - because some of my fav paragraphs are in here. In terms of logic, time can never change for the flying bird under the summer sun because I went crazy with all the planning for the whole time-travel-but-nothing-changes-the-future thing. In terms of plot, i'm so out of touch with everyone, and everything's a blur to me. This was one of my earlier ones but when I came back to this earlier this year, I found it so enjoyable and fascinated. I couldn't even believe I wrote this one. But it is a part of a series so you might want to check out I've Got You Brother.

This has been fun and I have been shamelessly PR-ing my fics. I don't really know who to tag so anyone else who wants to play, go ahead and have fun!

[starstruckodysseys]

20 questions for 20 writers !!

thank u to @localdisasterisk for tagging me in this! i honestly do not know how many writers i follow so um. ill tag my pibe fic besties @wheelsupin-azarathmetrionzinthos @angelwiththeblue-box @fatestitcherr @incorrect-play-it-by-ear and the rest of u can fight amongst yourselves

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

48. i don’t know if its more concerning that almost half of them are from the past five months or that almost half are play it by ear. its the same almost half but still

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

143,389. woof

3. what fandoms do you write for?

obviously play it by ear. everyone knows that. also d20 occasionally and project sekai. unfortunately

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

toya and mizuki’s step by step guide to romancing a shinonome — i will be so real with you guys i specifically crafted this one to be popular. and then i fell in love with it along the way. but it did start as a science experiment

let me take you with me (just like this) — WHY. this is my second pjsekai fic and my fourth fic ever posted. it’s not at all reflective of my current style. help

kiss it better — yeah. same issue as the other one. this one’s better though lmao

say you miss me (say you want to kiss me) — honestly? just impressed a honakana fic made it up this high. love my girlies

the moon is crumbling (but that’s okay) — yeah everyone pretend to be surprised the ruikasa fic got this high up. it was a new concept for me, though, so i’m pretty proud of that

5. do you respond to comments?

i used to, but not really anymore unfortunately. to be fair, i will point you all to the fact that most of my recent fics are pibe, and then to the discord where we all scream about them together

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i don’t usually. write sad endings. bc i don’t like them. okay that’s not true i just usually don’t. i guess the moon is crumbling?? if i had to choose?? it’s more bittersweet than anything, but people did say they cried, so…

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

99.9% of my fics are getting together fics. it’s just the same ending a million different ways. you tell me

8. do you get hate on your fics?

not publicly!

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

i would simply be too powerful if i could. this is for your safety actually

10. do you write crossovers?

in the sense of characters across universes/media interacting? no. in the sense of “i am going to put my blorbos in every single other setting i slightly enjoy”? absolutely. putting them under a microscope. researching and recording how they react to their surroundings

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge!

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

i simply do not think there is a demand for my fics in other languages. not in like a depressing way, it’s just that i’m writing for like five people including myself, so. yknow

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

no, but if someone wanted to… 👀

14. what’s your all time favorite ship?

i’ve never written for them (yet, at least), but by sheer volume and span of time i have to say souyo persona4. my silly boys. i’ve never scoured the entire tag for a ship multiple times on ao3 like i have for them. i have so many thoughts about them that have never seen the light of day but they exist!!

15. what’s a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

stares awkwardly at feed your anger like fire… i’ve tried!! but it turns out that sometimes you get stuck on clothing designs and stop writing and then lose passion for the project and then stop updating for three years because you were too ambitious and also you hate your old writing style. not that i would know anything about that

16. what are your writing strengths?

i think i’m really good at dialogue, or at least banter. unfortunately this makes me very judgmental but that’s not important. also i can create a vibe well i’ve been told

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

in general? i SUCK at character description, or at least knowing where and when to place it. i also always worry about characterization and if my characters sound too similar

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i used to read so many fics that centered around using another language (shoutout bmc fandom when i was. in that. a dark period of my life, but alas) and honestly if it’s done well i think it’s cool!! i’m not going to get into the intricacies of bilingualism on account of being an english only speaker but it is rad to me

19. first fandom you wrote for?

wrote for? probably warriors. yes the cats. i had a whole fanfic for my oc. shoutout to… honestly i don’t remember her name but she was a real one! wrote for and posted is another story, by which i mean i don’t remember At All. probably bandori tbh, bc i don’t remember if i posted fanfic on my wattpad

20. favorite fic you’ve written?

either the venn diagram of curses and crushes (which is still my favorite fic title ever) or soaking in the glory. one of them is a 3k word expedition into the play it by ear canon space and the other is a 7k word fever dream i went into a fugue state to write in two days. honorable mention to the like the sweetest cup of chai series which i hold so close to my heart. silliest besties of all time

[ink-flavored]

Get to Know Your Moots Writeblr Interview

This looked fun, and I love answering lists of questions

Tagging: @foxys-fantasy-tales @noblebs @ceph-the-ghost-writer @auntdarth @damageinkorporated @srjacksin @wyked-ao3 @alesseia and anyone else who wants to do it!

Blank Questions for those who join me!

-

On the Tumblr Writing Community

How long have you had your writing Tumblr/Writeblr? A fast and loose estimate is fine!

I’ve been on Tumblr since 2014, but I didn’t make this writeblr sideblog until 2019.

What led you to create it?

Mainly because I crave organization, and I felt weird posting my fanfiction to a blog where I didn’t really talk about writing. Plus, I didn’t feel like anyone on my main would have been interested in hearing me talk about my original writing either, and even if they were, it would have been drowned in everything else I reblogged. I wanted to have a place that was 100% dedicated to writing to keep my blog topics more organized.

What’s your favorite thing about the Writeblr community?

I love talking about writing, for one, but I also love how many varied ideas you see in this community. There are SO MANY incredible WIPs waiting to be discovered here, of any genre you can think of, featuring ideas that make you salivate. The world-building some of you people have going on is fucking amazing, and I’m eating it.

What’s one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you?

I love talking about stories, including yours! Come say hello if you feel at all inclined to!

Is there anything you’d like to see more of on your dash?

More people going crazy and/or stupid about their own stuff. Be your own biggest fan, and others will follow!

The kinds of writing I always enjoy seeing more of, in general, though: poetry (literally any kind of poetry), fantasy (high & urban), sci-fi (hard & soft), crime (bonus points if set during the Prohibition), romance, erotica (bonus points if kinky), detailed world-building (bonus points for fiddly politics, more bonus points if it’s inspired by other cultures than the generic European template), and any of these things in combination with each other!

What tips/advice do you have for someone who made a Writeblr today?

Reblog other people’s work if you want them to reblog yours, always send someone an ask if you reblog an ask game from them, don’t be afraid to self-reblog no matter how annoying you think it is, but most importantly, do whatever you want forever. Have fun.

Lots more under the cut!

WIP it Good

Which Works-in-Progress (WIPs) or writing projects are you noodling about, lately?

Mainly my [currently untitled] urban fantasy anthologies and Pride & Justice. My anthologies are getting outlined for my own make-shift “write as much as you can” challenge I’m doing in parallel to NaNo this year, and I’m basically always thinking about P&J at all times whether I like it or not.

How long have you been working on them?

My anthologies are only officially around… a year or two old, probably? I had the initial impetus to start them ages ago (like, closer to 4 or 5 years ago), but didn’t start working on them as an actual project until relatively recently. Hell, I didn’t have the idea for an erotic urban fantasy anthology until December 2023!!

As for Pride & Justice, it will celebrate its second birthday on August 9th! It’s the only WIP I have such a specific date for, since it originally started as a fanfic I did for AUgust2022.

Do you remember what inspired them/what got you started?

For my anthologies, I’ve always loved urban fantasy, but pretty much all the urban fantasy I could find growing up was lacking in some way (to me). Either the fantasy elements were pasted onto our already existing world—usually “in secret” or with some other excuse to keep the “regular people” from finding out—or it was a genuine fantasy world with more advanced technology, but always a detective story. Seriously, what’s with urban fantasy and detective thrillers? They’re cool, but there’s so many of them…

I craved something closer to a “slice of life” urban fantasy—what would a fantasy world with our current level of technology and manufacturing actually look like? How would people live, what would a city be like, how would things like magic change what a sufficiently advanced culture looks like? And then, of course, the crazy magical sex????? That’s the logic I’m working from with both my anthologies, a sort of “what-if” combined with a slice-of-life peek into urban fantasy lives.

For P&J it’s a lot simpler: the fanfiction I wrote simply didn’t want to be a fanfiction. It wanted to be something bigger, more original, with more room to breathe. I gave it permission to be itself.

How much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them?

All of the time. Forever. If I am thinking about something, it’s probably my WIPs.

When someone asks the dreaded, “What do you write about,” question, what do you usually say?

I reflexively answer “fantasy, and I dabble in sci-fi and contemporary fiction.” Sometimes I clarify I write both high and urban fantasy, because most people assume high fantasy. I usually also mention I write poetry, and sometimes I’ll mention my Magnet Monday schtick.

What do you want to say (if it’s different from what you do say)?

Well, if people could get really cool about me saying “fantasy romance and erotica” that would be neat. I think we’re still a little ways off from other people’s reactions not being 1) smiling stiffly but politely before changing the subject or 2) making a rude face before changing the subject.

Let’s Rotate Blorbos

Name any characters you created.  Side characters, protagonists, antagonists, characters who’ve never been written, the first original abomination you ever pulled from your ass; whomever you’d like!

List them all? We’d be here a while.

I have an OC Roulette that I spin when I need to pick a character at random for whatever reason, so I’ll just list the ones currently on it:  Pride, Justice, Kindness, Ollie, Sofia, Dante, Honesty, Lust, Xinya, Yu-Qi, Jao, Han Lao, Sita Zhai, Asim, Mira, Cahaya, Priscilla, Henry, Yvonne, Harlan, Hayden, Lenora, Teconia, Seraph, Park, Jamie, Kiran. And the OC Roulette list will surely expand as I come up with more blorbos.

Who’s the most unhinged?

It depends on how you define unhinged, I guess? Yu-Qi could be considered unhinged because she’s a God-Dragon who does not care much what you think of her and does literally whatever she wants, whenever she wants. Priscilla enjoys violence to a suspicious degree, to the point where her husband just sighs and shrugs about it. Honesty is an Evangelical Christian angel with the one and only mission to carry out God’s Word. Take your pick, really.

Who comes the most naturally for you to write?

Can I just blanket say “the protagonists”? Generally, I use the POV characters for a reason, and it’s because I find them the most comfortable to write. I very rarely write multi-POV stories, and when I do switch POVs, it’s usually for one very significant part that the regular POV character isn’t present for or something. So—Pride, Xinya, Asim, Priscilla, etc.

Do you ever cringe at them?

Honestly, not really. Sometimes I get nervous about people accusing me of self-inserting or whatever, but then I remember that those people are stupid and lame. Of course my characters are going to be at least a little like me—I created them. Some will be more similar than others, but I put a little bit of myself into everything I write, including the characters. And even if they were self-inserts, who cares? I can do whatever I want, and don’t need to cater to pissants.

How much control do you feel you have over your characters?  AKA, do they ever “write themselves,” refuse to cooperate, or do things you didn’t expect? To what degree? Are some less cooperative than others?

They fly off the handle sometimes. The most persistent example is from The God-Dragon’s Wife, which was supposed to be about a monogamous couple, but a prominent side character started hassling me to make it a polycule so she could join in. I am now rethinking the entire plot to see if I can make it work.

In general, though, I feel like my characters exist somewhere in between “totally under my control” and “completely unrestrained.” I can drop a character into a scenario and act them through it, and there are absolutely times where I go “nah that’s out of character,” and have to change something. But for the most part, it’s like… observation. If I have a good handle on a character’s personality, arc, and motivations, I can just watch. Wow, look at ‘em go…

Do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters? And do you have a preferred means of receiving said questions? For example, as Asks, as replies, as reblogs, as tag notes, as comments on AO3, etc.

YEAH!!!!! ALWAYS AND FOREVER!!!!!!

Honestly, no preferred medium for questions. Send me an ask, reply in a post, DM me, message me on Discord (if you have it), leave a comment on my website, whatever. I love talking about my characters, and if you also want to talk to me about my characters, well that means I love you too.

On Writeblr Engagement

What makes you want to follow another Writeblr account? Do you follow ‘em as you see ‘em, or take time scoping out the blog to make sure you align with its content? Do you follow based on WIPs, or vibes?

Usually I scope out a blog and see if their WIPs are interesting enough for me to want to see regularly on my dash. Sometimes I’ll see a post from someone looking for other blogs that post [x] genre or [y] content, and if they match up with what I do, I’ll skim their intros (if they have them). I don’t like horror, so I’m not gonna follow people who only post horror stuff. I really like fantasy, so I’m more inclined to follow people who post fantasy stuff. If I see a particularly interesting WIP, I’ll follow the person even if it’s not the kind of thing I normally read. It all depends!

What makes you decide against following?

Genres I don’t like to read and my personal squicks, usually. Maybe the WIPs didn’t grab me. Some writeblr blogs are also people’s main blogs where they post a lot of other non-writing things, and I usually don’t follow those since I’m here for the writing first and foremost.

Do you interact with non-mutuals often?

Sometimes! Usually it’s my mutuals who talk to me the most, so I interact with them the most. As a general rule though, if you talk to me, I’m gonna talk to you back, no matter what our following status is.

Do your mutuals’ characters occupy space in your noodle?

If I know enough about them, yeah! I have plenty of other people’s OCs floating around in my brain from time to time, especially if they’re a regular occurrence on my dash.

[steamyearlgray]

Did you talk about Hellmark 4 yet?

I have not, omg. I was hoping someone would ask about this, thank you so much.

So Hellmark 4 (otherwise known on AO3 as Match Made in Hell) is Primo’s story in the Hellmark universe.

It takes place in 1988, first in London then in Rome, NY (where I have set Ministry HQ). Primo is 19, Secondo and Terzo are 6, and Copia is about 6 or so months old.

Currently it’s 5 chapters long on AO3. I’ve got two versions of chapter 4 and 5 because I lost a shit ton (I mean like 7-10) followers on the fic after I posted them that I haven’t recovered. Also replaced those chapters because I couldn’t got through with killing off a baby.

H4 is doing the worst (statistically speaking) out of all of the hellmarks but I do have to say this is probably the best out of all of them. (I think no one wants a pre-papacy Primo/the boys where they all have actual names other than their papal names)

Which breaks my heart because I’ve really poured time and effort into this one and created a bunch of sweet moments. We have moments with Secondo’s mother and Nihil doing a shit job of parenting.

I’ve thrown the summary and link below the art of you/anyone else is curious about Hellmark 4. (I’ll even throw the new piece I made for it here, I was going to wait until I finished the fic to share it but eh. We know how the story ends anyways)

“Our dark lord made a match for everyone, Dante."

“Is Papa your match then, Mama?”

"I used to think so. I’m sure you’ll meet yours soon enough.”

There is a curse placed on Nihil’s unholy bloodline.

Despite this, he pushes for his oldest son Dante (Papa Emeritus I) to settle down in a vain attempt to continue their reign. Dante is barely grown, when the proposition is made: an arranged marriage.

Eliza is the daughter of one of Nihil’s highest-ranking European cardinals; a man hungry for power and influence in the American branches of the ministry.

Can their cursed union flourish?

[landofzero-archive]

Battle on the Sugoroku Board - Prologue

(Location: ES Hallway)

(One day during the first thirds of February (1). Corridor in front of the NewDi office.)

Natsume: ……PheW, finally the chaos of the end-of-year and New Year period has calmed dowN.

It started with the SS Qualifiers, the new stage for the special program for the end-of-year and New Years SSVRS trial, Maizuru Manor (2)—thougH it feels we’ve been tooting our own horn.

I wondeR if we can finallY return to normal activities.

Now theN. I’ll go beat up the Senpai who is still breaking labor law (3) during the end-of-year and New Years period, and enjoy a belated vacation–

UmM?

(Location: NewDi Offices)

Tsumugi and Ibara: ………♪

Natsume: (“Viper”......!?(4) Why is he herE!?

CoulD it be that he’s trying to imprint something onto Senpai when I’m not therE—)

Ibara-kun. What do you neeD from NewDi?

Ibara: So you’ve returned, Natsume-kun ♪ 

I’m sorry to be bothering you! As the representative of CosPro, I’m currently talking to His Majesty the acting director of NewDi, so please don’t worry about it, Natsume-kun ♪ 

Natsume: ………!

Ibara: My my my! A snake glare! (5) Lately, I tend to be forgetful of the fact that I’m a ‘Viper’, so I’m greatly indebted to your consideration in reminding me of that!

Natsume: That isn’T what I’m trying to do. Can you not string me along at your pace like thaT?

Enough with this tedious talk, just say what you want tO say.

Tsumugi: Don’t be such a grouch~, Natsume-kun. You know, since another agency’s representative came all the way to NewDi~?

Come on, smile, smile ♪ 

Natsume: Shut up, workaholic. (6)

If you don’t rest already, you’re going tO end up in a hospital, you know.

Tsumugi: No way!?

Ibara: You seem to be quite irritated~ It looks like you’ve been equally busy!

Well, this isn’t something that needed to be kept a secret, so I’ll let you in on it. I was just thinking of enjoying seeing Natsume-kun being left out in the cold! (7)

Natsume: You’re a rotten character, huH.

Ibara: AHaHaHa☆ That’s a good look on your face!

Putting that aside. Are you familiar with “NETV (Netteibi)”, Natsume-kun?

Natsume: Net……What?

Ibara: “NETV” —A recently started streaming broadcasting service that’s aimed at overseas folk.

It can be said that unlike a streaming program that is enormously funded with investments of shares in large quantities, it’s a streaming service from a company from this country with a moderate budget.

While niche, there is a demand from overseas. An Idol programme—- or some such is what “NETV” is trying to produce.

As such, I’m simply here to inquire if NewDi would like to cooperate by arranging participants.

Tsumugi: That’s right! Even though Saegusa-kun said it was a ‘moderate budget’ but, from my reading of the plans, the budget allocated is surprisingly quite substantial.

I was thinking that it’s a good chance for a new agency like NewDi.

Natsume: How suspiciouS……of this “Viper” to approacH us with talks of work.

There haS to be something else to it. OtherwisE, CosPro would surelY have exclusively monopolized this delicious project.

Ibara: What nonsense--- to say there is 'something else'. Just like divination, statistics and calculations are all there is to it.

I’m not trying to make a boring joke like “There is nothing hidden to 'fortune tellers'”— or something. (8) There are some things I haven’t explained, but it’s only because I’m unable to disclose everything.

The truth is, CosPro also has investments in this “NETV”.

It was an old connection from the time around when I was just starting out as a manager. Thanks to that, if the program is not a success, it’ll be a total loss.

In other words, this proposition is an idea meant to at least minimize losses. Because a cross-agency programme would be good publicity.

CosPro is extending the opportunity to participate to NewDi to push the program into success—

How about it? It’s not a bad proposition, right?

Natsume: ………

Tsumugi: As for me, I’m thinking positively about appearing on “NETV”.

I didn’t get any bad impressions from when I was looking at documents. It felt like it was influenced by a proper production company.

The only problem is, “NETV” is an online internet program, so not a lot of huge agency idols will participate.

……That said though, NewDi isn’t a huge agency.

This is a chance that won’t come again for us as we are right now. Net programs are still in its infancy stages right now, so long established agencies would not be expanding into it.

Natsume: ……I seE. ThougH there are undeniably fishy parts to it, it doeS stand to logic.

HoweveR. If you do anything suspicious, I won’T be silent about it.

Ibara: My my, please do not say that! Let us be mutually supportive of each other as coworkers in the same job!

Well then, I will be returning on a later date to explain the project! Take care until then!

TL Notes

上旬 - the first ten days of a month, or the first thirds of a month.

He’s listing past Switch events. Maizuru Manor is the orphanage from the 2023 MaM new year story; Poltergeist during the NEW COLOUR campaign.

He actually says ブラック労  (Black labour) here which is the term in Japan for worker exploitation in the form of extreme working hours, verbal abuse, or even power harassment/bullying. The companies using this form of employment are called ブラック企業 (Black Companies).

Technically, a 毒蛇 (Dokujya) is just a ‘venomous snake’; the term does not imply any specific venomous snake species but as the fandom usually knows this particular nickname of Ibara’s as ‘Viper’, Mod is following suit. Viperidae snakes are called クサリヘビ科 (Kusarihebika), and the viper itself is 鎖蛇 (Kusarihebi).

蛇睨み - literally, ‘snake glare’, is a reference to a Pokemon move. In the English version, this move is called ‘glare’. This move paralyzes the target. It can only be learned by snake Pokemon.

‘Workaholic’, written in katakana, is basically read the same way as the English word.

The JP text says Natsume was ‘left out of the mosquito net’, basically the equivalent of ‘left out in the cold’.

This is a pun. The beginning of the word for 'fortune teller' 占い師 (uranaishi) is phonetically similar to the word 裏 (ura) which can mean a lot of things such as 'opposite', 'hidden side', 'hidden shadows', 'more than meets the eye', 'rear'... to that effect. Mod has translated every instance of 'ura' in the lines leading to this bit as 'something else', to insinuate the pun.

Directory | Next

[cosmiccannibalcamille]

YOUR Venus in Virgo Love & Money HOROSCOPE

What: Venus in Virgo

When: Aug. 4 - Aug. 28, 2024

Who’s Impacted: Virgo, Pisces, Sagittarius, Gemini, Taurus, Libra—in that order

Takeaway: Precision, pragmatism, and being efficient with your affections, creativity, and money is about to get 10x sexier.  

     A major shift has happened: Venus, the planet of love, money, relationships and creativity, has entered earthy Virgo, doubling down on the need for efficiency and productivity. (Mercury is also in Virgo, and currently retrograde, btw.) Ever the workhorse, Virgo loves to be of use, toiling away at tasks simply for the sake of getting them done. Venus, however, loves to take it easy, preferring relaxation and reveling in the pleasures of good food, beautiful art, and pleasing company over plodding. This, therein, lies the crux of this would-be wonderful transit.

     This week—the week of Aug. 5—brings only two transits, one of which involves Venus and Mercury Retrograde in Virgo on Aug. 7. The other? Sun in Leo sextile Jupiter in Gemini—also on Aug. 7—and it’s a great transit. In fact, both of these transits are great for spreading love, joy, and sweetness. Which we so desperately need right now, given the current sh*t show state of the world. Anyway! Since Venus entered Virgo late on Aug. 4, it is ~technically~ a part of this week’s astrology. (At least, I’m including it in this week’s astrology, given the limited number of transits.)

     Despite what some astrologers might say about it, I consider Venus’ shift into Virgo a good thing. Yes, the planet ~technically~ struggles in the sign, for previously stated reasons, but Venus in Virgo is so, so good for getting practical about your money, creative endeavors, and relationships. It also helps you cope a little better with the first leg of Mercury Retrograde in Virgo. 

     As we bid adieu to the fiery flamboyance of Venus in Leo, we shift gears and welcome the precise and pragmatic vibes of Venus in Virgo. This transit, which lasts from Aug. 4 through Aug. 28, brings an impactful shift to the area of your life ruled by Virgo. While Venus in Leo thrived on dramatic declarations of love and grand romantic gestures, Venus in Virgo is all about the little things that make a relationship work. Think of it as moving from the passionate poetry of Shakespeare to the precision of a well-crafted spreadsheet. Virgo's energy encourages you to take a closer look at your relationships and finances, seeking to refine and improve them through practical means.

     Virgo’s energy encourages you to break down your one-on-one interactions, your spending / earning habits, and your creative projects into manageable, daily acts and seemingly scrupulous to-dos. However, it’s easy for Virgo to fall into the trap of fault-finding, as the sign craves order, tidiness, and functionality. Imagine Venus in Virgo as the ultimate helper, tending to and tidying up the details in your money habits, romantic interactions, and creative ventures that Venus in Leo may have seen you ignoring. How can you show your loved ones you care? How can you bring order to the alleged chaos of your love life or finances? What needs to be tidied up, tended to, or systemized?

     Venus also helps us uncover some of the lesser-known qualities of Virgo. While Venus in Leo saw you boldly boasting about your own power, passion and attractions, Venus in Virgo makes your affections shyer, more diffident and reserved. But that doesn’t mean your love life will be boring! Yes,Virgo is often associated with meticulousness, order and virgin-like qualities, but when transiting this mutable earth sign, Venus coaxes out the sensual, nurturing, and sweetly fussy side of Virgo. 

Get the FULL SCOOP on Venus in Virgo, including KEY dates for love & money, and YOUR Horoscope on The Cosmic Almanac:

[caltropspress]

RAPS + CRAFTS #34: Snotnoze Saleem

1. Introduce yourself. Past projects? Current projects?

I go by the name Snotnoze Saleem. So far, all projects under this alias have been released on Illuminated Paths, including the mixtape Intifada, the sister EPs Shards I & II, and the most recent EP Samizdat, all self-produced. I don’t want to give too much away as of right now since I prefer to announce music when it is fully complete, but I got a collab tape with an amazing producer coming up, and I’m always working on my own stuff.

2. Where do you write? Do you have a routine time you write? Do you discipline yourself, or just let the words come when they will? Do you typically write on a daily basis?

Any and everywhere. I used to have a routine where I would write on my lunch break at work, and then afterwards after smoking. I don’t particularly like employment, so I always had a source of agitation to pull from, however that routine has recently been shattered due to a layoff. But I’ve been slowly finding a new groove until the next source of daily annoyance gives me more ammo, and even without a job, there’s always something. I discipline myself by sitting down and saying, “I’m going to come up with at least a few bars here,” or, “I will find a pocket in this weird ass beat,” but during that window of discipline I’ll let the words come as they may. I make an effort to jot down interesting thoughts or turn of phrases every day, even as little as just two words that I think sound interesting when put together. I tend to feel panicky if I feel I haven’t written anything for a few days straight, which can happen.

3. What’s your medium—pen and paper, laptop, on your phone? Or do you compose a verse in your head and keep it there until it’s time to record?

It used to be strictly pen and paper because I thought it was more “official,” but as time progressed I found myself thinking in bars all throughout the day, and I found it much more convenient to just pull my phone out and type whatever it is that came to me. I don’t think I’ve ever kept a whole verse strictly in my head; I’d be too afraid of forgetting it.

4. Do you write in bars, or is it more disorganized than that?

Usually disorganized, and then I find a satisfying order and rhythm for recitation. A few times a song will be more focused and will come off as what you could say are logical thoughts, like my one song “A Foreign Army Invaded My Funeral Procession” from Shards II, but that wasn’t even on purpose. It kinda just came out that way.

5. How long into writing a verse or a song do you know it’s not working out the way you had in mind? Do you trash the material forever, or do you keep the discarded material to be reworked later?

Nah, I don’t trash anything - always keep it. I’ve used lines I’ve written years prior, or recycle entire verses on a new beat if I think it fits better. When I’m in that discipline window I mentioned earlier, I’ll just write whatever, doesn’t have to make sense (not like the finished version has to) or be on any type of beat or rhythm or cadence, just get the juices flowing. It’s usually pretty clunky at first, but once I’ve gotten used to the beat then I can make adjustments. If I’m working on a verse and I haven’t reached that breakthrough beyond, say, a week or two, then it may be time to move on to something else, but that doesn’t mean I’ll never go back to it again.

6. Have you engaged with any other type of writing, whether presently or in the past? Fiction? Poetry? Playwriting? If so, how has that mode influenced your songwriting?

I used to write screenplays when I was younger, and little short stories. I don’t know what happened as I aged, but I find it hard to write organized thoughts and sentences like that nowadays - you know, “proper” sentences. I think the biggest influence it has on me now is just the fact that I’m not a stranger to the act of writing my thoughts down since I’ve been doing it for a while in some shape or form. I would like to read more poetry as well.

7. How much editing do you do after initially writing a verse/song? Do you labor over verses, working on them over a long period of time, or do you start and finish a piece in a quick burst?

The production plays a big role in this. If I have a beat that really gets a strong reaction from me, like my blood starts boiling as soon as I hear it, I can knock out a big chunk of a verse quickly, or maybe even a whole verse. Other times, it’s just a matter of reciting it either out loud or in my head over and over and over and over and over again until I’m fully satisfied with every word and pocket.

8. Do you write to a beat, or do you adjust and tweak lyrics to fit a beat?

Always writing to a beat, though I may pull from the random thoughts and feelings I’ve jotted down during my day-to-day. But the beat is usually the biggest factor in helping with writing a verse as opposed to little blurbs. If it’s something crazy, like some clamorous buzzsaw synth with a vocal sample of an elderly woman gasping or something, then the words will match that atmosphere. If it’s something calmer, I will adjust accordingly.

9. What dictates the direction of your lyrics? Are you led by an idea or topic you have in mind beforehand? Is it stream-of-consciousness? Is what you come up with determined by the constraint of the rhymes?

Man, I will pull from anything. My immediate surroundings, maybe a sign I see on the street; or something someone said earlier that I thought was funny or strange; a memory; a feeling I had at a particular moment; a meme or tweet I saw online; the news; a sentence from a book; whatever. Despite the seeming randomness though, I think there are always a handful of topics in my mind that I tend to dwell on or go back to, and it seems like I attempt to compile those disparate sources to fit within those topics even if I didn’t really set out to do that when I started. 

10. Do you like to experiment with different forms and rhyme schemes, or do you keep your bars free and flexible?

Hmm, those seem like the same thing to me. I would say I do both. Lately I’ve been making a conscious effort of trying not to use “obvious” rhymes, so instead of rhyming, for example, “feature” with “creature,” maybe I’ll go with “people” or even “facetious” or something. See, it doesn’t really rhyme, but it kinda does and you can make it work. I think that makes it more interesting. Nothing wrong with “obvious” rhymes though - more of an exercise to keep my mind sharp. 

11. What’s a verse you’re particularly proud of, one where you met the vision for what you desire to do with your lyrics?

I mentioned a collab tape with a producer earlier. I got a song on there that I really think I left the planet on. I wrote it when I was bedridden with COVID, and I think the combination of my brain being in such a vulnerable state and the beat really speaking to me helped with my writing. Don’t get COVID, by the way. Of the stuff I have out at the time of this writing, I like the song “Embryonic” from Shards II. It’s a kind of spoken word thing over a noise sample. I like hearing what different people think I was going for on that one.

12. Can you pick a favorite bar of yours and describe the genesis of it?

That’s a really tough one. It might be recency bias because it just came out, but I like when I said, “Bantustan bandit back on that bolshevik bullshit.” I like the alliteration and I enjoy using political terms in a somewhat irreverent way. “Bantustan” is in reference to the areas in the West Bank that are designated for Palestinians, which have been compared to the Bantustans of Apartheid-era South Africa, which were designated for black Africans; “bandit” in reference to flippant use of samples; and “bolshevik bullshit” because I guess my raps tend to lean pretty left-wing.

13. Do you feel strongly one way or another about punch-ins? Will you whittle a bar down in order to account for breath control, or are you comfortable punching-in so you don’t have to sacrifice any words?

I don’t think I have any authority to tell people how they should or shouldn’t rap. 99.9% of the time I don’t use them because I just don’t need to, and it makes a song easier to perform. But on my song “Nymphs” off of Samizdat (where the line I highlighted in the last question is from), I actually punched-in most of the lines because I was inspired by people like RXKNephew who I feel do it in a unique way, and I just thought it fit the beat. Just seemed like a fun thing to try out. But I don’t really whittle anything down. I have good breath control and sometimes it could even give it more flavor when it sounds like your lungs are about to burst before you finish a line. 

14. What non-hiphop material do you turn to for inspiration? What non-music has influenced your work recently?

Novels of all types, although my favorite authors are ones who can be funny about very serious things - satirical, you know - or know how to play with the English language. The real world. History and politics. Jazz music helps me with finding flows because it is so free and organic. And I really love noise and punk music for the energy.

15. Writers are often saddled with self-doubt. Do you struggle to like your own shit, or does it all sound dope to you?

I like what I put out. It’s not lost on me that many people may find my style outlandish and maybe even unlistenable - that’s okay. It sounds like me and whoever it’s meant for will find it and enjoy it. 

16. Who’s a rapper you listen to with such a distinguishable style that you need to resist the urge to imitate them?

Well, the flow on “Nymphs” was done on purpose as a direct tribute, but otherwise I think I’m weird enough as a person (in a good way) that I can take influence from my favorites such as DOOM or ELUCID and it would still come out sounding like me, if that makes sense. 

17. Do you have an agenda as an artist? Are there overarching concerns you want to communicate to the listener?

I would like to show the listener that rap is a limitless genre and the best genre and the culmination of all genres, where you can say whatever you want, however you want, and that you can really make a beat out of anything. Real-world concerns would focus on eradicating oppression of all people on the basis of who they are (or any basis really) and the use of everyday language in creative and “foreign” ways. 

RAPS + CRAFTS is a series of questions posed to rappers about their craft and process. It is designed to give respect and credit to their engagement with the art of songwriting. The format is inspired, in part, by Rob McLennan’s 12 or 20 interview series.

Photo credit: Delaney Nash

[in-search-of-a-fallen-star]

at the last stroke of midnight (pt. 5)

Pairing: Shouto Todoroki/Reader

WC: 2,195

Content warnings: aged up characters, everyone is in their 20s or older. fantasy au. no pronouns used for reader, but they are described to wear skirts and are referred to as ‘my lady’. brief descriptions of fantasy violence, brief mention of blood.

part 4 : part 5 (you are here) : part 6

It feels like you’re floating on clouds for the rest of the day. How could it not? You’ve been replaying his words in your head for hours- the open look in his beautiful grey and blue eyes, the smoky sound of his voice in your ear as he told you that he’d known from the first moment you spoke he’d wanted you to go with him. It feels like a dream, but the weight of the circlet in your hands reminds you that it was real.

Part of your brain is stubbornly waiting for a catch, for the other foot to drop, or something to burst the bubble you’re floating in. This feels altogether too good to be true, says the little voice in the back of your head. You choose to ignore it for now- this isn’t interfering with your duties, and Shouto’s words earlier had eased most of your doubts

Perhaps this isn’t just a passing fancy for him. He wants you, and he’d told you himself, not caring who heard. It’s hard not to feel giddy when you know how it feels to be the sole focus of that intense heterochromatic gaze.

The afternoon flys by. The palace is abuzz with activity, full of people setting up for the ball that’s taking place in just a few short hours. You’re kept busy, there are many tasks that require your attention, and you find yourself running around the palace, carrying messages, making deliveries, and overseeing decorations.

You’ve lost track of time, immersed in your current project when you feel a hand tap at your shoulder. A younger maid stands behind you, and curtsies to you when you stand up and dust your hands off. 

“The queen requests your presence, my lady,” she says, indicating for you to follow her. 

You hand your work over to one of the people who’d been helping you and get up to follow the maid to the queen’s quarters. You wince when you look out the window; the last rays of the setting sun are painting the western horizon in vivid colors and you realize that you’re very, very, late. 

The maid stops at the doors and bobs her head to you before turning and walking back down the hallway. You sigh and push the doors open, ready to apologize to the queen. To your surprise, you find her already dressed and seated at the small table with her wire reading glasses on, a book in hand. 

She looks up when you enter and smiles, tucking a ribbon between the pages of her book. “I’m glad you could make it,” she says, her voice gently teasing. 

You sweep into a deep curtsy. “I apologize for my lateness, your majesty. How may I be of service?”

“I have a gift for you.” She stands from the table and walks to the wardrobe, opening the carved cedar doors to reveal a beautiful gown hanging inside. The kirtle is a beautiful cream plisse crepe, underneath a cream silk gown embroidered with gold and silver flowers. Pearls glimmer along the neckline and the cuffs, and the girdle is hammered gold, inlaid with river pearls and abalone.

When you stand in front of it, stricken speechless, the queen laughs. “I take it you like it,” she says, placing a cool hand on your shoulder.

It takes a moment for you to find the words. “Y-your majesty, this is too much. I can’t accept this.” 

“It’s already been altered to your measurements,” she says. “I wanted you to have something nice to wear to your first ball here in the south.”

When you stay frozen in your spot, she nudges you forward with a gentle hand. “Come now, let’s get you dressed. We don’t want you to leave your knight hanging, do we?” 

“You don’t have to do that, your majesty,” you protest as she pulls you to the mirror.

“I have not been queen for so long that I’ve forgotten how to dress,” she says, an amused smile pulling at her lips.

She helps you out of your working dress, leaving you in just your undergarments. First she pulls a fine cotton chemise over your head, then she sets down a pair of silver slippers for you to step into. The next layer is a petticoat, finely made and frilled with cream lace at the hem. Next comes the kirtle, which flows like water over your head. Finally, the gown settles on your shoulders. The gold and silver flowers shine under the candlelight.

The queen maneuvers you to her vanity, pushing you into the seat with a gentle hand. She puts your hair up with a few simple combs. “Now, for the circlet. Do you have it with you?”

“Yes, it’s in my pocket,” you say, turning to look for your work dress. She beats you to it, pulling the circlet out of your dress and returning to you. She directs you to look in the mirror before placing the circlet on your head, carefully centering it on your brow. She pins it in place with a few cleverly placed hairpins, and then steps back to look at her handiwork. 

You take a moment to take yourself in. You glow in the warm candlelight, the gold and silver embroidery making you shine. You feel…beautiful. 

In the distance, you hear trumpets sound. “I have to go,” the queen says, placing a hand on your shoulder. Her grey eyes meet yours in the mirror and she smiles, giving your shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “You’re released from duty- the night is yours to spend however you wish. You can stay here as long as you need, you don’t have to come until you feel ready.”

She sweeps out the door in a swish of skirts, leaving you alone with your thoughts. You take a deep breath, looking at yourself in the mirror. Until yesterday, your only plan for tonight was to do your job and hopefully get well acquainted with the buffet table in between your duties. Now you’re faced with the very real prospect of having to dance, in front of a crowd of strangers no less. 

You know the dances; when you’d arrived in the south you’d been put through a boot camp of court practices, including a grueling few weeks spent studying the steps of the courtly dances. However, you’ve never danced with anyone other than your instructor. The prospect of dancing with Shouto in a crowded ballroom of people is daunting, to say the least. 

You hear the distant sounds of the heralds, and you know they’ve begun introducing the guests. Time to go, you decide, standing up from the vanity. 

You don’t want to be late, after all. There’s someone waiting for you.

When you arrive at the doors, there’s a line of people waiting to be introduced. The heralds announce them by name and title; it’s rather a spectacle as each noble enters the ballroom in a flurry of silks. You begin to second guess yourself- you have no title or accomplishments to accompany your name. You look at the line, and then duck into an alcove. Perhaps it’s better if you sneak in at the end, with no announcement.

Finally, the line dwindles, and the heavy doors swing shut. You can hear music pick up from inside the ballroom, and decide to make your move. You pull the door open just enough to slip through, and enter the grand ballroom. 

Everything inside glitters. The many candles on the chandeliers glitter off the strands of crystal drops, sending spangles of light skittering over the rainbow of silk and satin gowns in the room. The queen sits on her throne on the balcony across from you, surveying the people as they mingle. Princess Fuyumi and Prince Natsuo sit next to her, engaged in conversation. 

Your eyes are drawn to the figure standing on the other side of the throne. Shouto looks dashing, his hair slicked back and dressed in a fine military uniform, decorated with medals. Your eyes meet over the crowded ballroom, and the sounds of the crowd drop away around you. He leans down to whisper something in the queen’s ear, and then leaves the dais to walk down towards the ballroom. 

You curtsy to the throne, as is custom. You haven’t completely forgotten etiquette, even though Shouto is handsome enough that your brain goes a bit gooey. The crowd parts as Shouto approaches, the throngs of people stepping off the dance floor as he makes his way to the foot of the stairs. 

He bows to you, low and with one hand clasped over his heart. He holds out a hand, offering his support to you as you descend the last few steps to the floor. 

The two of you stand in silence for a moment, simply gazing at each other. 

“Hi,” you say, feeling a bit bashful. 

“Hello,” he says, voice low and warm. The band begins playing a song, a sweet melody ringing out over the quiet ballroom. “Would you do me the honor of sharing the first dance with me?” 

You nod, not trusting your voice, and he pulls you out onto the dance floor. You can feel the warmth of his palm on the small of your back, even through the layers of your gown. He pulls you close, closer than what is technically socially acceptable, you know. The way he holds you is tender and gentle, but it also has a possessive edge to it as he leads you through the steps of the waltz. 

“Why is everyone staring?” you whisper, looking up at him. 

“They probably can’t take their eyes off you. I certainly can’t,” he says, the corner of his mouth quirking up. 

You can’t help the blush that rises to your cheeks, choosing to turn your gaze to the line of his throat. This close, you can smell the scent of campfire and winter pine that clings to him. Around you, the music reaches a crescendo, and you feel both of Shouto’s hands at your waist before he lifts you effortlessly, spinning you before returning you to your feet. The action startles a laugh out of you, and you see an answering smile spread across his face. 

He lifts you once more before the song ends, and you get a brief moment to look down at his face. He’s gorgeous like this, a few stray strands of hair dangling over his forehead, a slight flush to his cheeks, and a twinkle in his eyes. 

The song ends, and the band starts playing another, a lively tune as other couples flood onto the dance floor. Shouto leads you into the dance, never taking his eyes off of your face. This dance is energetic and fun, and you find yourself laughing on the floor as Shouto twirls you around. 

You do find yourself out of breath after that, so Shouto leads you off to the side for a moment of peace while the dancers continue. He fetches you a glass of cool water and you drink it gratefully, smiling up at him with flushed cheeks when you finish. 

“You look stunning, my lady,” he leans down to murmur in your ear. A shiver runs down your spine at the feeling of his breath on your neck.

“You clean up pretty okay yourself,” you tell him, hiding your pleased smile behind the rim of your cup. 

A new song starts playing, and he takes your hand. “Would you like to join me for another dance?”

“I can’t,” you say wistfully. 

“Why not?”

“Isn’t it considered rude here to dance with the same partner for more than two songs?” you ask. “I’m sure there are many other ladies who’d like a dance with the tournament champion.” 

“I don’t care,” he says, squeezing your hand. “You’re the only lady I want to dance with.” 

“Are you sure you won’t get in trouble? I know you said you have responsibilities.”

He flashes you a smirk. That look on him should be considered a deadly weapon, with the way it instantly turns your knees to jelly. He looks like he’s about to say something, when you hear a voice from behind you. 

“Your highness?” says a beautiful black haired woman, clad in a deep red gown. Shouto freezes, his playful expression dropping. “Ah Prince Shouto, I’m glad I caught you,” she smiles as she approaches. 

Your head whirls. Prince Shouto? You look at him, and you feel stupid for not realizing it before. He looks like the queen, with the intense grey eye and the white hair. You can see the resemblance in his face, in the set of their mouths. You remember this morning- the same name as the prince, your ass. You should have known. 

You pull your hand from his, taking a step back. 

“Wait, please,” he begs, reaching for you. “I can explain-”

You don’t listen. You turn and run, pushing your way through the crowds. Somewhere behind you, you hear his voice calling your name. It’s the last thing you hear as you pull open the heavy doors, disappearing into the night.

[stereden]

Statement regarding all my fics and fanworks

Okay folks. I don't want to be making this announcement, but since I just found out that someone was putting my fic(s) on youtube without my permission, here we are.

I do not give anyone permission to put my fics, in any format, on youtube or any other platform than AO3.

I do not give anyone permission to repost my fics anywhere, add them to anthologies, or post them on any other website.

I especially do not give anyone permission to make money out of my fics, be it by monetizing videos on any platform or selling fanbound editions (personal or gift copies are alright, selling outright is not. Please refer to points 4 and 5 of the Renegade Bookbinding Guild's code of conduct to see what I mean by that.)

So if you see my work anywhere other than AO3, with or without credit, please let me know as soon as possible so I can report it and get it taken down, especially if the person in question is making money off of my work.

However!

I have stated repeatedly in the past that podfics, translations and fanart are fine, but I prefer to be asked first in the case of podfics and translation - mostly so I can tell you if someone else is maybe already working on that particular fic's podfic/translation in a particular language. I also require you to put a link back to the originals with the "inspired by" tab on AO3 and to state clearly that you're podficcing/translating my work. And please tag me in your fanarts, because I will absolutely flail at them!

In regards to the pirate code/lore, because I've been asked multiple times in comments/on tumblr/on discord:

While I'm super happy that you're enjoying my worldbuilding, please note that the pirate code, its tenets and the oaths and associated traditions, as depicted in my fics, are my original creations and not something I've agreed to let others use in their stories as is, since I'm also using them in original writing projects that I'm working on.

I don't mind if any of you want to use some elements of my works as inspiration for your writing, like the idea of a pirate code or pirate culture and traditions, but please do not use the specifics as described and worded in my fics. Create your own instead, or research historical pirate traditions for more inspiration!

When it comes to the main Watashitachi wa Roger kaizoku desu (we still stand proud) series/verse and cast (AKA anything to do with Shanks and Buggy, or original events or characters mentioned in my fics that aren't in canon) I'm currently not giving anyone permission to write in the verse because I have plans for them, I just haven’t gotten around to writing them/posting them.

Outtakes focusing on other characters reactions to the mess that is Marineford, or "characters reading the fic" fics are more than fine (and I’m super flattered and honored!), again as long as you ask me first, link back to me and let me know where to read it, but expanding on things like Depa or Buggy's capture by Shiki are things i'm planning on doing in the future so please leave those to me

The same goes for my OC's, though I might give permission in specific circumstances, but once again: ask me first.

I know the saying goes 'better to ask for forgiveness than for permission'. Not in this case. Ask the youtuber mentioned earlier how I responded to that.

[badnewswhatsleft]

if you don’t want to get into detail about this i completely understand but i was wondering how you’ve been downloading videos, specifically ones like the v**ps one because i was doing everything i could to try to rip it and i couldn’t

so ngl that day was an extremely protracted process for me and it involved a lot of, like SO MUCH, googling but i will try and write what i remember - HUGE DISCLAIMER i’m seriously really really really really IT deficient and i honestly just managed to fumble my way into succeeding this one time only, i understood about 2% of what i was doing. the power of fall out boy forever and being down woeful for patrick

ok so *huddles in closer together* 

btw i don't have access to the msg video anymore since i only had a week lol so any examples here are from the boz one !!!

at first i tried to just use my usual browser extension (video downloadhelper) to try and rip the stream however it's drm protected so it just gave me a huge file that only had like glitchy static and no audio, which means it's encrypted, and you need a decryption key

you need a cdm (content decryption module) to get a decryption key. i actually got really far with this and managed to get one using a virtual android phone before realising i didn't have to DO ALL THAT and can just use cdrm-project.com for this. i don't wanna dwell on it

so on the cdrm-project page, for this task you only need the PSSH and the license url.

step 1: turn off your adblock first lol i learned this the hard way. also yes you may sing this to the tune of run dry

step 2: to get the PSSH - go to the video page and play a little bit of it -> right click -> inspect -> in the "filter urls" search type "m3u8" -> look for the one that's like "widevine_cmaf_avc.m3u8" since i believe this will be the master file -> right click it -> copy value -> copy url

open command prompt -> type "curl" then paste the url, press enter -> the string of stuff beginning with AAAA is the PSSH, copy it

step 3: to get the license url - filter urls for "wide" -> this was the correct one

right click this -> copy value -> copy url

step 4: paste the PSSH and the license url into the appropriate boxes on cdrm-project and it will give you the decryption key KEEP IT AROUND

step 5: i downloaded n_m3u8DL-RE and mp4decrypt (bento4) -> unzip both -> place mp4decrypt in the same folder as n_m3u8DL-RE

step 6: open command prompt -> first place yourself in the right directory as where n_m3u8DL-RE folder is (copy address in file explorer -> type "cd" in command prompt -> paste address, press enter)

step 7: now use this command in command prompt: N_m3u8DL-RE -M format=mp4 --key [use the key gotten from the cdrm-project page] [use the master .m3u8 url]

it will show you a bunch of options for selecting the resolution you want, press enter and it'll start working

step 8: it'll take a minute so wait until it says DONE -> find the completed video file in the same folder as n_m3u8DL-RE !!

i will tell you something hilarious i discovered: i think the key works for all the videos currently up on the site. its why the boz one was a fucking breeze to get after all that for the msg one LMAOOOO and i even downloaded a couple random other things

for other videos like dvd rips i do those using handbrake which is easy and painless frolicking in a field in comparison💀

[hxllo-nana]

So I just wanted to ask and say some things.

First of all:

Ur Ink u did for Inktober was really pretty. Look forward to any more Inktober pictures u can do. Only if u can though.

2nd of all: That Halloween Special AU art of Paps and Sans was so cute! Small baby-ish (demon; I think) Paps and teethwear (demon; I think) and/or braces Sans are so cute. I like their aesthetic too.

3rd of all: I was wondering how u been doing on any of ur projects

(like, Dead Ringer, which, I am very excited for the next episode of, and to see some of Sans, Paps, and Frisk's story of Dead Ringer. Will hopefully say something about Ep3 like I have done about the other previous episodes in some form. Or also like Bonnytale; which I read ur update(s) about on it's blog. And I am also very excited about. Or Inkuabtor. Ok, I probably spelled that wrong. Which, I am curious about. And the TikToks of it have been fun. I do hope u share it's story besides TikTok though. I will use TikTok sometimes. Like to see stuff and/or creators' stuff I like; like you. But I do admit; I don't use TikTok that much).

I know u have been jumping around them (and/or maybe even others), and/or probably are just busy and stuff. And I can wait for stuff. I know things can take awhile, and people have lives.

I am just curious.

4th of all: It looks like Hazbin Hotel is coming out in January, and if u are still doing Underhell, that means u will be getting more for that AU/series soon. Which is super cool. I love that AU, and the art and character stuff and stuff have done with it so far.

Also, since Hazbin Hotel is premiering soon, Cartoon Universe did a cool video called: "EVERYTHING You Need To Know Before Hazbin Hotel's Premiere!" , that has some cool info about Hazbin Hotel; that could be useful for ur AU/Underhell

Will say more about Underhell in another Ask, I feel like I have too much to say about it to have it in this ask, and I feel like it's better as it's own other Ask. Plus, this Ask is getting there in length. I don't know when I will send in that other Ask for Underhell though. Also, should I send that Underhell Ask on the Underhell Blog, or this blog?

Last of All: I hope u are doing well! And happy early Halloween!!

Thank you for the ask <3 ur presence means a lot to me! now then *cracks knuckles* let’s get into this

1. I have been doing some inktober works however I’m currently in a headspace where im overally critical with my work so i haven’t been posting them (here’s one i did but i redid it i will post the new one later today)

2. i love my little vamp au even tho i have not build on it and aren’t planning to its still fun to me and im glad u enjoyed it ^-^

3.deadringer process is still slow as i’m focused on college but i have been getting a lot of progress done in which i honestly didn’t think i would, turns out hang drawing/animating as a stress reliever helps me grandly lmao. Also i’m proud of the improvements from the first episode to this one.

As for inkubator I do plan on posting it on Tumblr. So it will only be available on Tumblr and Tiktok! I might have to make another blog for it ooo

4. I have been doing redesigns and story updates on underhell but i haven’t been able to work on it as much as im hyperfixiated on my purple babies (deadringer) and inkubator :’D I will take a look at that though!

5. Any blog is fine! ^-^ im sorry for the slow updates on underhell i promise ill get there 😭

happy early halloween! and thank you for the ask! your care really means a lot to me and i’m glad someone is so interested in my works <3