#i'm still unsure i'll actually finish the book tho

[elletromil]

I picked up a book from the public library i am not sure i'll be into and i was all 'well, as i wait for my water to boil for my tea, i'll just read a couple pages'

Half an hour later that water has boiled and unboiled, i still dont have tea and i'm more than a couple pages into the book

[llycaons]

ep36 (2/2): the juniors are running a comedy club out here

cue me muttering 'who the fuck is the poison sage?' and googling it and not getting anywhere and then listening to it again and hearing 'sandu senshou' and going 'oohhhh it's jc', why is he dressed in pink

HELP all the kids saying they hate jc lmao

AND WWX LOVES IT

oh this is so endearing. he's so rarely off-kilter and hesitant like this. so much different from his stiff noncommunication from previous episodes

here too, he's so unsure and concerned. showing some feeling! I love it

it's so nice that wwx accommodates his autistic boy best friend by clarifying when he's joking and when he's not

oh, it goes both ways huh

this is such a creepy opening to this arc. most definitely cursed, this city

in this scene in the book, wwx buys makeup from some girls. it makes me a little sad how tough-guy he still is even postres. get in tough with your more feminine side, beloved

the animals are FIGHTINGGGG actually tho this is really sad

nooo little apple!! it's so cute how wwx loves her so much. in the donghua he opened his arms for a hug and yelled "I missed you so much!!!" they're so cute. AUs where wwx never died will never have little apple and that's a shame

THAT HYPOCRITE. 'ohhh don't use jgy to scare me. I'll use lwj to scare YOU' WHICH IS SUCH A LIE god he's so funnyth

realistic teenage dialogue in all honesty. I'm laughing so hard

smash cut to lwj being like 'christ these kids never shut up time to use my magic spells to unethically force them to stop fucking arguing' yet another example of wwx being a big ol hypocrite because he loves when the kids get silenced he thinks it's funny

lwj just loves descending dramatically from the sky. his favorite hobby

wtffff did he just vanish them????

SAID AT FULL VOLUME in front of like 20 kids who know exactly who used the yin iron last. god. I can't believe nobody said anything. lwj spoke way quieter than that

ooh! spooky

he goes full toddler teacher here it is so funny

LEGENDARY WWX LINES

neat shot here

when they're like 'why isn't the door closing?' and wwx is like ' listen we're getting in here one way or another'

and finishing this off with yet another forgotten classic by our favorite necromancer. 'yeah I was just wearing it because it looked so cool. no other reason'

personal highlights:

wwx's little 'aww, he hasn't changed at all'

lwj being all dopey and honest when drunk and almost making wwx cry and then being all unsure/vulnerable the next morning 🥺

the little fake moustache on the kid acting as nmj

the fact that all the kids hate jc???? or they know that everyone else hates him??? that's so funny

the comedy of the kids arguiing over animal names

wwx threatening jl with a LIE and being a hypocrite

the lie about the mask

[arwainian]

Following on from the @mosswolf anon, how do YOU find such interesting things to read? :)

oh boy

okay i think for nonfiction/academic works i have the most straightforward answer which is that the starting point is usually a direct recommendation from a professor, or just directly from a syllabus, but then anytime theres a citation i find intriguing, i mark it down and at the end i check to bibliography to find whatever jumps out at me as relevant to my interests!

from here on it gets rambly. for fiction theres a multitude of strategies which boil down to developing trusted sources for finding works i know i'll like, and being willing to take some risks finding stuff outside of that:

(1) listening to friends' and family's gushing recommendations. i try to take into account our differing taste, tho many friends know my taste Very Well from my own gushing and will have very pointed and well selected recommendations. if i develop a particular craving for a type of story i'll ask around for recs

(2) i check out other works by the same authors of books i love to find anything else that looks up my alley. if i've read everything from them, i switch to looking at books that THEY like (thru their social media, or blog, or goodreads, what theyve given cover blurbs for, etc) [this is essentially the same advice as following the bibliography of nonfiction]

(3) i joined some book clubs, i've picked up stuff i never would have otherwise and even if it doesnt click i can still talk about why. this does the same thing to my brain that a literature class might except we're all peers, and you can freely admit you didnt finish the book and still be welcomed to the conversation

(4) just generally i'm willing to try things i havent heard of before if they look intriguing. i give it a fair shake (usually about 50 pages? adjust for the length of the book, or how i feel reading those pages), and then i let myself give up if i'm not feeling it. but giving it a fair shake is crucial! there are too many great and interesting books out there to read something that is boring or annoying me if i dont have a really good reason to stick it out, conversely there are too many good books i've never heard of to never take any risks

libraries are my ally in this, bc i can try a lot of things without committing to them, and i've gotten very experienced at navigating my system's catalogue to deliver books from affiliated libraries to Mine for pick up. libby is also great for ebooks. almost anytime i'm thinking about buying a book at full price, i check if its available thru my library in some way first

(5) when i go into a used bookstore i let the spirit of adventure carry me! i usually try to pick up at least one scifi or fantasy book written by a woman that i have not heard of before, ive had hits and misses but its always worth it to me

i've also recently started to buy self-published work by authors local to me, firstly to support amateur creativity, but also just to see if i like it (still developing my skills here tho...)

(6) if i'm at a bookstore and i'm unsure about wanting a book or not, i'll carry it around with me while i browse. i get a feel for it physically and if i really want to read it, genuinely works wonders on decision making. this can be sorta replicated shopping online by letting things sit in the Cart for a day or two before actually purchasing

FINALLY, after a few years of doing this, i've developed a really strong sense of my own taste(s). i know what to look for in which subgenres, by which authors and so on, which is a godsend in browsing bc i can just let my intuition carry me to victory

best of luck finding something interesting to read, anon!

[lokidotir]

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

I actually write on Qoutev, and I have 8 published (so many that are not)

2. Whats your total Ao3 Qoutev word count?

The site doesn't tell you that unless you're on the editing page of each story. And I don't really want to go through them one by one, sorry

3. What Fandoms do you write for?

I used to write for LOTR, Marvel and Tmnt 2012. But I also have 4 original works.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Don't Leave (tmnt 2012 xreader oneshot)

Rockabye Baby (marvel)

Another View of the Story (LOTR)

The Train (original paranormal horror)

Don't Leave (the same as the first, but it's becoming a longer story)

(Please don't read the marvel or lotr :,) they were started years ago and I haven't finished)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do! I mostly respond to ones that have an actual question, but I also thank those who love the story!

6. Which fic is yours has the angstiest ending?

I'm still not sure what 'angst' encompasses, but I think The Train would fit best.

But if we're talking fanfic... Another View of the Story. It probably won't ever being finished in the writing form, but I have finished it in my head, and I think it's a bit bittersweet.

7. Which of your fics has the happiest ending?

Oh, that would be my original work The Tiny Turtle for sure. It's made to sound like a fairy tale a mother might tell to her kids.

Fanfic tho... I suppose Don't Leave (one shot version)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No. Everyone who has seen them have only been supportive. Those that don't I guess just haven't said anything.

9. Do you write smut?

Uh, I don't really know what all that entails, but if your talking of naughty scenes, no. If it's about romance in general, I have a few unfinished fics. But it's mostly slow burn, or that sort.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Not really.

11. Have you had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No.

13. Have you ever written a co-fic?

No.

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

I would say a kayak. They're such an amazing little craft.

Kidding!

I think I'm going to leave that to myself, if you don't mind :)

15. Do you have any WIPS you'd like to finish but probably never will?

Most of the marvel or lotr ones I have. My longer version of Don't Leave is just going to take a while. I do have another rottmnt one, but I only have a few concept art and story for it that needs to be comic form, but I don't think I'll ever be able to set the time down for it.

16. What are your writing strength?

I'm pretty good at coming up with ideas and scenarios (if I have to say so myself)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I add to much detail while writing scenes which makes me unsure how to write the rest of the story. I have a hard time connecting scenes or breaking them off.

I also just get depressed and give up on an idea or writing when someone tells me there's something wrong with it.

18. Thoughts on bilingual dialog?

They can be fun, but I personally couldn't pull one off.

19. First Fandom you wrote for?

LOTR. Which will probably never be finished.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Don't Leave. I've been going through some stuff, and it was something to help me vent. It's also the most well received, which also helped in that. It does cover some self harm, so there's TWs on it, and the longer version will be covering even more. But I am completely satisfied with the one shot version.

I appreciate you tagging me @fanatess. I won't be tagging anyone else for this.

I have also written a physical Poetry book! The publishers I went through totally failed at the editing, but I'm still proud that it's real.

20 Questions for fic writers

Saw @acewithapaintbrush post this on her page and I figured that I join in on the fun

How many works do you have on Ao3?

43

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

400,938 (woah...dang and that number is going to continue to rise as I am in the process of working on two fics and got more coming down the pipeline)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has taken over my life right now, but I have also written for Ducktales 2017 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

"I didn't mean to hurt you" - Rise of the TMNT

"I'm Nothing Without Them (well we are nothing without you) - Rise of the TMNT

"Expressing Love Through Tech" - Rise of the TMNT

"Taken Together" - Rise of the TMNT

"You Are Not Alone" - Rise of the TMNT

5. Do you respond to comments?

Sometimes I do. I love getting comments

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

I'm not one for angsty endings but the two that come to mind for me are "This Sickness is Destroying My(Our) Life" from Ducktales 2017 and "You Are My Hero, You Are My Sunshine" from Rise of the TMNT

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

It would probably be "Taken Together" (Ducktales 2017). I put my main characters through so much pain and suffering. They deserved the happy ending that they got

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I used to get a lot of hate on my Ducktales 2017 fics, but I think that was just trolls trying to put negativity on my work. I haven't really experienced that when writing my Rise of the TMNT fics, which is another reason why I love that fandom so much

9. Do you write smut?

No and I never will

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you have written?

Not really. I hope to one day do a Rise of the TMNT x Tmnt 2012 crossover or maybe a Rise of the TMNT x Ducktales 2017 crossover

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No

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

No

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

I'm not much of a shipper. I'm actually much much more interested in platonic relationships! Especially with the TMNT brothers being the best brothers. Platonic is my one true love!

15. What is a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

There is a Ducktales 2017 and a Darkwing Duck somewhat crossover fic that I started back in 2022 but that I never got to finish because I just simply lost the motivation to do it and will probably never get back to it. There is also one more Ducktales 2017 that I have two more chapters to complete, but writer's block has hit me for real on that and I don't know when I will get around to completing it

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I write emotions and internal stuff a character is going through quite well. I have also been told quite a few times that my characterizations are spot on which is always nice to hear cause that's the most important thing for me

17. What are you writing weaknesses?

I really do not like writing fight scenes. I am so-so when it comes to dialogue; the trick is just finding the right words to say and how to make it all flow together, and I am not the best at that it would seem

18. Thoughts of writing dialogue in another language in fics?

I've used a little bit of Spanish in my Rise of the TMNT fics becasue of Leonardo and Senor Hueso, so only when it is necessary

19. First Fandom you wrote for?

Ducktales 2017

20. Favorite fic you have written?

For Ducktales 2017, it would have to be "Taken Together". Rise of the TMNT is a bit tricker as I have a ton of favorties, so I just narrow it down to any Disaster Twins fic that I have written, with my top two being "My Twin, My Hero" and "A Twin's Heartbeat"

******************

Not gonna tag anyone, everyone who wants to take a trip down memory lane, be my guest!

[cosmicfurby]

okay gang it's that time of the day

oh yeah

it's time for a ✨fic update✨

i decided this afternoon that i really needed to finish writing the first chapter and so the gods delivered, because HABEMUS FIRST CHAPTER! i am going fully insane, this is the first time I've ever felt this good about something I've written, let alone a fic. it's around five pages long, full of typos and i love it with my soul because I'm writing for FUN and not for anyone's approval and it's GOOD on my book which is all that matters

so this may very well be the last update before the fic is actually published, which is exciting! the chapter is already written, all i have to do is add a couple details and improve the writing before it's ready to go out into the world. you know, what i call "polishing" the text. hopefully the final product is acceptable to my beloved audience *like three people clap*

as i have established before, the first episode is basically trucy and kay looking around in their attic and finding things related to ryuunosuke + the letter from kazuma i shared a post or two ago. basically, I'm setting the scene for the "now" part of the fanfic, which will take up much less than the "then part". i am still debating whether to put kazuma's letter before or after the actual episode, but I'm pretty sure it'll go before. still unsure about that though, I'll figure it out

if i actually get to work and manage to edit it well enough first try i might publish it tomorrow?? EXCITING TIMES i have to choose a good time of the day tho lmao time zones are A Mess

the main problems, or rather, questions to solve i have as of right now are as follows:

1. make sure the characterization of trucy isn't off and is more upbeat because i tend to make my narrators a bit stern and calm and trucy is not exactly like that

2. be careful with kay's characterization (i have not in fact played the investigations games but i hope i can do a decent job, she doesn't appear much but i do think she's a key player and it would suck for her to be a bore)

3. add a few elements i absolutely forgot and only remembered like. hours after I'd closed the document dw these things happen it'll be alright, i think narratively I've said everything i wanted to say on that episode

4. maybe, just maybe, i will add a bit of narration by ryunosuke in the end. i think it will be useful to help establish the three main narrative stages i have set up –letters, the now and the then– and it will be a good exercise on narrative tones. if i get fancy i might alternate between trucy and ryunosuke, though that might be a little whiplash-ey of me. i don't know, still thinking about that one

also! i may or may not have gone absolutely overboard and crafted a Spotify playlist with the music i listen to while i write 👉🏻👈🏻 i am just a little nerd with my little nerd soundtracks

as i said it's mostly soundtracks and instrumentals that have the right vibes ✨ this playlist has single handedly destroyed any semblance of normality my Spotify wrapped could've had but anyway you win some you lose some

that's all we've got for today's fic progress update! hopefully I can start publish as soon as possible this story has been with me for more than a month now and i can't wait to put everything into words. so that would be all ^^

"It was a collar pin in the shape of a spark.

unless you want a sneak peek.

do you want a sneak peeeeek? come on i know you do don't run away take the sneak peek take it take-

"It was a collar pin, shaped in the form of a little spark.

And spark something it did."

[bittybattybunny]

A novel?! That's so cool!! Can't wait to see!! Life is kicking my ass right now so I haven't been able to read any fics :'( I'm a slow reader a d I like to take my time...but! Next week I'll be able to relax and one of my favorite ways of doing it is by reading fics!! I kind of got behind TLC but I'll be able to have a full marathon then :D

That’s the idea!

Tbh I’ve actually debated it for a while cuz like TLC is already so fucking canon divergent and I’ve basically written my own lore so extensive I’d need to make a powerpoint somedays.

Like really I’d just need to change a few names (Subcon Snatcher, Nyakuza, Moonjumper, DJ Grooves) and do a lil redesigning (Like Hattie probs will get more curly hair like Ru has, Ru’s leviathan form will be the Natural Leviathan form with a couple tweaks, Redesigning the cryptic, redesigning the Moonjumper design (tho Ive actually already redone Sena’s Twilight demon form so I’ll need to futz with Morgan and Marcus)

And I think it could be good to swap over!!

Plus if I do this once I finish the fanfiction I can rewrite and reorganize the plot because it’s changed soooo much. like rn I’m pretty on course for the rest of the fic and Know what i’m doing but earlier on I can changed a lot of details during the course of writing that I wanna kinda retailor. Plus I can go into more details in the earlier bits when I was getting back into the swing of writing!

Like it’ll be a lot of work I mean it’s a god damn monster

but I think I’d break it up and change it up to fit more in volumes---

so like volume one would be Hattie meeting snatcher and Snatcher’s adapting to life on land and would end when he’s in the swing/his feelings tart forming (so around sun festival/moon festival)

Volume two would be the section I’m currently in progress of posting with Him swapping from the “im a lonely grouchy eel” to ��I’m a dad and I think Im in love” and his relationship with eclipse and would end probs around a big angst event coming up :3 (yeah look forward to that)

Volume 3 would be what I normally call “climax” whenever i bring it up in regards to TLC and it’s the part I’ve hinted a lot of what’s going to happen but I’ve been kinda tight lipped on other wise and would be the final volume with a potential epilogue for the story (and this is the part I’m currently typing for tlc and it’s had mouse screaming when she realized what was happening and that its finally happening cuz she and gin know what i have planned but not how it goes down)

Other things I’ve considered is a few ‘spin off’ books to go with the main 3 (also notice i kept it in 3s? I like 3.) Like the actual story of Hattie’s parents (probs expand it to be a solo novel), probs a like ‘lore’ book (think the gravity falls journals0 that explains the demons, religions and stuff I’ve created

And of course there’s a few other things I’d plan >u> but I’ll keep a lil hush (but a hint is it may involve ‘alternate realities’ tied to tlc) because this is all still a huge ‘maybe’ and will happen when the main fic is done and I have a lil more time on my hands/health improves (tho tbh past week I’ve been dealing with the fact one reason my hip was so fucked for like all of 2021 may have been MY FUCKING SHOES and I’m so mad at how much pain I was in for such a stupid thing)

if you can’t tell this isn’t like a sudden thought thing I’ve actually been thinking about this since... I want to say I’ve considered this since when I was posting the sun festival chapters!

ahhh I hope you enjoy!!! tbh I’m unsure if I’ll update this week and next or not. I have the chapters done and covers sketched but I’m so nervous posting these chapters blah (nothing bad in them. I think i’ve mentioned just. mental barriers and stuff I deal with. the next like 4 chapters are all kinda angst heavy but also plot heavy and mean a lot to me personally lol aka--- Eclipse’s werewolf reveal as well as the in canon reveal of her scar origins)

but i feel you on life kicking the ass, hope you can rest up!