#i've been working on this for about... six months? i was mostly procrastinating on the masking shots lol

[love-killed-the-superstar]

Michelangelo Hamato: "Talk Too Much"

please watch small screen + headphones, i did what i could to clean up the footage i had lol

[catsandgoodbooks]

20 Questions for Writers

Tagged by @bleue-flora (I am sorry it took so long it's been like a month I was procrastinating)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

22, because my brain hates to stay focused on one idea at a time and I just have to make everything worse. I've got a lot more half-formed ideas and three-paragraph beginnings of fanfiction too <3

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

124,920 - that's...a lot. And it's only been about a year, so yay!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Dream SMP. I'm lurking in a couple other fandoms (mostly the Locked Tomb and Dragon Age), but I haven't written anything for those yet.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. Off the Planned Course

Not that surprising because it's one of the fics I've been writing the longest, is the longest of my actual stories (so not counting Whumptober stuff), and it also has the most people reading it (I blame including the Syndicate for that). It's probably my favorite too, so the validation is really nice (even if I keep getting writer-blocked by it).

2. Unfortunate Circumstances

Also one of the long ones, so it makes sense that it's on this list. Also, literally the second Dream SMP fic idea I ever had, so it's great that it's still going.

3. Easier Said Than Done

This one I kind of feel bad about - I decided to change a few details a while ago and I'm still not done with editing the old stuff so I can start on new chapters, so I really haven't been writing much for it recently (i.e in the past six months). Maybe this will get me to work on it again but I wouldn't hold out hope. It's not abandoned, but it's still basically on hiatus.

4. Shared Scars

I really like this one, but I didn't really expect anyone would read it because it was just a random AU with no basis in canon about two side characters, y'know? It's just really fun to write.

5. Dive Deep Into The Dark

This one is the one that surprised me, because it's just a collection of Whumptober oneshots that I wrote in like an hour each. But, hey, apparently people liked that, so yay?

5. Do you reply to comments? Why or why not?

Whenever I can, because they're taking the time out of their day to read my stuff and going the extra step of leaving a comment, and because I just like talking about my stories and stuff <3

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Okay, this and the next question are kind of difficult because I am allergic to finishing anything, ever, and that means I have to stick to oneshots, but I'd say either everything I've ever written for a Whumptober prompt (because those are all terrible, basically) or Old Habits Die Hard (Old Reliances Die Harder) because it's an angsty canon-compliant (ish) oneshot where nothing is resolved and everything is just terrible. In my longer fics, I don't really plan for tragic endings, because the ending should be happy even if the journey there wasn't, or else the whole things sad and there's not really any point.

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

Again, only oneshots count for this, so I'd probably say burn the scorecards, balance out the scales, because the ending is hopeful and probably the best possible outcome via rivals duo.

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

Not really, which is great. The most I ever get is a confused comment or someone making assumptions, and that's all fine.

9. Do you write smut?

No, and I don't plan to.

10. Do you write crossovers?

No, but I have some ideas I might write that involve crossovers and I might write them eventually.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, I have not <3

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

No, but I would like to in the future.

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

Drunz, for sure. It's the ship that really got me into the fandom and I've always liked that sort of toxic codependence even though they're terrible for each other.

15. What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

All of them? Well, besides that, I'd probably have to say Off the Planned Course, because, although I really love it, I have no idea how to end that thing or when.

16. What’s your writing strengths?

Absolutely no idea, maybe internal monologues? It's hard to evaluate your own writing.

17. What’s your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue. 100% dialogue. I get in my head about if it sounds natural or if anyone would ever say that or if I'm writing a character right and then it turns about clunky because I'm too busy worrying about it.

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

I don't have a problem with it, but you should provide translations in that situation so the readers have context and know what's going on.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Dream SMP

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Probably Off the Planned Course, there are some chapters were I was just having the time of my life writing that thing even if they were immediately followed by two months of struggle.

Not tagging anyone because it's been ages and I'm bad at doing anything quickly so yeah. Also, it's my birthday today and time is really fucking weird <3

[chayscribbles]

chayscribbles’ monthly writing update ☆ january 2023

☆ STATISTICS.

words written: 10 029

projects worked on: Andromeda Rogue; The Gemini Heist; and a Third, Secret Thing :)

proudest accomplishment: uhhh i can't really thing of anything... i made it to 10k words for the month at the very last minute does that count

books read: Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty; Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty

☆ GENERAL COMMENTS.

as you may or may not have noticed i haven't really been active on writeblr lately. between work, the fact that it's january, and having to shovel through, like, 4 snow storms, i haven't really had the time or energy.

started the writing year super strong. hit a wall about halfway and have since been in a terrible slump for most of the month.

however it turns out that you can trick your brain into thinking it's experiencing New WIP Euphoria by digging up and revamping an old wip (i.e. the Third, Secret Thing).

book comments: both books i read were about murder in space. both were pretty good. both get a solid 4/5 stars.

(between that, watching Glass Onion, rewatching Murder She Wrote, and starting to watch Columbo, i think i'm on a bit of a murder kick lately.)

more specific wip-related comments + featured excerpt below.

☆ COMMENTS: ANDROMEDA ROGUE (draft 2)

not much to say about this one tbh. while most of my words from this month came from this wip, i've,, mostly just been patching up little things like smoothing over inconsistent details and adding a little meat to description and exposition... but i've been procrastinating on fixing the Big Stuff 😭

i really like how the new version is turning out compared to the first version tho. it's so much cleaner & that's very satisfying.

if only i could just *clenches fist* get myself to actually fuckin work on it

☆ COMMENTS: THE GEMINI HEIST (outlining / draft 0.5 or something)

i finished part 1 of 7!... and now i have no idea what i'm doing.

i don't think i like fast drafting lol. i hate how shitty my quality of writing has been. and yeah whatever that's the point of a fast draft blablabla but like, when my draft is already a little bit readable i can go back and reread parts and be like "oh hey this isn't half bad". and i know people are always like "don't reread right away!!! just keep writing!!!!!!!" but for me rereading as i go is part of the process lmao. not only does it remind me of important things i would otherwise forget, it also encourages me to keep going when i see that what i've done isn't terrible.

and... with this fast draft everything just feels terrible.

not to mention i can't seem to untangle plot... heists are fuckin hard to plan. especially since there's multiple opposing parties with different plans that are all going to inevitably go to shit, and so i have to make more plans for when that happens. it feels so complicated uuuggghghhhgh

☆ COMMENTS: a Third, Secret Thing (???)

i'm not gonna talk about it too much publicly yet so i don't jinx whatever is going on here (and i want to make sure i'm a bit more committed to this thing before introducing anything) but all i'll say is it's an older wip that i've talked about on my old blog that i've dug out and changed the genre into a dark modern fantasy mystery with messy sapphics.

☆ FEATURED EXCERPT.

alright i know i said i didn't want to talk too much about the Third Secret Thing yet but i couldn't find any passages to share in either AR or GH... so have this, with very little context :') uhhh tw for mentions of death and murder.

That’s how she ended up peeking groggily out the door at the frigid winter morning, having hastily thrown a sweatshirt over her pyjamas and a towel over her hair, only to have two police officers inform her that Vanessa Villa-Cortez had been found dead in her apartment early that morning.

“D… dead?” Amina repeated, her mind in a haze. She had to still be asleep, right? Maybe the guilt over ignoring that text had seeped into her subconscious and was feeding her dreams. There was no way someone was at her door telling her that Vanessa, a girl she hadn’t heard from in nearly seven years, was… was—

“Killed in an apparent burglary gone wrong last night,” said one of the officers gravely. “A neighbour noticed the door had been clearly forced in, went inside to check, and found Miss Villa-Cortez’s body on the floor of her apartment.”

Amina’s head began to swim. She clutched the doorposts to keep her buckling knees from giving way completely beneath her. No. No. Vanessa couldn’t be dead. Amina still had to answer her text.

if you know you know ;)

☆ TAGLISTS. let me know if you want to be added/removed to any of them.

genera taglist:

@nicola-writes @dgwriteblr @the-orangeauthor @retrogayyde @quilloftheclouds @ashen-crest @writeblrfantasy @celestepens @stardustspiral @pepperdee @extra-magichours @avi-why @lefttigerobservation @chazzawrites @bardolatrycore @innocentlymacabre

andromeda trilogy taglist:

@bebewrites @nicola-writes @dgwriteblr @the-orangeauthor @retrogayyde @akindofmagictoo @quilloftheclouds @nora-theteawriter @ashen-crest @corpsepng @writeblrfantasy @chaylattes @toboldlywrite @celestepens @stardustspiral @pepperdee @cheerfulmelancholies @extra-magichours @writeouswriter @cilly-the-writer @lefttigerobservation @rose-bookblood @drowsy-quill @chazzawrites @cynic-and-chief @enchanted-lightning-aes @aesa

gemini heist taglist:

@florraisons @akindofmagictoo @cream-and-tea @nicola-writes @memento-morri-writes @antique-symbolism @rose-bookblood @afoolandathief @pepperdee @avi-why @zonnemaagd @chazzawrites @analogued @enchanted-lightning-aes @innocentlymacabre @kahvilahuhut @celestepens @cilly-the-writer @extra-magichours @retrogayyde

[muninnhuginn]

Top 5 series on your backlog you're looking forward to trying

ohno I'm gonna get outed for just how many series I've been putting off despite genuinely wanting to read/watch/play. I'll try and limit it to five though

Umineko. I will finally be able to unblock the tag and understand the meta I've been seeing in my periphery for years. Technically speaking I did watch the anime years ago and got a couple of hours into the VN back then too, but it's been so long I've managed to forget most of it (minus the soundtrack which I will admit has been in my rotation since back then). I honestly want to see how much I can figure out for myself as I go through but am a bit wary I'll have collected enough disparate spoilers that I'll start overthinking stuff based on those spoilers and hare off down entirely the wrong track.

Outer Wilds. Mainly because what I've heard of it is enough to intrigue me (there's a mutual here and a couple of Discord acquaintances who all vouch for it) but also I'm almost entirely spoiler-free. And I'm really appreciating stuff where I can go in mostly blind lately because chronically overthinking based on outside sources rather than the material itself isn't something I find 'fun'.

Next! Calling myself out on this one preemptively but... I asked for Pokemon games as presents for a few years there and then ended up not getting around to playing them because life happened and/or procrastination? And recently I'm seeing loads of stuff around about the latest game and ended up watching some of the recent anime eps because Ash is leaving the series and, well, I've not been entirely disconnected from the series but for a long while my main connection was through PokeGo and other people. Long story short: gonna finally play Pokemon Sword/Shield four years late. (Once I've finished Great Ace Attorney so should only be another six months or s-

And if I like that one then Pokemon Scarlet/Violet is also on my list, especially now it sounds like the worst of the glitches have been worked out.

Some of the Doctor Who Big Finish stuff. Technically I have listened to some already but I got distracted one time during a boring one because I insisted I wanted to go through Eight's stuff 'in order' (as much as that's possible :V) and then never returned for months. But! I will definitely get around to listening to more so I can finally understand why everyone who listens to Scherzo becomes a Scherzo blog for the next week. All I know so far is stuff about a sound monster and some messed up dynamics involving love and suicide...? Which sounds intriguing. So I guess rather than Big Finish stuff in general it's more I want to get far enough along in my listening to listen to Scherzo with all the context behind it.

[frogsandfries]

Feeling detached (?)

The graphic novel is feeling messy--trying to get it in a "lower content" kind of version, something that I can publish a little faster online, because on average, I can actually ink about a frame an evening (lately I've been eeking out this part that's a lot more detailed), and I can basically trace my linework into a cleaner version on consistent "paper" (I have two different sketchbooks right now, and I've been trying to use up some paper that I've had laying around, so that's three different papers and then sometimes, there are smudges and smears). Obviously tracing my own lineworks, I can do something like five an evening, if that's all I do.

Somehow it's Friday again. Since I decided that I need to finish this diamond painting so it'll stop taking up space in my closet, I've been spending Friday nights just obsessively placing crystals. It's a big boi-o, at 85cm, and I'm bad at getting the crystals to go on straight, plus with the type of adhesive it is, even checkerboard doesn't help straighten them like on a poured glue.

Anyway. So I have over a hundred frames that I can convert into some nice linework art for like WebToon or whatnot. I'm obviously not going to just sit there and catch up the digital lineworks; I'm going to do them whenever I feel like doing them. Mostly, I obviously just want to start the new year with enough pages (and now I'm thinking these pages I'm working so hard on are not quite big enough for the webtoon and similar crowds). I was thinking five frames, three times a week in January and then twice a week for literally just a couple months. But if I increase the strips to ten, I might have to do twice a week for the first month, once a week for the second, or maybe just post like five strips at once and drop to three strips every two months? I'll have to see how things are going. I kind of want to drop the first issue on WebToon within the first six months, and maybe let people know they can show their support and check out a physical book of the art.

That would give me about six months to start working on issue two, if people like issue one, and then the six months that I'll try to post issue two, to work on the low content for issue two. If I want to post that in six months, if I have about fifteen ten-frame strips, I could post twice a month...... However....... maybe posting the first issue in six months isn't quite the best move? I do want people to have enough material to get interested in the story..... I'd like if people who would like to see the story in full color could go do that.... I just don't want people maybe getting the wrong idea? I did draw the great, great majority of the linework for issue one in under a year, even with work and errands and coloring, so I can do the linework, no problem. Even less problem when the frames are easier, which most are. I definitely want cushion for major illness and frames that make me ask how long I can spend procrastinating.

So I just have, y'know, all these loose ends hanging out there. Then there's the matter of really plugging through these more difficult frames that I've been struggling with. And I have lineworks that I'm struggling with as well as colorworks that I'm struggling with, so it's fun feeling like everything is hard.......

Obviously, I'm technically not supposed to have my phone on me while I'm at work, but I do my job well, when there's anything to do and there's little to do right now. So since I'm bored, depending on what I'm doing, I've been flipping between trying to work on linework, and coloring. I guess maybe that's why my project feels like it's getting messy.

I don't presently, actively need to work on more lineworks other than to just keep the style as consistent as possible and to keep the story moving forward on at least one of the many, many levels. Not to mention, it's kinda the point, but the low content version is going to rapidly outstrip the fully colored version. Naturally. But still.

I do love the way it looks fully colored. I don't think I would pass that up. At the same time, if between having to work and spending as much time as possible on the graphic novel--I can't reliably outsource ALL my chores, we've had a lot of trouble with just getting car rides and groceries, not to mention, in our situation, it's just easier to do the garbage and laundry and dishes. Not to mention, I am obligated to leave the house occasionally. If only for my sanity. It's just going to take time. About fifteen months. Y’know.

I don't know if detached is really the right word. It feels out of my present control. It feels messy and like there's too much to juggle at one time. It feels like I've spent too much time on these frames--they're little mini-story frames, one frame broken into four segments, and there are two frames dedicated to the story of the founder, and two for the evolution of the school, and I was trying to keep it visually interesting enough while still simple and informational enough......... I hope. I'm gonna check with my one and only beta.

I think it's the depression speaking. I just don't know where to begin with this thing, I partially want to hold off on coloring for a while, or at least finish this volume, get it published, and then maybe just focus on working on the linework? At least with the linework out of my way, I could give more of my attention to coloring. I think I'm also making a little more trouble for myself by even mentally breaking off issue one from issue two, rather than treating them like the same story.

Either way, it's always so exciting in the first place to see the lineworks, and it's exponentially more exciting to see the colored frames. I don't know why I didn't just do this in the first place.

[khargaotte]

craft asks! 💚 🌿🌼💖please :)

Thanks so much for asking 🧡🧡

💚 How long have you been crafting and how did you get started?

I can't remember precisely how old I was, but my mom taught me the basis of knitting when I was a kid, like... 5-6? something like that? I made one scarf for my teddy bear, it was this horror that I found when clearing out stuff in my room (I'm still fond of it though because it's the first thing i ever made!)

then I didn't really do anything for many years apart from attempting (and giving up on) small sewing projects every now and then (I also had a subscription to a W.I.T.C.H. arts and crafts box at some point it was fun). Then I started knitting again for real in 2015 when I moved to Paris and thought I would knit in the subway (which i never did bc not practical), and picked up sewing around the same time to try fixing holes in my pants!

🌿 What tips would you give a beginner? What is something you wish you had know when you started?

Tips for beginners (mostly focusing on knitting): don't be afraid of "complex" patterns! There's only really 6 things to know: how to start and stop a project, knit, purl, decrease and increase. Everything else is a combination of these six! What makes complex patterns hard is keeping track of things, not the techniques themselves.

Also, I recommend starting with a medium-thick yarn: I often see the super chunky ones advertised as beginner-friendly since they build up fast, but I find that they can be very frustrating bc mistakes are a lot more visible. And very thin yarns are...... A pain in the ass, though the results are worth it in terms of fineness of the work. But medium-thick yarns still build up fast, while being a bit more forgiving with irregularities in tension and stuff!

As for stuff I wish I had known: block your knitting! Knit that tension sample AND block it!! Press your seams!!! These are all steps that are so annoying to do but will yield results that just look so dang nice compared to what they will be if you skip these steps.

🌼 Do you have a project (current or a past one) you want to talk about?

ha i have many it's hard to chose

I'm still riding the hype of having finished the tapestry needlepoint the other day, like, look at these details!! It's still on the "ongoing/to-do" pile though because I want to turn it into a pillow for the couch but that requires 1/ finding tutorials 2/ buying filler material or a filler pillow 3/ teaching myself how to sew a zipper 4/ gathering materials and, finally, 5/ actually getting round to do it

this project just gave me so much serotonin though because i had done a bit of needlepoint when i was a kid and i liked it a lot (mainly because i'm not creative enough for pretty embroidery, and i don't like cross-stitch, but i love the gesture of embroidering, so needlepoint is the perfect compromise for me!), and then a few years ago i'd stumbled into canevas fatal on social media but couldn't afford their canvases, and i re-discovered them this fall and....... woops, now I have money, and i'm ready and willing to give them a huge chunk of it (i also already have this one that my sister gifted me for Christmas along with the thread to make it and I am 100% using it as an incentive to finish a few ongoing projects before I get to it)

💖 Which one of your creations are you the proudest? Show off!

Once again I have many!!! But: this sock might be the most impressive thing I've done (tho, cf what i said in beginner advice: while visually impressive, it's actually just a matter of following the color pattern!!)

(sidenote i actually hate doing colorwork with knitting, especially in the round, and also this sock is ever so slightly too small for my foot, so I do have a love-hate relationship with this project and have been procrastinating on making the second one for months)(also for the second one i'm reversing the color pattern!)

[skeletorific]

Hey! So I've been reading your older asks and you mentioned that US and SF Sans would propose pretty early in their relationship. That got me thinking: how long do you think the skelebros would have to be in a relationship with their s/o before they started considering proposal? (assuming the relationship goes well) UT, UF, US, and SF please.

UT!Sans: For him its kind of dependent on the person but definitely not right away. He doesn’t really rush into anything. Not to mention the reset situation makes him pretty hesitant to get other people’s lives involved. Getting married is a big risk, potentially having kids even more so, because at any moment it could all be taken away. Leaving that factor out, though, within two or three years he’ll probably have figured out if he could ever see himself marrying you. If the answer is no, doesn’t mean he’ll break up with you, just means he probably won’t propose. In the end he’ll let it develop at its own pace.  Where it goes is where it goes.

UT!Papyrus: May seem odd to have a checklist for a relationship, but he kind of does. Based on every movie, book, and TV show he’s ever consumed he’s formed a timeline of relationship milestones you have to hit before he can consider proposing. Obviously, this’ll have to adjust as he goes (especially since you’re not likely to ever get temporary amnesia or be revealed to have an evil twin). He decides faaaiiirly quickly, I think. Maybe a year. He proposes almost immediately after he’s decided. He likes to be sure of himself but once he’s committed he never goes by halves.

Although on the rare occasions when he’s drunk he has been known to propose to random strangers….but that’s a story for another day.

UF!Sans It takes him years. Like, it would almost be better if you just assume its never going to happen. First there’s about fifteen layers of emotional walls that he’s going to have to overcome to get in a relationship in a first place. After that there’s the issue of getting him to take the relationship seriously and actually let himself get invested in it. Then there’s his insecurities, anxieties, resisitance to promise making…..yeah, if you want that ring you’ve got to be in it for the long haul. Even once he finally gets the idea of marrying anybody to sit comfortably in his stomach (he wants to so bad, but the idea that its something he could actually go through with takes about as well as cats to water), it takes him even longer to work up the nerve to ask you. He’s convinced you’re going to turn him down. That he’s going to ruin whatever good thing you’ve got by taking it to a place where you’re not comfortable going. 

Be patient with him. Honestly he’s still a little weirded out that he’s past the one night stand phase.

UF!Papyrus: Figuring out that he wants to propose is the easy part. The way he’s wired Edge doesn’t ask you out unless he’s pretty sure he could see you two getting married. Six months is ample time for him to make the final decision. 

Actually proposing? Well, that’s another matter altogether. 

Honeslty Red just finds the whole thing privately hilarious. His brother, who abhors any kind of procrastination, will take any excuse not to go through with it. Any. Oh, its raining? too bad, outdoor proposals are theo nly way to go so guess he can’t do it tonight. Its too cold, he’s feeling sick, its laundry day….honestly its kind of pathetic up until Undyne gets fed up and sends you a text saying to ask him about  something important he has to say. He’s going to kill her once he can convince himself to leave your side afterwards.

US!Sans Like I said, he proposes fast. Blue trusts his gut feelings. And right now they’re telling him that you two should be together for the rest of your lives. And I mean early. Like, six months max before his first proposal. Given his tendency to date fellow romantics this may not be unsuccessful. If you’re a little more down to earth and hesitate, he’s going to be hurt, but he can get over it. He’s just extremely sure, about himself and you. He’s the kind of guy who believes that no matter what baggage you come with you can grow for each other. So why not settle down fast?

US!Papyrus The actual opposite of his brother. Stretch may never get married. Hell, its hard enough for him to get involved in any kind of long term relationship. Stretch likes novelty, variety, and low stakes. None of these things really work out well for a lengthy  partnership with a person. Commitment’s a hard thing for him to grapple with. Not that its impossibe, but its going to take some significant investment on both sides. But in the end, unless you two are once in a lifetime soulmates, there’s a strong chance that you’ll never end up married. Just continue dating for as long as it lasts.

SF!Sans: He proposes fast too but doesn’t take rejection quite as personally as Blue. In his mind its just a mtter of time before you accept his offer, and he’s perfectly willing to reiterate the offer until you’re ready. I’d be lying if I said early on there isn’t some creepy Pygmalion aspect to this. He sort of believes that after marriage he can mold away any issues in you that pop up. But that falls away pretty fast. In the end, he just wants to be with you. He worries too much that something is going to try and take you from him.  He knows he’s never cared as much for anyone except maybe Papyrus and Alphys before, and it files you immediately under the same fierce protection he provides for both of them.

SF!Papyrus Out of all the lazybones he’s probably the fastest to propose. Mostly because he really can’t believe he has someone like you in his life, not just as a friend or a hookup when you’re both on edge, but a long term partner. Someone who….cares about him. Someone he cares about. There’s no point in his mind to waiting around. He knows he’s never going to feel any more confident in himself no matter how long he waits, and as for the resets….well, he’d rather experience one timeline as your spouse than wait around only to get it taken away anyways. Probably around a year, at most.