#make me remember my writing can be good while i work on fast drafting this next chapter

[felassan]

David Gaider on Cassandra (the last of these retrospective character threads), under a cut for length:

"This is the last of the (major) characters I wrote during my time on Dragon Age. I could go into others, and considered moving onto Stray Gods... but I feel like fewer would be interested, and I honestly can't keep up the pace. So let's make this the last, for now. So, yeah. Cassandra. We knew early on that Cassandra would come into DAI as a companion, along with Varric, that this was part of what DA2 set up for the sequel. Now, I'd written Cassandra's short scenes in DA2, yes, but I wasn't her writer for DAI. Initially, she was Jennifer Hepler's character. By mid-project, in fact, Cassandra was more or less fully written. Jennifer did a great job - solid character, solid quest. The sticking point, it turned out, was her romance. Now, to be fair, Jennifer told me straight up when we began that writing romance wasn't her forte, but she'd give it a go. The problem with the romance as she wrote it wasn't in its execution but more a clash between the character as Jennifer envisioned her and the requirements of her being a romance. See, I mentioned previously that a romance arc inherently limits the kinds of stories you can tell with a companion. Many responses I got can be summed up as "lol skill issue", but consider this: a companion romance isn't a fic you can just throw up on AO3. It's an investment of a lot of resources. If a companion has one, most of their resources need to be devoted to it - it's not "now let's ALSO add a romance"."

"That means it needs to take priority in who they are as a character and their arc. What's more, they need to be *appealing* to a big chunk of the player base - or at least someone we can imagine being broadly appealing, anyway. Thankfully, there are still many many stories this can accommodate. 😊 This, however, wasn't one of those. Was Cassandra a fascinating character? Absolutely. Her romance, though... Well, Jennifer DID warn me. She'd written Cassandra as a serious, self-righteous, pious woman who put the Inquisitor on a messianic pedestal. Romancing her meant changing her view of you. You did this by being... pushy. Jennifer didn't mean it to, I'm sure, but sometimes it came off as, at best, negging. At worst, a bit harassy. And Jennifer would have fixed it. This was a 1st draft, and the issues - while serious - were something a skilled writer like her could handle. No problem. Thing is, Jennifer left. You may not remember, but this was around the time a bunch of GamerGate dudes decided Jennifer was somehow responsible for ALL of BioWare's faults. Oh, the power she wielded! She, a writer, could even command the combat Bio made! The result was a LOT of ugly harassment. 😞 Is this why she left? You'd have to ask her, but it undoubtedly didn't help. The important thing is, she left - and there was nobody as senior nor as superhumanly fast as her to take over any unfinished work. This is where Patrick Weekes comes in: a solid, senior writer who could fill her shoes."

"It was great timing - not only did Cassandra need a writer, I'd slowly fallen more and more behind. It was clear by that point that I'd never be able to write Dorian AND Cole AND Solas as planned. They needed to pick up two. And I let them choose the ones who interested them, like all my writers. Patrick taking Solas was no surprise, and while I had Big Plans for Solas in the future I knew at least he'd be in good hands. I was reeeeaaaally hoping Patrick would then pick Cassandra... but they wanted Cole. My baby. Who I created in Asunder. I grumped, but Patrick clearly loved the character. They had ideas for Cole which... yeah yeah, sounded cool. Fiiine. 😅 Now I had to figure out what *I* was going to do with Cassandra. We couldn't move the romance to someone else, all the other female characters were well underway, and I didn't know the character well enough to fix her with tweaks. That meant a re-write. I didn't WANT to erase all that good work, but I needed to start from scratch. Yet how? A pious, self-righteous character was already a risk in terms of romantic appeal. There are only a small number of traits sorta considered universally unappealing but they're on that list. In this instance, Cassandra already being a known character helped. I came across a webcomic (by aimo, I think? AHH I wish I could find it now) that made a joke about Cassandra reading Varric's books. Off-hand, no basis for it, but funny. 😆 And I thought: YES. THAT'S IT. THAT'S WHAT I'M MISSING."

"I sat down and wrote the "fangirl" scene, just to test it out. Everyone loved it, and it served to change my image of who Cassandra was - a view of the inside, at the idealistic and awkward passion she felt, for so many things... AND the Maker. "Yes," I thought. "I could fall in love with this." Who knew Cassandra could be funny? Not anyone, coming out of DA2, yet here we were. It worked so well and her voice came so easily. Miranda Raison was game ofc, and amazing. Though Caroline did gripe that, if we ever met more Nevarrans THAT accent meant we'd have the Tali Problem all over again. 😅 Cassandra's romance is burned into my brain as the time when we THE most awkward conversation with the animators ever. See, that moment during the sex scene on the picnic blanket when she leans back and... there were suddenly these strategically-placed candles, juuuust covering the Sordid Bits. Thing is, they were so obviously placed just to do that. Plus, we'd already decided to do full nudity in DAI, hadn't we? WHY WERE THEY EVEN THERE? Turns out, the nudity thing was still pretty new to the team. They'd forgotten and put the candles there almost as a reflex. So prudish. So Canadian. 😂 I do find it kind of funny that, these days, what I mostly hear about Cassandra is from female fans upset at me because she wasn't a lesbian option. I mean, right? Who wouldn't want that? Technically not my decision, but I guess I WAS behind the companions having set preferences so... fair enough?"

"Some of them do take it to an entitled place, though, like Cassandra *should* have been a lesbian. Why? Because she looks like one, apparently, and that that's a bit of stereotyping which feels... odd? But it's not as if lesbian players are spoiled for choice left and right, so again: fair enough. It did lead to the best end credits VO perhaps ever, and overall I'm pretty happy with how Cassandra panned out. Things never end up like you expect, right? But such is game dev lyfe. 🥸🖖 Did you know Cassandra was THE most-romanced DAI character, by a good margin? Least, by a good margin? Dorian."

[source thread]

User: "Did you have any hand in her writing for Dawn of the Seeker?" David Gaider: "No, none. Nobody at BioWare had any hand in Dawn of the Seeker, outside of maybe Mike approving the script or direction? Only he could say for sure." [source]

User: "Was Miranda a specific casting choice by anyone on the team (similar to your picks for Merrill/Fenris/Solas), or was she simply a lucky find? I loved Miranda on the BBC series "Spooks", so I was very pleasantly surprised to learn she voiced one of my favourite DA characters" David Gaider: "I don’t remember how Miranda was cast. Auditioned, I expect, and she had a good “steely warrior voice” which is surprisingly uncommon among actresses. The accent she made up was all her, as well." [source]

User: "What's the Tali Problem?" David Gaider: "When Tali was the only Quarian, the actress doing a made-up accent was fine. Once there were others… do we get them all to mimic her? That’s a tall order!" [source]

User: "I'd say Solas is the most popular nowaday, but you need to be such a specific race/gender combo + most straight guys wouldn't go for him, i get hes not on top of the list, but I'd have expected Josephine over Cass." David Gaider: "You can’t go by how fans online talk about playing the game. There is almost zero correlation between the playstyles of the vocal hardcore and the masses." [source]

User: "I was a Dorianmancer. The cut content in Trespasser DLC was sad to read, it definitely felt short/abrupt for Dorianmancers. Anyway to share what was cut at all?" David Gaider: "I don’t know what was cut out of the conversation, as I never played it. I just heard about it after the fact." [source]

User: "Those end credits are truly incredible. Do you remember who wrote them? I'm guessing a combination of Mary Kirby & you?" David Gaider: "I wrote them, but I recall the entire team kind of took part in brainstorming the pieces of it." [source]

User: "I’m very curious- Do you know what direction you would have taken Cole and his story if you’d kept him?" David Gaider: "It's hypothetical at this point, but I suspect I would have been less willing to lose the serial killer aspect... or, at least, would have made that transition occur as part of his arc in DAI. Yet that's easy to say from this side of the divide. Who knows, really?" [source]

User: "With Cassandra you created one of the best characters in DA history." David Gaider: "Personally, my favorite response of hers is where she gets mocked for loving romance and she comes back with a retort about how it's a strength - how loving something and striving for the ideal takes courage. To me, that's central to her core." [source]

User: "inquiry: did you not write any of the Awakening characters?" David Gaider: "I wrote Anders, Justice, and Nathaniel in Awakening - but it was such a hurried project, my memories of it are pretty much a blur. "Yes, I worked on that" is almost all I can say about it, I'm afraid." [source]

[swannieluv]

.𖥔 ݁ ˖꩜ (Almost) free – (PLATONIC) Wriothesley x Teen!Reader

✦⸼࣪⸳𝐆𝐍!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

✦⸼࣪⸳ 𝐖𝐜: 1,5k

✦⸼࣪⸳ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆!!: Mentions of torture (?) and food poisoning.

✦⸼࣪⸳ A/N: HII! This was my first time writing a request and writing for Wriothesley, so I hope you can enjoy it!! Tumblr ate my last (three) draft before I posted, so I had to put an screenshot </3.

✦⸼࣪⸳ @wenutted

╰┈─➤Wriothesley was certainly a man with a lot of work to do. As the Duke of Meropide Fortress, his duty also extended to the most "troublesome" prisoners in the place. Among them was none other than [Name], a juvenile offender bold enough to steal from authority figures in the city of Fontaine.

It was during a summer afternoon that he met them. Wriothesley was on the wait for the arrival of a criminal on reports of serial thefts of jewelry and priceless possessions. There were no witnesses or traces that could lead to the identity of this thief, so even the Marechaussee Phantom was unable to follow their tracks, coming to the conclusion that they were someone ingenious and extremely experienced at what they did.

Well, what he didn't expect was that the notorious bandit he had been waiting for was a teenager with a bad sense of humor and terrible acting.

The "menace on the loose" who was giving the Fontaine authorities such a headache was right there in front of him, caught after falling asleep in a very comfortable seat inside the Court of Fontaine. It could be said that their carelessness had handed them over to their own hunters.

When asked abouth how they had managed to flee so fast from the crime scenes and hide themselves. The only answer they gave, with a straight face, was:

“I was literally just going in and out through the front doors.”

Quite the unexpected answer.

"Your Grace?" Wriothesley was cut short from his thoughts by two fingers snapping in front of his eyes. The only person brave enough to do that, without a doubt, was them. "What are you thinking? I thought we were going to have tea together."

"Me? Well, I was remembering the first time you set foot in this place." He crossed his arms and let out a little sigh. Their sentence was running out with each passing second, and he didn't want to admit that he would miss them if they left.

"Oh, when I gave you the middle…" He quickly shushed them with a hand right in front of their face.

"Yeah, I know. You were terrible to deal with back then." He ran his fingers through their hair playfully, messing it up.

"But I'm better today," they retorted with a simple sentence that carried a deep weight behind it.

A few months had passed since the incident with the Beret Society. [Name]'s behavior had changed drastically since they had been invited to join the group. In the end, it had all been a tremendous lack of humanity on Dougie's part; recruiting the youngest prisoner in the place and putting them through the same punishment he used with adults while handling the Aqua Doloris.

Before, they were sharp in their comments and too relaxed for their own good, one of the reasons that led them to this place after all. It quite amazed Wriothesley at how they ended up avoiding being caught by the Marechaussee, when they definitely didn't even know how to hide or lie.

They played a big part in their little game against Dougie, making Wriothesley start to pay more attention and spend some extra time supervisioning them.

"If I leave, Your Grace will miss me so much that you'll want to lock me up in that cell again. But guess what? You won't,” they sarcastically declared while jumping down the stairs.

“If you fall down those stairs, you won't be able to leave here before recovering; You know that, right child?” Wriothesley could imagine them falling. It wouldn't be their first time hitting the ground hard.

But contrary to expectations, it was Wriothesley who tripped and almost fell down the stairs, holding on tightly to the banister; trying his best to act as if nothing had happened. An embarrassing silence between them.

“Pfft…”

It was all that could be heard, them laughing at him, who remained motionless in place. Maybe he really was going to miss that little pest who, until now, had given him nothing but trouble. There was only one day until they're officially a free citizen again, but even though they joked about the possibility of leaving, their final decision had not yet been made.

"You really are fearless, aren't you?" He chuckled and looked straight into their eyes. "Not everyone has the nerves to joke like that, maybe I should ask for your sentence to be increased or something..."

Click, click.

Soft footsteps approached them, a sound they were both used to hearing through Meropide.

"I brought tea."

From the top of the stairs, Sigewinne had a smile on her face, carrying a small tray with her. At the sight of it, their faces instantly paled. As Sigewinne didn't have the same senses as humans, her cooking was peculiar, to say the least.

"Did you ask her to do it?" Wriothesley whispered to the teen as he watched Sigewinne walk down to them.

"Definitely not. She must have heard we were supposed to do it today."

The two exchanged glances, as if in telepathic communication. The current plan was to escape from the tea without hurting the feelings of the melusine in front of them. So as soon as she got close enough, the lame excuses began.

"Well, Sigewinne, I'd love to enjoy this wonderful drink with you but," she said in a pained tone, a terribly fake performance, "my tummy hurts, so I'll pass this time. You can give my cup to His Grace, he loves tea after all."

They held their belly, pretending to be in pain. But as always, Sigewinne knew how to get around the situation.

"Hm? There's nothing to worry about, this tea is good for the intestinal flora."

"Wonderful news, right, [Name]?" Wriothesley nudged Sigewinne lightly. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to join you two. Duty calls, child.”

Their jaw dropped. That's it, there was no way out of this. Wriothesley could only grin at them and walk away while [Name] was being forced towards their usual tea-time spot. His grin had the exact following translation: "You're doomed."

And so, [Name] had to drink the cursed beverage.

Knock, knock.

Wriothesley's head rose to look at the door. He was just finishing his paperwork, something he could do another day, but which he needed to pretend he was doing so as not to make it so obvious why he wasn't drinking the tea Sigewinne had made.

"Who's there?"

"Someone who’s going to be outside the Fortress as soon as they can," the familiar voice on the other side of the door mocked, sounding like [Name] had finally made his choice, "I don't really like the part about being a juvenile offender or something like that."

Wriothesley let out a low laugh and let them in. He was genuinely not surprised by such a decision. [Name] was a thief on the loose around Fontaine and never stayed in one place for long. Name's preference to not remain contained within the walls of Meropide Fortress was certainly not surprising.

"What made you not want to stay here?" He crossed his arms and leaned further back in his chair; it was a rather comical situation for him.

"Here is nice. I've got food, a roof over my head, people to talk to," they mimicked his action and crossed their arms, "and you're here. But I do miss my true freedom outside those thick walls."

He stared at them with a fond smile on his face. He was quite sad that he would need to say goodbye to that child. Even if selfishly, Wriothesley secretly wished they wouldn't leave Meropide yet. Maybe he did have a favorite prisoner, after all.

“Now, can I get my ‘ultra mega hyper master favorite prisoner’ title before I go?”

They looked at him with stars in their eyes. To be honest, it was quite laughable.

“We’ll see how it goes.” He placed down the papers in his hand, waiting for them to speak more. Wriothesley definitely couldn't do that, even though it would be hilarious to see the other's reaction.

He got up and walked over to them. Unlike expected, Wriothesley hugged them and patted their head. And with a big smile on his face, he could proudly say:

"Enjoy your life out of here, little prick.” He gave them a playful, painless smack on the head.

“Thank you, Your Grace; but…”

They smiled mischievously at him and pointed to the door. Through it, came Sigewinne with her snack tray.

“To show my appreciation towards Your Grace and the great time I had here, I kindly requested my little friend Sigewinne to prepare the best pastries ever.”

The snacks presented to him had a suspicious smell. Maybe Sigewinne was also voluntarily partaking in this small prank. It was hard to say because of her usual smile.

“Just for you.”

In the end, even he couldn't escape getting a taste from his own medicine.

✦⸼࣪⸳♡ BONUS:

“I thought you would be free. What happened, [Name]?”

Sigewinne put a finger over her mouth, trying to understand the reason why they would stay inside such a place when they wanted to be free.

“I got sentenced to more time for ‘murder attempt through food poisoning’.”

“Towards who?” She tilted her head in confusion, an interested look in her face.

“...”

They silently pointed towards the Duke.

“Oh.”

[therealvinelle]

(A question for both you and muffin)

What speed do you guys write?

I feel like you guys must write at such an incredible rate based on the work you produce in such a short amount of time. Any tips if you have any to increase output would be appreciated!

You were lost in the drafts! I'm so sorry.

To answer your question: it depends a bit on the fic, but typically we write as fast as we're typing, then get distracted, then write, then distracted. Sometimes we take turns being distracted.

It used to be we'd outline the entire chapter in great detail, but as we've gotten this down to a routine it's bullet points.

It's very relaxing and meditative.

As for how we're able to write that fast, I think it's threefold:

We're both picturing how a given scene should unfold, and then writing down what happens. I don't come up with a character's dialogue, I'm just writing what he said and describing how he says it or what he's thinking. Slowness or hesitation mostly occurs when we don't know what happens next or disagree.

No second guessing ourselves over one word or sentence for more than two minutes, no obsessing over getting that perfect sentence down. It was hard at first to get used to, but watching @theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin get ahead and write the good bits while I was contemplating how to phrase the last sentence of a random paragraph taught me to just make a decision.

Validation - whenever I'm unsure about something, or catch Muffin writing some thing I don't love or she catches me, we can discuss right away. While it does happen that we write something, then afterwards one or both say "Hang on. That was really bad!" for the most part writing jointly means there's two people have looked at the text and found it satisfying.

My best advice is to just write, get used to just writing without worrying too much about it, and get yourself an honest person whose opinion you trust (there is a LOT of atrocious advice out there!).

(I also have an anecdote for this: there is an author I follow on a social media, who has written a fairly popular story. They also, like most of us, have reoccurring weaknesses as a writer. They mentioned having gone to a writing group or class (I don't remember which), and receiving feedback on these specific weaknesses. Rather than accept this feedback (which they had sought out by joining the group to begin with!) they came to their followers for validation, making fun of the advice and talking about how stupid the advice-giver was.

The lesson to be learned: constructive criticism can really suck because even though you sought it out, and the criticism you get is constructive and useful, you didn't want to hear it. Therefore, decide before you go if you actually want to risk being told something you didn't want to hear, and choose the criticism-giver carefully because they could be wrong.

The reason I bring this up in a post about writing speed is that you write very slowly when you're unsure of yourself, and insecurity forms a terrifying wall between yourself and that "publish" button. At least, my speed has improved vastly since @theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin became my beta and later cowriter.)

You also want to be careful with planning the story. Planning isn't writing and it often isn't really planning either, it all too often slides right into coming up with headcanons and aesthetics for a complex daydream. If that's what you want to do, go forth, and god knows there's an audience for moodboards and headcanon posts, but if you're serious about wanting to get the story down in writing then you've got to ask yourself whether your plans for the story are in fact plans or not.

I will also advice, insofar it is possible, to not pour too much of yourself into your writing. If it's your darling who owns your whole heart, you're fiercely proud of it, then having somebody say "Hey, this could be a lot better" is all the more discouraging. Abandoning it if it loses traction or you're not sure where to go with it is also devastating. You should love what you do, by all means, but don't tie your self-worth as a writer in the individual things you produce. Even the greats have flops alongside their masterpieces, or just less good works. Focus on having fun and enjoying what you do, drop a project without guilt if you lose passion for it, put it on pause if you want to pursue a different project, and be clear on what feedback you want from beta readers. Fanfiction writing is a hobby, and unlike most hobbies it's completely free. Treat it as such.

Best of luck!

[motherstone]

Kazu Kibuishi nearly died while making ‘Amulet.’ Two decades later, he’s completed it. – Orange County Register (ocregister.com)

A passage from the article:

But in the decade since his recovery, Kibuishi says he still feels the effects.

“It changed my life, for sure. That’s part of the reason why I can’t write as fast as I used to. I can definitely draw just as quickly; that’s just motor skill. But writing is really what takes the most time,” he says, adding his memory has been affected – sometimes he’d finish a page only to realize he’d already drawn it before. “There are certain obstacles and hurdles I have to get over. I don’t want to use it as an excuse but … I have set a standard with my former self that is very hard for this brain to match.”

Kibuishi’s memory came up when I mention an earlier meeting we’d had. Years ago, not long after he’d recovered, I’d reached out to tell him how much my family enjoyed his books and Kibuishi had invited us to visit his Bolt City Productions studio in Alhambra. While a memorable event for us, Kibuishi says he can’t remember much from that period.

“That time in my life, I just have to accept that I was a bit of an amnesiac. There’s like a crater in my memory,” he says. “I don’t know if I’ll ever fully recover from it, but I manage well, I think, despite all of that.”

That explains why Amulet turned out the way it did. I deeply regret the harsher points of my criticisms, but my points about flaws of the series still stand.

On one thing, I presumed that his injury may have played a factor, something that severe especially in the brain is not something you would 100% recover from. On the other hand, I thought it is pretty wrong to speculate or assume further about Kazu’s medical history because that’s ultimately his business to divulge or not.

So I assumed it was arrogance. I assumed that since he’s secured a good number of loyal readers, he’s just putting whatever because a.) he’s done with Amulet, and b.) people would read his books either way, so why bother with quality? Which is not only extremely bad faith of me, but also deeply insulting to Kazu as an artist. To which I am regretful, and I do apologize. He really just can’t remember. The Amulet we started with isn’t the Amulet we ended with.

That also explains his process. He’s made around 1000 draft pages for book 9, then pick and discard what he wanted to keep and honestly, I’m pretty sure someone with a direction for their story wouldn’t have such ramblings that would take 1000 pages (I myself who also draws a lot wouldn’t make that high of a number), the process overall was just yonkers. But for someone with a spotty memory… That’s probably the best method he could come up with.

But in all honesty, reading this article gave me an overwhelming sense of peace. I could live with Kazu’s reasons if it was because he’s done with Amulet, or if it was because of executive meddling, or if it was for medical reasons. Mostly because these are all problems that can be fixed. A better project, a better employer, a better work schedule, better accommodations. I still think the writing is awful and declined badly, but I’m more relieved that it isn’t because Kazu no longer cares or values his work. Ultimately, he genuinely did the best he could.

[sweetlywingedcreation]

Literally teaching myself to read guitar tabs so i can transpose them so i can play em on Webfishing's guitar...

My attempt at Riebeck's portion of Travellers from the Outer Wilds OST

My process (incase any one was curious how i did it) + The finished tabs for Travellers will be under the cut!

Okay so the process of how i did all this (as a guy who took maybe a few months worth of guitar lessons when he was 10 but knows basic music theory) goes as follows:

Step 1 - Find a song you like and grab the tabs for em.

For Riebeck's portion i got them from this youtuber i found named ortemigyrr

Step 2 - Learn how the fuck to read guitar tabs the way Webfishing has them laid out

This was my first draft. I took a screenshot, rotated it so it would match up with Webfishing's layout, wrote QWERTY over top since those are the keys you use for each string, and then started writing out what keys are pressed and where they are on the guitar.

Step 3 - Make sure you keep track of the notes

Just writing down the keypresses like wrtr ttrrrrr won't be of much use if you don't remember how fast and how long they should be played!

For my example here's the first 2 bars of 'sheet' music. I made single-spaced notes quarter notes, doubled notes are eighth notes, and the period next to the quarter note makes it a dotted quarter note.

3 0 0.0 | 10 20 24 0 W R T.R | TT RR RR R

You won't actually be using this to play, its just good to keep a hold of while you work!

Step 4 - Pick out what chords you need

Since Riebeck's songs has very quick switches on the same key so i grouped the chords together based on how easy it would be to switch between! (i chose 6 7 8 for this example but you can use any number from 1-9, this was just the most comfy for my hands)

Chord 6 030000 Chord 7 000210 Chord 8 002430

Step 6 - Convert the 'sheet' music into a readable tab

Once you have all your notes and you know what chords you will be moving between, mash them together to make a tab for Webfishing!

The finished tab for Travellers looks like this!

Hammer is = (shift key), Same chord is - (no change)

6------ 7=6 7=6 7=8 6 W R T.R TT RR RR R 6------ 7=6 7=6 7=8 8- E R T.R TT RR RR TR 8 6---- 7=6 7=6 7=8 6 E R T.R TT RR RR R 6------ 7=6 7=6 7=8 8- E R T.R TT RR RR TR

I hope this is like coherent enough, my brain started shutting down half way through writing this so i am praying it makes sense!

Been in bed sick all day so once i feel better i'll try to record me playing it (i will warn you i am slow and BAD at Webfishing Guitar)

but for right now if you read all the way to the bottom ily and thanks for listening to the rambling of a strange man obsessed with a fishing game :}

[ink-splotch]

Hi!!! I just wanted to tell you that seeing your new game reminded me that Stay? exists and that it's soooo good. It's been a while since I played it, so I don't remember the details, but I do remember being amazed at how much variation there was, how every detail was perfectly woven into the story, and how human the characters felt despite us not getting that much time to know them. Plus, I personally love war plots, and yours DID NOT disappoint. I also really loved how the different "career paths" impacted your story, and just how many different details and paths you could get depending on what you did at every step of the way. I don't know, I just remember liking it a lot and feeling really accomplished once I managed to beat it.

Also, out of curiosity, who are all the LIs? In my lifetimes, I remained pretty faithful to Myka (love of my life, she was so great!!!), but I imagine Esteban, Jo, Suzette and Gemma to be romanceable. Did I miss someone else?

Another question I have is: how did you get the idea for the game? And by that I mean, what was the inspiration for the plot and all the different characters + why did you even decide to make a CYOA in the first place?

Because, again, it was incredibly good and I'd like to know which stars do I have to thank for it existing.

Anyways, once I'm really excited to play More a Haunting than a History, and I just know it's gonna be as great as Stay? was!

Thank you so much and have a nice day! ~ 🍪

Hello there! Thanks for writing me. There are five major romanceable characters in Stay?: Myka, Esteban, Jo, Gemma, and Suzette. Technically, there are some minor romanceable NPCs (ex. the different folks you can live your life with in the "fuck off into the hills" ending), but those five are the main gist of it. The main five can also also each be platonic life partners for you, rather than traditional romantic partners, if that's more your style.

Myka is my wife's favorite love interest in Stay? by far, so great taste.

Stay? actually has a very clear origin story for me. My friends and I played Outer Wilds, which I highly highly recommend, and I was so delighted by its balance and structure that I wanted to see if I could make something built on the same bones. I drafted up my @sortinghatchats quiz to get used to the ink system, and then dove into Stay?. It was the most fast/obsessed I've ever put a story on paper (so to speak) and I admit I may still be chasing that high.

I built the basic structure first, and then added on the setting, characters, plot macguffins, details, etc. on top, trying to interweave and connect them. I like how it turned out. The plotline with the southern lands, to be vague for spoilers reasons, was actually a very late addition and I think it, in many ways, is what made the game work for me.

I hope you enjoyed MAHTAH! It's a very different game than Stay?, in some ways; and I'm proud of myself in different ways in terms of what I tried to build there.

[solarishashernoseinabook]

Yk, I was going to ask this in the comments, but then I thought, why not a nifty little ask?

Do you actually write all your stories by hand? And how does it work? Cuz personally I am always put off by the fact I like, don't write fast enough to be able to keep up with the sentences forming in my head, yk. And do you then retype the chapter after you've handwritten it? Genuinely curious as to why/if/.. you prefer doing it this way

I'm glad you asked! And I'm glad you asked as an ask, because this would be a weee bit long to go in a tumblr comment 😅

I handwrite most of my fics, yeah! Tho it's more of a hybrid model instead of strictly handwriting, then typing. I bounce between handwriting and typing based on if I'm having writer's block or not. If I get stuck when typing up a chapter, I save what I have, close down my computer, and pick up a notebook and start writing from the last point I remember. Not being able to refer back to what I've written previously means I'm not stuck agonising over it, and allows me to write more freely than if I was constantly going back to earlier paragraphs. If I get stuck when handwriting, I boot up my computer again and transcribe everything. Y'know that bit of writing advice that's like "if you have writer's block, your problem is actually half a page back"? Yeah, that's why I transcribe! The process of rereading my earlier writing lets me identify what's not working and how to fix it.

TRR2 is actually the first fic where the majority of it has been handwritten beforehand, because Angel bought me a gorgeous notebook to write it in (and he got me a second to continue with!). A good portion of every chapter so far has been handwritten, and some chapters were entirely handwritten before I transcribed them :D

Further reasons I like handwriting include...

...no longer worrying so much about making it "perfect", and letting a first draft just be a first draft Sometimes in the middle of writing a scene I'll realise it works better in another character's POV, or in another setting, or any number of things. Instead of going back and changing it, I make a note saying what the change is and then keep writing as though I've already made the change. That way it doesn't break up the flow of writing and I can continue on a roll! Similarly, if a line is wonky or weird, but I can't immediately think of a better one, I just write down the wonky line and continue. Without the ability to erase what I just wrote, I don't get bogged down making every line perfect, and usually when I go to transcribe it later I have a better idea of what to write

...it helps me be more considerate of my words Wait, isn't this a direct contradiction of what I just said? Let's pretend it isn't I also write slower than I type, which I find is a bonus! My brain keeps working on the words and scene while I write, and they can often end up more refined than if I was typing everything because I had more time to turn the words over in my brain. There's also just something about handwriting things that helps my brain remember them more

...it's way more versatile I can't type on phones - it's actively very uncomfortable for me (small hands yaaay). Unfortunately, this means if I'm not at a computer, typing anything more than a couple of sentences is a no-go. Notebooks are easy to carry, don't require an external power source, and I can easily curl up with them to write in the car, in bed, or outside (bonus: it's MUCH easier to see a notebook in direct sunlight than it is to try and make out words on a screen). It also means I can write at work without worrying about keystrokes being logged, people seeing what's on my screen, forgetting a USB, or - disaster of disasters - computers crashing and erasing my data

...purely autistic/aesthetic reasons :D Writing is a huge physical stim for me. Typing can be too depending on the keyboard I'm using, but writing with a pen on paper is remarkably calming in a way that very little else is. Also, notebooks pretty ❤

thanks for dealing with all that (and also giving me an excuse to ramble on for way too long :D)!

[anonymityisfunwriter]

I’m missing fury and sunshine interactions 🙏🙏 was wondering if you could write smth abt our dynamic duo (father daughter even tho they won’t acknowledge it)

You are in luck, dear reader, because it is draft clearing time and this has been sitting pretty in my drafts so quite some time.

(And fyi, while I am loving The Twin Flame, I do miss other character interactions too)

Thanks for the ask! 💛

Fury Finds Out (Part 2)

☀️Part of The Grumpy x Sunshine Series☀️

Fury Finds Out (Part 1)

Sam bolts down the hallway in a desperate attempt to reach Bucky before Nick Fury does.

He barely escapes the sounds of Nick's voice bellowing down the hall when he finds you and Bucky standing in the common room.

"Oh, hey, Sam, I -"

"Hey, so you remember how I did you that favor and covered for you guys because you wanted to go to Coney Island instead of going to the very important meeting that I told you guys you had to be at?" Sam rants in one long winded breath, steam rolling over your words. "Without me, might I add?"

A little stunned by the frantic tone of Sam's voice, all that leaves your mouth is, "Uh... yeah?"

Sam keeps looking over his shoulder in a panic, "So, by that logic, you guys owe me one right?"

"What did you do?" you suspiciously ask.

Sam doesn't have a chance to answer before you three hear a familiar voice reverberate through the hallways, "Where the hell is he? Barnes!"

Sam winces at the shout, "Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and call in that favor right... about now. Clint was being an asshole and sorta told Nick that you guys were together."

"What?" you shriek.

"And that you're living together," Sam cringes. "And he might just be looking for Bucky."

Bucky groans, pinching the bridge of his nose, "On a scale of one to ten, how screwed am I?"

You reassuringly wrap your arm around Bucky's waist, "It's probably not that ba-"

Suddenly, Nick appears in the doorway of the common room, "Barnes!"

"12," Sam states. "Definitely screwed."

"Maybe he's just mad that we missed the meeting?" you halfheartedly suggest, wincing as Nick storms over to Bucky.

"Okay, you guys have fun with that. My work here is done for the day," Sam quips, making his way to out.

As he leaves, he crosses paths with Nick, Sam shrinks, jolting away from Nick's warpath.

Nick glares at Bucky for a moment. His eyes trail over to you, then to your arm wrapped around Bucky. Bucky gently moves your hand, "Maybe you shouldn't touch me right now?"

"How's it going, Nick?" you greet, ignoring his furious expression.

His nostrils flare as he breaks his glare at Bucky. "How's it going?"

"Have a good meeting?" you ask, your voice trailing off as anger literally rolls off of him.

"No," Nick enunciates, glaring at Bucky. "And you know why?"

"I think we can guess," Bucky mutters under his breath.

"I don't like being blindsided. I don't like not knowing. I know everything. Do you like pissing me off, Barnes?"

"No - no, of course not," Bucky stammers, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Not knowing things, pisses me off. Not knowing important things, pisses me off even more."

"I meant to tell you, Nick. I swear-"

Nick continues speaking over Bucky, still glaring at him with a rage you'd never seen before, "Trying to pull a fast one, Barnes?"

"That was not my intention."

"So what were your intentions?"

Bucky was not usually scared of Nick Fury. Not in the slightest. But that was Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD.

This was Nick Fury, the person who rescued you from captivity, the closest thing to a father figure in your life.

If he was a little less terrified of what Nick might do to him, he might've cracked a smile at Nick asking him what his intentions were with you.

"Wait, wait, wait!" you interject, "It was my fault, I wanted to tell you myself, but I just got back and we wanted to spend some time together before I left again. Bucky wanted to tell you months ago."

"This has been going on for months!?" Nick fumes.

You cringe, anxiously twisting your fingers, "I get the sense that you didn't know that."

Nick grits his teeth, his nostril flaring as he glares at Bucky. "I didn't know that."

Just as Nick's hands start curling into fists, you step in front of Bucky, who stands tense and ready to take a punch to the face.

"Please don't kill him, Nick," you ask, your voice filled with hope. "For me?"

Nick angrily sucks in a breath, only hesitating at your request.

For a moment, you're not sure if you actually convinced him to leave Bucky alone. He slowly exhales, still incredibly pissed off. He narrows his eyes slightly, he turns to Bucky, speaking softly, "I want you to know that I know hundreds of ways for you to disappear without a trace."

Bucky anxiously nods, "I don't doubt that, sir."

"Consider yourself warned."

"Yes, sir."

Nick turns to you after a moment of intensely glaring at Bucky. He points at you with an admonishing finger, "We'll discuss this later."

You nod with a wide grin, "I'll look forward to it."

"Oh my God," Bucky sighs in relief, his shoulders dramatically slumping after Nick walks out of the room.

"I think that went well!"

Reblogs and comments are always appreciated 💛

Grumpy Sunshine Series Grumpy Sunshine Drabbles

Taglist: @marianita195 @meli18gonzalez@ludicbouquetfromearth@matchat3a@famousbreadcherryblossomsstuff@valoraxx@blue786sworld@buckyandgeraltsupremacy@geminigengar@ansaturn@ecolle@lexhalstead3@ybflkmj@mediocre-daydreams@shanye1112@thegirlnextdoorssister@toomanyfanficsbruh@moonlightreader649@breathtaking-cynthia@mirikusashes@beans-and-toast@niyahcoca@katiechikin@elxvrr@antiheroxsblog@infamouslyclumsy@krissydclayton93@buckysbarne@deadheadwbedhead @qualitygiantshoepsychic

[msvorderofoperations]

Actually, I need to talk more about weird animation.

When Defunctland made the video a while back about the Disney channel theme and it's associated bumpers (and spoke profoundly on the nature of the "use" of art and the difficulty of legacy in modern society, but I digress), it reminded me of the station idents from Teletoon, a Canadian TV channel that focused on animation. As comprehensive as the archivists work that was cited in that video is, there are far fewer people working on the same for Canadian ephemera. Which makes a certain amount of sense, since there is both less overall Canadian material to be saved, and far fewer people familiar with the media to want to track it down.

So when I tried looking up the idents that I remembered, there was basically nothing, and what little there was had very low quality. Fast forward to a couple weeks ago when I rewatched the Disney Channel Theme video. I tried again looking up in any of the other databases if there was anything on Teletoon. And this time, I saw that there was a draft of a page for the network as a whole on the Audio Visual Identity Database. It's still in limbo as a draft, because they only have the history going up to 2011. There are missing images, video embeds that no longer work, etc. All fairly standard problems (I imagine) for dealing with a TV network that existed in the pre-digital age.

However! They had all of the idents from when the channel first came into being, and were the ones I remembered! They have individual clips of each, from across a few different youtube channels. They had specific branding for each of the four main programming blocks, which I always found fascinating and a useful barometer for what kind of tone to expect. A full description of each clip used as well as production credits can be found in the draft of the page here.

In rewatching them again, in the suggested videos I was able to find a single video that has all of the idents used from 1997-1998 that is also very good quality.

What's wild to me though is the fact that all of these extremely stylistically different skits are done by a single animation house. Claymation, traditional hand-drawn cel animation, photo-collage, and papier mache stop motion. The breadth of skill needed to not only be able to convey very fast storytelling, but also across entirely different media is amazing. Cuppa Coffee Studios does amazing and invisible work. The ones that I have the most vivid memories of are the photo-collage car that gets completely randomized after hitting a bump, and the very last one. The 90's were an incredible time for animation, and that people were really comfortable getting DEEPLY weird with it even in mass media, is something I legitimately miss.

I feel I should mention at this point that even after I grew out of childhood, Teletoon remained my favourite TV channel for a very long time. Their commitment to only having animation or shows about the animation process helped me foster a love of the craft in all it's forms. And that they had animation from all different eras and sophistication (I'm pointedly not saying mature here, because a lot of their mature content wasn't [looking at YOU Duckman]) also showed me the breadth of what storytelling was possible in the medium. Being an agent of imperialist colonialism and being abandoned when you no longer served a purpose! The difficulties of running a small business in rural Southwestern America! Ivanhoe! The many MANY different iterations of Scooby Doo! And that was just the weekday afternoon block!

As I write this, I know that almost no one is going to have the same fondness for this thing I experienced as a kid. All the same, it does make me sad to see that Teletoon as a distinct identity is now gone. In 2023, it was fully replaced by Cartoon Network in all of it's branding and affiliate stations. It's just more of the same of the whole "these three companies own all media", but it's still a strange thing to see. Teletoon existed in the first place because outside of very specific circumstances it was actually impossible to get Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network in Canada. So seeing something created explicitly to occupy a space that a corporate entity refused to engage with get replaced by the same rankles more than a little. It doesn't even really matter that much to me, as I haven't watched network or cable television regularly in well over a decade. But still. Knowing how CN has historically and currently treated it's artists at every level certainly doesn't help.

In any case, thanks for letting me ramble about weird animation history for a bit.

[batbirdies]

Hi! Love your stories but I was wondering what is your writing process? I want to start writing Batfam but it's so intimidating with making creators like you, I just feel like I'll never measure up! What do you do for inspo? Do you plan out every chapter? How long does it take you to write? Do you already know how the stories will end?? Sorry if this is to invasive!

Aw thank you so much that’s very flattering!!

I would try not worry about “measuring up” to anyone as much as that’s easier said than done 😅. Just remember there will always be readers who like your work even if you think it could be better.

As far as your questions no worries! I’m happy to answer questions like this :)

I get inspo from lots of things! Mainly reading really good fic inspires me to write. As far as ideas they come from everywhere! Sparked by other fic often where I think “this is a cool idea but what if this part was different?”

Or sometimes by reading fic I didn’t love lol because I like the idea but want to execute it in a way I prefer.

Otherwise I think discussing ideas and head canons with others is one of the best ways to flesh out and get new ideas. Discord is the way to go. (As far as finding discord servers to join, this can be hard, but if you ask around there are usually some open to inviting new people)

Do I plan out every chapter? I’m inclined to say yes. Usually I write a first draft of the entire fic, then I start a rewrite and post each chapter as I finish the second draft of it. This usually leads to big changes and deviations from the original draft as I go, so I don’t always stick to the plan and often have to go back to the drawing board but yes, I do have a plan.

For me trying to write a publishable draft without a rough draft feels like trying to draw perfect line art without a sketch. It’s just doesn’t work for me.

How long does it take me to write? Honestly impossible to answer 😂 it varies drastically. I wrote CCAKT in about year including first and second draft, the second draft reaching 250k words. I also wrote Live While Breathe and I’ll Come Out Right on the Other Side that same year. Which amounts to roughly 340k words of second draft in one year. The 23k of LWIB was done in about 3 days. So I wrote a LOT that year and fast.

This has since not been the case lol. Took me about a year and half to finish the 31k of overcoming our antecedents. Then theres Penny drops.

I’ve been working on it for like 2 and a half years at this point and I’ve been incredibly slow trying to get the next few chapters out because I keep being unhappy with them. And also because I’ve had some health issues and it’s been hard to have the energy to work on it. I have taken significantly long breaks from writing all together at different times because of fatigue and burnout. But I try to stick with things and eventually finish long projects.

Do I already know how a story will end? Again, yes and no lol. I always have a plan of how it will end from the beginning, but with long fics i inevitably hate my original plan by the time i get there and have to totally rework what i previously had in mind. (This is really the reason i do a first and second draft, my rewrite is always SO much better in my mind than my original ideas)

Short fics are less that way and I usually stick with the plan.

Having said all of that I definitely want to emphasize that everyone is going to have a different process that works for them! Best thing to do is try different methods. I know I’m rare for fully drafting stuff and rewriting it so that might not work for you, but I know @cdelphiki does the same thing. She’s the only other fic writer I know that does it tho lol.

@coyote-nebula plots more with timelines and lists and then writes her scenes out of order but in perfectly publishable prose from the beginning, then does heavy editing run throughs and keeps notes on points to remember when she’s continuing long fics. (I am not nearly so organized)

And of course there’s many other methods! Best thing to do is jump in and try some stuff!

[sugoi-writes]

FUCK. I WROTE PART NINE AND HAD IT ALL READY TO GO AND THEN MY KID GOT HER HANDS ON MY PHONE AND CLOSED THE APP. THANK LUCIFER I HAD THE FIRST HALF SAVED AS A DRAFT BUT STILL. OTL sending this separate because I was paranoid she'd do it again and I would have to write the second part a third time 😭 also realizing I forgot to put my sig at the bottom of Pt.9

..... Annnnd of course, after pressing send I remember that I forgot to rewrite the part where reader chokes Alastor when they cum. just shoot me holy motherfucking shit

At some point I'mma just make these into a full blown PWP fic. It seems like they get longer with each installment 🤣 (I'm sorry btw, I always feel kinda bad whenever I leave long messages in anyone's inbox 😫

AYEEEE WELL YA KNOW WHAT THEY SAY - GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE!! 😘❤️‍🔥

It's a fitting pet name Hunny Pun! You're the queen of puns and you're so so SO sweet like a Honey Bun! is that icing or Alastor's jizz on you??? ... im so sorry i'll see myself out again 😭 CAN'T FIND AND KISS ME IF I FIND AND KISS YOU FIRST BABES~! ❤️❤️❤️

I can't hold on to my anonymity anymore guys so I'mma be making Pt.10 my reveal post~ it's killing me that I can't leave rabid fangirl messages on your works like you all do here for me! I really did wanna wait until I got the Smutmus Holy Trinity complete or at least in the revision stages but just- GAH! I NEED YALL TO KNOW HOW AMAZING I THINK YOU ARE. Beautiful beautiful minds, inside and out i can't even-!

Seriously though, I can't even begin to express how grateful and happy I am to have met any of you! And there are no words in the English dictionary (or any at all really) that I could use to describe what I feel about how accepting and supportive you've been! I could NEVER thank yall enough for helping me to find the joy in writing again. I love all three of you so much and I'm honored to call you friends!! 🥺🥰💋

- ☄️❤️ Smut Santa

False Alarm for the Next Part!! And honestly, thank God, the vibe is still not charged HAH--

Oh no!!! I'm so sorry that happened to you!! I had a similar experience when writing my part 2 to my Nun! Alastor fic. Fun fact: had to re-write it 5 times because I kept forgetting to save it. ;;_;; hhhh my baby fever is so bad I'm crying, but man, KIDS! What a little stinker 🥹❤️

Also, my ask box is usually super empty? Like, you could LICK the floor with how neat and empty it is? I LOVE messages? Even better if they long like Alastor's girthy fucking co--

We--We were- when we??? ALASTOR GETS--??? MY HANDS AROUND HIS???

*Danny.Exe has experienced an Error*

*Rebooting*

OKAY IM BACK--

☄️❤️Anon... babycakes. At this rate I'm gonna do more than fucking kiss you. I think we're past that now. And if you keep calling me 'Hunny Pun', or similar pet names, I'm just gonna jump your bones--

Hug you!!!! I meant hug you!!!

It's Alastor's jizz. It's canon-- NO DONT LEAVE I NEED TO KNOW HOW I GOT IT ON MY FAAAAAAACE

GUYS CODE TREAT, CODE TREAT, THE ANON VEIL IS DROPPING!!! ITS DROPPING DHDHDJDHDJ-- You will never gain a mutual as fast as you will then I SWEAR

☄️❤️!!! Smut Santaaaaa! 🥹😭❤️ Your mind is a beautiful, smutty, enchanting place!!! Knowing that you've been religiously cranking this out, while also having a kiddo... Seriously, how do you do it??? If anyone deserves the praise rn, 🎵it's you??? It's you, ITS ALWAYS YOU!!🎵 ❤️❤️❤️

Don't push yourself too hard! Please? ❤️ I will treasure these rare, scrumptious little treats for as long as I have brain cells left ❤️ I will call you friend until you tell me to quit or I lose my voice for good. And even then, my lips will keep moving and repeating the same thing until I'm blue in the face. ❤️❤️❤️ you are such a sweet, sweet, soul, and I can feel your vibes, and they are so wholesome! I can't wait to meet the person or sexual fiend behind it all! I feel like I speak for us all, and not just the main 3, but EVERYONE: everyone who has read your posts love you to bits. And they love your work to bits. Best believe when you publish your first work, we'll be there. En masse. And we will be EAGERLY returning the love you surprised us with.

Thank you for all that you do. On this post in particular, you deserve a foot rub, a forehead kiss, and a hug that lifts and spins you off your feet! 💗💗💗

Have a blissful, best of days you can have, dear! You deserve it! 💗

[parkitaco]

Hiiiii, question, how do you convince yourself your writing doesn't suck and to just finish what you wrote so you can upload it (your stories are amazing they don't suck this is a self-help ask not a roast) when you don't have friends to send to to get hype messages to keep you motivated? I am. Struggling to complete anything because I have anxiety, low self esteem and no friends l o l uuughfh I just want to share what I write but I can't get to the "complete stage" because to my eyeballs everything I write just looks like trash :( and like if I write and immediately submit before I can ruminate on it that'd be great but I can't write that fast so when I have to sit for a few days I realize everything I wrote was awful and I can't get back to finishing it ummm I am in a spiral plz send help Idk sorry maybe you don't have this issueee aaahhhh sorry

hi anon!! sorry for being the Worst and not answering this for many days whoops <33 i don't have a lot of Specific or Helpful advice for this unfortunately although i totally get where you're coming from!!! it can be so so hard to get stuff done when you're just not liking the way it sounds or are feeling stuck in some way.

i thinkk the best advice i can really offer is that you have to try to be as objective as possible when looking over what you've written and kind of be like. ok what is the Reason why i don't like this. bc sometimes when i'm reading back stuff i've written i'm like ew i don't like this but that's just because i'm looking at it through the lens of Me being the one who wrote it if that makes sense!! while other times i'm reading it back and there's something that i don't like that actually is a valid concern and is fixable. so if you can kind of separate the two in your mind under categories of Insecurity versus Plot/Flow/Pacing Issues it can help!! if it's something to do with the actual overall content, go back to the last place where you feel like the writing is solid and read from there to try to figure out where the issue starts and what you could change about it. if it's something that you think is just caused by your own self-critical lens, try rereading again and pretending that you're not the one who wrote it and see if you feel differently <33

beyond that, it's important to remember that your writing never has to be perfect, especially if it's only a first draft!!! if there's something in the tone or dialogue or Whatever of the story that you don't like, sometimes it's better to power through and try to get all the major scenes at least half-written, so that you have a solid piece that you can then go back and tweak until you feel good about it!! if you're stuck on a particular part, you can make a note to yourself to return to it later, then hit enter a few times and start with the next scene/paragraph that you can clearly envision.

and ofc always remember that it's literally just fanfiction and it's supposed to be fun, so you don't need to stress yourself out too hard about delivering The Most Quality Content Possible (this is one i struggle with too so i feel u). if something isn't fun, there's nothing wrong with scrapping it and starting something new, or starting over, or simply taking a break and coming back to it when you feel ready!! and i promise promise promise that if you Can get yourself to work through the anxiety, your writing will improve with practice and time <33

[chaos-has-theories]

WIP Tag/Reblog Game

Thank youuuuu @aidanchaser!

List the titles your top five priorities for WIP updates (link your fics for new readers!)

An upcoming scene, event, or detail in each fic that you're looking forward to writing

Bonus: make a poll for your followers to vote on which top 5 WIP they are most excited to see an update on!

Then tag 10 writer friends!

WIP TITLES

Specifically 5 fanfics this time around - the things that are loudest about rattling my head at the moment.

Timetravel AU - Septimus Heap After a series of escalating deaths, Marcia and Septimus use the House of Foryx to travel back in time and - hopefully - fix things.

Merlin Resurrection AU - working title "I Refuse" Merlin has been alive for a thousand years, and he just found out that the rest of the gang is back. The problem is, none of them fully remember anything: It's only just enough to spook Arthur hard enough that he cut contact with all of the others and is trying his hardest to just be an obnoxious college student.

Three is Company - Septimus Heap, role swap AU. Prequel/Equel to The Long Way Home. Answers such thrilling questions as "how did Septimus get adopted by the Queen?", "how much trauma can you put into one freshly-minted EOW?" and "What exactly IS going on between Marcia, Milo and Cerys?"

The Egypt Agenda Part 4: The Distant Goddess I have yet to properly write out my Egyptian analysis of Nona the Ninth! Also I've been meaning to put the other parts on Ao3 for a while

Gideon the Musical Ohhhh boy I just rediscovered this while going through my drafts and?? I mean no there's pretty much nothing in that file yet but now I really want to pick it up again

UPCOMING SECTIONS

I am two-thirds through the scene in which Septimus and Simon infiltrate the Young Army to rescue 412. I'm not sure why I haven't kept working because technically I'm at such a juicy point? 412 thinks he's about to be thrown into DN1, Septimus can't tell him what's really going on, and Simon is being told to do a spell that this-timeline Simon has no reason to know. It's GOOD I think I'm just scared I can't hit the correct balance for it

sgahjhgsshfdg Merlin just met Gwen and the Knights at a metal concert and they made their way backstage to greet Morgana and Morgause but like. Morgana is half-convinced he'll try to kill her again. Gwen is crying. Merlin is inwardly screaming because if THEY'RE all back does that mean Arthur is as well??? I probably COULD skip the explanations and just continue the scene where he confronts Arthur. I'm just.... not sure how to resolve it yet. Stubborn Prince is being Stubborn.

Milo just fished a baby from the river and is walking towards the Palace to greet his wife and newborn daughter. He is about to a) be accosted by a very panicked Marcia b) have to fast-talk his way past the Supreme Custodian and c) find out that his daughter is very dead. Noone is having a good day, except maybe for me, because all of this is setup for some VERY stupid miscommunication.

DID YOU KNOW that there's an actual myth in which "Alecto" runs off to live in a land where "John" has no direct jurisdiction so he has to send "Ianthe" to cajole her into coming back? YEAH. THAT

Act I works pretty well! Even Act II is fine! It gets more difficult after that. Anyway I have decided there's going to be a song called "To the Floor" and then it can have reprise elements in all the other duel scenes. How? I dunno whatever gave you the idea that I know what I'm doing

No way I can think of 10 and I don't know if any of you have already been tagged but hmmmm - @echo-has-queries @into-september @trainsinanime @liesmyth @septimus-heap

[carmenized-onions]

and i’m back with another yap session🤭okay okay, there were some parts that i forgot to mention last time so hopefully i can hit them this time and feel less insane😀

1. SYD AND TONY!!! i’ve been wanting to touch on them for a while but i never know how to do in a way that makes sense?? BUT THE FRIENDSHIP IS SO PRECIOUS, I CAN’T. they remind of the tiktok sound that’s like “we were girls together” and i literally can’t get that outta my head with them🥺 i think i just love reading about tony and the rest of the gang?? like i love seeing how they fit into the chaotic puzzle that was the beef– ESPECIALLY with all the new changes happening!! plus carmy’s reactions to tony’s dynamic with everyone is actually hilarious😭 like when he was so pressed that ppl have their own nicknames for her. like carmy, please remember to breathe LMAOOO

2. also the current chapters are still making me wanna run up my WALLS😭i don’t think i ever know peace anymore… WHAT DO MEAN THE WORSE DAY IF THEIR LIVES IS COMING?? SAVE ME?? IM SCARED??

3. and carmy’s so sick and twisted but like me too so it’s cool😎 but in all seriousness, it reminds me of that feeling of being in a 3 person friend group but knowing there’s a duo and you’re not apart of it (am i articulating this properly?? idk??) it’s such an odd feeling to be jealous of something that you know you probably shouldn’t be. like just because they’re besties, doesn’t mean that they care for you any less. but i also get his desire to wanting to be her person and not just the little brother full in but then again, you can’t even blame him for feeling like that cause WHO WOULDN’T??

AHHH THERES SO MUCH MORE I WANNA SAY but this is getting kinda long so i will hold off‼️again, just wanna reiterate how much your writing makes me wanna ascend into the divine plane; it literally so amazingggg😫 tysm for reading this certified long ass yap session🫶🏾

Cannot define enough how much I love these yap sessions, literally always feel free to send me any and all fleeting thoughts in the brain box.

aside: new chapter uhhhh Sunday probably? Maybe tomorrow possibly? Pending how fast I am. I'm trying to get the next two chapters drafts done together so I can refine the first one with the knowledge of what's gonna happen in the second. Cause n Effect, All That.

ANYWAYS, you can be incoherent-- Just so you know-- It's my job to make sense of what's in my inbox, u don't have to work on that. BUT YES I LOVE WRITIN EM, I am slowly more and more just writing bits and pieces of my own friendships and isms into them. So, they're a delight of memories, to write about. AND VERY MUCH SO WE WERE GIRLS TOGETHER. I think that's literally a line, in delivery fees, something like 'you become girls, together' cause it's just ! regress! in a good way hehe.

I love writing Tony with the idea of a season 3 Bear-- Because it's this weird thing where she is simultaneously new and old-- And everything to her is also new and old. It's this weird fucking neo-nostalgia that's really fun to chew on. AND YES HE'S SO CREASED.

I try to put myself in the perspective of the perspective I'm writing for, with whatever, and when I was writing Carmen's chapter I was like this stupid motherfucker Richie got to do all this shit and hae all these stupid nicknames why the FUCK DO YOU WANT TO SAY HI TO HIM?? RICHIE!!!!?!?!??!?! And then reading it back now, a week or so later, I was like Wow. Kind of a lot, bro. Lets both take a step back.

2. Your fears are valid. Well. Is that what I'm supposed to say here? Hm. Here's what I'll say, I haven't gotten to the bad bad part, yet. So like, it could end up being not that bad, to you guys. To me it's bad. It's really bad. But like, maybe you're fine. ALSO 3RD OR 4TH WORST DAY I SAID-- JUST THE WORST FRIDAY. Because I had to give them Top something, I just needed to get specific.

3. As the littlest sibling, 100%. I can't see myself being friends with any of my older brothers' friends, so the idea of becoming one of their friends and posthumously finding out they were best friends with my brother? WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? DID THEY TELL YOU ABOUT ME? DO YOU THINK I'M LITTLE BABY LITTLE STUPID? And it's also like, just being friends with All of The Beef is like ohhhhh, I remember it took me a long time to warm up and make my way with them, but for you it was probably so easy cause you're just like that, which is why I like you so why do I feel angry about that !!!

AND ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU THANK YOU, FEEL FREE TO YELL IN MY INBOX WHENEVER. P.s if anyone made it this far, u got me. I'm makin' a taglist. Reply/DM/Ask to be added!

But if you wanna be added,,,, you gotta send an essay in with it baby, or I simply won't it's the RULES!

p.s i really do love u so dearly for sending in your thoughts thank u thank u angel <3

[jimmycarterghostland]

About my 33 web novel/web serial:

The premise: The Soynites, a human-looking race of aliens, have to get revenge against the Freeman race, which destroyed their home planet, Soy. And the Soynites have to revive it as well.

33 features alien child rulers, deaths, gray morality, alien corpses that turn into smoke, etc.

It's a dark science-fiction novel.

33 is a multiple point of view novel. There are dozens of different narrators so far, I think. I try hard to make the most important of them have distinct character voices.

It's written in third person past tense.

I have an outline for the future chapters of 33. I even know how this novel will end. Now it's just a matter of finishing the rewriting and then completing the novel itself. I definitely don't write fast enough, though. Especially considering this thing has a planned word count of 20 million words.

33 is the first web serial of mine that I've written a full outline for. Before this one, I never planned a novel so deeply.

...

I should make more social media posts about it, but I'm not eager to put 33 on a pedestal. I did that with Redouln Rising, and it ended up flopping so bad. Each time I mention RR, I feel embarrassed.

I can't mention 33 too much, because it's being rewritten and no one can even read it at the moment. The hiatus has to end first. When chapter 75 is out, people will be able to read this web serial. Currently, chapters 1 through 74 are being rewritten. Over 300,000 words of content.

Personally, I feel the novel starts getting really good around chapter 50. And I have great content planned after the unreleased chapter 75. A coronation, for example. And a few important battle scenes that I'm excited to write. Especially a certain one that will take place inside a Freeman space station. I think the reader will love that battle a whole lot. I know I will. That one will be extremely important, for reasons I cannot say.

Presently, 33 isn't a well-known novel, but every popular thing started with a humble beginning. I'm a highly ambitious person writing a highly ambitious work. So it's important that 33 succeeds and becomes loved by many someday. I want it to be noticed. It's why it has a planned word count of 20 million words. One of the reasons why I want to master the writing craft is to make 33 be a literary masterpiece. If it fails, I will try again with a new, similar web serial.

33 is a special number, hence the title.

The cover's main colors are yellow and light blue, because that's the color scheme of the Invincible comic series. It made me realize how great light blue goes with yellow.

It should take me years to finish writing 33. I want it to be something people will be devoted fans of for years, like people tend to do with popular long-running TV shows. I want 33 to be one of the things people look forward to each week.

If I die before I finish it, that will be terrible. I have an ending in mind, and I'm 97% sure I won't change it. There's much I have planned for 33. I know which characters will be killed off by me and which ones won't. There are scenes I desperately want to write, but am unable to because I have to finish the rewrite first.

The rewrite had to happen. The first version of 33 was full of bad writing. One funny but not-so-funny mistake I made was writing with a plot twist in mind, but not realizing that a certain line in the first chapter made that plot twist not be a surprise at all. The mistake came because I hadn't had the twist planned while I was writing the first draft of chapter one. Now it truly is a plot twist. I pray the original readers of 33 don't remember that certain line. The twist hasn't been revealed, not even before the rewrite. I'm desperate to finally reveal it, though. It's one of the reasons why I wish I wasn't writing this rewrite at all. I'm eager to finally reveal the twist.

33 has humor, but I try to keep it to a bare minimum. I'm not fond of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Joss Whedon style of humor. I see it as excessive. Plus, too much humor will make 33 seem less dark. I'm not writing a comedy. There are some characters who I try to write as funny ones. One of the occasional narrators, Sabrina Sam, isn't one of them, but sometimes I read her dialogue and it amuses me.

Here's some cruel humor: I'm a writer who can't visualize while reading anymore. When I read 33, no images form in my head. The same thing happens when I read other novels. I love reading, but I don't enjoy it as much as I used to.

33 is a Royal Road exclusive, but you don't need an account to read it. You can simply keep tabs on it. Remember, it's written by Damiyon Wood. I typically go by LoneWolfShayu online.

Ultimately, 33 is the novel I would want to read if I were not me. So I'm writing it(and rewriting it too slowly). I want to make a meaningful contribution to the world of literature. That's another reason why I'm writing this thing.

I pray someday 33 will be an amazing piece of literature.

Thank you for believing in me.

Your friend, LoneWolfShayu.

MARCH 15, 2024 UPDATE: 33 won't be 20 million words long. That's too much of an unrealistic, extremely difficult goal. I don't have that much time on my hands. 33 will be 5 million words long instead.

[beauty-grace-outer-space]

Oh my god I'm going to lose my mind.

Back in Fall of 2017, I auditioned for a local professional choir. I got in, I joined up, yippee. I did the fall/winter season and then returned for the spring season, and it was fun. I did choir my entire life growing up, audition/honor choir 12-18, and musical theater in college. I had missed singing with other people a lot, and it seemed like a good opportunity to be social and get to sing in a group. I even got a few solos; good times.

Fast forward to Fall of 2018. I return for the fall/winter season. Shit is hitting the fan with my grandmother and that whole situation. My mental health is in the gutter. My self esteem tanked out entirely. I was barely making it through. Then the conductor starts introducing "choreography" and I tried, I really did, but I ended up leaving rehearsals (repeatedly) in tears because I was so embarrassed. Finally I hit a breaking point and went "I can't do this anymore, I need to get myself together". So I made my apologies, notified the proper people, and withdrew from the choir. Thought about going back in 2019... didn't. Then COVID hit, and things went virtual for 2+ years. I wasn't interested. Then my mom got hurt, and I have essentially been a caretaker since then. My time was not my own. The choir started meeting in person again this January. I missed singing. I missed the people. I rejoined. Six weeks later, my uncle got sick and died very suddenly. It was extremely traumatic for my family. I became overwhelmed emotionally and in regards to time management. When it became clear I was going to miss more than three rehearsals, I made my apologies and withdrew from the choir, but always with the intention to return for the Fall season. This is something I made explicitly clear to the conductor, the manager, and the staff as a whole. Then in August, my grandmother died very suddenly. Far less emotional fallout, but my time was-- once again-- not my own. I had no idea what dates or deadlines we'd be dealing with, what all needed to be done, etc. but I knew we would have to clean out their apartment, move my grandfather in with family, and handle all of the post-death bureaucracy. The choir season started; I did not join. One week later, everything wound up resolved and wrapped up and I realized I really miss choir and will be able to make rehearsals, at least September - December... so I send a message to the conductor asking if it's alright that I return. No response. I messaged a friend who is in the choir and she told me to just come to rehearsal (something that is done all the time). I notified the manager and relevant staff, filled out the paperwork, and went to rehearsal. I had the most fun I've had in weeks. People were excited to see me, and I them. The music for this season is gorgeous and it felt good to remember that I can look at music and know how it reads and how to perform it. It felt good to remember another language I speak outside of writing alone in my room: music. I went out for drinks after with one of my closer friends in the group and we chatted for hours. I made plans to hang out with a few others, and I got excited about the prospect of the retreat this weekend, spending a whole day working on music in a beautiful building instead of the usual pre-birthday sobbing alone in my room for three straight days. And then the conductor emailed me. I am certain I'm reading too much into it, but it basically said, "You're a flake and I want you to think long and hard about the commitment you're willing to make to this choir." And she CC'd the new head of the organization, a woman who has never met or spoken to me. All the good feelings instantly vanished. I'm sad and frustrated and angry. I waited a while, and cried a lot. I drafted a few different replies. I finally returned her email (and CC'd the same person so she'd see my reply as well). I politely but pointedly said "I had two deaths in the family this year unexpectedly, which changed my schedule dramatically in a way that was out of my hands. I did ask your permission to come back, but since you didn't reply I figured it was better not to miss another rehearsal than to wait on an answer. Let me know what you want me to do. If it's preferable I'll just return the music ASAP and remove myself from the roster."

I'm not going to the retreat on Saturday. I'm convinced I made up all of the positive reactions to my presence in my head and now am wondering if people asked her to try to get me to leave because they probably don't like me, anyway. I'm reviewing and overthinking every interaction I had, and I keep coming back to standing in a group of a few of us, looking for an excuse to go out to dinner or karaoke, and one of them saying, "Well my birthday is October 3rd." I said, "And mine is September 24th!" (which is stupid and I should not have said anything and I hate that I said anything at all). And then they just continued, "Oh, yeah let's go out for (other girl's) birthday!" and that was that. And I do not like my birthday. I do not want to do anything for my birthday. It's already miserable and it hasn't even come yet. But now, of course, in my head it's like, "No shit, Sherlock. No one gives a fuck about you or your birthday, just keep your fucking mouth shut, idiot." When the conductor finally replied to my email, she basically just said that they expect singers to commit September - June, and not much else. I feel like I'm out of ways to say, "I can give you September - December, but I can't promise anything past that. If that's not ok, please tell me now." I just want her to tell me, because if *I* make the decision to leave based on what she's saying, I'll look like I'm proving her right and flaking out. But if she tells me, hey, sorry, that's not gonna work then I can at least be like, "Oh, there were logistical issues." So now I'm just stuck in this spiral of: no one likes you, no one wants you around, everyone thinks you're unreliable and a bad friend and annoying, just shut the fuck up and go away and for the love of god stop trying.