#nd creative series

[tryslora]

On Being a Neurodiverse Creative: Introduction

Welcome to a series of posts (randomly posted—don’t expect a schedule out of me) on the subject of being a Neurodiverse Creative. About how being ND and creative at the same time affects my life and how I do things. How being ND can be both a superpower and a curse all at once.

To that end, let’s start this series with a proper introduction.

Hi there. I’m Tris, and I have ADHD. 

I just received my formal diagnosis this year. I’m 55 years old, and I’ve spent my entire life relying on coping mechanisms and workarounds, but it was only after my son started dealing with his own ADHD that I started to recognize that maybe, just maybe, I had developed those workarounds because of ADHD.

But I couldn’t be ADHD, could I? I tested well (so did my son…). I mean. I struggled with reading comprehension, and memorizing history dates felt impossible, but I got great grades as long as I cared about the subject. I was good at making lists, and I could get things done. Although I am a pack rat, and a mess, and if it wasn’t interesting, it just kept slipping to the bottom of the list, and oh… Ohh.

When I got my official diagnosis, my evaluator and I talked for a while. We had two sessions. One was the informal questions, one was the formal questionnaire required for diagnosis. Afterward she said that she was surprised I had never been diagnosed before. I blame it on my age, and on the fact that I was raised as a girl in the 80s. I was well-spoken, and quiet. My inability to sit still only translated into sitting on my feet and changing position, not running around the room. I talked a lot (too much, and was punished at one point by being separated from every other student so I couldn’t possibly chat wth anyone), right up until I learned I could read in class instead. 

I flew under the radar, and I developed those aforementioned coping mechanisms, and everything was great, until suddenly… it wasn’t.

So here I am at the age of 55 and I’m really looking hard at all my past habits. My past productivity. Things that worked then and don’t now, and vice versa. Places where my brain just STOPS and nopes out of a task. I am analyzing everything I do, and how I do it, and trying to understand myself better.

And I thought, as one does, that maybe I should do some of this analysis in public. Where other people can see it, and possibly benefit from it. Or at least, perhaps, feel like they are not so alone.

Because that last is a big deal. There have been so many times along my creative journey where I felt like I was one person feeling a certain way, and meeting one other person who also had the same problem/thought/etc. allowed me to break past whatever block it had caused.

So that’s who I am. I’m Tris. I have ADHD. I am still trying to figure out how to make it work as I try meds, as I get older, as day job and life stress get to me. And as things change, y’all are welcome to come along for the ride.

[killingmyfavcharacterbcilovethem]

That's also literally the consequences of him getting into a place that's adapted to adhd and dyslexic students 😭 percy's not dumb at all his teachers were just mean to him and the schools he frequented treated ND students like shit, everything was taught in a way that didn't make sense for him, once he got into a place that's made to work WITH the way he thinks and not AGAINST it, he started liking to study.

OK GUYS IVE ALWAYS KNOWN ABOUT READRIORDAN.COM BUT NO ONE EVER TOLD ME YOU GET UPDATES FROM THE CHARACTER'S LIVES??

From the Spring Break Update Article

PERCY GETS BETTER GRADES THAN ANNABETH????!!!! WAS PERCY JUST....GASLIGHTING US THAT HE GOT BAD GRADES IN SCHOOL? WHAT NEW LEVEL OF UNRELIABLE NARRATOR IS THIS?

"oh yeah annabeth is the top of my class, i just manage through school😁🥰" WHAT THE ACTUAL--

PERCY IS DUMB TRUTHERS HAVE LOST THEIR ONLY DEFENSE???

(obligatory beep boop percy being called smart alert)

[teamtophat]

Hello, all! As the time ticks away to another year, Team Top Hat has since reached 5ish years! To which, we think now is time for some transparency… As much as we hate to admit it, the game has now come to a complete crawl. We’ve come a decent way to get to where we are, in no small part thanks to those that have previously joined us and lent their help to shape everything from the story and world-building, to the puzzles, music, and programming of our engine: The Layton Editor.

Everything had fallen to silence once again, and for that, we truly apologize to those that have waited for any response from us.

Most would take near inactivity as a means to give up, but with a project that has gone on for a decent length and seeing its own rises and falls… we don’t simply wish to see this game die. It’s the culmination of everyone’s hopes and dreams for characters to have proper development and Layton himself to have more adventures. Especially, if those adventures can now be properly told on an engine that is quite literally built off of the original games.

And so, we call upon everyone that has an interest, everyone that has a love of a series that just recently revived itself once again… we want nothing more than to revive our team and finish this game for all the fans that want more stories for this top-hatted man!With that said, we’ll be explaining more of the story in the upcoming post, to give everyone an idea of what mysteries await those just seeing this post. If we have your interest… This will be a public call for several roles!

What we need:

Artists

Preferably those demonstrating an understanding of Layton’s designs.

This will consist of Character Designers, Puzzle Artists and Background Artists.

Storywriters

Preferably, people with a strong understanding of Layton's narrative, world building, and storytelling

Puzzle Creators

Those that know of the puzzle mechanics, picarat distribution, and display a creative prowess for brain teasers

Programmers

Preferably those experienced in Python, C/C++ and/or assembly[for NDS])

We hope that you consider applying but please only do so if you are available and willing to respond to progress reports!

[drinkyourvillainjuice]

Secretary Questions and Answers Part 1

What's the answer to life, the universe and everything?

Being nice to people you don't know. nd also large amount of cocaine

Why did you make the reading comprehension section in the last module?

I'm a librarian! Teaching literacy is half the fun of my job! The rates of functional illiteracy are quite high (up to 50% in some areas of North America). I believe that literacy is one of the few ways to better one's situation, and it starts with asking questions about what you are reading and trying to read in-between the lines. I like teaching people :)

Bingus?

Did you do 9/11?

When I was a wee young lass,

What are some other interactive novels you would recommend?

Secretary Answer: The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante!

Author Answer: For choice of games/hosted games, I like Night Road, the creme de la creme series, fallen hero (which is probably the most predictable recc ever), lies under ice was a really cool recent sci fi release, slammed! is old but pretty great. Separate to choicescript, Our Life Beginnings and Always has a special spot in my heart, it's very much a comfort game for me. I played Digimon Survive this year and although it's kind of a hybrid (it has a lot of turn-based strategy) it's a cool spooky VN. I like the zero escape series too, but also heavily criticise them the way that only somebody who likes something a lot can.

Secretary Answer: show off

What are the characters opinions about peeing in the shower?

nobody pisses in the shower excepts:

Vantage (time efficient)

Hypothesis (he also poops in the shower)

Beth (she's incontinent)

how do author and secretary come together to work on DYVJ? what's the synergy and system like (if there is a system)?

The author writes and does the creative management of the story. She chooses what is inputted in the story and all.

The secretary, me!, deals with a lot of the behind the scene stuff, and with participates in the character design and scene compositions. Create plot points, keep track of things, etc.

essentially, she writes and i am her HR manager. the blog was my idea :)

you guys gay?

i ate her pussy, yes

why is she named surpass

iirc it's because I wanted to evoke a sort of - I don't want to say "Superman" vibe, but I wanted to have a name that evokes power and force. It also feeds a bit into her personality. She's kind of cocky, I'm sure you've noticed, and 'Surpass' has a kind of 'come at me bro' feel to it, making it more the kind of name she'd pick.

Can we smooch Surpass?

Surpass is presently unsmoochable.

Very serious and important question that is totally serious and not at all not serious. At all. Ever. So. Would CG let MC pamper her and feed her sweets via hand? I want to hand feed my handler a Cannoli

CG would be unbelievably tsundere about anyone trying to pamper her.

How did you play Baldur's Gate 3?

my wife says i play games like a maniac. in stealth games (hitman, my beloved), i just run around with guns and kill everything and then finish the missions. allegedly im not supposed to play the game like that! bg3 was a similar experience: what do you mean im not supposed to kill story npcs for their loot? aradin, eat your heart out

[hurthermore]

Hi! I usually don't talk to anyone on this app, but I felt the need to put emphasis on how much I love your work. I like how you describe emotions and the atmosphere in your stories because it's very unique. Also, the way you write Alastor is such a breath of fresh air compared to how the majority of the fandom perceives him. Despite your works being in more erotic areas, I find myself invested in them anyway because of how creative you are when it comes to using figurative language. I've been fixated on "Misconduct of Love" for the past few weeks, so I made my own personal playlist for songs that remind me of the series.  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Ko7eeFK2gwKpkNwHpoGAq?si=602fc6ae038f4f7f&nd=1&dlsi=4e8f49c0640a48ee Thank you for your feeding us Alastor fans so well <3

🥺🥺🥺 Thankyou so much for this feedback!! You’re truly a sweetheart and it means to absolute world to me to hear you say such things about my writing<333 I absolutely love writing the raw emotions of how people are feeling in my works, it’s my favourite part so to hear you like it!!>.< I’m so happy<334

And you went out of your way to make a playlist too!! I will add it to the Playlist post so everyone can hear it<33

You have made my day and I very much appreciate not only yourself but everyone who reads and enjoys my fics; I hope my upcoming chapter will be adequate to you all!<3

[ripplestitchskein]

Helluva Boss Episode Meta Analysis, Rants and Theories Master Post

All meta analysis will be linked here to find it easily for myself and anyone who is interested in my interpretations. My primary focus is on Blitzø, Stolas and their relationship as that is what interests me most, but I do delve into the other characters, overarching themes and visual through lines of the show as well. I write these things for myself first and foremost, and because of my ND, but I love interaction and discussion so feel free to reach out to talk about our favorite things! I have a Ko-Fi if you are interested and able.

I may turn some of these into video posts and will link those here if I do, so stay tuned for that and let me know if you would be interested.

Episode Analysis Series

Season One

1. Murder Family

2. LooLoo Land

3. Spring Broken

Miscellaneous Analysis and Rants

Sad Owl Boy (Rant)

The Stolas Button

The Menu Hiding Scene at Ozzie’s

Creative Process - Broad Strokes (Rant)

Speculation and Theories

Stolas’s New Love Interest

Asmodeus and Fizz Might Help Fix Stolitz

Blitzø is Building a Circus (Literal?)

[bpod-bpod]

Planimal Cells

Can you imagine generating your own energy while simply sunbathing? While such a scenario is fantastical, the idea of creating mammalian cells that can photosynthesise does have potential real-world biotechnological applications – such as the provision of oxygen (a by-product of photosynthesis) within engineered tissues to enable larger production volumes. The mammalian cells pictured are hamster ovary cells – a robust cell line used in many molecular biology laboratories – and the chloroplasts they contain (magenta) were isolated from the red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae. After introducing the chloroplasts into the hamster cells, they were capable of photosynthetic activity for at least two days, during which the cells exhibited increased growth compared with controls. Although the organelles degraded after a couple of days, this proof-of-principle experiment is the first to show photosynthetic activity of chloroplasts within mammalian cells, and thus serves as a foundation for developing and improving photosynthetic animal cells in the future.

Written by Ruth Williams

Image from work by Ryota Aoki and colleagues

Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution – NonCommercial – NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Published in Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Series B, October 2024

You can also follow BPoD on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

[adorawasright]

I dunno if anyone else would be up for it, but I just had an idea. I know we all love dunking on ND’s little garbage fire of a shit show. I know I do. But I just got to thinking, most of us use our knowledge (all accurate, albeit limited) of the OG show for comparison of how things could have been different if not better. So I was thinking all is Spop critics could make a discord so we could group chat about that stuff since group chatting was essentially killed on tumblr. We could host watch parties for the old series, exchange ideas, redesigns, rewrites and be creative and stuff. Of course all criticism of ND’s thing is welcome, I think it’d be nice for us to have a gc with some positivity too and where we could all new things about She-Ra and MOTU in general. Idk, just an idea.

I honestly thought a Discord server like this already existed (maybe there is? If anyone wants to tell us). Regardless, I think this would be a great idea. Though you'd have to make sure no one with ill intent joined the server (like say, a SPOP stan looking for trouble).

[joshuasumter]

Across the Netflix-Verse: Joshua Sumter Meets She-Ra and the Princesses of Power 

SYNOPSIS: When creative and autistic Joshua Sumter teams up with orphan-turned-heroine/warrior princess Adora, Etheria will never be the same! But together, they just might save the universe. Think you know the story of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power? Well, think again because Etheria will never be the same as Joshua Sumter stars (and returns) in his latest self-insert, Isekai-turned-multiversal, retelling epic that not only flips the script on the hit animated reboot from DreamWorks and Netflix by ND Stevenson to reimagine and change the events of the show...but also spans across the wild, the wacky, the scary, the magical, the mythical, and sometimes very mature worlds and universes of the Netflix-verse, a multiverse featuring your fan-favorite Netflix shows and movies. Based on the hit animated She-Ra and the Princesses of Power series and in the tradition of Space Jam (1996), it's an Isekai-turned-multiversal, dimension-spanning epic that reimagines the narrative of the show -- with the inclusion of Joshua Sumter as an unlikely, live-action hero who finds himself on a strange, animated world and beyond that is familiar but slightly changed.

Life was carefree for creative and autistic Joshua Sumter (That would be me) of Earth (Our universe, the real world) as he was enjoying yet another typical, relaxing day and cozy life eating food, reading media tie-in books and comic books, and writing fanfics. Everything was perfectly normal...that is, until he lands smack-dab into the war-torn planet that is oddly familiar but yet slightly changed. It is the planet of Etheria, the world and universe of the hit animated reboot series from Netflix and DreamWorks She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, where an ongoing, full-blown war ensues and rages on between the princess-led Rebellion that wants to maintain peace and harmony for all of Etheria and the dreaded Horde that wants to conquer the planet in the name of its leader, Hordak.

At first, Joshua believes under the impression that everything going on is all just a dream of himself being in a reinterpretation of the rebooted TV series from the 80s as a full-fledged guest star, taking the first steps of his very own Isekai adventure when he bumps into Adora, Glimmer, and Bow, hangs out with them, and unknowingly accepting the full invitation to join in on the fray as a feature of his dream (All the way from Season 1 to the Battle of Bright Moon). But Joshua's enthusiasm falls flat when he quickly gets wrapped up in some very serious stuff during that experience, letting his newly found zany antics and madcap-style wits guide his ideas and actions enough to make Joshua fully consider the oddest possibility...that this ISN'T a dream after all.

Not only that, but the soul and consciousness of the previous She-Ra, Mara, resides in Joshua's body, along with all her past memories, allowing her to control his body as the two experienced many battles as possible in order to increase their combined strength. This transferal-like link allows both Joshua and Mara to communicate with each other, as if living in their shared mind, providing guidance and advice. When Mara manifests in the physical world as a corporeal spirit in her ethereal appearance and bluish glow, only Joshua can see her. Despite this unexpected turn of events, Joshua and Mara formed a cooperative relationship, much to Joshua's little shock and ire of Mara living inside him*. (*Similar to the term 'Emblems' from Fire Emblem: Engage; the Soul transferal from Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; the Soul Link System from Dragon Ball FighterZ; Jaden/Yubel's relationship from Yu-Gi-Oh! GX; Byleth and Sothis from Fire Emblem: Three Houses; and Yuma and Astral's friendship from Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal in the trope of "Symbiotic Possession", "Fusion Dance", "Sharing A Body", and "Romantic Fusion")

Now forced into a whole, new universe, surrounded by characters he now considers his new Etheria pals, having the soul of Mara living inside him, and being completely aware that he's starring in his very own self-insert retelling of the animated show while helping Adora, Glimmer, Bow, and more allies like Perfuma, Mermista, Frosta, Sea Hawk, Spinnerella, and Netossa in their fight against the Horde, Joshua decides to flip the script on the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power series to make some changes around here his own way by reimaging and changing events of the show that'll help turn things around for the future of Etheria and Adora's destiny...sort of.

As Joshua continues to influence the characters with his twisted action makajalaka of awesomeness in the form of a hard-hitting baseball bat that acts as his holy-sword-like weapon, his sense of imagination, his Official Handbook-level knowledge and more while imagining his fights in the style of the Persona 4 Arena games, Adora and her friends can't help wonder about what they make of Joshua and his bizarre, other-worldly perspective and shenanigans, not to mention how he fights like an entirely different person, courtesy of Mara's soul possessing him.

Along the way, Joshua later gets into numerous comedic adventures across the Netflix-Verse, a shared crossover multiverse of worlds and universes based on and inspired by your favorite Netflix shows and movies.

But when things in Etheria got a little too serious and with the help of the soul and consciousness of Mara, along with the animated worlds of the Netflix-Verse, will Joshua be able to beat the odds by letting loose the looniness and wreaking some hilarious mayhem in the process to help his new Etheria pals Adora, Glimmer, Bow, the Princess Alliance, and the Rebellion out of a real jam by saving the world his own way from a much, bigger threat than the Horde?

Based on and inspired by the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power series by ND Stevenson and featuring the worlds of your favorite Netflix shows and movies such as "The Cuphead Show", "Green Eggs and Ham", "The Dragon Prince", "Tiger & Bunny", "We Can Be Heroes", "Lego Elves: Secrets of Elvendale", "The Sea Beast", "Maya and the Three", "Nimona", "Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous", "Dragon Age: Absolution" and much more, be prepared for a block-busting, hard-partying, mind-blowing, world-hopping, fourth-wall-breaking, live-action/animation mayhem in this self-inserting tale that spans both our world and theirs. DISCLAIMER: In the tradition and style of Space Jam (1996) meets Epic (2013), the Kingdom Hearts series, Gwenpool, and other Isekai tropes, Across the Netflix-Verse: Joshua Sumter Meets She-Ra and the Princesses of Power basically reimagines and changes the narrative of the show (Seasons 1-5), but with the inclusion of, yours truly, Joshua Sumter, and new twists and different outcomes inspired by some of the She-Ra and the Princess of Power fan fictions than the ones in the actual show for "anyone who wants to enjoy an entirely, different story with some few changes".

The Netflix-Verse, as the name implies, is a shared multiverse of worlds and universes that are mostly based on, inspired by, and from your favorite Netflix shows and movies in the tradition of Powerpuff Girls: Super Smash-Up!, Sonic Prime, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and the Kingdom Hearts series. The main hub of the Netflix-Verse is a vast expanse of space between that resembles Netflix's home menu, composed and surrounded by posters that served as gateways to these worlds. From the wild, the wacky, the scary to the magical, the mythical, the epic and sometimes very mature, it's a dimension-spanning epic into these Netflix-based worlds.

Inspiration and allusions from...

Space Jam (1996) and Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) – Just like how Michael Jordan and Lebron James are live-action superstars entering a spectacular animated world and teaming up with the Looney Tunes in their two movies, Joshua Sumter (That would be me) does the same as he gets forced into the animated world of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power to help Adora and her friends in the princess-led Rebellion in their ongoing war against the dreaded Horde.

Epic (2013) – M.K. is a teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and evil is taking place. In similarity, Joshua is a grown, autistic young man who finds himself transported to a war-torn planet based on a rebooted TV series from the 80s.

Kanji Tatsumi’s storyline from Persona 4: Arena – In Persona 4: Arena, Kanji Tatsumi still thinks that everything in the entire P1-Grand Prix tournament is all a dream until he eventually finds out it is in fact not, so when Joshua first lands smack-dab in Etheria, he believes that his experience in Etheria from Season 1 to the Battle of Bright Moon is all a reinterpretation/Isekai adventure dream, that is…until he eventually later finds out that it’s not a dream when he reaches the first episode of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power’s Season 2.

Kingdom Hearts and PowerPuff Girls: Super Smash-Up! – The Kingdom Hearts franchise features Disney-based worlds and how Sora embarks on an epic journey across the multiverse and encounters Disney and Final Fantasy characters in their respective worlds and helps them while the Powerpuff Girls: Super Smash-Up! comic crossover mini-series is a dimension-spanning epic inspired by Batman: The Brave and the Bold where Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup visit other Cartoon Network universes. In Across the Netflix-Verse: Joshua Sumter Meets She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Joshua did the same thing - this time, it features worlds and universes that are mostly based on and inspired by your favorite Netflix shows and movies. In actuality, the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power world Joshua was first isekai-ed into was one of the Netflix-based worlds in the Netflix-Verse, so he then later goes on a world-hopping journey across the Netflix-Verse and encounters main characters in their respective worlds like The Cuphead Show, Green Eggs and Ham, The Dragon Prince, Tiger & Bunny, We Can Be Heroes, Lego Elves: Secrets of Elvendale, The Sea Beast, Maya and the Three, Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, Nimona, Firedrake: The Silver Dragon, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and Dragon Age Absolution and helps them out.

[duckprintspress]

Created Works Round-Up: January 2024

Duck Prints Press’s monthly “created works round-ups” are our opportunity to spotlight some of the amazing work that people working with us have done that ISN’T linked to their work with Duck Prints Press. We include fanworks, outside publications, and anything else that creators feel like sharing with y’all. Inclusion is voluntary and includes anything that they decided “hey, I want to put this on the created work’s round-up!”

Check out what they’ve shared with us this month…

cruel forgiveness by Cedar McCafferty-Svec / @diroxy

art || transformers || m/m || idw rodimus prime/armada megatron || teen & up || no major warnings apply || complete

summary: Digital drawing of IDW Rodimus and Armada Megatron based off a scene from a roleplay server on dreamwidth. Megatron is faking his own death and making Rodimus watch.

other tags: self harm, canon mashup, based on roleplay

TUMBLR - LINK

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Stay by Smehur / @smehur

art || baldur's gate 3 || m/m || astarion/tav || mature || no major warnings apply || complete

TUMBLR - TWITTER

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Astarion by Smehur / @smehur

art || baldur's gate 3 || no ships || general audiences || no major warnings apply || complete

summary: This started as a silly colored pencil doodle and ended up my best drawing so far. Anyway, I love him.

TUMBLR - TWITTER

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Self Help & Writing Advice by Tris Lawrence / @tryslora

blog post || original work || no ships || general audiences || no major warnings apply || 781 || complete

summary: I don’t like self-help books. Which means I often don’t like writing advice books.

Which sucks because I really want to like both of them. I am positive there are things I could learn from them.

TUMBLR - PILLOWFORT - LINK

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ND Creative: Time, Focus, Organization by Tris Lawrence / @tryslora

blog post, nd creative series || original work || no ships || general audiences || no major warnings apply || 957 || complete

summary: Time, focus, and organization can be complicated things as an ND creative.

TUMBLR - PILLOWFORT - LINK

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Things I Thought Were Mine by enchantedsleeper / @iffeelscouldkill

fiction || fence comics || m/m || nicholas cox/seiji katayama || general audiences || no major warnings apply || 9,235 || complete

summary: Nicholas, Seiji, and the King's Row team are invited by Jesse Coste to join him at an exclusive summer retreat for elite fencers at the Coste residence. Surrounded by reminders of the life he could have had, and with Jesse determined to pick up where he and Seiji left off, can Nicholas survive the week without some closely-held secrets bubbling to the surface?

other tags: Canon divergence AU, hurt/comfort

AO3

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a dream or two (away from you) by enchantedsleeper / @iffeelscouldkill

fiction || fence comics || m/m || aiden kane/harvard lee || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 8,845 || complete

summary: Everyone knows that magic isn't real. Never mind that Aiden, crown prince of Feldhaven, has been having strange dreams from a young age in which he meets and plays with a young boy from a far-away kingdom.

He can't explain it, but he isn't concerned - until years later, when an eighteen-year-old Aiden is suddenly introduced to the new Captain of the Guard: Harvard Lee. The boy from his dreams.

other tags: mediaeval fantasy AU, slightly handwavey dream magic, friends to lovers

TUMBLR - AO3

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You Make Sense of the Devil by Hermit / @hermit-writes

fiction || mcu, criminal minds || m/m, f/m, poly (multiple genders) || james "bucky" barnes/emily prentiss, james "bucky" barnes/steve rogers || mature || rape/non-con || 15,772 || complete

summary: A ghost from the BAU past reappears and drags up unfinished business for Aaron Hotchner. The ripples are enough to call back missing team members and spread well beyond the circle of his influence.

other tags: Timeline What Timeline, MCU fusion, Criminal Minds fusion, liberties were taken with the legal system, Case Fic, No One Is Okay, canon typical trauma, Past Rape/Non-con, Flashback, discussion of trauma, Implied Polycule

AO3

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A Godsdamn Kraken by Smehur / @smehur

fiction || baldur's gate 3 || m/m || astarion/tav || mature || no major warnings apply || 7,760 || complete

summary: Astarion and Tav met before the events of the game - and immediately got in trouble.

AO3

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Tremble by Tal / @thatgirlonstage

fiction || link click || m/m || cheng xiaoshi/lu guang || general audiences || no major warnings apply || 2,096 || complete

summary: Cheng Xiaoshi has a bad time in a photo. Lu Guang is there in the aftermath.

other tags: Hurt/Comfort

AO3

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Phase Shift by Terra P. Waters / @pterawaters

fiction || original work || platonic or familial, f/m || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 99,500 || ongoing series

summary: Despite being a self-professed science geek, high school freshman Camilla Mitchell has had a secret imaginary friend for years. It comes as quite a shock when said friend, Emma, accidentally drags her into a dimension full of hostile telepathic creatures. Cam’s friends, her brother, Oliver, and her mother, Kathryn, work furiously to solve her disappearance and bring her home. Other members of their small Minnesota town disappear, one after the other, including Lizzy Becker’s best friend, who is ripped from her arms. Lizzy badgers loner Oliver into working with her to rescue their missing loved ones. They discover a bridge between the two worlds—a bridge that allows the hostile creatures from Cam’s newly-discovered dimension into ours. If there’s a bridge, there’s a way to rescue the people taken. Right?

other tags: Tags: science fiction, alternate dimensions, teen characters, friendship, bisexual main character (minor references), lesbian character, nonbinary character, aliens; Content warnings: disordered eating, emetophobia, child abuse mention, homophobic bullying, teen characters in danger, gun violence, physical violence, abduction

TUMBLR - PILLOWFORT - LINK

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The Last Drop Cafe by Terra P. Waters / @pterawaters

fiction || stranger things || poly (multiple genders) || jonathan byers/chrissy cunningham/steve harrington/nancy wheeler || explicit || creator choses not to use warnings || 77,500 || complete

summary: Nancy Wheeler is in her last year of college, about to graduate with her journalism degree. She's just working as a barista at The Last Drop Cafe until she can find a real journalism job. She loves her boyfriend, Jonathan, though there's been some tension lately, and she's not quite sure how long the relationship is going to last. At least she lives above the coffee shop, which makes rolling out of bed at five in the morning to go to work slightly more tolerable. Her upstairs neighbors, Steve and Chrissy, are newlyweds eager to start their family. When a case of sleep deprivation and mistaken identity ties the two couples together, things quickly get complicated. But maybe complicated is just what Nancy was looking for.

other tags: Coffee Shop AU, College AU, Mistaken Identity, Polyamory, Somnophilia, Accidental Non-con, Unplanned Pregnancy, Birth, Hospitals

AO3

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Phase Shift by Terra P. Waters / @pterawaters

fiction || original work || platonic or familial, f/m, f/nb || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 99,500 || complete

summary: Despite being a self-professed science geek, high school freshman Camilla Mitchell has had a secret imaginary friend for years. It comes as quite a shock when said friend, Emma, accidentally drags her into a dimension full of hostile telepathic creatures. Cam’s friends, her brother, Oliver, and her mother, Kathryn, work furiously to solve her disappearance and bring her home. Other members of their small Minnesota town disappear, one after the other, including Lizzy Becker’s best friend, who is ripped from her arms. Lizzy badgers loner Oliver into working with her to rescue their missing loved ones. They discover a bridge between the two worlds—a bridge that allows the hostile creatures from Cam’s newly-discovered dimension into ours. If there’s a bridge, there’s a way to rescue the people taken. Right?

other tags: Science Fiction, Horror, Aliens, Teen characters, Alternate dimensions, Friendship, LGBTQ+ characters, Hearing Impaired Character, Eating Disorder, Child Abuse, Gun Violence, Kidnapping, Teenaged Characters in Peril, Minor Character Death

TUMBLR - LINK

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Prayers of Descent by unforth / @unforth

fiction || tian guan ci fu || m/m || hua cheng/xie lian || general audiences || no major warnings apply || 1,648 || complete

summary: After 800 years in the Heavenly Court, Xie Lian receives a prayer with a simple request: "can I see you, your highness, just one more time?"

other tags: Canon Divergence, Jun Wu/Xie Lian

AO3

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[tryslora]

ND Creative: Time, Focus, Organization

Time, focus, and organization can be complicated things as an ND creative.

Objectively, I know what I need to do. I know all the steps. I even know that in order to get it done, I have to list out all of those steps, note how long each will take and their dependencies, then reorganize them into a timeline.

Then I stare at the screen, or the piece of paper, and my brain just stops. Says nope. Hits the mental and emotional back button to get the hell out of that mode.

Makes it kind of hard to get anything done.

I’m currently struggling with this exact thing on multiple levels. Why am I blogging about it? Well, I’m hoping that if I talk about the places where I’m stuck, maybe I’ll become unstuck.

Oh, the funny ways we try to trick our minds, yeah?

Big List Things I Need to Do:

Publishing stuff with DPP (timeline not under my control)

Publishing stuff for independent book (oh hey, a release date would be nice and I’m the one who has to set that)

Plotting and outlining the next PHU novel (is it over a year overdue? I’m sure no one noticed…)

Plotting and outlining the next 7Lakes novel (because when the first one comes out, “where’s the sequel” will hopefully be the obvious first question)

There are a million other things on my list in various sizes from small through medium and even large, but none quite as unwieldy as all of those.

I’ve been blocked on these timelines—both for publishing and for plotting—for a long, long time. I feel like I’m trying to do too many things at once, or attacking things on too many fronts. I worry about well, what if one thing overlaps with another—are the people who want to read my work going to be like “nah, I can’t buy two books” and just nope out of everything? Am I screwing it all up?

I keep telling myself I need to let go and just Do The Thing.

Seriously.

Do The Thing.

So, let’s break down what needs to be done at the highest of levels for the writing-related things (and ignore all the blog posts, TikToks, video editing, etc that also needs to be done).

For publishing with DPP, there is: 2nd edit on book 2, large revision on book 3 before it goes to first real edit, then 2nd edit on book 3, and final edits on all of that. Plus cover reveals, blog posts, teasers. Pulling out quotes I want to use for stickers. I am pretty sure I’m forgetting things. The nice thing is that all of the big overhead things like planning a campaign has been done for me. YAY Duck Prints (Seriously, they are AWESOME). I think my sticking point here is that I have no realistic expectation for how long each editing round will (or should) take, so I’m not sure how to slot it in. Plus I know it’ll be overlapping with the other book.

For solo (independent) publishing, I have so much more to do. I have to create accounts with both the private and public profile information that’s required on publishing platforms. I need to create a logo and develop a description of my “publishing company” (me, it’s just me) and I need to business work for that company, like buying ISBNs. I need to finish the final book editing, then do the layout so I know what the spine width is. Then I can contract for and get a cover. After that it should get easier, right? Pull out quotes, do blog posts, cover reveal, announcement of the release date (probably not in that order). Get the news out. I can set a release date once I get everything else on a calendar. And if the bulk of the editing is done sooner rather than later, my editing energy can be spent on the DPP books while I’m doing production and marketing for the 7Lakes book.

Okay. This all starts to feel like something I can get my arms around. I’m going to let the high level/low level plotting go for now, and come back to it in another post.

So—why is this a blog post anyway?

I mentioned before that I was trying to unstick my mind. By talking out loud to someone else—even though I can’t see that someone, and who knows, maybe I’m shouting into the abyss—I feel like I’m being held accountable. I’m working through it in public. In plain sight. It means I have to keep putting one foot in front of the other, considering every word. It has to get out of my fingertips and onto the page because I am here, not just trying to make notes privately for myself.

I can’t back button out of it.

Sometimes that’s how I get things done.

Will this translate to me taking the things I’ve said above and moving them into something where I can add timeframes, and schedules, and put it all on a calendar with due dates and start breaking it down into even smaller tasks?

Gods I hope so. It’s a goal, anyway.

Getting back to where we started… time, focus, and organization can be complicated as an ND creative. 

Time—I spent thirty minutes and a thousand words of chatter.

Focus—It’s like body doubling—by talking to you, I got something done.

Organization—I think I have a list. Or a start of one. It’s more than I had!

It’s a complicated way of doing things, but fingers crossed that my next step is getting to cross off the first part of my timelines task.

[faithfromanewperspective]

Asking about a character I don't particularly care for but am thinking about right now: Lucie. Do you think she's neurodivergent? If yes, how? Why do you think she is... all the things she is?

ooh ooh!! neurodivergent yes. as to more specifics I’ve had adhd and autism both suggested by people but truthfully? I’ve not gone and done an analysis with the dsm on her because the dsm is limited and I do enjoy using it but sometimes I need to have a break from it having power over me and just really appreciate the diversity of human brains, of which lucie is a realistic portrayal!! tbh she’s a writer. crazy creative and a nod to fanfic authors many of whom are many flavours of nd. she’s also descended from aloysius starkweather, edmund herondale and linette owens and Cassie invented genetics so. also like with James and Lucie I do take the line in one of the tec books about the children (extrapolating it to likely include grandchildren) of greater demons rarely being ‘stable’ (ableist wording that usually applies to magical power I think but being nd def has some crossovers and applicability and both james and lucie are definitely both) so. that’s as much as I’ve got atm

she’s a ND female protagonist like many we’ve seen in stories especially mystery ones for younger children (sorry I can’t remember the specific examples she reminds me of) who is strong willed and curious (will and tessa right there!! Cassie invented genetics) but she’s also at the age where the teenage secrecy comes in and she’s learning that masking will make her appear more normal and hide the shame she’s starting to have sink in, during the series. and though she’s got the makeup of a main character she’s actually subverting the trope by being Cordelia’s bestie and James’s sister and while I def wish we saw more of her personality I do love her. I do think her development was quite realistic for a 16-17yo nd girl

[rarilight]

hiii. don't feel obligated to answer this ask i jus wanted to say how much i enjoy ur work. i discovered u through TEL and to this day,, the TELverse works are my comfort stories!! i just finished rereading and the moon horse arc in TEK still makes me cry .

anyway . as a fellow creative ik finding time and motivation to create can be rly hard at times, but i think even if there were never another ch in TEC and the series ended where it was i'd be happy with what we got. i love ur depiction of raritwi not just in the TELverse but in stories like crimson lips and the bodyguard au, too . they are just . perfect.

idk you very well or anything obviously but i'm rly grateful that i've gotten to read ur writing. Tbh. hope u are able to pursue what ever makes u happiest in life nd thank u for all the horse words :).

Hiii Thank you so much, I really appreciate this!! I've been going through hard times, and this cheered me up a lot c: Thankfully, one of my goals this year is to advance TEC so you will be getting more of it! I'm also hoping to finish the non-mlp version of Crimson, which I'm very excited about. Thank you so much for your kind words; I'm happy my writing has brought joy into your life <3

[outeremissary]

4 & 5 for Dungeon Meshi? (I'm assuming you've been asked PF related questions)

DUNGEON MESHI IN THE INBOX?! This is THRILLING

From this prompt list.

4. what is your favorite CANON ship?

So a funny thing about Dungeon Meshi is that there are uhhh. Zero canon ships I think. Unless you count Chilchuck the middle aged halfling getting left by his wife or any of the several very one-sided crushes scattered among the side characters. I think that there is actually no romance that happens onscreen, the only mentioned romance is in one guy's backstory and was his brother marrying his crush. So I guess I don't have a favorite canon ship??? I'm just going to show you the most divorced halfling in fiction instead.

I think his adult children have also stopped talking to him but it's too late at night for me to fact check that one

5. who is your favorite character (and maybe why?)

Oh it is ALWAYS so hard because there are so many fantastic characters in this series and I'm going to do two anyway because I can't help myself. But seriously there's not a single bad one, everyone is so delightful down to the most minor side characters. but anyway!!!

First of all, Mithrun!

Mithrun is the captain of the squad of elvish scouts sent to the island, and is a relatively late arriving character (the Canaries arriving is a foreshadowed sign of the central conflict escalating to something serious). Mithrun is a terrible, lethal warrior with singular drive who strikes fear into most characters who meet him- he uses taunts so cruel they cause one of the main villains to despair, he's quick to suggest assassination as a solution to problems, and his creative use of teleportation has grisly, torturous effects on foes. He's also severely disabled. Without significant support, he struggles to function in daily life due to an inability to translate his body's needs into actions tending them. His life is managed with a combination of strict routine managing basic tasks and aid from comrades who ensure that he eats, sleeps, and carries out other essential physical behaviors. In social situations he's also blunt and generally opaque in his behavior, usually cutting straight to the point and often excluding others from his reasoning. Despite that, he's someone who has a certain charisma: his comrades consider him an inspirational leader and feel strong affection and loyalty towards him, and he's willing to take risks and extend trust towards others. He also still possesses a certain cunning that makes him very fun to watch. This has all been a lot of exposition to try to explain things, hahh...

Here's his cover by the way. All the covers are composed to be comedic and often aren't based in any real event, but you can see that teleportation at work!

Anyway, I'm fond of Mithrun because I enjoy seeing a character who's very, very ND-coded who's good at a job that isn't "inventor" or "knowledge guy," which I think is a niche that a lot of characters like that tend to fall into. He's badass, he's cool, and even though he's straightforward he's never naive. He's incredibly competent and strategic. He's also got a very dramatic, tragic backstory that's deeply intertwined with the plot and gives him a lot of really fun interactions with major villains- those are also the scenes that tend to draw a lot of high emotion out of him, and I love high emotion and drama! And yet despite the development of his condition being a central point of his tragic backstory, there's still never any lingering on "curing" or "fixing" him, which is... really nice, honestly. He has close, supportive friends and a life he's content with, and in some extra comics suggests that he doesn't like the person he used to be, even if to other people that was the time when he was full of potential. Both the persistence through significant trauma and the rejection of the telling of his life story as a pure tragedy are things I really enjoy.

But yeah another thing I love about Mithrun is that he's canonically just a little nasty and is drawn with these perpetually fucking chapped lips. He's jsut like me fr

Also you are being spared so many Mithrun Images by the late hour but I do happen to have this just at hand on my phone. I know this doesn't mean fucking anything without context but I want to look at this image so now we all have to look at it together. It's so so late

ANYWAY. There's also a SORCERER in Dungeon Meshi! This one. This little cunt. A fun fact about me is that there's a folder on my computer devoted entirely to images of this guy, whose name is either Thistle or Sissel depending on which translation you're reading. According to the guidebook, which is currently in my hand, Sissel is official so we'll just go with that for the rest of the post.

I fucking love Sissel. I love Sissel so bad. There's something so wrong with this little (4'3"/130 cm) guy. Look at that image. You already know why I love Sissel. It's because he's got a rancid, unstable little megalomaniac personality and he thinks he knows better than everyone about everything.

Just look at him. My little guy. I love a bitch who meant well once but has become lost in his darkest obsessions.

But like, more coherently, I also really enjoy Sissel as a villain who starts out as this legendary figure of fear- the "Mad Sorcerer" who's presumed to be immortal and all powerful- who's then gradually revealed to be deeply, deeply pathetic. He's so lost in his obsessive protection of those he loves that he hurts them and then throws a fit when they won't forgive him. His power lies in being a master of monsters, but he's so aggressively uninterested in the creatures at his command that they're constantly dying on him and the main character turns them on him just by knowing basic ecology. He has literally infinite power at his fingertips and he's so aggressively unimaginative that he can't do anything wit hit except react to what he thinks are threats. He's built up as a final boss character and Mithrun nearly kills him in less than a minute. He whines about someone cleaning his room. My pathetic meow meow. My cringe and fail sorcerer. I fucking love this guy. He spends a whole chapter carried around as a backpack and used as a human shield. The main character forces him to eat a homecooked meal. He's so!!! Lame!!!!

Anyway it would be a literal crime for me to end a Dungeon Meshi post without any mention of women. Look at my meme boy. Look at the monster wife.

I spent. More time than I intended. Looking for the page where she tore off her shirt. This isn't nsfw this is fine this is fine

Anyway very sexy of Falin to not only haunt the narrative but come back wrong as that.

[mendedrum]

My discworld review after the first 17 books

1. Rincewind Series

I think the writing got stronger over time as the narratives became more plot driven. I still like the mystery/nondirectional aspect of TCOM and TLF though. There was an unpredictability about it that would be challenging to replicate with a main character that isnt like Rincewind: i.e someone who pretty much wants to live in boring times. Sourcery still bothers me the most. Firstly because the Wizards didnt get true repercussions about the damage they did. Secondly, while Sourcery ended on strong note, the sequel Faust Eric betrayed everything we've learned about Rincewind and the Dungeon Dimensions. It cheapened the drama invested on Sourcery and I found that aspect annoying. Interesting Times tho, picks up Rincewind's characterization once again and puts it back on the track, except that it doesnt explain what happened to Rincewind's status as a demon-bound-to-a-mortal kind of creature. It was great to see Rincewind showing off his political skills though. It's a good nod to his character being more attached and connected to the wider world compared to his wizard colleagues.

2. Wizards subseries

It's great that they've been fleshed out over time and over so many books. I like that since they're in Ankh-Mopork, they'd eventually get involved in many of the events that happen there. I like that their politics and power struggles are contained to mostly their own and don't really bother with the rest of the world. It's a refreshing POV to be in. Most surprising were their involvement in Mort, Moving Pictures, Reaper Man, Lords and Ladies, Men at Arms and Soul Music. They help expand the worldbuilding better. I still dont like The Bursar's characterization being sacrificed to make Ridcully a bit more respectable tho.

3. Death

Why is it that every major Death story just revolve around the thesis of "what happens when death gets distracted from his job"? Like I know why of course, he's so damn efficient that without him doing the work, everything in time-space just falls apart and tries to correct itself. Anyhow. Pratchett's Death is still the best take on real world death for me. It has helped me go thru difficult times, over grief and over the celebration of life. Death being one of the heart of Discworld is what makes Discworld truly a gift. You'll probably have to pull teeth for me to finish Reaper Man tho.

4. City Watch / Night Watch / The Watch

I haven't gotten far in these subseries but I do know that whenever cops are involved their ought to be high stakes suspense/thriller/action and drama. It's where Pratchett can truly flex on his whoddunit writing style. I find a lot of the narratives pretty standard action-thriller wise. Samuel Vimes is still my favorite of the bunch. I just cant get behind the character of Carrot, unfortunately (stop chasing me with pitchforks)

5. Witches

I'm gonna be honest. I dread the Witches subseries the most not because they're bad but because they tend to be dragging. With the exception of Equal Rites, the coven trio of Esmeralda Weatherwax, Gytha Ogg and Magrat Garlick leads the reader to familiar fairytale paths only for it to get upturned at the end. There are always lessons in the ongoing battle of what it means to be good, to be evil and most of all to be human. That's what make them slow at first. Reader must endure that feeling of "yeah ive been here before" for quite a long while. The payoff is always interesting nd thought provoking though, which makes everything worth it. I still dont know what to feel about Esmeralda Weatherwax being the universe's ultimate trump card. (Kinda same like rincewind and they both hate it)

6. Industrial Revolution

My favorite of all the subseries. Not a lot of people like them and they always get skipped in most reading lists but I often find the stories as the most shocking and creative. I like how they expand on the worldbuilding. I like the blatant parody on how the real world works. I like it when new character, beliefs and industries are introduced. I always thought I'd prefer the other subseries more but here I am lol. Cant wait to read the others.

Anyhow these are my discworld thoughts afer reading the first 17 books. Up next is Maskerade (which is making me groan coz i just finished Witches Abroad, which was very cool in fact and Maskerade is still Witch-centric)

But you can always not read them in publication order, one might say. But i wont do that. I'm a masochist unfortunately.

[kcwriter-blog]

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Since I have writer's block where my day job is concerned, I thought I would get the creative juices going by typing up an introduction to my account.

Full disclosure. I've had a Tumblr account for years. I've never used it for anything other than looking at the gorgeous artwork. I am not conversant in tags or the etiquette. Apologies if I make mistakes.

So why now? I recently became obsessed with a game I picked up at GameStop for the low, low price of $7. You guessed it. Dragon Age Inquisition. Another disclosure. I'm new to gaming.

My daughter was never into video games so we never bought a console. I had no idea what I was missing out on. Last year I bought a PS4. I tried a few games and settled on Skyrim and Mass Effect as favorites. All I really knew about Dragon Age was that BioWare made it and people that enjoyed Skyrim also enjoyed Dragon Age.

I loaded the game and instantly fell in love. I bought the books and looked into playing the first two games in the series. No luck as I don't have a gaming PC or Xbox and can't afford either right now. Maybe in the future.

I also instantly fell in love with Solas. I knew romances were an important part of BioWare's games so I looked up the love interests. I inadvertently got spoiled and knew who he was before I played. I was not planning to romance him at all.

I got through the tutorial and began making the NPC rounds in Haven. Since Solas had saved my Inky's life (elf mage) and seemed to know the most about the Mark, I started a conversation with him. Let's just say I squeaked out a very audible, "oh no," during that conversation. I was hooked and I knew it. He was so smart, so erudite, so confident, so witty and so handsome. i knew his voice actor was one of my favorite characters from Torchwood and that added to the appeal.

I tend to hyper focus so I set about learning everything there was to know about Solas - which is when I discovered how much a lot of people hated him. I got the whole betrayal, dooming the world aspect but not the dislike of his baseline personality. It wasn't until I read some posts on Tumblr that I got it. He codes as ND. Everything people say about him, people have said about me. It isn't true about me and I don't think it's true about him.

I'm in Solavellan Hell and I know it.

I don't really have anyone that shares my obsession with the game or Solas. Most people I know played the game a long time ago, never took Solas with them and have moved on to BG3.

So I'm on Tumblr enjoying everyone else's amazing artwork, stories and ramblings. I don't know how much of my own musings I will add to them. I generally don't like putting myself out there in cyberspace.

Im looking forward to learning from others just as obsessed with the angsty elf as I am. Greetings!