#tumblr in the summer of 2022 hit different for some reason

[pandoa]

looking through old posts and seeing some deactivated moots makes me feel sad </3

[oh-my-damn]

Writer question; what made you chose Tumblr and Wattpad as platforms to publish?

Hi nonnie!

Well, uh, brace yourself, bc there are actual very specific reasons for that.

I picked Wattpad at first (I wrote on Wattpad for like, a year, before I actually started writing on here instead of just reading) bc I knew the site from when I was younger (many many years ago I published some of my older works, pre-fanfic life, that never gained any traction lmao), so when I started writing Electric I first did it in a word document until I had about, like.... 80 pages and decided I would try my hand at publishing it.

I wrote Electric first, back in spring 2021, and then started writing The Stranger around the summer of 2021 but I didn't publish the book or those parts until December.

I like writing on Wattpad bc it makes it a lot easier to publish and gain readers due to the notification and ranking systems. Electric picked up slowly at first, obviously bc I hadn't written anything before so I wasn't on anyones radar, but then one random day (before I'd even hit, like, 5k or something. Maybe less? I don't remember) it was voted no. 1 in Marvel. It picked up a lot after that.

Gradually I realized that the rankings would change almost every day, and that they were affected by hits and comments on chapters. So I started timing my updates to get maximum hits and affect my rankings. For a very, very long time, I posted a new chapter of Electric every single day. I had a ton of drafts since I'd already written so much prior to posting the first chapter, and at that time the story was easily flowing out of my fingers, so I would write like at least 2 chapters a day.

So I manipulated the system to gain more readers and traction, and I got a shit ton of high rankings very quickly.

That's also why I chose to publish The Stranger on there, and not focus on it on Tumblr.

I started writing on Tumblr in spring 2022 because my inspiration started coming for different characters and storylines (like Sunshine and Angel) that I didn't feel would be suitable for a full book.

Wattpad is divided into works very differently, so if I don't feel a story is "meaty" enough for at least 50+ parts, I post them on Tumblr instead.

I love Tumblr as a platform to interact and find friends, but I don't really recommend it if the purpose is to gain recognition for your writing. Due to the lack of algorithm it takes a very long time to properly build a blog that people will follow, interact with, or read works by. Everything counts on your readers sharing your works, and that's not reliable in the long run.

For instance, the highest notes count I've gotten on one of my posts here is just under 3k notes, for Ethereal.

On Wattpad, Electric currently has 1,07M reads with 35k votes, and The Stranger has over 500k reads with 22.8k votes, despite not even being complete yet.

So my works on Tumblr are more for fun, usually shorter stories, and the ones I choose for Wattpad are longer (Electric is around 250.000-300.000 words and The Stranger will end up in a range of about 300.000-350.000 words before it's completed)

It takes a while to gain followers on Wattpad too, but on there, followers don't matter. The reading lists matter.

People will add your story to one of their reading lists, and then every time you post a new chapter, they'll get a notification. I get hundreds of reads within minutes when I post a new part, and I may be getting that on here too, but bc of the way Tumblr is set up, I can't tell.

I can only tell by likes and reblogs who/how many on average has read it. It's not reliable in that sense. I can't properly track what people like/dislike, the same way I can by tracking my reads and interactions on each chapter on Wattpad.

This was a long answer, I apologize, but I hope it helps a little !

Please feel free to come back if you have more questions about this ❤️

[tophlovesbeer]

Best Albums of 2022

So hey, this year was a real bittersweet bitch of a rollercoaster. It started out with the big drop, a real terrifying moment where I moved into a new job and role at work, one that was exciting and had some tremendous ups and downs, but ultimately ended far too soon. The music I have chosen for my best of reflects that rollercoaster, but it's ultimately informed by the recent resurgence of punk, hardcore and emo. This was the music of my youth, but instead of falling down a rabbit hole of trite nostalgia I instead revisited the furious need I had twenty years ago to discover. And discover I did! So anyway, here are the top ten albums of 2022, according to me. Because nobody asked but I am all too willing to ruminate.

10. Taylor Swift - Midnights

Midnights is the timeless embodiment of the late night, early morning euphoria. It’s making your way back home and collapsing on the couch. It’s a cup of coffee and comfort food after closing down the bar. It’s soaking in the quiet moments after singing along so loud that your vocal chords are more exhausted than you are.

9. The 1975 - Being Funny In a Foreign Language

What a treat. What a beautiful album about being comfortable with who you are. It’s just lovely.

8. Wet Leg - Wet Leg

Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers are fucking hilarious. More hilarious and far more fashionable than you ever will be. And they have way more fun than anyone reasonably should have.

7. Wormrot - Hiss

This record is here to punch fascists and burn down the local police precinct. This record has my vote for best album art. I mean look at it.

6. Mindforce - New Lords

What the fuck is up, Tumblr! This record is here to crowdkill everyone in the pit and trash your house. Hardcore is back in a big way and I am here for it.

5. Drug Church - Hygiene

The first thing I think about when I think Drug Church is their March 22 show in Philly, during which the microphone disappeared into the crowd during the opening moments of the first song of their set. Singer Patrick Kindlon reeled the mic cable back in only to find that the mic was just gone.

4. Nilüfer Yanya - PAINLESS

I don’t even know what to say about Nilüfer Yanya other than the way she uses her voice is just unreal. But her voice isn’t just impressive, her songwriting is so mature for someone who has only been working for less than a decade.

3. Panic! At the Disco - Viva Las Vengeance

The lyrics “I don’t wanna be a diva / I just wanna be free / on a sofa with sativa / living’ the dream!” are the literal theme of this record and ya know what, Brendan Urie? I’m with ya.

2. Cave In - Heavy Pendulum

Their first record after losing bassist Caleb Schofield, they haven’t missed a step. Nate Newton never tries to replace Caleb. Rather, Nate steps into Caleb’s shoes in a literal way— he plays Caleb’s bass as a tribute to his friend.

1. Soul Glo - Diaspora Problems

Reductively speaking, Soul Glo is Bad Brains for the 21st Century. But they’re not just a Bad Brains clone, nor is Diaspora Problems an old-sounding album. Soul Glo is pushing the genre into the future in ways that are simultaneously terrifying and beautiful.

Honorable Mentions:

Rina Sawayama - Hold the Girl

Black Braid - Black Braid I

Hurray for the Riff Raff - Life on Earth

Weyes Blood - And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow

Denzel Curry - Melt My Eyez See Your Future

Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & the Big

Action/Adventure - Imposter Syndrome

Edit: kicked Beyoncé off the honorable mentions for some black metal. Renaissanceos still a banger, tho. Just more of a record of the summer as opposed to record of the year.

There’s a lot of music that I didn’t get to this year. The mainstream music industry is a fucking dumpster fire. Everything in the top 40 is written by seven different people trying to get the next big viral TikTok hit. It’s still run by manipulative, greedy bigots who aren’t ever held accountable for their fucked up actions. The great Ticketmaster vs. Taylor Swift debacle is emblematic of how disgusting corporate greed doesn’t even care about fans who just want to see their favorite pop stars. But on the fringes, dusky neon lights glow bright. Local music venues persist despite the conglomeration plaguing mainstream markets, their walls plastered with the bright colors of stickers and show flyers. Community is being fostered in the circle pits churning in the middle of skate parks and DIY spaces. There is so much good music out there that isn’t manufactured by the industrial mainstream music machine. So many artists who write from the heart, however that may look. I mean, MCR and Paramore are coming back. That’s a big deal! But there is also an entire generation of musicians and songwriters inspired by MCR and Paramore. Bands like Action/Adventure, a band made completely up of BIPOC musicians who released a solid record reminiscent of A Day To Remember and Four Year Strong. It’s time to give these artists space, and more importantly it’s time to support them.

[higuchimon]

[fanfic requests/BTHB Bingo]

I'm thinking about my Bad Things Happen Bingo & my original plan was a number (25 to be precise) of long, chaptered works, ranging from roughly 9,000 words to nearly 400,000. But I would like to complete this challenge preferably before the end of 2022.

So, I have made a decision. Here are the prompts below. You, the readers, may request what I write to fill each prompt. But I do have a few requirements.

01: Specify which (if any) AU you want or don't want to see your suggestion written in. Breeds, Reversal, Healer/Firestarter, wing-fic, let me know the options.

02: Specify the fandom & characters, just like any other prompt list. Ships are allowed, but keep two things in mind: what I write/don't write & this is "Bad Things Happen Bingo". Fluff isn't often an option.

03: Please be aware that since I crosspost to tumblr, ffnet, & AO3, I seldom if ever write explicit anything (sex, violence, etc).

04: I'm trying hard to work on finishing my current Digimon Ken x Daisuke WIPS in July (Choice To Protect went & developed a plot on me!!) therefore your request might not be filled right away. Once I finish those, I should be able to work on prompt suggestions in a more timely fashion. Which doesn't mean I won't write it when I get it. It will depend on what you request.

05: If you have an existing prompt I haven't filled yet, feel free to pair it with any of the Bad Things Happen Bingo prompts. You're getting a 2 for 1 deal! Current unfilled prompts listed under the Bingo prompts in case you don't remember your prompt. I've taken so long on some of these that I wouldn't be surprised if you did forget. Also, if you want to combine a BTHB prompt with any of the prompt lists found under "higuchimon prompts", go right ahead.

06: Fandoms for this are: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Tamers, Digimon Frontier, YGO GX, YGO Zexal, & YGO Arc-V. Those are the ones I know the best & feel certain I can write a one-shot or brief (no more than 10,000 words) chaptered piece for.

07: please be reasonable in your requests. No one has ever asked me to write something I am opposed to (including ships such as Ken x Miyako, Takeru x Hikari, Taichi x Sora, Asuka x Juudai, Selena x Yuuri, etc). Let's keep it like that, ok? Also, please be aware that these may end up pieces of stories instead of beginning, middle, & end.

Now, behind the cut are the available BTHB prompts & existing unwritten prompts. As each is filled, I will mark it off the bingo square. This lasts until I either achieve blackout or I'm not capable of writing.

Now, the unfilled prompts are as follows:

taking the hit or I have a complaint to file with you: Hikari & Ken [submitted by cityescape4]

drink me: Yubel x Juudai x Johan [submitted by anon]

please, put it down: Edo x Ryou [submitted by zexal--arc-v-1412]

please listen to me: Johan x Yubel [submitted by anon]

Look at me - just breathe, okay?: Taichi x Daisuke [submitted by anon]

soulmates see the date of the other's death on their wrist: Edo x Ryou [submitted by zexal--arc-v-1412]

soulmates share extreme physical sensations: Yubel x Juudai x Johan: [submitted by anon]

Arc-V universe: Yubel x Juudai x Johan [submitted by anon]

"I told you not to fall in love with me": Yubel x Johan [submitted by anon]

Summer Camp AU/Bathtub fic: Yubel x Juudai x Johan [submitted by anon]

Obsession: Kaiser & Daisuke [submitted by ano]

heart growing three sizes, the grinch-style: Kaiser x Daisuke [submitted by anon]

it's a christmas miracle!: Ken x Daisuke [submitted by anon]

the nutcracker: Ken x Daisuke, with breeds [submitted by anon]

fire, flames, or excessive heat: Edo x Ryou [submitted by pierrotguru]

on the verge of conscciousness: Juudai x Johan [submitted by anon]

As a note: if you sent in a prompt & it hasn't yet been posted, but you know it's not listed here, then I already have started writing it & just haven't finished it yet.

I look forward to seeing what you all suggest! One more thing: if two or more people send in suggestions for the same prompt but different fandoms/characters, it's first come, first served. Depending on the requests, I might do an unofficial fill, but only the first will count for the bingo.

[fountainpenguin]

It’s an Update

Hello, Riddle here! I know I’ve been pretty quiet on Tumblr lately. Here’s an update on my situation:

I will definitely post more fanfic updates soon. I’ve picked at drafts, but haven’t posted anything lately. Here are the reasons why:

I got a new IRL job. It’s a good fit for me, but I have less free time than I used to, of course. It’s a job that involves writing lots of articles on a variety of topics, and I enjoy how every day is a little different

Most of my free time for the last year has gone towards my mod work at the Creature-Crossing ARPG, and to my personal CC writing. I’ve been working on new activities over there (my recent favorite being our seasonal familiar shows... I won first place in the summer show!) and I have a lot of plot plans that are coming together now. If you ever want to see my original characters and read my CC writing, you can find my character directory HERE and my Table of Contents HERE.

Once November 1st hits, I won’t be preparing for the release of any more CC activities or events. All future activity or event releases will be overseen by the other mods, and I’ll simply be someone they can ask for extra help if needed. This is a big change for a mod who spent the last 12 months working on new releases, and will give me back some of the free time my IRL job will eat

The Creature-Crossing admin (my boss) greenlit my request to bring an assistant on the mod team who will specifically help me with a lot of my behind-the-scenes work, such as data entry and organization. I’ve never had another mod who specifically helps me with the back end duties before, so that will be awesome. I will need to spend some time training them, but once they are official, that will take some of my workload off and allow me more free time for this blog and personal writing time.

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Fanfic updates you can expect to see soon:

- Reedfilter Rules

- Frayed Knots

- Origin of the Pixies

- Debut of Factor It In, my Kid Math-centric “WordGirl” fanfic (Subtitled “Tales of a third-grade superhero in training”)... Yes I am still in love with this idiot boy, expect lots of doodle pages soon

- The 130 Prompts project is on a slow-burn writing schedule... I’ll write for it when I want to, but I mostly want to focus on Origin and Knots this year.

Further info below the cut. There is more info about non-Fairly OddParents ‘fics in here too (under “non-FOP fanfics”), so if you’re looking forward to Mario World or “WordGirl” ‘fics from me, give this a click so you know what’s coming!

So, what does this update mean for your fanfics?

They’ll be active again soon! I’ve been picking at them behind the scenes, trying to build up a buffer. In an ideal world, I would love to release a new chapter for SOMETHING every Friday. I doubt this will be possible, but it’s something I would love to work towards in the future. Realistically, you can probably expect some kind of fanfic update once every two Fridays (two updates per month).

There might be some Fridays where posting an update is not possible. Instead, I’ll make a post about what progress I made instead. In the past, I often overworked myself to get a chapter out in time for my old deadline. I will not be doing that anymore, but will instead hold myself to a goal of “Make progress on something every week.”

In the best ideal world, I would love to post one FOP fanfic update per week and one non-FOP fanfic update per week. This is not likely to happen for a long, long time, but that would be the dream.

-

Here are the things I most likely worked on if there is no fanfic update:

- A fanfic chapter draft that needs more time

- A sideblog profile

- A Toyhouse profile for personal characters

- IRL work or mod work may have kept me busy this week

- Creature-Crossing writing... I will try to prioritize my fanfics more, but my CC writing is still important to me and I will be working on it in a lot of my free time too. At the moment, I have a hard deadline of December 14th that I need to meet if I want to release huge plot drama on the day that it happens in canon. I’ve been building up to this for a long time, so I’m really excited about that.

I currently have summer or autumn 2022 planned as the “finale” for the majority of my plot to explode. I will be hosting a member-run event in Creature-Crossing that will last for two months, so a lot of my time from January until the event’s release will be spent doing event prep. Once the event ends, my story content will mostly be a “return to slice of life.” Stories will be more casual one-offs as characters grow, live their lives, and start their own families. Hitting seasonal deadlines for plot will no longer be so important. I’ll be giving Creature-Crossing work less attention after that, and much more attention to my fanfics.

- I may not have a fanfic chapter out each week, but I WILL post a note every Friday to let you know what I have been doing with my time. You’ll see me around. Feel free to send Asks and talk!

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What non-FOP fanfics would you like to work on?

For literal years, I’ve been claiming I want to post Mario World fanfics. This is still something I want to do. I tag Mario World posts as “mushrooms and more.” I’ve already done a lot of worldbuilding, I have thousands of words of content written for this fandom... I just haven’t posted any of it. I hope to do this soon.

- “WordGirl” fanfics are prioritized over Mario World fanfics. After I finish my first “WordGirl” multi-chapter, I will probably be ready to post my Mario World ‘fics. I may possibly post some Mario World one-shots in between other fanfic updates. Might take another year or more before I touch Mario stuff unless there’s high interest in seeing it sooner?

I also really want to write some WordGirl ‘fics and get more involved with the fandom community. I’ve been building headcanons and lore for this show ever since I was a kid, and I have multiple ‘fics for this fandom that I want to write.

- “AlgoRhythm” is a ‘fic I have already posted on FFN and AO3, about WordGirl introducing Kid Math to the villains in town

- 28 Cities is a ‘fic I started about Rhyme and Reason before they arrived in Fair City. I put it on hiatus since it didn’t seem like anyone was interested, but I’m willing to post more for it if there is interest in it now that years have passed and I’ve gotten more followers who like WordGirl. I have a lot of worldbuilding and plot I never shared for it

- Factor It In is a ‘fic I’ve been working for a while that parallels the official show from the moment Kid Math arrives in town. It focuses on Rex’s struggle to adjust to this world as a child coming into his superpowers for the first time (Y’know, the whole “superheroes don’t have powers when they’re on their home planets” thing), his struggle to adapt to the social world of a non-logical planet, and Becky’s struggle to help him become accustomed to Earth and learn to share it with her as well. If the episode “Kid Math” was a full-length novel about Rex’s arrival and character development, that’s what this story is. This is the highest priority of all my non-FOP ‘fics... I’ve had a cover image made for 6 months and even though I tried setting it aside, I’ve always been super inspired to write for it. If I felt like it would be a good idea to commit to weekly updates alongside my FOP updates, I would, haha.

- I have two one-shot WIPs called “Squishy Feelings” and “A Little Ambiguity”, one of them focusing on Becky and Rex talking about the events of “Rhyme and Reason” and what it means for Rex’s secret identity, and the latter being a future ‘fic showing WordGirl and Kid Math dealing with life 10 to 15 years down the road. I’ll probably post the latter, not sure yet on the former.

- If desired, I may make a WordGirl specific sideblog where I post lore, answer Asks, post character profiles [smaller than my FOP sideblog ones], and mention fanfic updates. If you would be interested in this, feel free to send me an Ask requesting I do this. If there’s not interest, I’ll just keep my WordGirl stuff on the main blog.

- I’d like to get more involved in the WordGirl community, so I’ll probably post more content and reblog more art and headcanons

I also have a handful of miscellaneous ideas I might follow through with. I’d like to write at least one “TUFF Puppy” fanfic so I can say I did. In a perfect world I would like to finish the two “Danny Phantom” and “Bunsen Is a Beast” fanfics I started because... I just kind of want to dip my toe in each of the Hartman shows once since I already went through all the effort of worldbuilding for them to make them canon in a single Hartman show universe. “ChalkZone” is another show I adore and might touch someday (You may recall I have a full outline planned for an FOP/ChalkZone crossover ‘fic called “Dust to Dust”).

Will I write all of these things? Maybe not. I have no idea if I want to spend the next 10+ years writing fanfics, or if I’ll simply be done with all misc. fanfics immediately once I decide to be done with my main ‘fics. I definitely intend to write for a few more years and finish my main ‘fics, but I might not go through with some less popular side ‘fics if life is getting busy for me.

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What is the posting schedule for FOP ‘fics?

Reedfilter Rules, Frayed Knots, Origin of the Pixies, the 130 Prompts project, and “Come What May” are all high priority FOP writings. I will swap between them depending on my mood that week.

Here are some other ‘fics I want to work on.

- If you like, you can send me Asks requesting I work on a specific story above the rest. I will try to prioritize whichever stories interest you guys most.

Snips and Snails is a ‘fic I started and posted the first chapter for years ago. I’m not sure when I will get back to it, as I ran into some writer’s block. It’s still on tentative hiatus for now..... Possibly forever, though I hope it isn’t forever since it’s only supposed to be, like, five more chapters.

Pink and Gray is on official hiatus. I actually have a lot written for it, but I know it’s a little weird to put so much time and energy into Gary and Betty content when... well, let’s be honest: they’re my niche favorites and most of you probably don’t care. So, I am lifting my usual “no spoilers” policy from my Ask Box. If you would like to ask about my Gary and Betty backstory headcanons, feel free. I will tag my replies as “ridwriting spoilers” for anyone who wants to blacklist the tag, and spoilers will be hidden under a Read More line. 

I’d like to return to this story someday because there are tons of things I like about it (ranging from Betty’s secret tattoos to Gary’s plot drama with his mom to the background drama between Talon and Anti-Cosmo, but I always feel immense pressure to make it extra cool to make up for the fact these are weird side characters, so... it’s officially at the bottom of the priority pile. Once Talon shows up in Frayed Knots and readers understand who he is and why he exists, I’ll consider coming back to it.

Identity Theft is a story about Foop and his time in the alternate dimension he was flung into following the episode “Playdate of Doom.” To put it short, Foop was abused by alternate versions of his parents in this dimension and he witnessed some pretty intense stuff, including the death of the alt version of himself who existed in that reality. The trauma he experienced resulted in his alternate personality, Hiccup. Foop himself has very few memories of what happened, as Hiccup has all of those memories. This story is canon in my works, and it is regularly referred to during the 130 Prompts as part of Foop’s backstory. It’s my highest priority side story to work on.

Along the Cherry Lane is a 20-chapter work focusing on the lives of the main human cast from age 11 to age 30, with one chapter showing a snippet of their lives each year. You see Timmy raising Tommy and Tammy in this ‘fic, and it ends with them receiving godparents. Since the 130 Prompts don’t give humans much attention, this ‘fic does. You’ll probably see it debut two years from now, closer to when the 130 Prompts is ready to talk more about humans.

If this becomes a popular ‘fic of mine, I’ll probably write a sequel or continue it past Chapter 30 and write about Tammy and Tommy living with fairies, but I won’t if there’s no interest in that.

Little Imperfections is a Pixie AU ‘fic of mine about what life would be like in a universe where the Fairies are even more like insects than I play them as during my main works (where I already play them as semi-similar to insects). In this world, the Head Pixie is a figurehead whose duty is to reproduce for the sake of the colony and do nothing else, and he’s bored out of his mind until he befriends Sanderson, who introduces him to music. It’s extremely self-indulgent and silly because I like Pixies.

Francis is a multi-chapter ‘fic about bully Francis’s life getting yet another fairy godparent in a long string of memory wipes and godparents. It takes place during the canon series, and when you see an “orange fairy” mentioned in some of my writings, it’s usually referring to this fairy. His name is Rover and I occasionally post art of him. I feel like I can’t truly call myself an FOP fanfic writer until I actually write about a godkid and their godparents, haha...

Hawthorn Haven is a side ‘fic that will be posted towards the end of the 130 Prompts, as it veers off from the prompts in its own self-contained multi-chapter story. It will be approximately the length of “Baby, You’re a Rich Man.”

Acacia Arcadia is a far-past ‘fic detailing the fall of the ancient fae, the imprisonment of the nature spirits, the rise and fall of the chimera nation, the fall of the Martian genies, and the early days of the cloudlands. This is close to the bottom of the priority pile... It’s something I spend time on for personal reference to ensure accuracy in my other ‘fics, but it’s probably not what you guys came here to read.

AA has a bunch of characters in it that you might vaguely recognize, such as Ezekiel Whimsifinado, Evadne, Ione, Two Feathers, Rho, and Sablewood (If you’re astute, you might recall cloudland legends and landmarks in modern day that refer back to these characters). There are also a lot of characters who were reincarnated as Anti-Fairies, in accordance to traditional Anti-Fairy beliefs; Foop for example exists as a main character in one of his past lives, and you’ll see a hint dropped about each of his lives in the first chapter of Identity Theft. My tentative plan is to use Foop’s past lives as my central characters, following the events of each part of the timeline until he gets killed and reincarnates at a later point of the timeline.

I also keep some one-shots in a file I call Mixed Nuts and I may possibly post them someday (they’re mostly just one-shots of main cast characters I do to get a feel for their personalities, I have some Wanda and Cupid in here). @zachbrightside and I are also working on a collab ‘fic called Like a House On Fire that shows more of Timmy and Chloe’s lives during Season 10 (especially around the time of “Which Is Wish?”) No news on a release date for that yet.

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As I’ve said before, once all my other FOP works are complete, I will write Devil’s Backbone, which is my far-future ‘fic and the finale of my FOP writing. I do not plan to write any more FOP content after that story is finished, as I expect to have all other FOP projects done by then.

- Devil’s Backbone is a finale 'fic, so all worldbuilding from all stories is fair game to blend together, and it’s highly recommended you read everything else first. This story has been outlined since 2016, and it might not be published for another 10 years... Who knows! But it’s something I always work towards as a concrete endgame goal.

- If something serious comes up in my life and I officially decide I don’t want to write this story, I will post the outline for it. The link to this draft is included with all the other Google Docs links I have in a far-future queued post unveiling my WIPs in case I unexpectedly die and you still want to know how my stories would have gone, so you’ll get access to this story eventually even if I die young. Yes, share access is turned on for them all and I do take extra careful measures to be sure that post doesn’t get posted early skldfj

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What is the plan for the main blog?

Every Friday, I will post either a fanfic chapter or a progress update. You can blacklist the tag “ridlife” if you do not want to see the progress updates on your dashboard. Fanfic updates will not have the “ridlife” tag, so you will not be blocking them.

During the rest of the week, I might post doodles, reblogs, or general comments. Basically... you’ll see the blog become active again. Feel free to send in Asks about my worldbuilding and thoughts on fanfic characters.

@fountainpenguin is my personal blog, so you will see non-fandom things on here sometimes

@riddledeep is my FOP-exclusive sideblog. It contains all my lore notes and goes into a ton of depth, more than my fanfics give in one breath

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What does this mean for the Riddledeep sideblog?

I really want to go back and edit those character profiles that were posted early by mistake. The reason they were queued is because if I turned them into drafts, they would have been buried all the way at the beginning of my draft collection, and I have many, many drafts saved. There are no page numbers to navigate quickly through the draft collection, so I would have to click through each page one by one if I ever wanted to look at them. I hated doing this, which is why I kept my posts queued.

I was regularly updating the queue deadlines, trying to keep things in the order I wanted to post them in, but Tumblr made a change to the way drafts are dated and it kept throwing off my system. My inability to remember when my queued things would post combined with my busy schedule led to some profiles being posted early and incomplete. I want to fix these.

Over a year ago, my good friend Vulpix150 helped me finalize my designs for the Aos Sí and Daoine Sith. I’ve been sitting on that art in secret for a while, and at some point I plan to post it on the sideblog and talk more about that lore.

Updating fanfics is my higher priority (and it was the priority my followers voted for when I asked you to send votes to my Ask Box a while back). So, I will usually spend my free time working on fanfics unless I need a break from them and want to work on sideblog profiles instead. Thank you for your patience!

===

TL;DR

I’m posting fanfics again soon. I’m going to take a more relaxed approach to posting them. I’m going to post more of what I want to post and what I feel motivated to post, not always a main ‘fic update. If I’m not “feeling it” when working on a draft, then I’ll set it aside for a while unless I know my followers and readers have high interest in the next chapter of that story. I always write for me first, but if I know there are other people who care a lot about a story, then of course I want to write it for you too!

I’m going to embrace my decade-long love for WordGirl and post more ‘fics and art or this fandom. I’ve always been a little shy about doing this, but I’m ready to make it an official fandom on my main blog (unless there are lots of requests for WordGirl things to be contained in their own sideblog). I will be posting the first chapter for a ‘fic called Factor It In very soon. Love my easily frustrated alien kiddos having a long day.

I am working on Creature-Crossing stuff too, and will be especially busy in November and December. Updates will be slow for a few months, but I hope to find my groove and a good pace soon.

Each Friday, I will post either a fanfic update or a mention of what I am working on. I will be checking in on Tumblr regularly. Feel free to talk! I much prefer you send messages to my Ask Box, not my private messenger, please <3

===

Is there a specific story of mine you like and want more updates for?

Asks and reviews help me know which ‘fics people are enjoying. I plan to keep writing ‘fics no matter what, but I definitely give more time to the ‘fics that get more attention (and I have been spending so much time writing for Creature-Crossing because that’s where the attention was coming from)

It’s easy to stay motivated and get the next part of a story out soon if I know that people like it. It’s always harder if you feel like people are silently judging you and ignoring your posts. So, let me know what you’re interested in. And if you only leave Likes or Favorites instead of asks and reviews, that’s okay too! Thank you for interacting anyway and enjoying my work.

Thanks for reading!

[chuacamille26-blog]

Day 10

24th June, 2022 8:37pm

🎵 Left and Right - Charlie Puth ft Jungkook

I was about to post an update last night but it got deleted out of nowhere and for no reason. My tumblr screen went all white. Then, BOOM! everything I typed were nowhere to be found. Not even on my drafts. Got pissed so just went to use my iPad and started drawing.

Finally, we finally get to hear Jungkook's first solo though he's featuring Charlie Puth. We've been waiting for quite some time since Charlie has been teasing us on his TikTok. TBH, aside from Left & Right, I've been listening to For Youth by BTS a lot. It just hits differently after them announcing their break from group projects. But of course, Yet To Come is very nice song too. I just thought that For Youth isn't getting much recognition that it deserves since it has a deep meaning behind the lyrics. 🤷‍♂️

And, yes. I know I haven't really updated for a few days. Just didn't get enough motivation this past few days. Too exhausted with everything that has been happening around. Ever thought of just escaping and just be somewhere far? travelling and exploring what's there? But, sucks though. Given the fact that the cases here in HK's rising again. I mean, c'mon. obviously people aren't afraid of covid anymore. It has been in our community around the world for 3 years already. People are already burnt out from working their a*s off and not getting their well deserved rest. But, I seriously hope that the gov will reduce the required/mandatory hotel quarantine here or just cancel it. It's too much hassle for everyone. I know a lot of people who wants to go home to the Philippines just to relax and be far from stress. Since, Philippines is already open for travelers as long as they're fully vaccinated (received 3 doses) and they wouldn't be required to get an RTPCR test and there's no mandatory quarantine anymore. I think most of the other countries are already open for travelers and there's no mandatory quarantine anymore. But, here in HK? There's still a mandatory 7 days hotel quarantine. Although, they reduced it from 21 days or 14 days... It's just ridiculous. A lot of us wouldn't want to have our vacation shortened just to have it enough for the quarantine. I mean, our annual leave is 14 days only and we want it to be spent well rather than having it shortened and paying for the hotel quarantine. Most of the hotels for quarantine are fully bookes. I'm not sure about the 5 stars hotel though. But, who would even want to be quarantined in a 5 stars hotel except for the rich people? What we're earning from our job isn't even enough to pay the 7 days quarantine. 🤦‍♀️

Anyway, nothing much happened for the past few days that I haven't updated. Except for, I had a haircut last Tuesday. Goodbye long hair. I miss my long hair though. I did have it cut short but not too short. My hair now is a little below my shoulder. I don't really want it to be that short since I have a round face and I just don't like it when the ends go different ways like an octopus tentacles. 🤣 Main reason for getting a haircut? IT'S TOOOOO HOT here in Hong Kong. The weather here in Hong Kong is freaking unpredictable. Like, really unpredictable. Imagine having a full 2 weeks of thunderstorm. And, now a few days of sun deciding to show up. Also, imagine having the temperature reach 33C + humidity? Jeez, you wouldn't even want to go out anymore. It would be nice to go to the beach or swimming pool though. But, given the fact that I don't have anyone to go with? nvm. lol. Plus, I really hate summer here in HK. Once you get out of the shower, you'll instantly feel that you're already starting to sweat. Also, we're required to wear face mask still. I still don't understand how am I still alive after enduring the heat everyday were I felt like I'm already melting with the heat.

Ok, enough ranting. Took me 30 mins typing this long. Who would even read it? 😂 I'm just here letting out my frustrations and keeping it as my diary. diary? 🤣 oh well...

[yahoo-puck-daddy-blog]

Why Brandon Saad for Artemi Panarin works for Blackhawks

CHICAGO – While it’s ultimately a good deal, there are a few immediate concerns about the Chicago Blackhawks sending winger Artemi Panarin to the Columbus Blue Jackets to reacquire winger Brandon Saad on Friday morning.

Panarin is an incredible offensive talent. He has 151 points in 162 NHL games, and back-to-back 30 goal seasons. If the argument is that he’s a product of Patrick Kane, that’s fine: The point is that he was a successful product and, from an on-ice perspective, totally not the reason why the Blackhawks haven’t gotten out of the first round in consecutive seasons.

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Then there’s what motivated this trade. Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane both informed GM Stan Bowman that they missed Brandon Saad, who was moved to the Blue Jackets in 2015 thanks to the Blackhawks’ cap crunch. (That was, let it be said, created in part by the contracts handed to Kane and Toews, as well as Saad’s ask.)

That’s a real “inmates running the asylum” vibe, but they’re not called “franchise players” for nothing.

Now, push those initial queasy feelings aside, and take this trade for what it is: a smart deal in the long-term for the Blackhawks, albeit one that comes with a hell of a gamble.

The Blackhawks today acquired Saad, goaltender Anton Forsberg and a fifth-round draft pick in 2018 from the Blue Jackets in exchange for Panarin, forward Tyler Motte and Chicago’s sixth round (170th overall) draft pick in 2017.

Money is the heart of every Blackhawks trade these days — see: Hjalmarsson, Niklas — and this is no different.

Let’s start with Anton Forsberg, who is a 24-year-old RFA with 10 games to his credit. He will make peanuts, and if the Blackhawks think he’s good for 20 games behind a (please god please) healthy Corey Crawford, he’s a cheap hire.

Saad makes $6 million against the cap through 2021, when he’ll be 29. Panarin makes $6 million against the cap through 2019, and then he goes unrestricted. So Bowman was looking at a situation in two years where both Panarin and Hjalmarsson would be up for new deals, and the team would still have $44 million tied up into four players with no-move clauses. (Man, that Seabrook deal.)

Bowman was also looking at a situation where Panarin, depending on his ask, could leave for nothing. Or the Blackhawks would be put into a situation where they needed to move him before he did, with no leverage.

To that end, acquiring Saad is better than anything they could have gotten for Panarin in 2018-19. And Saad provides a level of cost certainty through 2022 that they didn’t have with Panarin.

(To briefly address the Blue Jackets side of this, they acquire a player with two years left on an already considerable contract, a player that’s yet to prove himself away from Patrick Kane and a player who will know toil under a coach who’s not entirely known for this offensive ingenuity. That said, the Jackets’ power play is going to be even sicker.)

Saad’s great. The Blackhawks didn’t want to lose him. His potential is far from being tapped – this is a guy who should be hitting 30/60 with frequency, and a guy whose all-around game at even strength could be a tick better than Panarin’s.

His $6 million salary is a shade high for his accomplishments, but that might look differently now that he’s back in Chicago, assuming his numbers trend up with Jonathan Toews.

This trade is a really interesting one if you consider the power dynamics on the Blackhawks.

As was mentioned, Toews and Kane wanted Saad back. Well, in Toews’ case, there’s a bloody great reason for that: He’s never found someone on the left side that clicked with him like Saad did since the trade. He skated with guys like Richard Panik and Nick Schmaltz last season, and made the best of it with 58 points in 72 games. But his goals-per-game dipped to a career low of 0.29.

So in essence, a Saad deal gets Toews going, and gives the Blackhawks a viable second scoring line behind the Kane line.

Except now the Kane line doesn’t have Panarin.

Kane had, on average, his two best non-lockout offensive seasons with Panarin on his wing, including his only 100-point season in 2015-16 when he won the Hart. And so the gamble here is that reuniting Toews and Saad doesn’t severely impact the effectiveness of Kane and Artem Anisimov, who also reaped the benefits of playing with Panarin. Would T.J. Oshie, long-rumored to be Chicago bound, get the same level of production out of Kane that Panarin did?

The gamble here is that they haven’t robbed Patrick to pay Johnny.

The hope here is that the embarrassment of losing in the first round twice — both times with Panarin and without Saad, for the record — has triggered Bowman into some aggressive moves that might benefit the team for years.

Rightly or wrongly, Bowman felt the Blackhawks had been pushed around by the Predators. Saad and Connor Murphy, acquired from the Coyotes, address that. But they also make sense fiscally, so even as reactionary “big shake up” moves, they aren’t irresponsible. We’ve seen worse. Hell, the Blackhawks have made worse.

That said: Hjalmarsson was a foundational player on three Stanley Cup winners. Panarin was a top-line player who helped the Blackhawks’ best offensive player reach unforeseen heights statistically. Marian Hossa, who likely has played his last NHL game, was a three-time Cup winner and a vital part of the team. (They still have to find a way out of this cap space this summer.)

We knew changes were coming to the Blackhawks. We wondered about their magnitude. Well, they’ve shaken this team, and this city. And one assumes there will be aftershocks.

—

Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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What We Learned: Blackhawks face the new normal

(Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend’s events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.)

Take solace in the affirmation that Stan Bowman won’t, in fact, fire Joel Quenneville.

There would have been a lot of psychic catharsis in canning someone in the wake of not only a second straight first-round bounce-out, but also the first-ever sweep by a No. 8 seed of a No. 1 seed in the history of not only the NHL, but the NBA as well. It would have been a dumb move, given that Quenneville is one of the three best coaches in the game, but if people wanted blood, that would have been Bowman’s best option to do so.

Well, not “best,” but certainly “easiest.”

Instead, Bowman used a lot of tough words, including saying “unacceptable” about 600 times, about making significant changes. But you really have to question whether it’s a promise on which he can actually follow through. The amount of money Chicago necessarily has to spend on its core starting next season is massive, and there probably aren’t a lot of contracts that are feasibly movable.

Toews and Kane? Well, you’d probably get a lot of interest if you were to put them on the market, but come on. You can’t put Toews or Kane on the market.

Brent Seabrook? Yeah, for some reason it’s tough to see a lot of interest in a “defense-first” guy 32-year-old who’s signed at that price for another seven years, especially because he has a no-move until 2022.

Corey Crawford? He’s 32 and signed for three more seasons, and has a partial-no-trade-slash-no-move.

Marian Hossa? That’s the price you pay for all those cheap years when he was younger and good. Now that he’s 38, that contract’s stuck. He, too, has a no-move.

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Duncan Keith? He’s your No. 1 D (for better or worse at this point) and he’s almost 34, and he’s signed for six more seasons. And he has a no-move.

Artem Anisimov? Four more years for him, and he has a no-move. (Why does Anisimov have a no-move?)

Niklas Hjalmarsson? He’s one of the better defensemen at what he does in the league, and he has a modified no-trade and a no-move.

Panarin? He starts a new contract next season, and he just signed, but he has no protections from trades.

Those are just about the only guys you could move who would make any sort of big difference, right? All of them are at least difficult to swap out, in part because Bowman felt like he had to give out no-trades and no-moves to keep the core together at something resembling a low price point. And of course, these eight guys make a combined $59.33 million. Next year’s salary cap is projected to land somewhere in the $75-76 million range, and even on the high end there, that’s nine guys eating 78 percent of your total cap number.

It gives you about $17 million to play with, which sounds like a decent amount.

It’s not.

Because in addition to those core guys, Marcus Kruger makes a little more than $3 million for the next two seasons. Now you’re north of $62.4 million (and 82 percent of the cap) on 10 guys. Add in all the entry-level guys, plus a few vets who still have cheap contracts for next year and you’re looking at more than $69.65 million. That’s 91.6 percent of the cap. It gives you $6.35 million to work with.

Oh and of course, because certain players hit their performance bonuses this season, Chicago also has a sizable cap overage: $3.558 million. That bumps you to $73.2 million. You have $2.79 million to spend. And that’s without re-signing three RFAs.

And even if you feel like you have a little wiggle room coming off the books with Johnny Oduya and Brian Campbell, you don’t. You need to replace two defensemen and find a backup goalie with that money.

This really isn’t a pretty picture here.

This is all, of course, “in theory.” Bowman has proven himself adept at getting out of cap-related jams in the past several years, and the good news is that he probably does have options to move even one of the more intractable contracts on the team. Given how seemingly hell-bent he is on shaking things up, there’s no telling who he exposes in the expansion draft in a few months.

But again, given all the no-moves on that roster, what’s your best option in the expansion draft? Hope they take Kruger, probably. There’s no way you can let Panarin be exposed there. He may cost $6 million, but can you replace his offense for less than that via free agency? Even if you don’t look for a Panarin replacement on the open market, who could you trade for to keep this train going? And with what?

The good news is a lot of GMs are likely to be more than willing to help Bowman out. We’ve seen plenty of times in the past that anyone coming out of Chicago is viewed as a capital-W Winner who helps them immediately. Whether that continues now that they’ve won three playoff games in the past two seasons and Chicago is looking vulnerable for the first time in like eight years. Why help them now? Why not let them twist in the wind? Almost anyone they’ll be looking to trade — unless they really want to blow this thing up — won’t be a huge help to you.

The one thing that’s weird about all this is Bowman’s apparent level of surprise that things worked out this way. Chicago has been on the decline for years now, and while this team won a Cup as recently as two seasons ago, the changes he’s been forced to make by the salary cap and his own team’s success were always going to lead to this point.

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Granted, if you’re looking at the corsi numbers or any other “advanced” stats, they’re not going to tell the full story about how good this team is because it has above-average players at every position, and that’s going to allow you to win more games than you statistically “should” simply because that’s the talent level you bring to the table. Crawford will always stop more shots than the average goalie, Toews/Kane/Panarin will always score more than the average shooter.

But the concessions made because of the cap finally caught up with this club. Over the past three years, things have gotten dire in a hurry.

In terms of expected-goals, to go from “outperforming 53 percent” to “outperforming 49 percent” is gonna knock you on your ass. Especially because, come playoff time, most teams you play are always going to have elite players that allow their team to outperform their own numbers, whatever they happen to be. (And this season, Nashville’s was 52 percent, while Chicago’s was 48.9 percent.)

It’s not totally Bowman’s fault that he painted himself into this corner. The Seabrook contract is horrible, and was horrible the day it was signed. No doubt about that, it’s a huge mistake. And you can argue Toews and Kane are overpaid — they are — but any GM in the league would have given them those deals and walked away smiling. That’s the cost of doing business when you win three Cups.

So the problem for Bowman, and Quenneville, is that they’ve worked magic by bringing in good young players on ELCs for more than half a decade. It doesn’t seem to be working any more. Maybe you blame the aging core, which simply isn’t as good as it used to be, for not being able to bring those guys along.

And maybe you change one or two things this summer — although, again, I don’t see how — and revitalize certain aspects of the team for one last ride.

The point is, Bowman can be upset and call this unacceptable all he wants. But this was always going to come down the tracks. And even if he makes near-seismic changes, Chicago losing in the playoffs is going to be the norm moving forward. Partly because no one wins all these Cups forever. And partly because time, like a pack of wolves, catches up with everyone.

But if you win three Cups, you have to say it was worth it.

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: What makes the Ducks a Cup contender? Maybe they can trick the Oilers into taking a bunch of dumbass penalties too.

Arizona Coyotes: Hey no big deal it’s just another arena deal that died before anyone had a chance to care about it. I bet this team stays in Arizona forever. Sure.

Boston Bruins: This is the kind of trenchant analysis we need more of in hockey.

Buffalo Sabres: Don’t get cheap on me, Dodgson.

Calgary Flames: How about clearing out all the horrible players at the bottom of the roster that really ended up holding the team back? Nah, you gotta throw big money at the 30-year-old coming off a .910 season. That’s the smart play.

Carolina Hurricanes: “Solve needs?” Is Klas Dahlbeck a goalie all of a sudden?

Chicago: I get the argument that Chicago just suffered from a lot of bad luck against the Predators and that overreaction wouldn’t be wise (which is why they call it “over”reaction) but like, something drastic has to change if this team wants to materially improve.

Colorado Avalanche: Haha. Good one, guys. Great joke.

Columbus Blue Jackets: This team should have decided to go on its 16-game winning streak in the playoffs, gang.

Dallas Stars: Hmm, this is a take that usually goes over well.

Detroit Red Wings: When guys focus on being “hard to play against” they usually become the opposite.

Edmonton Oilers: You jerks don’t even live on the east coast! Come on!

Florida Panthers: Yeah this is probably the end of the road for Roberto Luongo as a “1a” starting goalie. Hall of Fame career. What a player.

Los Angeles Kings: Okay, sure. That’s fine.

Minnesota Wild: This team probably needs like two or three borderline-elite forwards to make them truly competitive, up from the approximately zero they have now. Where do you get ’em? I don’t know.

Montreal Canadiens: It’s almost as if focusing solely on getting players who play physical hockey is, like, bad. Why didn’t anyone think of this before right now?

Nashville Predators: This is truly a weird matchup for the Predators. Like they Blues, they have a few high-end offensive talents, no forward depth, a solid blue line, and a goalie who punched well above his weight in the first round. Should be fun.

New Jersey Devils: Uhh, what.

New York Islanders: Move the Islanders to Quebec.

New York Rangers: Mats Zuccarello is awesome. Shout out to the little fella.

Ottawa Senators: Wow, yeah, remember how the Senators traded Mika Zibanejad? Derick Brassard was pretty bad in the regular season but this first round went well for Ottawa. Sens win the trade!!!

Philadelphia Flyers: This is the big deal, huh? Valtteri Filppula? Okay, I believe you.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Still no word on most of the injured guys. It’s probably gonna matter in the second round since they’ll have to play an actual good team.

San Jose Sharks: Don’t think there’s any “may have” about it. The Sharks as we’ve known them for like a decade are pretty much over. I think you might have to blow ‘er up.

St. Louis Blues: Wow, Magnus Paajarvi is still in the league.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Nikita Kucherov has a new agent. Hmm. Hmmmmm.

Toronto Maple Leafs: My son is making everyone proud.

Vancouver Canucks: Nikita Tryamkin leaving is not perplexing. The Canucks are a mess and if he goes back to the KHL he can play in the Olympics. I’ve cracked the case. You’re welcome.

Vegas Golden Knights: Hey, the practice rink is coming along nicely. Cool.

Washington Capitals: Yeah it’s because Tom Wilson is a meathead who sucks at hockey.

Winnipeg Jets: Say whatever you want. This team isn’t the next Leafs. They don’t have the coach or the talent. Period.

Play of the Weekend

This Tarasenko guy might be pretty good.

Gold Star Award

Well I guess you gotta give this to the guy who went .950-plus in the first round. Big ups to Jake Allen.

Minus of the Weekend

Weak. Second year in a row he chose not to go. https://t.co/mLoigvkqN8

— Eric Francis (@EricFrancis) April 21, 2017

Here’s an Eric Francis tweet from Friday about TJ Brodie turning down the World Championships due to what others in the Calgary media termed “family” issues. In what may or may not be a related note, Brodie’s fiancee has multiple sclerosis. Good tweet, Eric.

Perfect HFBoards Trade Proposal of the Year

User “The Price is Right” is wrong.

Galchenyuk + Beaulieu + and Habs 2017 first rounder

For Eichel

Signoff

You still owe me 10 more Iroquois twists.

Ryan Lambert is a Puck Daddy columnist. His email is here and his Twitter is here.

(All stats via Corsica unless otherwise noted.)

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