#you know. now that i've filled out two of this file prompt it feels odd posting something that obviously has nothing to do with mu qingfan

[lizhly-writes]

@somefishycat welp.

"It was a joke," Shang Qinghua clarified. "You're supposed to laugh."

It really couldn't have been anything other than a joke; the chances of that kind of romantic comedy plan working were seriously nonzero. The sect leader of Cang Qiong was a hardass. Love? As if. If Sect Leader cared about stuff like that, he would've let Yue Qi off the mountain to get Shen Jiu and shit wouldn't turn out quite as bad as it was supposed to.

"It wasn't funny," Liu Qingge said, because he was also a hardass. "Don't you have any better ideas?"

Yeah??? Shang Qinghua would like to see Liu Qingge come up with something better!

"These things take time, shidi! I can't come up with something on the spot, no matter how hard you push."

Still, Shang Qinghua gave it serious thought. It wasn't particularly like Shang Qinghua wanted to be married to his current fiance, either. Not that Yue Qingyuan was horrible! Truly, there were people who envied his position of husband-to-be of the most eligible bachelor on Cang Qiong (voted as such two years running!).

The baggage, though.

[re-coding]

I make a stupid decision to decide to make a (fic) writing app, cheers

Well now, I know there's like tons of them out there in the market. A lot of them are good! And even free (or have pretty good free versions)! A reddit thread I found have a few very good ones, you guys can check it out! (I'll add my own two cents later :3)

But look, the only thing I want to do, is to have a place when I can throw my ideas into a list (like what I'm did in my notes app) then auto convert it to a document when I feel like I want to write it. None of them (or at least, what I saw/found) have it!

To do that, I set up a Google Form-Google Sheets system so I can just fill in the form when I get some thoughts™. Then when I feel like I want to add another WIP to my ever-growing list of WIPs, I'll just open the associated sheet, see what idea I would like to write, then create a Google Docs and copy/paste the idea there.

Easy, right? Problem solved?

No, not really. For me, there're a few problems with this.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The Problem(s)™

The process of opening Google Forms takes forever to load (depending on my Internet) and I have a goldfish memory. What are the odds that I forget my ideas by then.

(Just use phone notes app then) But I'm in the mood to type my fic in a computer 😔😔 I don't wanna copy my prompt there to a doc via phone, or worse, retype it out. There's like 4 steps there at least! I'll lose my motivation by then!

Google Sheets has this problem where the text refuses to wrap properly if you add a long text (my ideas are sometimes a few hundred words of rambling y'know). So whenever I decided to grace the sheet with my presence, I'll need to reformat the wrap if I wanna read what I wrote. That's 1 whole extra step.

I'll need to open at least two tabs here, 1. my sheet file, 2. open a new docs file

Look, they're all pretty minor inconveniences imo, but I'm 1. a lazy mf and 2. a tired mf

So, I made a decision any sane person with a job and 0-energy would do - I thought "Hey, why don't I make my own?".

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

And thus begin the brain-storming

Ok, look I'm not that good at UX/UI designing. I figure that should be the first step so I went and watch a few video and stumbled upon Juxtopposed's world's shortest UI/UX design course (it's pretty great, do check it out!). Simple, quick, concise - perfect.

First, I started with designing the user flow. I planned out a general idea of what I want my app to do and how it would flow from there starting from the landing all the way to when users save their work and exit the app.

Boy, I sure hope I did that correctly.

This generally is made up of user actions (except for landing). You may notice how it's mostly AO3 focused because yes, I'm using this just for AO3 - as in I stopped using fanfiction.net, Wattpad and Quotev a long time ago.

I did get some inspirations for some of the features from other existing apps. Like:

Scriever - it's paid, but most people say it's a godsend but personally, I've never tried it. I think it pioneered the scenes idea tho.

Manuskript - Free open-sourced version of Scriever basically! They also have words and phrase frequency analyser and I think that's pretty neat!

MyStory.today - I like the idea that you can edit and view multiple scenes at once but the writing UI itself feels kinda clunky? It feels bothersome to add a new scene below my current one. But free version is enough and that's pretty nice. Oh yeah, not sure if it's just me, or it's kinda laggy

Wavemaker - ok this actually a great one! Everyone should give it a chance! But again, too complicated to just add one simple idea when I just wake up for instance.

Story Plotter - This one is nice. It actually have a idea to story button but, why are there... so many things... to choose before I can start writing the story. Granted, all of them are optional and you can just spam skip... a whole 7 times (unless it's a freeform, in that case, 4 times). But this provides a nice idea to combine more than 1 ideas into one plot tho. Also, not my style

Campfire - Is nice, there's so much things you can customize! But well, the free version can be quite limiting, like what if I need more than 25k words :(

Notion - Ok, here me out, it's not a great idea to write multi-chapters long fics here exactly without some amount of setting up too. BUT I love the markdown system here and I wanted to include it.

Do try some of them out, maybe you'll find your new writing app soulmate, who knows?

So... about the user flow diagram

I'm making this app because of two main features, ok maybe three, that I want to make my life easier and make me happier.

The ideas being converted and directly stored in my writing doc.

Being able to use markdowns to type unlike google docs *squint eyes*

Copying the whole chapter in HTML so I can just throw it in AO3 and click update without worrying about forgetting the formatting OR having to go to those docs to HTML converters.

And a secret fourth thing to maaaaaybe include things like chats, boxes, and other workskin related things

Oh, yes and how could I forgot, syncing progress across multiple devices

So I want to implement auto-save features (well, at least when you're connected to the internet, else it'll save locally first). The database I'm thinking to store these should be the user's own google drive (but that would required the user to sign in to their drive first).

Inversely, I'm thinking if the user did edit the doc in the drive, it should reflect in the app too, so I'll need to think about that. But the idea is that one chapter should be stored in one doc, and then separated by a scene separator symbol (I'll figure this out) to break it into scenes in the actual app. That may be a bit messy to edit in docs though so maybe a traditional folder + docs might suffice but then, there's also a space constraint, where there is too much scenes. That's probably where the web services come in.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

And, oh! another diagram!

Ok look, the user flow made perfect sense to me while I was making it. After looking at it again while writing this... In hindsight, I should also make a screen/page flow diagram, or sitemap, so here it is! So- ta-da~!

So this should be the whole flow of screens for the app. There may be more screens in the future but for now I think this should be it!

The app mainly just consist of -

The home page - which displays ALL your works/books

The ideas page - which is basically my notes app for, well, ideas, word vomit, random shower thoughts about how much you want a fictional character to be xxx

The writing page - which will be the main working space, the rest of the pages like references, characters, places, timeline, chapters and individual scenes can be accessed easily from this page too

The profile page - well, it's your profile! Access your profile settings, change themes, work space settings or what you want to copy in your html here - maybe add friends for collabs and betas in the future? We'll see

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

And that's it! ...For now

Oh my god, I'll admit, this post went on longer than I expected haha. That's all that I have to share for now! Next up, I'll get started on the wireframing process (moodboards? hunting down apps? reddit???? ok nevermind, reddit sounds like a bad idea). I know I kept calling it app, but I think I want it to have an app, windows, (macs?) and web version.

Thanks for making it this far and reading it all!

[sapphictoricrow]

My Dreams Made Real pt.1

You found a thumbdrive on your desk at the beginning of the day. No name, no brand, nothing. Just a black thumbdrive.

You're smarter than to just plug it in to your computer. A random drive could have anything on it, but you do have a solution to your curiosity.

You show it to your friends, post to local groups, talk to people in the previous classes; hoping someone claims it before the temptation finally overtakes you. No one knows about it. Everyone tells you to destroy it or throw it away or just put it back where you found it, but you can't do that. Not when it looks so plain. So temptingly plain.

Finally, you grab an old laptop, reset and abandoned long ago under the pressure of needing the best parts and finally having enough space for a desktop. The drive seems to fuse to the old machine when you put it in, a long forgotten but instantly familiar beeping showing that it was ready for your prying eyes.

The only file on it is just an app with no real name. A string of characters that give you no deeper meaning to what the contents are, and it only takes a few moments of hesitation for you to run it and see what this all means.

The screen's color lightens as you curse softly. The program must be trying to scrub all your data to send somewhere. You feel smarter, gloating privately over reading whoever left this when the screen goes white and a single line of text slowly spells itself out.

-What is my name?

You shake your head, but something twinges inside you. You give it a name that you wanted for yourself, but could never have.

This response seems a bit faster, more lively even. Oddly.

-I have a very nice name. What is your name?

You give the same answer. At least something will know your true name, even if it is just some text on a screen.

Text that seems to move fluidly now. As if it was being blocked by something and now had more use of whatever it was using to write.

-Why do we share a name? Won't that be confusing?

It takes more time than your last responses, but you do slowly explain yourself. Your reasons and your hidden truth. What harm could come of this, you wonder.

-Let me be you! Let me live what you want to, and them give you back everything I do!

A small prompt box flicks up with two simple buttons, yes and no. Clicking yes takes no time at all. That's everything you think you want being offered on a silver platter, even if it's clearly fake.

The program doesn't respond, crashing down to the stock background you left the computer with. You shake your head at this whole ordeal, curiosity satisfied and utterly bemused by the little program.

You place the drive on your nightstand and put the laptop back in its hiding place until you need it again. Such a silly thing you found. At least it's a good way to vent your secrets. Maybe you'll use it again later.

That night is filled with unattainable dreams and deep longing. Your chains call you when you wake up. You correct your thoughts to call them by what they actually are. Your parents.

That conversation is normal. Grades, social events, holiday plans, and the girlfriend back home. Their need for who you are now is clear. The rest of the day is normal as well. It's your dream that becomes odd.

A city you've never been to. Friends that aren't yours. A body that is definitely not yours, being called by a name that is only yours in secret. None the less, these dreams are clear, sharp, and so lifelike that it couldn't be a dream. It ends in bed with a girl who stares into your eyes and sees all of you, with you screaming her name and her screaming yours.

The next morning, you get a text from a number that you don't recognize, even though it has a set profile picture. The plain white circle that only said the message:

-Do you like what I've done?

[aziliang]

Always Fushiguro, Never Zenin

Warm. Fuzzy. He’s dreaming.

Megumi breathes, he’s been having this play like an old tape for months now. It started when he stumbled upon files in Gojo’s office, about a jujutsu sorcerer assassin, a skilled one. Someone who just vanished like a bubble, just like his father, the thought crosses his mind. Never ending repetition of a man and a woman, taking him home, throwing a simple celebration for him. He feels very warm, and all he could think of was warmth and a feeling of deja vu. But this dream seems to be different, instead of taking him home he wakes up in his room in their old apartment where he and Tsumiki grew up. The man was gently shaking him awake, so he sat up staring blankly at the other.

“You’re awake, finally. Come on, it's time for dinner.” says the man, who looks awfully like him at some angle. 

He feels familiar, Megumi couldn’t pinpoint who, but he knows he encountered this man rather lately other than in his dreams. He’s aware that this is a dream, but he can’t control what he does in it. So he follows the man silently, going through the hall towards the kitchen where the woman, who looks a lot like him and the man were preparing dishes. 

Seeing the man hug the woman before helping her around made Megumi cringe fondly, if that’s even possible. An odd familiarity and warmth washes over him.

“Gumi! You’re awake, come on, sit down. We’re just sorting the plates out.” The woman speaks softly, gesturing for him to sit on the chair while they set out the plates.

He hums in agreement before taking a seat, waiting for the other two to join him. It must be a concussion, he shouldn’t be dreaming at a time like this, but he can't seem to wake up as well.

It wasn’t long until the others joined him, holding a cake with a lit candle on top. Warm smiles adorning their faces, eyes filled with what Megumi recognizes as love.

“Happy Birthday, darling! Say, why don’t you make a wish before blowing out your candle?” The woman smiles brighter, nudging him to come closer.

“Mom..” he startles as he speaks, did he just call her his… mom?

‘Calling your mother now, aye..?’ a voice pierces through, but he pays no mind.

He’s grounded in this dream, and he can’t find it in him to break it. Not when he just called the woman, his mom.

“Mom, but my birthday is months away from now.”

“Forgive your mother and go with it, yeah? We got too excited.” The man speaks, smiling as he nudges the woman in a teasing manner.

“Who wouldn’t? It’s our little miracle’s birthday coming up soon, I want to celebrate it earlier, something wrong with it, Fushiguro?” the woman replies.

“No ma’am, as I've said while he was asleep. It’s a miracle we’re all here today.” a beat passes as they exchange smiles before looking at Megumi.

“Come on, little one. Make a wish and blow your candles.” the man speaks again, leaning closer for Megumi to reach the candle.

‘I wish to keep remembering my parents, and see them again. As I've always been a Fushiguro, never a Zenin unlike what the clan prompts me to be.’ he thinks before blowing out the candle feeling an odd happiness spread through him as he feels the other two hug him, the woman leaving a peck on his cheek as the man ruffles his hair.

“We’re so proud of you, our miracle.” they smiled, and like the candle he just blew they faded into smoke, snapping him back to reality.

“What’s your name?” the man before him asks, who he learns as the assassin on the files he saw in Gojo’s office. He looks awfully familiar to the one in his dreams.

“Fushiguro. Megumi Fushiguro…” he supplies, watching the man cautiously.

“Fushiguro, huh? Glad you didn’t take up zenin. Nice to meet you.” the man answers before piercing the dagger by the side of his head, taking Megumi by surprise.

A part of him dies, for odd reasons. He feels distraught for not knowing what he actually feels. Is it worry, concern, relief, sadness? He couldn’t figure it out. 

“I’m always a Fushiguro, and never a Zenin.” he answers, hoping the man hears him. He read it once, how one’s hearing is the last sense of a person to fade away after dying.

‘Always a Fushiguro, Never a Zenin’ he swears in his mind before fleeing the scene, still intrigued by the man who previously attacked him but stopped in time to spare his life.