#Council of Eyeforms

[festivalgear]

Very Special Recordings announce Brooklyn Mixtape cassette compilation Since 1935, people have spent many a fine evening playing Monopoly, that “Fast-Dealing Property Trading Game.” Theses have been presented on winning strategies in Monopoly (tip: choose the thimble), but the strategy for having an enjoyable game is simple: maintain good relationships with your opponents, build your reputation, and be generous.

[domestic-energy-vampires]

Confession

The conclusion of Council!

Words: ~3,200 deviantART | Archive of Our Own | FanFiction

Dressing Fletcher proved to be a serious test for Amanda. She prided herself on her fashion sense, but with Darwin on the way, Fletcher had become finicky in the worst possible way. He struggled to agree on anything, desperately trying to find the perfect balance of casual and formal that made him look good but not like he was trying. With only fifteen minutes to put together an outfit, Fletcher wore through Amanda’s patience in record time.

In the end, she forced him into a navy button-up and a pair of deep teal shorts and a matching bowtie, thinking the whole time about how much she felt like she was dressing a toddler. As soon as he had all the buttons done right, he practically fell back down the stairs in his hurry to make it to the kitchen before Darwin showed up. Amanda made it to the kitchen a full thirty seconds later to find Asteri draining a pot of noodles and Fletcher sucking the daylights out of a relaxant cell, another clutched in his hand. “Hey, slow down. Do you think that’s a good idea?” Amanda asked. Fletcher pulled the cell out of his mouth with a pop and crackle of static. “No, nothing about this is good, but the least I can do is clear my mind a little.” “Isn’t that the opposite of what relaxants do?” “Not when you’re this stressed,” Fletcher said before stuffing the second cell into his mouth. “It’s just bringing me down to normal. You know, it’s almost making me feel like I just woke up from a good night’s rest. Everything’s shitty, but in a fresh kind of way,” he glared toward the chef, “Not that it’s doing anything to make me less mad at you, Ace.” Before anyone had a chance to respond, Fletcher sucked a sharp breath into his ventilation system, biting down so hard onto his battery that it almost burst. “What?” Asteri looked over her shoulder at him. “He’s here. At the gate,” Fletcher rasped, swaying where he stood and grabbing the counter to steady himself. His anger couldn’t do anything to save him now. His only hope was to survive the night without making a fool of himself. “Quinn, it looks like we’re in a cave, could you turn on some more lights?” “Oh, of course, my lord.” When Fletcher didn’t respond to Quinn’s snark, Asteri stopped what she was doing. He gnawed at the empty battery as if it was the only thing keeping him sane. Asteri thought for a moment before putting her spoon down and moving to Fletcher’s side. “Hey, man, it’s gonna be alright ‒ ” As she reached her hand toward his shoulder, he flinched away. “Don’t. I just need to let the relaxant kick in,” he narrowed his eyeforms at her, “And if you say anything to Darwin about what I told you guys ‒ ” “No, I promise, I would never! I just wanted to help, and I swear I think this is the best thing for you. If you don’t feel better once you see him, I’ll take the fall and tell him I invited him without asking you.” “Don’t do that, I don’t want him to wonder why I invited you two over without him in the first place.” “I can make up a reason if you need me to. If you change your mind, just, uh... tap your finger three times.” “Are you sure? That might be too subtle. Why don’t I just wait for a lull in the conversation and call your dad to ask him why he made you this way?” They were interrupted by a sharp knock and the sound of the front door opening. Fletcher scrambled to throw the empty relaxant cells under the sink and stood so stiff he grew three inches. “Anybody home?” Darwin sang. “We’re in the kitchen,” Amanda called. The door closed with a heavy click. After some shuffling, the Android stepped into the kitchen. His brother’s ratty baseball cap sat backwards on his head, he wore a thick maroon sweater hand-knitted by his father that looked irresistibly plush, and he carried a tote bag on his arm. His face lit up and Fletcher thought the ground might fall out from under him. “Fletcher!” Darwin crossed the room in three gargantuan strides before pulling the hybrid into a one-armed hug, holding his bag out at arm’s length. Fletcher hugged him back reflexively ‒ the sweater was every bit as plush as it looked. “It’s been too long, man, you look great! I mean... exhausted, but great. You have to tell me what you’ve been working on!” Fletcher froze. He’d been telling everyone he couldn’t come out because he was working on a sensitive experiment that required around-the-clock attention, but he’d never actually given any thought to what that experiment should be. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind and gave the first excuse he could think of. “It’s so good to see you, too, Win. I mean, it’s pretty boring stuff, I’ll tell you later, but I thought for now we could just... catch up? I’ve really missed you guys.” Darwin gave him a big squeeze before letting go. “Sounds perfect, even though I’m sure nothing you’ve ever worked on has been ‘boring.’ So much has been happening that I’ve wanted to tell you about! Guys, he doesn’t even know about Mateo and Gigi yet!” The sisters beamed as Amanda laughed, “You haven’t talked in that long?” “What’s going on with little Matty?” Fletcher asked. Darwin swung his tote onto the counter and puffed out his chest. “He’s not so little any more! Gigi’s pregnant!” Fletcher gaped. “Oh my god, you’re going to be a great uncle?” Darwin laughed from deep in his speakers. “And from the youngest of my nieces and nephews! He and Gigi just found an apartment in the city, they’re so excited!” Whether it was the relaxants kicking in or the balm of finally talking to his best friend, Fletcher’s crippling stress melted to a fluttering nervousness. When Asteri finished making dinner, the group moved to the courtyard. The sisters sat on one of the benches around the central fountain and the boys sat on the concrete ledge around the fountain so the pairs faced each other. It was so easy to fall into their normal laughter and discussion. How could Fletcher have let all this time pass without talking to them? Catching up on everyone’s lives made him feel almost like a stranger, especially as he had nothing to contribute ‒ in all their lost time, he’d only been stewing in anxiety and trying to distract himself with media. Still, he managed to dodge questions about his supposed experiment while still staying engaged in the conversation. It wasn’t hard with everything else they had to talk about. The time flew by, and before Fletcher knew it, the girls had long finished their second helpings and were beginning to yawn. Something like resolve crept out of nowhere and constricted his chest. He ran cold in an intangible way, but... for a moment, everything stopped. After all this time, he was finally here, sitting right next to Darwin. It became a painful wait for a pause in the conversation before he finally interjected, “Say, when do you guys have to wake up tomorrow morning? I feel bad keeping you up if you need to get home.” “Don’t worry about it,” Amanda waved her hand, “It’s not like we’re going to pass up an opportunity to get together after all this time.” “Actually,” Asteri nudged the Human, “Mandy, don’t you remember? We switched shifts with the opening crew tomorrow!” Amanda opened her mouth to say something, but a hard look from the Android made a light come on in her eyes. “Oh, you’re totally right! I almost forgot. Fletcher, are you sure you don’t mind if we head out?” Four different things tried to leave Fletcher’s speakers at once, resulting in a strangled sort of, “Naaawwww.” He cleared his throat and followed, “We’ll get together again soon! Do you need any help wrapping up all the leftovers?” “No, we can handle it, and if we need it we’ll ask Quinn for help. Don’t get up on our account,” Amanda grinned. Fletcher rocked back on his hands, leaning over the trickling water. “If you’re getting tired, I can head out, too,” Darwin offered. Fletcher’s grip tightened on the concrete, but he tried to cover it by rocking forward. “I mean, I won’t keep you if you need to get home, but there is something I’d like to talk to you about if you wouldn’t mind sticking around.” The yellow blocks that were Darwin’s eyeforms turned into the sweetest smiling crescents. Fletcher couldn’t help smiling back, feeling like he was staring into the sun. He laughed when Darwin slung his arm around his shoulders, “I was hoping I could stay! I’ve missed you too much to want to leave yet.” Fletcher was struck again by how plush Darwin’s sweater was. He could imagine putting his arm around Darwin in return, resting his head on his chest and just staying there, laughing at nothing under the stars in the rippling light of the fountain ‒ “We’ll see you guys soon!” “Uh... yeah! Yeah, drive safe!” Fletcher waved. They all exchanged salutations until the women walked through the french doors that lead back into the entry hall toward the kitchen. “Hey, Win, do you want to take a walk?” Darwin let his arm slide off Fletcher’s shoulders. “Sure, it’s such a nice night. You finally gonna tell me about your experiment?” The hybrid stood, stretching his arms above his head and taking a deep breath into his ventilation system. The stretch extended all the way through his body until he was on his tiptoes before he released and let his arms swing down to his sides. “Yeah. There’s a... a lot to it. Let’s walk and talk.” Fletcher silently celebrated that his knees weren’t shaking and lead Darwin to the opposite side of the courtyard from the entry hall, opening a similar set of french doors into the darkened library. Darwin followed close behind, just as comfortable in this home as if it were his own, and they made their way through the bookshelves to a small door that opened to the gardens around the back of the house. Their shoes crunched onto the gravel footpath, joining the serenade of distant windchimes and fountains. Light came from solar lanterns on either side of the path and strings in some of the trees. Fletcher waited until they made it through the hedges and into rows of rose bushes and arches covered in climbing roses and fairy lights. The path wound through the bushes, a breeze sweeping through that set off a series of Fletcher’s chemical receptors that soothed him like little else could. The sensory programming he’d inherited from his mother had just as much of an influence on his mind as it did on hers, activating wonderful reward programming to be near thriving, pollinating flowers. Fletcher slowed his pace and closed his eyeforms, savoring the scented breeze while it lasted and listening to Darwin’s footsteps as he matched his gait. The breeze faded. His eyeforms opened. “...There was no experiment.” “Oh,” Darwin continued to match his step. “You know, I, uh... kinda figured.” Fletcher’s eyeforms flicked over. “Really?” “I wasn’t going to say anything incase, you know, there was, but... something felt off whenever I called you. It seemed like you were dealing with something. Not like a project, but something personal. I didn’t want to push you so I let it be, but if it’s out in the open now, I just want to say that... I’m here. For anything. You don’t have to tell me what’s wrong, but if there’s any way I can help, I’d do it in an instant.” When Darwin paused, Fletcher just watched his profile, power surging in his chest. “I don’t want to pressure you into telling me anything you don’t want to,” he finally continued, “I totally understand there are some things that you just need to face by yourself or with your family. I won’t take it the wrong way if you need to deal with something without me, and... I get why you felt the need to make up an experiment. Just... I hope you know that we don’t need to share everything to be us,” Darwin said, crossing his arms, “It sounds cornier out loud. I hope that makes some sense.” “No, it ‒ yeah. That makes a lot of sense. I just can’t tell if that makes this easier or harder.” “You don’t need to do anything.” “But I do,” Fletcher smiled, though it came off more like a grimace, and clasped his hands behind his back. “This is only hard because I don’t want to mess anything up. I’m afraid if I don’t say anything, I might regret it, and that would... I don’t really know, but I think it’s too late for me to turn back at this point. I’m not asking anything of you ‒ it’s important to me that you know that.” Darwin nodded, emitting an emotional wavelength that prickled Fletcher’s sensors. The Energy Vampire closed his mind as much as he could. “Alright. I think you remember a while back when I broke up with, uh... Ripley,” decades later, the name still tasted bad in his mouth, “I was sure that I just wasn’t cut out for romance, and realizing that was really freeing. I made it clear that I was only ever looking for casual partners and I started having a lot of fun, and I stopped worrying, and... maybe I kind of stopped thinking about romance as an option for me at all? You, uh, you can imagine my surprise,” Fletcher laughed, “when I realized I was having romantic feelings again.” Darwin’s eyeforms swelled. “For real? Can I ask who it’s for?” Fletcher stopped, soaking in an image he would remember for the rest of his life. Darwin slowed before turning back as well, allowing Fletcher to take in his curious expression, the sparkling lights reflecting off his metal, the form of the friend he’d grown up with and who knew him better than anyone else. No words came. He was frozen. He was staring. His mind shut down. Fletcher felt like he was watching from outside his body as realization dawned on Darwin’s face. “Oh... wait, do you mean,” Darwin paused and pointed at himself. He thought for a while before managing, “Me?” Fletcher’s voice came out dry. “Listen, I just needed to get it off my chest. I hate keeping things from you, and now that it’s out there I can move on, and... uh... yeah. Yes. That’s it.” Darwin ran his hand from the top of his hat to the back of his neck. “So... first ‒ as weird as this may be ‒ I have to say that I’m relieved. I was scared you had some sort of terminal virus.” Fletcher laughed in spite of himself. “Second,” Darwin turned to continue their walk, “I’m... well, I really wasn’t expecting this. Do you mean you want to... to try, like, being together? As a couple?” Something tore around inside of Fletcher. He convinced himself to follow Darwin, scrutinizing a loose strand of yarn on his sweater. “I don’t know, I... maybe? It’s been so long since I even thought I could, and I... haven’t really thought of that? I mean, it’s more like I’ve tried not to think about it, all that matters to me is that we’re still friends. But I guess I ‒ if I thought it couldn’t amount to anything, I wouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.” Darwin didn’t say anything for longer than Fletcher thought he could handle. The crunching of gravel was deafening. “We’ve talked about this before, Fletcher. If you wanted me to stop being friends with you, you’d have to murder someone in cold blood, nothing less.” Warmth flooded the hybrid’s circuits. “But... what’s changed?” Darwin formed the words slowly, “I mean, I know so much has changed since the last time we talked about this, and... well, I have to say that 30 year old me would be losing his mind if he was in my place right now, but what’s happened to make you feel like this?” Fletcher shook his head. “I really don’t know. I’ve been racking my mind for weeks trying to figure that out, and I just... can’t. Can I ask how present-day you feels about this?” The white robot crossed his arms. “You mean you can’t, uh, tell?” Fletcher let out a long breath. “Right, I ‒ I don’t want to pressure you, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t’ve asked. I’m actually blocking my sensors.” “It’s alright,” Darwin shrugged, “I think... I’m still pretty shocked. On the surface, you know I’ve always found you attractive, and if we’re being honest, I don’t think being a couple would change anything drastic outside of our physical relationship. I... can’t say I would feel comfortable with anything like that yet.” “O-of course,” Fletcher sputtered, putting out his hands. “But what if ‒ just to figure things out ‒ maybe we start trying new things? Like, do stuff that we’ve never done before.” Fletcher stopped again. “Do you mean,” he had to think about it a few times before finishing, “like dating?” Darwin took a last, slow step before turning on his heel to face Fletcher. His eyeforms were gleaming. “Like dating,” he hummed, “It can be easy and casual, right? If nothing comes of it, we’ll find out together and things will go back to the way they were. And if there’s something more to find... we can.” Fletcher hugged himself loosely and let out a shaky laugh, feeling a weight lift off his chest that had been there for over a month. “If that’s something you’d be open to, I... I think I’d really like that.” Darwin laughed in response and took a step toward Fletcher to close the gap between them, pulling him into a hug. He tucked his head down and murmured, “I’m happy as long as you’re in my life, Fletch. The rest is just details.” Fletcher’s visor stung as he buried his face against Darwin’s shoulder. “I feel so stupid. I can’t believe how scared I was to tell you.” “Hey, don’t worry about it! I know how hard it must have been for you to come to this realization at all, and confessing your feelings to the hottest guy you know is never easy!” he pulled his head back to smile coyly into Fletcher’s visor, “As someone who’s been in your shoes, I’m happy with the way the tables have turned.” Every time he laughed from that moment on, Fletcher felt even lighter. They spent the rest of the night deciding what they wanted to do for their first date. Admittedly, whatever they settled on was something that Fletcher would struggle to remember later in life, but the warmth of that first night never left him.

I'm so happy to finally have this complete! It's not perfect, but it's done. Now I can finally write more for these two and get back to the other stories on my to-do list!! [[eyes Vampirism eagerly]] Also happy that I could finish this during Pride Month :>

[impulsetravels]

impulse travels radio show. 15 november 2017.

special guests: ezra gale [ very special recording ] + schnasty schnaz

or » DOWNLOAD HERE «

photo: Audio Cassette Tape Stencil Graffiti - Bethnal Green, London E2. | by Bob Bob. licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Our 11/15 episode features special guests EZRA GALE of Very Special Recordings and SCHNASTY SCHNAZ aka DAT BOY DIRTY RED. EZRA played us songs from forthcoming releases on his cassette-based label, including tunes from People's Champs, Dustin Carlson, Ryan Dugre, Big Mean Sound Machine, Council Of Eyeforms, Sheen Marina and Green And Glass, as well as a song from his solo project The Eargoggle and tracks from the new album by Super Hi-Fi, his afro-dub band. » CHECK OUT THE PLAYLIST «

[tinymixtapes]

Very Special Recordings announce Brooklyn Mixtape cassette compilation

Since 1935, people have spent many a fine evening playing Monopoly, that “Fast-Dealing Property Trading Game.” Theses have been presented on winning strategies in Monopoly (tip: choose the thimble), but the strategy for having an enjoyable game is simple: maintain good relationships with your opponents, build your reputation, and be generous. It’s not a hard-and-fast rule, but bankrupting and humiliating your friends while acting like a power-hungry addict or a cackling horse’s ass isn’t good business. The same thing can be said about real life, or at least our hallucinatory version of it: the music industry. We know that hoarding everything, being too competitive, and treating customers like crap leads to things like bankruptcy or maybe even blood-shedding, which is why the labels that work toward consumer happiness and do things the right way most often win. While Brooklyn’s Very Special Recordings are new-ish magnates in the real-estate-of-the-ears game, they’ve done it proper, issuing cassettes crafted with care while representing a vast cross-section of Brooklyn-bred sounds. To that end, a compilation with tracks culled from its first 13 releases, Brooklyn Mixtape, will be released November 17 on tape and as a download. Reflecting Brooklyn’s frenetic underground scene, the collection genre-hops from Beninghove’s Hangmen’s Zep-trip-tacular “Zohove” to The Eargoggle’s precocious pulsing “You’re Feeling Like” to Sheen Marina’s aptly-titled “Splice” (which itself unites a half-dozen different sounds into one song). Today, we have the pleasure of premiering the videos for Ryan Dugre’s softened strummer “Mute Swan” and Rick Parker and Li Diaguo’s cello ‘n’ trombone interplay “make way for the mane of spit and nails.” These videos, embedded below, should give any first-time VSR guest a good idea where the label’s headspace is at. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. But DO get over to the VSR site and order Brooklyn Mixtape. Money spent on music is better than money spent on frivolous things like rent or railroads, Rich Aunt and Uncle Moneybags. Brooklyn Mixtape tracklist: Side A: 01. Sheen Marina - “Splice” 02. Green and Glass - “Night Runner” 03. Ryan Dugre - “Mute Swan” 04. The Eargoggle - “Picking My Bones” 05. Dustin Carlson - “Shakes” (edit) 06. Rick Parker/Li Diaguo - “make way for the mane of spit and nails” 07. Beninghove’s Hangmen - “Zohove” Side B: 01. People’s Champs - “American Dreamers” 02. Super Hi-Fi - “Space Needle (Victor Rice Dub #5)” 03. The Eargoggle - “You’re Feeling Like” 04. Ryan Dugre - “Elliot” 05. Xander Naylor - “Appearances” 06. Council of Eyeforms - “Planet Earth” (excerpt) 07. The Eargoggle - “Hero” http://j.mp/2xDwTLP

[buttersbots]

Breaking Point

Word count: 566 deviantART | Archive of Our Own | FanFiction

Breaking Point (you are here) Council Confession (coming soon)

It was so quiet. Fletcher had never known this sort of stillness.

No wind stirred, no birds chirped, the stream and fountains were frozen over. He reclined in the highest branches that could support his weight in the old apple tree he’d planted as a kid. There was no snow yet, but not for a lack of cold. Fletcher had been out so long that the condensation on his metal had turned to a solid frost. He was starting to come to his senses, the effect of the many relaxants he’d taken starting to wear off. He could hardly believe it when the bare branches above him darkened in contrast to the lightening sky. “Morning?” he whispered, the frost cracking on his cheeks. He pulled up a corner of the blanket wrapped around his shoulders to scrape slowly at his face, freeing his mouth for movement. Everything was gray, though the branches closest to him reflected the purple glow of his eyeforms. He blinked and reached up to trace a finger along the brittle twigs of his dormant tree. “...I think I’ve been fighting something for a very long time. I’m not sure what... or,” he scratched the frost from the branch, “why.” He closed his eyeforms and rolled his right shoulder, shrugging the blanket from a portion of his chest and projecting a grid of blue light over the branches above him. Three white dots lit in succession across his chest, followed by a large green circle and a gentle chime. He’d checked so many times over the night, but something about it soothed him. To Fletcher, his old tree’s dormant readings were as soothing as his parents’ electrical signatures. He opened his eyeforms again, pulling the blanket back up. “I’ve never been one to give things up lightly. If something’s worth fighting for, I don’t feel like it’s a loss to give it everything I have. Maybe that was the problem. I believe... I’m giving up. I’m letting go of something, and it’s making me feel... lighter. I’m ready to not be in control of whatever happens next. I’ve never been trapped with anyone or anything before ‒ you know how I feel about being free. But... I’ve never felt freedom like this before. I finally understand that there’s nothing I can do to control what happens, and I’m ready to be passive here. I mean... passive? Yeah, even if I’m the one making this decision, it’s not up to me what happens next. I’ve been fighting it for such a long time, and now that I’m done...” All his components felt heavy, utterly relaxed for the first time in years, but something in his chest, his whole heart and soul, were lighter than air. “I’m so scared, but there’s something about how powerless I am that’s kind of comforting. I’m exhausted. I’ve been holding myself under some really intense pressure, and now... I could float. “No matter what, everything is going to be different after this. I need to make sure I do it right. Even if I can’t control this, I’ll give it the best chance I can. We deserve that much. Tonight, I’ll call in the big guns. I can’t do this alone, and thinking otherwise has been my biggest mistake.” Fletcher trembled from head to toe, hugging his chest and beaming. “No matter what, I’ve never been happier to be hopeless.”

[buttersbots]

@emme2589 tagged me to do this whole thing?? If anyone wants to know far too much about my writing process, check out under the cut for 54 questions and answers!

1. Favorite place to write.      I can’t really say that I have one. The urge to write strikes me at odd times and in odd places. I’ve noticed I really like to write when I should be doing something else instead, or in places I rather shouldn’t be writing. Maybe my muse likes to walk on the edge? 2. Favorite part of writing.      When the characters write themselves! I’ll sit down with just an idea most of the time and the characters take care of the rest. If I have writer’s block, it’s probably because I’m trying to do something out of character, but I’m too reluctant to redo whatever’s bothering me. 3. Least favorite part of writing.      Random lack of motivation and coming up with titles. 4. Do you have writing habits or rituals?      I always have to be listening to something. Usually music, oftentimes TV (when I’m feeling relaxed and not in any rush, I like picking away at a story sentence by sentence while I’m distracted. Which is all the time).  5. Books or authors that influenced your style the most.      I’m really struck by Tolkien's writing style and try to emulate his imagery sometimes. Nothing has ever really captured me the way that does. Other than that, I guess my writing is inspired in part by everything I’ve ever read? 6. Favorite character you ever created.      Fletcher (surprise). My son. My hopes and dreams. 7. Favorite author.      Too hard... but I like @stormkeeper12 a lot. She’s my favorite person on this planet and a naturally gifted writer. 8. Favorite trope to write.      Ex-con adjusts to a normal, domestic life while moving past their traumas and unlearning toxic behaviors with the help of their loved ones, eventually learning to love life and feeling fulfilled in ways they never knew possible. 9. Least favorite trope to write.      Why would I write a trope I don’t like? 10. Pick a writer to co-write a book with and tell us what you’d write about.      @emme2589 WE’D WRITE ABOUT ROBOTS AND IT’D BE SICK AS HELL 11. Describe your writing process from scratch to finish.      It depends. If it’s just a ficlet, I’ll just write it out once I’ve had the idea usually over the course of a day or two, then go back and tweak things so it flows and there are no grammar/syntax/punctuation errors. If it’s a longer story, I’ll start it from some point and fill out the rest sporadically. Sometimes I’ll make outlines, sometimes my muse will slap me with a random scene and I’ll write it out and fill in the context of the story later. I rewrite constantly. 12. How do you deal with self-doubts?      I write as a coping mechanism. My writing improves the more I do it, so when I’m down in the dumps and need to get it out, my characters give me all the catharsis I need while simultaneously becoming more alive. 13. How do you deal with writers block?      I don’t. If I have writer’s block, I’m not going to get anything done, so I do something else. 14. What’s the most research you ever put into a book?      I don’t write books, but I think the most unneeded research I’ve ever put into something was at the beginning of Charming, and it was about tulips. I wanted Two’s gardening to be realistic since she knows everything there is to know about plant care, so I researched when you’re supposed to plant tulip bulbs, how to best tend to them so that they grow well, and learned a hell of a lot considering I’ve hardly gardened a day in my almost 20 years of existence. I think I only ended up mentioning that she was removing debris from the soil in the background. 15. Where does your inspiration come from?      That’s what I’d like to know! Why can’t I just be inspired by something popular that would get me regular feedback? Why did I have to fall for a speck of a crossover rarepair? Why do Nos and Two make me feel like I’m alive when nothing else will? 16. Where do you take your motivation from?      My own feelings. If an idea doesn’t make me feel things, I won’t write it. As a result, almost everything is comforting and low-energy or something light, quick, and comedic. 17. On average, how much writing do you get done in a day?     It wouldn’t really be fair to take an average when I’ll write nothing for days, write a couple paragraphs every other week when I should be doing homework, and then sit down and write seven pages straight every blue moon. 18. What’s your revision or rewriting process like?      I’ll comb through the entire story and tweak every word I don’t like until one day I’ve improved so much that I start tweaking at one point and end up rewriting the whole thing from scratch. (Example: Alloy [NSFW]). 19. First line of a WIP you’re working on.       When the doorbell rang, Fletcher was already at the front door, waiting to pull it open. Evening had just fallen. The porch light flickered, and it must have made him look even more frantic than he felt ‒ the two women standing on the porch practically jumped back at the sight of him.      [Fletcher Calls a Council] 20. Post a snippet of a WIP you’re working on.      With his sensors dulled to ignore the rest of the hospital, Nos-4-a2 felt like the entire universe was limited to his immediate surroundings. In front of him sat the long, low nanotherapy chamber, its contents swirling silver under the artificial light, unchanging over the passing hours. Across from that sat the heavy door, muffling the sound of people moving through the halls. Behind him, the curtains covered the world outside, blocking the progress of the storm. Even his thoughts seemed to come to a grinding halt, numb with waiting, tired of imagining every possible scenario.      The day had completely wasted away before the outside world came crashing in.      A quiet knock was his only warning before a star-struck Morgan opened the door. “You have some visitors!”      [Vampirism Chapter 6] 21. Post the last sentence(s sorry I have no self control) you wrote in one of your WIPs.      We hurt him. It was the only thought in her mind. He might not trust them any more. He might hate them. She didn’t know what to do, but she knew the only way to make anything right would be to explain.      “Fletcher... I’m coming up,” Two murmured. She unbuckled her cape and folded it, placing it on top of the low stone wall surrounding the tree. The white probe then proceeded to find her way through the mesh of bark and leaves until she was wedged in a niche of branches directly across from her son. He’d shifted his head so that he wasn’t looking at her.      “...Please, honey, talk to me,” Two whispered.      Fletcher blinked, his eyeforms narrowing. He waited, not knowing what to say or how to feel. His voice broke when he finally asked, “Did Dad ever kill anyone?”      [Family Secrets] 22. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied and a project is ultimately done for you?      I don’t keep drafts. I just work on something until I feel like the plot and language are sound enough for me to put it online. 23. Single or multi POV, and why?      I only ever write a story out of one point of view any more, and it’s almost exclusively third person, usually limited. Sometimes omniscient, but most of the time I’ll just switch limited from one character from another after a break in the story. Third person comes most naturally to me after all my studying because almost all of the reading we did was in third person. 24. Poetry or prose, and why?      Prose, because it’s the best way I know how to evoke a clear emotion. Prose is often more beautiful and meaningful to me than poetry. 25. Linear or non-linear, and why?      HAHAHAHAHA! Non-linear because I don’t have the discipline or desire to write in order. 26. Standalone or series, and why?      I think... both...? Somehow...? I write mostly ficlets and one-shots that don’t need a lot of context, but they have much more meaning if you’re familiar with the continuity that I write for, so...? 27. Do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished?      @erick-achan and @emme2589 both have access to the hundreds of WIPs in my Google Drive. If I got to know anyone else who was interested, I’d give them the same thing. I’m so thirsty for feedback and gushing about/expanding on ideas, I can’t wait to be finished! 28. And who do you share them with?      Trusted creatives/anyone who shows the slightest bit of maybe thinking that they might want to look into Nos and Two. 29. Who do you write for?      Myself. 30. Favorite line you’ve ever written.      HOW COULD YOU ASK THIS? I don’t know! Oh GOD I’d have to read through everything and pick just one, it would take me ages, ‘cause what if I forgot about something and found it later? It would haunt me. 31. Hardest character to write.      Not sure. I don’t really want to spend energy on characters that don’t come naturally to me. 32. Easiest character to write.      Two. 33. Do you listen to music when you’re writing?      This is my go-to playlist. 34. Handwritten notes or typed notes?      Typed. I type everything. Sometimes I’ll hand write, but that’s only if I’m in a very particular mood or don’t have my computer with me. 35. Tell some backstory details about one of your characters in your story ________.      Well, this was obviously meant to be asked a single question at a time, so if you’d like to know more about the backstory of one of my characters, send me an ask! 36. A spoiler for story _________.      You can send me an ask for this as well, though there’s really nothing for me to spoil. I have a detailed timeline and write out of order. If you’re reading my stories, it’s probably for the interactions/journey. 37. Most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you.      This doesn’t count as just a quote, but basically anything about Father Zosima’s philosophy in Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. We had to read it in AP Lit, and it was a drag, but Father Zosima’s teachings helped me get through a seriously dark time when nothing else could. I don’t subscribe to his religion as much as the message. You can kinda see what he’s all about in his shmoop article, but it doesn’t do justice to the depth of Zosima’s life story. It’s really the basis of how I try to live my life every day, and now that my sister’s reading TBK in AP Lit, I’m thinking about going back and looking over the Zosima parts again. 38. Have you shared your outline of your story ________ with someone? If so, what did they think of it?      Send me an ask~ 39. Do you base your characters of real people or not? If so, tell us about one.      I draw inspiration from everything, I think. There isn’t anyone who’s solely based on someone I know in real life or who I designed to be like anyone I’ve met. I guess Two’s boss at work is kinda like my managers, but I wrote her before I got my job, so that’s just coincidence. 40. Original Fiction or Fanfiction, and why?      Fanfiction, because I have no feelings for anything I’ve created on my own that didn’t stem from someone else’s intellectual property. I guess the closest I’ve come to original fiction is when I write a Fletcher-centric story that only involves other characters of my own design, which I guess are becoming more frequent. 41. How many stories do you work on at one time?      *choking back tears* I have open WIPs that date back to 2013 and I’ve only gotten more prolific since then. (I just counted 98 in my “fanfiction shorts” folder alone, so that’s not including ideas for ficlets or multi-chaptered stories that I have underway. Admittedly, many have been scrapped or set aside, but I never delete anything in case I can reuse some of the material.) 42. How do you figure out your characters looks, personality, etc.      I don’t design too many characters. Since most of the characters I make are children of other established characters, I just try to balance design elements. Otherwise I do my best to mix in diverse races, genders, and species. 43. Are you an avid reader?      Not nearly as much as I’d like to be. Most of my creative consumption in the past few years has been of video games, and more recently, D&D. 44. Best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.      There are so many good ones that come to mind that make me feel warm from the depths of my soul. The comments that I got on Alloy on deviantART made me feel so validated, I lived off that energy for a month! There are also more general pieces of feedback such as someone (*cough* @emme2589 *cough*) writing a big multi-chaptered fic and l i s t i n g  m e  a s  i n s p i r a t i o n. My mortal soul transcended this plane of existence that day. That really goes for anyone who shows any affectation from my writing, though, no matter the medium. Two of my best friends on the planet I only got to know because of our shared interest in Energy Vampires. 45. Worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.      The only bad feedback is a lack of feedback. (Maybe I only say that because nobody’s given me negative feedback before, but that’s just because not enough people care about Nos and Two, and I’m a Thirsty Bitch.) 46. What would your story _______ look like as a tv show or movie?      LISTEN. If ANYTHING I wrote were to be adapted to moving visual media, it would be 2D cartoon animation, and it would kill me instantly. 47. Do you start with characters or plot when working on a new story?      ...Both? I don’t have a clear answer for this one. 48. Favorite genre to write in.      I’m sorry, but I was raised on FanFiction.net, so I counting “fluff” as a genre is literally a part of my being. My favorite is fluff. 49. What do you find the hardest to write in a story, the beginning, the middle or the end?      Depends on the story. 50. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had.      I can’t talk about it in polite company. 51. Describe the aesthetic of your story _______ in 5 sentences or words.      Send me an axe. Ask. Axske. 52. How did writing change you?      Writing didn’t change me, my writing changes as I do. I started writing for Wall.E as soon as I could. I was 10 at the time, and I pretty much consider that the beginning of my life. Everything before that was just vague, formative details leading up to me seeing Wall.E and discovering my one true love. 53. What does writing mean to you?      It’s my found family, fictional and non-fictional. 54. Any writing advice you want to share?      Just don’t stop. You can’t help but get better if you just don’t stop. Don’t be discouraged, but don’t stagnate: learn what you struggle with and do better. When you find a writing style you really admire, don’t feel like you’ll never live up to it, just try to reach that level in small ways. Before you know it, you’ll have found your own way and people will be looking up to you, which is scary in its own right. Also, read Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. This is the handiest book any writer who’s into the minutia of grammar and syntax could ever need.

[impulsetravels]

playlist. 15 november 2017.

omar + robert glasper + ty - vicky's song // uk + hustle town kiko navarro + amor - isao (dj fudge afrobeat remix) // palma de mallorca + france + hong kong daniel haaksman + spoek mathambo - akabongi // berlin + south africa dkvpz - aqui no baile // brasil sángo - eu te devoro // seattle captain planet - dje dje // el lay + bk — interview with ezra gale of very special recording — words with schnasty schnaz the eargoggle - hotel nacional // bk super hi-fi - single payer (victor rice remix) // bk + são paulo super hi-fi - little black book // bk big mean sound machine - wolfpack // bk dustin carlson - shakes // bk ryan dugre - mute swan // bk people's champs - american dreamers // bk green and glass - night runner // bk sheen marina - swipe // bk ryan dugre - elliot // bk council of eyeforms - planet earth (excerpt) // bk — final words with ezra + schnasty schnaz super hi-fi - verse chorus verse (dr. sub remix) // bk + venice » LISTEN «