butchcas-steele

[butchcas-steele]

no one asked but here's a list of ways the average american public bathroom is inaccessible to me as a wheelchair user:

cleanliness of the bathroom. pretty self explanatory. if the only accessible bathroom is covered in piss and shit it is not accessible

hand dryers vs paper towels. if there are only hand dryers and they aren't right by the sink i cannot use it without using my wet hands to push my chair. if there are paper towels i can grab them before i wash my hands and bring them to the sink with me. (also fun fact, hand dryers are actually way less hygienic than paper towels. they're basically just blowing germs back onto your hands). they are also loud and overstimulating to me, and often are mounted too high so i end up splattering water all over myself

are the sinks roll under? if not it is extremely awkward to wash my hands

the direction the accessible bathroom stall door is mounted. it's mounted correctly at *most* 50% of the time and it drives me up the fucking wall. if the door opens inward then there is less space inside the stall, meaning many of us can't get inside the stall without leaving the door open, if at all

the size of the accessible stall. it is very often not large enough for me to do a full 360 in my chair which is my metric. this and the above point make it so that often my options are 1. use the bathroom with the door open (unsafe as a trans person), 2. leave my chair outside the stall (that thing is worth 15 thousand dollars. no.) or 3. not use it entirely, which can be a health risk for many of us and is also pretty dehumanizing

heavy ass doors. seriously why do they all need to be so heavy and awkward to open

when the only accessible bathroom is also the family bathroom/baby changing station. these should be separate in my opinion, we shouldn't be competing for that space

all this stuff means i regularly have to just skip going to the bathroom or wait a long time, which is unsafe and incredibly inconvenient as someone with urinary issues. my life is a series of gambles on whether i will be able to use the bathroom at any given public place, and i lose a *lot*

if you notice stuff like this, point it out to management. its a small way to help the wheelchair users in your community

[butchcas-steele]

this is so mean but sometimes i see published writing and suddenly no longer feel insecure about my own writing ability. like well okay that got published so im guessing i dont have much to worry about

[butchcas-steele]

13 and 40 for the OC ask game!

Thanks so much for the ask!

I have 8 "main" characters, and I rolled an 8 on my d8, so you get answers about Ottilie!

13: What is your OCs earliest memory?

The year is 2435, Ottilie is about 4 years old. Xe is sitting at the kitchen counter waiting for her parental units to finish making lunch. The room is a hazy orange from the sunlight streaming in through the open round windows. Xe looks down at xir little red shoes as xe kicks them against the stool where xe sits.

"Ready for lunch, little one?" Xir tertiary parent Ko asks, setting a plate in front of xem. Its an assortment of little fruits and crackers.

40: What is the craziest thing your OC has done?

Ottilie is a risk taker, and a xenobiologist. Therefore, xe has had many encounters with dangerous animals all over the Milky Way. Xir most terrifying and riskiest venture was when xe encountered a Jardiol, a space whale, for all intents and purposes. It is large, a sort of red-black with an undercoat of neon green, a gaping maw full of several rows of teeth, and a variety of eyes.

Xe was tracking the animal through a asteroid belt, and had just lost the trail, when it appeared at the side of xir ship and crashed into it, much like orcas do with billionaire's yahts. Xe began to careen through the asteroid belt, crashing into the space rocks, persued by the Jarydiol. It got it's teeth wrapped around xir small ship and crushed down, nearly breaking the airtight seal. With deft piloting skills, xe was able to get out and safely away.

[butchcas-steele]

6 and 15 for the character asks :)

Thank you so much for the ask!

I have 8 "main" characters in the book, and I rolled a 1 on my d8, so you get answers about Roy James, narrator and Main "main" character.

6: Does your OC have any supernatural powers?

Sort of? Time/Space Travel is a unique power that RJ has, but it isn't necessarily supernatural. In fact I would argue that because it comes from a source that predates time and space, it is the most natural thing there can be, power-wise. Especially because things like vampires, werewolves, witches, and aliens exist in this universe.

He does have a magical bag that allows him to carry an otherwise uncarryable amount of things, but that was given to him by a very nice witch in Colombia.

15: What makes your OC angry?

Roy James has a temper, that flares up when he is in lots of situations. He will defend himself in any argument, no matter how small or how wrong he knows he is. He gets into bar fights for basically no reason, sometimes starting shit just for fun.

What makes him really angry is injustice. He hates homophobes, fascists, racists, transphobes, etc. If he sees police brutality he is the kind of guy who runs towards it to kill beat the cop. Scout is always with him, and will defend her daddy with her teeth and bark. If she is in danger, he immediately either stops the fight to get away with her, or escalate things further so he draws the attention away from her.

[butchcas-steele]

How Well Do You Know Your OCs

[butchcas-steele]

Lowkey obsessed with the concept of gothic fragments. Stories that appear to be incomplete fragments of larger tales, focusing on atmosphere and shocking or supernatural events.

Here's the first one ever written, far as Wikipedia knows. From 1773, meet Sir Bertrand:

[butchcas-steele]

Story Base Idea Tag

Rules: Share the original base ideas for your WIPs

When Sins Haunt: A journalist flees the wrath of a New York criminal overlord and gets caught up in a cycle of revenge between an ex-socialite and a notorious gang of outlaws.

I wanted to write a revenge western where a socialite-turned-gunslinger goes after a gentleman-turned-outlaw when he ruins her life yet again. One where the two leads contrast (the journalist is in the wrong genre) and for him to be tied to the backstory.

Hell's Half Acre: A runaway socialite struggles to hide her troubled past as she and two headstrong cowboys hunt down a killer. The reason why the socialite fled out west unfolds alongside the murder mystery, with both stories mirroring each other as they unravel.

The backstory for When Sins Haunt is a urban crime drama/tragic romance. Given WSH is a straight-up western, the prequel felt too different in structure and tone. So I said screw it, let's explore the Charlotte's first year out west and make Hell's Half Acre a dual narrative. Sometimes I fear the story is too big and must be split. But I love the idea of two stories mirroring one another and how the parallels would drive the actions of a guilt-ridden protagonist.

I was tagged by @roselinbooks here. Thank you! Tagging @orphanheirs, @gioia-writes-and-others, @fitz-higgins and @leahnardo-da-veggie. No pressure, as always! :)

[butchcas-steele]

the ADHD writer's guide to actually finishing a draft (no, seriously) 📝

okay, tumblr, writers... we need to TALK about how to actually finish a damn draft when your executive functioning decided to pack its bags and leave for a permanent vacation in the bahamas.

i'm not here to give you that basic "just set a timer!" advice that makes me want to throw my laptop into the sun. we all know those productivity hacks that work for neurotypicals make us want to scream into the void. (been there, screamed that.)

so here's the ACTUAL guide from someone who's written three novels while her brain was actively trying to sabotage her the entire time.

FIRST: accept that linear writing is a capitalist construct designed to torture us.

i'm serious. whoever decided writers should start at chapter 1 and proceed neatly to THE END clearly didn't have dopamine playing hide-and-seek in their prefrontal cortex.

write whatever scene has your brain chemicals SINGING today. that climactic fight scene that's six chapters away? the tender moment between your characters that happens in the middle? WRITE IT NOW while your brain is actually interested. i have finished entire novels by writing them in chunks and stitching them together like the beautiful frankenstein's monster they are.

SECOND: the 10-minute lie (that actually works???)

tell yourself you're only going to write for 10 minutes. that's it. no pressure. your adhd brain can handle anything for 10 minutes, right? the secret is that once you start, momentum becomes your best friend. sometimes you'll actually stop at 10 minutes (congrats, you still wrote something!) but often you'll look up and realize it's been two hours and you've written 2,000 words. and yes i've seen this a lot, like everywhere, where they tell you "set a timer for 5, and by the time you realize it's 2 hours" i've seen this many times before, and it actually works. at first i thought it didn't but boy, i was wrong.

THIRD: use your hyperfixation powers for good, not evil.

we all know that adhd comes with the superpower of becoming obsessed with random things for unpredictable amounts of time. WEAPONIZE THIS. create artificial urgency around your project. tell people about your deadline. make elaborate aesthetic pinterest boards. create a spotify playlist that you only listen to while writing this specific project. trick your brain into making your WIP the shiny new hyperfixation.

FOURTH: body-doubling saved my writing career and it can save yours too.

find another writer friend (or any friend who needs to do focused work) and sit together - virtually or physically - while you both work. something about having another human witnessing your work process bypasses the executive dysfunction. i swear it's actual magic. discord writing sprints, zoom sessions with cameras off but mics on - whatever works.

FIFTH: embrace the chaos of your natural writing cycle.

some days you'll write 5,000 words in a frenzy at 3am. other days you'll stare at the document for an hour and write "the." BOTH ARE VALID WRITING DAYS. the only consistency we need is returning to the document, not some arbitrary daily word count.

SIXTH: create external accountability that doesn't make you want to die.

deadlines from publishers? great. deadlines you set for yourself? your brain laughs and says "or what?" find the sweet spot - maybe it's a writing buddy you check in with, maybe it's a public progress tracker, maybe it's promising your sister you'll take her to dinner when you finish a chapter.

SEVENTH: the frankendraft approach.

your first draft DOES NOT need to be good, coherent, or even make sense. it just needs to exist. leave yourself notes like [FIGURE OUT HOW SHE GETS FROM THE CASTLE TO THE BEACH LATER] and keep moving. your adhd brain will thank you for not getting stuck in research rabbit holes for six hours.

EIGHTH: find your optimal writing environment through shameless trial and error.

maybe you need complete silence. maybe you need to be in a coffee shop with specific ambient noise. maybe you need to write standing up. maybe you need to dictate your novel while pacing around your apartment. there is no wrong way to get the words out.

i personally write best when i'm slightly uncomfortable (weird, i know) so i often end up writing while sitting on my kitchen floor with my laptop balanced on a chair. whatever works, bestie. a finished messy draft is infinitely more valuable than the perfect novel still trapped in your head. your adhd brain is simultaneously your greatest challenge and your greatest asset as a writer. the connections you make, the unique perspectives, the creativity - all of that comes from the same place as the struggles.

you've got this. now go write something, even if it's just for 10 minutes. i believe in you. ✨ -rin t.

[butchcas-steele]

Fanon vs Canon

Post 3 facts: two that are actually canon in your WIP, and one that’s a common misconception or meme. Let followers guess which is which.

[butchcas-steele]

A Complete Character Development Profile (redo)

- When filling out my own character template for my oc, I realised there was so much I missed, so I did a redo

Section 1: Basic Identity

Personal Information

Full Legal Name:

Stage/Preferred Name:

Aliases/Online Personas:

Name Origins and feelings

Did they choose or inherit their name:

Meaning (linguistically, cultural, familial):

Do they feel like fit their name:

Any resentment or pride around their name?

Do they hesitate before introducing themselves? Why?:

Nicknames and Titles

Current nicknames:

Who uses them and in what tone:

Nickname they hate but tolerate:

Nickname they miss hearing:

Professional titles or honorific’s:

Age Profile

Chronological age:

Mental age:

Emotional age:

Age they appear:

Age they feel:

Age related feelings

DO they feel behind or ahead of peers?:

How do they relate to others their age?:

Do they lie about their age? Why?:

Gender identity

Assigned at birth:

Current identity:

How they embody their gender:

Have they explored or questioned it?:

Do they surprise aspects of their gender:

Do they correct misperceptions? How:

How do others perceive their gender:

Sexual Orientation

How they identity:

Are they open about this:

Are any internal conflicts or journeys of discovery:

Current living situations

Where they live:

Type of dwelling:

Who they live with:

How long they’ve been there:

Environmental impact

What their space smells like:

Soundscape of their area:

How the environment has shaped them:

Do they know the shortcuts and hidden sports:

Do they feel connected or displaced:

Dream living situation:

Birthday and celebrations

Birthday:

Zodiac sign:

Do they believe in astrology:

Birthday feelings and traditions

How they celebrate:

Do they dread or enjoy birthdays?

first birthday they remember:

Worst birthday experience:

Do they tell people hen their birthday is?

How they feel about surprise celebrations:

Section 2: Personality Deep Dive

Internal Srengths

Primary strengths:

How it manifests:

Do they recognise it as a strengths:

External strengths

Primary strengths:

How it manifests:

Has this strengths ever backfired on them? How:

Hidden strengths (ones they don’t recognise in themselves)

Primary weaknesses

What is it:

Is it a flaw or defence mechanism:

How to they hide it:

How their weakness effects others

How their behaviour Echoes in a room:

Are others protective or exploitive of their weaknesses:

Psychological Profile

MBTI Type:

Enneagram type:

Core childhood wound:

How this derived their behaviour:

How it manifests in

Conflict:

Decision-making:

Daily Routine:

Big 5 Personality traits each on a 1-5 scale)

Openness:

Conscientiousness:

Extraversion:

Agreeableness:

Neuroticism:

Do any traits clash with each other?:

Character Archetype

Which archetype do you think they are:

Which archetype would they think they are:

Emotional Landscape

Attatchment style:

How it manifests

In conflict:

When needing others:

Do they test people of cut them off quickly:

Primary fears (physical)

What is it:

Triggers:

Physical responses:

Primary fears (Emotional)

What is it:

Specific triggers:

Physical response:

How they rationalise this fear:

Core memories: Happy

What happened:

Associated textures/smells/songs

Would they share this with others:

Core memories: Sad

What happened:

How it shows up in dreams/habits/reactions today:

Would they rewrite it or cling to is as part of their identity:

Object of significance

What is it:

Condition of the object:

What this condition represents:

Associated memory or person:

Beliefs and philosophy

Core beliefs:

How they justify their morals:

Do they act in line with their beliefs or just speak them:

Do they believe in fate:

If not, how do they explain the unexplainable:

Confidence and self perfection

Where their confidence is real:

Where their confidence is armour:

Do they crumble when unseen or rejected:

How they see themselves vs how others see them:

Section 3: Goals dreams and motivations

Current goals

Surface level goal:

What it’s really about:

Obstacles in their way:

What they’re willing to sacrifice for it:

Long term dreams

Big dream they’ve never spoken aloud:What haven’t they shared it:

Is this dream inherited or self born:

What would achieving it mean to them:

Shame and pride

What they’re embarrassed to tell others:

Why is this shameful to them:

Source of pride:

What accomplishment do they cling to when feeling worthless:

Do they overplay or minimise their accomplishments:

Regrets and pain points

Petty regrets:

Large scale regrets:

Which ones keep them up at night:

Source of misery (the unscratchable itch in their soul)

Admiration and envy

What they admire above all else:

Person who embodies their unmet potential:

Trait they mock in others but secretly envy:

Section 4: Mental Health and coping

Mental health

Diagnosed conditions:

Undiagnosed conditions they might have:

How long diagnosed/untreated:

Do they deny it or medicate it:

How it manifests for them specifically:

Coping mechanisms

Healthy coping strategies:

Unhealthy coping strategies:

Crisis response:

Who they call in a crisis:

Intelligence and emotional processing

IQ (estimated):

EQ (estimated):

How they intelligence isolates or connects them:

Do they weaponise their emotional intelligence:

Humour style

What makes them laugh when no one else does:

What humour makes them uncomfortable:

Do they use humour as a defense mechanism:

Section 5: Behavioural Patterns and Habits

Daily habits and routines

Morning routine:

Evening routine:

Work/productivity habits:

Self care habits:

Bad habits

Sensory tics:

Toxic coping:

Avoidance ritual:

When do they allow these habits in front of others:

Behavioural tells

When stressed:

When content:

When scared:

Normal state:

Verbal Mannerisms

Do they use rhetorical questions!

Sarcasm level:

Do they complete sentence or often drift off in thought:

Precise or vague in speech:

Do they often mirror others:

What they say vs what they don’t

Truth they always avoid:

What they overstate to distract:

Are they brutally honest or do they sugar coat:

Physical presence

How they move across a room:

How much space they take up:

Are they aware of their physical presence:

Posture and body language:

Expressions of love and care

How they show love:

Do they know their actions make others feel loved:

What they need to feel loved:

Section 6: Hobbies and Interests

Current hobbies

Public hobbies (ones they don’t hide):

Secret hobbies (tell few to no people):

Hobbies they wish they had more time for:

How they feel whilst doing hobbies:

Skills and talents

Natural talents:

Learned skills:

Skills they’re working on:

Skills they’ve abandoned:

Section 7: Physical Appearance

Defining features

What a police sketch would capture:

Parts of their body they highlight:

Parts of their body they hide:

Facial features

Face shape:

Nose shape:

Eye shape:

Eye colour:

Lip shape:

Eyebrow shape:

Eyelash length/thickness:

Body details

Height:

Weight:

Body type/shape:

Skin tone:

Skin details:

Tattoos:

Piercings:

Facial hair:

Body hair:

Style and presentation

Clothing style:

Signature detail:

How much effort they put into their appearance:

What’s habit vs performance:

Personal preference vs societal pressure:

Self perception and others reactions

Why do they dress (to disappear, seduce, intimidate etc)

Their opinion of their appearance:

Their most attractive feature in their opinion:

Body part the obsess over:

Are they conventionally attractive:

How they handle compliments:

How they handle stares:

The vibe they give off

What music would play when they’re introduced in a movie:

What do people assume about them based on looks:

Are those assumptions correct:

What type of people are drawn to their vibe:

How do they react to that attention:

Section 8: Relationships and social connections

Trust and loyalty

Person they trust most:

Why they trust them:

Was this trust earned or given easily:

How they test trust:

What they wish they could to for this person:

What’s holding them back:

Conflict and animosity

Person they hate the most:

What they wish they could do to them:

How this hatred affects their daily life:

Family dynamics

Biological family structure:

Relationship with parents/guardians

Mother/maternal figure:

Father/paternal figure

Quality of relationship:

Siblings

Number and ages:

Relationship quality:

Birth order effects:

Extended family

Family members they avoid:

Family secrets or dynamics!

Chosen family:

How their chosen family differs from biological:

Friendships

Best friend:

How they met:

What they value in this friendship:

Friend group dynamics

Size of social circle:

Role they play in the group:

Group activities:

Childhood friends still in their life:

Friends they’ve lost and why:

How they make new friends:

What they need from friendships:

Professional relationships

Work/school relationships:

Mentors:

People who believe in the

Professional reputation:

Romantic relationships

Current relationship status:

Relationship history:

What they seek in a partner:

What they believe love should look like:

Relationship patterns:

How they behave when in love:

How they handle breakups:

Deal breakers in relationships:

Social expectations and roles

What others expect of them:

Roles they’ve earned vs inherited vs resent:

Where they belong:

Where they pretend to belong:

Non human bonds

Relationship with animals:

Significant objects:

Connection to places:

Spiritual or supernatural beliefs:

Section 9: Background and history

Childhood and upbringing

Where they grew up:

Type of community:

Socioeconomic background:

Families reputation in the community:

Were they known, invisible, praised or feared:

Childhood environment

Sensory memories:

Neighbourhood dynamics:

Safety level:

Cultural influences:

Defining incidence

Stories they retell:

Stories they never tell:

Pivotal childhood moments

When they realised something was wrong in the world:

When they realised there is good in the world:

First time they felt truly seen:

First major disappointment:

Education and development

Educational background:

Academic performance:

Favourite subjects:

Teachers who influenced them:

Extracurricular activities:

Notable people from their past

Person who made them feel they could become something:

Person who made them feel small:

First crush:

Childhood hero:

Early role models:

Major accomplishment

What they minimise:

What they overplay:

Trauma and loss

How they carry it:

Do they use it as a weapon, warning or wound:

How it’s shaped their worldview:

Life changing moments:

Biggest regrets:

Moments of triumph:

Current life context

How they view their past:

What they’ve learned about themselves:

What they’re still learning:

Section 10: current life and daily reality

Living situation

Current home:

How they feel about their space:

Personal belonging that matter most:

How they maintain their space:

Financial reality

Current financial situation:

How money shapes their decisions:

How they treat expensive things:

Financial goals or fears:

Relationship with money:

Daily life and routine

Typical structure:

Morning person or night own:

How they spend free time:

Daily stressors:

Daily joys:

Current challenges

Biggest current problem:

What they’re working on improving:

What they’re avoiding dealing with:

Support systems they have:

Support systems they need:

Future outlook

Where they see themselves in 5 years:

What they’re most excited about:

What they’re most worried about:

Changed they want to make:

What’s holding them back from change:

[butchcas-steele]

i wish i could talk about appalachian anything on here without awakening the settler pride weebs for rednecks community

[butchcas-steele]

Writing isn't the hobby. Being insane about little fake people is the hobby. Writing is just the only outlet i have for that

[butchcas-steele]

The motorcycle rumbled as it rolled down the street, so slow that the rider should have fallen off a dozen times.

But this was not real.

This was not real.

This was but a dream, and so this was not real. This was not real. This was not real.

Down the street, he rode.

Watching all the houses roll by, he found that all were identical to the last, with the same roofs and walls and windows and paths.

Identical. Identical. Identical.

And he searched and he searched and he searched for the one that was not identical.

The one that was real.

(This is based on the magic of Dreams and the character of Trem in my series, 49! YOU CAN PREORDER HIS BOOK NOW!)

[butchcas-steele]

found out apparently if you want to consume content of your own original characters and stories you usually have to make that content? fucked up if true

[butchcas-steele]

Prompt 22 "Legends Never Die"

Physical Media: Article, February 19, 2369 [Jump 146]

"Legends Never Die"

by Harmony Jacobs

Legends have been a part of the human conciousness since the begining of time, stories that have little to no basis in fact but last through the centuries. King Arthur, The Hare on the Moon, Robin Hood, Odùduwà, and many others echo through time, inspiring other stories.

So what about the lesser known legends? Ones that can, in some small way, be proven. Does a legend continue to be a legend when he is proven to exist? How about the legend of the cowboy time traveler?

The Institute of Unlikely Sciences has stated time and again that Roy James Ramirez is the real deal. A legend that exists both in myth and fact.

The first evidence of Roy James is a painting from Germany in 1667, done in the traditional style and featuring traditional dress of the time but depicting a horseshoe mustache which was not typical of the time. The next evidence is a from 1776, a painting from the United States Revolutionary war times, which is not unusual besides the same mustached man and an Australian Shepherd, a breed which did not exist at the time. Next, a love letter and a photograph from 1923 Mexico featuring his lover Elijah Love. A 1973 newspaper article reveals he was a rodeo bull rider for a time, injuring himself. Another article from 1776 in Texas claims abduction by aliens.

In the 2000s, there is a letter to a lover written, supposedly, by Roy James himself, to a lover only known as "Baby". Then, in a book by Arthur Wasserman, is a short excerpt describing the story of Roy James, an article much like this one speculating on the existance of Roy James, and even a song about him. In 2281 there's an interview with acclaimed scientist Dr. Ames Grey about Roy James.

Does this evidence mean anything? Who is to say. But Roy James has existed in the collective memory for some time. If he is real, then it calls into question our reality. With the newly sentient Electronic Intelligences led by Ad.A.Li.A, there is a lot to call into question these days. Maybe we are in fact surrounded by legends come to life.

[butchcas-steele]

NEVER STOP BEING OBSESSED WITH YOUR OCS 🫵

[butchcas-steele]

March 27, 1952 [Jump 174]

I doubt it, but are you there god? Cause I have some choice words for you! Mother fucker, why have you done this to me? Why have you pushed me into a living hell? Why me?? Why do I have to experience an unending horror, lifetimes of sadness with little tiny moments of joy scattered in it?

I'm so goddamned alone. Every time I fall for someone they get ripped from me.

Everything I love slips through my fingers like sand; nothing lasts. I wake screaming from wars that either haven't happened or will happen or happened too long ago to rightly remember. I miss people before they're even born, I mourn them centuries after I leave, when for me its been moments.

Why?? Why have you done this to me? Are you even real? I can't tell. Things beyond the reality I was born to exist, hell, I shouldn't even exist, so why wouldn't you be real? Why, then, do you hate us so much as to let us suffer? Why did you place us here and let us fall and falter?

Then again, if you are real you gave us joy, too, hope. Two sides of a coin. Which is bullshit.

Mi Amore talked about how pain and suffering are the way to find joy and peace. That you can't have one without the other. He believed in you, believed in how you had this plan...so what's the plan for me, then? Am I to do this for the rest of eternity? Love and lose and love and lose until I can't remember anyone's name?

And what about Scout? Why her? She's innocent in all this, all dogs go to heaven, yeah? So why torment the poor girl by having her be at my side while I glitch through spacetime?

Hey god?

Fuck you.

RJ.

“Are you there, god? Cause I have some choice words for you!”