moonbugs9058

[moonbugs9058]

Yay!!

I survived finals and am now on summer break, which means that words are calling to me. Well, they will be, anyway.

To my (very starved) Blitzstone enthusiasts:

I always spend like the first two weeks aimlessly living with nothing to do before Percy Jackson calls me to reread every installments and one thing leads to another and suddenly I'm working on fanfiction. It'll probably happen again this year but regardless of how inspired I feel, that fucking SoTD chapter WILL be out by the end of the summer. If not, I better have several shorter chapters out because this is getting ridiculous and its been far too long since I've updated the CoL universe.

To the people who followed me for Genshin fics:

I have an idea in the works that I suddenly have time for so I may or may not write it up over the summer, who knows? Then again, I wrote Nation of War during the school year for some god awful reason (even wrote the bonus chapter the night before semester 1 finals) so maybe having time isn't really a contributing factor. Either way, I'll try my best o7

[moonbugs9058]

Happy father's day

Happy father's day to diluc from genshin impact and apollo from percy jackson you guys are real ones

[moonbugs9058]

realization (life shattering)

I just remembered that Kinich and Ajaw are shipped romantically by people and then I realized that I used to not be able to see the vision but over the course of writing Fool-Proof Guide and Nation of War I have begun to see the vision. Guys my Kinich and my Ajaw would make such a fire romantic relationship bc it would be the kind thats not spoken and there are no gestures between them that are outwardly romantic but theres this kind of quiet romantic tension between them that neither acknowledge. It's the exact same as the friendship I write them to have, just in a less platonic way. I still don't see the vision between canon Kinich and canon Ajaw but I can see it happening with the way I write them.

I just feel like I gave those two voices that enhanced their characters and the dynamic between them in such a way where the growth and development of their relationship, platonic or romantic, is possible to me. I dunno it's kind of a weird feeling.

And no, just because I now see the vision doesn't mean I'll start writing ship content. My heart lies entirely with them as platonic soulmates and there's like a .000003% chance that my preferred dynamic between them will change. Any fics I write will always be platonic, but you guys are always welcome to interpret them differently as long as I haven't explicitly stated that they're meant to be platonic. Because. You know. Sometimes things just have more depth when nothing is romantic.

[moonbugs9058]

to add on, here's my kinich and my lyney (yes, I'm aware I need to give Kinich more crit rate)

DPS Bennett

While I haven't been playing much recently, I did manage to upgrade my Bennett's build what's likely to be the last time. He's been my main since I got him (about like two weeks into starting the game in 2020) and his build is the one I work on whenever I have resin and no other character to work on. I C6ed him as soon as I possibly could, pulled him mistsplitter and c2 kazuha and furina and yelan and xilonen (citlali next trust) and I just love him dearly so here's his build for those who are curious as to what a dps bennett build can look like.

(To explain his relatively lower EM and CR stats: C2 kazuha gives 200 em and rosaria gives 15% cr for a solid melt team. When not with rosaria, 71% is still pretty solid for a dps. As for his ATK, well, he's bennett. He buffs himself.)

My most recent piece that I got to really finish off the build was his flower.

[moonbugs9058]

DPS Bennett

While I haven't been playing much recently, I did manage to upgrade my Bennett's build what's likely to be the last time. He's been my main since I got him (about like two weeks into starting the game in 2020) and his build is the one I work on whenever I have resin and no other character to work on. I C6ed him as soon as I possibly could, pulled him mistsplitter and c2 kazuha and furina and yelan and xilonen (citlali next trust) and I just love him dearly so here's his build for those who are curious as to what a dps bennett build can look like.

(To explain his relatively lower EM and CR stats: C2 kazuha gives 200 em and rosaria gives 15% cr for a solid melt team. When not with rosaria, 71% is still pretty solid for a dps. As for his ATK, well, he's bennett. He buffs himself.)

My most recent piece that I got to really finish off the build was his flower.

[moonbugs9058]

Let's celebrate a little bit with some writing process insight

In celebration of Nation of War reaching 4k, he's some insight on how I write my fics!! (This post does NOT contain spoilers!)

I never have a plan. My brain comes up with a scene to plague my mind for the next three months and then it makes me so insane that I have to come up with a plot that leads up to that scene. Do I plan that plot? No! What do you think I am? Organized? Absolutely not. I just write with no clear end in sight until my brain decides that the sentence I just wrote is good for the end of a chapter, or that I'm getting close to writing that one scene. Sometimes I can't even wait and I end up pre-writing that scene and some others and then I have to fill in the gaps. I am a scatter-brained writer.

With Nation of War, the scene was the entirety of Chapter 31. Yes. I wrote 30 chapters just so I could write Chapter 31 and people would feel as insane reading it as I did thinking about it.

In a similar vein, a lot of the nuance that goes into my fics is unintentional, and I find out about it at the same time that you guys do. Or, really, I talk to my beta reader and I have an epiphany as I'm explaining the vibes I want the chapter to have and then suddenly I'm talking about the two main themes of the fic. Other times, the nuance and foreshadowing and little details are entirely intentional- those are usually either the hardest to spot or the easiest to spot.

I have an upcoming Kinich&Ajaw AU fic that I'm writing (no promises!! Currently it's more of a creative writing dump then anything that could turn into a fully fledged story) and the scene that won't leave my head is this conversation between them that's quiet and calm and heavy with soft tension and one singular line of dialogue that's like "I know you. I don't expect you to be things you're not." but like in a soft and understanding kind of way and weoifhnaweslourfnwelsoif LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

Anyway thanks again for 4k hits on Nation of War hugs and kisses to you guys you're the best!! If you haven't read it yet, please do, I've been informed by the 4k people who came before you that it's pretty good! Have a lovely lovely day <3

[moonbugs9058]

Hey, thank you!!

Nation of War passed 4k hits today (currently sitting at 4009) so thank you guys for that :D

I don't write with the expectation that my fics will get popular, so it's always a surprise and a joy whenever I pass another thousand milestone.

Thank you guys ever so much and have a lovely lovely day <3

[moonbugs9058]

Here are the things I love most about Psych:

There is a general lack of sexism and misogyny amongst the characters. The women are portrayed as competent as the men and as accomplished as the men. They show platonic male/female friendships and relationships without trying to force something romantic between characters.

There is a general lack of homophobia. Shawn doesn't get offended when people think he and Gus are together. Shawn and Gus are portrayed perfectly in the sense that there is no toxic masculinity. They are open with their love and friendship and don't "no homo" it.

They don't push the marriage or baby rhetoric. Shawn and Juliet having an open conversation about deciding not to want children and just have dogs, and not feeling pressure to be married until the 1st movie is so refreshing, and even then, they didn't make it a big deal. The women in Psych are written for more than being love interests.

They don't downplay Shawn's trauma around his childhood, especially as it contrasts with Gus's more stable home life. Shawn and Henry's relationship feels (to me) like the epitome of "I can understand how and why you did what you did, but that doesn't mean I have to forgive you for it." Likewise, they don't minimize the trauma Juliet had over Ying. They never tell her to "get over it" or try and tell her it wasn't that bad.

They show that what makes a villain isn't black and white. The villains are complicated, like Yang and Desperaux. They're not all bad, but they're also not all good.

All of the storylines with animals are just *chefs kiss.*

The writing is so good. It's comedic but has feelings. It is a safe space. All of the characters grow throughout the course of the show. They don't just stay stagnant.

Anyway. I love it.

[moonbugs9058]

Inspired by Nation of War Chapter 31: Last True Act of Freedom.

OoOOooO you wanna read Nation of War soooooo bad oooOOoOoo

So yeah I did some art!! We cheered!! I was supposed to be doing homework but I Got Distracted and now I have a new cover for the playlist so that's cool.

Full discloser, I did trace the weapon because there's no way I'm getting all that detail and the correct shape just by looking at it. (I tried for like an hour and it wasn't happening lmao) I'm still super proud of it despite that. I haven't drawn anything in like years so it felt good to get out my drawing pad and get something done.

[moonbugs9058]

Psych!!! The musical!!!!

A psych post? In 2025?? No way???

Yeah. Believe it. Because OHHHH MYYY GODDDDDDD.

I finally got past the Psych the musical episode and. I could not stop smiling the entire time. I love my little silly detective show SO much oh my god they're also such good singers??? "Stop singing," ordered Lassie, knowing that he would be singing and doing a little dancey dance in 20 minutes. His low notes??? Dancing in the forest together for no reason?? I love them your honour. Also Santa Barbara Skies is an incredibly banger song!! They're hitting all the notes beautifully!! I just love them so much and I can't believe I took such a long break from this show because it's really just THE comfort show ever. Like why were these two episodes a musical anyway?? Like who decided that. Did they just feel like writing one and then made up a plot to go with it?? Whoever decided this I owe you my life.

[moonbugs9058]

(Probably) A milestone!!

The Ultimate Fool-Proof Guide to Humans by K'uhul Ajaw got into someone's quality fics collection!!!! We cheered, I think. This is the first time one of my fics has ever been in someone's collection so I think this counts as a milestone (Nation of War will be in there soon trust trust trust)

[moonbugs9058]

Mindless yapping #13

Spoilers for Nation of War Chapter 30: Twenty Something Years of This.

Someone recently commented on Nation of War that it seemed somewhat unrealistic for Kinich and Ajaw to be mourning Kachina and Mualani so strongly even after twenty or so odd years have passed- and while I can't tell you exactly what I was thinking when I was writing Twenty Something Years of This, I can give you an outline of how I interpret it now.

So as we know, Kinich and Ajaw are both people who find it difficult to get attached to and trust people. Kinich was abused by his father, abandoned by his mother, and shunned by his tribe, and everyone Ajaw got close too died, left, or hurt him. Neither of them trust easily, and now they have two friends close enough to be sisters who they trust without question with their lives. Two people who are so dear to them that Ajaw was willing to redefine his understanding of fate and the Fated just to call them a part of his hoard. The relationships they formed with Kachina and Mualani are so deep and so profound that their absence would leave a massive crater in their lives that would never again be filled; and it is the kind of absence that's noticed every single day.

While this explanation is very real and very plausible, it's not the only reason why they clung on to it for so long. If you recall, Twenty Something Years of This is also the chapter that our duo decided to fight for Natlan's people, throwing themselves into war and fighting and protection and violence. It's not only their way of coping, but it's there way of ensuring that loss like that wouldn't happen so easily to Natlan's youth. They no longer had any chance of repairing themselves and finding something to fill the void because the only two people who possibly could were already dead; so they turned their attention to preventing it from happening to others. How does this correlate with their prolonged mourning? Well, the mourning, or burning, as I described it, is being used as the fuel for their conviction.

They're able to keep going because they mourn, they're able to keep the flame burning because they mourn. They use these negative, depressing, sorrowful feelings as the coals to hold the flame, and because of that, they don't notice (or they refuse to notice) when that fuel begins to disappear. It leaves subtly, it leaves with time, and it leaves with every little thing they do that alleviates their grief. (Think Kinich's conversation with Pacal and attending the after-party for the Night Warden Wars, both things that helped console their grief.) They still use that dwindling flame, and one day it just extinguishes completely, too weak and too dull to fuel them anymore- and that's when they stop burning. It's when they lose all motivation to keep throwing themselves into protecting people, it's when they stop trying to help people, it's when they realize that no matter how much they fight, nothing is changing. It's when they realize that no matter how much they fight and no matter how many people they save, none of it is ever going to bring their sisters back. And so, without that flame, without the fire that fuels the violence, they decide to die.

The reason why they kept mourning Kachina and Mualani for twenty odd years was because of their deep relationship, yes, but also because they didn't want to stop mourning them. Another point is the fact that they feed into each other's emotions. They both feel loss incredibly deeply, and they've both just lost what they consider to be their family. It ricochets, bouncing between them, amplifying each other, making it worse and worse and worse despite the endless amounts of support they offer each other. They share everything good, but they also share everything bad.

Hopefully that explained it, but I'd be happy to try and dissect it further if needed.

[moonbugs9058]

someone tell me writing is a bad idea

So I got another Kinich&Ajaw fic idea. This can NOT be happening rn it's April and I'm busy and I've got like ten thousand things due pretty soon that I haven't done and all I can think about is this stupid swap au and how many feelings I can attempt to shove into Ajaw before he explodes of emotional lysis help!! help!!! someone tell me its a bad idea!!!! or better yet tell me to do my homework 😭

[moonbugs9058]

Mindless yapping #12

Spoilers for Nation of War chapter 32: Devotion and His Muse This is one of my favourite parts of the entire fic.

There's just something so soft and vulnerable about it that I absolutely adore. "[it] feels like an introduction" WHAT IF I CRIED. This entire chapter feels like a big soppy mess of Ajaw's emotions and how they wreck him over and over in both positive and negative ways and how the negative ways lead to positive things and how the positive ways lead to negative things and it's just so. aiuosrfhnasizdujnsgd he's so soft with them in this chapter and I can't with him he's so STUPID!! Ajaw and the self-exploration of his emotional depths you'll always be famous how I love and adore you... "[He] might not remember all of what made them them, but he knows that he would love them, and it is all he needs to know." frothing at the mouth why did I write this !!! it's devastating !!!!

[moonbugs9058]

just a random thing

the universe gave me 17 comments on my birthday (yesterday), all written by the same person, and it didn't really register until right now. i don't usually get a lot of comments and certainly not frequently, but 17 comments on the same day AND on my BIRTHDAY is crazy thank you to that one guy you're a real one

[moonbugs9058]

Mindless yapping #11

you can read this post without having read Nation of War; there are no spoilers and the chapters are talked about very vaguely here

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so nobody asked me this but I'm going to pretend somebody did: what's my favourite chapter from Nation of War?

This is a hard one because there's a lot of chapters that I do really like for very different reasons. My first answer is always going to be Chapter 24: Nation of War. It sums up the whole of the fic pretty well, with Kinich and Ajaw's developing relationship and the first little snippet/transition bit into the second theme of the fic. It's also the chapter named after the fic. It's a good pick. I'm also a fan of chapters 27 and 28 (it comes early & and it will take) just because of the foreshadowing in prior chapters and all the little things about them that drive me crazy. Chapter 24: Nation of Four is also a great chapter. It establishes so many dynamics and it's just a cup of fluff and it's so very sweet :) None of these three are my actual favourite; that honour goes to the chapter I wrote all in one day and all in one go while procrastinating on studying for my finals. My favourite chapter in the entirety of Nation of War is Chapter 32: Devotion and His Muse. If you've read it, you probably know why; I just think it's a good representation of how I wrote Ajaw and provides great support for why he acted the way he acted in the beginning of the fic. It provides basis for specific points of the plot (specifically tidbits about the unnamed deity) and I just think the way I wrote it flows well. I summoned my inner poet for that chapter, and I love it loads. It's also the only chapter written in present tense.

[moonbugs9058]

Hey, I'm an idiot

I just realized through playing the first little bit of the new event (until i got blocked by the message that "this character is busy in other quest") that the Chief of the Children of Echoes' name is Pacal. Not. Pascal. Uhh. It's a good thing he only shows up like twice in Nation of War or else I'd have a lot of editing to do- on top of correcting my spelling of his name, I'm workshopping a new summary! We cheered! The old one was kind of lackluster lmao