#also it's way too long to be a normal book the draft is 38 chapters with 7000+ words each and there's probably more coming

[generally-surviving]

does anybody else start writing au fanfics putting these characters into a different situation (i.e modern, sci-fi, steampunk, high school, fantasy), and slowly over the course of the story, these characters develop in new ways based on the differing environment and new situations that come with it, and you have a cast of lovable side character OCs that change the plot drastically because of their own situations interlacing with the plot

And slowly, the original outline becomes longer, and these non-original characters become almost unrecognisable even with the core aspects remaining, and there's a whole bunch of world building that you've carved into this stale world that was just supposed to house a fanfiction, until the entire creation could basically be it's own piece of media if you change the non-original character's names and appearances (because they really are just one step away from being OCs at this point due to how this world and your hands have shaped them).

And you really consider it. you've put so much effort into this, that you might as well go all the way and make it your own original work.

except you know that if anyone finds out that this started off as a fanfic then you'll be torn to shreds, or worse, if the story isn't as good as you think it is, then you'll STILL be torn to shreds, it's just 10x more personal.

or is it just me?

[facets-and-rainbows]

Blue Exorcist 10th anniversary book Q&A session

The 10th anniversary book has a section where Katoh answers 100 questions submitted by fans on Twitter, so here they are translated/paraphrased! May contain manga spoilers up to the recent flashback arc, so be warned.

(Note that I’m playing it very fast and loose here because there are A HUNDRED OF THEM, so not exact wordings, but it should capture the gist. Lemme know if there are any you want elaborated on)

1. Katoh likes the feel of traditional drawing more than digital but is impressed with how far digital has come

2. Meph THOROUGHLY ABUSES spacetime to watch all his shows and ensure that he gets all the merch he wants

3. Did the girls take all of Yukio’s school uniform buttons in middle school? Yes, they did (apparently it’s like A Thing for girls to ask for a button from their crush at middle school graduation, based on some sad movie from the 60s where a guy who got drafted as a kamikaze pilot gave a girl one of his uniform buttons to remember him by)

4. Rin's tail is about a meter long

5. There are tons of servants working at Mephisto's mansion. Belial is in charge of them

6. Katoh borrows from all sorts of neat real locations when making settings

7. Katoh identifies with pretty much all the characters the most! Except Lucifer.

8. Demon designs she's proud of include the impure king and hachirou, pretty much anything that was the main one in an arc

9. Katoh lists a bunch of her favorite musical artists/music she’s listening to recently: King Gnu, Official Hige Dandism, Kenshi Yonezu, BAD HOP, Sakanaction, Keyakizaka 46, Hypnosis Mic, Aimer, B’Z, Queen Bee.

10. Awww the rabbit manga that characters are often reading isn't just Robo to Usakichi, it's an even older one that she drew as a little kid

11. She likes industrial style interior designs

12. Rin and Yukio alternated who got the top bunk growing up, because they couldn't agree on it lol

13. Katoh cares a whole lot about panel layouts and speech bubble positions, might even be her favorite part of the process (it shows!)

4. Katoh does NOT have a mashou, lol

15. Rin has probably been practicing in secret so he can learn to carry stuff with his tail

16. Izumo probably got into shojo manga around 1st grade, her mom had some around the house

17. Specialty dishes: Rin - lots of stuff but especially nabe Yuri - stuff you can throw together quickly Shiro - stuff he learned from Yuri and/or cookbooks, alongside teaching Rin Yukio - Does. Not. Cook.

18. Can't pick a favorite place she's been on research, but there's no place like Japan

19. Kinzou's band isn't currently meeting because demons, but he's probably still thinking of new songs

20. Hardest characters to draw: anyone with detailed flowing hair. Hardest to write for: Lightning and Gedouin. She had to go read books about serial killers specifically for material for Gedouin, lol 

21. Suguro actually gets a dorm room to himself, though allegedly Yukio is technically assigned as his roommate, lol. Didn't end up that way what with Yukio being a teacher and also Rin’s whole...situation

22. Shiemi makes some of her own hair accessories! Cute

23. Katoh doesn't mind if you include stuff with fan letters but check with the editor first

24. Time for making each chapter: Planning/storyboarding: 1-5 days. Sketching: 3-5 days. Drawing/inking: the rest. Just...the rest of the time

25. Neither Suguro nor Izumo have dated before and neither is currently dating. But that's probably just because things were hectic for them! It could happen

26. Yukio breaks 5 or 6 pairs of glasses a year, someone get this kid a strap or something

27. How many spare glasses does Yukio have? Check the fanbook lol it's in there (dang it Katoh)

28. The demon she wants us to pay the most attention to is Lucifer. Because plot.

29. What's under the Order's big meeting table? It's a BOTTOMLESS PIT and if you fall in it you DIE that's what makes it COOL (laughs)

30. What are the job requirements for the angelic legion? Literally just Arthur liking you and inviting you to join

31. She WANTS to do more character profiles but just hasn't gotten to it

32. Rin's tail feels like a cat tail, texture wise

33. The "red Assiah fire" is literally just actual fire nothing special

34. Rin's current hair color is light blue fading to white at the ends

35. Thoughts on Rin's growth: she likes that he stays positive in awful situations and she also thinks it's very main character of him to face the past instead of avoiding it

36. Mephisto didn't purposely surround Rin with stuffed animals when he woke up after going crispy. Mephisto's bed is just Like That

37. Kurikara was based on a cool sword she found in a sword book, but that one was technically just a ceremonial sword. The symbol on it us a Sanskrit letter kaan (sp?) associated with Fudou Myouou

38. Kuro can communicate with normal cats and hangs out with them often

39. Sometimes Shiemi's skirt is extra fancy around the hem what's up with that? Apparently it's an optional accessory that comes with the skirts help I haven't noticed this and don't know any fashion terms in any language

40. When coloring, Katoh always tries to have an overall theme in mind ("emphasis on blue" etc) so it comes together in the end

41. Yes the twins are genetically related to Shiro because of Goro (she says they're like his nephews but I say GENETICALLY at least they'd be indistinguishable from his children)

42. Strongest mom of all the strong moms around here? Yuri! Did you SEE her give birth??

43. Are you careful about your own health Katoh-sensei? Not particularly! Her mom has had to bring her food at work sometimes! Don't do this at home kids

44. At the dating events Shura goes to, does she drink cocktails in moderation? Yeah, she probably downplays her normal drinking habits at these things. But normally she's down for just about any kind of drink

45. Lucifer just really likes oysters okay

46. How many pages of manga does Katoh draw in a day? If she's being good about self-care: three. Maximum number ever: TEN

47. Mephisto is one of those folks who can eat like a garbage compactor and never gain weight. Possibly because his body resists that sort of change the same way it resists aging etc

48. First food Rin cooked: fish burger type patty. Yukio's favorite things Rin cooks: fish simmered in soy sauce, yellowtail with daikon radish. It's fish all the way down

49: Did Rin ever get more monthly allowance from Mephisto? It doubled! He gets TWO 2000 yen bills now (rip) [T/N: That's uh, that's USD $37.26 a month or 33.10 euro]

50. Why isn't Rin more popular with the girls? He gets nervous talking to them, plus he's too oblivious to notice even if he DID have some fans

51. Why change Suguro's hair? She gets bored with keeping everything the same, and she wanted a visual representation that he was getting serious and going into kind of a training arc

52. Things Katoh pays extra attention to when drawing: trying to capture the feel of whatever she's drawing (like "that looks warm and soft" or "I bet that guy stinks" cough Lightning cough)

53: Does Rin take after Yuri more? (He's got her eyes!) Katoh tried to draw Yuri so she looks like both twins. Personality, too - Yukio has her smarts and Rin has her optimism

54: Do you ever wanna be like Mephisto? Well she'd like to be able to get away with just ANYTHING EVER, but no, let's not be like Mephisto

55. Konekomaru not only carries around a cat toy in case he meets any cats, he MAKES cat toys to carry around based on what he thinks the cats would like

56. How'd you come up with Shima? Go read the fan book!

57. Do the kids have Twitter/Instagram accounts? Rin - probably not. Konekomaru might be on some social media. Paku and Izumo are totally on instagram

58. Is there something Rin makes that you wish you could try? All of it! That's the whole idea! He's good at cooking!

59. Will we ever have a (G-rated) reveal of what ALL of Mamushi and her family's tattoos look like? Maybe! She'll think about it

60. Does Arthur have a repertoire of different hairstyles? Not really, he just puts some of it up on the top. Heck he might even have people to do that for him

61. If you wrote a shojo manga what would it be about? She'd have to do a lot of research before even coming up with a story, since there are so many style differences between the genres aside from just the subject

62. The other two of Mephisto's top 3 favorite foods: Cup ramen and....f-fried bubblegum?? Is that a THING???

63. Where do you start when drawing a character? Usually the outline of their face but if it's a complex pose/composition she'll start with whatever's in the foreground (like hands)

64. If Katoh could have a familiar, what demon would she choose? Mephisto. As the all-powerful author, she might actually be able to command him as a familiar!

66. If you swapped Yukio and Rin's relationship around what would change? not much, you'd pretty much have Rin going to the Illuminati and Yukio going to the past

67. Top 3 foods/souvenirs to try in Kyushu? Well she doesn't know what’s good CURRENTLY but when she was there she always used to like burdock tempura udon, hakata torimon (a kind of manju with white bean paste inside), and Chikae style cod roe. today I learned Katoh went to high school in Kyushu

68. Katoh listens to music a lot while she's storyboarding, then when she and the assistants are all drawing and inking they put various videos/movies and stuff on in the background

69. For all his hitting on girls, is Shima actually popular with the ladies at all? He's got enough girls in his life that he probably COULD find a girlfriend if he really wanted, but the double agent thing tends to get in the way. He still wouldn't be as popular as Yukio though (side thought/translator’s note: Shima would be proud of being number 69.)

70. Katoh has the ending planned out in a big-picture way, but there are still a few details here and there that she's fretting over

71. It's cute when the boys put their ties over their shoulders when they're working on something! Where'd that come from? She just figured a tie might get in the way and that seemed like a realistic way to get it out of the way

72. Looks like Yukio is getting some facial hair! What about Rin? They're both about the age for it, but maybe Rin can't grow a beard yet. Maybe a little peach fuzz here and there

73. Katoh's favorite blue exorcist merch? There were some exorcist licenses a while back, and the exorcist pins. Basically it's really cool that these little accessories she drew ACTUALLY EXIST NOW, LIKE YOU CAN HOLD THEM IN YOUR HANDS

74. Okay realtalk how long do we have left, I don't want the series to end yet? We're solidly in the second half by now but it's not, like, ABOUT to end yet

75. Katoh would be a Knight meister, based on what characters she likes to play in games and such

76. How many people in the whole exorcism cram school? More than you think! She doesn't give a number but apparently licensed exorcists also attend classes for new meisters, etc, so there's a wide age range attending

77. How's Arthur feel about, like, studying Taming on the way to becoming Paladin? He's at least mostly accepted that you have to use demons to fight demons effectively

78. Konekomaru started wearing glasses in his first year of middle school, so like 7th grade (more recent than I thought!) He has one spare pair, in contrast to Yukio lol

79. Katoh's current obsessions? Ghost/scary stories! She's even been going to live readings of them recently

80. Media Katoh consumes for inspiration? A wide range of foreign teen drama, horror/suspense, shojo manga, light novels, anime, etc. Special focus on things where two boys are in conflict or there are brothers involved

81. If they weren't exorcists what jobs would they have? Rin - chef. Yukio - doctor. Shiemi - uh, florist?

82. Inspiration for the design of True Cross Town? Katoh and her assistants gathered up a bunch of references, picked out stuff they felt matched the tone, and mashed them all up together

83. Did you use any references etc for the school/exorcist uniforms? She says she probably should have but she just kind of made them up before publication

84. Favorite part of drawing? For color pages, picking out a color scheme. For black and white, drawing in all the little details (though she doesn't always get time to lately)

85. Once again confirms the demon kings' weird hair is a representation of their horns. ADDS THAT PEOPLE WHO CAN'T SEE DEMONS CAN'T SEE THE WEIRD HAIR

86. Now that Yukio's at the Illuminati, where's he gonna get his Jump SQ and spare glasses? Well he probably never planned to stay for long, but hey it's a big ship and they might have an optometrist and/or newsstand there

87. Do you base the demon characters on any references etc? Not really, she just gets a general idea of popular demon designs and then makes up her own in her own style

88. Merchandise Katoh personally wants to have made: stuff that an adult could just use in their day to day life. Also, it's not gonna happen, but if her favorite figure brand made AoEx figures she could die happy

89. If Beelzebub's host body was a beautiful woman, how would Shima react? Would the womanizing win out over the bug phobia? Katoh replies that Shima would probably just faint from being near a girl that pretty, before the bugs even got involved

90. Will the twins ever get to smile and eat dinner together again?? We'll just have to wait and see!

91. What do you check at a "scenario check"? what's a scenario check man I dunno They check for people being out of character or the setting feeling off. They had a lot of these checks for the anime, but they also do them for the drama CD, games, and all that other stuff where multiple authors are involved

92. Why does Shura use baldy as an insult for people who are clearly not bald? She feels like they have some kind of metaphorical, mental kind of "baldness" and she's calling them out on it. Whatever that means

93. After Blue Exorcist ends, what do you want to draw next? She has SO MANY IDEAS, SO MANY

94. Did Katoh make up the Shinto chants that, for example, Izumo used against Gedouin? They're assembled from bits of actual Shinto prayers according to what feels right in the scene

95. Yukio reads the Jump SQ, right, and, just hear me out here, he likes gag manga, right? Does this mean he reads Salaryman Yukio? It's something he would read, but let's say that in the AoEx universe there's just a very similar manga that he finds oddly relatable

96. What do Yukio and Shima do in their free time on the Dominus Liminus? oh my god you guys this ship has so many amenities.  Yukio probably spends time reading in the library, which they totally have. There's also, like, a gym, and a movie theater, and a THEATER theater, all of which are free. Shima probably hangs out at the pool (!) and goes to the movies, and hits on illuminati girls, lol

97. Easiest character to draw? The ones with boring simple hair, lol. Lightning gets an honorable mention for ALSO not having eyes in most shots, but Rin wins--he was specifically designed to be easy for Katoh to draw because that's what you want in your main character

98. How do demons understand gender? They just possess whatever feels like the best match to how they feel in Gehenna, whether that's a man, or a woman, or a rat, or whatever

99. Where do you start when you're coming up with a story? She starts with character design and how the characters relate to each other. Currently she's just continuing an existing story, so she works on splitting up the overall plot into episodes and fleshing it out with scenes and information about characters

100. When do you feel most happy? She honestly feels like she lives a very happy life overall. Mentions noticing a lot of little things, like how nice her cats' heads smell when she cuddles them or taking a nice cold refreshing drink of water. There's happiness in everything. aww.

[authorracheljoy]

A writer's Ask Game 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49

1.     Do you listen to music when you write?

Only when I’m typing up what I’ve written, honestly!

I can’t otherwise focus on the actual writing/editing if there’s music or other distracting noises so-

2.     Are you a pantser or plotter?

Plotter all the way!

I gotta have an outline, otherwise my story loses focus and that’s NOT GOOD!

3.     Computer or pen and paper?

Both, technically XD I use pen and paper for the drafting, and to get all my ideas down (and outline too of course), but then I typically use the computer for typing up what I’ve written :))

5.     How much writing do you get done on an average day?

Less than I’d like to recently :/ I honestly NEED to get a better writing/editing schedule, but my days are just so consumed by other things to take away my attention, and it sucks. Both as an excuse and just a way of getting by when I have a manuscript that needs rewrites! D:

6.     Single or multiple POV?

Single POV (at least for now? I’m really hoping to branch out with future WIPs)

7.     Standalone or series?

Depends on the story idea, really!

If there’s enough content to expand upon after book 1, I typically will plan for sequels. I mean.. The Hunters Saga started out as just a standalone with a thought-about sequel, which turned into a trilogy, which is NOW a freaking QUADRILOGY!

So yeah, it kinda depends XD

8.     Oldest WIP

As far as actual prose goes (no transcripts), my oldest WIP was called The Creatures of the Night Quartet, and… it’s TERRIBLE. Granted, I wrote it a few years before Antoinette Drake came to mind but STILL! It’s just horrible writing and the plot- what plot??

But if we’re talking WIPs that include transcript/script formats, I guess my oldest WIP would be SuperNova, which was a silly little sci-fi “story”! You can read about both of these prehistoric WIPs over on my Original Stories page!

9.     Current WIP

The Hunters Saga of course! ^^

10.  Do you set yourself deadlines?

Oh how I WISH I did that! >.>

11.  Books and/or authors who influenced you the most

There… weren’t any really? I kinda just went with it? I mean, my first books were really heavily influenced by Twilight and vampire books in general. The Hunters Saga was slightly influenced by Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series but that’s about all that comes to mind :3

12.  Describe your perfect writing space

All I need is a notebook, a pen, and a laptop!

The rest doesn’t really matter at all to me~

13.  Describe your writing process from idea to polished

Well, usually my ideas come from dreams, or just scenes that come out of my head :) Then I first try to see if that certain idea/scene fits into any of my current WIPs and could be potentially included! If yes, then I do so! But if not… I typically try and write more around it :) After having an expanded idea and character list, I either develop the characters or make an outline for the story idea. Either works fine ^^ After the characters are developed enough and the outline is made, I get to writing! And after that? I edit it of course XD

14.  How do you deal with self-doubts?

I try to remind my self how I became so incredibly lucky to land a publishing deal. I mean, sure, it’s not what I had planned and I have occasional doubt about my writing in general, and how people generally see and criticize my style and characters… I just gotta remind myself that I can’t please everyone. And if I have to have a goal in writing, it’s to tell a story the way I see it. Criticism is such a touchy subject, and some writers just flat out ignore that. And sometimes, that’s smart. But - and I’m getting seriously off-topic here but WELP - more often than not, that criticism turns out to be justified! I know my writing can be weak and uninteresting. But do I let that force me away from my passion? Not at all!

If you love writing and want to become a published author, you can’t do it half-assed! You have to want it wholeheartedly. You have to TRY to improve. You have to take criticism for what it is and what it might be-

OK I’m so off-topic, this is raising too much anxiety oops.. I’ll just leave it there though.. because it’s how I feel!

15.  How do you deal with writer’s block?

I do something else - listen to music, draw, watch a movie, play a game- something other than writing (which is blocked, DUH) But yeah! I tend to step away from the manuscript for a bit and clear my head until ideas come rushing back :) And if I’m working through an outline, there’s a possibility of just. working on a different scene in a different chapter other than the one I’m stuck on at the moment ;3

16.  How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied with a project?

Usually 3 or 4, depending on how long and how detailed the drafts are :D

And if I’m REALLY lucky, I can do it in 2 but that’s actually VERY RARE for me so >.>

17.  What writing habits or rituals do you have?

I have none!

I used to try (and fail) to write a page a day I guess XD

Now I just pray that I’ll be done with my current manuscript by the end of the year :X Urrggghhh

18.  If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be, and what would you write about?

My writing friend @mercurialsmile! We’ve attempted to write a crossover before but it never really went anywhere- mainly ‘cause of my focus on editing and both of our crazy work/school schedules :X Maybe that’ll change soon, though? I dunno but I hope they’d be willing to try again

19.  How do you keep yourself motivated?

20.  How many WIPs and story ideas do you have?

A LOT! 

I may talk about my current WIP (The Hunters Saga) 24/7 on here, but I DO have other projects that have at least some ideas and characters :) 

You can find them all HERE!

21.  Who is/are your favorite character(s) to write?

Writing Toni is pretty much writing myself, so that’s always a fun time XD

I also like writing Gavin, Kira, Hannah and Ethan, among others ^^

22.  Who is/are your favorite pairing(s) to write?

Toni and Henri aaaand Micah and Darius (which is coming soon to the series! Darius gotta be introduced first, guys!!)

23.  Favorite author

I really enjoy Stephen King now that I’ve started reading his works~ Also, honorable mention to Kim Harrison for being amazing at writing about paranormal species cohabiting the earth together

24.  Favorite genre to write and read

I love love LOVE writing romance and mysteries~

Aaand I pretty much like reading the things that I write so XD

25.  Favorite part of writing

Getting the ideas down on paper for the first time and feeling that RELIEF!

26.  Favorite writing program

Uhhhh… Microsoft Word??

27.  Favorite line/scene

The Frying Pan Incident

28.  Favorite side character

Dominic and Adam Hastings

29.  Favorite villain

Oooh I can’t say their name but mmmmm they are BAD and I love it!!

30.  Favorite idea you haven’t started on yet

A science-obsessed nerd and the head cheerleader fall for each other

Lesbians for the win!!

(basically the plot for Queen Bae, one of my WIPs!)

31.  Least favorite part of writing

The EDITING!

The REWRITES!!

32.  Most difficult character to write

Mmmmm probably Liz? 

33.  Have you ever killed a main character?

Yes (not gonna elaborate ‘cause it might count as a spoiler XD)

34.  What was the hardest scene you ever had to write?

I won’t be too specific but.. it was a NSFW scene ;;;

35.  What scene/story are you least looking forward to writing?

Uhhhmmm I don’t have one that I’m least looking forward to ^^

If I have a story, I write it. End of story.

Even if it might be crappy, I still love the idea.

I would never force myself to write something that I didn’t think deserved being written (if that makes sense??)

36.  Last sentence you wrote

Other than a bit of knowledge beforehand, we know about the same for once. 

Odd. 

Unsettling.

37.  First sentence or your current WIP

“I’m so sorry for your loss, my dear,” the man in black murmured to me, but I barely acknowledged his presence.

38.  Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had

B-but.. ALL of my story ideas are WEIRD! 

How could I possibly choose?!

39.  Weirdest character concept you’ve ever had

Aliens that puff up/inflate their bodies when angered XD

40.  Share some backstory for one of your characters

Dru was born as an only child, which is a true rarity in the lives of lycanthropes. Perhaps it was a sign that they were meant for something truly remarkable?

41.  Any advice for new/beginning/young writers?

It’s sort of what I said when I was asked about doubts?

You can’t please everyone, so don’t try to. 

Don’t pander. Don’t always give the readers what they want.

Satisfy yourself.

Take criticism; don’t try to ignore all of it. Who knows, some things might actually end up helping you become a better writer ;3

42.  How do you feel about love triangles?

I was WAY too attached to them back in the day so! 

If I have hints at a possible love triangle, I try to make it so the center of the triangle can have a clear choice as to who they’ll eventually get with (if anyone at all)! The only case I have where the love triangle kinda become a polyamorous relationship was with Nerissa, Melissa and Sergio :) Both girls had crushes on Sergio, and when he had to face those facts, he decided to help Nerissa and Melissa become friends and later- LOVERS! But anyway yeah, love triangles are hard for me to steer clear of, but I try my best ^^’

43.  What do you do if/when characters don’t follow the outline?

I get really angry at them and throw rocks.

But no. I either try to get them back on track OR I just.. let them do their thing. Maybe the characters know the plot better than I do! XD

44.  How much research do you do?

I don’t normally dive too deep into research unless the plot demands it, of course! As for the time and depth of research, it solely depends on what exactly I’m researching actually :) If I’m simply looking up Latin phrases or the names of the most famous authors of all time, it might take me a few days to absorb the info, and a week at most! But if I’m worldbuilding and creating new places and all that, well, THAT would take me a lot longer than a few days to a week! More like a month D:

45.  How much world building do you do?

Not many of my stories have worlds not set in America/Europe/EARTH! Basically, I think I only have 1 or 2 worlds that even require building, and I have so little as far as plot goes that I haven’t had the substance to work with yet :) But maybe someday!

46.  Do you reread your own stories?

Mmmm I used to? 

Nowadays I just don’t have the time for that :/

47.  Best way to procrastinate

Drawing art of my ocs instead of writing for my ocs XD

That, or making music playlists for my WIPs :3c

48.  What’s the most self-insert character/scene you’ve ever written?

Toni Drake.

‘Nuff said!

As for a self-insert scene? I don’t think that’s occurred yet? 

49.  Which character would you most want to be friends with, if they were real?

Either Ethan, Clary or Hannah! ^^ They’re all such nice, friendly people~

Oh, and Kira of course! Can’t forget her XD I’d love to go shopping with her and enjoy our silly, light-hearted conversations

Thanks for the ask, Friendo ^^

A Writer’s Ask Game

[velvetchen]

Anonymous | pt. iii

[ back to masterlist ]

Scenario: Tumblr AU Pairing: Chanyeol/Reader Word Count: 1339 Rating: T

Summary: Can you fall in love with someone you’ve never met? You just shot to tumblr fame when the latest chapter of your webtoon went viral. Messages start flooding in – hundreds of people saying things good and bad alike. One anon catches your eye, and you find you just have to reply to them…

<< previous part x next part >>

New message [Draft] [12:23 PM]

To: XXX-XXX-XXXX (Unknown number)

You: Hey C, S here ^^

Send a message…

Anonymous asked: Dear S, sorry if giving you my number was a bit too sudden. I mean I did say I’d like to keep my privacy, but I also really want to get to know you! You don’t have to reply if you’re not comfortable. Sorry again. Sincerely, C

New message [Draft] [1:36 PM]

To: XXX-XXX-XXXX (Unknown number)

You: Hey C, this is S!!

[Message sent] [1:53 PM]

[1:53 PM] You: I don’t mind texting. I would love to talk to you some more. 

[1:56 PM] You: i can’t believe i just texted C 

[1:56 PM] You: >.< [2:01 PM] Jia: whoa you mean that anon from your tumblr  [2:02 PM] Jia: you got his number?   [2:03 PM] You: yeah he gave it to me…  [2:04 PM] You: i’m so nervous jia what if it’s a wrong number or he thinks i’m too desperate or he’s a pedophile stalking young girls on the web  [2:06 PM] Jia: calm down  [2:06 PM] Jia: has he replied?  [2:07 PM] You: not yet ;;;;; 

Anonymous asked: how many followers do you have

It’s somewhere around 8,000 now and I don’t think it’s slowing down anytime soon ;;;;

Anonymous asked: how the fuck did you get famous? You’re trash and your webtoon is trash. I don’t understand why anyone likes it.

Well, I suppose everyone is entitled to their own opinion…

exordiums asked: S there are so many fan theories going around! Can you confirm or deny them because I’m at my wits’ end here

Nope! You’ll just have to wait till the next update ^^

Anonymous asked: what happened to C?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anonymous asked: i’ve read a lot of webtoons and none of them are as bad as yours, honestly

Thanks :)

[3 New Messages]

[4:43 PM] XXX-XXX-XXXX (Unknown number): Hey S! You won’t believe how relieved I am to hear from you [4:44 PM] XXX-XXX-XXXX (Unknown number): I thought I scared you off for a minute there [4:44 PM] XXX-XXX-XXXX (Unknown number): How are you doing?

Send a message…

[4:48 PM] You: JIA HELP what do i say [4:48 PM] You: sent a photo [4:50 PM] Jia: you’re so dramatic [4:50 PM] Jia: just be normal [4:51 PM] Jia: it’s not like he’s your crush or something [4:52 PM] You: I know -.-

[4:55 PM] You: Don’t worry, you didn’t! I’m doing well, I had a long day today. How about you? [4:59 PM] C: Good :) [5:00 PM] C: I had a long day, too. Work ran late, but it’s the weekend so I’m looking forward to resting. [5:01 PM] C: What about you, do you have any plans for the weekend?

[5:14 PM] You: Nope, no plans! I’m going to work on SS,  it’s actually pretty hard to do one chapter a week :( [5:15 PM] You: You’ll probably find me slacking off lol. Don’t tell [5:17 PM] You: Where do you work?

[5:32 PM] C: I can imagine. It takes me ages just to think of a concept for a song, I don’t know how you manage [5:33 PM] C: Haha I told you, I write music. I was lucky enough to make it my livelihood

[6:19 PM] You: Songs are a bit harder, IMO? You’ll have to fit a whole story in such a small amount of time, that’s a lotttt harder than writing a 100-episode webtoon [6:20 PM] You: Oh, that is lucky. Sounds like a dream job [6:20 PM] You: Maybe I’ve heard of you. Imagine that

baeked-potato asked: I’m so sorry you’re getting hate already. SS is a great webtoon, one of the best, you should feel really proud of it~~ <3 Fighting!

Thanks so much ;A;

Anonymous asked: so are you going to answer any of our fan theories or no

No :)

WEBTOON Highlight: Strawberry Shortcake sets record for fastest webtoon to reach 1M views!

In romance webtoon Strawberry Shortcake, girl-next-door Yoon-ah’s life is turned around when Jin-ho, a handsome vampire, takes an interest in her. But maybe everything is darker than it seems at first glance…

Strawberry Shortcake, written by author S, recently crossed 1.5M views on LINE Webtoon alone.

just-another-shortcake:

Yoon-ah’s obviously going to end up with Jin-ho. I mean, he has so much depth as a character, and they complement each other so well. They have that classic chemistry everyone knows and loves. Yoon-ah is sweet and innocent, Jin-ho is that dark, brooding, protective guy. Do you guys remember from one of the earlier episodes when they were late coming home so he took her out for dinner and he was just so caring and gentle. The ship is real.

soldmyseoul:

lol i can’t believe you’re just going to forget about the lake scene

just-another-shortcake:

Oh no way. Seong-jin is waaaay too extroverted for her. That lake scene was either a) a once in a lifetime thing or b) he was trying to get something out of her (or into her lololol)

I mean, who trusts a vamp who makes crass jokes and flirts like crazy one moment, then turns into a sweet lover the next? Nope

[7:49 PM] C: Do you think so? [7:49 PM] C: I mean, I guess it sounds harder when you put it that way, but I’ve never really found it that difficult [7:50 PM] C: When you write music, it’s about you and what you feel inside...but when you write a book or a webtoon, you’re writing about another character that you have to create feelings for [7:51 PM] C: Or characters [7:52 PM] C: That’s just crazy. I don’t know what I’m feeling myself half the time [7:53 PM] C: Imagine ;) [7:55 PM] C: I’d say it’s pretty likely

[8:36 PM] You: When I think about it, writing a song is really scary lol [8:36 PM] You: Just the thought of putting my true feelings out like that and having people know it was me is just terrifying honestly. I’d rather hide behind my characters, I’m a lot more comfortable there [8:37 PM] You: And yeah I know you don’t have to write music about yourself specifically but what’s the point of making art if you’re not going to express yourself [8:38 PM] You: I hope you get it lol [8:39 PM] You: Seriously??? I’m not asking or anything, but now I’m really tempted to listen to one of your songs ^^

[8:44 PM] C: We have a totally different outlook, I’d say :D [8:45 PM] C: What’s so scary about revealing how you feel, though? [8:45 PM] C: It gets easier with time [8:46 PM] C: I understand. If I wasn’t allowed to write my own music I would’ve gone crazy [8:47 PM] C: Freedom is something a lot of us take for granted [8:49 PM] C: Hmm. I’ll have to hold out on you [8:51 PM] C: But maybe I’ll let you listen one day

[9:02 PM] You: Yeah, definitely different lol. It’s good to have another perspective once in a while though [9:03 PM] You: I don’t know, I think I’m scared of people using it against me? Or something like that [9:03 PM] You: I actually don’t know. I’ve never thought about it [9:04 PM] You: That’s a good question, I’ll think about it and get back to you [9:05 PM] You: How long have you been writing music? [9:07 PM] You: I’ll be waiting! :) [9:08 PM] You: Then it’ll be my turn to be your biggest fan

[theda-rison]

Writing Journal (6/29/2020)

(I was keeping this as I was buying time, so it goes across a few days)

June 24th

So I had to miss these past two Link Roundups (though I did have some really great stuff to share) on account of laptop issues. But everything’s under control now which like… I like for reasons aside from being able to show you guys the random stuff I find XD

It’s also the reason why I haven’t been updating the Writitng Journal portion of this blog even though I’ve done SO MUCH.

To wit:

I got serious about making the comic I started in 2013 (it was in script form and then in novel form and then in script form again) the focus for this July’s Camp Nano.

I had wanted to do all of June as a “Gettin’ Back In It” month of writing short stories, but got sidetracked by…

I ended up rewriting the mythos of Wee Jas for the DND game I’m in. Her old stuff just seemed very flat and predictable and obviously written by a guy. The most egregious part of that is probably the whole, “She was in love with the god of chaos and they had a volatile, but very sexy relationship-- it was True Love!” which made me cringe right out of my entire being as I read it. Like, how dare you do this to my girl, no one deserves this. I don’t deserve this, you don’t deserve this, this character does not deserve this.

So I did a bunch of reading and made a ton of notes and then rewrote those notes to make a coherent plotline.

Then I wrote idk how many words of a first draft which was very Stream of Consciousness as I was basically reading my notes about her old lore and translating it into a real story.

It was at this moment, reading this crappy first draft that I was like, “Holy shit, 4 months of not writing fiction has made me UNABLE to write, oh god, Camp is next month, what the fuck am I going to do? Do I have to relearn everything again? That took years!” But…

Some kind soul apparently started reading a fanfic I wrote a couple years ago, and left a comment on almost every chapter, so I had to go back and read all the chapters just to understand what they were referencing in their comments (because I sure as hell don’t remember what I wrote years ago off the top of my head). Reading stuff I’d written made me like, “Oh, wait, that’s how I used to write!” and “Wow, this is pretty good, I’m pretty funny!” and also, “Oh, hey, a typo” *fixes it and goes back to reading* And that was a really good thing, it jogged the part of my brain that stored all the info about writing and so...

Then, though I was trying to work on a short story for a competition, I ended up redoing the first draft of Wee Jas’ myth into its second draft, and making it read the way I wanted it to; like a text that’s been translated (similar to how the Eddas look, where they’re formatted like poetry but because they’re in English, none of it rhymes?). And that version ended up being almost 7k words. I’m really happy with how it came out though there are a couple things I want to fix as far as word usage and making it sound more dramatic like an epic poem normally does.

I also decided I wanted to do a bunch of hymns surrounding things that happened in her life, and one for each follower. I’ve only written one so far, because....

I started working on the “show bible” for my comic (this way I have something to give my artist as far as art references) I think I was looking at old notes for it and was like “Hey… this… is actually not as bad as I remembered it being,” not that I thought the ideas were bad (I love the ideas, that’s why I’ve held onto it for so long) but that the organization was bad because I didn’t know how to write or even how to organize my ideas back in 2013 - I was an undergrad who thought she was going into History and ended up switching - but looking at it all now, it ended up not being that bad. I ended up with 38 pages in it, but there’s still a lot to do to totally flesh it out. I don’t know if I’ll finish it before Camp starts, but as long as it’s tiny things that are left out, I don’t think it’s too bad if it is unfinished. I could also find some Super Motivation and end up finishing it during Camp as well. Either is okay.

June 26th

I’ve also been working on a binder to try and keep track of things from a publishing perspective, I already have one for working on stories/books/comics/whatever, but I wanted some place I could keep track of like, if I’m querying something or if I send something in to a zine or anthology or whatever. I also have a friend who posts things to Medium and I’ve been thinking of doing the same and being in the partner program. Maybe I’ll do like one short story a month or something like that, idk yet.

June 28th

So I’m still waiting on that laptop, but it should be here in the next couple days. Then I can get it set up and get everything all ready for Camp. And be all ready to just…

Write ENTIRELY too many words >D I’m very excited.

June 29th

It’s here! I’ve set it all up! And just in time for Camp, too! I’m so excited :D