#i have something more befitting of them that i'll post SOON

[monfrere]

forget about the dirty looks, the photographs your "boyfriend" took

[bitsbug]

Hey! So I saw your slugsign stuff a few days ago and it has caused some pretty serious brain rot (pun intended!).

I’m planning out a fun little comic where the scugs work together to rebuild moon (got the idea from a Reddit post) and I was wondering if you had any ideas for slugsign names for the main slugcats? (Arti,hunter,etc.)

Because yeah, I can just call Arti scav predator, but then it gets confusing after a while with all of them. I don’t see much reason to use name-signs like this in co-op because you’d just use “you” instead, so you probably don’t have any. But do you have any ideas for them? (Also, is there a sign for ‘friend’? Because I think the scugs calling Rivulet Moon friend would be adorable)

Ooh, this is a great question! Hope you don't mind that I showed it to Phen so we could brainstorm, lol. Also goes without saying that this comic concept goes INSANE and I'm so excited to see it.

In-lore, you can either use an existing word or some unique motion. Whether it's high (jumping/standing on toes for in-lore), middle (standing normally), or low (crouching) also matters, since it can indicate personality and how the scug presents themself. I'm going to be using existing words here for ease of interpretation.

^I should also note that in-lore, [me] is held while doing the other part of the name sign, using both arms at once. It's only sequential in-game cuz you can only use one arm.

- Gourmand is probably some variety of "I make food"; simply translated as [me][make](food). Make could be like, pressing your hands together in a pantomime of how Gourm crafts in-game. Likely a middle namesign, but low could work.

-it would be REALLY FUNNY if Arti's name was something like "I kill scavs", but a cooler alternative could be "I am a weapon", which would be signed [me][object](kill). Hers is a high namesign because of the kill motion.

-Spearmaster is a bit difficult to pin down.. maybe "I hunt with spears"? That'd be [me](predator)[object](kill), which is pretty long! Using a unique motion here could cut down the length.

-Rivulet could be [me](fast) ! If you want it more water related, an alternative is [me](rain). [Fast] is signed by pointing at a down diagonal, then up diagonal, and [rain] by doing rapid, tiny hops. Definitely a high namesign.

-For Saint, "I am peaceful" as [me](peace) is the obvious choice, but I feel like "I cycle", [me](cycle), is more befitting of their.. deal. Maybe they use both. You could actually do either a low or middle namesign.

-Conversational slugsign can get pretty hands-on, like with [you] involving patting the other person, so "friend" could be literally hugging the person in question! Hugging yourself is how you say "friend" in the abstract.

Building on that, Monk's name could be "I am a friend", signed [me][friend]. Also a middle namesign, but maybe low or high? depends on how you characterize Monk.

-Survivor's might be something like "I do not die" or "I persist", which could be translated in multiple ways.. [me][cycle][no](kill) is how that'd be signed, but that's long. Inventing a unique motion would be better here.

-I imagine Hunter's is simply [me](predator), literally "I am a predator/hunter". One of the few low namesigns.

I believe that's all the canon scugs! Ofc, you don't need to use these, just what came to mind.

I should also note that, for the longer ones, I'm using an as-of-yet unposted grammar system we've been working on! It's kinda complex, and we're still ironing out the kinks. Maybe I'll post abt it soon.

[dreamtigress]

1,7,10

1. Do you daydream a lot before you write, or go for it as soon as the ideas strike?

A little of both. My AuDHD brain will come up with story ideas at the weirdest times, often when I am nowhere near a keyboard. I try to jot down ideas and dialog snippets when they come to me, and then work them into something later. The best times are when the ideas come when I am able to sit down and write it all out at a real size keyboard that makes the clicky clacky noises of satisfaction.

7. Post a snippet from a wip.

::rubs hands together:: The letters part of this snippet got written long before the rest of this piece took shape.

From Chapter 1 of Verbanden & Geesten:

Then Kaz turned his attention to the last letter, figuring it would prove entertaining at the very least. The sender was listed as one Miss Mila Janderslat.

Brekker,

Inej writes of being deliriously happy. This seems to be your fault. Good job finally pulling your head out of your ass. Make sure you don't hurt her, or I'll come rearrange your bones.

Love and Waffles, 

Nina

Snorting, Kaz was delighted to be correct about the entertainment value of Nina’s short missive. He took a moment to appreciate Inej describing herself as ‘deliriously happy’ as well. Out came parchment and his favorite pen. His reply wasn’t much longer, but it pleased him to be sniping with Nina once more, even over such distance. He addressed it to her new alias on purpose.

Dearest Miss Janderstat,

I appreciate your concern for the wellbeing of our shared friend. I hope you are being a kind and obedient fiance to your betrothed, as is befitting a young Fjerdan maiden. Djel forbid anything should put you or your betrothed into peril. May Djel watch over you both.

Sincerest Regards,

K.B.

10. Do you work on multiple wips or stick to one fic at a time?

I usually have two-three WIPs going at any given time. The most recently 'finished' WIP's get left alone for a bit so I can come back and do an edit run with fresh eyes. Then I am usually working on the next story in the series, or occasionally, a spin off or side story I hadn't planned on working on yet, but that my brain was like, OH HAI, HERE'S ALL THE DIALOG FOR THAT SCENE.

From here: https://www.tumblr.com/dreamtigress/745684465673748480/fanfiction-writing-asks?source=share

[captainlordauditor]

For the fanfic end-of-the-year ask game: 3, 17, 21.

3. favorite line/scene you wrote this year

My favorite line is from a WiP that should be posted really soon:

His kiss is soft, and tastes like sweet honey and bright gold.

It was actually originally written as a segment of a poem, with slightly different phrasing. I knew when I originally wrote it that it would eventually get ported over and turned into a section of prose.

My favorite scene doubles as my favorite line that I've posted publicly, and that's the confrontation scene in The Righteous Side of Hell. I like this scene a lot for a number of reasons - the first is that it's got a lot of introspective, thought based writing, which is something I've been trying to get better at, and I think I have.

The other reason I really like this scene is that it's an unusual kind of scene. For one, it reflects sides of both characters that we don't get to see very often, either in canon or in fic. Jason's support of rehabilitation - true rehabilitation, not Arkham - is something that comes up frequently in Red Hood and the Outlaws but really doesn't get explored enough elsewhere. For Catalina's part it leans really hard into her humanity, into discussing the active choices that she makes, and some parts of canon that I think most people just don't know about.

It's also just... not the type of scene I feel like I see in general? Usually when you get this type of scene, a protagonist with an enemy on their knees ad a knife at their throat, you end up with the protagonist making the choice to NEVER KILL!, or maybe something about how the protagonist isn't built for killing. Not here - Jason has killed people, and he is going to kill again. So this fic goes in a different direction with that premise.

I'll spare you the spoilers (including my very favorite line from that fic, the last three lines), and just leave you with a second favorite line from it:

Justice, justice, you shall pursue.

What is justice?

Is it retribution? Is it death, delivered swiftly, to stop a monster from bringing more death into this world? Or death brought slowly, as befitting their crimes? Is it locking them up, throwing away the key, forcing them to find it on their own alone?

17. fics you’ll continue next year

Wellll most of my published fics are oneshots, and while I do want to eventually finish Pocket Full of Gold, it's not currently a priority. But! What I do want to do is continue writing the Earth 3 series I started last year. I've been working on a sequel since March, and it's shaping up.

21. most memorable comment/review

Absolutely, without a doubt, this one

Heteronym

This story was quite a compelling read!

The language you used really brought the atmosphere alive, so much that I could feel the cold seeping into my bones despite reading it at the height of summer. It was also such an interesting take on Earth-3, all the subtle hints of world-building you added really piqued my curiosity for more.

Another thing I really enjoyed is how you turned the classic horror plot on its head. I mean it in the sense as a lot of horror films may start with a loving young couple making out and end with a lonely, battered protagonist, but here it's completely reversed. It's almost as if Dick's grief, sense of devotion and longing are what brought Jason back to life.

Speaking of which, this line really struck me:

"It’s not death he’s afraid of. It is the crushing loneliness of defeat."

Not only did it give me a sense of how much being a Talon means to Dick, but of how responsible he feels for Jason's fate, which makes it all the more devastating.

You really struck a balance between gothic horror and young romance, and this is the sweetest graveyard sex that I've ever read. xD

Thank you so much for sharing this!

This comment made me pick up that sequel after three months of writers block! The same one I mentioned that's veeeeeeeeery close to being published, actually..... Really hoping I can squeeze it in by the end of the year!