#i mostly made these to use up scraps hahaha

[cmdonovann]

BINDERARY 2025 HAS BEGUN 🎉

binderary has begun, so i'm back! where have i been for the past few months? don't worry about it! i'm here now and i have made a bajillion tiny books. these are all letter octavos that i cased in yesterday for the first day of binderary. i'll post more detailed individual photos later, don't worry.

(also, in case anyone was wondering, my ko-fi shop is still temporarily closed for craft show reasons. i'll open it again with the new books from binderary sometime this spring!)

[playertale-au]

[NOTICE] Thank you for the 300+ followers. To celebrate, bits of PLAYER!Tale AU concept( regarding Player) is shared

Reposting because Tumblr decided to post instead of saving it in drafts when I'm not even finished. Love you tumblr!  (╯ᐛ）╯︵ ┻━┻

◇◇◇◇◇

A/N: 

Oh, wow! We actually reach 300+ (as of now 310) followers!

⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ 

Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart, I’m glad all of you enjoyed the story despite my art not being that good. I actually wanted to draw for 250 followers but I didn’t realised we passed that milestone. 

Anyways! To celebrate, I wanted to share some concepts regarding the Player based on my memories, though sorry if there is like a black blotched in the drawing as that is considered as spoilers.

To start off, I began creating this AU maybe 5/6 years ago, on and off, (re-writing or removing some stuff along the way) I had loads of concept art and drawings back in 2019 but sadly those old arts were, ummm, forcedly deleted after a disagreement with someone I trusted, haha. The pain for a FT user in ibis paint. ｡ﾟ(TヮT)ﾟ

Then 2023, I wanted to move forward. So I decided to give it a shot and start drawing again. I wanted to share my AU (better late than ever),＼＼\(۶•̀ᴗ•́)۶//／／ and also I thought it will help overcome my fear of drawing and start liking to draw again.

Anyway, here we have Player’s design concept (+ explanation):

Version 1:

Player actually does not inhibit Frisk’s body, as they are not trap in the game, instead, they have their own “Avatar” basing on the data and sprites of Frisk and Chara. (The situation is more towards VR? AR? I’m not sure what to call it) The Player has their memories intact.

The story is just Player goofing around in Undertale, until plot happens, but I didn’t really like the idea as I have no clue how to progress the story forward, so the whole story was re-written.

Player mostly hack codes, while Frisk has the Reset/Reload button.

Initially, their eyes didn’t change colour when using abilities. But I wanted to distinguish what and when the abilities are used.

Version 2:

This is where, I decided that the Player actually inhibits Frisk body, though they are not amnesiac. Frisk is like a ghost (narrator?) here. The image above is post-skip version to maybe 1 year trapped in Undertale. This idea was scrap and rewritten due “Chara” ‘s story and I wanted to involved Gaster in the story. (Also, because I didn’t want to draw this version hairstyle anymore, hahaha (  ≧ᗜ≦))

Player has both the hacking and reset/reload abilities.

This version of Player is more uptight and serious.

Version 3:

I think this is like 2nd or 3rd version of the finalise concept. 

Our current Player. I made the hairstyle simpler.

This Player inhibits Frisk body and is amnesiac. The personality shifted so it’s easier for the player to act consistent. This version is more carefree than ver 2, they are similar to ver 1.

First design of the Player (ver 3).

Despite being ver 3, I wanted to keep a bit of the ver 1 and 2 hairstyle but decided not to. Again, I wanted a simpler hairstyle.

This personality is just them being stress and filled with anxiety. A nervous wreck and a crybaby. Cries a lot at the first arc until they pull themselves together. But I didn’t wanna make them cry all throughout the story, if I continued to write them like that, I might ended up smacking Player myself hahaha. I ended up toning down the personality. 

Gaster would have replace Frisk as the ghost (narrator?). But I decided not doing it, because it conflict with the plot. That, and the story would be over much quicker with him around.

Side note: I had to change the relationship between Sans and the Player(hate, confuse, no interaction, chill, idk? etc), a lot of times, but in the end I decided to make him not trust the Player. 

Previously in most iteration, he just hates Player.  I planned to have him to kill the Player the first time they exited the ruins, but decided to go against it as it doesn’t really fit his style. Also, the story would go very differently if he did commit to it. Maybe one day I can make him kill them. In an alternate timeline maybe. ꉂ (´∀｀)ʱªʱªʱª

Extras: Player in different outfits (loosely)based on the other fallen humans in this AU. (+ ruin outfit)

There is a reason, why the Player had worn some of these outfits in chapter 3 and 4. 

Don’t worry, it’s not originally the clothes worn by the other children, Toriel made them. She has spares. (Sorry, to the one that find it creepy, when it was first shown, hahahaha)

And, that’s all for now I am able to share, I wanted to show more, but I’m afraid, that’s already in the spoiler territory. 

Anyways-! Thank you again for the follow, each and every one of you are the best! And I hope you enjoyed the upcoming story! 

[strawberrymangosoda]

Your Jed and Octavius dolls are really cool!

thank you !! they were so fun to make--i highly encourage everyone to try !! i used affordable materials, all of which i already had on hand!

i'll ramble about it under the cut if you're interested.

(charms from @badpanini :D !! )

i did a mock-up sketch of approx the size i wanted the dolls to be, then started to sculpt their parts according to that guide. (literally just a crime scene outline with a vague armature line going through it)

i used sculpey iii to sculpt their heads, hands, feet, and armor! then i used some wire and electrical tape to make the armatures and hot clued the clay parts onto them. i used scraps of flannel fabric from a previous project and wrapped it around the wire using A LOT of hot glue to make sure it was secure!

i wrapped the torso first to make sure the most finicky part of the armature was stable, then moved onto the arms and legs. if you're wondering how the limbs are so nice and bendy, i made sure to wrap the flannel in segments! i wrapped the limbs in two sections each: forearm, upper arm, thighs, and calves! this makes the "joints" uniform each time i go to pose them!

i used that same flannel but inside-out for oct's arms! i hid the seam on the front because i knew the gauntlets would cover it. i have a bottle of "golden brown" craftsmart acrylic paint that i used for his skintone straight out of the bottle, so i painted the fabric with it to match the clay !

their clothes were a pain in the ass to make, because you have to maneuver the dolls around to be able to sew them on HAHAHA

yes, i did make jed's jeans under the chaps. it was awful. but it added to the whole thing.

for this entire craft, hot glue was my best friend. my ride-or-die. i can't even begin to tell you how many sticks of hot glue i went through.

i had a trial and error (emphasis on error) phase where i was impatient and tried to use hot glue to make octavius' arms because i was stumped, and it was horrible and ended up losing one of his hands and had to sculpt a new one. (literally lost it. not that it cracked, it just. disappeared into my carpet. think the tenth doctor. gonna have a metacrisis happen, i fear.)

then there was the air dry clay fiasco. do not recommend unless you love waiting or just are a god at sculpting w that stuff. i'm not.

but yeah i mixed my own colors for their blush and some little details here and there, but mostly used stuff straight from the bottle! i have this AMAZING silver paint that is SO shiny with one coat only!! every piece of oct's armor? one coat of this stuff. it's the DecoArt Dazzling Metallics in "shimmering silver". CANNOT get enough of this stuff. i want to eat it.

anyways.

i havent made their weapons yet, and i'm debating making them at all. but honestly they were just so fun to make. took me about 4 days of working on them on and off i think.

i may have forgotten something, so please ask if you want clarification for anything !

[blackbloodteeth]

13th Sentence Game

@bcbdrums linked me this post (about sharing the 13th sentence from any WIP), and then ended up spurring me into sharing them from all my WIPs. I hope this chaos is what you wanted.

While this is mostly everything, I've skipped some WIPs for reasons such as maybe ending up as potential Resbangs™, but otherwise enjoy this absurdly long list I've put together over the course of like three hours.

You can play along and try to guess what each one's about, if you want hahaha

1, "2021 July 15"* You're sitting up, sweating like crazy, all you can focus on is taking in air.

*Technically my first fic, but it was scrapped. Never really posted it because it's too confusing and now outdated.

2. "2021 Sep 24"* As the previously stated unpredictable behaviour has led to only a small number of assessments on combat, the full extent of his abilities remain undocumented.

*Was originally for an event, but I've considering expanding upon it.

3. "(WIP) TBN" It was like the world here at DWMA was some kind of grand show, and he was just some background character.

4. Inner Strings They all called him the Soul Eater.

5. "be crime do gay" Just. Not like that.

6. Scythes don't make for practical weapons He had no idea if he was going to be able to make friends at all, let alone find a meister, someone willing to accept him for himself and actually be able to use him effectively.

7. "(simple au)" He had an odd combo of red eyes with white hair and tan skin, sharp teeth pulled into a defiant scowl, and a black jacket hunched over a frame that didn't look to understand posture for shit.

8. When Death City snows over "Come on, I doubt it'll actually snow; that shit never happens here."

9. I ain't Feline fine She gets him to stand in the center of the spell zone while instructing Maka to keep behind her, eagerly fixing her hat with her paws before starting.

10. Teeth So he'd take to his now familiar hideaway, a piano tucked away in a sparsely used room.

11. Happy Birthday, Soul Not even Maka.

12. "cursed hall" Given they've gotten to know each other to some degree before now, he was already pretty adjusted to seeing the two other members of this makeshift team: Soul and, well, Soul.

13. It's been a long night for my entire life There was always work to be done and he couldn't wait to get started.

14. One Word* Seeing all those intertwined neighbors, how easily they all sent signals together, that part of him craving to connect and belong made him feel hollow, made him wish he could have that just like everybody else.

*Let it be known that this is the notorious development hell WIP.

15. It was a dark and stormy night Of course with her literary weapon and the sudden jolt of her appearance, the figure seems to have been startled enough to give an auditory following to their jumping back, dull gleaming red blinking wildly back at her tense confusion while- Wait, Soul??

16. Ride by night only [6:19 PM] Kinda with him actually, why are you in a hurry then lol

17. The Very Hungry Soul “Well if the very hungry caterpillar would like to make sure we’re not late, he should hurry up and get dressed before I eat his breakfast for him before it gets cold.”

18. See you on the other side "Soul?"

19. The Dragon and The Moth He’s stopped entirely in his tracks when she abruptly goes in for a hug, snout nuzzling against his chest with a much softened sweetness.

20. Draconic Upon further noting its smooth surface he soon realized it wasn’t a star but in fact some sort of rock, blandly opaque like that of salt despite its odd moonlit shimmers, which even stranger still became steadily see-through in the absorbed heat of his fingertips.

21. "(wings made of arms)" Could it... really be......?

22. The Unknown Caller Caller unknown. But for him that was a lie.

23. The Exchange [8th] "Drink?"

24. Don't Escape Making his way around the back, his eyes glide along the sides until he reaches the pile of small logs, the ax resting up against them exactly as he’d left it.

25. The 42nd Story (Ch. 2)* The muffled talking of a woman, determined to be coming from a nearby room.

*As stated in The Ramble Room, this entire story was scrapped. While I didn't share the second and only other chapter despite it being finished, the first chapter was still shared.

26. "2023july11" He proceeds with actually cleaning himself up, a faint smile keeping him still awake and upright.

27. "(Aug31)" Her smile fades a little as she looks him over, a different sense of intrigue making her face bunch up funnily.

28. "hand pun" Her horrid fascination grew to the point of needing a new name for it (morbid curiosity, that's a classic) as the guy turns the hand around while it signs to him, eyes impossibly wide when she notices the similar skin tone under his hood and the missing space in his left jacket sleeve and the red of his eyes when he suddenly looks directly at her.

29. "WereWeek prompt 3" There's this girl – new student who moved in this year – who is so bossy.

30. "trees"* So much on his mind that he can't hold at bay and he can't even walk about it.

*Technically a small one-shot collection, but it's all going to be in the same fic.

31. "here and now"* His fingers stretch out from his palms in front of the glass, hurriedly ruffling through his hair, his tongue sticking out and then grinning ear-to-ear at her again with all the sunlight in the world.

*My current WIP! It's been slow-going, but I can't wait to see it through to the end haha

The rest are unsorted WIPs in my "drabble zone (2024)" doc:

32. 'Cause you are more than just a dream There's an odd look he pauses on her with after hopping off that she can really only describe as him expecting her to feel like he just sealed her in with a wild animal.

33. "blacksmith au" While his body shown well the signs of having dedicated much of his life to his craft, there was a strange affliction splitting much of it in twain, diagonally from hip to shoulder as if sliced by the very heavens itself in warning.

34. Devils don't go to Heaven (working title) “...Where is this?”

Anything else is so disorganized or only a small handful of sentences that I'm just gonna go ahead and stop it here haha

Thanks for tuning in, hope this was at least entertaining, or possibly even enlightening to the sheer amount of WIPs I've manged to collect over the past few years. I do want to go back to them eventually, but one step at a time, eh?

[ne0nwithazero]

was tenna created before or after the real tenna's name reveal? :>

He was created after! :) I feel like info dumping on the whole thought process of creating Tenna, so here's a wall of text

For a while, I debated on the idea of renaming Host to Tenna... And while it is canon that Host isn't their real name, scrapping their real name also felt kind of meh even if I never properly announced it?

It didn't help that for a long while I kept getting messages from people asking if I'd ever make a lovechild for Mike and Host, and I was mostly meh on it

Then Sweepstakes happened and Tenna designs started appearing and I kind of started floating this idea of having a Tenna as a final boss you'd meet in the Cable after Mike and Host and oooo big reveal, it turns out he was M&H's kid all along!!

But they don't talk because errr family drama, and he distanced himself during Big Shot era (Which was my Tenna's original backstory before his timeline was adjusted to make him be born after Mike and Spam's falling out)

But yeah, for a while it was this idea of the "real" boss at the end, just this arrogant more modern TV who's all about showbiz, and thinks M&H are outdated and doesn't want to be associated with them. In an alternate universe, this is what Tenna could have turned out like lol

But I kept getting stuck on the design, and particularly the Light World form. I was set on the Mic-TV darkner hybrid, but to make things easier, they had to be more TV than Mic, but as far as we know, there was only one TV in Toriel's house, and the only other TV we see is... well...

In Asgore's flower shop (If there are other TVs in the Light World, then I am 100% forgetting about them so correct me if I'm wrong lol)

But yeah, the fact that it was Asgore's TV, still kept the connection with the Dreemur House and Tenna ended up being concepted as a TV that used to be in the main home, but was moved during Asgore and Toriel's divorce. The TV has this washed-out brown colour, so it has enough believability to the idea that it maybe used to be grey just like Mike is.

And considering that Mike and Host are intended to reflect Asgore and Toriel in some aspects (Minus the divorce lol), it made sense that their kid would end up reflecting Kris and Asriel, so that kind of ended up all properly tying into place :)

Tenna might have he/they pronouns to match with his parents, but it's also meant to have that connection with Kris and Asriel who use they/them and he/him

idk, I know it's a big ramble but I really enjoy talking about my thought process when making characters....

But I think Tenna's connections with Ralsei are a bit less subtle hahaha Especially when both reflect Asriel and Kris' family in some way...

[daisyvisions]

Some questions for you. Just for fun. No obligation to answer any of these.~ <3

1) What’s the funniest comment someone has left on a fic of yours?

2) What music do you listen to when you write?

3) What time of day do you prefer to write?

4) What is one fic idea that you loved at first but then scrapped?

5) What’s the dumbest thing you’ve written?

6) Have you ever made yourself cry writing a fic?

7) What’s one trope you wouldn’t write, except for money?

8) Do you drink anything when you write? Coffee, tea, alcohol, etc?

9) What is the fic you’re most proud of?

10) What is your fave fic from another writer?

11) What’s the weirdest thing you’ve been inspired by?

12) What’s one genre you’ve never written that you’d like to try?

13) What is the WIP that you are most excited about?

14) Do you have any words/phrases you use habitually? 

15) What grammar mistakes do you always make?

16) Is there a comment of feedback that stands out to you amongst the rest? One that you think of often, remember the clearest, etc.

17) What advice would you give yourself of the past in regards to writing, planning, running the blog, etc?

18) Who is your favourite member to write for and why?

I wanna cry… I've been waiting for someone to ask me a bunch of shit like these tbh HAHAHA OKAY:

What’s the funniest comment someone has left on a fic of yours?

➺ oh man, there’s so many! I can’t seem to recall one that stood out the most BUT readers who comment their fave part always get me because sometimes it’s not even a part I would think someone would get affected by haha! 😆

What music do you listen to when you write?

➺ I definitely like listening to instrumental music specifically asian lo-fi hip hop playlists OR Lana Del Rey’s West Coast but instrumental on repeat mainly because I can never focus on writing when the song has lyrics ✨

What time of day do you prefer to write?

➺ I try either afternoon or after dinner before I sleep! Usually times when I find myself alone and unbothered.

What is one fic idea that you loved at first but then scrapped?

➺ Ooh interesting… I think it was during my Kinktober 2023, I had intended a stripper!au for a member but whenever I would try to think of a basic idea for it, nothing came out so I ultimately scrapped it

What’s the dumbest thing you’ve written?

➺ It was one of my asks for Sunwoo, wherein he times on his phone how fast he can make his girl c*m HAHAHA I looked at it a week or two ago and I just went “…what?” HAHAH 🤣

Have you ever made yourself cry writing a fic?

➺ Sad yes, but cry? not yet! haha mostly me trying to create dialogue in my head and the moment I feel the angsty coming in I just know it’s good (to me at least)

What’s one trope you wouldn’t write, except for money?

➺ not even for money but I can never get behind writing idol!au’s (which is ironic) because I guess it seems too personal to write? vs a made up au and all lol

Do you drink anything when you write? Coffee, tea, alcohol, etc?

➺ coffee when it’s an afternoon writing session OR alcohol when I really need to zone in on writing at night!

What is the fic you’re most proud of?

➺ Hate is a Strong Word series, because it was one of the first that I've done and especially for part 1, the scene wherein they were in the closet, that was in my mind for ages, the one scene that started the story, I saw it come to life through words and I was incredibly proud of myself for that!

➺ Other honorable mentions would probs be my camboy!Haknyeon fic, Screw It In Tight, Forget About It, Not Part of the Mission, generally most of my sangyeon fics bcos I’m biased, and of course my very first fic Dirty Little Secret hehe

What is your fave fic from another writer?

➺ I will die on a hill for Get F*cked by kyufiber, I can't stress that enough and was probably one of the fics that made me start liking hyunjae too

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve been inspired by?

➺ Hmm, I can’t say I’ve ever been inspired by something weird! I usually get inspired through sharing ideas / scenario’s with friends, music, or anything nsfw that might pop up on my twitter!

What’s one genre you’ve never written that you’d like to try?

➺ Definitely Royal / Historical AU’s! Setting the tone, the scenery, the research for proper timeline accuracy, I would like to go through that process someday!

What is the WIP that you are most excited about?

➺ I’ve had this idea / outline of a summer series I've been wanting to push out since last year (involving 5 members 👀), it’s nowhere near a WIP but it’s one thing I’m super excited to write about when I get the chance!

➺ but if it was a strict WIP, most like the WIP I’ve got for Jacob coming soon!

Do you have any words/phrases you use habitually?

➺ It’s always gonna be those transition phrases like “as soon as” “instead” and etc that I'm guilty of using akjsdnkajsnd 😭

What grammar mistakes do you always make?

➺ run on sentences…..

Is there a comment of feedback that stands out to you amongst the rest? One that you think of often, remember the clearest, etc.

➺ If we’re talking about one comment, there was one that I still remember the most mainly because the feedback was negative and it didnt make sense to me because I literally wrote a warning on the fic and the person did not see that and proceeded to make the comment when the premise of the story is meant to have a dark tone… 😪 (and I guess I wasnt really in a mood that day so maybe it stuck too because it kinda ticked me off lol)

What advice would you give yourself of the past in regards to writing, planning, running the blog, etc?

➺ Just keep doing outlines, don’t focus on perfecting it. Don’t get too caught up with word count too!

Who is your favourite member to write for and why?

➺ Y’know what? Changmin! At first I just wrote for him normally but when I look back at all the fics I've written so far, his always are the ones I had the most fun writing and in my opinion are some of my personal best!

Thank you so much for sending these in! Seriously I've always wanted to answer questions like these and when I saw this ask I couldn't wait to sit down and write out my answers as soon as I got home! hehe 🤭

[jprandamonium]

Talking To A Wall

Today, we will dive into the random video I am watching and pointing out (along with debating on) the stuff this hatted Pikachu is pointing out. The video is here.

She meant to say Mew not Mewtwo. That was the painful one.... That's why you need another pair of eyes looking at your script.

Prof. Oak on purpose gave Ash Pikachu. Nope. As long as he didn't do anything with the timeline, nothing would have changed. He didn't have to do anything but let the day play out. So, nope. The only thing he did was capture a Pikachu. It does give you insight on what he was thinking in the first episode in a different way.

The series all happened in 3 years. But isn't there somethings they didn't see though. We don't see every single day I bet. But well it explains some of the stuff but.... he should be 13 by now.

Nurse Joy, a Pokémon? Nah. All blood related, duh. The interesting reveal, Joy is their last name. But not, a Pokémon. Lol, Chansey. No. Nuh uh. No.

The movies used to be connected to the series. I think by the 4th movie... that's where the disconnect started. Celebi had an anime story but got scrapped thanks to the movie.

Jessie and James aren't a couple. Umm... duh. Only in the manga.

I just said that.... but she is saying that the manga was fanservice when it comes to the marriage. (Not sure if it is true)

Meowth is still a wild Pokémon. Makes sense.

Ekans is snake. Arbok is Kobra/Cobra. Yes....

Pika and chu are two words put together.... ummm... Gnoggin/ Lockstin been showed this...

Pikachu was to be a black and white mouse. Didn't know that one.

Ketchum = Catch'em. Ah, duh. She made a good... forgetting about Tom Atto.

Ash crossdressed unwillingly until the XY series. (I missed that one... or wasn't paying much attention due to the sucky intros)

XY has the shortest episode run. Well.... they had to go into XYZ.

Scare in the Air turned into Spirits in the Sky thanks to 9/11. Didn't noticed. Mostly because that was an old episode and Kids WB stayed fresh.

Tentacool and Tentacruel.... that was the episode my VHS stopped in 10 minutes of the episode. (It was temporarily banned due to 9/11)

April 1, 1997... something in the sky happened in the same time as the show aired. (She wasn't alive at that time? I was and even then... the world news was not as robust as it is today, most likely was not reported. The internet? AAHAHAHA. You wanted to see it by the internet? Do you have 3 weeks to spare and everyone respects not to call you until the 3 weeks are up? I might be stretching this HAHAHA)

Nnnnope. Not doing you wish grant.

Ho-oh's wish.

Well... didn't you think that for Dawn and Serena, they are also character in the Pokémon game so.... Dad not known is their badge of honor as playable characters.

Zoe and Dawn, eh.

Star Trek? The sound effects: 2. No Togepi Has Gone Before. Makes sense.

Pokemon = Pocket Monsters. Duh...

Misty's sisters are wearing wigs? They are all raven haired? Is it because of the dislike of Erika or maybe to not be looking like as if related to Sabrina. Hmmmm. (Just a theory)

Flint says Brock's mom passed away. What she didn't understand is that............ Brock's dad remarried! REMARRIED. That was his step-mom. Source: Check out Pokémon Chronicles.

Route 1 sign post.

In the end....... she didn't even scratch the ones that people will say WHAT.

My ultimate trump card, Team Rocket was supposed to have a mafia styled showdown in an action packed two parter. It was never aired. Even in Japan. Only serebii.net has it alive in all the animation cells.

[beyondxmeasure]

Annual Writing Review

Thank you to @littleroverlouis @allwaswell16 @brightgolden and @thinlinez for tagging me in this.

1. Number of stories posted on AO3 in 2021: 8

2. Word count posted for the year: 176,210 Total. 166,050 (One Direction) 10,160 (Schitt’s Creek)

Fandoms I wrote for: One Direction, Schitt’s Creek

Pairings: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson; David Rose/Patrick Brewer

Story with the most: Kudos: A Simple Twisted Fate Bookmarks: A Simple Twisted Fate Comments: Freedom Always Comes With a Price

Work I'm most proud of (and why): Freedom Always Comes With a Price because it took me so long to complete. I had so many various obstacles along the way, and it became such a hard story to finish with a really complicated plot line. It made me rethink writing something that size ever again, but I have to remind myself that I essentially wrote a novel in just under a year (and only my second work posted for the fandom), so no matter what, it’s a pretty big accomplishment.

Work I'm least proud of (and why): Longing Like a Searchlight. Although I am very proud of this work, it felt a bit thrown together at the last minute, and I wasn’t able to execute it exactly how I envisioned it in my head, nor put the final polish with editing on it like I usually do. But I’ve got a lot of positive feedback, so that makes me proud. Someday, I will go back and spruce it up a bit!

Share or describe a favorite review you received: “I’ve never seen anyone weave in real life quotes and references so seamlessly. It was honestly my favorite part, so thank you.” I love this because one of my favorite things to do is sneak in interview quotes, fandom jokes or references like Easter eggs and see who notices. It’s always nice to hear about it when they do!

A time when writing was really, really hard: IDK?? Writing is always hard! I have very little time to do it with how much I work and struggle to stay focused with my ADHD, so I can’t think of any specific time except ALL the time! Hahaha. But I have recently discovered deep focus/binaural music on YouTube and Spotify that has been a total game changer for me. I live in my noise-canceling headphones now.

A scene or character that you wrote that surprised you: Almost all of Twisted Fate, mostly because I had a completely different second half planned out and changed it the week before I posted it. Completely scrapped 8k words with 10k new ones in 4 days. Utter chaos! LOL.

A favorite excerpt of your writing: Taken from I Know You Rider (Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone) Louis squeezes his eyes shut. Just as they enter the last tunnel, a firm hand splays warm across his back, long fingers wrapping around his middle to pull him in close. Louis’ arms land easily around Harry’s shoulders. Another hand ghosts across Louis’ neck, thumbing along his cheekbone and closing the distance. Warm breath washes over his lips. His fingertips knead into the supple skin of the back of Harry’s neck, letting the short, blunt edges of his nails scratch gently at the nape, coaxing him on. Their lips press together, hot, wet, and urgent. They’re strangers in the dark, but they find each other with ease and fit into each other’s space as if they’re meant to be there, warming themselves with glowing embers that have grown from a single spark. Louis loses himself in the scent and taste and feel of this boy close against his skin. His head is swimming with desire. Everything in this moment is a blur, a rush to all his senses, but the one thing that breaks through the fog in his mind is that he needs more, more, more.

How did you grow as a writer for this year: Last year my brother got me a subscription to Masterclass, so I used some of what I learned in those lessons. I continued the subscription this year as a gift to myself, so I hope to binge a lot more this new year. I didn’t take enough time to use it, so that’s another goal of mine!

How do you hope to grow next year: See above (More Masterclass) but also, write less and write more. Use fewer words to write better work, but also write more stories… shorter, less involved fics. Conquer my fear of the drabbles and ficlets.

Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc): So many! But off the top of my head, I would say @zanniscaramouche probably because she was such an amazing and patient beta. She gave me tons of great constructive criticism and advice that has really stuck with me and pointed out a lot of my challenges that I can easily spot and fix now. I have noticed my writing has improved a lot just by keeping her tips in mind anytime I write.

Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: Not that I can think of, but I rarely pull from my own experiences (for plot ideas anyway). But I did recently have an idea for a Christmas fic. I didn’t have time to write that has a lot of myself in the characterization of Louis. Planning on turning it into an advent fic! 🤞

Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: Outlining is your friend! I used to be a ‘panster’ with everything I wrote, and would just start with the beginning of an idea and write. But now I outline everything, even if it’s just rough notes or a semblance of a brainstorm. I have to see my story arc from start to finish on paper before I write. I usually use the ‘beat sheet’ method/template and plot out each idea for that point in the storyline. The nice thing about this is that whenever I get stuck somewhere, it allows me to jump around to another section and always be writing, so I’m not waiting to get out of my writer’s block before I can move forward. At least I’m making progress somewhere. Then I just cobble all the pieces together later and fill in the gaps, if any.

Any projects you're looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: My Big Bang, Fitness Instructor Harry, maybe my Eroda Fest??, and an advent fic with an idea I had this past Christmas but didn’t have time for, and a few other ideas…

Tag some writers whose answer you'd like to read.

I’m sure I’m tagging people that have already done this or have been tagged. But here goes anyway! Love you all… play if you want, ignore if you don’t.

@twopoppies @chloehl10 @solvetheminourdreams @casuallyhl @soldouthaz @bottomlinsons @2tiedships2 @falsegoodnight @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed @canonlarry @outropeace @itjustkindahappened @softfonds @dehydratedpool @sadaveniren @afangirlfantasy @daggerandrose @herefortommo @queenbeeharry @gaycousinlarry

Happy New Year!

[bbnibini]

I came here from your black haired Solomon and eventually read your CYOA and wowowowow I had no idea fanfic can be so creative and out of the box! Literally I read PSISLY for a whole week with my proverbial yarn strings pinned on a corkboard. This is amazing! I even had to borrow my cousin's AO3 account because I couldn't access the other contents and I couldn't wait days before I get a membership. How did you managed to do this and do you have any tips?

Omg yessss Airin did such an amazing job with black haired Solomon! <3 And thanks for reading my CYOA! And also...for a whole week?! 😱 I saw some other people in the comments also mention when they binge this series(there were readers who live commented too and fdslfjsdfdks it made me so happy aaa ;A;!!).

As for advice...sdlfkjsdfj I honestly don't know what to advice. I mean...look at this old screenshot of me agonising over my writing process idkwhatimdoingeitherjdlfjd

I guess the only thing I can say is...go for it? I had no prior experience with CYOAs before this. But I took inspiration from otome games and stat raising otome games like Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side for the formatting.

As I wrote and wrote and done more research (both biblical and canon obm), I got more used to outlining the CYOA format and things kinda just fell into place.

Though it became more and more challenging to write as I get closer to finishing it. (We still have a few more endings left for Barbatos before the final route). In my case, that's my struggle right now. Barbatos' route was definitely super challenging especially OE A because it was so action packed and had so many things going on. Partner that with formatting and coding it, to even crossposting it and coding it again (and the skin failing to show in AO3 because I wrote the code wrong 🥲 now I just gave up lol) and I almost lost my mind haha! (I have more rants about the process below if you're interested, but fair warning, it's mostly complaints about Barbatos' Overflowed Ending A hahaha)

(spoilers for Barbatos' Overflowed Ending A under cut)

The most challenging obstacle I faced was making the timeloop chapters work. It's more than just a repetitive series of chapters. The passages have to make sense and have to integrate with the following time loops perfectly. An example is this passage:

This passage is meant to be vague and meant to represent a sense of familiarity but also longing. The initial draft I had, actually contained a confrontation scene between MC and Author (I had to scrap it because it ruined the continuity), which was then revised to a line which says,

"I think I read this (the letter) before, but I can't remember where."

...then another revision until you have what you have now.

You can see nuances of this paragraph gaining different meanings in the time loops. So yeah. There's definitely a lot of technicalities involved in writing them. There's many other examples but I'd leave it for you to figure out! c:

The length of the timeloop chapters is also meant to be tediously long to represent how maddening, exhausting and egregiously long-winded it was for MC to experience it, while also showing how determined Barbatos was to keep you stuck in it forever so you wouldn't leave him. c:

[sleepyfaceandsnark]

50 QUESTIONS YOU’VE NEVER BEEN ASKED

Tagged by: @bellafarella

What is the color of your hairbrush? Mostly pink but it’s an array of colors

A food you never eat? Lamb

Are you typically too warm or too cold? warm. thanks florida

What were you doing 45 minutes ago? watching Wynonna Earp hahah

What is your favorite candy bar? Snickers or Twix

Have you ever been to a professional sports event? Yup! I’ve seen our baseball, football, and hockey team play and some college ball

What is the last thing you said out loud? Outload to no one “ this fuckin bitch! who raised her to be so inconsiderate of other people? it’s not like she lives alone” about my roommate...to myself

What is your favorite ice cream? ahhg depends on my mood

What was the last thing you had to drink? some really sour fruit juice so it probably went bad oops

Do you like your wallet? Yes! It has all the MCU characters from the past 10 years lol 

What was the last thing you ate? cheese stick

Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? no i havent bought new clothes in a while

The last sporting event you watched? Uhg probably the Super Bowl

What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?  White Cheddar

Who was the last person you sent a text message to? My mom. She told me to be careful because of the rain this morning

Ever go camping? I did once when I was a kid. I peed in the tent hahaha

Do you take vitamins? FRICK ..i was trying to 

Do you go to church every Sunday? No

Do you have a tan? Hahaha no i dont tan 

Do you prefer Chinese food or pizza? I love bothh and you cant go wrong with either (unless your my step mom and somehow fuck up a pizza and possibly got your blood in it)

Do you drink your soda with a straw? Not usually unless it’s mixed with rum or vodka

What color socks do you usually wear? depends

Ever drive above the speed limit? Always. We dont have speed limit here just follow the car in front of you and dont be a dick

What terrifies you? hahahahhahahahahahahahahahah

Look to your left, what do you see? TV. That juice i mentioned above, smelly marker...a lot ot stuff tbh i need to clean my desk

What chore do you hate? Cleaning my room 

What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? Mate

What’s your favorite soda? Coke

Do you go into a fast food place or just hit the drive through? Drive Thru

Who’s the last person you talked to? Coworkers

Favorite cut of beef? Uhh idk ribeye??

Last song you listened to? Why Cant This Be Love by Van Halen

Last book you read? read? book??

Favorite day of the week? Friday

Can you say the alphabet backwards? Nope ha

Do you like your coffee? Yees

Favorite pair of shoes? Idk what they’re called but they’re comfortable 

At what time do you normally go to bed? Around 10:30

At what time do you normally get up? 6:20-6:30-6:40 

What do you prefer, sunrises or sunsets? Both are great but I see more susets and I like the purples 

How many blankets are on your bed? 2 right now. well sheets and a weighted blanket the other is by me on my chair 

Describe your kitchen plates: white with white checkers on the side

Do you have a favorite alcoholic beverage? I dont i like so much

Do you play cards? Yes usually with family

What color is your car? Blue.

Can you change a tire? Eh not ... really but i’ve seen it done before

What is your favorite province? we dont have those ?

Favorite job you’ve ever had? I hated all them but tbh probaly delivery driver because i loved the people i worked with for most of it 

How did you get your biggest scar? Used to have one bc of my puppy at the time was too excited and he was laying on my lap and my mom threw down a toy and he had just got his nails trimmed and he scrapped right down my leg. I cried out in pain and he turned right back around wiht the toy, dropped it, and kissed me instead. He died last year :/ and i dont really see the scar anymore but <3

What did you do today that made someone else happy? Idk? lol said “have a nice day” to a customer I guess lol

[lightandwinged]

Alright, it’s review time, and it’s going to be spoilery and rambly because I’m still parsing my thoughts on everything SO. 

Sans spoilers: a solid and fitting conclusion, if a bit faster paced than I would’ve liked, but it adhered to the overarching themes of the Skywalker saga probably better than anything in the new trilogy has before, and I don’t know how, considering everything (namely that Space Mom is gone), they could have or would have done things differently. Not my absolute favorite (that will forever be RotJ), but still very good.

Spoilers below, be ye warned.

I found it utterly hilarious that the plot started with Kyle Ron finding the Macguffin and chillin out with Papa Palpatine while the Good Guys had to go on this entire huge quest to FIND the Macguffin to begin with, and the only reason he didn’t just fuck off and finish some dastardly plan while they were scurrying about and trying to find the Pyramid Of Doom was because he’s got a lot to work out in his feelings about Rey. Like shit, no wonder Papa Palpatine decided to just stick with his own bloodline for galactic domination, Skywalkers are useless.

(except Leia, who is awesome)

The inclusion of Carrie Fisher in this film was VERY well done, but it also hurt a lot because you could tell that her scenes were cobbled together from old material and not made of anything new. It was good and necessary, but it also just hurt, like a constant reminder that she’s gone and nobody could replace her ever. And I’ll get more to that in a minute.

The Macguffin questing honestly felt a lot like the first half of RotJ, where we have to go rescue Han right quick because Harrison Ford was pretty sure he didn’t want to Star Wars anymore, so here’s a sidequest for half the movie, with the only difference here being that the questline had to do with the actual Plot. I’ve been following the Star Wars leaks subreddit for a while (don’t read the comments, it’s a wretched hive of scum and villainy and bitterness), and I know that at one point, it was supposed to be this race between Team Dark Side and Team Light Side to get the Pyramid of Destiny and then they’d find out that oh shit, Sheev’s here, but that was scrapped... and I kind of wish it hadn’t been? It would’ve made the first half of frolicking through this planet... no this planet... no, no, it’s on this planet... feel a lot less distracting. 

The dynamic between Finn, Poe, and Rey was fantastic, because those three actors just have amazing chemistry on so many levels. They immediately fell into the dynamic of “we’re a polyamorous triad who’ve been living together for a while, and we really love each other, but we’re also a LITTLE BIT STRESSED RIGHT NOW OK” and that’s fair. I was glad to see all of it, and I just wish that we’d had more of it in both TFA and TLJ. It reminded me a LOT of how the best parts of the OT were always when Luke, Han, and Leia were together. 

And now I’m going to take a sulk break to think about what we could’ve had with that amazing dynamic.

I’m back. 

The new characters were some of the weaker parts of the film, I felt, save for Lando (because Billy Deeeeeeee). Dominic Monaghan, whom I love, could’ve had his role taken entirely by Rose, or Billie Lourde, and nobody would’ve noticed. And I don’t mind the addition of extra women to the cast, but Zorii and Jannah felt like they were just there to be like “Poe fucks women! Finn might too!” And... yanno, cool? But the OT3 stands. 

And then General Pryde, aptly named, should’ve been a bigger part in all three films because it was like... here’s this yahoo out of nowhere who’s apparently a really big Sheev fan and just... like... what? I mean, I’m a huge Sheev fan, too, but I wish he’d been more of a Piett, where we could’ve seen him worming his way up the ranks, which would’ve made his downfall more satisfying. Instead, it was just kind of like... eh? Cool, I guess? With Piett, you felt like “yeah, we’ve seen this guy fucking things up for our heroes for two entire movies now, and here he is, getting destroyed because of his pride, hahaha!” but with Pryde, it was like “wait, who are you? Oh you’re dead now? Okay, cool, I guess?”

And in conjunction with THAT, Hux was just wasted in this film. I fully accept the idea that he rose through the ranks because of nepotism or something, and I also fully accept that he’s an absolutely useless twink who can’t do anything without having Phasma top him weekly (she used to top both him and Ren, which is why they’re such disasters in this movie), but man, couldn’t we have like... taken him with us? Imagine the comedy potential as he’s brought back as a prisoner and Domhnall Gleeson gets even more screen time with Oscar Isaac. I don’t mind that he died a worthless death because he was basically a useless wretch, but I do feel like if the movie had given itself more breathing room, he could’ve been a lot of fun.

RELATED, the pacing. So in the beginning of the movie, the idea of a light skip (basically, just sort of using the hyperdrive without planning or anything) is brought up, and everyone involved in this action bounces from world to world to world in rapid fire fashion to get rid of a bunch of TIE fighters following them, and that’s roughly the pace of this film. There are a few moments of quiet and contemplation, but they’re so rare that they seem to last a lot longer than they actually do, and I think it’s mostly because this movie really feels like a Lord of the Rings style epic packed into a MCU time frame. And I’m not complaining about the time, because by the time the credits rolled, I had to pee so fucking badly, but I feel like also if we’d trimmed out a couple of things (like maybe we can get rid of Kijimi, I think it is? The snow planet? or just merge Kijimi and Pasaana?), we’d have had more time to breathe and that would’ve helped the pacing a lot. 

The slow moments in the film belonged almost exclusively to Rey and Kyle Ron, and honestly, Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver both deserve some sort of award recognition for their acting, the latter particularly. Without going into wild details about the plot, Kyle Ron does change his mind and go back to being Ben Solo, and god bless you so much Adam Driver because the change is instantaneous and delightful. If we’d seen significantly more Ben Solo than Kyle Ron, I’d totally be on board with the r.3y.10.z because this child omg. As it stands, the kiiiiissssss made me do like

in real life. It felt... mm, unearned, we’ll say. Maybe as a moment of “oh fuck that was intense and now we’re both alive” I could’ve bought it, but it wasn’t that, it was supposed to be this “my looooove” moment and just... sorry, but no. 

BUT that said, while I think his death was the only way this series could’ve ended for him because a redemption arc would’ve required a LOT more time and energy, and that just... wasn’t going to happen. The time to have him make the turn if we were going to see a redemption arc was during TLJ, and since he didn’t make that change, we don’t get a Zuko arc. And that’s FINE because that’s a lot of work for a three movie series. And I don’t want a TV series devoted to Ben Solo learning to not be a dick to people. That’s exhausting. 

But I do wish we’d gotten more time with him. The brief time we had, the bit of Han Solo snark that came out (”ow”), that was all delightful and made me understand what people see in the character (who I hate because he’s a great character to hate). 

(omg while I was writing this, someone was saying that they were in a theater with someone talking about how the movie should’ve ended with Kyle Ron giving Rey a Force baby, and Y’ALL THERE IS NOT ENOUGH NOPE IN THE WORLD)

Anyway, bullets now, for the times I cried:

Literally everything with Leia, but especially that her last word was “Ben” and her using every last bit of her energy to save her son because I GET THAT FEEL, and honestly, the only reason she wasn’t there raining death and destruction on Sheev by herself for grooming her baby was because Carrie Fisher died. But anyway, from the moment she dropped her headset on, I was a blubbering mess.

And then Han, just a memory, but looking more at peace than he ever has. He convinces his son to come home, and Ben now says, “Dad?” and Han just says, “I know,” and FUFUUFUFALSKJDLAKSJDF: SOBBING

And then CHEWIE reacting to Leia’s death just... UGH. I am destroyed utterly, still. 

Luke finally managing to Force lift the X-Wing out of the water made me cry as well, weirdly enough. 

And then whatever emotion I felt when Rey heard all the Jedi, and it was LITERALLY EVERYONE WHO HAS PLAYED A JEDI EVER COMING IN AND SAYING A LINE like not just the familiar ones but the ones you wouldn’t know unless you’d watched all the TV series and extra material... it was so much more than tears. I couldn’t cry because it wouldn’t have been enough to encompass everything that made me feel. Very sincerely well done. 

All-in-all, yeah, it was really good. I don’t get what everyone is so fussed over with it... it ties up the themes of the entire nine-movie arc pretty neatly and does basically the best it can with what it has. 

But a bigger point in its favor, for me, was seeing Sam’s reaction to it: jumping up and down in his seat, gasping, grabbing my hand, whispering, “Mommy, they’re going to be okay, right?” and then cheering at the end. Star Wars, as a thing, isn’t for just one person or one group of people, but I consider how people who were kids when the PT came out say without a hint of irony that it’s not that bad, because to them, that’s what Star Wars is and always has been. The joy of it isn’t just the OT but those three movies that were “meh” to those of us who cut our teeth on the OT only. And in a similar vein, the ST is full of that joy for kids now. Like holy moley, Sam and his best friend geeking out over seeing each other in Star Wars costumes at Halloween was just worth everything.

So in the end, like I concluded at the end of TLJ, the message here is that it’s for them. And also that there’s always hope, that ultimately, even when it seems the odds are against light, there’s more of us than there are of them. 

[retrauxpunk]

sv 6.03

i have just finished this episode. under the cut you will find my intensely spoiler-filled thoughts.

HOLY FUCKING SHIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTT

oh my GODDDD

i saw this episode was titled Hooli Smokes! which is hilarious and adorable but i was kind of like ‘ehh i don’t ... like i really don’t care about the fate of gavin/hooli’ so i didn’t really think about it but now i’ve just watched it and OH MY GOD IT’S A FANTASTIC TITLE

I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS HOLY FUCKING CHRIST ON A CREAM-CHEESE CRACKER

I SWEAR TO GOD IT TOOK ME LIKE 45 MINUTES TO WATCH THIS EPISODE BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY MOMENTS I WANTED TO PAUSE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT EXACTLY WAS GOING ON (because i’m a stickler / occasionally slow hahaha) IT WAS SO INTENSE

oh my lord

i’m gonna

try to do this in chronological order. okay. okay. so.

i’m super glad that richard didn’t sell to maximo because, you know, he’s a vile human being on a massive scale and is responsible for massive human rights abuses and so on, i don’t need to justify this!!

speaking of which i’m a liiittle bit disappointed that (in descending order) dinesh, gilfoyle, and monica (mostly dinesh) weren’t that on board with richard’s decision not to sell..... ............but whatevs it makes sense, it’s a billion dollars lmao fair enough money corrupts etc etc

so at this point richard’s fucked and this is such an intense episode it felt like the intensity of the first couple seasons, like, s2 for example, when there was so much going on all the time and i LOVE IT

jared trying to turn himself into the cops for assaulting richard? wow i. um. yeah look i found that a little touching. ngl. i find it interesting that he ... idk, is he doing it to punish himself or because he thinks he’s a danger to richard? i’m not sure. either way it’s a bit weird. but totally in keeping with jared’s character at this point, i feel.

JIAN-YANG’S MYSTERIOUS ILLEGAL OPERATION LMAO

it always makes me pleased when they don’t bother translating the foreign languages and it also makes me pleased when i can perfectly understand the bit they didn’t translate ;) 

i mean you can probably guess what he said to all the other chinese people but in case you’re curious it’s this: “come out, come out. the police have left, get back to work. come out. everyone come out, quickly quickly quickly! motherfucker...”

I LOVED the scene of richard and gavin chatting on the bench! it was just fun! also i did recognise the part where you think gavin’s gonna accept richard’s offer but actually he just says ‘fuck no’ from the season trailer and that’s why i don’t fully enjoy trailers because THEY GIVE STUFF AWAY! thankfully the only thing left from the trailer that i can remember is, IIRC, not something that gives away anything particularly suspenseful. hurray.

love the kombucha comment lmao

that scene with dinesh and gilfoyle chatting about karma just seemed a bit unncessary and not that funny, like, not funny enough to keep in?? but then it became clear at least why they had the interaction with wajeed, bc he came back later...

the phone call with jared! ... JARED’S EMOJI LMAO they were so hilariously fucking awkward of course i love them

THE PHONE CALL where he tells richard that gavin swooped in and bought gwart’s company when he heard she had good tech... YOU GO JARED. i mean. yeah he’s being a dick in this. but considering the buddy fucker thing and richard still not actually fucking apologising lmao (i know he has a lot on his plate! but come the fuck on, he had the chance!!) i .. don’t feel that bad for richard. and it’s like, this is the umpteenth time that richard has accidentally (via carelessness) screwed something over and all the other times jared’s not said a single bad thing about him (even with hoolicon, he objected to what they were doing, there was no attack on richard personally) ... so it makes sense and is totally understandable that it all came out now.

honestly i felt a bit vindicated by jared telling richard off, i mean, he deserved it. he did know that gavin’s a monster. and him getting called buddy fucker after relentlessly calling jared that after he was told/asked not to ... yeah.

LOOK i’m still not condoning jared breaking down a door and shooting him with a bb gun! because holy shit that’s fucking nuts.

but the buddy fucker thing? yeah look i don’t feel too bad for richard here.

FINDING OUT THEY CAN BUY HOOLI HOLY FUCKING SHIT I FUCKING LOVED THIS STORYLINE SO FUCKING MUCH OH MY GOD

MONICA GESTURING WORDLESSLY OUT THE WINDOW AND THEN WE SEE JARED IN SUNGLASSES PURPOSELY MARCHING INTO PIED PIPER LIKE A MOTHERFUCKING B.A.M.F. HOLY SMOKES

hooli smokes teehee

ALKSDJFLKSDFJLKGD i LOVE that he came up with this ingenious way to save pied piper and speaking of which i know jared says it’s not for pied piper, it’s for gwart so she can be free again -- i wonder how much of that is true? i ........... look i don’t buy that he truly didn’t do it AT ALL for pied piper. i think jared tells himself and maybe truly believes he did it solely for gwart but i think really he did it at least PARTLY for pied piper and richard. right??? that’s what i think.

oh my god jared keeping the sunglasses on presumably bc he can’t bear to make eye contact with richard in case he breaks down?? emotionally breaking down into sads, or flying into a mad rage? both are sad as fuck. or is it just because he’s so mad he doesn’t want to look him directly in the eye? also ouch.

THE DECISION TO BUY HOOLI WHILE GAVIN’S DOING HIS TRIATHLON HAHAH MOTHERFUCKER I LOVE IT it’s dirty as hell but you know what? i don’t care because gavin’s a fucking asshole like, even just looking at how he tried to sue piped piper, just from that i would ... like... i wouldn’t judge richard for fucking him over. and that’s just ONE thing he’s done! there’s also when he tried to steal pied piper at the end of season 5, and the fact that he’s a verbally abusive asshole, etc. etc.

FUCK THE FUCKER

but yeah oh my it was so evil but because it was pied piper doing it to gavin ........ it was very enjoyable. deliciously so.

oh man i feel bad for wajeed getting fucked over by dinesh. i........... sure hope dinesh makes it up to him somehow. i don’t think canonically that’s gonna happen (definitely not on screen!) but my headcanon is that at some point down the line maybe, when pied piper is successful and healthy again, dinesh pays wajeed back all the money he fucked him out of and wajeed forgives him eventually ................ yeah

didn’t expect to care this much about wajeed!

of course gavin would fake the triathlon. of course.

E-SIGNATURES! PAPER CONTRACTS! that’s why the e-signature thing was mentioned in 6.02!! at least i hope that’s why, i hope they’re not gonna do a thing later on when someone disastrously accidentally signs something ... or at least i hope it doesn’t cause irresolvable-by-series-end consequences lmao

HAHAH OMG THE RACE!! I LOVED IT!!!!!

how technologically plausible is it that gilfoyle hacked into the watches? from my hilariously unqualified opinion ... i think it seems okay. more plausible than some of the other stuff this show’s had at least. so it’s nice seeing something that doesn’t require as much suspension of disbelief.

GOD IT WAS SO TENSE WHEN THE DUDE WAS READING THE CONTRACTS

god I LOVED monica’s line ‘you’re really gonna let a woman tell you what to do?’ GENIUS ABSOLUTELY FUCKING GENIUS SHE IS AMAZING YAAAAS and it was such a short scene with such an efficient laugh, no BS, etc. LOVED IT

WHEN HE WAS READING THE CONTRACTS. MOTHER FUCKER. I was sitting here literally with my hands clasped over my mouth because it was SO. TENSE.

gavin bursting in! oh nooo! 

but the time already elapsing!! YES!!

JARED ANNOUNCING IT AND SMILING FOR THE FIRST TIME ALL EPISODE HOLY SHIT

AND RICHARD SEEING HIM SMILING AND SMILING BACK!! given his speech at the end, i’m pretty confident in saying he was partly smiling for pied piper and PARTLY BECAUSE HE SAW JARED SMILING AND WAS PLEASED TO SHARE JUST A SCRAP OF CAMARADERIE WITH HIM AGAIN!!!!!!! FUCK!!!

AND THE WAY JARED QUICKLY UNSMILES!! FUCK FUCK FUCK!

i thought maybe what would happen is that gavin’s speech about being terrible would make the guy even more sure he’d sell to pied piper

then dinesh’s speech made me be like ...........uhhhhhh........

(omg fuck dinesh amirite!! what a clown!)

(A TRULY TERRIBLE MAN)

(AMAZING)

(tERRIBLE)

and when the guy said ‘i don’t want to be in business with any of you’ for a moment i just panicked and thought he wouldn’t sign?

BUT HE DID HURRAYYYYY

THEY BOUGHT HOOLI!

I’M SO FUCKING HAPPY !!!!!

i swear to god there was one moment in that after gavin and the guy had left, when everyone was happy, richard turned to jared and I SWEAR for a SINGLE SPLIT SECOND i LEGITIMATELY thought they would kiss!! because fuck these two have been played SO HARD as potential romantic counterparts!! fuCK THIS!!!!

and then the speech!

FINALLY!

RICHARD TRIES TO MAKE UP FOR BEING A DICK

APOLOGISES

YES

GOOD

and he didn’t say anything fucked up either! was nice about gwart, offered jared and gwart office space in pied piper (didn’t even try to get jared back! has accepted jared going to gwart!)

(btw i feel iffy about jared’s seemingly ironclad devotion to gwart. seems a bit BS to throw away years with richard to be with this person he doesn’t know. and to talk about loyalty. i don’t like it. seems to me like gwart is his REBOUND. SUCH. A. REBOUND. he’s using her as a substitute richard, using her as an excuse to keep stonewalling richard, as a distraction from his PAIN involving richard........... yeah that’s what it look slike to me)

IT WAS GOOD

HE SAID HE MISSED HIM

FUCK YEAH

FUCK FUCK FUCK

YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS FOR IDIOTS LIKE RICHARD (and a lot of men probably due to society) TO SAY THAT HE MISSES SOMEONE? not that he deserves congrats for this, but GOD IT WAS SATISFYING. AND MADE ME MELT A BIT.

AND JARED’S SINGLE FUCKING TEAR AS HE LIES THROUGH HIS FUCKING TEETH AND SAYS HE DOESN’T CARE OH MY GOD SLAY ME

JUST RUN A FLUTE-SHAPED SWORD THROUGH MY FUCKING HEART OH MY GOD

THERE BETTER BE A GOOD PAYOFF FOR THEM I SWEAR OH MY GOD

I’M SO FUCKING HYPE THIS WAS SUCH A FANTASTIC EPISODE I LOVED IT

[quirkydahlias]

Hi I was wondering if you can write a scenario where Aizawa and his s/o adopt a cat?

It’s currently 2:51 AM where I am as I write this, but you know what? Sometimes inspiration only occurs when you’re dead tired and ready to accept the sweet release of death. Smh. Anyway. Gender wasn’t specified so it’s automatically neutral. 

Weakness (Aizawa x Reader)

It was a dreadfully gloomy day.

Even the students seemed a little deflated, Mina gazing outside at the grey skies and thundering downpour with a solemn expression on her face during class. A peculiar sight to see- the one of the most bright and optimistic behaving in such a manner.

But it was to be expected with how the day seemed to be going.

The silver lining was that rainy days just like this, there’s often a decrease in the likelihood of villains being about and therefore, Eraserhead’s patrol found itself subsequently shorted as well.

He didn’t really mind it- patrolling in the rain. As long as the weather wasn’t severe, he wouldn’t let a few droplets and stray winds keep him from doing his job. If anything, the rain helped him, increasing the weight on his hair and thus, making it a tad harder for villains to detect when he’s using his quirk.

For an added bonus, school ended early for the hero course students- who normally would have stayed an extra period compared to the rest. That meant that he could not only start his patrol early but end it early as well.

“Oh, are you really going to be home? And so soon?” (Y/N) asked over the phone, trying to conceal their excitement at the sudden news drop.

“If all things go according to plan,” Aizawa added, knowing full well how …unpredictable, his patrols could get- even when he does them on a daily basis. “Don’t keep your hopes up.”

“Hahaha, I won’t. Just make sure you take care of yourself, alright? I don’t want you catching a cold because of the rain.”

“I’ll be fine.” The pro hero reassured, finally exiting off of campus, the pitter patter of his surroundings making it difficult to hold conversation with (Y/N). “I’ll talk to you later. When I get home.”

They hummed in mock contemplation before giving their “verdict” concerning his proposal. “Sure, I think dinner should be ready by then. Love you, Shouta~.”

He stopped in his steps, a few passing by with their umbrellas, self-absorbed in their own lives to pay any mind to the sopping wet pro hero who shared the street with them.

“…I love you too.”

And then he hung up, not wanting to hear any quips, teasing, or cooing from the other end of his phone.

Patrol was uneventful. Which, once again, given the weather, was expected.

By the time his patrol ended, the rain was still roaring, waves of water cascading down his shoulders. The streets were mostly empty at this point, a few cars rolling by as he trudged home.

It was freezing.

Then again, it probably was so cold because Aizawa didn’t have an umbrella on him and did just spend a few hours walking around in the rain.

He’d probably need to hurry home before he got sick and made (Y/N) scold and worry over him. The thought of them bringing a small smile to his face.

Meowwwww

He stopped, the sploshing and splashing from each step he took ceasing as well, though the rain continued to drown out most sound.

But no amount of rain could ever fully mask that particular sound from Shouta.

It was a cat.

Meeeooowwww

Or…cats?

Aizawa gave a cursory glance around his surroundings. Nothing but residential buildings and alleyways. So given his surroundings, it was only logical that the source of the noises were located in an alleyway, somewhere close by as well.

He moved with a renewed vigor, figuring that the mysterious unseen cats were probably sitting out in the rain for the duration of his patrol if not, longer. And if he was already feeling cold… there was no telling what shape the cats were in.

Right behind a dumpter, a few meters from where he initially heard the sound was right where he found the cat.

It wasn’t multiple cats, as he had predicted. 

Just one really loud one. 

It had dark fur and a cute little pink nose- one that matched its paws. The little kitten was without a collar and noticeably had its little eyes closed, protecting itself from this newcomer under the mentality: “If I can’t see you, you can’t see me.”

Huddled against the dumpster for shelter, the little kitten mewled, shivering from the cold. Aside from the shivering, there was no movement from the little kitten when Aizawa stroked its fur.

Icy cold.

It was a little surprising to see how calm the little one was with being picked up and pet. Aizawa thankful for his long hair which took most of the rain as he tucked the little shivering mess of fluff into his scarf and hurried home.

As he made his way up onto the rooftops for a faster route home, he could just imagine (Y/N)’s reaction. A sly smile spreading across his face.

“Shouta!” (Y/N) yelled, clearly exasperated at the sorry sight in front of their eyes. Pulling out some spare towels from the closet, the made quick work of his hair, drying it to the best of their ability before automatically helping him out of his costume, a pool of water already forming where Eraserhead stood. “I can’t believe you didn’t get an umbrella.”

“It’s fine,” he reassured, thankful that his costume was resistant to water, leaving his underwear dry so all he really had to do was put on some sweats. “Oh, Don’t touch my capture weapon. Not yet.”

“Huh?” (Y/N) frowned, clearly confused. The weapon was pretty soaked as well. Did he want to get even more water on himself? 

Then they heard it.

Meoooooowww

“…Aizawa Shouta. Did you bring a cat home?” (Y/N) sighed, shaking their head as they put their hands on their hips, clearly in disapproval. “The apartment has a no pet policy, Shouta. You know this.”

“I’m well aware.”

(Y/N) rubbed their temple, clearly getting nowhere with this stubborn man. “Are we even planning to keep it?” Glancing back up at their partner, they were met with a shockingly rare sight.

Aizawa looked almost as sad as the kitten, the slightest frown on his face with dark eyes that screamed with a soft, quiet level of disappointment. His lips pursed in that natural pout of his. Their one true weakness.

Hhhh. It was impossible to say no to that face. 

“W-Well?” (Y/N) managed, shaking their head and refocusing on the issue at hand here.

Aizawa wordlessly shrugged, carefully unwrapping his weapon to reveal the little kitten, eyes still shut tight. Offering the cold kitten to his partner, he found amusement in how (Y/N) bit their lip to keep from verbally reacting to the adorable kitten.

Now (Y/N) knew for a fact that they would be unable to keep the kitten they now held in their hands. The landlords set a rule against animals in the apartment. However, with Aizawa patroling and keeping the neighborhood not only safe but the property value high…

Perhaps there would be a small exception made.

“I’ll get this little one cleaned up,” (Y/N) decided, gingerly picking up the little kitten from Eraserhead’s hands. Jabbing his chest with the tip of their finger, they pointed to the bedroom. “And you need to get dry. Put your costume and weapon in the laundry room too when you’re done.”

“Alright, alright, calm down,” Aizawa grinned, clearly pleased with how accepting (Y/N) was to the new kitten…even if it took a little tiny bit of persuasion on his end.

By the time he finished drying himself off and tossing his weapon and costume into the dryer, (Y/N) had finished cleaning up the kitten in the bathroom, running the little one under warm water and soap to get all the dirt and grime off of its fur.

The transition was astonishing, what Aizawa assumed was dark fur was really white fur, having been caked in numerous layers of dirt, mud, and who knows what else. Its eyes were finally open as well, beady little red orbs blinking in confusion, the cat giving the air a little sniff.

“How is it?” Aizawa inquired, peering over (Y/N)’s shoulder to get a look at the kitten.

“This little girl has fleas and mites, although they aren’t as numerous as I thought,” (Y/N) explained, watching the little kitten sniff about.

Something was off.

As (Y/N) explained that they were going to have to scramble together some scraps from the fridge in order to feed this little one for the night, Aizawa placed his hand flat in front of the kitten, the palm of his hand facing the kitten.

“Shouta..what are you-” (Y/N) cut themselves off, seeing the concentration on Aizawa’s face. What in the world was he doing though?

Slowly moving his palm closer and closer to the kitten. Aizawa’s heart ached to see how she didn’t react until the moment his hand booped her little kitten nose.

“(Y/N),” Aizawa called, his knowledge and love for cats coming in handy it seemed, “She’s blind.”

That certainly explained a lot. Like how the kitten would prefer to close its eyes instead of keeping them open and alert when outside. Or how it didn’t bother to look around and explore its surroundings when (Y/N) finished drying her.

“…That explains a lot,” (Y/N) nodded, echoing his thoughts exactly. “She doesn’t seem very interested in moving around too much...she won’t last very long if we just let her go. So ...we can’t just leave her, can we?”

“No,” Aizawa replied, giving the little kitten a small scratch behind its ear, her purrs bringing the faintest of smiles to his face. “No, we can’t.”

[heartxshaped-bruises]

✄ Ⅶ ❉ ✎ ❝ ❞ ❀ ◑ [ it's Munday! Tell me all the things! ]

✧･ﾟIt’s Munday!        

✄ What is an idea you originally had in mind for your muse, but ended up scrapping? Why?

Penelope’s first draft actually concerned an abortion gone wrong that led to her not being able to have any children anymore. Back then she was just a hunter OC in the SPN verse, but then I saw R.I.P.D. and decided that I have enough of tragic backstories and wanted something lighter. Something more fun. Her and her mentee being blown up and killed isn’t exactly lighter but she got over it pretty good and turned out to be a pretty chill character. If I would’ve stuck with the draft she would’ve turned into a regretting and bitter person, I think. And besides that - I recalled that neither me, nor most of my muses are in for the children and pregnancy topic. So it was very easy to nope out and I’m very glad I did so.

Ⅶ If you have multiple blogs and/or muses, which one is your favorite? Why?

On this blog it would be Davey. It’s nice to write someone who has a very endearing side on him but, just while writing, makes you feel that there’s a lot more beneath and you wanna figure out what it is, if that makes any sense? Hedoesn’t tell me everything and makes me figure things out little by little. But I am also fascinated with his annoying habits or little quirks that I don’t have with other muses. He gets so easily distracted or attached to random people and stuff and cares very deeply. I don’t know, I really like experiencing this with him.

I used to have another blog with a very difficult kid who also made me re-live all the teenage angst, but he was a very dark character with bad thoughts. I still love him bc he turned out to be my most complex muse with so much depth and inner processes, but hardly voicing anything.

❉ What is a dream AU for you? If you haven’t done it yet, why not?

Anastasia by Don Bluth or some really dark, dystopian stuff, I think? Reason: I just didn’t get to it xD I have so many awesome threads going that I easily forget about stuff I could be writing.

✎ When choosing a name for your muse, did you pick something special or meaningful in some way?

HAHAHA, you hear that? That’s the laughter of all of my muses in the back! The only muses I ever chose a specific name for were Lucifero and Zelda, and even those I can’t really re-construct. Zelda bc of what a rake & how obstinate Zelda Fitzgerald was and her context to alcohol, what’s also a theme in Z’s life when it comes to her mother. I always try to choose something with a meaning but it mostly ends in muses appearing like ‘Yo, that’s my name’ and me going ‘Nope it’s not! That’s a terrible name, you can’t do that!’ and they just shrug it off bc they know damn well that I tried to force name changes in the past. And it didn’t work out.

❝ ❞ Is it easy for you to write dialog for your muse? Do their speech patterns come naturally to you while writing?

It is. Mona often tends to repeat sentences. Mostly in her head but it also flows into the speech. “Not my problem, not my problem!”, like that. Besides that, Indrid’s speech is mostly flawed with some undefinable accent and he curses a lot, of course, using medieval swear words.

❀ What is a muse you want to play but haven’t? Why haven’t you played them yet?

I’d love to write a La Casa de Papel OC named Odessa with a David Oakes FC. I already worked on a first draft but came to the conclusion that I don’t need another crime-themed character on this blog. Abel’s already enough. They would’ve ended up with similar traits and differed by such as mental health, and that’s also a theme I don’t feel like picking up right now. I already have Tiio who’s paranoid as can be, I have Abel who’s a smooth criminal. I’d need a different concept.

Aaaaand of course… Chester Wilson aka Fuck Face from Deadly Class. I love how out of control he is. But I so don’t agree with the bestiality part, so even if I can admit that I like his character concept I simply can’t write him bc he’s too skeevy in many ways.

◑ What is a side to your muse you want to show off, but haven’t had the chance to yet?

Felix is a smartass and cheeky as hell, but he can also be very soft if he really cares about someone else. I’d love to see that side one day.

[thelifeoftuan]

Journalism Hell

There’s a little known fact about me. Or a fact that is usually forgotten. Either way. In college, apart from my Biochemistry major and pursuit of a career in medicine, I was also a Journalism major.

We’ll backtrack a little bit. Spring 2010 of my sophomore year of college, following a meeting with my advisor within the College of Arts and Sciences for my Biochemistry degree towards the end of that semester, I sort of spun out of control into this existential crisis. Hahaha! Why, you might ask? Well, it was at that meeting that my advisor was reviewing all of my credits and told me that I was on track to graduate the following Spring. And I was like, “What?” He looked over all of my requirements and said that with some good planning, I am set to graduate the following year. And in my head, I, for some reason, started to panic. Hahaha! I was like, “Um, excuse me dude, I’m only a sophomore. I haven’t even taken the MCAT yet, let alone apply for medical school. I’m not ready to graduate.” I remember asking him what my options were, and he was like, either book it and take the MCAT two months ago and apply to medical school yesterday then saunter on over to the commencement department and get ready to apply for graduation... or, do something else. I went home and stewed. ...like stewed to the point where the stew burned. And I was like, “what the shit! I didn’t plan for this!” Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, why am I complaining, right? The prospect of graduating a year early from college isn’t something to be butt-hurt about. But at that time, I was definitely not ready, mentally or emotionally. Not to mention I was nowhere near ready to really plunge into the horrid process of applying for medical school. That would have required me to get together letters of recommendation, transcripts, take the MCAT (and do somewhat well), apply for our pre-medicine committee interview (a stupid and unnecessary process, honestly, in retrospect), decide where I wanted to try to go to medical school and get those applications together... within a matter of weeks, because if memory serves me right, the application cycles started in the summer. So after I (rather unnecessarily, I will admit) agonized about this, I was like, “nah bro, we’re staying the full four years.” And it was at that time that I then embarked on my existential crisis. What the crap was I gonna do that will effectively prolong my stay in college to the appropriate four years? And it took a couple of days. I didn’t want to squander my time (or money, to be honest) doing something that wasn’t worthwhile. But I also didn’t want to over-tax myself. At first, I was like, well? I’ve always seen myself as a writer, maybe I should delve down that route. I initially thought about picking up an English major or minor. I spent hours and hours pouring over the coursework and projecting my class schedules and how that would pan out or if it would even work. And I discovered that it would if I picked up an English minor. And this department was within the College of Arts and Sciences, and so I wouldn’t have to really branch out too far from “home base.” But then I delved further into the required classes and read up on the syllabi (syllabuses? ...silly buses?) and looked up the instructors on the university online database, and review after review for course after course... they were all mostly bad with, at best, a B- average for grades, and I was like, “...I actually don’t think this is for me.” Being a literature buff was not my thing, and I think the English minor/major at my university trains students for that... which, in my opinion, was not worth my time or energy. I barely knew how to read, let alone critically analyze literature. I definitely was not going to risk something that would take shots at my already teetering GPA if I could help it, especially if it was something additional I was taking on. At that point, I would’ve rather graduated a year early and figure it out from there. So I scrapped that idea. And then it was back to the drawing board. Another several days of searching and seeking counsel... and then one day, a random thought came into my head. There was this nice building at the southern corner of the campus that was one of the newer colleges of our university, the College of Journalism. I would always walk by this building but never ventured in. One nice summer day that Spring semester of 2010, I did. And immediately, I felt sort of the same “at home” vibe I had felt all those years ago when I decided I wanted to become a pediatrician. Another little known fact. I actually started writing (for lack of a better term, honestly) before I even decided medicine was my calling. I remember in kindergarten, I had started writing and I remember my teacher reading some of my stories to my classmates. It wasn’t talent. It was a whim. Some sort of strange whim that has carried me forward throughout the years, just like how my aspiration for a career in medicine did. Within the College of Journalism was a major known as Professional Writing. I went home immediately after that day and did all the research I could on this. There was, unfortunately, no minor offered for any of the journalism majors. But the more I read about the Professional Writing track, the more and more I was sold. This major would train me and give me the skills I needed to become a more proficient writer and actually give me an avenue and motivation to continue writing as a potential career. None of that literary crap that made me despise high school English class, but stories that I would actually enjoy writing. I meticulously planned out my current coursework remaining for my Biochemistry major and overlay the required coursework for a Journalism-Professional Writing major... and it was like over-packing for a trip (another one of my wondrous qualities), borderline impractical and insane, but doable if done correctly. I asked myself, “how invested are you in this, Tuan?” I remember taking an afternoon to think about this, seeking opinions from some of my friends. And then, by the end of the day, I decided to go for it. I scheduled a meeting with an advisor at the college who, honestly and I think appropriately, questioned my sanity. I concretely remember him, one, looking at me with his eyebrows raised when I told him my background and experience (or lack thereof), and two, asking me repeatedly, “Are you sure about this?” But when I expressed my extreme interest and drive, he complied and laid out the requirements for me. I would have to take an entrance competency exam (basically a reading and writing exam). Thank goodness the foreign language requirements were the same among colleges, because I was not about to go down that route again (Spanish 3 is a story for another time...). That summer of 2010 would end up being my busiest summer. Because I picked this new major, I would have to get the required prerequisites out of the way before I could even think about starting any Journalism classes. So this required me to take two journalism classes over the summer. And I had also enrolled in a Biochemistry course that summer. So, three classes during that fateful summer of 2010. Hahaha! Not my smartest decision. But it felt like this new endeavor into the world of Journalism breathed new meaning in my life, and I felt rejuvenated and excited. Well, that feeling did not last too long. Hahaha! Mind you, yes, the entire way until I graduated college, I loved my Journalism major and classes, and it was definitely a reprieve away from my science classes and the stress of applying for medical school. But the very first class I had to take, and I will always remember the course ID to this day, was JMC 2033: Writing for Mass Media (JMC stood for Journalism and Mass Communication and was the ID used for all Journalism classes at my university). This was the introductory “weed-out” class for Journalism majors... which shocked me when my teacher, an impassioned writer and, in my opinion, rather poorly directed masters student who took pride in making this class the hardest it could ever possibly be, said to us on our first day, “If you are taking this class in the summer thinking that it was going to be easier, think again.” In my head, I was like, “oh shit.” No biochemistry professor of mine ever said that in any of my classes on the first day, and here I am, at a place I thought was the greener side of things, and there’s this crazy 20-something-year-old lady with an ego the size of the screen projected at the front of the classroom ready to skewer each and every one of us for the next 8 weeks. ...and skewer us she did. She definitely found some sick joy torturing us students in that class that summer. And I was so out of my element. I knew that I had a disadvantage and that this wasn’t something I had a true strength in. Other people in my class seemed to have read all the time and knew how to pick apart articles, had an eye for ads and design, understood the basic workings of PR and broadcasting. Me? I was the lowly writer who really only had the skills of an unpolished kindergartener. ...but I will be damned if I let my first step into the Journalism world be a misstep. So that summer, even more than my Biochemistry class, I worked my ass off more than ever before. Because it was a summer class, we crammed 16 weeks of work into 8... which was not the healthiest thing, honestly, because that required working and studying every single night, because this lady would present us with quizzes almost every single day of class. And this class was Monday through Thursday. Not to mention you had to make a C average or above in this class to be accepted into the College of Journalism (which, yes, is a given for anything, really), but as you will see from the quiz averages of this particular class, that was kinda touch and go, and I feared for my life and the life of my classmates at several points. And thus arrives the main topic of this post. Hahaha! (That took a while, right?) These quizzes we were subjected to tested absolutely everything (but truthfully, essentially nothing) about the supposed skills a journalist should have. Looking back... honestly, it was mostly hogwash, as you’ll come to see. Hahaha! This class was so bad and so hard that I ended up making daily Facebook status posts about it and then compiling them all together in a singular post titled “Lessons in Journalism Hell” posted on my Blogspot exactly 9 years ago today. I think the funniest (and frankly most appalling) thing this teacher did for this class was each morning, she would post the quiz averages of the day before on the large projector in front of the class, which I always wrote down so that I could relay how horrid this class was, and she also put the highest score and the lowest score on the projector and always, without fail, revealed to the class who made the highest score. ...if she had revealed who made the lowest score, she probably would’ve been murdered, honestly, because no one in the class liked her. And if someone made a perfect score, she would put the student’s name up there for all to see. ...it was kinda insane what this lady did. I look back on this course with such comical contempt, because I was like, “if all of my Journalism classes are going to be like this, I have made a grave mistake.” Thankfully, this was not the case. JMC 2033 is, notoriously, and especially when taught by this one particular crazy lady, is the hardest class in the college. I think what made it hard was it was an introductory course that attempted to teach all Journalism majors the basic concepts of journalism and mass communication, which included advertising, broadcasting, PR, and professional writing, and incorporated the necessities of media literacy and competence. I will say that I learned a few things from this class. But was any of it particularly useful? I mean, a good majority of our assignments and preparation for quizzes was to read or watch or listen to something that was published within a specific time window the day/night before and remember every single goddamn detail we possibly could and hope that we even read, watched, or listened to the right thing so that we could answer quiz questions the following morning. ...perhaps that only useful thing I did pick up from this class was a stronger resilience and work ethic than what I had previously. Haha! And so, without further ado, I would like to repost my Lessons in Journalism Hell on my tumblr today, to commemorate a rather miserable yet pretty laughable time in my life 9 years ago when I decided to pursue a Journalism major the summer before my Junior year of college. Each lesson is numbered and dated with a short sentence or two I devised to describe what the quiz was about, followed by the class average (and often my own personal commentary on such average). I don’t remember my own grades from these quizzes, as I didn’t write them down. It felt like it was poor form. Also, the teacher took back our quizzes after we had five seconds to review them (for some dumbass reason I will never understand), so I don’t have them in any archives of mine. But anyway, I present to you, Lessons in Journalism Hell, June 9 - July 29, 2010. June 9 | Journalism Hell Lesson #1: Copy-editing marks. A journalist MUST learn how to copy-edit using the CORRECT symbols and marks. Class avg: 57.7/100 ...HOLY CRAP! June 10 | Journalism Hell Lesson #2: Making distinctions. A journalist MUST learn how and when to use who vs. whom. Class avg: 79.6/100 June 14 | Journalism Hell Lesson #3: AP Style. A journalist MUST learn how to use AP (Associated Press) style of writing. Class avg: 63/100... and teacher said she expected great things from this quiz -.- June 15 | Journalism Hell Lesson #4: Newspapers. A journalist MUST learn how to read a newspaper--and figure out what content the teacher will quiz over. Class avg: horrendously low... T_T June 16 | Journalism Hell Lesson #5: Language Lapses. A journalist MUST learn that you feel bad NOT badly, that mobs are always angry and beatings are usually brutal, and finally, that you are usually nauseated, NOT nauseous...unless you make OTHER people want to vomit. Class avg: 97.3/100 :] June 17 | Journalism Hell Lesson #6: Newspapers Round 2. A journalist MUST learn how to read the newspaper (again), analyze it, memorize important facts, and rely on sheer gut about what the heck the teacher will ask on the quiz. Class avg: 68.2/100 ...my Buddha. -.- June 21 | Journalism Hell Lesson #7: Diversity. A journalist MUST know the difference between an oreo and a twinkie. Enough said. Class avg: 75.7/100 June 22 | Journalism Hell Lesson #8: Diversity Part 2. A journalist MUST learn how to read online news sources about blacks, Native Americans, and gays. Class avg: 43.7/100 ...OH MY SNAPS! We're getting killed by these quizzes! June 23 | Journalism Hell Lesson #9: It's anyone's guess. A journalist MUST know that if he/she WERE smarter, he/she would have made a better grade on this quiz. Class avg: 77/100 June 24 | Journalism Hell Lesson #10: Huffingtonpost.com. A journalist MUST... oh, what the hell. This quiz was completely insane and taught me nothing besides how terribly vague and untimely the quiz content was. All I learned was that huffingtonpost.com updates multiple times and the time frame we journalism students were given was within a 10-hour time span. Class avg: 58.8/100 -- I'm starting to get worried... June 29 | Journalism Hell Lesson #11: AP style round 2. A journalist MUST continue to learn how to use AP (Associated Press) style of writing. Class avg: 70/100 June 30 | Journalism Hell Lesson #12: The Week (online magazine). A journalist MUST not give up. As we are all getting tired of this, refer back to lessons 4, 6, and 10. Class avg: 71.9/100 July 1 | Journalism Hell Lesson #JUST KIDDING: There was no quiz today. WHOOPEE! July 6 | Journalism Hell Lesson #13: Us Weekly. A journalist MUST not let his/her brain melt while reading this tabloid-esque trash. Class avg: 78.1/100 July 7 | Journalism Hell Lesson #14: AP style round 3. A journalist MUST continue to learn how to use AP style of writing. Class avg: 93.2/100 ...WOOHOO! July 8 | Journalism Hell Lesson #15: Pluralizing. It's bitches and hoes! Class avg: 85.9/100 July 12 | Journalism Hell Lesson #16: AP style round 4. Class avg: 85.9/100 July 13 | Journalism Hell Lesson #17: AP style round 5. Class avg. 82.1/100 July 15 | Journalism Hell Lesson #18: NPR. A journalist MUST listen to 20 stories of Morning Edition on NPR (National Public Radio) and remember all the details. Class avg. 76.4/100 July 19 | Journalism Hell Lesson #19: NBC Nightly News @ 5:30 p.m. A journalist MUST watch the 5:30 p.m. programming of NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Class avg. 89.3/100 July 20 | Journalism Hell Lesson #20: AP style round 6. Class avg. 85.7/100 July 21 | Journalism Hell Lesson #21: Advertising Age (AdAge.com). A journalist MUST be familiar with AdAge.com. Class avg. 70.9/100 ...and we were doing so well. -.- July 22 | Journalism Hell Lesson #22: PR Newswire (prnewswire.com). A journalist MUST be familiar with a PR tool website. Class avg. 72.9/100 July 26 | Journalism Hell Lesson #23: ESPN.com. A journalist MUST ...seriously?! This is by far the stupidest thing I've studied. Class avg. 75.4/100 July 27 | Journalism Hell Lesson #24: The First Amendment. A journalist MUST memorize the First Amendment... word for word. Class avg. 81.5/100. Awesomeness! July 28 | Journalism Hell Lesson #25: TMZ.com. A journalist MUST read more trash. Ugh. Class avg. 68.6/100. ...GEEZ! July 29 | Journalism Hell Lesson #26: Gawker.com. And so, the last lesson in Journalism Hell before the shit hits the fan. A journalist MUST read even MORE trash. -.- Class avg. 71.2/100 Hahaha! There you have it. Needless to say, I got through this class with an A (thank Buddha. I honestly would have been a little upset if the decision to pick up a second major in college brought down my GPA and further hurt my chances of getting into medical school). My teacher called out my name a number of times because I had made the highest grade on a quiz, and I think my name showed up on the board twice because I had made a perfect score on two quizzes. Each time, I just sunk into my seat and avoided eye contact. I definitely did not take these instances as accolades, because it made me feel really bad because the class averages were so low, and my classmates honestly were not having it with this lady, so I definitely did not appreciate her putting me on the spot. But regardless, I persevered and left JMC 2033 in the rear-view mirror as I started my actual Professional Writing classes the following fall semester. It gave me a giggle to go through this post again. Some comical memories of a pretty grueling summer, for sure, but productive and successful nonetheless. In the end, I definitely enjoyed my classes at the Journalism college, and it was definitely a decision that I did not regret. Anyway, just thought I’d trek through memory lane for a bit on this late night. Till next time. :]

[jasperlion]

Worldbuilding + Headcanon

Valentia and comics + Alm’s taste in literature

In Desaix’s fortress, when you inspect one of the two bookshelves with Alm, he says:

'Maybe he has a comic hidden away somewhere...'

And on the other one, he says:

“Politics... magic... couple of sagas... this is quite the collection.”

I’ll touch on the comic aspect of this first.

This said, he’s said plenty of other stuff on other bookshelves! Alm seems like quite the avid reader and it makes sense considering his background. Books were his window to the world outside, after all, for quite some time.

Anyway! Comics!

Considering Alm knows what they are and has probably read a fair few of them, a farmer boy in a village that he could never leave, it’s reasonable to assume that Alm learned about comics, and obtained some, from Gray. While one could also consider Mycen as giving him some of those to read, I’d think the old guy would focus on Alm’s education in military arts over entertainment (after all, the man taught Alm all he knew of tactics, weather, etc).

Gray, unlike the rest of the Ram kids, could actually leave the village and actively did so with his parents. Looked up to by the rest for his knowledge on what lay ahead and past the gates, he was, for a long time, a bearer of news and information of what they had never been able to see for themselves. Being the son of merchants does not immediately mean riches, especially merchants who so often returned to Ram and, quite likely, left to sell everyone’s goods and return with the money and goods requested by the others.

Comics would have to be cheap, then, for his parents to allow him to get some. The money spent is precious, especially when it has to do with helping sustain such a small village. When the Ram Wine stops being produced completely, Gray might have been unable to even coerce his parents on this point much.

Not unless they, like penny dreadfuls in the victorian era, were ridiculously cheap due to being made from cheap, thin paper.

There is, likely, no printing press proper, though (as based on history, this appeared in the 15th century). The comics being hand-drawn makes it very difficult to believe they are cheap, so the alternative I figure happens is that there’s a way to use magic as a sort of printing press. There’s plenty of books in Valentia, and a lot of them are books relatively well-known by book readers. While one could argue the production could be similar to that of reprintings of important books at the time, this would only ramp up the price! You’d need a bunch of people copying down the same words and having to scrap paper if they messed up, especially intricate treatises and such.

Magic is a dangerous thing in Valentia, especially with the notorious absence of tomes. Still, it makes the reprinting viable, and so a lot more available. 

So:

Comics are available in Valentia

They are probably short strips/stories on cheap paper to reduce costs

and are likely considered low brow entertainment as a result

If reproduced, it’s likely they use magic to replicate the same drawings over and over instead of drawing them all over again.

Additionally

They are likely simplistic in artstyle

The humor, due to them being ‘low brow entertainment’, probably skirts close to a greek comedy

Now, onto Alm’s taste in literature. Here’s more bookshelf quotes from the man himself:

“There’s plenty of books, but almost no light to read them by” -Sage Hamlet, Meeting Hall

*sniff* “Smells like ink and old paper. It’s kind of nice.” - Sage Hamlet, Sage’s House “Seems like a bad idea to have open flame around so many books...” “I know you need light, but I’d be worried about lighting a book on fire.” “I’m amazed the floor doesn’t cave in under the weight of all these books.”

“I might find something useful here.” - Southern Outposr, War Room

“Books about dark magics, mostly. Juuuust going to leave those there...” - Nuibaba’s abode interior, Entrance “A cache of tomes related to magic.”

Alm has a healthy and hearty respect for books, but what I find interesting is that he knows for sure the topics of a lot of the books in the fortress in itself (and, in fact, so does Celica). 

Alm probably reads an equal amount of fiction and non-fiction, he doesn’t seem to turn his nose at the topic of stories that aren’t fantastical (and when viewing reliefs or things with historical context, he seems to know at least something about it) — none of the titles seem to catch his eye, though, unlike Celica herself. 

Either Alm read those 1001 wyvern tales or Celica did hahaha (she mentions them in Desaix’s fortress, the left bookshelf), depending on how you want to take the fact that Alm does not mention it (and instead says ‘couple of sagas’) and Celica does.

With books being a good vehicle of teaching and Alm being interested in books enough to read them to Celica on what was probably a nightly ritual, and so probably something Mycen took advantage of (it helped that Alm has always been ravenously interested in the rest of the world). I doubt Alm has read too many books on politics himself (it’d be strange to teach that to a warrior, Alm thought the knowledge passed down to him was that of a knight, not a prince), if anything enough to get him through court as a knight.

Nonfiction would probably focus on: tactics, knowledge on nature, medicine and trades that had to do with things he learned through manual labor in Ram. He would also likely read a lot about history or even books about Zofia proper and even Rigel.

Meanwhile, he might have read a lot more fiction, especially novels based on historical events.