#this is a fun thing to write about. i have basically emptied out my drafts. in prep for june 4th

[darkcandy-starfait]

We're quite literally LESS than three days away from Chapters 3 & 4, so here's a little bit of a weird route retrospective from yours truly lol

I tend not to watch anything related to the weird route, and I just remembered WHY I don't, because I recently watched Snapcube play through Deltarune and then the weird route.

I could never fucking do it because Kris and Noelle'a little adventure in Cyber City and the fun they have and the fact that they slowly start reconnecting after so long? Yeah that shit is my FAVOURITE part of chapter 2.

I love all the memories of their childhood they reminisce on. I love how Kris teaches Noelle how to ACT, and dress up in silly costumes!

I love how they can joke around with each other. Like Kris teases her with the "No triple trucies" joke, and they can ask Noelle for dog treats and howl like a dog. If you check the Berdly statue over and over again Kris supposedly looks at it from all angles just to mess with Noelle playfully.

Noelle also jokes around with Kris back, suggesting the dog treat and telling them to "stay". If you leave the mouse puzzle room over and over again, she calls them "Merry Krismas", a cute nickname that Rudy uses in both chapters. (I swear if it turns out that the whole holiday family including Dess and even Mayor Holiday calls them that I'm gonna explode-)

They also have quiet moments, it feels like they know each other better than anyone, they used to go exploring, had a fear/fascination with ICEE.

And even outside chapter 2, Noelle always offers Kris pencils, helps them with their homework, even took out time to get stuff ready to help them. Kris in Cyber City, does tease her a lot, but protects her from Queen everytime, usually without our input.

And there's more sad interactions that aren't weird route exclusive. There's the whole December puzzle, and the fact that out of everyone, so far, Noelle is the only one who notices something off about Kris lately...

Even in a normal route, you can accidently almost zap Noelle with the puzzle, and upon trying to prank them back, thinking it was a joke, Kris is VISIBLY upset. Because of you, Kris could have gotten Noelle hurt.

There's MANY dynamics between characters in future chapters that I'm excited to see develop, like Kris and Susie's whole thing and how the player will shake it up, or how Kris starts to treat Ralsei as they uncover more of the truth.

But no doubt my favourite is seeing Noelle and Kris reconnecting, after supposedly... everything in their lives went to shit. After Dess disappearing, and Kris' parents divorcing.

I so badly want them to be close friends again cause it's so sweet and my favourite dynamic in Deltarune so far.

That's why the weird route is hard for me to watch. Even after everything that happens, Noelle still realises that something is wrong, that's there's something... a voice unlike Kris', talking to her.

Kris knows now that Noelle is scared of them... and that's no doubt gonna mess with them.

Kris calls for help... but nobody came.

Until you whisper Noelle's name...

[fixyourwritinghabits]

Editing Part 4: Worldbuilding Pass

Next up, worldbuilding! We're tackling this before structure, because you don't want to get too far into the weeds, realize a critical component of your story is wrong, and then throw your computer out the window in frustration.

Anyway, when it comes to worldbuilding, there's a lot of moving parts. There is no right or wrong way to worldbuild, but my preferred approach is to worldbuild as the story goes along. Any method works, and you can check out the worldbuilding tag for more. In editing your worldbuilding, you want to think about:

Trimming Front-loading/Info Dumps

When writing fantasy/sci-fi, getting down how the world works can take over the story. In first drafting, this is fine! But when you're trying to clean that draft up, it's better to weave this information in as you go.

Need to explain how the giant mechas guarding the city operate? Maybe your main character is trying to steal some precious alloy from one, giving you opportunity to explain how they work and how society feels about them. Have a magic system that relies on singing tunes? Show that off by having students practicing, or dueling rivals taking it too far.

You probably know by now that the thing you should avoid the most is "as you know" dialogue dumps - characters explaining concepts to each other that they both clearly understand. Another, weaker version of this is the "magic class" trap, where things are explained to the main character and the reader. A classroom environment is fine, but pair worldbuilding with action - demonstrations get out of hand, spells go wrong, etc. Make it fun!

Your World Needs Clear Rules (Sorry)

Listen, this is the part I hate. I have a WIP with the word "Rules" in the title and I'm still figuring out what those rules are. Argh. But the sooner you know the rules, the easier editing will be. The more clear those rules are to the reader, the more impactful breaking them will be.

If the rules of the world (you can't use warp speed too close to a planet's gravitational pull, the same type of magic cancels each other out) and the consequences of breaking them are clear, the pay-off will be satisfying for both you and the reader.

Use Your Environment to Your Full Advantage

You've no doubt heard 'make setting a character' and that's evergreen advice. Some of the best books out there are those where it feels like you could step through the page and into a real place, be it your childhood middle school or Narnia. Getting that feeling, however, is more than just describing a place really well.

Mood - How does the location make you feel? Does a dark, cramped room leave the characters with a feeling of dread? How would that feeling change if it was an overstuffed library with comfortable chairs?

Weather - Beyond the 'dark and stormy night' descriptions, weather impacts our daily lives and is often overlooked. A rain-drenched funeral scenes seems like it's the way to go, but how differently would that scene feel if it was a sunny day with birds singing?

City Versus Countryside - These books are a great reference for description, but also take a step back to compare how different situations would feel both in the setting and to your character. Quiet can mean very different things depending on where you are. A morning fog in the countryside might feel comforting to someone used to it, but to someone new to that environment, it might feel creepy. Think about both your environment and how your character reacts to it based on their backstory.

The Empty Room Problem

This is always a big challenge when moving from the first draft bare bones basics to fleshing things out. How much description is too much? (As a note, it's always okay to overcorrect - you'll have a chance to fix it later!) This post from @novlr has a lot of great questions - but you're still going to narrow it down to the most important details.

Escape the Movie Setting - You cannot describe the room like it's a movie set. Trying to do so is going to be overwhelming, and important details will be lost in the attempt. If you were to describe your room or your favorite coffee shop and could only highlight four or five details, what would you focus on? What gives the reader the essence of the place rather than a list of things that exist there?

Establish the Essentials - Is this your first character's first time in this room? Is it going to be key to several plot-important scenes? Some big, sweeping details when entering - how big it is, what's in it, where the windows are, how it feels, etc - are good to start with. Your character can briefly admire a full bookshelf in the first scene, and then study it in more detail in the second. If you have one scene in this place and spend too much time describing it, you're going to make your reader think it's more important than it is.

Engage the Senses - Does an old room smell musty? Does the coldness of the woods have a sharp taste? Does touching a shelf bring up a lot of dust? How does the lighting in the room make the main character feel?

Getting down the description of a room or setting is not something you'll nail in one shot, but if you approach each scene asking yourself "does this feel like a real place or a white room?" you can narrow down what's missing.

[wonysugar]

haii guyss…

i feel like it’s been a while since i actually TALKED here? hope you guys are doing okay :] i know some of y’all are already thinking “where is part two of wonder why i’m bitt—“ LET ME EXPLAIN MYSELF i’m just coming on here to tell you a few things that i feel needs to be mentioned,,

so! i want you guys to know that I’M SORRY FOR BEING SO INACTIVEEE writing has gotten a lot harder over the course of the last few months and that i’m really trying:(( life has gotten busier, i have a lot less time to even open google docs in the first place, let alone to actually sit down and finish the million drafts i’ve startedfjksfm and not only that, but i just, feel like i don’t like writing as much anymore?

before you potentially panic!! i’m not deactivating or anything lmao, i think i just need a bit more time to find a pace i’m comfortable with, if that makes sense? basically, granted it’s my complete fault, i’ve committed to writing MULTIPLE wips and as much as i wanna finish every single one of them and post them for you guys to enjoy them, I DON’T LIKE THEMMM I NEVER DOOO… i’m burnt out mane it’s like everytime i write something anymore i just hate it and never wanna talk about it again, yknow? (hence why i kinda don’t find the will to answer asksfkskd but i promise i see all of them and they genuinely all make me smile thank you) THAT WASN’T THE CASE WHEN I STARTED THIS BLOG! i liked writing, i thought it was really fun and partially the reason why i think i borderline HATE it now is because i feel the need to always perfect my fics and have everybody like them (which will obviously never be the case, and i need to come to terms with the fact that my stuff is not for everyone, and that it’s okay!!) basically, the fact that i kinda have a platform now is a bit scary and pressuring considering and i always feel bad that i can’t seem to keep up with your guys’ demands and i’m really sorry but i need time to adjust i think?!:&;&

so all i ask of you guys is that you please please pleaseee bear with me as i’m trying very hard to keep content coming for you guys and that i’m trying to keep that flame burning; if you’re curious about whether or not i’m working on something in particular, please just check my wipsfksmdm seeing all of the asks about sequels is kinda stressful and i always feel bad for taking too long to write them WHICH LEADS TO ME RUSHING THEM I’M SORRY:(( and also i’m gonna be emptying my inbox today so that it’s kinda like a fresh start? feel free to drop your ask again if you really want it answered, i’ll try my best to! :] and say hi i miss all of youfjdkfm

thank you for your time and patience aahh i didn’t mean for it to be this long #notreadingallat, but yeahh it really means a lot to me and i’m sorryfkendn thank you again mwah i love you all, take caree

[differentcoloredcontacts]

hello! heard your drafts were empty, here’s a suggestion!

personal nitpicks you have about the characterization of class 1B/or just the characters in itself in any aspect?

also more of an ask instead of a prompt, but how often/do you do more full length fics? haven’t fully looked through your backlog yet xp

- 🎭

Not proofread we die like men

My personal thoughts/nitpicks for each character.

Awase - Honestly I have nothing to nitpick about his character itself (other than his lack of style) but I dont like how the fandom doesn't acknowledge how hard he has worked to become a pro (he litterally almost died for momo during the summer camp attack)

Sen - i have nothing to nitpick exsept I wish we could see his love for photography a little bit in the show instead of just having horikoshi saying he likes photography yk

Kamakiri - i dont like how he doesnt have a cannon backstory or cannon reasoning for being as loud and brash as he is. Bakugou and Monoma have their reasons for being dicks so I wanna know his.

Kuroiro - i have nothing to nitpick because he is perfect. (Seriously tho, i love his design, character, personality and quirk and it all fits him so well. I just wish we could see more of him)

Kendo - im not sure what it is about her character but theres something there I dont really like. I cant tell what it is tho so I cant nitpick it rip. Its been bothering me since ive first started bnha.

Kodai - my only nit pick with her is I have a hard time writing for her sometimes but thats about it. Shes kinda boring and she has no hard set personality traits so i struggled to wrjte her in the past

Komori - the only thing I have to say for her is we dont see her as much as we should in the show but that could be said about all of class 1B.

Shiozaki - i actually didnt like her when I started this blog and was originally gonna exclude her from the blog because she made me uncomfortable but the more i have written for her the more she grew on me so now I dont mind her.

Shishida - hes kinda boring to me but I like the memes that make him seem like the class dog instead of just a student yk? I saw someone say hes scared of a hairdryer before lmao. Not rlly a nitpick but idc

Shoda - hes kinda basic to me all around. His cannon personality, likes, quirk, ect. Its all just kinda bland in comparison to most of the characters in the show (especially since this show prides itself on unique characters)

Pony - i dont like how she stabbed ojiro in season 5 or 6 I forgot which one. But yea thats about it. Shes pretty fun for me to write sometimes especially when I talk about her being American. But yea all i really have to nitpick is her stabbing ojiro

Tsubaraba - his quirk and personality is more on the unique side when it comes to this show (considering most of the side characters are the quiet/shy type.) But his design isnt anything special. The only way I can tell kosei apart from a random background character is his eyes. If his back is turned I have no idea who he is lmao

Tetsutetsu - in my heart those things around his eyes is a mask. I dont care that the author said they're eyelashes, its a mask. (Same thing with tokoyami having hair and not feathers...)

Tokage - shes cool and all but she is so fucking hard to write (especially since im trying to not dumb the characters down to one or two specific details) but her entire wiki is just 'emotional girl that likes dinosaurs, she kinda smart too' yk?

Manga - i love him and there is nothing to nitpick because he is perfect. He has one of the more unique personalities and quirks out of everyone in the show (in my opinion) and it fits him very well.

Honenuki - i dont like his design all that much. I like the mutation and his quirk is ok in my opinion but I dont like most other parts of his physical design.

Bondo - i like him but ive struggled to write for him a lot of the time because hes kinda boring and lacks any unique personality traits. Talking to him would be like talking to a wall but idc i live him anyways.

Monoma - his reasoning for being a dick to all of class 1-A is better than bakugous reason for being a dick but people excuse bakugous behavior but not monomas for some reason. Not really a nitpick on him but oh well.

Reiko - all I have to say about her is her personality is a little hard for me to write sometimes. Maybe because i dont know as much about her as I do some of the other students but she lacks emotion sometimes.

Rin - he is called the martial arts hero so where tf is the martial arts? I wanna see rin do martial arts in the way weve seen uraraka do martial arts but we dont get that >:( also there is so little content for him it actually drives me insane.

And to answer the fanfiction question-

I have yet to do any actual fanfiction simply because I dont think I would be good at it. I have creative ideas and i can put it into words until a certain point but I am unable to drag things out properly and put proper care into longer writings due to impatience and my lack of confidencein my longer writings. I might think about writing short oneshots for charachters in the future but for now I will stick with headcanons :P

Anyways my life is slowly being consumed by sun haven.

[lovely-showtimes]

sleepy cuddles . . . ♡

characters - minori.

type - (very) small scenario.

contains - unsure if this would be disorienting to anyone but i don't refer to minori by name in this fic, it's just 'her' and 'you'. fun stylistic choice or something

a/n - i truly dont know what happened. i was getting utterly wrecked by my own writer's block and then i blinked and this whole post was sitting in my drafts. definitely one of the more self indulgent things ive written, sometimes you have to sit down and write something gay and it just heals you. anyways, enough rambling from me, enjoy ~

The night is still. The wind rustles through the trees ever so slightly, too quiet to make any real noise. The street is empty, only marked with lampposts to guide anyone who's somehow awake right now.

It is so, so peaceful.

Amidst the tranquility of the night, in one house out of many, lies two teenagers. They're tucked away inside the pillow fort they excitedly and carefully built. Plushies are strewn across the fort, a few sitting up as if watching over the two to protect them from harm.

Blankets half-cover you both, most likely pulled on without a second thought while you were basically already asleep. You really don't need them anyway, considering you're practically using each other as blankets while you slumber.

The two of you are pressed together as close as you can manage, with her arms enveloping your waist and yours pillowing her head. Her head is buried in your chest, just where your heart should be. Her soft brown hair tickles your chin, something you don't really mind.

A laptop lies in front of you both, long having returned to sleep mode. The idol videos you had been watching had eventually ceased playing. Maybe the two of you were dreaming about being the idols in said videos, performing proudly for all to see on that shiny, dazzling stage. Who knows, really.

The two of you were happy, though. That's all that mattered. You were warm, she was warm, the pillow fort around you was warm, your hearts were warm.

You were happy.

[sarandipitywrites]

Writeblr Interview Tag

@cowboybrunch tagged me for this - thank you! Go read her responses here

Tagging @breath-of-eternity, @darkangel319, @kingragnarok-writes, @ryns-ramblings, @wildswrites, and an open tag for anyone who wants to answer! Copy/pasteable template's under the cut.

Short stories, novels, or poems?

Novels, both to read and write. I just don't tend to seek out short stories or poetry to read, for whatever reason (legitimately don't know why - I enjoy it when I do read it?), and whenever I try to write something a bit shorter, it quickly becomes... not shorter.

What genre do you prefer reading?

I'll read most genres, but it seems like I usually end up reading speculative fiction/sci fi/fantasy.

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

Planner - I usually want at least a rough outline of a scene before I start writing. I find that breaking the writing up into two steps takes the pressure off of the actual 'writing' part and lets me focus more on prose/characterization/the fun shit because Past Saran already did the hard part :P

What music do you listen to while writing?

Ambient music/sounds that 'fit' what I'm writing, lately with binauaral beats layered under it. Nothing with words. Words going in ears = no words coming out of fingers

Favorite books/movies?

Books? LOTS. No Gods, No Monsters; Frankenstein; The Heart Principle; Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe; On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous; No Longer Human; etc etc etc Movies? Spirited Away.

Any current WIPs?

Spark Signature (high fantasy sci fi heist thriller; most current WIP; I am presently being very annoying about it) The Art of Empty Space (fantasy/paranormal mystery romance; WIP intro is no longer accurate; on hold because it has mutated beyond my control and I am slightly afraid of it) Dead Roots, Dark Water (dystopian fantasy adventure; Jak & Daxter fanfiction; currently on final draft and being updated weekly) Ambition is a Lonely Tower (paranormal mystery thriler; literally have not worked on this since I started posting writeblr stuff so it doesn't have a WIP intro but I am not giving up on this damn it)

Create a character description of yourself: 

Constantly messing with something (hair, face, nails, the springy cat toy in the pocket of every single one of their jackets); gets anxious when they don't have earbuds or earplugs available; sits like a pretzel; forgets everything within 5 minutes if they don't write it down; avoids wearing "real people clothes" where possible; when forced to go outside, wears a t-shirt, baggy jeans, combat boots, and a jacket

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

Technically no? I use pieces from actual people I know, for sure, but there's no one character who's 'basically x.' Now it sounds like I'm over here sewing together chimera characters from people I know, oof

Are you kill happy with your characters?

Depends on the story, I guess. Nobody's died (yet) in AES. Murder's kind of a whole Thing in Spark. And DRDW... uh. Let's not talk about that one (sorry, half of my OCs).

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Coffee in the morning, tea in the evening.

Slow or fast writer?

All or nothing! It really depends on: 1. whether or not I have an outline (scene-level outline = words go fast) 2. my headspace (Sludge Brain day = no words. Fuck your outline)

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

I'd get eaten by a demonic chicken or some shit within like five minutes. Assuming I didn't have a horribly quick and embarrassing death, I'd like to be an alchemist or something like that. Give people those Good Plants

Most fav book cliche:

Enemies to lovers/friends, or friends to enemies, or really any big shift in relationship dynamic. Do that well and I love you and your characters forever

Least favorite cliche:

The 'if only they would talk to each other' thing - if one conversation that the characters are fully capable of having (but won't) is the only reason for the conflict, I'm out. Especially if there's no good reason for them to be avoiding the conversation. I'm not sure if this is even a cliche, but it's what I thought of :D

Favorite scene to write?

I love writing 'calm' scenes with tension just under the surface. And any scene that lets me fuck with perception/senses. Love it when a scene isn't straightforward

Reason for writing?

Lots of reasons! It's by far the thing I get the most satisfaction and enjoyment from; I get to write (and therefore read) the stories I want/need to read; free therapy supplement; I have lots of thoughts and ideas and little guys in my head and giving it all somewhere to go helps my brain be a lot quieter (it's still pretty noisy in there though, not gonna lie)

Short stories, novels, or poems?

What genre do you prefer reading?

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

What music do you listen to while writing?

Favorite books/movies?

Any current WIPs?

Create a character description of yourself: 

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

Are you kill happy with your characters?

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Slow or fast writer?

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

Most fav book cliche:

Least favorite cliche:

Favorite scene to write?

Reason for writing?

[thegrowngirlguide]

Give Gifts, Give Life

Hello, Hello, I have returned! I always come back after all!

Despite all the FNAF references in this post, this won't be a FNAF post or discussion. But HEY, I am very open to it! Still this is about something else.

Earlier, I was here checking the news, including my almost empty inbox, where I found a message I thought I never received.

Back in 2018, I was a big fan of Joanne Harris, the writer, especially because of her books "Chocolate" and "The Gospel of Loki". Her writing is simple and completely understandable. In the second book that was mentioned, her writing is so comical and yet accurate to what the old norse writings wrote about those gods. It makes you think that even in the most desperate moments of your life, a good laugh might help you bring you back on your feet.

In the same year, I learned that she had a tumblr page, where she would write to her fans, give advice and explain some things about her writing process. The more you read through her little blog, the more you realized how sweet and approachable she was. So, one day, I tried my luck.

I wrote this:

Hey, Joanne! I'm a huge fan of your writing (even though I read only two of your amazing books). I love writing as well and some people told me that I actually have the talent for it (and that someday I should try and write a book myself). If you could give me any tip or advice, what would it be? Lots of love, Joana

Always thinking that she wouldn't even reply or that she would be too busy to give me an answer.

Yet, she did.

The day before my birthday, she replies to that question from a young aspiring writer. Simply saying:

My first piece of advice is: start now. Writing takes a lot of practice - so don’t plan to do it someday: start now; enjoy it; try to make it as good as you can. And good luck! Joanne

It may seem like a basic answer. Maybe even the obvious answer to anyone who wants to be a writer. Lots of practice and reviewing and drafting. Eventually, something good will come out!

One of my biggest issues is quitting when I encounter a dead end. Regardless of the project. If there's a dead end in writing, I discard the story. If there's a dead end in my art, I get rid of it. It's like the whole effort was worthless and that it has no contribution to my learning process. This is probably where I am wrong.

When people say that making mistakes is a big part of a learning process, they are correct. Still, we don't realize it until we make the mistake and then learn how to fix it. And this applies for a multitude of things. Our jobs, our art, our expressions and all things in life. We shouldn't quit with our first mistake. We shouldn't let our need for instant perfection lead us to quit doing the things we love the most.

That is why I must subscribe to Joanne's words. If you want to try something, do it. Be it a Tik Tok. Instagram. A book. A game. A job. That's what makes life a fun adventure. You don't need to be bold and outstanding. If you want to try, it won't hurt.

My writing skills may not be top-notch, and my blog may not have a huge following, but I find true happiness and satisfaction in expressing myself through writing. It may not be perfect, but it is authentic and gives me a sense of fulfillment. I appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts and experiences with others, and I hope that my words resonate with someone else going through similar experiences.

I hope you get to experience this sort of fulfillment as well.

Always remember to be kind and understanding, communicate, drink water, eat some good food, brush your teethies and never ever ever forget, I love you!

Yours Truly

[jaimehwatson]

1, 2, 10, 11, 15, 19!

Thanks Syb! <3

1.What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again?

I wrote erotica involving a trans character for the first time in A Proper Apology! (Well, technically he's not actually human and wasn't really assigned any gender at birth, but you know, basically I wrote him like he's trans.) As someone who's still in the process of figuring out a transmasculine identity myself, I often prefer to read and write fics where the characters are all cisgender because it's like, I'm here to have fun, I don't even want to deal with thinking about all that complicated stuff that affects my real life right now. But I'm happy to have given something different a try with this fic, and I hope it's something I'll be able to do more in the future as I get more confident in who I am. Shout-out to @glitterarygetsit for beta-reading that one and helping polish it!

2. How many fics did you work on this year? (They don’t have to be finished or published!)

Apparently I've published 16 (most of which are pretty short), and I also have my Yuletide fic about to be revealed and bring it up to 17! Then in my unfinished drafts I have at least 5 more, all of which are for Our Flag Means Death. The new season gave me so many ideas that I didn't finish all of them, but maybe I'll revisit some in the new year!

10. What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?

Probably my magnum opus, Tonight on Ring of Revenge! It's my longest fanfic and probably in my top 5 longest works of fiction I've completed in general, and it was really fun and satisfying to be able to gradually make a wild idea I had while watching wrestling work out. I'm really proud of it and it feels very unique to me - like plenty of other people are also great at writing the kind of horny one-shots I do a lot of, but no one else made the pirate wrestling AU, that's a Jaime Special

15. Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023

I'll do the same one I just answered - Tonight on Ring of Revenge! It loosely follows the overall plot of season 1 of OFMD but set in the modern era with the characters as pro wrestlers instead of pirates. Is that an extremely silly idea? Yes! Does it also actually suit the themes and characterization of the show really well? You bet! Are there ridiculous campy wrestling plots and choreographed fake violence and also sex? Hell yeah! I had a lot of fun doing research for it and I think there are plenty of details in there that wrestling fans will appreciate, but I also added plenty of author's notes explaining things for readers who are less familiar with wrestling. It's about 26k words and has a cute happy ending! Enjoy!

19. Share your favorite opening line

I think I have to go with this one from When You Like And Where You Like!

"We have three years of the past to discuss. Let that suffice until half-past nine, when we start upon the notable adventure of the empty house." As Sherlock Holmes leaned casually against the desk in my study, a self-satisfied smile on his pale and aquiline face, I was seized with a momentary urge to leap from my chair and throttle him.

The first line of dialogue is directly out of "The Adventure of the Empty House," and if I remember correctly, it precedes a bit of a timeskip to the story picking up later that night. The second line is me starting a little missing scene! I really enjoy writing stuff like this that follows canon closely and could arguably have happened in between without necessarily contradicting anything, and I think it's a solid opening in terms of how much it establishes in those first two sentences: if you've read this story you'll probably recognize that line and know immediately at what point in canon this is set, and you'll understand why Watson is angry and why this is something that deserves a missing scene to get into his reaction to what's going on more!

2023 in Review Fic Writer Asks

[thedoorhandler]

My 4th dystopian nightmare - mobile malware, mind virus.

Preface

What's up, guys. I'm glad i'm awake. At least the sky isn't burning (yet), or making a choir of shrill squealing noises in the night. Our "loved ones" are still around for a chat, even if some of them don't react the way we wish they would. You know, it's probably just another day for them. They don't see that i technically just came back from an apocalypse and barely survived. We're now arguing about silly stuff. Kinda angers me, but i know better. Things looked actually bleak. Now, my relative has to deal with my ass calling on the phone again. I had to create long, quiet suspense before going into the details of the dream i have just woken up from. I want my listerner actually to be eager to hear that shit. It's a bit of a tease, push and pull before divulging this dream.

If that dream was real, i would have been desperately stuck running around aimlessly in this dark city looking for something that i can call shelter, home, or a person that i can tell my current struggles to. My mind seems to have a lot of fun creating "end of the world scenarios" - be it a planet-sized celestial body that hung down from the stratosphere, mixed races chasing each other in an abandoned city, a group of two dudes robbing me of one of my two pencils before saying: "Don't use the word 'peace' in here!'" behind my back, and the saddest thing: Sex bunkers in a post-apocalyptic world where those who would bring someone to f*** would be rewarded with goods. Terrible. I don't even want to say who was brought in there. I'd have to beg you to not blame me for what my subconscious weaves together without my permission.

Now, i have Sun in Aries in 8th house. I am basically a veteran of absolutely terrible, bone-shattering, traumatizing dreams. (Note to brain: Can you construct some good material just once?)...

Anyways. Today, i was fleshing out my Tumblr. I had a satisfying, creative writing flow! My post about AI losing its magic is still in draft since i crashed out after eating 1/2 huge garlic pizza i made baked around 2 AM. Too much garlic has some side effects, like a feeling of dehydration, but not dehydration - it is actually the blood sugar going to hell. I blended about 30 cloves with some water, salt and coriander) and brushed my entire pizza with it. I wouldn't have lasted long anyway. Long story short, it was good.

Today's dream

At least what i can remember.

The first thing i remember was being in a very small, unoccupied apartment. There was nothing but a tiny foyer, a really tiny living room (no more than 15m²), and a bathroom that luckily had all the essentials. Everything was rather dark and very dimly lit - it was night time, too. My mom was somewhere nearby. I said/asked:

"Damn, this apartment is sooo small. Is this up for rent?"

- "Yes" - was the overall answer.

I scanned this small, claustrophobia-inducing room and then found another, larger room that made that apartment slightly more bigger and versatile. "Hey, it's not that small after all. Should i rent it?". That's about the last thing i remember in that context while thinking about an affordable price.

The next thing i can remember was my mom taking seat on a windowsill while being lodged between the window and a transparent curtain. More i don't know. I believe i was just exploring this strange, now changed, apartment.

Next thing i know: I was playing around with my iPhone, downloading an app that's called "Snapchat Cleaner" or something. It's supposed to be an app that "cleans up" unnecessary data of Snapchat, although that made very little sense. After downloading the app, i left it at that. Later i tried to use my phone again and quickly entered my passcode, which i believed i miswrote. Then i entered it again. Wrong. I slowed down my typing, and it was still wrong. Usually the small circles above the number pad turn into white dots, but this time they remained as empty circles. Then, this is a roundabout recreation of how my passcode screen looked like:

(I'm not sure about the "week" prompt being written exactly like that, but there was this form above the number pad).

The number pad was smaller, and more aligned to the top left as you can see. Slowly, i got the sense that the usually stable iOS underwent some kind of modification or hack attack. My worry began when i realized i could not make any calls - and i had only 5 tries left before my phone would erase my stuff. My OS suddenly got more and more shifty, and it looked like everything has been replaced by a very low-quality UI that we usually know from certain chinese smart home apps.

Everything on my phone was slowly replaced with a complete fake system, and i saw more and more such fake apps being downloaded on it. It was a virus, an almost demonic malware going off that even affected me mentally, and it was completely out of control. It scared me, and i could not find anyone nearby to explain what was happening. At this point, the atmosphere got generally darker. I tried to tap around and try to unlock my phone to make at least one emergency call to my parent, but i couldn't even get to my contacts.

Now, if i remember correctly, i remember running outside in the night. The whole environment out to the distance had an apocalyptic feel and there was a shrill squealing noise coming from the sky that sounded like 5 high-pitched car alarms disharmoniously going off at the same time. As i ran, i encountered a woman and told her "Hey, my phone is being hacked". I showed her my screen. She looked at it, understood it, and i was like "That's about it. That's all i wanted to say" (as to not hold her up any longer), and i went my way.

I believe the next thing was meeting Elon Musk in the streets. He kind of followed me, and my whole stance on this was like "i don't have much time right now". I tried to just walk away and keep on running, but something about his presence did not let me escape him. The more i tried to escape, the more i got enveloped in a dark energy that threatened to take me away forever. At some point, i was so overwhelmed by his power that i could only look at him with my dropped jaw. I had to admire his power to escape his grasp so that he wouldn't get mad at me. I had to admire and respect him for his power. He was the true antichrist right there.

Now, i hope i have the sequence right. There was a lot more that happened that i'm starting to forget. As far as i remember, i made more efforts to undo the hack on my phone as i found more and more AI-generated, cursed images filling up my OS. The entire interface was taken over. I saw multiple apps being placed after the others and i had this deep sense that the chaotic disturbance is swapping over to our minds. People would get into a zombie-like state by trying anything to pull everyone around them down to their misery and i was almost halfways affected by it, but i was defending myself very strongly. I tried to stay untouched, which led to a lot of running, and seeking for refuge, and most importantly - trying to contact my mom, which i couldn't. That was a huge problem not finding her anymore - she was somewhere out there in the darkness of this dystopia and i had this sense of being completely cut off from her. [not saying that i like her that much, lol].

The dream shifted, and what i can recall was being in the apartment of two chinese guys who were no older than 25-30. The demonic mind virus has taken them over - and i was battling to not be infected by it. Both of these dudes were chasing each other throughout the apartment uncontrollably, running back and forth, either trying to kill each other or making sure both will not escape this mental hell, spiritual prison, this gradual approach to being damned forever.

Since i needed a safe refuge and had nowhere to go, i felt the need to eliminate the danger before they got at me, so i stirred around in a drawer full of cutlery to find a sharp knife and only found a blunt butter knife. I was briefly waiting for them to turn their backs at me. After my attempt to rush at them and ram that knife into one guy's throat, this attempt pathetically failed. Both instantly went after my ass and i ran out of the apartment, down the staircase, and outside into the dark night.

I ran left and right, forward and backward, not knowing where to run exactly. I looked at this dark patch of grass on the ground and felt really unprepared. I saw apartment blocks in the distance and a fence to my left. I heard my shoes slapping the ground as i ran, with the choir of squarling noise lingering in the sky. My thought was that the Starlink satellites could have been activated, with them bringing forth the confusion or disturbance on the ground for everyone. I ran on the pavement on the left side of the street, and saw a white police cruiser waiting horizontally in front of me. Telepathically, i felt like they were the only "sane ones" left - yet, my mistrust was too strong. This is the point where i woke up with a pounding heart. The second i opened my eyes and saw my good ol' bedroom, i instantly grabbed the phone in front of my face and instantly called my relative in question. With my deep voice, i introduced myself with a "Oh my fucking god", and left it at that, with the suspense-building that i was talking about. Then i divulged my dream.

Now, it could be that i left out some scenarios or mixed up the sequence of things, but these are the ones i can definitely remember right now. I was mostly really struggling with getting this virus off my phone and at some point i could actually get in to access my apps. When i did a "tap and hold" on the ever-replicating virus apps, the context menu expanded but the red "Delete app" label was missing - it was replaced by a red line.

So, the entity that hacked my phone definitely made sure that it can not be undone, or only with the right level of persistence, timing and tactics. I slowly regained some contacts as if the entity finally decided to make an exception for me, but i thought my OS is fucked forever. My logic was that if i decided to wipe or hard-reset my phone (Ah, a hard reset is what i did, too) - The same virus app would be downloaded from iCloud again.

I think i haven't underlined enough how strong the demonic feeling in the atmosphere was. I don't know what role Elon Musk played in this exactly since my encounter with him lasted for only about 30-60 seconds, but he seemed to be pretty much part of the invisible harbringer. What i also need to note that the entire city i was in was largely empty - with nowhere to go, nowhere to help, and with the certainty that this escape from the hellish force would last forever and get me anyway.

Phew, that story wasn't too short. I will try to write down my other epic "milestone dreams", but honestly: I call them visions. When the plot and the environment gets as complex at that, it is totally beyond me how my brain constructs this type of shit just for the sake of it. There are dreams, and there are visions. This one was very lucid.

Again, english is not my native language. Apologies for any grammatical or expression errors.

[etruatcaelum]

BASICS.

name’s farran. i’m 31. you can also find me @bestworstcase. mutuals feel free to ask for my discord; i do better keeping up with messages there vs DMs.

i make my own things—theme, edits, banner art etc. if something isn’t explicitly credited it’s because it’s my work.

i’d appreciate it if you refrained from using small caps and extra inter-word spacing in replies to me.

i’m beta editor only.

i don’t usually run on a queue, but when i do it’ll be set to 3-5 posts per day dependent on volume. i don’t use a queue tag.

my primary mode of writing is longfic—i routinely write chapters in the 7-8k range—and in rp i tend to run long. i can also write really, really fast. please don’t feel like you need to match me in length or response time. there’s no expectation of that. if you’d like me to queue or schedule my replies to you, i’m happy to do that too.

flipside, i do really have a hard time with very short things, one-liners and pure dialogue in particular. specifically, my tendency is to drift longer until i’m in my 3-5+ paragraph comfort zone.

lastly: aside from legitimately out of pocket behavior, i am just not very fussed about godmodding and metagaming. my view is that a) this is improv and i like there to be some fluidity, and b) people assume and misinterpret things all the time; removing that ‘fuzziness’ for fear of being taken as godmodding/metagaming can end up feeling very sterile. write what’s true to your character and have fun. likewise, everything i write in the narration of my replies is from the character’s perspective and i don’t expect or want you to alter your character to make it so mine is right.

SELECTIVITY.

if i’m following you, i’m interested in writing. if you follow me and i’m not following you, feel free to drop a line OOC.

i don’t follow blogs without info pages.

i make an effort to reach out OOC promptly. it’s very hard for me to initiate IC interaction if we’ve never spoken before. i’ll usually have plotting ideas right off the bat; i won’t be precious about it if you’re not interested.

if we’re newly mutuals, you are welcome to engage IC first thing if that’s your speed! this “OOC first” thing is one-way and solely about how i manage my own anxiety about approaching new people.

inbox memes and opens do not have a time limit. if you respond to an open that already has a thread going, i would ask that you create a new post linking back to the OP—feel free to copy the open itself into your post if you want to. this is to keep my notifications tidy and avoid jumbling threads.

i post starter calls when my drafts are empty. they double as invitations to send or request memes, meaning you’re welcome to reply to my starter calls with your meme tag if you’d like me to send you something instead of writing a starter.

i don’t do hard exclusivity, but in alt verses plotted out with others i will only write with the other person’s characters. verse-specific exclusives are noted on those pages.

i welcome duplicates of the characters i play. i love OCs. i’m open to crossovers if you have a RWBY verse (including in the style of the RWBYxJL crossovers where characters not from remnant wind up in remnant).

BLOG MANAGEMENT.

across the board content warning for suicide ideation, self-harm, and canon-typical violence. i only tag these when it’s extreme.

i currently tag for gore, parental abuse, animal abuse/death, and common triggers when directly depicted or described in detail, meaning that i generally do not tag content warnings on implications or mentions of the topic. if you need me to tag even mentions of something i’m happy to do so, but please do make that clear either in your rules or by telling me!

posts with excess inter-word spacing will be tagged for eyestrain.

i use the convention topic cw for warnings.

i don’t drop threads without notice. if it’s been a while, and i’ve been otherwise active, please do check in!

in-character responses to inbox memes are always okay to turn into threads unless i’ve locked reblogs; it’s never an expectation, but i do generally write these to have an opening for you to continue if you want.

i am very comfortable writing more than one character in a single thread, and very comfortable writing against more than one character with other multis. i’ll usually stick to starters and IC memes having just one character, but feel free to request combinations of my characters if you want. on occasion i may throw in extras if that’s how a starter or IC meme is vibing; if that isn’t something you’re comfortable with, let me know and i’ll stick to one-per-thread.

SHIPPING.

shipping is not a huge priority of mine. i enjoy the way RWBY handles its romantic arcs and am open to non-canonical shipping in the sense that i’m not categorically opposed to it, but my sense of what constitutes “chemistry” and “development” is probably pickier than yours.

(<- i am aromantic. lol)

ozlem compels me but i’m also very particular about it; see salem’s and ozma’s pages for details on that. i’m open to writing ozlem with other ozmas/other salems if the vibes are right. salem is otherwise closed for shipping altogether, as is ozpin (although other past incarnations are not.)

summer’s canonical relationship with taiyang is the presumptive default, although i’m open to other intra-STRQ romantic geometries with discussion. i think of her as not feeling a clear distinction between romantic/platonic love and having a hard time in partnerships where those lines are firmly drawn.

i read oscar as developing a crush on ruby in atlas and will write him as such; unless discussed otherwise i’ll assume that this is not reciprocated.

i like cinder/winter, but again i’m very particular about it. the vibes have to be right. see their character pages for more details.

watts and henrietta are both categorically Not Interested. ilia and raven are lesbians. sienna is straight. taiyang is nominally straight (<- read: deeply closeted bisexual). elah… well elah is an undead ghoul so his theoretical dating pool is not large, but he’s solely attracted to other fauni and not at all particular about gender.

blake and adam have their canonical history, which will be acknowledged, and blake had a passing interest in sun at beacon, but i only ship her with yang.

ABOUT OZMA’S PRONOUNS.

in the privacy of their own thoughts, ozma is always a them but not always ozma; and when they’re not ozma, he’s either a him or her—more often him—and never them. ozpin is a him; osiander is mostly a him but occasionally a her. you’ll see me ping-ponging around a bit in internal monologue. there is a reason to the rhyme, but ozma doesn’t like to talk about it.

salem knows both the rhyme and the reason, but unless developed otherwise, no other characters will. ozma is far more uncomfortable with ‘they (plural)’ than they are being called he or she.

if you write salem, use they/them for ozma and he/him for ozpin. she can follow the internal monologue shifts between ozma/they and ozpin/he if it suits your portrayal to do so; otherwise, the rule of thumb is that he’s/she’s [host name] for actions specific to that lifetime and ozma for everything else. during the ozlem cult situation they were always ozma.

SALEM AND VIOLENCE.

violence is very rarely ever salem’s first resort. i am not in the “she is trying to commit suicide by apocalypse” camp; she wants to defeat the gods, and she fully intends for there to be a living world left standing after.

but she’s also not one to hesitate once she decides violence is the answer. if i feel it is in-character for her to, like, maul your character, i’ll flag that OOC in advance and do my best to give you something to work with, but i won’t soften this.

equally, if you’re squeamish about written gore, please talk to me before giving me anything involving violence towards HER so i can calibrate the splatter.

BLOG OPERATORS.

because i am deranged, my theme uses javascript to render data returned from the tumblr API. if you don’t know what that means, don’t worry about it. the upshot is that my blog has a few tricks!

?tags= | ?tagged= | ?tag= example usage use ampersands (&) to find posts with up to four tags. this functions as an AND operator. blog tags can be aliased, e.g. ic is equivalent to LEGENDS AND FAIRYTALES ( ic. ). refer to the tags section for a list of valid aliases.

/tagged/first+tag?with= example usage the same as ?tags= except that aliases can only be used after the ?with= parameter.

?warn= example usage hide the content of posts with a certain warning or warnings under a read more. ampersands function as OR operators, and the loader will catch partial matches, e.g. ?warn=gore will hide posts tagged gore cw. to collapse any post tagged with any content warning, use ?warn=all.

/chrono functions correctly on any page that loads multiple posts. must be before any search parameters, e.g. /tagged/sometag/chrono?with=oz?warn=gore.

#n alias for /page/n for use with search parameters. e.g. ?tag=ic#2 is equivalent to /tagged/LEGENDS AND FAIRYTALES ( ic. )/page/2

view thread click "view thread" under a post belonging to an IC thread to load the entire thread, in chronological order.

[vamp-bites]

(I've had this sitting in my drafts since February so I thought it was time to actually finish writing my thoughts and finally posting it)

i wanna expand on this a bit cause there's a whole half-built AU in my head about this concept; yknow, what if Knives really had melded with Vash back in volume 7? (this is also basically a light study on how the whole merging thing works in trimax cause I find it fascinating)

we see in trimax that Vash notes that Knives has already started to slip and lose some of himself in the hivemind of the "merged entities" even before the final battle, and that once Domina is merged there is a 0.03% chance of managing to salvage her "persona", but they wouldn't be able to fully repair her because she's nearly fully merged.

so from this we can gather that if the twins merged, one would not just cease existing so easily and there would definitely be an internal struggle (as Knives also notes that he thinks Vash would win) but how would that present itself physically? would we be able to see them fight for control over the same vessel, or would it be entirely internal? would their appearance be altered, would their blackened hair add together or cancel out?

considering that Knives' black streak doesn't go away when he merges with another plant, the preexisting decay stays but he also gets more energy to burn which keeps it from getting worse, until that power source gets stripped away from him later, we can assume Knives' black streak would remain but wouldn't Vash's black get added on because just as Knives' decay can not be washed away, neither can Vash's?

what would happen to Vash's mechanical arm? would it be left behind in the merge, shed like a glove, or would it come with Vash and meld into their form, technology and plant biomatter laced together into one complicated cyborg mess, the lines between wires and veins blurring? (excuse the cyborg body horror thoughts, it comes with thinking about Vash)

also, side note, how did Legato know that Knives had started to merge with Vash? did he feel it through his weird little strings?? did he sense the vibrations in the air shift??? this is never elaborated on and i wanna know what was going through Legato's head.

that brings me to less Pondering of Hypotheticals and to headcanon territory:

i enjoy the idea that Vash and Knives' mental tug of war happens mostly internally and being quite evenly matched they sort of get lost in their own heads (head?), Knives trying desperately to sink Vash and Vash endlessly making sure to stay afloat in their little sea of a hivemind. But how Legato, Wolfwood and Elendira would react to seeing this empty eyed, quiet, reactionless husk that the planet's most active threats have become is another fun question.

something tells me that Legato and Wolfwood would start their own borderline comedic game of tug of war aka who can attempt to kidnap the twins the most, believing that if they can just take them away from these weirdos and try to get through to them they'll be able to snap them out of this trance and have Knives/Vash back, meanwhile Elendira just wants to know if the world is still ending or if she should make other plans at this point.

i think Wolfwood would start off feeling very conflicted about what he should do in this situation; technically he did his job, he brought Vash to Knives, so he's off the hook now right? he can technically just go right? but he's gotten attached to Vash at this point and frankly wishes he hadn't brought Vash into this mess of a situation in the first place, and he is still an assassin for the Eye of Michael and thus has contractual duties to Knives, so really he is both personally and professionally obligated to see this mess through and can only cross his fingers that his favourite twin wins the race to consciousness.

(Edit: did not mean to post this, just edit the draft, but here we are so have my half finished rambles as they are, maybe I'll expand better on it later)

Trimax volume 7 Happy Days haunts me to this day.

What if Knives had successfully fused with Vash? Would their twin status change how their fusion would operate, or would one always have to end up as an empty husk like Domina? Why does Knives worry about Vash being able to overpower him if they fused? What would a fused entity consisting of both twins combined into one conflicted consciousness look like????

[idyllic-affections]

APHEEE THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT AAAAA THIS MATTERS SO MUCH TO ME!! TT

I started to write my first fic ever, it's now only over 500 words (I just wanted to make it longer but I don't know how to link the ideas through the paragraphs TT)

I wanted some advice about how to start because I always have an idea of what I want to write, but as soon as I start writing, I can't find the words because I usually only have the ideas of the principal facts that I want to write :'

Maybe someday we become moots. I hope so 👉👈

Daily reminder to drink some water 🫶🫶🫶 (but please do this after having eaten something, it's dangerous to do it with your stomach empty!!)

Sorry for not sending this before, I wasn't in good condition these days </3

-🦢 anon <3

hi again lovely <33

i will always support you!!! as for the advice... this can go for any of my followers, not just 🦢 anon! so please, take this advice if you need it, even if you aren't 🦢 anon.

just write! easier said than done, i know, but just write. it doesn't matter how "bad" your first draft is; just let your first draft be the draft in which you write all of your thoughts down. let your first draft be the worst draft. let your first draft be pure word vomit. it's okay. the first draft exists solely to make your fic a reality. your first draft is not meant to be perfect. your first draft can and should be the worst, silliest possible version of your fic, because the first draft is only for making your fanfic exist. you can clean it up later. you can use purposeful, advanced diction later. you can make your plot make sense later. just make your fic a reality first. you can fine-tune it later.

if you can't put it into words, if you somehow just cannot find it in you to write actual sentences, write down your plot points. write down the general idea of your fic. just make sure to put something down on paper (...virtual paper, in this case, but the point is just make sure something is written down). a writer's worst enemy is a blank document, i think. so make sure that even of you can't genuinely write, you write your ideas down.

if you can't figure out a good transition between your plot points, there is no shame in using a timeskip or just putting a divider (such as the little flower one i use at the beginning of my own fics to separate the information from the actual fanfic content) and moving onto a different part of your fic. it's okay. i do it all the time! anyone who says otherwise can just... go away fr. you do not need to conform to someone else's expectations. please please please do what you want to. do what makes you happy. writing is only fun if you enjoy doing it.

these are all things i have learned through personal experience, from observing professional authors, or from my literal english teachers. these tips work well for me, and i hope they work well for you too!

i would absolutely love to be moots with you someday, dear <3 in my eyes, we are already moots. i just don't know who you are, but i see my moots as friends, and i also see you as a friend! so we are basically already moots. whenever you feel comfortable, you are welcome to go non-anonymous. no pressure, of course, but i will treat you in the same friendly way as i do now if i were to ever know your identity 💗💖💕💘

of course!!! you as well, please be sure to take good care of yourself. i hope you have been feeling better lately!!

[goodbye-yashiro]

My brain so much isn't working that I had to use Google Translate to read the dam' text out loud. And while I'm at it! (I was writing a post for a week, but it's too long, I couldn't ever finish it :P) It's a quick, messy post because I have to study. EDIT: It took me two afternoons to finish.

ADHD study tips!

- BeLineReader is some super useful, it colors text gradient, has an open dyslexic font, and clean/reader mode! (Tho it "expires" after a few weeks, and you have to delete and download it again.)

- Grammarly is good, but it sure can get annoying with it telling you you misplaced a comma, but refusing to tell where.

- Rereading the notes you took in class is always better than nothing. Pro tip: reread them before going to bed, and right before class, because our brains process information at night.

- When you have to do an essay/PPT, Ctrl+F is your friend. Also, write down questions or keywords you want it to be about. Write a "first draft," a little messy, that only you (but you do) understand, and only when done start to reword it with "fancier words."

Include the terms you've learned in class. Teachers like to hear themselves back.

- If fancy words, I have two sites for you: scribens.com (a grammar checker), rhymezone.com (it has everything word-related you could ever need).

- Highly recommend Weava Highlighter too! You can highlight and save text from any site or PDF and even add notes.

- When doing a PPT use the automatic design ideas and pictures, pictures, pictures - it's easy and will look a lot better.

- Copy-past sentences from your sources and reword them, change the word order on the slide, use the original sentence when presenting.

- Use Comic Sans for writing notes/essays, but if not comic sans, some neat font. Copy-past a text from Tumblr into a document and you'll get the font Tumblr uses. (Which is apparently too long for me to include)

I like Courier New too.

- Have a paper for "junk thoughts" - write them down, but only deal with them later.

- Look for the fun things. Documentaries, history movies, colorized historical recordings exist.

-Tie it up with interests! You like making neat Tumblr posts? Great! Make neat Tumblr posts! IV. Henrick Moodboard. Make memes about it.

Explain it to someone in the most basic "meme language." "And then he goes..." "*something*" "Pathetic" "XY left the chat."

How fun is that??! (especially for literature and history)

- The effort rule (based on some experiment) the more effort you put into it, the more likely you will remember it. Sounds ridiculous, but...

put down your notebook in one corner of the room so you have to walk a little with every sentence, and take notes this way.

- Another ridiculous way to remember stuff is to place the information in unique places, so you will remember it for sure. Write that formula on an empty toilet paper roll no one had the energy to throw in the trash. Put a sticky note on the cheese in the fridge.

- I'm the kind of person who gets motivation from not doing the notes for myself but to make videos on the topic for the "next generations," because our school system su©ks.

- Have a document/bookmark folder with all the stuff you'll need!!!(links I mean) And go by the path of the links.

Like this:

X'o clock - Y'o clock - History, ancient Greece

[link of source for studying] [link of source for studying] [link of source for studying]

Y'o clock - Z'o clock - Rest

[link of a Tumblr blog you want to check out for new posts] [link of a short video you want to watch]

Make starting only take one/two clicks. Use a site blocker and only whitelist the few pages you'll need for 1) studying, and 2) in the breaks.

- This thing can automatically open a new tab (a link) at a given time.

- For note-taking in class: use an erasable pen.

- In the classes where the teacher simply can't explain, only jot down the keywords and look them up later. Check your book for illustrations and definitions. Works for just-pass-will-forget-everything-after-the-test subjects.

- Illustrate your notes. I like to doodle little figures in my notebook, it 1) keeps my hands busy

2) as I'm a visual type, it helps me remember where was a piece of information in my notes located, and

3) it forms a link in between dry and heavy information. (It personalizes things [countries, groups, ideologies], visualizes concepts, and brings color into events)

This is what my notes look like: (for strucutre - tho I love philosophy, so with my not-favorite subjects it's obviously a bit different...)

- As for sensory things:

☀️ Let there be light! Sunlight or some lamps with a cozy mood.

💻 "Play" with the settings of your screen, turn down the brightness, the saturation, etc.

👕 If you find it refreshing, maybe take a bath/shower before, or change your clothes to more comfortable ones.

🍃 Let in some fresh air, make sure the room isn't too hot, nor too cold.

🍹 Have a bottle of water by your side, so you don't forget to drink.

🎧 If you need some background noise, there are tons of ambient sound channels on youtube and there's also MyNoiseNet.

🎼 Or put on a music/playlist with only a few tracks looped. Or instrumental music. Or music in a foreign language. Just imagine learning history while some cinematic classical music plays. XD

If you feel bad, here's this site that might help you figure out why.

I plan to make other ADHD and autism posts soon. Till then, *casually salutes* I hope I helped some! :)

[monstersinthecosmos]

🔮

🔮 Any advice for writers working through burnout or writer’s block?

!!!! Yes, absolutely.

I have three main approaches to this for myself, and I know everyone's brains and writing habits are different so yknow like take it or leave it or modify it to your own needs but here's three things I always fall back on when I'm stuck.

Be kind to yourself.

Be honest with yourself. Is there a reason the writing needs to be done NOW? You are not a machine. If it's not there, it's not there. Obviously this doesn't apply if you have deadlines to meet but if you're writing for fun, don't get so twisted up about it that it's not fun anymore. WHAT ARE WE DOIN HERE FELLAS?! It's okay to take a break and recover until it feels right again, you don't have to fill a quota.

Set extremely small goals.

I try to write 100 words a day because I have ADHD and I get crazy burnout and/or I go into creative frenzies where I binge write for 3 days and don't do the dishes. There's a balance in here somewhere lol. An easy goal and a routine can help a lot. 100 words is a joke. But there are days where it's a HUGE struggle. But it's still doable, and I walk away feeling like I chiseled away at the idea a little bit.

I can't stress enough that you can't push yourself THROUGH burnout, and this can go to any type of burnout. (I feel this way about house keeping too LOL). You're drawing from an empty well. Be honest with yourself, be kind to yourself, set a realistic goal. If you're burnt out you're not gonna sit down and crank out 2k in an evening, you just aren't, and if you try to force it you're just gonna feel worse when you can't do it. Be gentle. Make easy goals. Ease yourself back into it.

And don't forget, sometimes chiseling away is just exactly what you need to do. I sometimes go weeks where I put in 100 words at a time on a fic and then finally I make it through the hard part and 6k floods out of me all at once. Chiseling away is good. You will find your way back when you get through the hard part.

(Also, even if you're chiseling away with garbgae & nonsense, that's okay! You can edit it later! A sloppy first draft is better than no draft!)

Refill the well.

Speaking of drawing from an empty well; creativity requires an input and an output, imo. That's my personal opinion!! Sometimes you need to take a break and work on the input stream, too. Take a week where you watch a movie every night instead of trying to write. Reread a book from an author you admire. Stare at some paintings. Listen to your headphones in the dark, whatever the fuck it is !

You're running on empty! And it's not just the basic human energy to function! It's the creativity! It's the inspiration! If you're writing a fic, revisit the source! Remind yourself why you like it! If a movie or song or picture gave you the idea for your fic, go back to that! Absorb it, replenish yourself!!!!!

I know sometimes when I talk writing stuff that I speak about it more like, idk philosophically? And I know others might have technical advice, like write scenes out of order, change the font, sit in a different area of the house, find a friend to cheerlead! All of those things can work, too, and I try them sometimes. ((I have more to say about this and about how outlines are my lord & savior when writing with ADHD and trying to chisel away a scene at a time)) But like, all of that I think is a bit secondary to just being kind to yourself and taking care of your mental health first and getting yourself back into a place where you CAN be creative and find that drive again.

My life would be a fucking shambles if I couldn't make lil routines for myself with the ADHD and Brain Problems and whatnot and I leave myself an hour every day to write, right before bedtime! 9-10pm every night I'm CLOCKIN IN! And for me it's like a lil reward at the end of the day, so that I can like unwind, end the day, stop worrying about whatever else I didn't get done, etc. Making space for it as a fun activity and a reward is essential for me, and I still get stuck sometimes, but going back to these ideas helps me a lot!!!!!!!!!!!

[dalniente]

for the fic writers ask meme, i’m rather curious about 9 & 10; which of your fics did you find the easiest and hardest to write?

From this ask meme!

Which fic has been the hardest to write?

Each fic has its own challenges, but right now, it's probably a tie between Swansong and the Cold Fusion series. And for similar reasons! Both have complex plots - Swansong's is primarily emotional, with Megamind processing complex grief and a broken (and then new) mental link, and Roxanne processing having a roommate going through emotional turmoil, plus some mental stuff of her own...and then Metro Man's whole thing, and holy shit maybe there's still a chance, and mixing hope into the grief mix is just a fucking nightmare for everyone involved, and djf;aldjfa;ldjadflj;afjdj it's a mess. And because it's written in third person limited, rather than omniscient, there's only so much that I can tell readers directly. Which, in a story with so much happening internally, was...extremely frustrating, at times!

Cold Fusion's complexity is more events-based, but in that one I am having to balance the fact that there ARE external plotlines happening against the fact that...the primary focus of those fics is on the characters and their development. Also, for a LONG LONG TIME, I did not actually KNOW what the plot was, I was just sort of winging it, and now I DO know, and it's a lot bigger than I expected it to be? Which I think some people may not like. And on one hand, fuck 'em, I'm writing for me, but on the other hand, I do write fanfiction with my end goal being to share it with people, so my readers' enjoyment is absolutely a thing I have in mind, I'm not JUST writing for me. So, aaaaaaaaaaaa.

I am now also having to grapple with the fact that when I started writing Cold Fusion, many of my headcanons were different from what they are now. I was originally very set on it being canon-compliant, on ONLY working with things we knew from the source material and not doing my own worldbuilding more than was absolutely necessary. And then I fell into a depression hole for like 3 or 4 years and could barely force myself to write at all, and when I finally came blasting out of that hole on the Wellbutrin-fueled jet pack I titled Dive, the amount I cared about "canon compliant" had plummeted to pretty much zero. Writing Swansong helped with that, I think -- I had basically been writing nothing but Cold Fusion for AGES, and then Ramendobe slapped me in the face with that prompt, and I discovered that writing universe alterations was a lot of fun! And then Dive punted my desire to stay canon-compliant into the sun. So now, rewriting Cold Fusion as I post it to AO3, I am working with characters who are different from the way I now write them in other fics. I'm bringing some of my newer headcanons into that universe for shits and giggles, but still. It's an odd feeling.

Which fic has been the easiest to write?

Another tie! Because I cannot make decision.

By Chance, which I wrote because my buddy ElfKid dropped a prompt into my askbox when I was like, "holy shit the ADHD is BAD tonight and I wanna see if I can write a one-shot in one evening," I think...? aahahaha actually no I just went and looked it up, and I had tagged my 'weh ADHD sucks' post with #hey if anyone is reading this send me a writing prompt and let's see wtf happens when i can't motherfuckin think lmaoooo and...I basically sat down, put the best of black sabbath on loop, and waited to see what fell out of my hands. And it was that. (Here's the original tumblr edition.)

and everything emptying into white was originally just some tags I had put on an ask from another friend of mine about Megamind purring, and I couldn't stop thinking about them and that day at work just SUCKED ASS and so I copied and pasted them into an AO3 draft on my phone at work and churned that out over the course of my lunch break. And then added a bunch to it during the next couple days.

(and I gotta give an honorable mention to Dive. I basically churned that thing out in less than a week of HOLY SHIT I HAVEN'T WRITTEN ANYTHING IN YEARS AND MY BRAIN JUST WOKE UP AND REMEMBERED HOW TO ENJOY THINGS adrenaline, it was great. It wasn't as easy to write as the other two, simply because it wasn't as short & sweet, but it was easy and I owe that fic a lot. So.)

[albatris]

ok i am terribly curious: what is a frankendraft. i saw that term multiple times in ur atdao tag and i am full of Wondering over what it means

oh hell yeah, the frankendraft! that's not a term I've used in a while!

anyway this is gonna be a super jumbled long ramble post, I'm so sorry, I have a lot of trouble explaining things concisely dhgdjkghd

okay, so, it was...... TECHNICALLY invented as my own personal "outlining" method for ATDAO, and you will see why that is in quotation marks as this post goes on :P

so the official name for the frankendrafting technique was "outline first draft frankendocument" but this is a mouthful so it got shortened to simply "frankendraft"!

in short, a frankendraft is basically a very very VERY bare bones shitty first draft, except I couldn't call it A First Draft at the time lest I intimidate myself out of working on it. a frankendraft is basically writing every single thing that happens in a story from start to finish in the form of like

X does this. Y says this. this happens. then this happens. which makes X feel this particular way. then this happens. which makes this happen. etc etc etc

I cannot emphasise enough that this is NOT in brief dot point summary form. this is in chapters. this is the Full Fucking Story. here is an excerpt from the frankendraft to illustrate my point:

"Noa is hesitant to leave Alice alone, and feels it would be inconsiderate. Plus, she's worried about how the rest of the DII will receive this, whether they will view her as reckless and irresponsible. She goes to her car to get a blanket for Alice, and then searches her back seat to see if she has anything in the way of spare clothes for herself. She locates one of Tris's hoodies she has been procrastinating giving back to him because it's huge and comfy, and puts it on."

the whole thing is basically just like. stage directions. me explaining the story to myself. lmao. it's literally all the same level of bland and undescriptive and bare bones from start to finish. I've won NaNoWriMos with how lengthy the frankendraft is

now, the whole thing may seem kind of dumb and you may be like "so what is the benefit of that?", but here, hear me out, I had my reasons, yeah. and it's actually a KILLER technique if you're not quite a plotter and not quite a pantser and you're also an over-anxious perfectionist stresshead with brain fog and a complicated plot you need to wrangle into cooperation

it functioned as an elaborate trap I could lure my anxious perfectionist writer brain into where I unwittingly spin together a coherent draft without realising

but mostly, like, in hindsight, I was SCARED of writing so I'd freeze up, and the frankendraft was excellent for helping with that! interestingly, the frankendraft was an approach I needed to use for ATDAO, but not one I've needed for Rental Car which means I've definitely made progress on the perfectionism and fear side of things! :D

now, here we fuckin go, The Longer Explanation Of Benefits Of Frankendrafting -

so, story time, there was like a five year period where I was getting NOWHERE with any of my work, and I was grumbling about it when I had the following realisations

pantsing wasn't working for me because I'd freeze up and find it super daunting, I struggled with just Throwing Myself Into a scene right off the bat with no guidance. even if my brain knew exactly where the scene needed to go, I hit blocks. no thoughts head empty. plus, the plot of ATDAO had so many different threads going at once that trying to keep track of everything While Writing A Genuine Engaging Story was too much for my confused little brain 2 handle lmao

and at the time, writing was an extremely anxious act for me! lots of perfectionism, lots of stress, in the midst of relearning how to Have Fun Writing again, blank pages are intimidating, blah blah, usually I'd psych myself out so bad that my brain stopped completely

so I thought to myself, "hey, if you're struggling to keep track of what you need to be doing and all the stress is too much at once, you probably need an outline!"

but traditional outlines don't work great for me either, see, 'cause I struggle to condense things and figure out what the Important Key Points are that I should be putting in my summaries and dot points. outlining that way feels restrictive, it doesn't express what I need it to, it doesn't help me at all when it comes to actually knowing what I need to do in a scene

'cause like, in my outline, the scene is just a brief description of what's happening, but there's so much OTHER stuff I need to keep track of, like. how does this scene progress, what are the feelings, what other plot elements are at play, where am I at with symbolism, characterisation, what's the dialogue like, what parts of the mystery are at play here

a lot needs to happen in a scene! and without having it ALL laid out for me I'd still hit blocks

so then I was like. "what if instead of either trying to write a full story right off the bat OR trying to fit the jumble of garbage inside my brain into a Nice Neat Outline while trying to make said outline resemble my plot in a way that actually helps me know what to write..... what if I just included literally as much detail as possible in my outline. what if I just included All Of It"

so I did!

I just started typing up descriptions of what happens in the scene line by line. here's an action! here's a symbolism! here's a dialogue! feelings! another action! telling the story without bothering to make it a Story, without descriptions and prose and whatever. just straight facts. not bothering to make it sound nice

Me Explaining The Story To Myself. me telling myself line by line what I need to do

and this worked FANTASTICALLY. I was coming up with fresh ideas, I wasn't scared, I was having important plot realisations, things were coming together and making sense in a way they hadn't for years c: I was finding ways to join scenes that were previously just floating and disconnected together into a coherent narrative, without the stress of "oh fuck I'm writing a story"

(and it WAS stress at the time, writing a story. I had a very dicey relationship with creative writing for several years)

but anyway yeah...... I could just trick myself into writing a first draft without ever acknowledging I'm writing a first draft

anyway this was also great for me because my two favourite parts of the writing process are 1. taking shitty words that already exist and transforming them and building on them to create something better, and 2. editing and revision. I realise now these are arguably the same thing at times

building and editing, these are my jams. I love taking some garbage and tweaking it and transforming it and finding better ways to describe things and swapping stuff round till it clicks

I could just go through an entire frankendraft like "I'm creating a hyperspecific outline, not a first draft" and then when I finished it I could be like "whew, a first draft, now the hard part is done and I get to do the fun stuff I love!" which is editing, revising, building, transforming this bare bones mess into something genuinely lovely

"but logan doesn't that take away from the mystery and fun of writing??? if you're so specific with your outline, isn't that boring??"

nope! it wasn't for me! I still got all the fun stuff, I just got it in a different way! I simply couldn't do the fun stuff and learning and discovery while I was ALSO trying to, like....... write a story, with style and description and finesse and drama and good words

plus, the most inspiring thing for me was not the Mystery and Adventure of writing (which, again, I still did get), it was my brain being free enough to just relax and write. which is why possessing a frankendraft that just directed me exactly EXACTLY where I needed to go was so freeing and wonderful!

anyway so that was The Frankendraft

long unnecessarily wordy explanation

it's a first draft! it's an outline! it saved my fuckin ass more times than I can count

it served its purpose and I haven't needed to use the technique recently! yeehaw

thanks for coming to my ted talk