#this is..... 7 out of 8... technically. i gave myself more work

[dragonballwish]

do you think androids are more equipped to handle summer heat and humidity?

[johntayjinf]

i caved in and bought renoise

also sorry tumblr i constantly delete this because i have way too many mixing hiccups to fix... was being too hasty haha

for a tracker with daw features like track mixers, vst support, automation, filters etc., it's pretty impressive what you can do with it. finally i get to do hq music without having to wrap my head around more conventional daws; i like the inconvenience of modern tracker interfaces myself, actually.

the first time i had to arrange for something hq like this, the biggest obstacle and wake-up call i had to face was the fact that uh, my mixing skills weren't up to snuff. fixing it was a nightmare. biggest thing i didn't know at the time of arranging was that sidechaining the bass was really important, otherwise the bass drum (kick) wouldn't be heard and be overpowered by the bass. this was pointed out to me by a server member of ours, lolwe. they've been mixing for about 7-8 years and counting so they understand it pretty well... and actually the final mix was made just this morning to actually fix the entire mix lol.

other more minor mixing issues were ironed out with eq-ing, which i have a bit of experience of, though it was pointed out by dinebon_, yet another (new!) server member, who was primarily a bassist. they also pointed out some unwanted dissonance i had put in for the arrangement.

i understand that mixing is pretty much subjective and everyone does it differently, but it should be worth pointing out that there are some rookie mistakes that someone like me _can_ make. i may be a good arranger but this mix wouldn't have sounded better if it weren't for people giving me advice and pointers on how to fix things. i definitely think that getting input from a variety of artists who have different strengths helps to put a mix together and give listeners a more comfortable listening experience, so from now on, i'll be at the very least, sidechaining my basslines with the kick for better mixing. sorry if this doesn't sound great for everyone lol

the vst i used on the other hand, has _a lot_ of technical problems.

i think we all here love the sound canvas series of midi synthesizers, but i unfortunately do not have the money to buy the physical hardware (yet), so i stuck to the roland cloud sc vst. god, it is a terrible technical mess...

obviously the sc is sampled beautifully, and is iconic in the video game music world, but how the hell do you mess up a vst _this_ badly? it has _inverted stereo_, which is, a fad from waaaaaay back when. i'm happy i got to simply fix this through audacity but good grief, man. i had to export each instrument one by one just so i could identify which instruments were cancelling themselves out on mono and which ones weren't. genuinely horrifying stuff. there are also the in-built low-end and high-end boosters, but what about the mids? i'm going to assume that it's just a feature of the time but god i honestly wish they added middle frequency knobs. not that i can't fix that with eq post-production, but i'd rather not do that (especially for the main melody) unless if the problem really is a big deal. again, i love the sound canvas, but i wish that the vst were better; the technical problems i had to work with ended up souring the experience. i wish people could actually fix it some day and turn it into something greater. i'll likely use the vst again but i also want to mix in other instrument and sample libraries as well!

in the meantime, this arrange gave me a crave for kirby again. i love kdl3 sm, it is my favorite game of the gb - snes era of games. idk how but jun ishikawa writes these intoxicating songs for kirby and i am just left to rot listening to them. they are waaaayy too good.

[tunaababee]

2024 Fic Writer End of Year Roundup!

(please ignore that it is 2025 for me now)

thank you for the tags @foundress0fnothing and @popjunkie42!!

1. How many words did you publish on AO3 in 2024? 53,872! it isn't much by many metrics, but please also consider this is after not writing fanfic consistently for a good 8-ish years?? so i am proud!

2. How many fics did you complete this year? three! artistic (un)intention for homestuck, we will be everything we say and Little Games for acotar!

3. How many in progress or ongoing fics did you start this year? technically two since wwbews was started and finished in 2024, but if we're talking just currently unfinished? one!

4. What was your favorite thing you wrote? i'm probably proudest of our fingers touch (i feel my way back home) at the moment. my writing is by no means perfect, but i feel like i'm getting better and better with every work. i dont think my excessive criticism on myself helps as much as i would hope though lol

5. What piece was your most experimental or different from your usual style? definitely Little Games - i'd literally never done any sort of plot what plot/porn without plot before and it was so weird just. throwing them in this proverbial sandpit and not building up any further context. i need to practice it more!

6. Did any fics surprise you - either while writing or their reception? i genuinely did not expect we will be everything we say to get as much love as it has received. like, i wrote that bad boy as an indulgence on my occasional love for friends-to-lovers - write what you wanna see, yknow? but i know it's quite boring for many and not quite their cup of tea. absolutely warmed my heart and soul to see how many people also loved it!! also, feyre leaving college completely in chapter 5 also took me by surprise. i was writing it and the spirit of the character and plot completely took the wheel.

7. Do you have a fic you wrote and loved that went under the radar? (This is your sign to reblog/repost it!) i feel like Little Games didn't get as much love as i had hoped it might, but at the same time. twas literally my first acotar fic. it is my little fic that could. i love it no matter how many hits it gets. broke a glass for that thang

8. Who is an artist that inspired you? literally anything that @witchlingsandwyverns or @velidewrites does is transcendant to me. other ones that have made my brainworms go wild are @eospaint and megabee on insta!! there are a lot of others but my brain is so mushy.

9. Who is an author that inspired you? quite literally where tf do i even begin. i have fallen into such a cozy supportive little network of fan creators that i am forever inspired by and grateful for. this is not an exhaustive or ordered list but @whatishowedyouinthedark, @climbthemountain2020, @popjunkie42, @damedechance, @shardminds, @rosanna-writer and @secret-third-thing are a handful of my close and bestest fanfic buds. you are all my spouses and i am kissing you all with tongue.

10. Who is a new author you discovered? see: above question. quite literally read the entire acotar series thus far and all the fic writers in question in 2024.

11. Did you do any collaborations? How did it start? i have but it shan't be revealed yet :3 all i'll say is my friends put out a call and i gave it a red hot go <3

12. What accomplishments are you proudest of? getting back into writing fanfic at all. and reading. i was in such a literary slump and it's been so wonderful to jump back in with two feet and land in such a welcoming, supportive place.

13. What did you learn about writing or creating this year? sprinting is king for my little likely-adhd ass. i also used to be a big pantser, but i'm finding a balance between planning and pantsing seems to be the way to go. i'm still learning though! also, breaks are needed and necessary and i'm not unproductive for not creating for a while. it's part of the cycle. also, things can be shit and thats okay <3

14. Any advice you’d like to share with new or aspiring writers? carry some sort of notepad with you - those ideas that come to you like a flash of lightning will not stay with you, that is the devil lying to you. don't be afraid to scrap segments or even whole works if it feels like something isnt working, sometimes you have to go back to the drawing board and start fresh. write what you love and/or want to see. be freaky and horny with it always.

15. What are your creative goals for 2025? put out more! be less concerned with the set dressing and just get right into the meat of it. i have a list of ideas literally staring at me on my desk and i wanna hook into them!!

since it is now 2025 and i am officially Late To This Party, i'm not gonna tag anyone, but if anyone wants to do it, please take this as ur invite <3

[whumble-beeee]

hiiiiiii bee

im so fucling curious what the backstory is behind deeby and lana omg. meant to send a more coherent ask but post work braincel decrease is hitting me hard. also the dutch petname thing scared tge fuck out of me the first time.

ps this is also thw first time ive anon named myself

love - 🌿🚫 anon

God, mood about the post-work braincells. Also, I mean this with so much love, but it means so much to me that I managed to scare the shit out of you with that lol. He gets. Just so much worse. Let's just say everyone in my discord servers I introduce him to universally hate him with a passion. Get ready.

ALSO technically parts of Declan and Lana's backstory are giant spoilers, including what will be one of the bigger plot twists, so I can't tell you just yet. HOWEVER, what I can do is reiterate and highlight things I've already said in-story, plus what's gonna be revealed soon when I actually upload her character profile lol. All that under the cut.

So the first time you really first start hearing about Lana is in Chapter 7, where we also meet Vaughn for the first time. In that, we learn that 1. Declan and Lana are ex boyfriend and girlfriend. As in they actually used to date. 2. Lana is Declan's boss now in some capacity (and was the one to order Stan's kidnapping), and 3, Declan fkn hates Lana. So much more than he hates Vaughn.

In Chapter 8, we learn that 4. Vaughn and Lana are currently dating. That's not really too relevant, but it's really funny to me because their relationship is... something. I'm sure you can imagine. It's very mutually manipulative and they both know it, its awesome.

Anyway, then in Ch. 9, through Stan and Deeby's yelling match, you learn that Declan and Lana's relationship is complicated and he refuses to talk about it, but 5. he's kinda obligated to do whatever Lana says or face unspecified consequences.

Skip to Chapters 11 and 12, the ones with Marcus at the convenience store getting harassed, where we first meet Lana in person. We learn a lot about her, mainly that she 6. acts pretty bubbly and ditzy but is actually pretty smart, 7. is completely fine with SA, 8. is manipulative as hell, 9. feels safe enough to fuck with Declan's plans because despite how much we know Deeby to exert his will over others, he wont do shit to stop her. and 10. The big one: she was the one to give Declan his burn scars (with acid btw. everyone in the story has a weapon of choice, bc superhero lol. Lana is injectable poisons, gasses, acids, etc.). This is mostly just something you could assume, but when she gave him that burn scar, that was the turning point when Lana started manipulating Deeby.

Chapter 15, it's mostly just more of the same, Lana telling Deeby to keep Stan for longer, and Deeby can't argue back, he hates Lana but he has to do what she says, whatever.

So, to put it all together for you: Lana has Deeby under her thumb for some reason. She acts fake, she's manipulative, she's relatively smart, and she dated Declan which means she would get to know some of the more intimate details about him that she could blackmail him with. Also something happened between them where she literally burned him with acid, and now she is his boss (she's the CEO of Supramed Corp. actually, which would be revealed whenever I get around to posting her character profile lol) and makes him do bounty hunting jobs as well as basically whatever she wants. That's what we know so far.

You'll learn more about Lana as a person as well as the nature of their relationship as time goes on, and a lot of Declan's behavior has been partially shaped because of her. There's a lot more to her that hasn't been uncovered yet, although the context clues are all there in the story. I just pointed out the specific ones that relate to Deccy.

Also, one last thing to leave you with. I focus a lot on eye color in this story, it's always very important, it tells you a lot. Lana has bright blue, sky blue type eyes. Can you maybe think of another time I've described a character with eyes like that?

(also if you have any questions feel free to ask in another ask or the comments lol, idk if any of this is even comprehensible)

[howdaretrashships]

AO3 Wrapped 2024 (writer's edition)

Tagged by @bbcphile and @la-muerta. Thanks for the tag! This is a little late, but I was waiting for the last minute anyway.

1. How many words have you written this year?

Of the published works: ~19.2k. Of the current WIPs: no idea, but probably somewhere around the same number.

2. How many works did you publish this year?

5, technically, although one of the works could be counted as four separate fics.

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

My Past has Tasted Bitter for Years Now

4. What work of yours has the most hits?

The 5+1 Yingzhu Armor fic has 840.

5. What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

The Unhinged Tournament Propaganda. It was literally only written for the tournament, but it got feedback on both AO3 and here on tumblr.

6. Favorite title you used

pack up the moon - pour away the oceans

It's a reference to W.H. Auden's Funeral Blues and perfectly fits the fic and Feihua's vibes in general. I've loved the poem since high school and was very proud of myself for remembering it when it came time to name the fic.

7. If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most?

I'm using I'll Be Good by Jaymes Young for most of the Prince/Bodyguard AU.

8. Pairing you wrote the most for this year?

Feihua/Dihua was the only pairing I wrote for.

9. Favorite pairing you wrote for this year?

Feihua/Dihua

10. What work was the quickest to write?

The Unhinged Tournament Propaganda was literally written over an hour or two.

11. What work took you the longest to write?

5+1 Yingzhu Armor fic. I worked on the newlywed room scene for weeks.

12. How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?

So many. So so many.

13. What’s your longest work of the year?

The 5+1 Yingzhu Armor fic at 11663 words.

14. What’s your shortest work of the year?

Technically it's the Unhinged Tournament Propaganda. Total it's 1087 words (making it actually the second shortest) but each "chapter" is only a couple hundred words each.

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

Mainly the Prince/Bodyguard AU. There's still a lot of work to be done, since only 2 of (initially planned) 16 parts have actually been finished.

16. What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag?

Post-Canon, Not Beta Read, POV Di Feisheng are the top three.

17. Your favorite character to write this year?

Di Feisheng. I just love him so much.

18. The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

Fang Duobing. Mostly when it's his POV, because there's how I'd like him to act/react, and there's how the character would actually act/react. And often those two things are in direct opposition.

19. What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?

Zhan Yunfei/Li Lianhua. I was going to write their part earlier this year but got distracted by other WIPs first.

20. Which work of yours have you reread the most?

Which Moment, which was actually written and posted last year, but most of the works this year have been short and angsty, and it was the fic that helped me regain confidence to keep writing. Because if I could write a 21k word fic out of nowhere, then maybe I could write those other ideas I had.

21. How many kudos in total did you get this year?

295

22. Which work has the most comments?

The 5+1 Yingzhu Armor fic has 16.

23. Did you do any collaborative works this year?

I started one, but it's still in the very beginning stages.

24. Did you write any gifts this year?

No

25. Did you receive any gifts this year?

No

26. What’s your most common category?

M/M

27. What do you listen to while writing?

Just my everyday playlist. If I want something different then I'll turn on YT Music.

28. Favorite work you wrote this year?

My Past has Tasted Bitter for Years Now

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

There's a few but I'll go with this one from the 5+1 Yingzhu Armor fic.

Hulijing snuffles at the silk looking for her promised snacks, and whines when she doesn’t find them. He reaches out to pat her head as a reassurance, then narrows his eyes at her. “Did you know about this?” he asks, pointing at the pup with an accusatory finger. “Did you know he had this?” Hulijing tilts her head first to one side then the other and licks at the end of his finger. Di Feisheng huffs a laugh and then sighs, “No, I suppose not."

I just like the little bit of playfulness from Di Feisheng, since it's not something we get to see much from him (if at all) in canon,

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

That I was actually able to stay engaged and excited for most of the year. Usually I'll write a couple things, get distracted by other things, and then disappear for a couple years. But I didn't just give up and I'm hoping I can continue that in the new year.

It was also a great help to have @bbcphile as an amazing cheerleader!!

If you'd like to do it, consider yourself tagged!

[fictional-at-heart]

20 Fanfic author questions

1. How many works on AO3?

17. Technically by the amount of notes I have on my phone, it should be more. But a lot of those are OC drabbles, with Hiccup as the only canon character a lot of the times, so I feel weird about posting them.

2. Total word count on AO3?

85, 443

3. Top five fics by Kudos?

Before the Flame Goes Out, Look Into My Eyes, It’s Where My Demons Hide, This is Why We Use Tissues, A Knife in the Dark, and Justice Served

4. What fandoms do you primarily write for?

How to Train Your Dragon, by far. I’ve dabbled in The Boys in the Boat, Billy the Kid, and The Musketeers, but I always come back to HTTYD

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes!! But I am like a dragon over its hoard. I LOVE receiving comments, so when I get one… I tend to hoard it for a while before responding. I know I shouldn’t, but it makes me so happy looking at than! :p

6. Angstiest ending?

Ooh, I would maybe say I Can’t Lose You? I’m a happy ending kinda girl, so my fics pretty much always have a happy ending. But that one was a rewrite of Eugene’s fear in Be Very Afraid and it’s sorta angsty

7. Fic with the happiest ending?

Probably Before the Flame Goes Out. Hiccup recovers and Dragon Hunters get what they deserve :)

8. Do you get hate?

No, thankfully!

9. Do you write smut?

No. It’s not that I won’t do it, it’s just that I haven’t yet and as of now it’s not something I’m comfortable with writing

10. Do you write crossovers?

I do, yes! My very first fanfiction was a Tangled and How to Train Your Dragon crossover. I miss writing that, though. I’m maybe in the process of revamping it ;) I also have a Musketeers/Reign wip: Justice Served. I don’t know if that’ll ever be finished…

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

Nope! But if someone ever sees that, would ya do me a solid and let me know? 🫶🏻

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

No but only because the situation hasn’t presented itself!

14. All time favorite ship?

HICCUP AND ASTRID HSKSJJSJS

15. WIPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Definitely Justice Served! I have a Reid one that I hope to finish, but honestly I don’t know… and a TJ and Olive one

16. Writing strengths?

Dialogue and whump, if that counts. I love whump because I can do all the research and ask my best friend questions (who’s in the medical field), and for dialogue? I’m a talker, so.

17. Writing weaknesses?

Description. I fear my fics have white room syndrome…

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

Mm. Never really gave it a thought

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Technically Aladdin… Tangled!

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

I would probably say Before the Flame Goes Out or Own All Your Tears And Just Roll With the Waves. (Now I think that I’ll Be Okay But Not Right Now would’ve been a better title, grrr) BTFGO was my first whump fic, and while my writing has improved since then- I hope- I still like it. And the Waves one is sad, but being that it was something I was sort of experiencing myself at the time (but more modified to fit Hiccup), I’m definitely happy with how I wrote that. But I don’t know man, this new whump fic I have in the works has potential to rival these… oooh but I really like Journey to the Archipelago too…

I don’t know many writers on here other than @milliesfishes (no pressure girl!🫶🏻), so feel free to tag yourself!

[hikarry]

Since I didn't communicate clearly earlier:

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39

Oh, God lord, Sam

Okay, yes, yes, sure

Just, be prepared for a long post I guess then. Ill skip the ones I already answered

2. show us a picture of your handwriting?

3. 3 films you could watch for the rest of your life and not get bored of?

The Imitation Game, The Muppet Christmas Carol and Corpse Bride

4. what’s an inside joke you have with your family or friends?

Ah...a evil version of "You've got a friend in me" from Toy Story with one of my friends

5. what made you start your blog?

Honestly? No idea. Technically I've been here since 2014 and I kinda just joined to see pretty pics in the beginning. And now here we are, neck deep in the Good Omens fandom

6. what’s the best and worst part of being online/a creator?

The best is honestly the interaction. You guys really have no idea how nice the Good Omens fandom is. I used to be a "creator" for the Yuri on Ice fandom and it didn't used to be half of this. It's very exciting.

The worst? Maybe the pressure to post new stuff? Which is not exactly no one's fault but mine, but alas

7. what scares you the most and why?

Ah. Dying in pain? I don't like pain and I don't appreciate dying so, yeah. Kinda logic

8. any reacquiring dreams?

I don't think so?

9. tell a story about your childhood

We went to the beach this one time and I, for some reasons, made friends with this one guy I never saw again in my life. Somehow he caught a big ass fish (or big in toddler scale) and gave it to me and my first reaction was toss it back into the ocean. It was a magnificent throw, lemme tell ya. For a 3 year old, anyway

10. would you say you’re an emotional person?

It depends on how mentally stable I am and who I am with. But yes, overall, I would say so

11. what do you consider to be romance?

Small things, like sleeping cuddling, cooking together, drinking coffee together at the window in a sunday morning, kissing in the rain. My idea of romance is very...fairytale-y. And not realistic. That's why I am very very good by myself

12. what’s some good advice you want to share?

Don't look for yourself in other people. You're good enough to make yourself happy. You don't need anyone else so don't think you do. Other people are a bonus, not a requirement

13. what are you doing right now?

Answering this long ass thing thanks to you, Sam

14. what’s something you’ve always wanted to do but maybe been to scared to do?

Piercings. I've conquered my fear of tattoos and piercing are next, write what I'm telling you

15. what do you think of when you hear the word “home”?

My grandma's house

16. if you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Physically? My weight. Because I've been fighting it ever since I was like 4 and so I could go under surgery and change my chest.

In general? Just...I would like to be more simple. I feel like other people in the world are way simpler than I am. Think and feel in a simpler way. Or I'm too complicated, depends on how you want to see it. I would like to feel simple

18. do you believe in ghosts and/or aliens?

No, to both. If I allowed myself to believe in any of those I would become way too paranoid and that's a no no

19. favourite thing about the day?

Getting home after a long day

20. favourite things about the night?

Actually getting to sleep properly, which is being an impossibility at the moment

21. are you a spiritual person?

No. I don't believe in any god or religion or entity. I max believe that the universe has my back and everything will work out somehow. But that's it

22. say 3 things about someone you love

My grandma is an amazing cook. I love her snuggles. I miss her every day

23. say 3 things about someone you hate

My uncle was assaulted last week, aparently. Not to be mean, but he could have died. I wish he had died

24. what’s one thing you’re proud of yourself for?

Not having killed myself when I really really wanted to. Living is super nice and I enjoy it quite a lot

25. fave season and why?

Autumn. Because it's when I was born and it's spooky season! And hella cozy! I love cozy!

26. fave colour and why?

Blue. Because it feels calming and reminds me of the ocean and/or water in general

27. any nicknames?

My friends used to call me "Mouse" when I was in school. It was an inside joke

28. do you collect anything?

I collect books and military jackets

30. what’s one thing that never fails to make you happy/happier?

Honestly? Without being sappy, you guys. Every time I'm having a shit day and I come here to complain y'all manage to cheer me up. It's very sweet and I thank you very much

31. are you messy or organised?

I am proudly organized in my messiness

32. how many tabs do you have open right now?

On pc? 4

On the phone? 48. 47 of those are fanfics

33. any hobbies?

Mainly reading and writing. I don't have time for much else

34. any pet peeves?

When people are slow. Not only walking, but in general: thinking, moving. It annoys the shit out of me

35. do you trust easily?

Oh no. Not at all. I think the only people I currently trust are my grandma and my therapist. And one of them I pay them to trust them so-

36. are you an open book or do you have walls up?

Way way too many walls up. I've been broken more times than I care to count and that does something to someone, lemme tell ya

37. share a secret

I stole a Hello Kitty necklace from a girl I hated when I was like 7. I still have it, as a trophy. I really hated that girl

39. youtuber you’ve been obsessed with and why?

Pinely! He's so fucking funny and I love his accent. Besides, his videos are amazing. Go watch it!

Ooof, okay. That's it, right? I tried to give short answers so it wouldn't get too annoying, but there we are. Hope you're happy, Sam!

[recurring-polynya]

Writing Update/Art Update 1.16.2024

Well, I did finish that scene I was fussing about last week, but only on a technicality. The first thing that happened was that I thought of some other scene I wanted to write, and I let myself do that. It's 1800 words of zanpakutou nonsense that is currently slated for late in Chapter 8. I mentioned that I felt like another chapter was creeping its way into my outline, so I just went ahead and rearranged a little. I feel better about the outline, although I'm not sure a second extra chapter won't try to sneak its way in there.

Then what happened was that my friend had a Bake-Off themed birthday party, so I spent several days planning a bake and baking things and being consumed with anxiety and then actually going to the party and then being very, very tired. (In case anyone was curious: Earl Grey roll cake with blood orange curd fill, covered in chocolate ganache, then decorated with Earl Grey whipped cream, candied blood oranges, and raspberry-swirl macarons. It was really good. For the record, the other bakes were on the same level. My friend has some really intense friends 😂)

I went back to The Scene and looked at the outline again, and I realized that I needed to do a POV swap, but I didn't have a scene change. This is tricky business, so what I did was roll back about 1000 words and have Rukia do an exit stage left. That lets Renji take over the narration and Rukia can come back in later. I started the Renji-part but didn't get very far into it, but that was a separate bullet on the outline, so I feel justifying in checking off the Rukia-bullet.

My kids had off yesterday and then it snowed, and they got a snow day today and I am still very tired.

How is the drawing going, P? Well! The second week of prompts was all themed around "packaged food" which was significantly harder to do in a quick and easy way. Then, I mentioned that I wanted to do a Rukia-drawing. I did the sketch and I spent an hour and a half on coloring it. I decided it would look good in pastels, even though I don't know shit about how to use the pastel brushes. In any case, I realized that it was going to take another million hours of work and I simply did not like it enough to put in another million hours of work, so I gave up on it. I can always pick it up again later if I feel like it, but I have too much else to do. So, in other words, I did spend some time drawing on at least five days of last week, which is what my goal was, but I did not have a whole lot to show for it. Like I said last week, I have been posting my daily art to the art club forum, but Wedsday's prompt was "Pickle Jar" and decided to do some Between Tides fanart (by the loosest possible definition of fanart) and show it to you folks instead. This was so frickin' hard, but I really like the way my lil daikon came out!

Anyway, new week, word counter goes back to 0, hopefully this one will be a little more focused and maybe I'll actually be able to make some progress on Chapter 7.

[ollieofthebeholder]

20 questions for fic writers

Thanks @magnetarmadda for the tag! (I'm slowly getting caught up on these.)

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 

64 on AO3. (I have a few that are just on Tumblr that I really need to back up onto AO3.)

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 

1,806,655 holy fucking shit when did it get that high.

3. What fandoms do you write for? 

These days, mostly TMA. I have in the past written Star Trek, Star Wars (not on AO3, it's only on my Tumblr), MCU/Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Cut & Run fics; I've also dabbled in a couple other fandoms, including what I am both proud and frustrated to say is still the only Mnemosyne fanfic in existence, or at least on AO3.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

leaves too high to touch (roots too strong to fall)

Had He Known It

Whiskey Lullaby

It Was Just My Imagination Telling Lies

Hurry Up and Slow Me Down

5. Do you respond to comments?

Every one!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? 

Ooh, that's a toughie. I'm going to say Where the Road Waits to Be Taken.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Mmm...I write mostly happy endings, but probably Love Will Find Out the Way. That one's certainly the most joyous ending (so far, anyway).

8. Do you get hate on fics? 

Not since I left the super toxic fandoms.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? 

Not anymore, no. I went through a period of about two years where I was writing it, mainly because I'd always been super bad at it and wanted to give it a shot, but I'm a sex-averse ace and I was always kind of iffy on it in fiction, so eventually I gave it up.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? 

I'm still working on that TMA/Night Vale story, I swear. And I've got a couple Leverage/MCU fics that will probably never see the light of day. The craziest one I've ever written is probably the now-deleted Sherlock/Star Trek AOS crossover (deleted because they were at Hogwarts and...yeah).

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? 

Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

See #11.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? 

Once...technically. My brother wasn't old enough for his own account yet, so he dictated the story to me and I cleaned it up a bit. (So more "ghostwritten" than "co-written", maybe?)

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? 

I don't think I really have one all-time favorite ship. Lots that I will always love, but not necessarily one I'd rank above all others?

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? 

I'm not going to lie, I really want to finish the TMA "whoops this was supposed to be a oneshot" AU where everything is the same (to start with, anyway) except that Martin doesn't work for the Institute, he's a bartender at a pub that Jon stops in for a drink at and ends up falling in love with him. I just...need to figure out where the plot is going.

16. What are your writing strengths? 

Emotion. Description. Angst. Evoking the feeling my characters are feeling in the reader.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? 

I still struggle with info-dumping. And I tend to get hung up on the "perfect" way to phrase something, to the detriment of the rest of the scene.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? 

Why not?

19. First fandom you wrote for? 

I used to make up stories about the Power Rangers to send myself to sleep at night when I was, like, six. And I did technically write one down for a spelling assignment in first or second grade, so that totally counts.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

to find promise of peace (and the solace of rest), and not just because it's my most recent one.

Tagging (as always, no pressure) @astudyinfic, @accal1a, @blasphemous-lies-and-deceit, @wintersnixon, and anyone else who wants to give it a go!

[biggestdev]

Converting a battery backup to Lithium because I hate myself

I've got a whole bunch of battery backups in my home, one on each computer, and a big one in my server rack in the basement. I've also got a few out "in the wild" at some of my family's places. They're great, where I live in the northeast US, the power grid is stable enough that most outages are only minutes long, and these backups (technically called a UPS - Uninterrupted Power Supply) do a great job keeping computers running through them.

My issue is the batteries. They all run on lead acid batteries, aka the same kind that's in your car, and they dont last long in this kind of environment, I'm lucky if I get 3 years out of one. On top of that, their battery life detection is terrible, It's about a 50/50 shot whether I get a warning about a dead battery pack before the next power outage takes it down without warning. Keeping track of that with just one or two is annoying, let alone 10 of them!

Lithium UPS's exist, and theoretically last many years longer, but they are many times more expensive than a normal backup. I'd like to not spend new-car money replacing a dozen UPS units, so I did some math instead.

I have a husk of a ups (no battery), and I tested it out: the open circuit voltage on the battery cable is 27.6 volts, which just happens to be almost the exact voltage needed to float charge a series of 8 Lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePo4) batteries!

Why is that exciting? Usually when you think of lithium batteries, you think of lithium-ion (also can be called lithium-polymer) batteries. These are the batteries in your laptop and phone... And also Tesla cars. They hold more energy than a LiFePo4 battery, but are very sensitive to temperature, over and under-voltage, over-charging, and over-current conditions. Abuse them too hard, and they swell up and pop! That's why Teslas seem to catch fire more often than other cars: most other companies gave up range for a battery chemistry that isn't a ticking time bomb, like LiFePo4.

These LiFePo4 batteries can take a beating compared to Li-ion ones. Most importantly, they can be "float" charged, that is, left on the charger 24/7, without worrying about overcharging it and blowing caustic smoke everywhere. This is critical, because I'm attempting a direct drop-in swap for the old lead battery in this UPS, because float charging a lead battery is basically a requirement, and doing that to a Li-ion battery is asking for a fire!

Using a Li-ion pack would require a custom charging circuit, as the UPS's 27.6V is not correct for any configuration of Li-ion, and would either under charge the pack, losing me 50% of my capacity, or overcharge it, and make it explode. It would also have to stop the batteries from being float charged, again to keep the battery from exploding, while fooling the UPS into thinking a battery is still attached so it doesn't beep at me all the time, and my head is spinning just thinking about how that would work. Much easier to give up capacity for a simpler, and more robust battery.

This UPS can deliver 900 watts of power on battery, that equates to roughly 30 amps of current from the 27.6V battery pack. Adding a safety factor, I bought a BMS (Battery Management System) rated to 50 amps. A BMS is essential, as it offers extra protection against short circuits, over and under-charging and temperature cutoff. Also cell balancing, which keeps all the cells at the same level of charge during use (if they go out of sync-that's bad, is all I'll say for now). The batteries are rated for 120 amps continuous draw, so I am well under the limit where the cells would self-immolate.

With all that said, here's the guts:

Looking close, you might see that I had to cut some plastic out to make it all fit. That's an error on my part-I didn't measure right. If I make more, I'll definately be using a smaller cell, so it will be a proper "drop in" mod. Lots of drilling, cutting, and filing to make this all fit!

It took several hours to link up the cells, terminate the balancing wires (the small red spindly ones), and and stuff them in the battery box. That's a LOT longer than I was hoping it would take, but the on-the fly mods took a lot of time. but eventually, it all fit in, and I was able to test it:

It works! I unplugged it from the wall, and it stayed on! For now, I am in full helicopter parent mode, since I don't want to deal with a lithium fire, even though my math checks out and the UPS should never get the the point that these cells are ever "abused". I only leave it on when I'm in the room, and when I leave, I unplug from the wall, and remove the red lead from the battery, so no charge enters or leaves while I'm not there to watch it.

In theory, the only issue with this retrofit will be a useless runtime meter. The "minutes of runtime" meter is measuring the voltage of the battery as it discharges to estimate how much longer it will last, and the voltage drop over time is different for lithium and lead, so the meter won't be measuring accurately. Once I'm confident it won't explode randomly, I will likely install it permanently somewhere in one of my compters.

Wish me luck!

[simplylove101]

FANFIC TAGGING GAME

I got tagged by my lovely bestie @backtothestart02. Thanks for thinking of me, hun. <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3? - 11 (and at least 4 on ff.net, though I had a few I deleted as well, including my longest story on there out of embarrassment lol)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

168, 530 words

3. What fandoms do you write for?

On Ao3, it was strictly Gertchase from Runaways (Marvel) but I've also written for Gossip Girl & Harry Potter as well.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Most of them are my earlier stuff but there's one that was more recent that people seemed to like my take on a scene. 1. A Place Isn't Home - it's my baby, my first dip into writing fic in YEARS & for a ship that I'd only just gotten into. I put a lot prep & care into it beforehand so I'll always be proud of it considering it's centered around one trope - sharing a bed. lol 2. Lost Moments - doesn't surprise me now since there were lots of missed opportunities for good Gertchase content in S2 so I just had to do a missing moments fic for them 3. Over & Over Again - inspired by the Runaways promo team releasing the first few minutes of S3 before the season dropped & gave me the opportunity to write in Chase's pov which I love since it's easy for me. 4. Maybe I'm Falling - based on the teased bed talk with Gertchase before S2 dropped (which is still a cute scene) but I kinda prefer my version lol And 5. It's Your Call - my two different takes on Gertchase's S2 kiss scene written right after the trailer had been released. And guess what? Neither one was at all like what we got. lmao

5. Do you respond to comments?

Most of the time. Considering kudos are usually the only way I know if people are liking a fic by me, getting any comments on one is kinda a big deal to me cuz I love getting them. lmao

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Angstiest ending... Well, even when I write angst, there's generally some kinda hope since I like to write angst with a purpose even if it cuts hard. But since you were my home but now i'm (so) lost is about Future Chase reflecting on Gert's death & deciding to save her, I guess that's the automatic answer. But also, Lost Moments technically since it ends with Gert deciding to get over Chase after his betrayal (I was proud of that chapter tbh)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Ummm, basically the majority of them are happy like I said. lol Maybe I'm Falling is the purest tho since the whole thing is fluffy. hell was the journey but it brought me heaven was pretty cute too imo.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not on Ao3 since like I said, I hardly get comments as it is. But on ff.net... Trust me, I got some flames. It wasn't pretty. lol

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Before I wrote love doesn't know what distance is, the answer would have been a hard no. Mostly because I would always chicken out before I even got started. lol Somehow I convinced myself to get it a proper try on that fic and I didn't hate it??? Do I think I'm the best at it? Still no. But I'm not as scared now. It's pretty basic but at least I did it. lol

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Not with my Gertchase fics cuz I suck at that kinda thing but during my Harry Potter days I used to experiment with AU ideas that never went too far before I deleted them. I remember I was gonna use a Real World (yes, the reality show lol) concept for a Harry/Ginny fic that never made it passed Chap 1. lmao

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of...

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Oh, this is so hard these days because younger me would always say Chuck/Blair and they are still up there.... I think Cole/Cassie from 12 Monkeys might be my most epic ship tho, despite me never having written for them before (I wouldn't know where to start tbh) And my heart will always belong to Ron/Hermione too. I love Gertchase but at the end of the day they might actually be more of a top 10 ship for me, I just am able to be inspired to write for them.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

The ultimate WIP for Gertchase for me is a post-canon fic that initially was gonna be just a simple proposal but then I wanted to include other stuff like Gert getting pregnant, etc. so it could be a mini fic. But I've just never written it because of lost inspiration (the real life drama of the cast did kinda taint the show a bit at one point but also, the fandom's pretty dead too) That said, never say never. Maybe one day I'll do it. There's scenes I had written for it that I still have somewhere so it's possible. We'll see. lol

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue. lol I know it is because that's how I start writing my fics. I tend to write scenes out like a script first because it's how I'm able to start visualizing the rest of it. Rarely does a fic of mine not start with a quote or at least a train thought by a character. I also like to think that when I do write angst I'm not afraid to go for the jugular so to speak because it's meant to hurt BUT I do always want it to have a purpose and move the story along. Also, apparently when I'm really feeling a chapter I'm not afraid to have a big word count. I can't help it. lol

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

The actual writing process. lol It doesn't always come naturally to me. I don't usually write anything all in one go unless I'm truly feeling it. Also, descriptive stuff. There's a reason why dialogue is my strength. It's writing around all that I struggle with a lot.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Um, it's intimidating. lol I did consider doing it a few times because Gert is fluent in Spanish & she was supposed to tutor Chase for it so I always thought it would be fun to tease that in a fic or two but never did. I don't want to get the translation wrong.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter. Because I was obsessed with Ron/Hermione. And yet if you looked at my old ff.net account you'd assume it was Harry/Ginny because I deleted all my RHr related fics. lol

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Omg, the hardest question. lol Most of them are all my bbs for different reasons. I do think my mini The College Woes trilogy is some of my strongest work to date tho because all of that is pure me going for it since it's all post-canon. I did research and had fun with the process.

Anyway, I don't really have anyone to tag myself because I don't know who follows me and wants to answer these questions but hey, if you write fic and see this, consider yourself tagged! Also, even tho I haven't written in a while & might never again in the foreseeable future, if you like Gertchase, my A03 account is When_the_Day_Met_Night21 :)

[emilee-has-legs]

that one really cool sim tag thats been going around.

wasn't tagged by anyone in particular, but @loafysims and @ravensccfindss both mentioned me in this tag recently so i thought i'd give it a shot. also my need for attention is a bottomless pit so.

1.) What’s your favourite sims death?

honestly, the classic, putting a sim in a pool and then taking out the ladder. theres no common sense to the action it's just genuinely so funny.

2.) Alpha CC or Maxis Match? 

technically im maxis mix, but i tend to lean very hard to maxis match clothing.

3.) Do you cheat when your sims gain weight?

no not really. if i want them to loose weight i'll have them work out

4.) Do you use move objects?

if you dont use moveobjects, i think legally we can consider you clinically insane.

5.) Favorite mod?

this is so hard... ummmmm, probably like better build buy. i spend a good amount of time in build mode and use debug/live edit objects a ton when i build, so it's pretty useful.

6.) First expansion/game/stuff pack you got?

i think it was get to work, i even bought it in a physical case thingy and i still have it lying around somewhere. (as well as seasons.)

7.) Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing?

LIVE mode.

8.) Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made?

you're asking me to pick a favorite? out of all my children?? i honestly can't pick a favorite, but here's layla, and i love her.

9.) Have you made a simself?

yeah, i've tried on multiple occasions, but none of them have ever really captured my essence all that well. eventually i gave up and just started using my mascot sim, Nellie, for my quote-on-quote "branding"

10.) What sim traits do you give yourself?

im gonna go ahead and give myself five traits assuming we all have the "more traits in cas" mod:

creative, goofball, loves-outdoors, squeamish, foodie.

11.) Which is your favorite EA hair color?

the darkest brown swatch is my go-to.

12.) Favorite EA hair?

ima be so real rn i dont use EA hairs at all.

13.) Favorite life stage?

young adult. might be biased because that's around my age-frame

14.) Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay?

builder. i have the most fun in either buildmode or cas.

15.) Are you a CC creator?

not offically, but i've converted defaults and skin details for personal use before, and i've even released some load screens.

16.) Do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad?

yeah baby, check these amazing people out.

@loafysims

@inspiredsimmercc

@pikaburr

@rhdweauni0

@dizzyscabiosa

@ravensccfindss

@gabrielle-kl

@nihilismtrcit

17.) What’s your favorite game?

i cant decide, it's between the sims, halo 3, minecraft, stardew valley, and splatoon. i want to play zelda: tears of the kingdom as well, but its just not in the budget rn sadly.

18.) Do you have any sims merch?

no.

19.) Do you have a YouTube for sims?

yeah actually, if you can ignore my 13 y.o sounding voice, check me out

20.) How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing?

omg so much. here are some side by side comparisons of my different eras/progression.

(its the way the first sim looks like she could be a trademarked lego piece that gets me)

21.) What’s your Origin ID?

pretty sure its just emilee-has-legs. i have a couple of builds on the gallery if you wanna check me out, i just never posted them on here because that was before my simblr era.

22.) Who’s your favorite CC creator?

dogsill, softerhaze, greenlamas, ceeproductions, sentate, serenity and simstrouble take the cake for me

23.) How long have you had a simbIr?

i've had my blog for a minute but i only became an active simblr like a couple months ago.

24.) How do you edit your pictures?

i dont really edit except for a few touchups in picsart, and also srwe.

26.) What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next?

probably get together, never got around to purchasing that pack and there's a couple things i want from the ep.

tagging: anyone who wants to have some fun. it was nice to chill on call with friends and fill this out. cya besties ily.

[wraenata]

Here's a question. How much of pokemon have you played? (Mainline series, side series, etc) :3

Pokemon long rambling activated :3

Seriously long post

So before my mom banned pokemon from our house (probably when I was around 7?) we loved Pokémon. We never had a video game console but my cousins did. So technically pokemon stadium is my first pokemon game! Only ever the rentals haha. But we loved playing the mini games.

When my mom banned pokemon and sold all our plushies (rip butterfree plush, I'll get you back some day) it was a pokemon drought. Until my cousin went to college and gave me her pokemon card collection. (Supposedly the halo mew is worth $100?! But I treasure them) and the brainrot infected me once again.

I started learning everything I could about game mechanics. This was when Gen 5 came out in Japan so you didn't even have the English translations yet! I made lists of what my teams would be in each game, how to divy up the HMs, how to get certain egg moves. All without playing a single game lol.

And then I found playr.org. It had all the retro game boy games. Including Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, and Crystal. Unfortunately the saving system wasn't so great and got corrupted a few times (rip shiny ekans) but I did mostly play Silver or Crystal. (This is where the name Wren for my character was born!)

I craved more but I didn't know how to download emulators safely :( I watched playthroughs to get by. To this day let's plays are a comfort source for me <3

By the way I did all of this without my parents ever knowing. I was very good at hiding it from them XD

I think it was finally like freshman year of college when I figured out the pokemon fan games. I'm talking Uranium, Phoenix Rising demo, Ethereal Gates demo, Solar Light Lunar Dark, Sage, aka non emulator ones. Basically any I could get my hands on. I also started drawing fakemon in my sketchbook. I kind of want to revisit those some day. I still have the sketchbook somewhere.

Then I figured out emulators FINALLY. At least enough and got an emulator and mystery dungeon explorers of sky, MY BELOVED! I have played through the rom many times. I have a randomizer. Also a few years ago I found Sky Temple for editing the rom aka different starter pokemon. The discord server is always working on making new sprites so you can be any pokemon you want its very wonderful.

Junior year of college, I said I'd had enough. I spent an entire year hyping over Sun and Moon and my bestie/roomie convinced me to treat myself, something I literally never did. I bought a 3DS and Pokemon Sun and never looked back. I loved it. My first real pokemon game. (My parents were not happy when they found out lol). I spent so many hours. I got big into breeding perfect IV pokemon (idk why cause I never did online battles) or shiny breeding. I used to work til 11 pm some nights and before bed I'd just do some breeding. I would have the pokemon in the perfect ball and have all the egg moves and perfect IVs and nature and have the perfect nick name cause I was obsessive like that oof. I got ultra moon when it came out as well and loved it. I also bought pokemon X and Omega Ruby which I enjoyed. But Sun and Ultra Moon I played many times and bred so many perfect pokemon.

I did pick up roms around this time for Heart Gold, Soul Silver, Black and White and the sequels, and maybe Platinum? But they ran really slow on my computer so I never made it far. I preferred playing on my 3ds. But I still played quite a bit of Sky rom.

I was, less excited about Sword and Shield. I saved up a whole year to buy my switch and bought Lets go Eevee, Botw, and Sword when Gen 8 came out. I did inhale the entire game of Sword in one week, but I don't think I ever finished a second playthrough. The story was really disappointing and I did not like the gen 8 pokemon as much. It's hard when you're not a big fan of any of the starter evolutions, cause pressing B for every level up is tedious :(

I did enjoy Lets Go Eevee but after I loaned it to my bestie I had troubled getting back in. The ball throwing was a little off putting.

Oh I also bought Mystery dungeon Rescue Dx and I enjoyed that quite a bit!

Last summer I was struggling a lot with my emotions and frustration with my mom and as a form of therapy started spending money oof. I wanted a second DS so I could trade back and forth and make my life easier. It took a lot of bidding on Goodwill online but I snagged a second 2ds, legit copy of pmd sky! and pmd gates to infinity. And Pokemon Soul Silver! Also I bought the digital versions of gen 1 and 2 before the eshop closed.

I also bought Shining Pearl cause it went super on sale, but after I lent it to my bestie I haven't played since. I actually dont like too many gen 4 pokemon besides Glaceon, Leafeon, and Chatot.

Playing pokemon mystery dungeon on a 3ds instead of a computer keyboard was so much more satisfying. I played through Sky and loved it of course. Then I picked up Gates to Infinity which I never knew the story. I enjoyed it! I was and Oshawott with partner Snivy.

This brings me to last late summer, and the turtle brainrot set in and grew. Less pokemon, more turtles! I debated back and forth whether to get Scarlet or Violet up til the day it released. And then I just didn't. I watched playthroughs though. Seems pretty good and I like a lot of the pokemon, especially after gen 8 when I struggled to find enough to fill out a team of 6. I only like to use pokemon I like. I'm sure I'll get it someday but for now, turtles have my brain.

And that's my pokemon origin story! Still mad about my mom selling all our pokemon plushies. I do still have my cousins pokemon cards and I treasure them <3

I am very adamant about my pokemon having the perfect nick names.

Umbreon is my favorite pokemon <3

Not surprisingly this got very very long. If you made it this far, have a Leppa Berry <3

[bi-bats]

asksender reporting for duty! 🫡

for the latest fic ask set: 5, 7, 8, and 15 please!!!

(also, please please take all the rest time you want/need!!! you gave us a Feast, now it is time for rest and recuperation 💕💕💕)

OKAY I'M FEELING LIKE ANSWERING SOME ASKS SO HERE WE GO I'M STARTING WITH THIS ONE FROM AN OLDER GAME BECAUSE IT'S BEEN HERE IN MY ASK BOX FOR LIKE 3 WEEKS

(i heard you say I can take as long as I need in one of your more recent ones, I just didn't internalize it which isn't your fault 💚)

technically the latest fic I had posted when I reblogged this was Scars and Stitches BUT right before that I posted What Are You Waiting For? which is FAR more interesting to me SO I'm answering for that one because rules are fake and I feel like it.

5. How do you decide how long your fics/chapters will be? Do you have a word count goal?

Ha. Ha! I don't decide anything. Do you all think I'm out here deciding that my next update for Know Yourself should be 18k words?? Of course not.

Here's how it goes: I tell any given chapter what I think should happen. The chapter says "hmmmm, maybe. We'll see." Then I beg the chapter to please please please please please not be over 10k words. It gives me a smile like it thinks I'm adorable for even asking when we both damn well know that the chapter will do whatever it wants, and what I want has nothing to do with it. And then either the chapter takes mercy on me (like it did in this fic) or it Does Not (like it is doing in Know Yourself).

7. What part of this fic/chapter was the most fun to write? 

Honestly, the whole first chapter. There's just something about the way it flows that I feel so good about 💚

8. Which line/paragraph are you most proud of? Why are you proud of this? 

But the strangest thing is how everyone believes Jason anyways. Just like that.  Then again, Dick is backing him up, so of course they believe him. Everyone believes Goldie, all of the time. He just flashes that gorgeous smile like a fucking master key, and Jason’s always been a tiny bit jealous that everyone else turned out so goddamn endearing.  Not that being intimidating doesn’t have its uses, but sometimes he can’t ignore how much easier certain things would be if his edges were just a little less sharp.

This whole section. I think it's just that this is one of those thoughts that Jason keeps to himself, even though he thinks it fairly often. It captures a part of Jason I rarely see represented, which is how he came back different and he feels different from the rest of the bats in a lot of ways that strain his relationship with them. (Also, I feel like this reads in his voice really well which is something I sometimes have a hard time feeling like I nailed.

15. What is one question you wish someone would ask you about this work? Ask it and answer it.

There is ALWAYS a question I want to be asked about fics, and it is what songs inspired them! I listen to so much music (Spotify wrapped outed me last year at 84k minutes of listening lmaoo) and I used to write to music a lot but I've been finding it distracting lately.

I still plot to music though, and each of my fics have playlists! I'm gonna link the spotify playlist for this fic here! Top recs from this playlist are:

Lately I haven't Been Sleeping

Hyacinthus

J's Lullaby

-

Thank you for reporting in for an ask!!! I always love seeing you in my inbox and I swear I get excited every time, I'm just bad at answering 😂

And re: your comment at the end, Thank You and everyone who reminded me to give myself room to rest! I don't want to burn out any more than anyone else wants me to burn out, and I appreciate the reminder!! Also preparing the feast was So Worth It, people are still (like literally at this moment I got one) sending in the LOVELIEST comments that are making my day every single time!!

Ily all!!! and Bean I'll see you in like five seconds for your Echo Wife ask I've been vibrating to answer 💖

[fnafpro52]

Gonna do this for my central OC, Deraj.

1. He's kind of associated with the color blue, although most of the blue he has on him is his eyes, his wings, a blue scarf he wears around his neck, and his jeans.

2. Always imagined him listening to something like jazz, but I don't have a favorite song for him.

3. Nah, he doesn't really rely on weapons. He's purely a hand-to-hand fighter. There's no real reason why, he's just strong enough to not need one.

4. He's pretty used to thinking on the fly and having to adapt during combat situations. The dude's been fighting for pretty much his entire life (and he's in his four-thousands!)

5. Oh, definitely aesthetic. The dude wears a trench coat, which has literally no practicality in the slightest.

6. Eh, he doesn't really care. As long as it isn't completely out of control, he'll leave it unkempt.

7. Probably some kind of lizard. He is a rather big fan of dragons after all.

8. Technically speaking, 'Deraj' is a name he gave himself, but he doesn't remember where it came from. His real name is 'Time' because he *is* the living embodiment and personification of that specific concept, but he's had other names. He was named 'Volta' in the orphanage he lived in for about a year and was designated 'S-1T' by Dr. Carlos Morto, one of my antagonists, when Deraj was his test subject.

9. He's the kind of guy that doesn't really care. As long as it's food, he'll eat it. Although he does quite enjoy deep-fried stuff.

10. Nah, he's not much of a jewelry guy. He never really saw the appeal.

11. I mean, the original version of his character was literally a self-insert. Granted, he has evolved a bit since then, but a few details are pretty reminiscent of myself, yeah.

12. Um, this dude's been around for over four thousand years and that's not even counting how old he is as a concept. And being immortal, aging doesn't really matter to him. If he does have a birthday, it doesn't matter.

13. While he mostly speaks English, he is pretty fluent in Italian, Japanese, and a lot of other languages that are either dead or otherworldly.

14. I've always been in a sort of 50/50 mindset over whether or not to make Deraj actually good at numbers and working technology before finally settling on him having just a basic understanding of them. Nothing too advanced, but enough to get by.

15. He doesn't really have any family, other than the other subjects of Dr. Morto that basically acted as stand-ins for siblings, consisting of two other boys and one girl. But he'd never Carlos to be his dad, he'd puke at the idea.

16. He himself doesn't own any pets, but a close friend of his that lives with him owns a dragon.

17. Probably relaxing and/or trying not to die.

18. Hey, if it helps him out in the long run, he's more than willing.

19. Oh, yeah, one hundred percent. He tries his best to stay cool as long as possible, but his patience can only be stretched out so thin. And when he snaps, there's gonna be hell to pay.

20. He can drive, but it's a skill he hardly uses as he mostly uses his wings or the portals he can summon in order to get around, especially when both options are much faster than driving.

21. Anywhere with his friends honestly.

22. There's the occasional grim nightmare about either something from his past or the future, but he can mostly keep those away in order to sleep pretty soundly.

23. I'd say his voice is pretty calm and relaxed most of the time, but he can sound commanding when he wants to. And yeah, he can sing.

24. He writes in his spare time, but he has very little time to do that in his chaotic life.

25. He's a pretty keen and observant dude. That's the reason he's still alive after all.

26. He moves with the confidence of a dude that's seen it all. That and with his wings.

27. He doesn't really have time for sports or anything like that. Although he is still pretty active because of how much combat he sees.

28. He usually expresses he cares for others through actions such as defending them in combat. But if he dislikes you, he's gonna express that shit verbally.

29. No, not really.

30. I dunno man, what does time smell like? A clock...? WHAT DOES A CLOCK SMELL LIKE-

31. He doesn't particularly care for gifts, whether receiving or giving them. They don't mean much when you live forever.

32. He hates wolves. Like, absolutely *loathes* them, with the exception of one of the other subjects that he grew up with who later became a werewolf.

33. Descriptions would vary from 'good leader' to 'close friend' and then comments like 'smug piece of shit' and similar stuff.

34. He'd describe himself as just someone trying to do something with his life, not much more.

35. 'Home' is a subjective term. He's sure as hell not returning to the lab he originated from or the orphanage he found himself in after escaping. But his base that he made years afterwards? Yeah, he'd consider it home.

i wanted to make an oc ask game 😋 things i like to ask people abt their characters:

are they associated with a certain color? what color do they wear the most?

what sort of music would they like? have you thought about what genres or bands do they lean towards? do they have a favorite song?

weapon of choice? any particular reason they chose their weapon?

how crafty/resourceful are they?

how do they typically dress? does their wardrobe lean more towards practicality or aesthetics?

how do they wear their hair? do they care a lot how their hair looks?

favorite animal? why?

do they have a nickname? who gave it to them? if it's not derived from their real name, what's the story behind it?

favorite food? least favorite? are they a picky eater? do they have any dietary restrictions?

if they wear jewelry, what kind? do they prefer silver or gold? do they have a favorite gem?

what do they have in common with you? how are they different? would you get along with them?

how long have they been around? do you know their birthday? is their birthday the day you made them or another day? what do they think of celebrating birthdays?

what languages do they speak? how fluently?

are they any good with numbers?

how big or small is their family? who did they live with growing up? do they live with anyone now?

do they have any pets? what do they call their pets?

how did they spend their summers/free time as a child?

their opinion on lying, stealing, and killing?

are they quick to anger? what sets them off?

if applicable, can they drive? if they have their own, what color is their vehicle? is the inside neat and tidy, or a mess?

their favorite place to be?

do they sleep well at night?

how would you describe their voice? can they sing?

do they have any creative hobbies? (art, writing, music, etc)

how good/bad is their hearing? what about their eyesight?

how do they move? are they clumsy? light on their feet? do they use mobility aids?

if applicable, do they have a favorite sport? do they play any sports or prefer to watch?

how do they show that they care about someone? how do they express that they don't like someone?

are they associated with any particular element (air, earth, fire, water)?

do they smell like anything notable?

do they like receiving gifts? giving gifts? what is their ideal gift?

do they have any habits that aren't particularly self-destructive, just maybe odd?

if applicable, how would your other characters describe them? i mean specifically the people around them.

how would your character describe themselves? it doesn't have to line up with how they really are.

do they ever return home?

[wosopatri2]

Hi!

Made it home safely, without any issues and surprisingly on time.

Met a lot of nice and friendly people, and had a good time with them, even tho I am more of an introvert.

It was an exhausting weeend with lecture and practical exercises from 8 am to 7 pm. Learned a lot of interesting things, which I hope will help me do my job better.

I was eble to fly early and had a chance to explore the city for half a day and did a lot of sightseeing. I haven't been there yet, so it was really nice.

The lecture is ongoing over the next year and I need to do an exam at the end. I am kind of nervous not because of the content and that i fail, but the exam will be from home on my own computer and i just read all the technical requirements. What is allowed and what not. I even will need to film myself not only with my laptop camera but olso with my smartphone.

I am not an IT specialist, my job is so far away from it. If i am not going to pass it is for sure because of an technical issue.

I am working today. Cross the fingers it is quiet day and i am able to see at least part of the game.

Kind of envy you for seeing it life.

Hope you have a really good time in lisbon and wish you a thrilling match.

Sadly i think you were right and are not allowed to bring your camera. Would love to still see some fotos afterwards, even if they are just from your smartphone.

💙

Ps. My inner monk is screaming everytime i get to your blog and see the pinned post and the nr. 3 missing in that list. I found the link so perhaps wil send you a corrected version.

Hey!

So happy to hear you made it back safely and even had time to explore the city a bit, sounds like a full-on weekend, but a rewarding one. I really admire you for pushing through such long days and still being open to meeting new people, especially as an introvert. That’s not easy.

I totally get your nerves about the exam, the tech requirements sound unnecessarily complicated, and I’d be stressing over that too. Filming from two devices? That feels like a bit much. But I have no doubt you'll ace the content itself, and hopefully the tech part goes smoothly when the time comes. Fingers crossed it all works out without any hiccups. You’ve got this.

Lisbon was really great. The city has such a vibe. I’m just still a bit sad about Barça’s performance. But I have faith they’ll come back stronger. There's too much quality in the team for it to go any other way.

Hope work gave you some breathing room that day and you managed to catch at least part of the match. I definitely thought of you while watching it live. And yeah, sadly cameras weren’t allowed in, but I did snap a few shots on my phone.

Also, I’ve got a long trip coming up, so I might finally use that time to track down that fic and rebuild the masterlist. I miss having it all in one place. Cause your inner monk is absolutely right, that missing #3 on the pinned post has been bothering me too 😅.