#this sidestory will DEFINITELY be finished first

[ejunkiet]

my original projects are expanding.... gotta love contemporary fantasy worldbuilding >:3 there is now a sexy sidestory to ‘ropes and fangs’ exploring the dynamics of the fae, specifically: changelings. also maybe a werecat.

look, i’m having fun okay >:3

[the-lonelybarricade]

LOVE that you're trying to get back to ACOFD! It's such a monumental task returning to a big project like it but it will be so so so worth it I promise, once you get that momentum going it'll be so easy 💪 I've been dying to see this fic finished (all your fics are amazing really but this one was my FIRST lb fic and is therefore the best)... Anyway all this to say YOU CAN DO IT! 🎊

Thank you love!! My new years resolution was to finished ACoFD. I feel like there's a good 20k-ish words left in the main storyline and objectively I know that I've written that much in a week before but I'm going to be honest it's been tough to re-gain momentum with the story.

I do think a re-read will help. I also think the Azriel/Lucien/Autumn sidestory ended up stalling a lot of my progress because there were so many moving pieces, but I did have a breakthrough with the next Killing Beron Vanserra chapter and I think once I can get that whole arc tied up, I'll finally be in a good place to move the main story forward!

I'll also admit I never expected ACoFD to get the attention it has and there's definitely an element of like... feeling nervous I won't live up to everyone's expectations? I've been trying not to let that weigh too heavily on me, but it is daunting.

Anyway, I'm rambling. I know I can do and I will do it, because I know it will feel so good to finally have that story finished. And because I want to be able to give an ending to you and the other kind people who have reached out over the years to let me know they enjoyed ACoFD. It's meant so much more than I can say 🥺💕

[weekend-whip]

-20 asks for Fic Writers-

hey-lo!! I was tagged by @rainofthetwilight for a fun ask game!! Thank you!! ^-^)/

for tags, any fic writer that comes across this and feels compelled! You have my blessing! Go forth and rant about thy fics!!! Share your words with the world!! Give people new stuff to read!! Flaunt your beautiful achievements!!

. . .

1.How many works do you have on AO3?

19! And counting!

2. What's your total AO3 wordcount?

...791,937 and counting *lies down* (at least most of it is just one fic? Ahaha? ha?)

3. What fandom(s) do you write for?

right now, just ninjago! I wrote for some other fandoms back in the day (with...equally ambitious endeavors) and I initially made my Ao3 account for Definitely Not Ninjago...but, here we are :d

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Born to Be a 21st Century Ninja: 1116

Thank You, For Giving Me Wings: 560

Way of the 21st Century Ninja: 546

Assorted Thoughts and Feelings: 201

Married to the Sea: 161 (which I'm sure will get beat-out by GNL here soon haha)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I TRY, REALLY, MOSTLY, AND USUALLY but sometimes I get too excited and things shift through the cracks (hence why I generally make it a habit to respond to stuff I missed before/around/after a big update! That way it's on my mind!)

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

i haven't written it yet I MEAN WHAT it's Married to the Sea. I'm not big on writing overly bad/sad/tragic endings yet

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Paper Plate Moon, the only fic without an existential crisis of some kind (just a slightly lovesick Kai with a smaller scope crisis) Orrr, A Little More Than Sixteen Candles, which is also about Kai! Except he cries. But it's a happy cry!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not yet

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

No

(...wait, there's 'kinds' of smut?!?! do i dare even ask)

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

Braaaaah I looooooooved crossovers when I was younger. My biggest story from my youth was a crossover. ...I won't be telling you what it is, though. It's part of my dark, mysterious past.

(I also don't count Legacyverse as a crossover, either. It's more of a...fusion! But. Y'know. The roots are there.....)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Only once, and it was the aforementioned crazy crossover fic from above. They were dealt with very swiftly tho :3

12. What's the longest time you've spent working on a fic? And what's the shortest?

Longest that I've finished would be Born to Be; that took me technically almost two full years to write x-x

Shortest would be all the Aftershock oneshots I manage to speedrun in a few scant hours on holidays lmao

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

I've triiiiiiiied a couple times in the past; only one attempt was successful though.

14. What's your all time favourite ship? From all the fandoms?

Destiny's Bounty! Man, I adore that ship so much.

15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

THE MERMAID AU or the Jesse Fanseason or all the little prompt things from June '22 that still haunt me to this day or some of legacy!sidestories I should've done ages ago or-

16. What are your writing strengths?

*grabs some stuff from comments* I have strength in character development and providing emotional depth for scenes! *I* also think I write some kickass fight scenes, thank you.

17. What are your writing weaknessess?

BASIC GRAMMAR LMAO and probably using too many commas and ellipses but I am trying to ween myself off of it and incorporate shorter sentences. I always forget to vary up sentence length until the end waaaah

(I also miss typos a lot but I am of the camp that believes it keeps one humble~ *should probably just get a beta reader but hnnng*)

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

Intimidating

19. First fandom you wrote for?

...something video game related

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Probably Born to Be just because of how darn big of an achievement it is! and I reread it a lot <3 <3 <3 <3

[gizaoyas]

No worries!! I haven’t played pokemon since I was young so hope the new game is fun~ The capt trio is a good trio too!! Lots of great moments, I hope they show up again soon. I’ve watched all of the movies except Gold and Stampede. Mamoru Osoda’s wasn’t my fav but it’s still fun!! I'm gonna send a separate ask cause OP Red is a lot LMAO - Secret Santa

Hiiii Santa!!! 💕

Yessss the new pokemon game is very fun!! I already have finished the main story and still have to do the "sidestory" of the game and I enjoyed it a lot! The main cast is sooo lovely 😭

So am I!! I'm already missing all the captain trio moments that we had at wano, i loved the sabaody vibes of them from this arc!!

Oh I forgot Stampede in my watched list! If you have to choose I'd recommend to you to watch Gold, the plot was more interesting ; stampede was great but not my fav. I essentially liked it because of the worst generation dhsksks

I don't take one piece movies too seriously, it's fun to watch, also because we love our beloved straw hats, however it's not bringing anything in special to the main story! But Red contradicts my say djdjzks i definitely adored it!!! Okay so for the canon thing, I agree for Tot musica, especially because what you said ; tho i don't think big mom is dead, but yes as it's taking place after wano some of the events sound weird if it's totally canon ! In the other hand, it's because of the first tot musica that Shanks had his first bounty (if i'm not wrong), or his first big bounty ; I'm so confused about it lmao

I'm very curious to know if Shanks is really related to the Figarland family, and also what is this family for the government? Also if we're looking into the Figarland name, there's a D at the end, and the world government would totally have hidden it, like the Gold for Roger instead of Gol D Roger. So it would be Figarlan D Shanks ?????? I need to know morrrrre about him!!!

Dhsksksk i like your sense of humour santa ; the uta uta no mi would definitely be so op to have🤣

[mariustears]

What they would be like as Fathers

Note: This goes out to the person in the tags asking for father hcs!! Couldn't stop thinking about that idea anymore afterwards,,, reject Luke's sidestory, accept Luke just having a happy long life with his kids

Marius von Hagen

Marius would be the type of father to just let his kids do whatever they wish to do. Like "Oh you want to go to the zoo today? Time to go to the zoo then!"

Do not let this man alone with his children for more than three seconds or he will definitely let them play with his paints and they will all end up full of various oil paints.

But not to worry! He will either replace or fully clean everything that they dirtied.

Will absolutely spoil all of his children an ungodly amount.

On days that he's more busy with Pax he will bring them little gifts as an apology and promise to do everything he can to come back earlier the next day.

Please take care of him... he's doing everything possible for his children but sometimes he just needs to be held and told that he's doing a good job.

Would absolutely cry the first time his child says a word and if it's "papa"? He's gonna be crying for the next few hours, good luck.

Vyn Richter

Loves spending time with his children!

He likes to spoil them with toys but please don't be mad... he already held back from buying that one plushie last week...

A very supportive father! He's going to take care of you and your children as much as he can both during and after the pregnancy (unless you adopt ofc!).

He tries to be more strict so his children don't end up too spoiled but it's hard when they look at him so happily after getting a new toy...

So many puzzles and board games once his kids are old enough! Also coloring books! He wants them to have as many fun games that require them to think as he can possibly fit into the house. He just loves the look on their face when they finished a really hard puzzle together.

He loves reading them bedtime stories! He has fallen asleep while telling one before thought

Will cook the best meals for everyone! His kids happily eat almost everything he cooks, even the veggies.

Artem Wing

He tries to hide it but he gets very emotional when it comes to his kids. He will absolutely show them off on every occasion that he can.

Will also celebrate every small achievement they have in their life!

Keeps every drawing your kids make. His fridge is full, his walls are full and he even has a few of them in his wallet so he can always look at them when he feels tired from work.

He always helps with homework and promises small movie nights when the homework was finished properly.

He's going to cry so much when he gets to hold his baby for the first time, and it does not get any less if you decide to have a second child. He's just so happy to spend his life with you and your small family.

Will go to so many different attractions with his kids, interactive museums, festivals, cinemas, just about anything as long as he can go there with you and the kids.

Luke Pearce

So much chaos. SO much.

He tries very hard not to get into the havoc his kids make but look at them... they're having so much fun... how could he possibly be mad at them?

When his kids are old enough he let's them play around in the antique store! He loves telling them little stories about the items that caught their interest.

The most emotional in both good and bad situations out of all of them but he tries very hard to hide it so you're not worried. Definitely needs long hugs sometimes though.

Loves building small toys when he has the time! Sometimes he also lets them help him but only when he can be sure they can't hurt themselves on anything.

Loves cooking with everyone! Especially loves baking small cookies with the kids so they can impress you when you're back from work.

He likes building things with the kids that will help you! Like a towel holder for the bathroom or a new shelf for the living room!

[sothischickshe]

Hi! 16, 19 & 26 for the writing asks, please? Bye! *retreats into shadows of lurkerdom*

Oooh, ty! 🥰

16. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever used as a bookmark?

🤔 maybe a leaf?

19. Tell me a story about your writing journey. When did you start? Why did you start? Were there bumps along the way? Where are you now and where are you going?

I used to like writing as a kid! And now I still like writing, ha. I guess I started cos... I liked stories? And I wasnt discouraged from doing it? 💭

There were definitely bumps on my route! Or at least periods where it wasn't part of my life for ages. Plus I had no idea what I was doing!!! 🤯 But overall I do really rate ~figuring things out by tinkering? 🤔🤔

I know I got drawn towards writing short (original) stories at some point, and I think they're a really good learning ground!! And while I had written a few fanfics pre gg, I was never (even considering!) publishing them.

Gg (fandom) got me writing again, & even posting!!! 😱 Wild!! Now I feel more confident about writing and improving, and I feel like I'm approaching it with more purpose? Like I'm choosing things/ways to write with the intent of gaining or growing particular skills/areas of writing ✌️

The main place I wanna go is finished with this damn fic I'm working on 😂 and back to some short ones 🙏 but also I think it would be nice to return to original fiction at some point too 💭

26. How do you get into your character’s head? How do you get out? Do you ever regret going in there in the first place?

I guess part of the beauty of writing fanfiction is that you don't have to invent (most of?) your characters' heads, you get those for free 😂🤝

It doesn't feel like climbing into say Beth or Rio's headspace is difficult, I guess bc I spent a lot of time with these characters through re/watching the show, discussing & speculating with others, reading & writing fic etc, so idk that I do much consciously to get into their heads, other than plan out the story initially in a v character-focused way (what would they do next & why & what the fuck would the other one think was going on in response etc etc etc).

with other characters (turner; dean; rhea) I've done them-focused rewatches, really aimed at trying to pull together the disparate bits of characterisation & info to see how they hang together compositely? (I do think acting & writing fanfiction are kinda ~the same etc etc etc).

As to getting out of the headspace... Um falling asleep tends to be a mainstay of my angst writing process? 😂

And do I ever regret going to their headspace... Hmm yes and no! I guess my major issue is I dont really know how to write canon rio or Beth pov which isn't like ~clinically depressed. Take what we learn about rio's backstory in s4 (nick set him up as a child for no real reason) in combo with his frontstory (allying with Beth to get rid of nick bc the person who nearly killed him is apparently more reliable than his close relative) AND the murky sidestory (mick, who IS presented as a Beth mirror, betraying him)... I feel like this is sadder than the show really acknowledged?! 🤯

It fucks me off that the show didn't really give appropriate weight to stuff like this, and so I don't regret going into such headspace bc it's an active choice on my part to try to address it. That said, it can be... Intense! And I found writing angst kinda a headfuck at the height of quarantini for example. I definitely like to balance the stories that I'm writing as a result, so there needs to be some humour-focused ones mixed in with the high angst... But also I don't tend to vibe with stories which are purely emotionally heavy bc I don't think that's realistic, so there will be pretty much always some absurdity mixed in with the sad stuff 🤞🤞🤞

Weird writing asks!

[cooliogirl101]

I recently finished my fifth reread of WTL (you've improved a TON as a writer since the first few chapters!), and I was wondering if you have a timeframe of when you might be able to write the next chapter. I love the sidestories on the blog, but I honestly find it a bit hard to navigate Tumblr, and the cliffhanger's killing me. No pressure. Your studies take precedence!

I definitely haven’t given up on it but I’m the kind of writer who likes to have a plan in mind before I start writing haha. That being said, what immediately happens next in the following chapter is more or less already planned out so hopefully I’ll get to it soon.

Third year of med school was kind of crazy but I’m hoping to have more time to write in my fourth year. Thank you for your patience!

[spearfeld]

So I just finished Love, Creekwood

Some spoiler-filled thoughts under the cut!

tl;dr 4/5, it was super cute but I was confused about some things and didn’t think everything worked

Overall, I liked it. It was cute as fuck, and it was nice getting to see the squad again. I have some good to say about it, some bad, and then just some...questions. Let’s start with the good:

Becky’s writing style is as cute and as charming as ever. There were multiple parts of the book that had me laughing out loud, even if maybe not as strongly as I did while reading Simon, Leah, and watching Love Simon and Victor. Drunk Simon makes a reappearance, and it is everything. EVERYTHING. I love that boy so much and he only gets more adorable when he drinks lol.

I love the whole theming of “save states” and wanting to keep moments forever and go back to them, and the idea of holding onto the past. That’s a really unique way of tackling an interesting topic, and I love it quite a bit.

And this isn’t really a bad thing, sort of just an observation, but when Plot Things started happening, it really shocked me, because I forgot that books are supposed to have a plot lmfao. Maybe it is a bit of a criticism, but the reason that surprised me so much is because up until conflict started arising, it really was feeling just like supplemental material, just some cute fluff, the kind of stuff I would go on ao3 to read fanfic about. That’s not necessarily a bad thing--it is very cute and very fluffy and very fun to read--but books do need conflict, even short 100-page novellas told entirely through e-mails.

That being said, the conflict is definitely an interesting one. Long-distance relationship stories are nothing new, of course, but this kind of conflict was teased at the end of Leah on the Offbeat, and I think it’s handled mostly well, narratively. I especially like the contrast between Simon and Bram’s relationship trying to manage long-distance, and Leah and Abby’s who are literally living together and could not be closer if they tried (except Abby does, lol, by suggesting they push their beds together, which, cute).

I’m not entirely sure the e-mail format entirely works for this story. It’s serviceable enough--Becky does a really good job at filling in blanks without spelling everything out for us, with a few exceptions that we’ll get to later--but the e-mails don’t lend themselves to enough character insight, and I found myself getting kind of lost through some of it.

For example, the main “plot” of Love, Creekwood is that Simon and Bram are struggling in their long-distance relationship (did Becky read The Whole Story, should I be pursuing legal action? /s), and that much is apparent through Simon’s e-mails with Bram, but when Simon e-mails Abby and Leah, it seems like he’s worked things out. But then Leah and Abby have their own correspondence where they’re like, “I’m worried about Simon.” And I was like...why? Oh I guess he was trying to make things seem better than they were? Okay, that didn’t super come across in the e-mail. So it was hard to tell what was actually going through the characters’ heads during the story at times. 

But trying to change the story from an e-mail format to a prose format with e-mails like the first Simon book would have taken more time and effort, and I know that Becky probably didn’t want to spend more effort than necessary on a project like this--she’s said on multiple occasions that Leah was the last book in the Simonverse and that she didn’t want to write any more books featuring Simon. I definitely think she was excited about writing this book and getting to spend time with these characters again, but I think digging them up for a full-length novel just wasn’t something she was interested in doing. I can’t blame her for this, either. She spent years in the Simonverse. Simon was her debut, and her next two books were directly related to it in some way--one being a sidestory featuring characters from Simon, and the other being a direct sequel. It’s easy to get burnt out on a world when you spend so much time involved in it, and I think Becky wanted to work on different things. So, for what it’s worth, I think this is probably the best form of this book that we could have gotten.

Also, very tiny nitpick but it was hard to see who was writing who sometimes, since all of the e-mail addresses tended to blur together sometimes, particularly in the group messages, and I think that if Becky wasn’t so dead-set on “e-mails are the thing it has to be e-mails!!” then she could have gotten away with making that an actual group chat/text and it would have read a lot cleaner.

Those are the only real negatives I can say about it, unless you count these questions I have as negatives, which, I kind of count them as half-negatives because they’re not inherently bad things, and I think ambiguity was the intent here, but it left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. Maybe this will change the more I think about the book, but regardles:

What actually happened between Simon and Bram? What’s going on with them? We spend a lot of their e-mails talking about how much they miss each other, and then there’s the whole weird Birthday/Marriage Proposal thing. And we never actually get a concrete answer as to what happened with them on the Ferris wheel. Apparently Simon said two words to Bram that “destroyed” him. And I can’t, for the life of me, figure out what those words are supposed to be.

He doesn’t seem to be upset by them, judging by how he wants to “keep that one,” so it has to be a good “destroyed.” But their emails seem to become a lot more strained after that point, and Simon has been neglecting messaging his friends, leaving Leah worried he’s spiraling. What could Simon have said to Bram that night that would change their relationship like that, and cause Simon to retreat the way he did? “Marry me?” “It’s you?” “Fuck Martin?” “Hello, lover?” Like I seriously don’t get what exactly he said there, but I get the impression that I was supposed to have inferred something, that there was something I should have picked up on to lead me to a conclusion, an answer to that question.

Did Simon ask Bram to marry him and he say no? That can’t be, because when Simon finally responds to Leah, he says that, while he does believe Bram is the one, he knows he’s not ready for it to happen right now, so I can’t imagine he would have gone through with proposing. Did he say, “It’s you,” in a callback to when their identities were first revealed? Maybe it’s supposed to be a callback to something from Simon vs that I just don’t remember, because it’s been a while since I’ve reread it.

Going back and rereading that section, it really seems like it’s a one-sided Simon thing at first, that he’s just figuring stuff out. So, if he said “it’s you” what else is there to figure out? Like, they’re still together, they’re spending their breaks together, Simon spends a whole two weeks and then some in New York with Bram, and then they hit that “This isn’t working” point. And so I’m wondering, did something happen when Simon was in New York? It’s never really said, though Abby and Leah do point out Washington Square Park and...I’m not entirely sure why?

Okay, and finally, the ending: I’m still really confused by it. Not Simon transferring to New York, that makes sense, but Bram’s reply to it doesn’t. I mean, it’s in-character and makes sense as his reaction, but I don’t understand it’s significance. What is he calling Simon about? Just, that he’s happy they’re going to be going to school together? To talk about his transfer? I don’t know, something about it just felt incomplete to me.

All of this being said, I did still enjoy this book. It was super cute and exactly the follow-up to this series that I didn’t know I needed haha. Don’t take any of my criticisms of the book as hate or anything. I love Becky, I love her writing style, and I love her characters. This book could have been fifty pages of Simon e-mailing Bram his interpretation of the themes to the Bee Movie and I’d have loved the living hell out of it. It just didn’t click all the right boxes for me, in ways I can’t entirely place my fingers on.

[roxannarambles]

Roxy Rambles About Mystic Messenger (& mostly 707)

So, last year, I saw one of my online friends posting screenshots on their twitter. It looked like some kind of chatroom, but their tweets referred to it as a game, so I got confused and asked them about it. They explained it was actually a phone game-- specifically, a story-focused dating game aimed at a primarily female audience, also known as an otome. 

(click below for full post. Caution: contains major spoilers for Mystic Messenger, as well as opinions. oh gosh. opinions oh no.)

Amused, I downloaded the game just to satiate my curiosity. And what I found was pleasantly more engaging and well-done then I had expected. While I wouldn’t call the writing of Mystic Messenger to be consistently fantastic-- there are ups and downs-- there are definitely plenty of spots that are downright poignant.

There’s a cast of characters to choose from, of course, as these games go, and you can choose to date them one at a time to play out all the endings of the game. First I dated this young college boy who was addicted to gaming, and who had never dated before and was still struggling to adjust to living alone now and being a new adult. His gaming addiction sprung from his depression and general sense of aimlessness at what he wanted to do in life. Honestly, there was a lot to relate to with the character, and I feel like the storyline was, for the most part, thoughtful and maturely handled. 

Next I dated the female character, and much of her storyline and character development was very engaging and even poignant as well. She worked as an assistant for a major company and was deeply overworked and unhappy in her job but felt kind of trapped in it and lacked confidance to break away. You become her friend and confidant and cheer her on and encourage her and she eventually gains the self-knowledge and courage she needs to find her own path in life. Again, so much to relate to and so many great messages there. I genuinely enjoyed it.

There’s certainly some aspects of this game that were not written quite so well; sometimes the drama really went over the top. This is especially the case with Zen’s route where his abusive family was hypercontrolling over his life because he was . . . too beautiful? I found it rather silly. There’s a LOT of abusive family/tragic backstories that went a little over the top in these stories, but I suppose the soap operatic mellodrama is supposed to be part of the appeal.

Despite those weaknesses in the writing, it does not disguise the strengths, and when they shined through, they really shined through; with dialogue that usually felt very natural and on-the-mark and some really great moments.

And then . . . there was 707.

This is the character I ended up liking too much. You can’t even date him until you earn enough of the in-game special currency to unlock his route (or spend real money). He was swathed largely in mystery as a hacker who kept his privacy and a lot of secrets. His presence in the chats mainly consisted of adding a hyper, cheerful, goofy presence, joking about, being good-natured, launching the occasional prank campaign (which at first I perceived as needlessly cruel, but as time went on the tone in which it was intended was further revealed; the same could be said about Jahee saying very nosy and cruel things at times about Yoosung, etc.) and babbling about his passions (which largely consisted of cars, cats, and Dr. Pepper).

And yes, I ended up liking him the best. One of the best things about the game was the phone calls you received from the characters. They were generously long, well-written and well voice-acted. You actually get to know the cast of characters very well that way. When I initially hated Zen because of his narcissism, he called me during other routes and I learned a lot about him that way and found out he was actually a good guy (they just perhaps oversold the narcissism to a ridculous degree at times). Same for Seven—you knew so precious little of him, but his phone calls on other routes revealed just a tad more, giving you a flavor for his presence that transcended the relative lack of information. He especially became involved during the latter part of the story routes, when the action and danger elements of the plot kicked in and he was tasked with trying to keep you safe.

Ahhhh, I don’t know. I’m trying to recall the moment I decided he was the best one, but I can’t. I do remember the way he signed off his phone calls was always charming as heck. At some point I decided I would date the nerd as the last one, because that is how I wished to finish it, as he was my favorite.

I wasn’t entirely stupid, and I caught the hints in the game at a very angsty and dramatic backstory for him. So I knew it wouldn’t be all fun and happytimes, but he was still the best one to me anyway. And it was fun to spend time speculating on his mysteries while dating the others.

Over my winter break I got the Christmas DLC to noodle around with before continuing with the main story, since it ‘twas the season. They let you date anyone in that short little sidestory. I had not selected anyone in particular when I started but it rapidly became obvious there was no way I was going to do anyone but him, as I was too impatient. After that, well, during the main story I was SUPPOSED to do Jumin’s route first. That had been my intent. And I started out that way! But I quickly abandoned it.

Seven, like the others, has things that are easy to relate to. In his case, I found his energy, playfulness and optimism even in the face of darkness to be highly relatable. He was actually very depressed and had seriously negative self-perceptions and had a very painful past. But he was both positive and negative at once. And I know that experience. To be both optimistic and deeply pessimistic; to be both cheerful and playful yet also in so much pain. To like yourself but also to hate yourself quite strongly. It does not make much sense, but you can be both at once, and it has been my case for many years. The playfulness and antics helped Seven to stay bouyed above the ocean of pain, to survive, and I feel at times like that is what keeps me afloat too. We differ in that I tend to gaze directly into the dark pit of my despair far more often than he did, while he tended to do everything he could to pretend it did not exist; yet still, there’s much to relate to and understand.

And there’s much to admire. Because while part of it may be escapism from pain and failing to cope with your sense of sorrow or emptiness, a sheer coping mechanism that is not truly coping, it’s also . . . admirable. Because part of it is truly, genuinely who you are: a happy, optimisitc person, who manages to hold on to some of that spark and cheer and refuses to let it be consumed by the black. You still cling to joy. You don’t forget how to have fun. You are . . . incomplete, but at least you are still fighting, still searching. To keep that spark alive? That is so brave.

And I love him for that, and for his weirdness. He loves the funny and the weird and the wonderful, and he’s imaginiative. Perhaps fantasy and imagination is part of what lets us feed our spark in dark, cold times. He’s creative and incredibly intelligent and talented. He has hobbies and passions (cool ones!). He is kind and generous and giving to others, always there to help them out. There is so much depth and complexity, not just a surface-level cheap phone game drama. And the voice acting, especially, imparts so much sincerity and life.

Plus, he made me a robotic puppy as a gift. If that’s not the coolest, most sweetest, fantastic way to express your love, I don’t know what is.

I had to go through QUITE the dramatic, angst-packed storyline on his route, because the writers of this game tend to go overboard on that, and I never do well with heavy angst. While I did not enjoy the angst, and it was honestly rather difficult and painful to get through, I was willing to stick it out because of how excellent a character Seven is.

I’m not about to claim Mysme is a perfect game. There are some elements I find downright problematic. When I went back later and played Jumin’s route, for example, I found it pretty disturbing; his “good” ending seems to teach the impressionable young people playing this game that it’s okay if a man locks you up in his apartment and refuses to let you leave-- as long as you’re patient and understanding, he’ll eventually change and become a better person. (Guys? This is not OK.) There’s some crap I could get into when discussing Rika as well, but I think you get the idea that the story isn’t always perfect. 

That said, I don’t expect anything to be perfect, and there are a ton of positives to be found in this otome as well. Overall, I really enjoyed the game. I haven’t played any other otomes, but I suspect this one is a cut above the rest. 

In the end, I guess the moral of my story is . . . try out something new. You never know when something really silly ends up being a lot better then expected.

[why-is-it-always-autumn]

Can anyone help me figure out what book im thinking of?

It’s been bothering me for years but i can’t remember the author, the title, or the names of any characters or places so googling has proven completely ineffective

Okay so it was a series.  There were either three books or four.  Definitely not more than that unless there were sidestories or something i never read.

First book was in a generic medieval fantasy setting.  There were at least two guys who were i think kids or teens.  One of them was a bard.  The other one had magic? and he was trying to hide it?  or it wasn’t strong enough and he was trying to hide that?  Or im misremebering entirely and making up his entire plot

Actually, this might have been two books?  One about the bard and one about the other guy?  Not sure.

Middle book was a prequel in the same setting but hundreds of years earlier.  I remember this one a lot better, although still not enough to remember the main plot or anyone’s name.

Protagonist was a woman weaving her diary into a jacket or something.  The story was her translated diary.  About halfway through she finished it and started a new one.  Like 3/4 of the way through she realized that she had unconsciously woven the same threatening silhouette into both garments.  She knew who it represented but i have forgotten

I’m pretty sure there was something culturally important about not letting the fire go out/carrying the same fire, so when the girl left her house she put the ashes in a tin and was carrying them with her?  Something like that.  She also had a couple idols of gods with her from her household shrine.

There was a big river, I think

The way immortality worked in the setting had something to do with letting people make idols of you?  Or something like that.  At least one character was really adamant about not letting anyone make any idols of him so that he wouldn’t become immortal, I believe.

Last book opens in the “future”, which is basically modern times except technically not because the story wasn’t set on Earth.  A girl is on a field trip to a museum.  I think she had red hair?  Somehow she accidentally goes back in time and meets the dudes from the first (two?) books.

Meanwhile, in the past, this chick who looks identical to future girl has declared herself Queen and is raising a party to escort her down the King’s Road to some ceremonial place where she can get... crowned or something?  Don’t remember the precise end goal of the journey but a lot of people are really hyped about it.  This girl was not really a character in the earlier books, idk if she was mentioned in passing beforehand

To get everyone hyped, the bard sings a song like “Who will take the King’s Road and follow with the queen?”  Since the original lyric is “king” half the room substitutes and half doesn’t.  Everyone is kinda confused.  Either way it’s super inspiring.

Unfortunately it inspires everybody to re-evaluate whether they’re really determined enough to go through with this.  Pretty much everyone goes home and doesn’t show up to the quest the next day.  This is around where future girl shows up, being super confused and mistaken for the queen.  I believe the main party knows she isn’t the queen, but they pretend she is while they try to figure out what’s up

They find out towards the end that the queen was murdered shortly before future girl showed up

When she goes back to the future she sees a picture of the bard in the museum.  The museum is right next to the other guy’s tomb (she didn’t know it was his for most of the adventure, because he used a different name/title when he became a super legendary mythical figure and maybe king?)  She is sad because her friends have been dead for centuries.  There are a bunch of murals that don’t really look like him and he’s wearing ridiculous-looking pantaloons in them.  She realizes that he’s actually immortal, the murals are so he can walk around without being recognized, and the giant fancy tomb was his idea of a prank.  They hug.

Does anyone know what I’m thinking about please I remember just enough for it to annoy me that I don’t remember more.  I was somewhere between third and seventh grade when I read them if that helps.

[skeletonpunching]

Vatican Miracle Examiner sidestory - The Wonderful Boss’s Celebration (part 10)

In this sidestory update, in the immortal words of dril:

Actually, no, it’s still terrible.

[Parts 1 and 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, parts 7 and 8, part 9]

“Is it really alright to go without explaining the wine and dishes?” Julia persisted.

“Yeah, it’s fine. While waiting for the main course, how about a little game? Julia, didn’t you say that I was half right about the amuse-bouches just now? That portion was small, and the taste was dense, so I was just a little confused. I’ll get it next time,” Ruggieri replied, evidently fired up. His temperament was such that, when anything was framed as a contest, he couldn’t rest unless he won.

Like a little child...

Julia gazed coolly at Ruggieri’s serious expression.

“Is that so? The course has only just begun.”

Ruggieri nodded.

An hors d'oeuvre - a salad - was quietly set before them. Ruggieri tucked into this, thoroughly savouring it.

“Hmm. This is premium blue lobster tartar. The texture is elastic, and the taste clings; the sharp and crunchy shallots, the tang of lime, and the rock salt all shine through. Spice with a hint of saltiness, and the aroma of the meat-smoking wood chips… It really is a complex flavour. And the oil drizzled over it… Right, this scent - is it argan oil?”

Ruggieri looked at Julia with an expression of how’s that?

Julia applauded.

“Bravo. Argan oil has long been used among the Berbers in Morocco, for food, medicine, and cosmetic purposes. In recent years, it has been recognised for its level of Vitamin E and unsaturated fat, and so production has been trending upwards. But this was expressly prepared using the traditional method - by cracking the hard kernels of the argan tree, and grinding them into a paste to extract the oil. It’s a highly laborious process. So, Ruggieri, you’re almost correct.”

“That again? Well, it’s fine. I’ll definitely be spot-on next time.”

Ruggieri took a swig of wine, scowling.

The waiter brought them a soup; its colour was a deep, clear gold.

Ruggieri tasted a mouthful and sighed, “Delicious.”

“As soon as it entered my mouth, there was a steadily unfurling taste of umami. A complex flavour with an elegant finish, and a rich fragrance that fills the nose… Hmm. It’s like I’ve tasted this somewhere…”

Ruggieri pondered briefly, and then struck his hand.

“Got it - it’s Yezo sika deer. Isn’t it?”

“As expected of a gourmet. The ingredient for the soup’s unadulterated umami flavour is condensed consommé - the soup known as the highest distillation of the French culinary arts. Yezo sika consommé is especially difficult to clarify, and this poivrade is my chefs’ rare specialty. The deer bone and sinew are first cooked in the oven, and then placed in a pot with red wine, red wine vinegar, tarragon, thyme, and water. This is simmered for about eight hours, with the scum carefully skimmed off. The soup produced from this is added, bit by bit, to a mixture of minced deer meat, finely sliced vegetables, and egg whites. After another eight hours of boiling and delicate adjustments to the fire, it is strained through a cloth containing coarsely ground black pepper. Through this filtering and the infusion of the aroma, the poivrade is completed.”

“In short, I’m right this time?” Ruggieri asked, leaning forward. Julia parried him with a bewitching smile.

“Please wait just a little for that answer. The next dish will be along shortly.”

Ruggieri huffed a petulant sigh at Julia’s words.

“I don’t enjoy being kept on edge. Time is money, after all. But anyway, since I’m being kept waiting, how about I ask about the progress on the AI development project that you’re directing? However the presidential election turns out, intelligence operations are the key. We can’t have Robert Mercer’s methods getting ahead of ours.”

“Robert Mercer, is it? An early developer of artificial intelligence, and the co-CEO of Renaissance Technologies - a quant fund with investments of over a trillion yen, which has gathered the world’s top AI researchers. He is one of the largest donors to the Republican Party, after the Koch family, and is another leading figure in the Tea Party movement. He’s also known as an advocate of global warming denial.

“These days, there’s no discussing the world of investment without mentioning AI… More than that, you could say AI completely dominates the field. It monitors global economic indicators 24 hours a day, and through its overwhelming research prowess and automatic learning capability, it can discern the signs and conduct trades quickly and calmly.”

“Yes, and Robert made huge sums of money that way to spend freely on the election, becoming the single greatest backer of the current president. But what’s important is the method. He funded the election consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, which launched a massive smear campaign against the opposing candidate. They used Facebook to illegally collect large amounts of personal data, analysed this data, and posted extensively on Twitter using numerous chatbots. That’s how they masterfully gained control over public opinion, and won the battle by a fractional margin.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that. Our intelligence-gathering network extends into every corner of the American political arena, and besides, Galdoune’s lower division makes use of high-performance bots that are equipped with faces, fictitious addresses, even human existences. Their responses are so smooth that they are indistinguishable from living humans. They already number over sixty thousand, and calculations show that a full thirty million ordinary citizens have come into contact with them, directly or indirectly.”

“Sixty thousand isn’t enough. Prepare two hundred thousand.”

“Understood. We’ll increase it to two hundred thousand within half a year. As for the especially powerful influencer AI, it’s also in the implementation stage.”

“Right. AI bots which pose as humans to spread information are becoming strategically indispensable... We’re in a strange time. But this is a world where wealth, and even human hearts and behaviour, can be manipulated using data. That’s the true nature of the world we live in now.

“We’ll outwit our opponents more skilfully than Robert, without revealing our identity. That’s work you’re familiar with, isn’t it?”

As Ruggieri spoke, his gaze fell to the dish of poisson that had arrived.

[to be continued 10th October]

[pplydm]

ePUB#27

Title: How to Fall in Love Author: Cecilia Ahern

Certainly jovial to be back at it again with a Cecilia Ahern authored book; the previous one I’ve read was years ago. Constantly sought to read more of her writings thereafter. I picked this due to its uncanny preface of a frustrated attempt to finish one’s life caused by a concerned comforting stranger. The stranger deliberately encouraged to give living one more try. With “How to Fall in Love”, I found myself hooked, captivated and fascinated, not realizing that I progressed to 40% of the book already all without checking to measure how many chapters are left. That’s a favorable sign. Definitely a whirlpool of emotions for the first ten chapters. The chapter titles were truly well thought out; they were leading me to thinking if I was reading a book with separate standalone stories. Appreciated the author acknowledgment of the moral integrity and responsible citizenship, many western creators usually ignore  their more liberated views compared to conservative countries. The love story was not that typical, ostensibly a friendship that developed into a romantic relationship between clearly disparate sort of people with varying backgrounds. Was saddened upon advancing to 60% that it was nearly finished but lo and behold, plenty of developments continue to take place. Ended with a celebration for the characters and a sidestory apparently purporting to its central theme (other than the romantic portion) : dealing with depression.

Random remarks for the characters: Main character Christine Rose is introduced though her name’s not instantly mentioned, along with a client. She is quite prying on other people’s lives. I do think she is likewise troubled, restless and anxious as the baleful man who shot himself.  Adam, the second suicidal man actually recognized it. Learning the partial reason for Adam’s suicide attempt was a cheating girlfriend, my initial reaction was, had they talked about it? (Adam and his girlfriend) I then realized it’s easier said than done, the confrontation and talking. Adam was messed up but I’d rather pity his mental state than be furious with his choices. It took Christine until Chapter 18 to realize her one mistake — to stop meddling the affairs of someone else’s life.

But if you really want to help someone, to be a friend to them, sometimes you need to listen and let them do the work themselves. Be there for him. That’s all.

It was a moment. And moments change. She would love to live through the moment to get to the next.

Life is a series of moments and moments are always changing, just like thoughts, negative and positive. And though it may be human nature to dwell, like many natural things it’s senseless, senseless to allow a single thought to inhabit a mind because thoughts are like guests or fair-weather friends. As soon as they arrive, they can leave and even the ones that take a long time to emerge fully can disappear in an instant.

[yaozaisheng]

FAQ

I put together this FAQ. Will add more as necessary.

So, uh, who runs this tumblr? This blog is run by both @rironomind and emochikaoya who does the typesetting for the comic. She has a tumblr, but she doesn’t use it. E: I’m a 无业游民 vagrant from China R: I’m a penniless fic writer from Singapore. 

Wow so she can read english? Can she see everything I comment?  E: I can understand some of it, but if the comment is too long, I can’t understand it. R: I take screenshots of every comment, even those in the tags, and she gets me or her friends to translate it.

Why isn’t she running this on her own? E: My English isn’t good! R: She doesn’t like tumblr.

Sooo, what is this story about again? E: This is a love story between two strangers who go from friends to lovers.

Who are the characters and why do they look like OPM? E: They are original characters 杨大夫 Doctor Yang and 庞皙 Pang Xi, they look similar because I’m a Genosai artist. R: Please don’t tag this as OPM. It’s really rude. Please treat this as an original work.

So are you just drawing is as you go? Like every week? E: No, the comic is complete. There are 26 chapters. I’m currently drawing the sidestories/extras.

Why the heck should I buy this book? Isn't it already available online? E: In addition to the story, there are uncensored nsfw scenes in the book. R: Worth it.

I definitely need to get my hands on a physical copy, where can I get it? E: Yes, but it’s only available in Chinese. If you don’t mind, you can buy it through Taobao. There’s bonus NSFW content. R: I took a few snaps of the book, check it out here.

Dang…that’s…I don’t know…shipping fees, dude… R: @opmsmut is putting together a large order, so if you’re interested, y’all can bulk buy. Also, I have an extra copy and I’m considering doing a giveaway.

Would you ever print an English translation? E: In the first place, there aren’t many English readers, so I have no plans to print an English version nor will I sell digital copies.

Alright alright, but what about the genosai books? Are you gonna translate those? E: Genosai is a dead fandom, it’s even more impossible for me to print English copies. R: Preview pages are up on pixiv. But I can help you out if you’ve bought the book. 

But like, can you just upload them for free? R: No. 

Right…sooo, what’s next? R: I’m working on some fanfic for Yan Guang and the fox demon. E: After I finish this side story, I’m going to work on my next original comic. 

What?? Really?!? E: Yep, but I haven’t finished the plot, I need to read some books. R: Holy shit, I’m so hyped.

Thanks for reading!

[your-lady-star]

Revealing the Star: You’re the King, Yashiro

I don’t I’ve ever seen a character go from such a negative impression to an overwhelmingly positive reception quite like Yashiro Tsurugi.

Much like the game Tokyo Mirage Sessions itself, Yashiro was a character that no one was expecting to like. But by the end, not only were they genuinely surprised at the turn around, they were pleased to find something so likeable hidden underneath. And even if the fandom behind TMS isn’t as active as other fandoms, I don’t think I’m over exaggerating when I say that Yashiro is probably the most beloved character in the game. The way he was able to take every person who played this game, including me, by surprise really goes to show the amount of effort that was truly put into making him stand so strong.

And much like the players reaction, Yashiro himself went through a change. A change in himself that was waiting to be unveiled, but was held back due to the pain he was carrying from

1 traumatic event.

It’s definitely safe to say that the mass disappearance really did leave its impact on those that were involved within it. Tsubasa herself was left with quite the wound from this experience, but I really do feel like Yashiro carried the heaviest burden from this event.

Not only because he experienced this event at a young age, but unlike Tsubasa who was spared, though definitely scarred, Yashiro was dragged into the Idolasphere, watched as his father was possessed by an all powerful force, had said possessed father nearly try to kill him and witness him give up his own life just to protect his. Tiki may have been able to save him and brought him back to the real world, but that was the only good thing he took from that situation. Alone and very mentally damaged, Yashiro was left confused, afraid and unable to reach out to others because, let’s face it, who would believe such a story like this?

This was the definitive moment where Yashiro completely shut down.

You see that peaceful smile on his face as he watches his father perform? That’s a smile that wouldn’t be seen again for years. He put all his focus on trying to better his skills in the idol industry, not even giving so much as a second thought on wanting to build connections or expand his social group. He completely isolated himself from everyone and locked himself in his own world with no intention of ever leaving it.

But as the story progresses, we see him slowly re-enter the real world, the walls he had built around himself slowly began to crumble as, for the first time in many years, Yashiro reaches out to others.

And this is a change that never would have occurred had it not been for his

2 greatest friends.

To start off, we have his trusty mirage.

Navarre was Yashiro’s friend before he even knew he wanted friends. And while it’s not exactly made clear when these two met, it’s safe to say they’ve known one another for a long time, probably as long as Kiria and Tharja. But even with all that time between them, there was still some distance between them caused by Yashiro’s nature.

With every other bond between mirage and mirage master, we see that it is an equal cohesive relationship. They help one another, encourage one another, learn new things from the other and strive to help the other become better. But with Yashiro and Navarre, for the longest time, their relationship was completely one sided. Navarre put all his focus on helping Yashiro achieve his own, never giving his own input on a different tactic and remained generally quiet and obedient. But as Yashiro began to open up and learn new things, Navarre noticed this growth and changed along with him. He became much more vocal on his thoughts and noticed the changes in Yashiro over time. He came to see that there was far much more to the world than Yashiro had previously painted it as. And in turn, Yashiro began to appreciate Navarre more and was able to verbally express his appreciation for his partner, something the old Yashiro would be too proud to do so.

But let’s face, none of this would have happened had it not been for the one who left the greatest impact on him.

I know for a fact that Yashiro wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near as far as he did had it not been for Itsuki. Our flexible protagonist has helped to change the lives of others, but none of them were on as grand of a scale or held the same level of impact than what he did for Yashiro. Unlike the others where he gave them the support and guidance they needed in order to reach their dream or helped them to unlock parts of themselves that were previously hidden beneath their own fears and anxieties, Itsuki helped Yashiro to become an entirely different person.

While likely not his intention to do so, Itsuki was the one who helped Yashiro to remove himself from whom he used to be and become someone new. He helped him to embrace change, form bonds with others, mend wounds of his past, and acknowledge that he does have some faults to him.

Just look at the expression on Yashiro’s face when Itsuki tells him that he hasn’t broken free from his old views on perfection.

That look alone shows just how much his words affected him.

But one thing that was always made clear was that this brutal harshness was never done to hurt Yashiro. Yes, sometimes people do need some tough love in order to learn, but Itsuki’s intentions were to never make Yashiro feel bad about his faults. Not only because Itsuki is a generally caring person and does speak with a sense of unknown bluntness, but in the same scene I showed before where he told Yashiro off, those harsh critiques were instantly followed up by words of encouragement and the possibility of several future benefits.

I feel like what makes the friendship between them all the more stronger is because these two really are polar opposites. On one hand we have Yashiro, someone who has all the talent one could ask for but has no idea how to interact with the world on a social level. On the other hand we have Itsuki, someone who has no real drive or interest in the art industry but is always willing to lend an ear and a hand to anyone who needs it. The dynamic between them is made all the more better because they both can acknowledge that the other has both advantages and disadvantages to who they are and can learn to grow from one another. I know we don’t see much of Yashiro’s influence on Itsuki quite the same way, but Itsuki is one to grow from his interactions from everything and we do see slight hints of the idol princes affect on our impressionable jack-of-all-trades.

And while the main story does play a big role in that growth between the two, where we see the growth the most comes with

3 stellar sidestories.

Okay, allow me to sulk for a bit.

I’ve always believed that if you really love something or someone, you’d be willing to acknowledge when that certain something or someone has some faults. As much as we love to praise something as being perfect, it’s always good to point out when it’s not as perfect as we believe it to be. After all, nothing in this world exist without flaws, and realizing those faults are what allow us to not only grow more attached to it, but helps us to find ways to resolve those faults and grow from that experience.

So I have the guts to admit one fault with the side stories in this game. While there isn’t a side story that I would legitimately call awful, some side stories do hold more value than others. Some side stories don’t hold as much importance, and some can even be skipped completely because they don’t have much to offer for the character and the overarching story of them.

Yashiro is the exception to this.

Not only do all his side stories hold equal value, they all offer perspective on who he is and help to build up his development.

The first side story might at first seem like just a funny romp, for reason that I don’t blame people from thinking. But it not only helped to show just how much Yashiro is a bit of a man out of times seeing how he doesn’t take very good care of himself, but it was also the start for him to break out of his old habits and experience new things. The second not only helped him to finally acknowledge that his old ways weren’t nearly as perfect as he though, helping him to fully want to embrace change, but it allowed him to realize that working alongside others was more of a benefit than a detriment. It’s also where we started to see him becoming thankful for Itsuki’s influence and everything he’s doing for him. Something we would see full force in his final side story. For what is essentially the last side story players will get around to, it really does go out with a bang. This side story allowed Yashiro to finally make amends with his father and prove to him how much he’s grown ever since then. The difference in how he was at the start of the game to the end of his final side story is astounding and it’s one of the best character growths in the game.

And one thing that connects all these side stories together is a single overlapping theme for him: letting others into his life.

Something we see in   

4 performances alongside others.

Considering that a majority of Yashiro’s screen time with someone else is with Itsuki, these performances serve as a means for him to connect with others. Guest starring on “Microwavin’ with Mamorin”, co starring with Ellie on a sci-fi romance TV drama, playing the main villain on “Masquerader Raiga” and doing a collaboration with Kiria all served as means for him to reach out to the remaining group.

OK, I kinda might be cheating with that third one since we don’t see Yashiro and Touma on screen together, but I’m willing to let that slide for two reasons. 1: we don’t see the full episode so it is possible that Touma did show up. And 2: this did allow for Touma to see Yashiro as a changed man, much different compared to the man he was when he first joined. Also SIV Live doesn’t count because it was interrupted before it could finish and we only saw Kiria perform.

The only member of the main cast that we don’t see Yashiro interact with is Tsubasa, but we do see his views on her shift. Compare when he first appeared and thought she was nothing more than an ameture child to at the end of chapter 4 where he noticed the capabilities she showed because of Itsuki’s influence, something that convinced him that joining Fortuna would be the best.

And it’s these bonds he formed with everyone played a much greater role than we though, since this is what allowed him to secure

5 big wins.

These are victories that he achieved not by sticking to his old methods, but by relying on the help of others and working with them to overcome each obstacle. Let’s list out these newly added accomplishments.

Overcoming his dark doppelganger. Synchronizing with Ellie to take down the Whampa. Finally enacting revenge on Gharnef. Standing strong against his father to prove his worth. And playing his role in defeating Medeus.

None of these hurdles would have been overcome if Yashiro had stuck to his old ways and refused to accept change. Even the strongest soldier alive needs someone to back them up. And for challenges like these, from overcoming a manifestation of your own ego to the man responsible for killing your father and breaking down your spirit, these are battles not meant to be faced alone. And because he wasn’t alone, it’s what allowed him to come out victorious.

That’s what makes Yashiro such a fantastic character. It’s not the feats of strength or massive resume worth of skills that defies him. It’s the bonds he’s formed with others and the connections he created. It’s what makes him stand out so much amongst a cast of memorable characters and has made him so beloved by players. Our idol prince has come a long way from the stand off loner who wanted nothing to do with companionship, and he’s more than ready to face the future and embrace what may come. He’s fully ready to apply himself better to the situation and become a better person.

And chances are that’s something that isn’t going to change anytime soon.

[legendofsim]

Replies

lilyshadowwriter

Oh I don't mind at all! As far as AGW goes, the way you have it now actually makes a lot of sense to me considering how long it is. That is, having the original on WordPress, but posting your rewrites here. This makes sense to me because that way it gets rolled out gradually on Tumblr and won't feel overwhelming for new readers to dive into. That being said, I've been reading it at WordPress! School got intense and then I started working on DW, but I do plan to finish catching up there! ^_^

Well, I don’t plan on rewriting all of AGW to be honest. It’s way too massive and time can be spent updating ewer stories or writing my scripts etc. But Gen 1 needs a major cleaning up and How To Be A Star is short enough to rewrite with only 10 chapters total. Also, I feel you with the catching up thing. I started DW awhile ago and I had to stop reading it to catch up with school work, but hopefully now that summer is coming, I can get back into it. 

lilyshadowwriter

replied to your post“WP AGW Questions”

Actually that was kind of one of the other ideas I had...making a side Tumblr blog for DW rewrites and gradually post it out on there, but...I barely have time to work on this generation of DW so probably a bad idea XD I guess it's summaries it is heh. IDK!! So much to consider 🤔 If you did repost all of AGW here how would you roll it out?? That was one of the issues I ran into thinking of reposting DW. I feel like it'd take months to gradually queue all those posts! 😅

Actually, a side blog isn’t a bad idea. I did a side WP blog for it because I was running out of space for my pics on the original blog lol Otherwise, keeping everything in one place would be very nice. I find summaries boring to do, and I wonder how effective they’d be for something so lore heavy. But I do have a summary up for gen 1 and had one half written for gen 2. It just feels like a chore to do sometimes. My chapters aren’t long, they range from 1.5K to 2.5K so I could technically queue an update a day or possibly 2 to speed it up. Still, it’d take a while, I have over 400 posts. It sounded really good in my head but now that I think about it, probably NOT feasible. Maybe summaries are better. Or maybe, this is a weird idea: but what about an abridged version? Like cutting out parts that don’t matter so much. I know it’s like chopping up your work, but there’s a lot of little scenes especially early on for me, the story could do without. 

dreamersdolls replied to your photo“I’ve got chapter two of A Graying World Retold written and it will...”

You should definitely do Dragos' story first.

Definitely a top priority.

cawthorntales replied to your post“WP AGW Questions”

I'm all caught up on AGW, but I still think it could be good to post it all here too. Since some people only like reading on Tumblr. It'd get this amazing story even more readers. Lol and don't get me started on who I'd want sidestories for. So many.

First of all, thank you very much for the compliment ^_^ Well if you could pick a character you’d like to see a side story for, do let me know whenever. Seriously, this is something I’m always looking into! I just don’t want to bore anyone with characters they don’t like. I’m trying to figure out the best possible way to get AGW posted here if it’s possible. 

justanothersimsblog replied to your photo“Dragos, you smug bastard.”

Hi Mr Grump!

“So one teenage girl calls me Mr.Grump and it’s a thing now!?” He’s a big baby but I’m sure he appreciates the attention ;) 

dandylion240 replied to your photo“I’m just going to leave this here….”

He looks like he's thinking don't mess with my girl or else.

Well, that would be very in character for Dio.