#writing collab project

[enchantedchocolatebars]

Hey, everyone!

If you read my notes on ao3 to the latest chapter of "A Winsome Witch And A Happy Human", you'll notice that I mentioned that I was taking a break from the story to work on a writing collab project with a mutual / friend.

Me and Lee plan to release one part of the story for every day of December!

Well, I'm here to talk about it!

It's titled "Witte Solstice", and I'm writing it with @leespinoodle!

"The most satanic time of the year is upon us, and Caleb wants me to participate? Hmph! As if I would..."

Here's a summary:

It's winter in the Boiling Isles, and Caleb prepares to celebrate the solstice with his wife, his friends... and hopefully, with Beardo Philip!

Philip swears he'll never partake in the satanic holidays of those demonic witches.

But when Caleb invites him over for the solstice... maybe he'll find himself making an exception.

Commis//sion art here.

[smolstarthief]

Ok I just thought these dialogues from the P5X x P5R collab were very interesting to me. I know P5X isn't considered canon but this felt like a neat insight into Maruki's inner mentality and dwindling sanity despite not being present.

Even "I just want to dream forever" during this exchange can raise sad implications knowing the ending of his arc.

Man knows what's up but just keeps on running anyways before he even appears properly. Just god... Really highlights how messed up his mental state has already gotten.

[forged-in-stardust]

Hello a question inspired by the fact i’m leaving to visit my grandparents. Have you traveled to other places before? Or do you just stay [location] (feel free to say yes or no lol) :D

>>> "Yes". >>> Come on, at least give them something! >>> (Sigh.) Fine. >>> Well. We're Navigator Stars. We usually stay in Elevatia, since we can do most of our work from there. >>> We don't have to all the time though! There's other places offworld we can work at. >>> Yeah. They're like outposts of a sort. Good for dangerous training or experiments, or just for a change of scenery. >>> There's often Heroes there too! Some Stars spend time teaching them or giving them classes. Some even live there, an- >>> I'm going to stop you before you reveal anything else confidential and we both get in trouble.

[scoots-canoe]

Concept sketches for spidery girl oc...from 2023-2025😭 (potential name: "Magnolia"). Premise is uh...spirit of someone (dead) who has some affiliation with spiders for whatever reason, and can only inhabit/possess spider silk. Their bones were ashes before, but a certain witch who specializes in soot and ash was able to reconstitute them into a skeleton. Then spiders came and wove silk over the bones to make a sort of puppet that the spirit could walk around in again. I don't have much else.....🥲

Primitive spiderweb form before she gets her body back, at some point I considered it could be like a video game where you play as a spider who has to find the bones to restore your spidery queen.

Earliest doodles of her back when the idea was just a character with spiderweb hair

🕸️Moood board/inspo🕸️ Personality/vibes: Sucy (Little Witch Academia), Morticia Addams (as played by Anjelica Huston in The Addams Family [1991]), Rarity (MLP:FiM), Lady Lazarus (poem by Sylvia Plath)

There is a recording of Sylvia Plath reading this poem and it's very very cool to me 😊:

I actually wasn't even thinking of this poem when I was concepting the character, I just recently revisited it and was like omg it's her🤯

That's all I think...thanks for reading if you did 🥹

[spotaus]

Heyo!!! So, I officially passed 200 followers a bit ago, and idk how many of you are artists so I wanted to put out a poll to see what I should do to celebrate! (If anything at all-)

Idk if I actually will do anything, kinda relies on feedback lmao? Worst case Y'all just get a silly doodle and I move on w/ life 😅

[pardonmydelays]

huh

[uncleskyrule]

does anyone else have a great need to read a modern AU Linked Universe fic where the Chain has a Halloween party or is that just me

edit: be the change you want to see in the world

[senyaichiya]

Hi did this moment fuck you up it fucked me up

[kkaisarion]

i'm so glad i got to participate in @floating--goblin's charity zine to support palestine. it's filled with all sorts of cozy fics and art about everyday life at the ministry, including a fic/art collab that i did with @krscblw

sneak peek of copia welcoming cumulus to her new home:

more info is on @home-charity-fanzine's page and the ko-fi link. thank you for considering supporting!

[risingshards]

Writing Year in Review Part 2: Goals and Dreams

Part 1 here Part 3 here

So with my mopes and gloats somewhat out of the way, what are my hopes for the next year of writing with all that in mind?

Build up Rising Shards readership somehow. I don't know if that involves me writing something more engaging or if I have to learn how to promote myself better, or if I have to do some wild and wacky business in how RS is delivered. I also want to build up Reborn and get lots of people reading it (See Part 3 for some ideas there), especially once all the chapters are done.

Keep writing what I want to write and what comforts me. For Rising Shards I want a cozy but fun and exciting year. Basically juggling all the RS tones and themes and such as usual. A major part of Rising Shards to me is an outlet for me to comfort and console myself through rough times. So while it's disappointing I haven't gotten to a bajillion views a chapter and quadrupled my subscribers, I do feel a need to be writing Rising Shards. I have a lot of fun, weird, and heartfelt stuff I still want to get to and because I still have a ton, I want to continue Rising Shards.

Get a wiki on my series into a good introductory shape. I want a wiki so I have an easier time keeping track of all the characters, settings, etc. and one for readers to look at too. I also want an easy set of links to each episode and I think a wiki can do that.

Other projects - I'm not sure what exactly I have on the docket this year, but there's definitely collab project, and I hopefully will finally get onto the Patreon series. One of my writer friends wants to go to a lit agent conference which I am very skeptical about, but if I go it would be kind of exciting to have a new project to pitch for it.

Plan schedule out better so I'm not so far behind all the time. I hope with my new job I'll be able to write more regularly.

Keep taking steps to the big goals like print versions of RS, comic version of RS, a video game, etc.

[enchantedchocolatebars]

Witte Solstice - Chapter 31

Cover art by @leespinoodle.

Fic written by me (enchantedchocolatebars) and @leespinoodle.

Summary: It's winter in the Boiling Isles, and Caleb prepares to celebrate the solstice with his wife, his friends… and hopefully, with Beardo Philip! Philip swears he'll never partake in the satanic holidays of those demonic witches. But when Caleb invites him over for the solstice… maybe he'll find himself making an exception.

Ao3 version

(AAA, LAST CHAPTER!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS STORY IS GOING TO BE OVER AFTER THIS!!! 😭 😭 😭 Thank you to everyone who took the time to read it, and a special thanks to @leespinoodle for being my companion throughout this writing journey! I highly recommend checking out their works since they're a really talented writer. This story, in particular, will always mean a lot to me since it's my first ever completed collaborative fic with a friend. I'll always go back and reread it whenever I can. But anyway, yeah! Hope everyone has a Happy New Year + a flourishing 2025! I'm defo going to be taking a small break after this (TIRED), but expect to see more fics, fic requests, headcanons, written works, etc. from me in the future. I'LL ALSO BE GETTING TO THE ASKS IN MY INBOX!)

Enjoy!

Soft golden light arose in the sky the next morning as Beardo Philip gently stirred in his sleep.

When he awoke, he let out a longish yawn, sitting up in bed to stretch his arms.

His blue eyes soon began to survey the spare room he was in, recalling a few of the events from yesterday.

Philip remembers having spoken to Caleb, as well as being led into this room after their talk.

Fables such as "The Ant and the Grasshopper" and "The Lion and the Mouse" were also fresh in his mind... for some odd reason.

Slipping out of the quilt that covered him, Philip headed to the door.

...

Caleb sat at the kitchen table, nursing a hot whiskey tonic. He looked up as Philip stepped out of the spare room. "Good morning," he said softly. "How are you feeling? I'd imagine you have quite the headache."

The second Caleb said that, Philip felt the pain in his head return.

"Ugh, don't remind me...," he calmly groaned, taking a seat at the table. "I'm fine, by the way. Slept fairly well. You?"

"I barely slept a wink," Caleb admitted. "The last of the guests left shortly after dawn, so I just laid down for a bit before getting up to make myself a tonic. Would you like one?"

Philip gave a slow, restful nod. "A tonic sounds fine. Is it feasible for you to make tea as well?" he requested.

"Of course." Caleb stood to set a kettle on the stove. "Anything to eat? We have bread and pottage from yesterday's supper."

"I'll have bread," Philip calmly spoke to Caleb as he tried piecing together the sober apology he was planning on making to the elder.

In his mind, it was long overdue.

Once the tea and tonic were done, Caleb brought them over to the table, along with a loaf of bread and a knife. "Here you are. Something on your mind?"

"Thank you." With breakfast now in his possession, Philip took hold of the wooden teacup, curling his fingers around the handle as he brought it to his lips, blowing the steam that arose from the liquid.

After a long sip, he released a breath.

The tea was black and plain, just how he liked it.

He set the cup down.

Philip was unprepared for Caleb's question.

It was evident to the elder that there was something on his mind.

"Hm?!" Philip went, quickly shifting his gaze to his teacup as he saw his reflection ripple through the liquid like little waves until it stilled.

He soon sighed, looking up at Caleb with regretful eyes.

"It's just..." Philip sighed once more. "I'm… I'm sorry, Caleb. For yesterday. I... very much regret not making a genuine arrival to your party. And..." Philip drew a long, deep breath and let it out.

"... I apologize for not visiting you often. I know that Yule is over, but I had a gift that I wanted to give you. I'm not sure if it'll mean much now."

"A gift? You didn't have to bring me a gift. You know that spending time together would have been enough of a gift for me," Caleb said, sitting back down.

Philip nodded. "I understand. However, I still wish to give you what I made. It's something I know you'll find fetching. View it as a humble apology gift from me to you. Would you mind opening your hands up?"

Caleb tilted his head questioningly but held out his hands.

Reaching a hand into his pocket, Philip pulled out his gift and placed it into Caleb's hands.

Caleb held a cute, delicately painted carving of a small yellow duckling with an orange bill and black eyes that had white pupils within his palms.

The bill was meticulously crafted to make the duck look cheerful.

As a small gag, the duck's lively aura is complimented by a single squeaky noise that acts as a quack.

Caleb gently cradled the wooden duckling in his hands, marveling at the craftsmanship. He smiled softly. "Thank you, Philip. It's lovely."

With closed eyes, Philip returned Caleb's expression as he felt the heavy burden of shame and regret that he once felt lifted from his back by his brother's smile. "You're quite welcome." He soon opened his eyes.

"Also, Caleb, if it's not too much trouble, could you let your cardinal know that I offer my deepest apologies to him? Admittingly, I wasn't the kindest to young Pancake the other day."

"That's not his... Alright, I'll let him know," Caleb said.

…

After breakfast had concluded, Beardo Philip was ready to return to his cave.

He smiled a small, somewhat gloomy smile.

"I... guess this is goodbye then...," Philip spoke as he sighed, his tone soft and tender as he turned to face Caleb while standing near the front door, now dressed in his blue coat.

The brunette did his best to avoid sounding too down about his departure.

Caleb reached out to pull Philip into a hug. "Remember, you're always welcome here. Don't be a stranger, now."

Philip's smile went soft as he hugged his brother back, happy to be in his caring and kind embrace. "I'll make sure to remember that, Caleb Clawthorne."

[arenabreadandbiscuits]

Working on the next character for the Otome/dating sim in thinking about. Many things are to still be sorted out and such but I tend to keep a familiar looking character like this around because I really enjoy having them.

This one is based on the fire element unlike Lordship who is plant/earth. I think imma for sure tied the world to elements and aliens while making multiple versions of mc so people can chose which ones they actually like in game.

He doesn't yet have a name but keep an eye out and follow if you wanna keep up on the progress.

[starfall-spirit]

Hey, @ the fanfic folk, not to sound completely out of the loop, but how do y'all decide when to use parenthesis for a fic title. Is it a means to break up a long title or themes of the story or...

I came up with a title that's kind of long and think it would fit the format for parenthesis, but I don't want to look like an idiot, yk? 😅

[moreaujeans]

I LOVE ARTTRT

[enchantedchocolatebars]

Witte Solstice - Chapter 30

Cover art by @leespinoodle.

Fic written by me (enchantedchocolatebars) and @leespinoodle.

Summary: It's winter in the Boiling Isles, and Caleb prepares to celebrate the solstice with his wife, his friends… and hopefully, with Beardo Philip! Philip swears he'll never partake in the satanic holidays of those demonic witches. But when Caleb invites him over for the solstice… maybe he'll find himself making an exception.

Ao3 version

Three bottles in, and Caleb was REALLY starting to feel it. Sure, he was no stranger to drinking, but three bottles in a few minutes?

That was a lot of alcohol.

He felt like he needed to sit down, but he couldn't, lest he lose by the second rule of 'staying upright.'

Beardo Philip tried his best to stand upright, but the alcohol in his system was far too much.

As he sat down, he immediately collapsed face first onto the table as his fourth bottle, half-drank, slipped from his grasp and spilled all over the table.

He was completely out of it. "Ugh, my head...," he moaned out, feeling the biggest headache start to kick in.

Philip's forehead colliding with the table didn't help either. 

Caleb placed a hand on Philip's shoulder and gently shook him, concern etched across his face. "Are you alright?"

"Me?" Philip slurred as he slowly lifted his head up to look at Caleb, his nose and cheeks flushed.

He sounded somewhat confused by the question.

"I'm-hic-fine!" he reassured unconvincingly in a somewhat aggressive tone as he hiccuped. "I've-hic-never felt-hic-better. I just..."

Philip suddenly felt his stomach lurch. It felt very uneasy, almost as if he was about to...

His cheeks swiftly puffed out as he quickly covered his mouth in shock.

Standing up, he sped, as well as staggered, towards the door.

After swinging it open and rushing out onto the porch, Philip abruptly shuts the door.

Caleb shared a look with Evelyn.

"I suppose that means you win," she joked.

Caleb rolled his eyes and scoffed, but he couldn't hide his smile. "I ought to go make sure he's okay. You all keep the party going, alright? I'll be right back."

With that, Caleb followed his brother outside.

...

"Beating me is child's play, huh?" Caleb said, quoting Philip's earlier statement.

After breathing out his nose for a second time to keep from spewing, the brunette shot his brother a cross look.

"D-Don't mock me!" A pouty Philip stuttered, directing a finger at the eldest while trying to keep his balance. "I-I let you win! Hic! I-hic! I demand a rematch!"

Philip felt his head begin to pound yet again as he hissed, placing a hand on his forehead.

"We're not doing a rematch, now sit down before you fall and hurt yourself," Caleb said, taking a seat on the steps with plenty of room beside him for Philip to sit as well.

Philip gave a roll of his glossy eyes.

"Fiiiine!" he whined, taking a seat beside his brother.

After huffing, the brunette remained silent for a bit before sighing.

"... I-I've been a horrible guest, haven't I?" he asked, hanging his head low. "I-I've ruined your party. You probably loathe me, don't you?"

Caleb sighed. "I don't loathe you, I am merely... disappointed. Philip, will you answer something honestly for me?" he asked.

Despite his fuddled state, Philip could feel his heart sink at the mention of his brother's disappointment in him.

He gave an exaggerated nod. "O-Of course I can, dear brother. You-hic know I'm always honest with you."

Caleb frowned and placed a hand on Philip's shoulder. "Why are you really here?"

"Why... am I really h-here?" Philip repeated, stumbling over a word as he tilted his head slightly.

"Hmm...," he hummed in thought, setting a hand under his chin.

When a reason struck his mind, his lips stretched out into a silly smile. 

"Oh, I know why! Because you had invited me, dear brother! Also, I was convinced to come by the Yule holiday spirit."

Caleb sighed and looked away. "I know that's not why you're here. I did love being able to believe that, but I know it isn't true. You've never answered my invitations before. You didn't even attend my wedding."

Caleb paused as his voice shook a little and blinked a few times to keep himself from tearing up.

Philip couldn't help but notice that his brother was holding back tears, even with his intoxication, as evidenced by his face and wet voice.

As Philip took a moment to really think about the wedding he hadn't attended, along with his true reason for coming to the party and the multitude of invitations he had either trashed or ignored in the past, he felt a river of genuine guilt flood through his body.

"I...," Philip spoke as he began to stare at the ground, his voice tight with embarrassment as he grew more and more downhearted.

"I..." He started rubbing the back of his neck as a self-soothing gesture and as a way to prevent himself from crying.

"I... I just... I was trying to... I wanted to... Caleb, you have to understand, I..."

As Philip attempted to give a reason for his presence, his body stiffened, and the dam of tears that he had been trying to hold back finally broke.

He not only felt bad about being a terrible party guest but also felt bad about being a terrible brother overall.

"I-I can't!" he softly cried out, covering his face with both hands as he leaned against Caleb. "I-I can't tell you why I truly came, you would detest me forever."

Currently, he detests himself.

Caleb sighed again and tiredly draped an arm around Philip's shoulders and pulled him closer. "There, there, love. You needn't cry, I could never detest you," he said.

"St-hic-Still," Philip hiccuped between his sobs. "I'm so sorry, Caleb. For everything. For not attending your wedding, for our previous argument at my cave, for ruining your party," Philip sniffed, his next sentence really shattering his heart into a million guilt-ridden pieces. 

"F-For wanting to burn your house down with everyone but us inside!" he sobbed loudly, revealing his true reason for coming.

"Could you ever find it in yourself to f-forgive me?" he asked, his face sticky with tears.

"Hey, it's alri-wait, you wanted to do what?" Caleb leaned back, alarm on his face. "You were going to burn my house down? What in God's name... Why?"

Philip's cries ceased as he wiped his face with his sleeve, halting to contemplate his words. "Wait...," the brunette thought aloud. "Did I want to burn your house down? Maybe I... did? Maybe I... didn't? Perhaps... we were going to do it together?"

Whimpering, tears start to regain in his eyes, and Philip starts to sob once more. "Oh, I can't remember anymore!" he ugly-cried.

Caleb pressed his fingers to his temples.

"Alright, alright. Look, we have a spare room inside. Why don't you go lie down for a bit? It seems like you might need it." Caleb stood up and held out his hand.

Philip's cries came to a slow stop as he gazed at Caleb's offered hand. He slowly reached to take hold of it, but abruptly pulled back.

He was hesitant.

Did he even deserve his kindness after everything that transpired tonight? Looking up at his brother, he saw him give him a smile warm enough to thaw ice.

It brought back so many memories of the many times Caleb had forgiven him when they were younger because he had done something wrong or made a mistake.

This made Philip soon realize something.

His brother wasn't going to give up on him, no matter how many times he botched up.

Taking hold of the older's hand, Philip stood up.

His brother truly was a saint of a man.

"Y-You're not going to tell her--" Philip quickly corrected himself with a sniffle as he wiped his eye. "Evelyn, about this, are you? I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but..." He leaned in to whisper into Caleb's ear. "She doesn't think very highly of me."

"She doesn't think highly of you? I wonder why…" Caleb said, rolling his eyes. "I'm not going to tell Evelyn. Now get inside; it's cold out here."

Caleb led Philip back inside and towards the spare room. The majority of the guests were distracted with other activities, having moved on from the drinking contest, although Evelyn looked over when the brothers reentered. Caleb gave her a nod, and she went back to the party.

The spare room was rather bare, featuring only a small bed and a chest of drawers.

It was a simple room, functioning mainly as a place for friends or travelers to rest on short notice.

"Here. Why don't you go lie down now, hm? You can stay the night if you'd like, and I'll make you a cure-all in the morning."

"Alright then," Philip agreed, removing his coat as he tossed it on the chest of drawers.

Soon after, he slipped into the small bed and got himself comfortable.

"Will you be... reading me a story tonight?" Philip asked, pausing to yawn.

"Unfortunately, I don't have my Bible on me to lend you, but any story shall..." he yawned again. "Suffice."

"... Fine." Caleb sat down at the foot of the bed and recounted a few of Aesop's Fables from memory.

Once he figured Philip was asleep, he got up and left the room, closing the door behind him so that the light and noise of the celebration wouldn't disturb Philip.

[tuttle-did-it]

😳Wait

what? 😳

You’re telling me someone besides Mike Farrell read my article?

I’m happy

I’m confused.

Happy to know it’s had some good impact! That’s so lovely. Thank you. It means a lot to me that someone actually enjoyed it. 🩺⛑️🚁🧸

One of hundreds of letters sent to CBS after “Abyssinia Henry” aired 50 years ago today on March 18th, 1975. Many of them were from young children.

Last summer I started working on a project with these letters where I tracked down and spoke to many of the children who wrote them (now in their 60s). The project is on hold until I finish this school year, but I leaving cryptic messages on the answering machines of America's boomers resulted in some of the best conversations I've ever had. I'll keep you updated. I chose to share this image as the letter writer is anonymous.

Photo by me, “Letters from viewers regarding the death of Henry Blake.” Box 22, Folders 4. M*A*S*H Television Show Collection, 1950-1984, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. https://sova.si.edu/record/nmah.ac.0117/ref359?s=0&n=10&t=C&q=NMAH.AC.0117&i=0

Edit: follow @dearmash1975project for updates