#I have not written here in months but y'all get a shitpost

[lastbluetardis]

It's me. Hi.

(I'm the problem, it's me.) Sorry, I couldn't resist a TSwift reference. (Not sorry at all lmao)

I just wanted to check in and say hi! I've sort of disappeared into the ether for the past year/year and a half, emerging every now and then to shitpost or post a chapter of whatever I happened to be writing.

Small life update: I've been working at a university in Maryland as a chemistry professor, mostly teaching general chemistry, but also a bioanalytical chemistry laboratory class. My contract was initially for one year (2022-2023 school year), but I've been renewed for a second year 🥳

Employment is obviously super great, but I genuinely enjoy my job, which is a huge bonus. Sometimes my students get on my nerves, but on the whole, they're good eggs. I'm so much happier than I was in grad school (it was scarily touch-and-go for a while there during my worst months, but then I got on meds and things started getting better). Here's to hoping the university wants to keep me around and will eventually transition me to a more long-term contract rather than a year-by-year basis 🤞

I still have my kitty, Hydie (for those who are new, that's short for Hydrogen...she was my first cat, after all). She just turned ten years old this past spring, but she's still incredibly sweet and playful (only with me, as she hates everyone else 😂) Here is a sleepy Hydie blep:

Otherwise, I've been just chilling and playing video games. Destiny 2, Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden West, The Last of Us 1 & 2, Elden Ring, and more recently Diablo 4 and Remnant 2 have been my favorites to play or replay. I'm very much looking forward to Baldur's Gate 3 when it released on PlayStation next month!

My writing spark has dimmed quite a bit, so I haven't written much these last few months. A paragraph here and there, maybe a thousand or so words if I happen to catch a good day. But I'm not forcing it. In grad school, I used writing as a distraction and a way to disengage and dissociate from the world, and while that probably saved what was left of my sanity, I want to build healthier habits with writing. I'm just not sure what those habits look like yet. I'll get there eventually. I love writing too much to completely toss in the towel.

Anyways, this post got longer than I meant it to, but I wanted to check in with everyone and give a little life update. I'm hoping to engage on this hellsite a bit more; I've retreated from many online friendships I've cultivated, and I'm sorry about that.

That's it for now, I'll catch y'all later 💜

#life update #greetings friends #personal post

[basaltbutch]

thanks for tagging me @sunshineinbetween! :D

1. Why did you choose your url?

Mostly just wanted a change of pace from my old one! (Also my biological & abusive father was stalking my old url so.) But basically uhhhh i love wandering around in the middle of nowhere like a lost child and also corvids <3

2. Any side blogs?

Quite a bit actually! None of them are super active anymore because I stopped caring about social media. Only one that's still kinda used is @softsayings which is a joint blog between rickshaww and I.

3. How long have you been on tumblr?

...I wanna say 2017??? Is when I made my first account? I abandoned it after a couple of months and never picked it up again (it was a kin blog, surprising probably no one) and I made this one in,,, March 2018 according to the archive. So when I was about 16.

4. Do you have a queue tag?

I do not and the only thing I put in my queue is the anthropocene sea foam post whenever someone reminds me about it <3

5. Why did you start your blog in the first place?

This blog originally was a witchcraft blog. I. don't think that's the case anymore lmao.

6. Why did you choose your icon/pfp?

@rickshaww my beloved drew us for my birthday present and I wanted to show it off :3

7. Why did you choose your header?

Cool and sexy abandoned building we found during a roadtrip and one wall looked like album art!! (Also think it's especially cool how that building had the lyrics from the Garages' Deicide written on the wall and how I'd absolutely never even think about doing something like that.)

8. What’s your post with the most notes?

On this blog, it is, and I quote, "AAAAAAAA DISCIPLINE FUCKS HARDCORE" which 30 whole people seemed to like and I pray my blog never gets any bigger because if it gets like my old aesthetic blog I will just nuke this one and start over.

9. How many mutuals do you have?

No clue! I think I'm mutuals with most of the ppl I follow/that I regularly see on my dash though.

10. How many followers do you have?

109!! And I never want to get above 200.

11. How many people do you follow?

201! Also want to stay pretty low,,, too many and it gets overwhelming.

12. Have you ever made a shitpost?

uhhhhhh I cannot recall. Probably? Do the anthropocene spam posts count??

13. How often do you use tumblr each day?

Oof.

14. Did you have a fight/argument with another blog once?

Uhhhh,,,, no...??? I don't think so, at least not a real one.

15. How do you feel about “you need to reblog this” posts?

You put too many of those on my dashboard and it's an instant unfollow babey!! I do not wish to see it <3 if I think it's important and I have enough energy to care I would reblog it anyway, you guilt-tripping me automatically makes me stop listening <3

16. Do you like tag games?

I do!!! Would love to remember to do them😔. They make me feel like we are all sitting around a campfire asking each other weird questions.

17. Do you like ask games?

Sometimes!! I think it's funnier when I get just. random asks out of nowhere though. (my inbox is literally always open btw, go ahead and send me stupid shit if you're bored)

18. Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

A really popular mystic messenger fan artist at the time. became mutuals with me and then immediately dipped for twitter?? Otherwise most of my mutuals r just chilling in our little corners. Doing our little gay activities.

19. Do you have a crush on a mutual?

Uh,,, I don't think so? 100% aro here, no crushes to be found. Y'all do make me really happy tho :3

Uhhhh no pressure tags; @rickshaww @heathenhouse @redminibike1

#it speaks #the ask game question reminded me about the Cursed Baseball Bat arc and. i should rb that

[dingobabywrites]

Okay, so little announcement/coming out/vent.

First and foremost, if y'all followed me from ao3, from the depths of my heart, THANK YOU! I know I am not consistent in posting fics and the fact that you bothered to read any of my stuff is enough... but to follow me...wow. You guys are amazing!

I have had a hell of a year, including (but not limited to) losing my night shift job that I loved, almost losing my spouse due to their neurological issues, thinking they might have brain damge for a solid month due to those neurological issues, losing my relationship with my mother because she turned my situation into a political debate, all while trying to be a decent parent to my kids and not let them see that I was breaking, during a continuing pandemic in a state that does not care about the safety of others. There is more, but I'm not here to complain. I just wanted to give a brief explanation as to why I haven't really posted anything in a while. I've written things, just lost motivation to post.

The thing that has gotten me through this year is my fandoms and you guys. I thank each and every follower on all my stupid blogs and the people I follow, for giving me an escape from the fucking shit storm that has been this year. And because of you beautiful people, I am beginning to learn that it is okay to be myself without hiding behind a screen. You see, until this year, there were maybe four people I know IRL who knew I even wrote fanfiction. Hence, creating this little side blog. But now, I'm feeling a little more confident in myself. Now, a good majority of the people who actually know me....actually know me. So, I'm opening up a little more of my world to the people who helped me get there.

If you want to continue following this page for my fics, that's fine. I'll continue posting updates here ( I have about 2 or three in the works). But, if you want to see the true level of my insanity, see reblogged shitposts, a bunch of destiel ( with occasional cockles content) and some other fandoms sprinkled in, you can follow me here: @kagesdumpsterfire

I'll reblog this post there as well, but I have a couple rules:

If you know me IRL, no you don't.

If you know me IRL please do not read A Thing of Fiction....the risk is too great. It's poorly written, under construction and well...just don't do it.

PLEASE do not let the actor people perceive me. My anxiety is too high.

If you see previous posts on either page that contradict one another, remember, I was trying to not be me. Just shake your head, judge silenty, and leave it be.

If you feel I am wrong about something or want to call me out on something, that is fine, just please be respectful.

Keep specific fic talk here.

I may add more. Idk. This is still kind of scary to me.

Thank you all so much. Truly, for everything. Enjoy.

[gay4eraser]

i just read (almost) all of your Other!AUs and they are incredible and i am in love with all of them! and i think it's neat how somethings overlap but they're ALL separate story entirely. but i bit worried that you may not be working on any of them so, what are you working on/planning to finish what are your ideas for it(if you're comfortable revealing) and what are your favorite au's you've come up with, written and unwritten? you can only answer some of these if you want! that's okay!

HSHGDSJRHR RHANK YOOOU!!!!!

Goodness, howd you manage that??? I spew so much shit I literally can't even keep track of it myself

HONESTLY MY FAV AU IS AND FOREVER WILL BE VIGILANTE ALL MIGHT

Like, it's certainly popular (esp considering theres been both fanart AND a work/someone else's vigilante!might au inspired by it, which might I mention, go check out @evieebun125 , I still Vibrate Intensely every time I think about it) but it's also... still one of my less popular AUs. It makes me a lil sad, bcz there's So Much love and shit put into it and yet the first Mothzawa 800 word shitpost drabble got the same amount of attention it took months to get in like three hours

It's probably because it's allerasermic, but what can I say? I'm weak for that good good polyam content

So yes, Heroism will be receiving updates in the future! Maybe slow going, but it will!

As for some of my others: I literally can't remember them all, so if you have any specifics I don't mention go ahead and ask about them, but here's the main ones:

DNA That Binds, aka, #biokinesis au

I don't plan on doing much for it! It's very much so a "as I feel like, low stress" project, which is INSANE considering it's my most popular fic, look at it's fucking stats

Never before have I received so much feedback on a fic - and for one I don't put much time and effort into!

I may make some art and content for it as I feel like it or as ideas come (a group chat chapter and a costume chapter come to mind) but there's likely not gonna be anything near the update consistency it started with or that any of my other fics will have

Mothzawa fic: this is another big surprise tbh, I didn't expect anyone to be crazy interested and now look at where we are. The ask blog @askmothzawa will be having most consistent updates with asks answered every now and then! Fic will be updated as I get chapters out, but I DO plan on keeping it going, it's not gonna peter out

(Also, apologies to someone, I was responding to ur ask about mothzawa to this blog and tumblr fuckled and I was too frustrated to retype it, sorry!!! I'll respond to it soon)

U h h h h h there's a few more I can think of but nothing big??? If you have any specifics you're interested in the status of, lemme know!!! Thanks a lot!!!!

I will say about unwritten AUs though: for every AU I've ever screamed about, theres ten more niche, self indulgent AUs I daydream about that y'all will never know about

#my stuff #ask #anon #anonymous

[yaldev]

300 stories! In this thread: celebration, circumstantial updates, project statistics and story plans going forward!

CELEBRATION:

yay me, i hit the arbitrary multiple of one hundred which is itself only relevant due to our base-10 number system, WHOOP DE DOO

Alright, celebration over. No need to rest on my laurels.

On a non-shitpost note, it often feels hard for me to take pride in my own accomplishments when I hold myself to the standards of the people I admire, who had typically accomplished more literary by my age than I have. Then again, they live in different circumstances than I do.

CIRCUMSTANTIAL UPDATES:

I'm not particularly proud of rate of progress in this place, but I also have to give myself some credit. A shitty breakup some months back with someone who involved herself pretty crucially in this project made Yaldev feel poisoned for a considerable length of time after, and I had to work through my inner storm until the creative muse would return. University's been eating a lot of my time and energy, delaying both that endeavour and Yaldev itself after it was finished. None of this made better by my shitty time-management skills and tendency to spend entire free evenings doing shit I don't even really enjoy. But of course that can't stop me. The kind of person I want to be wouldn't let any of this stop them.

Speaking of university, I've been heavily informed by a literature class I've been taking on science fiction. It's lead to me treating that aspect as something different from a mere aesthetic, fantasy with a coat of fancy paint, but something separate and defined by its own qualities. It's also forced me to do more reading of the genre and come to an understanding of some of its strengths (worldbuilding, creativity through restrictions, aesthetic potential, power in commenting on the present using the future as a device) and weaknesses (worldbuilding, restrictions on creativity, relatability, failing to make the damn characters/plot/prose interesting). In other words, if you notice me treating more scientific aspects of Yaldev differently in future writing, it's probably a result of what I've been learning here.

Above all, the single most important lesson: "bro fantasy writers are just too stupid to write SF bro,, they have arts degrees instead of STEM degrees like SF writers so they're really just intellectual inferiors, you have to have a very high IQ to understand r-"

I'm also not putting too much pressure on myself to go faster specifically because I'm still learning. When I sit down to write a post more historical in nature, it helps if I've done so after learning some more history. Same goes for economics, mythology, science, anything really. I'm still young and I have no doubt that I'll be looking back at much of what I've written and utterly cringe at my ignorance in several fields. To my future self who inevitably does so: I was self-aware of my lack of expertise, I did what I could with the knowledge I had, I frequently broke away from using this knowledge to create total realism in favour of pursuing my creative vision at the time, and I had to write a lot of bad stuff before I was ready to make anything good. So shut up you endlessly self-critical bastard.

COVID outbreak has prompted the cancellation of all classes for the rest of this term. I'll still be having to work on final papers and such, but Yaldev productivity will probably jump up a bit more.

I will be throwing some Yaldev ads out there soon, most likely candidates being Reddit and/or Facebook. If you've arrived here from one of said ads, welcome! Sorry for interrupting you, I was just really excited to show you my stories!

STATISTICS:

This is the fun part, lads! Get ready for some stats and some commentary!

Total Stories: 300

As should be obvious, all numbers are only for the point at which I'm writing this post.

Project Age: 1124 Days

Damn, oldie.

How Long You Have to Wait, on Average, For the Next Post: Approximately 3.75 Days

Yeah, it's nowhere near Beeple's output. Sorry to say that my muse isn't always in this place. I do write something creative every day but it's usually not something that works as canon in here. On that note, I do highly recommend that whatever your creative hobby is, do something every day to practice it, even if it's not much or not for long. You have to keep that part of your brain constantly active to maintain your present skill and remain in a state where you can improve with time.

This number would be lower if not for some of my longer hiatuses. I hope to eventually bring that down to 3.5, for an average of two posts per week across the project's history.

Readers Across All Platforms: 412 (58 on Facebook, 129 on Instagram, 119 on Reddit, 106 on Tumblr)

Howdy y'all! Thanks for being here and reading my steadily-improving crap. I really struggle with talking about my creative projects in real life, including Yaldev, primarily out of a self-trained instinct to shut myself up about it on the understanding that nobody cares - especially not other creative types, since we're all too invested in our own creation to pay much heed to others. I've been trying to overcome that, and you're helping me just by being here to read. That tells me there's potential in this and that it's something that at least some people genuinely want to see. Artists shouldn't attach their sense of self to their creations, but I can't help but feel validated through that.

At the same time, I do often fear that mine is the sort of content that just gets a like tossed at it for the pretty visuals on the way down the endless content scroll, without having made a real impression on anyone or created a lasting memorry. I'll probably always have that worry, which comes as much from a disdain for general Internet culture as anything else. (I say that as someone quite embedded in and familiar with it; at some point you just get tired of it all.)

Stories Per Reader: Approximately 0.73

Makes it sound like a pretty good growth rate, if on average I'm getting one (and sometimes more) new follower per story. I guess "good growth rate" is somewhat subjective and depends on your goal, but for me, having a tangible unit of increase for each at all feels good.

For word counts, all of them include post titles.

Shortest Story: Caged Light (26)

Unsurprisingly, the shortest posts in general are the ones that are excerpts of stylistic machine language. The runner-up is Titanium Hearts, at 32.

Longest Story: Steelflakes (2024)

That's right, the longest Yaldev story is this piece I revised over and over, and which basically nobody read! :^)

The runner-up is Meeting with the Oracle, at 2014.

Total Word Count: 68,689

That's within the realm of a standard novel, but fantasy novels tend to be about 100k words. We just might get there, lads!

Average Story Length: Approximately 229 words

Yep, makes sense. Over time I've come to realize that shorter is (generally) best given the attention span of most social media users. I think 200-250 words is solid, but of course there'll be deviations from that.

STORY PLANS GOING FORWARD:

It somewhat stresses me out how many "unfinished plots" there are. I'm mostly concerned about the fate of Dread Fighter Tarle, Decadin's death, the campaign of Commander Bruzek, Aran's life situation, the fall of the capital city, and most of all the journeys of Inzohm and the Lone Traveller. The last two are especially concerning because they're the only ones where I feel somewhat lost on where to go with it, and since it's literally the chronological end there's a lot of pressure to make it good and let it end with a good impression. That said, I'm not going to force early development for any of these. Sometimes it's a matter of having to wait for good art to come up. This may have to be awhile, since it took awhile for Beeple to start including humans in his art.

It's theoretically possible that some things still aren't tied up by the project's end, in which case I'll do something short and likely artless just to give them a resolution.

When I get to Beeple's later art I plan to be putting more focus on individual cities across Yaldev with it, shining a stronger light on Ascendant culture, and its regional variants based on the remnants of cultures it overran. I'd also like to do more pre-civilization loredumps, about the chaotic landscapes and natural phenomena of early Yaldev in the days before humans tilled the land and dammed the Aether.

Regarding visual consistency: expect variance. Some things in different pieces of art look close enough to each other to be the same object in the narrative, but still have some differences in colour or details that make them non-identical. As the biggest example, most giant disks will be interpreted as the Aether Suppressor even though not all of them will be made of purple crystal with segmenting black lines like the first post depicting it did.

Thanks for being here. What I always wanted as a kid was for other people to be as excited about my worldbuilding as I was, and while I doubt I've hit that extent, I hope my work's had some impact on you.