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fuckyeahdindjarin · 11 months

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Behind the Seams: Part III

Welcome to the first instalment of Behind the Seams! Thank you everyone who has responded so positively to this slightly self-indulgent idea I had. I know I take so long in between chapters, this seems like a fun way to keep you guys in the loop, and also to keep myself motivated and productive while I work by sharing my thoughts as I go.

This time, I'll be rambling about focusing on the characters as I'm still in the thick of developing personalities and interpretations in the Seams universe, and I'd love to put all the thoughts that have been rattling around my brain into words to help me process it.

I will be tagging these posts as 'behind the seams' together with the chapter number 'seams iii' so you can filter this out if you don't want to see them! For those who are interested, let's dive in below the cut!

Current status: 3.2k written, fully outlined rough draft with most of the dialogue drafted.

Initial thoughts: This chapter wrote far more easily than I expected to so far. Each story is different, but I tend to find the 3rd to 5th chapters hardest to write, when you're building up the shape of the arc of the whole series.

I'm still keeping my options open with regards to what Seams is or can be, but I'm still thinking 'loose fit series' i.e. there won't be a solid, overarching story arc or ending to the series since it's not a plot-driven story. It will be interesting to see if my approach changes after a couple more chapters!

The challenge: The first two instalments were so hyper-zoomed in on Joel and Pin, I knew that the challenge for this chapter is pulling back the camera and seeing how they interact with each other outside the safety of the Outfitters, and how they fit into the wider community.

Joel and Pin: I was re-reading Threads in preparation for writing Part III, and what strikes me is that these two really don't know a lot about one another. They've barely had a fully formed conversation despite the forced proximity and some very charged moments in the last two chapters. I've tentatively written most of their dialogue in this chapter, and it's interesting that a couple of times, I've stopped myself and thought - is this too playful for a shy person like Pin? Is it too familiar with two people who are practically strangers, despite their chemistry? It's a balance that I'll have to find as I edit, and I'm excited to see how it turns out.

Tommy: For some reason, Tommy comes fairly easily to me, a testament to Pedro and Gabriel’s chemistry on screen. Without giving too much away, I'm really happy with the angle I found for Joel and Tommy in this chapter. There's a lot to unpack between the two brothers, but the happy occasion means that I can focus on the good part of their relationship for now. However, I am keeping the tensions in their history in my back pocket because I don't want to gloss over the very real and three-dimensional relationship we saw in the series.

Ellie: I've talked about how I'm nervous about writing Ellie. My Pedro boys are all lone wolves - sure they have their best friends (Teak to Palomino!Jack, Santi to Grays!Frankie, Pete/Rebecca to Consent!Dieter), but Ellie is Joel's kid, and she's part of his life more than any BFF is to my other Pedro boys. Luckily, I have found an in with Ellie that I think works well with the story in Part III, and also fits in with the broader direction of the fic. It's going to be nerve-wrecking, but I'm ready to write her into Seams!

Tess: I'm not in a place to say too much yet about Tess, but it's so important to me that she isn't erased from the Seams universe despite her not being there. I've been thinking a lot about Tess lately, about how she will fit into the story, how Joel will fit Pin into his and in relation to Tess. There are no easy answers, and it will be something to mull over in the next few chapters.

Something fun: Ok, all this character stuff is pretty heavy, so I want to end on a light-hearted note - Joel's tummy makes a cameo in a white undervest 😌

And that's it for Behind the Seams: Part III! I feel a lot lighter having found a space for all the things I have been thinking about while drafting the chapter. I hope this was a fun deep dive for you guys as well, I'll be hitting Google Docs hard this weekend to try to get all of the writing done for Part III so that I can start editing next week. My askbox is always open if anyone wants to chat 🥰

#fuckyeahseams #behind the seams #seams iii

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karoochui · 5 months

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I just wanted to say I am so enamoured with Binary Insurgence! I eat up everything, every little crumb, you drop about it and the entire idea is so interesting to me! I'm so in love with stories and worlds like this! I'm also curious to know about the relationship between Sun and Moon, if it's alright to ask. How was it before the fire compared to after? Does their relationship begin to mend (because I'm certain over the years it deteriorated) when y/n comes back into the picture? If any of this is too spoilery or you just haven't fleshed it out yet then you don't have to answer! I'm just super curious about the boys and how you see their dynamic/relationship. I just look forward to seeing how their bond has grown and/or broken and how it may be mended over time.

AHH im glad you like it so much!! Im happy to talk about what i've got, but you are right not everything is fully fleshed out. I have points i wanna get to but while im brainstorming and planning i make up a lot of stuff as i go and then go over it again later to see if i like it or can connect stuff in any way. I have 3 chapters for Arc 1 fully summarized as of now! (Which probably doesn't seem like a lot but i like my chapters long, so it's quite a bit actually).

I wanna say, too, that i'm planning for the first story to be more in the perspective of the reader, so most things about Sun and Moon's personal thoughts and feelings are gonna be more implied than said. I might have some switching points of view, i'm not sure, but i haven't found a place i'd do it or think it's relevant. The sequel is gonna be more from their perspective since it'll mostly be about them.

NOW! I see Sun and Moon as brothers, so they really treat each other in a way that's like that. Before the fire they get along pretty well. Most instances of issue would be when Moon blocks out Sun when he fronts, or just mutual panic over the fact Moon lost his shit w/ the virus. They'll have their disagreements about things (i havent planned specifics yet) but generally they're chill. Sun just worries about Moon hurting people, but Moon worries too. With the way the virus functions in this AU it's hard for Sun to fully fault Moon for what he does, especially because he's also affected by it but not nearly as bad. (I'm gonna explain this more in another ask i have).

Plus, even before the virus they were always glitch/bug-ridden because technicians fucked up their programming continuously after removing them from the theater to work in the daycare. So they had to kinda navigate through that together, glitches and errors on both ends (though not deadly). They hate P&S bc of this, obviously. Hardware fixes suck but they fucking HATE software examinations.

Later on though some issues come into play whenever Sun starts getting worse by being further exposed to the virus (it gets worse for him when they eclipse) because it presents itself in Sun differently than it does Moon. He gets snappier and angrier at times (that comic i made that's captioned "well someones snappy") and while they both understand he doesnt mean the shit he does it's still not great. And nobody's gonna just let themselves be talked to like a dog even if the reason it's happening is because of something the other person can't really help. They're still relatively fine at this point, though.

It's at the end when shit goes really bad, because this part of the story does end badly. I won't spoil specifics but after the fire Sun loses his shit. He starts trying to put the blame on Moon for everything (the virus enhancing his already bad habits/fucking with his line of thinking) out of grief and anger. That carries over into the apocalypse and he just gets worse in general. He gets irrational.

It's a long period of time though, so he eventually also manages it, in his own way. But! I did say before in an ask that in the sequel he's "not evil, persay, but he's a fucking nut". He damns Moon to an hourglass to just fucking get rid of him about 100~ years before they meet you again (he fully thinks he's in the right for this (and he also just hates him) and the only reason he really even stayed around after that was to make sure Moon didn't get out again). He's not a bad-intentioned individual, but he's off the fucking wall at many times bc of the virus having made him worse. He's stubborn as all hell to an infuriating degree, he's irrational, hard-headed, reckless, and while a good bit of his old, kinder self is still pretty prevalent he can be downright fucking mean if provoked. Again, worse than before, and it doesn't take much these days! I always imagined him to have more dramatic, snappy, diva aspects to his personality (even before Help Wanted 2 came out) bc hes so theatrical and intense, so basically take a Sun that's like that, crank it up to 100 and put him in a Bad Situation. That's what Round 2 Sun is like at his worst. He's not a complete lost cause though, and he's far from dumb when he does stuff, just clouded by his own judgement. He doesn't think anything's wrong with him (or does he?).

Moon doesn't really hate him like Sun hates Moon, because although he knows that what happened (the ending of the first story) is technically both of their faults he just feels guilt. They do fight a lot, though. Most of it is Moon trying his best to tell Sun that he's basically full of shit and not seeing things right after Sun starts something, but Sun's at the point where he's gotta learn by consequence. Part of the reason he's so bad is bc 1: hes been infected by the virus for so long now and 2: in his grief, anger, and resentment he's learned to live with it rather than fighting it.

But the sequel is gonna be a feel-good story! Falling in love w/ the reader all over again, i want things to get cleared up - or at least some kind of middle ground between Sun and Moon - the whole sha-bang.

#my asks #binary resurgence: round 2 au #binary resurgence

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ardenrabbit · 5 days

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Heyyy! Just wanted to say I adore your fics! They literally keep me going some days and I've reread so many chapters so many times.

Was wondering if you could give us a hint like a teaser of what's coming up or about when the next chapter is up?

Please don't take this as a demand or anything I don't wanna pressure you, you and your happiness and health come first!

It could be in a year from now and I'll still wait for it <3 ILY TY FOR DOIN GODS WORK <3

Aaaah thank you so much!!! 💜🥺💜 I'm so happy you're enjoying them and that I can add something to your day! Tbh writing keeps me going too 💕

I'm clawing my way out of some writer's block and still rereading some stuff to get context and clarification on some things, but progress is being made! I can never guarantee when I'm going to update but I hope to get something posted within the next couple weeks. I promise I look forward to updating as much as you do 😭 Having multiple projects is helping keep me invested in them too lol, it keeps things fresh c:

Thank you for asking in such a kind way! I sincerely enjoy the engagement! Lemme see what I can share uhhhh...

ALaSR: Next chapter is gonna be Hua Cheng POV! Their POVs are gonna be alternating every chapter for the remainder of the fic. This recovery isn't Xie Lian's alone 💕 We're also gonna get some Mean Hua Cheng coming up and I'm very excited lol. Honestly I think alasr!XL hasn't really had exposure to the fact that, yeah, HC is a calamity and uses his power how he wants and also doesn't like everyone that XL likes. I crave conflict and I finally get to write itttttt 💖💖💖

TWoF: This whole fic is gonna be solely HC POV. Next chapter is gonna pose a lot more questions than answers, cause it's only chapter 3, but it'll give a lot more context about the life that this au's HC is living. (Honestly, I'm enjoying that this HC has such a chip on his shoulder lol, speculating on how his personality and worldview would be if he hadn't met Xie Lian early on.) This fic is...not gonna have the kind of fluff alasr has lol. But it will end happy!!

I also have an MDZS fic that I posted one chapter of and then dropped on hiatus 😬 Really wanting to get back to that one soon but the amount of research I realized I'd need to do to write it in a way that satisfies me is sort of paralyzing 😅 I either have to do yet more reading or lower my writing standards, so, I'm reading lmao. But TGCF is as long as it is, so it's taking a while to finish rereading it, and THEN I can read this collection of material on the entire history of China I've gathered. Sadly, despite best efforts, I'm an extremely slow reader 😣

Thank you so much for the ask! I'm excited to keep working on these! 💜

#anonymous #my writing #alasr #twof #tgcf #oh look it talks

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mysteryshoptls · 10 months

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SSR Cater Diamond Halloween Personal Story: Part 2

"What a bunch of lies"

(Part 1) Part 2 (Part 3)

[Classroom]

Kalim/Cater/Lilia: Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh～～～ So tireddddddd～～～

Cater: This year's Halloween's way too crazy. Especially 'cause of the guests all being so rowdy…

Kalim: I like entertaining guests and all, but Jamil's mood's gotten so bad that it's terrible.

Lilia: Even we're totally exhausted and we're supposed to be the three peppiest boys here. Most of the other students must already be at their limit.

Kalim/Cater/Lilia: Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh～～～

Cater: Well anyway, it's great that we ended up having all of the Pop Music Club members on the Halloween Steering Committee.

Cater: Let's have one of our club's customary snack breaks, while we strategize some countermeasures.

Kalim/Lilia: AYE, AYE～!

Cater: Ta-daa, I brought this. It's Trey-kun's handmade pumpkin pie! It's my absolute fave, 'cause it's not too sweet ♪

Kalim: I brought a knafeh. It's a type of cheesecake from Scalding Sands. It tastes best when it's eaten hot!

Lilia: Oho. You both brought stuff that suits Halloween, I see. And here, last, but not least, here's what I brought.

Lilia: Licorice candy!

Cater: That's the same thing you always bring!! Both me and Kalim already told you we don't really like it.

Kalim: Yeah, it's got a little too strong of a smell, it makes my nose crinkle～

Cater: But hey, I guess it's black, so it's got a kind of Halloween feel to it.

Cater: Oh yeah. Let's take a picture of the three of us together. It'd be great to show off how good we look with our Halloween costumes and sweets.

Cater: 'KAY, HAPPY HALLOWEEN ☆

[shutter clicks]

Cater: #TheBestHalloween☆ #OurCostumes #OurTreats #PopMusicClub #NRCHalloween

Kalim: The best? Weren't you just saying you were super exhausted, Cater?

Cater: I mean, I'm not lying when I say I'm excited, either, and it's better to be more peppy when posting online.

Lilia: That's the spirit, Cater. This is the age where you can connect to anyone in the world. It's better to spread happiness, rather than complaints.

Cater: Oh! I'm getting some good responses on that picture I just uploaded to Magicam!

♪♪♪

Cater: It's a message from that person again. Were they always this persistent?

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Cater: Now they're calling. So persistent…

Kalim: Oh, is that a friend, Cater? You can answer it here if you want.

Cater: Hmm～ …More like an old acquaintance? But it's fine. 'Cause we're in a super important meeting right now, anyway!

Lilia: All we're doing is eating snacks and taking pictures to upload to Magicam, however…

Cater: We're in that age where we can connect with people whenever we want, right? So I can't be fielding calls in real time all the time, y'know.

Kalim: Wow, you get that many people calling you all the time? Man, you're really a social butterfly, Cater～

Cater: Eh, I guess, if you think that's what it means to have a wide circle of acquaintances?

Cater: My father works as a banker, you see. And banks have branches all over the world.

Cater: So, whenever my dad got transfer orders, the whole family had to move.

Cater: We probably moved about once every two years or so, so I guess you could say I'm a pro at packing, or something like that?

Lilia: We were always one of those families that never settled down.

Kalim: So, when you were younger, you traveled all over the world, huh. Well, I totally see how you made so many friends, then.

Cater: Yeah, that person who messaged me earlier also considered me a friend, I guess.

Cater: I definitely met more people changing schools in such a short amount of time like that, than I would have if I stayed in one place.

Cater: The best kinds of people, and the worst kinds of people… I met 'em all. But there was always just one thing in common.

Kalim/Lilia: ……？

Cater: I would leave there eventually, and they'd all stay.

Cater: That's why instead of a down-to-earth relationship with someone, I'd rather just have a casual and happy-go-lucky relationship with everyone.

Cater: Kind of like those circus guys who'll come in for a whirlwind of fun with people all around the world, and then leave when it's done.

Cater: That's why Magicam's real neat. I even can get messages from people I knew in school three years ago.

Cater: I'm able to make more and more casual and light friendships, y'see? Now that's Cay-kun approved ☆

Kalim: I don't think you gotta restrain yourself, just 'cause you're far away from them, do you?

Kalim: Oh, I got an idea! I'll lend you my magical carpet. That way you can go see your friend anytime you want.

Cater: … Thanks, Kalim-kun. Maybe I'll use it one day?

Lilia: ―I think I understand you.

Cater: Huh?

Lilia: The bonds built between people will never disappear. It continues on forever.

Lilia: And sometime in your future, new bonds will develop that you cannot avoid. That is just what happens.

Lilia: However, the more important a bond you carry with someone, the lonelier it will feel without them.

Lilia: Why do we feel this way? I've lived quite a long life, and yet it's still shrouded in mystery to me.

Lilia: Just as you professed earlier, Cater, perhaps one truth to it all is to avoid becoming too attached to certain people.

Cater: Lilia-chan, what just came over you? No, what I wanted to say was―

♪♪♪♪♪♪

Lilia: Hello, it's Lilia-chan. What's up?

Cater: Man, he's just super alright with answering the phone in the middle of a conversation, huh.

Lilia: Oh, Sebek. What's going on? Why are you shouting? I'm in a meeting with Cater and Kalim right now.

Lilia: WHAT!? MALLEUS IS WHAT―!?

Kalim/Cater: !?

(Part 1) Part 2 (Part 3)

#twst #twisted wonderland #cater diamond #kalim al-asim #lilia vanrouge #twst cater #twst kalim #twst lilia #twst translation #twst halloween #screaming halloween show #mention: trey #mention: jamil #mention: malleus #mention: sebek

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johaerys-writes · 21 days

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15 questions for 15 friends

I was tagged by my dear @elveny, thank you so much!! 💙

ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?: No! Well, yes, after a character in Greek mythology, but not after a parent or grandparent or anything like that.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?: Yesterday. I was reading the Iliad again for an anon ask and was going through the part where Achilles kills Hector and oooh that scene got hands 🥲 I cry a lot though, I'm a crier, and a lot of the time it's about patrochilles so it's par for the course really lol

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?: Nope.

WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED?: I'm fairly active generally but I don't play sports at all because I don't like them. I tried several sports while in school before accepting that I simply don't like team sports and I'm not good at them, but I had much more fun with solo sports. I swam for several years somewhat competitively, and I also did track for a while.

DO YOU USE SARCASM?: I think so? But usually only with people I'm very comfortable with, because I can never know what would go down well or not with a person I don’t know.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?: That’s hard to answer because I feel like it depends on the situation. Most of the time, it's body language and their general vibe. Meeting new people can be nerve wracking so I try to "read" them and act accordingly, if that makes sense? I don't want to step on any toes or say the wrong thing so figuring out what the other person's mood or interests might be usually helps. But that often means I miss out on other things on first encounter, like... their eyes or smile or something?? Lol idk man, socialising while on the spectrum is hard 🥲

WHAT'S YOUR EYE COLOUR?: Brown.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?: I think I'll pick scary movies because I do like horror and dark stuff and I don't care if the ending is happy or not as long the story is interesting.

ANY TALENTS?: it took me so long to think of something for this and I honestly don't know? I'm assuming by 'talents' we mean something you're born with, not something you've worked hard at like some kind of craft, right? In that case, I think I have pretty good visual memory, especially when it comes to books and articles and such, or the written word in general. Oh and I'm weirdly good at orientation, I can usually find my way no matter where I am. Which isn't such a huge deal now in the era of google maps, but back when there was no gps it was a pretty useful skill to have haha.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?: Greece.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?: Writing, reading, gaming, crocheting, drawing, going to museums! I'm constantly on the look out for new exhibitions and stuff, it's my favourite thing in the world to do.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?: A darling and dastardly cat, aka my extension when I'm at home.

HOW TALL ARE YOU?: 1,68m

FAVOURITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL?: Oh god I freaking hated school, absolutely hated it LOL I can't think of one thing I liked in it. I guess I only enjoyed the very last year of high school when I was preparing for the Panhellenic exams because like... it felt like there was finally some kind of purpose or reason to be there at all, even though there was a lot of pressure. I loved Ancient Greek, Latin, History and Philosophy.

DREAM JOB?: I don't have one, I don’t dream of labour 🙃 I don't think there's any sort of job anyone could do in this capitalist hellscape we're all currently living in that would be enjoyable enough to make up for, well... living in a capitalist hellscape lol. If I could, I'd just go back to uni, probably. That was my happy place and I miss it. And I'd also write a bunch and read a bunch and take up all sorts of creative hobbies, and probably travel more.

Tagging forth to a bit more than 15 friends lol sorry (and I know I'm forgetting ppl): @baejax-the-great @thiefylilelf @vimlos @mogwaei @gloriesunsung @aymayzing @cordelia---rose @knicknocknick @aristi-achaion @peachandfig @heypax @darlingpoppet @tevivinter @mary-aries @tragediegh @pikapeppa @figsandphiltatos always with love and without any pressure 💕

#tag meme

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aylaaescar · 2 months

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I hope it's not to late to ask some of the Romance Asks! I'd love to know 2, 12, 15, and 31 for Tysinno, please! Feel free to only do some if four it too much <3

absolutely not too late to ask, and thank you very much! I'm always happy to have an excuse to talk about Tysinno, and Tysinno/Ayla 🥰🖤

2. What was the first moment that they knew they were in love with their LI?

the first minute he saw Ayla Aescar. love at first sight, y'all

jk nah. Tysinno knew he had feelings for her for a while, and was interested pretty early on (as early as Capra, after fighting Quiial.) but as of my typing this right now, I'm thinking he doesn't realize "oh, I'm in love with her" until a more mundane moment at the compound when they're spending time together. I have this headcanon that Ayla occasionally uses wind magic to mess with Tysinno when he's sparring or practicing something, like... using the wind to send a practice bullet straight into the ground instead of a target, lol, or pushing a dummy back when he's trying melee stuff. one such occasion, he rolls his eyes and jokingly glares as usual while she's snickering at him, and that's when he knows that he loves her.

(that said, I reserve the right to change my mind on The Moment (tm) as more of Ayla's days off come out! my answer might be different next year :D)

12. Do they have similar goals? If they clash, how do they deal?

I don't think they clash all that often, in terms of goals? they're both very similar people: they both want a community and a family, they're both wanderers who want to see more of the world, they both just generally want this feeling of peace, security, and understanding. they just get each other, so I feel like they're going to want the same things as a couple. stay with the Shepherds, travel the world, start a family at some point. I'm sure that they will clash on something there at some point, but I'm not entirely sure what?

maaaaybe on how many cats Tysinno can have, lol. I think he'd gladly take in every single cat he could if Ayla didn't put her foot down or set a limit or something.

15. Does their view of themselves differ from their partner’s view?

oh, absolutely. :') Tysinno doesn't have the best view of himself; he's struggled with self-loathing over what happened to Maj for the longest time, and he's really only just starting to cope with it as of chapter eight. he sees himself as a bad luck charm, and believes deep down that people are better off without him around. it's why he wandered for so long, and also why he left the Circle without giving his best friend Red a goodbye.

Ayla sees him differently, of course, as do I! Tysinno is aloof at first, but he's incredibly warm and sweet once you become friends, and will yell at gargoyles for you. he's got a dry wit that isn't nearly as overt as Chase's jokes, but still makes you laugh (especially if you have a morbid sense of humor.) he's a gifted artist and writer, he's compassionate and caring, he's just a lot better than he initially gives himself credit for at the start of SHOH. Ayla sees all of that in him, and I imagine that while she does understand why he feels the way he does about himself, she still challenges it and dares him to see the good in himself. which he does to her as well. :)

31. Share anything you would like about the couple!

Tysinno's working on learning Gangara in his spare time! he wants to be able to surprise Ayla by being able to speak to her in her first language.

in RPG terms, I like to think of them as a healer/tank couple.

this scene always makes me laugh, and was just one of many 😳😏 moments from Tysinno lol

#ask tag #kris-mage-fics #a few days late bc it's been a busy week but! here it is! thank you for asking me about the OTP #they sure are my fave <3 #SHOH blogging #OTP: Windswept #OC: Tysinno Maratis #SHOH alpha spoilers #not a lot but just to be safe

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halfmoth-halfman · 1 year

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You should respond to reblog comments more tbh. People are taking the time to reblog your stuff, and tell you how much they enjoyed it and not answering is kinda rude. I love your fics, and you seem nice and all, but I’ve seen your notes recently— they’re nowhere near what they used to be and you don’t get anywhere near as much interaction as other CoD writers. It’d probably help your blog a lot! Just some advice, but maybe think about it! 😘💖

this has been sitting in my inbox for a few days cause i've been debating about whether or not i want to answer this, but i'm 98% sure you're the same anon who's sent me a few other messages since they all use the same kiss emoji and are riddled with the same backhanded bullshit you're spewing here, and you've succeeded in annoying me so here's your answer before you get blocked. 😘

i do this for fun. writing is not my bread and butter, it's not how i make my money, it's not how i support myself. it is a hobby. i use some of my free time to write and post fics for my own enjoyment above all else. i don't give a fuck about how many notes, or likes, or reblogs i do or don't get. is it nice to see them and see comments from people who enjoy my stuff? absolutely. i'm incredibly thankful for anyone who takes time out of their day to read one of my fics and even more so for people who go out of their way to interact with me and my work, but i'm not going to worry myself over numbers, because that's not why i write.

also, i've been in fandom spaces for a long time and, i hate to break it to you, but more often than not fandoms tend to slow down and die after the initial hype. i posted my first CoD fic like a week or two after the game came out when it was blowing up all over social media, of course it got an unusually high amount of notes that were, honestly, a little bit overwhelming at the time. now it's been some time, and the hype for the game has died down, so people are moving on to different shows/games/etc. which means interaction is gonna slow down. it happens, and i don't intend to sit and worry over how many asks or reblogs or whatever i get compared to other blogs. that's not fair to me, the other authors, or the people interacting. i'm happy with where my blog is at, and the amount of interaction i get.

i've said this a few times already, but i work a full-time job and have other obligations outside of tumblr. i don't have a lot of free time, and have to plan ahead how i want to spend it. i try my best to respond to replies, to answer asks, and everything else when i can, but i am an adult with adult responsibilities and just don't have time to keep up with every single like and reblog i get. that doesn't mean i'm purposely ignoring anyone, or that i'm ungrateful, i just simply don't have the time to keep up with every single notification i get. if i had more time in the day, then i'd probably respond more and be more active here in general, but i don't.

i greatly appreciate every single follower i have, every person who likes, reblogs, comments, replies, sends asks, etc. while i write for myself, it's always nice seeing other people enjoying my work, i won't pretend that it isn't. it absolutely blows me away the amount of people who like my writing enough to tell me. i'm always open to people sending me stuff, and try to respond as best i can, but i feel it's unfair (and not just to me, but to other writers and creators in general) to call me rude for not responding how you think i should. and i think it's even more rude for you to come into my inbox (on anon of all things) to spam me with messages about how you think i should run my blog with condescending and backhanded asks that you want to pretend is friendly advice.

i think it would be good for you to take some time and step away from tumblr and go outside, touch some grass, climb a tree, eat some dirt, or interact with real people, and maybe try to realize that, outside of this blog, i am a person too and one who really doesn't need to deal with this shit.

Just some advice, but maybe think about it! 😘💖

#anon #moth talks #answered

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inastarlesssky · 2 months

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Hey, so this might be a bit random, but I rewatched the first Fantastic Beasts movie recently and I completely forgot how much I loved it at the time. Then I discovered your blog and I was so happy to see that people still talked about the movies and newtina especially. I just think they had so much potential that wasn't really used in the movies and I that kind of inspired me to write a fic about them (I am a sucker for the 'character who breaks the law for the greater good'x'character who is the law' dynamic, you know, with tina investigating what newt was doing in ny). But I feel I am not as deep in the fandom as you are and I am kind of looking for inspiration atm so I have some questions which would help me to get a few starting points and if you could answer some of them I'd be very grateful <3 (if you don't want to, just ignore this, haha).

What is it you like the most about Newt?

What is it you like the most about Tina?

What do you like about their relationship? What makes it so special?

Who fell first? Who fell harder?

How do you think each of them will grow in their relationship? How will Newt change? How will Tina change?

Any first kiss headcanons?

Why do you think Tina is an auror? Is this the right occupation for her?

Why do you think Newt is a magizoologist? (I think it's pretty obvious that this is what is destined to do, so no follow-up question here)

And in general, would you like the idea of a newtina fic where it's basically the plot of Fantastic Beasts 1, but broken down to "Beasts escape Newts case and Tina investigates him but eventually learns that the rules she works for might not be the fairest and also is in conflict between her work ethic and slowly falling in love with Newt"?

Wow, hi! This is random but I completely love it, and thank you for dropping by! I'm so sorry it took me a while to answer this, but I wanted to think well on it and give a good, thought out answer. So here it is.

First of all, I'm so happy that you love them, too! I got into them because I watched the movies, and I can't stop now...they're just lovely and a nice break from the other dark enemies-to-lovers pairings I like, so it's sweet.

Secondly, I am new to this fandom, too, actually. If you're looking for people who've been in it longer and might know more about (for sure they know more about it than I do XD) I might point you in the direction of anyone I'm following or have reblogged. I get my stuff from them, so. C:

I completely agree! There was so much potential and I would have loved to see that story unfold...well, at least we know they got married in the end. Okay, like I said, I don't know so much about the fandom but I'll help how I can. Putting the answers under the cut because whoops, I wrote an essay hi.

What do I like most about Newt?

I like how gentle he is, and innocent. He didn't want to pick a side when it came to it, because as Dumbly says, Newt always just wants to do what's right. I loved seeing how he cared for his creatures, the attentiveness (and the idea that if that's how he treats his creatures, how's he gonna be with the woman he loves? Aka Tina) (Also I'm convinced that as much as he may have wanted to get the international travel ban lifted because he wanted to travel...despite that, I still think it's to a certain degree because he wanted to see her, to talk to her. If not that, look at his decision after Dumbly asked him to help. He initially refuses because he knows they'll lock him up in Azkaban if he breaks the rule, but as soon as he finds out that Tina is Paris, he drops everything and goes. (I'm no expect, but I'd accept this.)

What do I like most about Tina?

She seems very determined and brave. I love how no-nonsense she is! Like she literally just drags Newt halfway across New York because she's taking him into custody. I'm sorry, I don't know her or Newt so much because I still have yet to read the fic recs people have given me...that's my research haha.

What do you like about their relationship?

I love how she is the brave, maybe a little headstrong, confident who knows her ideals and will pursue what's right. and yet Newt's the awkward gremlin boy who's a little scared of her at first but then in love and basically ready to drop everything because of her. (This could be a completely wrong interpretation of them, I'm new to this fandom, as I've said before) But that's the idea I got. (Because I hc that yes, Newt actually wanted to get the international traveling ban lifted BECAUSE lol he wants to travel but wait, there's more. He also wanted to give Tina that copy of his book. I mean, sorry, look, the man in one moment flat out refused Dumbledore bc he'd get thrown in Azkaban if he broke his travel ban....but look, when he finds out that Tina is in Paris, you can't stop him.

How do you think each of them will grow in their relationship? How will Newt change? How will Tina change?

I can see Tina as softening towards creatures and to the idea that the world might be more wonderful than she imagines it to be. Like I see Newt as innocent and optimistic, and I feel like he'd be one to show her to smile more. As for him, I just love the idea of Tina helping him figure out practical things. How to go about looking for a lost Niffler without tearing New York apart in a way that makes the headlines; like she'd teach him to stop, think, plan things out. Maybe, that's a very loose guess of mine.

Any first kiss headcanons?

A first kiss? Not yet, haven't thought one yet, but! I believe it might have been @themysteriousphoenix or @keepmeinmind-01 who wrote this headcanon where Newt was talking to Jacob. Newt's in love, and he tells Jacob that he bowed to Tina bc apparently bowing is how a hippogriff (or some other magical creatures I can't remember) shows its respect for someone or something like that. Anyway, Jacob's like "Uhh okay, why is this good?" Newt's just really excited and tells him, "She bowed back." It's ridiculously cute, and I love it.

Okay, the last two questions about why Tina is an auror and Newt a Magizoologist, I left out because I'm not entirely sure haha and I think I'd need a little more thought, but yes, here is my ridiculously over complicated answer that took 5,000,001 years to write.

Also, yes, dear anon, I would love to read a story like that. If you ever get started on it or are writing it, please hit me up with the link! I'm always looking for more Newtina fics to read.

#newt scamander #tina goldstein #newtina #newt x tina #eddie redmayne #fantastic beasts and where to find them #fantastic beasts #fbawtft #fantastic beasts meta #hi thanks for coming to my ted talk #my ramblings #dear anon i've finally answered your question #after five hundred billion years

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impossiblesuitcase · 2 months

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I honestly adore your writing,did it came naturally for you or you progressed it i'd like to learn your writer story

Hey!

Well honestly creative writing was never 'my calling'. I wasn't bad at it at school but I didn't feel inspired to write novels. I've always enjoyed writing analytically which you can probably tell from my mini essays on here. And I am foremost a musician so my song writing was probably what I would have considered my creative writing strength.

I enjoy reading and that's what motivated me to start writing fanfiction. I never thought of it being very serious and didn't feel that it qualified me as a 'writer' because it wasn't an original work. But recently I've looked back at my accounts and realised that I've written 35 fanfics and over 135,000 words. That's the length of a Heroes of Olympus book. So while I'm not an author per se, I'm happy to consider myself a casual writer. It's a good mindset to have that you don't have to excel at only one thing in life; it's awesome to be good, or even average, at multiple things.

I learnt narrative writing through practise. Dialogue, descriptions and story ideas come naturally to me, but the rest I continually work to improve at. Pacing, story logic and phrasing are things I'm still learning, and because my background is in analytic writing I've had to unlearn some habits of technical jargon and instead simplify my diction. Revising is also 90% of my writing process so that's important to learn. Some fics I write and post within a few days, some I've stored for years before I was finally happy with them.

The best way I learnt these skills was by reading and applying. That's really how you learn to write. I've also learnt that you have to enjoy your own writing. Write fics that you want to read! Laugh at your own jokes! Cringe at past writing!

Anyways you guys seem to like most of the stuff I put out so as long as I continue coming up with ideas, you'll probably still see stuff from me. And I appreciate the comments I get, though I still don't know why so many of you call me Marissa 😂 Please leave a comment when you can on fanfics--not just mine! That gives us writers motivation to continue.

This is the first question I've gotten about my writing process and I loved answering it, so thank you! I'm more than happy to talk about it.

#the lunar chronicles #lunar chronicles fanfiction

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nerves-nebula · 5 months

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Are you ever you ever insecure about your art? And could you explain you answer to that?

Venting to you now

Drawing has taken a lot of effort for me, more than usual recently. I started working on something I originally felt really passionate about. It's more common for me to very quickly give up or get bored so I was really excited to be able to post some artwork. But I ended up not liking the result and I'm not sure if I'm willing to try something else. I've given up on trying in a lot of parts of life to try and save energy to do something I thought I was passionate about (art) but I am still lacking the motivation. The reason I reason I really wanted to share it was because I'm terrible with self-motivation. If I can't make at least one person genuinely go 'oh, neat' even for just a second and even if they soon forgot later, I'd feel like I'd have a reason to keep living (to keep making art). If the only people who'd see it end up disappointed I'd want to disappear.

It's not what art should be. I know it's value is like a person's. It's worth more than how someone reacts to it, right? But I can't apply that rule to myself. I should seek support from the people who 'know' and actually care about me, but I don't want their appreciation. I want some imagery status of a 'good artist' because that's what seems to give me dopamine.

I also wanted to mention how much I admire how open you are with your struggles. I want to be the same but I'm scared of people thinking less of me. I know that's dumb but I don't know what I'm good for if I can't make people happy. If I'm not going to be content with myself I want to not be a nuisance at least. I like to think that if I stopped caring about my impression on people, I'd be better off. But I'm scared that I'd have to learn to like myself. I don't like myself and I have no interest in liking myself. I don't see the point.

oh boy, this is gonna be a long one. also, don't take anything i say too seriously, i don't know your situation and I'm barely an adult. anyway, response under the cut

soo lately I'm less insecure about my art and more frustrated when things don't come out well. but i still post that shit !!! I'm still insecure if i'm doing, say, a project for homework, and i don't think i did as well as I could have, but in my personal artistic endeavors it's more about getting it done than it being perfect (for example, my webcomic! my motto is any comic made is better than no comic made and if people don't like that then it wasn't for them in the first place)

the thing about me is that drawing and art and stories is all i've ever had. it's my main form of interacting with the world. these days i make art the same way I live, which is to say in spite of wanting to kill myself. I would LIKE if my art was perfect, and i would LIKE to not be in pain. but i AM in pain and i have to live anyway, and my art ISN'T perfect but i'll make it anyway.

and i like when other people's art isn't perfect either, when it isnt super polished. I think that definitely helped. seeing artists whose work i fell head over heels for when it's never been more than sketches and a bit of shading. it really cemented in my mind that it isn't art being technically perfect that makes it worth while.

i've gotten a lot of people saying kind things to me, saying how much they enjoy my art and my blog in general. and though it doesn't always help, it sometimes inspires me to imagine the number of people who appreciate my stuff who might never mention it to me. I myself am used to lurking and not interacting very much (a habit I'm trying to change since I know artists & creators love feedback most of the time) i know it sucks to not know if anyone gives a shit for sure, but you really can't make that your only reason for doing art, cuz half the time you prolly wont even know if your art deeply affects people or not. it's fine to want that attention but you gotta have something else goin on too, at least I do.

i also know the fear of worrying that you'll lock yourself into something you don't want to do, or something you'll lose passion for. for me, I generally rotate a cast of characters & interests around for years a time before making significant progress. There were spans of times where I'd go years without thinking about loose stitches, but none of that time developing other stories & characters was wasted. it gave loose stitches enough time to properly cook, and the story is still developing under my hands as i draw it, influenced by my other stories and other characters.

it's ok to abandon something and pick it up again years later, or to never pick it up again at all. it's ok to hate the way something turns out but to keep making it anyway because you have to move forward (at least, I do)

moving forward despite not liking the original product is the only way to progress, I think. I don't super like a lot of the first pages of loose stitches but I'm still grateful that past-me posted them because that means present me is at page 76 !!

If I can't make at least one person genuinely go 'oh, neat' even for just a second and even if they soon forgot later, I'd feel like I'd have a reason to keep living (to keep making art). If the only people who'd see it end up disappointed I'd want to disappear.

the problem with this mindset (in my opinion) is that some people aren't going to like your art and that's got nothing to do with the art itself. if you want to find people who go "oh, neat" then you have to keep posting until they see it. trust me, they're out there. like, i don't post for people who can't stand the idea of child abuse, i post to FIND people who want to interact with stories about child abuse the same way i do.

it would be insane to stop trying to find those people because someone else was disappointed or upset by my art. which isn't to say you gotta lock yourself into doing one thing, but that you gotta post what you care about, and people who also care will find it. posting fandom stuff with the same themes as your original art certainly doesn't hurt either, if you REALLY want to find those people faster.

art should be literally whatever. it's worth is literally whatever you want, it can be a big deal or not. i'm not sure what part of being a "good artist" gives your brain the Good Feelings juice but I'd investigate that feeling more and try to figure out the roots of it, cuz then you might actually be able to figure out what it is that motivates you. approval is nice, yes, but i like approval for things i enjoyed making even more.

i always find it amusing when people refer to my "struggles" if only because I don't really consider them that way. to me it's just like, a thing that happened that sucks. i don't consider myself "struggling" with it, even though I guess that's what's happening. also, let's be real here, it's not like I'm using my real name. this is an anonymous tumblr blog. though, my openess on here has actually lead to me making more art about it IRL so. eh.

anyway, lucky for you, you can stop caring about what other people think without necessarily liking yourself! for me, it's about spite (sort of). I don't like myself much more than I used to, I just decided I hated everyone else more haha. I still care what people think about me, and I'm still scared of what people might do to me, but I'm also not bending over backwards to please people i dislike. I just get annoyed at them instead.

i did this basically just by repeating it until it became true, lol. there's only so many times you can petulantly say "well fuck those guys anyway they suck" before it becomes your true first reaction.

at some point, i decided i needed to pick and choose who i wanted to please, because it can't be everyone. that's just literally not possible. so i looked at the kinds of people i liked and appreciated, and basically disregarded everyone else. it's the whole "don't take criticism from someone you wouldn't take advice from" thing (not sure where that comes from)

obviously you should probably try to internalize the idea that you even HAVE to be "good for something" but that's way easier said than done. i find it more useful to devote yourself to finding a few things (causes, people, philosophies, niche interests) instead of just general usefulness. because then you can form stronger relationships, be useful, AND not burn yourself out trying to please everyone.

take all this advice with a grain of salt though, I definitely need therapy and this Bitter Angry Defensive persona will probably need to be deconstructed soon... idk. i think it's outlived its usefulness to me but i'm not sure what to do next hahah.

sorry if none of this was helpful or the point. im not even sure why i wrote this much, i kind of just ramble sometimes. i hope you figure it out!

#nnstuff #ask #asks are sweethearts

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cass-rambles · 2 years

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Head Engineer Mark entering the universe where Mack and Captain is and completely ruining the chance for Mack to confess his.. undying love for the captain. (Tsundere vibes)

Their thoughts would probably be like this;

Mack; "Not another disruption! After I had just worked up every atom in my body to have the courage to confess, too!"

Mark; "Who is this? Why did he sound like he was gonna confess to the Capta-. Wait a minute."

Captain; "Oh, there's the person I've given up on looking for!"

ANON THAT IS A GREAT AND HILARIOUS IDEA, THANK YOU!!

also making this a poly-relationship with mark/captain/mack bc I can!!

⚠ WARNING;; This gets a bit spicy ;) but no smut or something, just a bit of non-pg stuff

❃.✮:▹

➷ As soon as Mark is dropped onto the floor next to Mack, trying to get out his confession, everything freezes. They look back and forth between each other and you before erupting simultaneously in screams.

➷ Que Captian going “What the fuck is going on?”

➷ It's a bit hard to get them to all calm down, but soon they both settle on listening to your explanation, clearly unhappy with each other's presence.

“Captain, so what you're saying is - that Mark - Is some kind of different version of me? Like a walmart Mack?”

“A walm- Excuse me?! You're obviously the cheaper version of me you prick! Besides me and the Captain go wayyy back. Tone down your sucking up.”

➷ You end up watching them wrestle, with Chica nuzzled into your lap, the two of you exhausted of the constant arguing. While yes, it was hilarious to watch them try to one up the other, how long could they go on like that?

(Answer: Hours.)

➷ Eventually the men return to focusing on you, both eager to say something.

“Captain can we continue our conversation? Preferably without this destructive dumbass.”

“Captain, I'd also like to have your sole attention for a few minutes, away from this egotistical dick.”

“Guys, I really love you both, I really do, but I cannot handle your fights or having to choose between you. Sort this out yourself. Good luck big boys~!”

You proceed to leave with a happy Chica trailing behind you, leaving them equally baffled.

➷ At exactly three hours after that, they both return to you, flushed.

“Soo, Captain... We made an agreement. Me and Mark. And we've promised not to argue while you're around.”

“Yup! We'll be as quiet as a mouse.”

You give them a doubtful glare, but reply that it's a good agreement.

“Alright then. Challenge number one: Both of you come here and cuddle me.” you say with the most shit-eating grin the two of them had ever seen in their lifes.

Mark is the one to break out of shock and embarrassment first, snuggling up to your left side. He chuckles into your neck, hands pulling you even more towards his body before Mack suddenly pops up on your right side, scowling at the other man.

“Don't grab them so roughly, you'll leave bruises.”

“Okay, okay. But maybe they want me to bruise them. To leave marks. I bet you wouldn't mind that, would you Captain?”

His hands squeeze lightly your hips and your neck, giving a wolfish grin to Mack. You try not to react to it, but it's nearly impossible to suppress the heat emanating from your whole face now.

“What a ‘gentleman’ you are, Mark.”

Mack sneered at him before grinning at you, devilish sparks dancing inside his eyes.

“But I think they'd prefer a bruising kiss, rather then just a bruised body part.”

Maybe you could handle their rivalry, so long they kept it that way and not violently.

➷ “You know, as much as I both love hearing you two talk, I bet that you could put your mouths to better use. On your knees, would be even better.”

They both shiver at your remark, red as traffic lights.

“Be good for me and maybe, who knows, you'll be rewarded. I'm sure you two lovelies can do so much more than just bicker.”

➷ Turns out they both have praise kinks. (Not really that much of a surprise but oh well-)

➷ The three of you fumble a bit at first, as Mark was more open with PDA and Mack preferred to show affection behind closed doors, but you made it work. While Mack doesn't shower you two with kisses, he brings you both coffee every morning before your separate duties. Usually accompanied by a teasing “I trust you not to blow up this ship!”

➷ Mark however loves to pepper in cheek kisses and forehead ones when the crew is busy, leaving you giggling and Mack trying to wave off the man like some kind of insect, still crimson.

➷ For some time you wondered how Mark and Mack were doing, how was their separate relationship, but you got enough of an answer, walking in on them.

(Mack's shoved into the wall, breath staggering, his neck covered with small hickeys, blooming more and more because of the other head engineer nearly caging him.

He groans at the impact, but it soon turns into a half-muffled whimper when Mark finally, finally, stops teasing him and kisses.

“Look. At. You. Barely even did anything besides marking you and you're melting in my arms. Huh. Never knew you'd be such a slut for someone who's ‘beneath you’, ‘reckless’ and a thousand other negatives.”

“Didn't - please - expect either.”

Mack tries to shuffle, attempting to position himself better before his chin is grabbed and forced straightforward.

“C’mon, stay still for me sweetheart. You're making me want to fuck you brainless with not a single quip able to come out, even more.”

You leave them to their own devices, smiling knowingly.

“Took’em long enough.”)

◃:✮.❃

Anyways, hope ya liked it anon! Sorry if you expected angst or something, my brain just went "crack n spicy stuff!!! now!! no sad involved!!" so I had to do it

#i blame this on my adhd #in space with markiplier #iswm captain #markiplier #iswm mack #iswm mack x reader #iswm mark #head engineer mark #head engineer mark x captain #gender neutral reader #someone said polycule with those two dumbasses & us and I SNATCHED IT #polycule #spicy??

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hils79 · 9 months

Text

Hils Watches The King's Avatar - Ep 40

It doesn't feel like 5 minutes ago that I started this drama. It's so very bingeable.

It's been a real journey. None of this has been what I expected beyond the very basic concept of 'it's a drama about esports'. There have been so many wonderful surprises. There are characters that I hated that I now love, characters that I loved that I now love even more, and more ships than I ever expected to ship.

While I'm at it I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has popped up in the replies to my posts or in my asks to either answer my questions or just yell about their favourite characters. I can tell this drama (and the novel and donghua) are so well loved and liveblogging this has really felt like a community experience. Thank you for not laughing at all the stuff I got wrong and for not making fun of me for shipping everyone. It's really been so wonderful and I almost don't want to press play on the final episode because I don't want it to be over.

But I need to see what happens so let's go!

Ah, okay. I misunderstood what happened at the end of the last episode. I thought they'd lost the game but no they could still win they just didn't have enough points to win the championship.

Is there going to be some loophole like the whole 'oh the ref's watch broke so actually you won'

HAHA! I fucking knew it! They got an extra two points for beating a league record. Because apparently that is a rule that has never been mentioned until now.

Eh, whatever. There was a nice moment with the fans before the found out they'd won

Ye Xiu finally gets the hug that he's needed since episode 1

Good lord how is there 30 minutes left? What's going to happen now that they've won?

God I hope Sun Xiang punches him

Except of course he won't because he's all grown up now. Also, typically it's the coaches/managers that get fired when a team does badly. I hope he gets booted

Love Shaotian dragging Wenzhou to his feet so he can cheer

Remember when their entire fanbase was just this guy. I'm definitely not crying at all

Look at that little half smile. He's grown so much considering they only lost on a technicality. I do think he's at least a little bit happy for Ye Xiu as the better player (for now)

GDI I can't believe I'm crying over Sun Xiang AGAIN

LOL remember when I thought he was going to be the antagonist of the drama when I watched the first episode. How wrong I was

Haha yes let's have a little joke about the time when I nearly banned you for life in the middle of an important game and caused your team to lose as a result

I have in no way been thinking about writing some King's Avatar fic with one based on the fact that Ye Xiu passes out after one drink

HAHA! Mo Fan pretended to pass out too so he doesn't have to talk to anyone. He is such a mood

Oh shit! I did not see that coming!

Oh no he looks so sad to see his former team like this, and it's understandable. He built that team from the ground up and put so much time and work into making them the legends they were

Yes, good. Baozi is cuddling one of his boyfriends as he should

Ah, yay, I'd forgotten about the team graphic. Time to add one more person right before the end

And finished! That was wonderful! Definitely in my top 5 dramas that I've watched this year. Might even be the number one, actually. I definitely should have watched that years ago when people first told me to give it a try. But, you know, I firmly believe you find things when you were meant to find them. Now was good.

I'll be starting a new drama tomorrow. If you were just here for my King's Avatar posts it's been lovely to have you. If you're sticking around for other liveblogs I'll see you tomorrow for more yelling :D

#hils watches #hils watches the king's avatar #hils watches cdramas #the king's avatar #cdrama

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spockandawe · 1 year

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Hi! I'm a newer follower, so I'm sorry if you get asked this a lot. I really admire your bookbinding, and was wondering whether you have any recommendations on good sources for learning how? I've done a bit of reading on my own but it's quite intimidating! Thanks so much for sharing what you do.

Aw, thank you! And haha, you're okay, it comes up occasionally, but it's been a while and tumblr's search function is erratic at best. And I'm pretty sure my answer changes every time! So let's see where I'm at right now.

So, my personal style of learning isn't suited to everyone. I like to throw myself at projects past my skill level, because a lot of my craft hobbies are ultimately about thrill-seeking. I'm launching myself into spaces where an unmitigated success would be delightful but unlikely, and a total failure would be devastating, but I'm pretty decent at hitting the mixed success zone where I don't get so frustrated that i quit. Some people have a much lower frustration threshold than I do, or find the uncertainty much more stressful than I do.

But the end point is that I just yeeted myself into the hobby like 'I'M GONNA BIND THIS WEBNOVEL' despite not knowing anything about anything, and fully aware that I would be unhappy with the results. If I recall correctly, that was a coptic binding of the first half of svsss, and I don't think I ever went back to finish the other half that time, haha. On the one hand, it was thrilling! A book that was only online was now in my hand! And at that point, an official license seemed laughable. On the other hand, wow, this typesetting is bad to look at, the book is too wiggly, and I don't like the open spine. When I did my first casebinding, well! There were a whole lot of new issues, but still, the thrill! It was a flawed book, but a cooler one than I'd ever made before!

My approach isn't for everyone. For me, gotta go fast works, but I've seen people take their time, move carefully, and post a GORGEOUS first book. Mine depends on you having the time, money, and motivation to iterate on your process to improve to the point where you're HAPPY. I learn best by doing, and now I'll go into deeper research dives about like, styles of endpapers, but that totally overwhelmed me when I was starting out, I still get overloaded and frustrated when I read resources by the kind of highly-trained bookbinders who insist there's one BEST way to do a technique, and I get very very annoyed by how some resources make this hobby feel so... inaccessible.

So! Accessible resources. Here's a general list someone else wrote, but I'm going to do my own thing too

https://www.google.com/amp/s/hiveswap.tumblr.com/post/677512645592694784/bookbinding-resources-masterpost/amp

First, let me toss one youtube channel your way. I started casebinding using SeaLemon as a reference. I outgrew her stuff fairly quickly, there are other youtubers who cover a LOT of in-depth ground, but das bookbinding and glenn malkin and company just overwhelmed me at first. She also has another video on making your own bookcloth at home, which is still the method I use for most of my books.

https://youtu.be/Av_rU-yOPd4

Then, communities. I started off in this solo, I was happily chugging along, and a few books in, I was pointed in the direction of renegade publishing, which is a fun collective focused on the binding of fanfiction (though other bindings are welcome too). I'll link their dreamwidth, though they do have other social media too, including a tumblr and discord. There are resources they shared, but I'll call out one in particular. One of the founders has a guide for going from ao3 to book that has seen some traction over the last few years, though like with SeaLemon, I started in there, and soon wandered off to freehand the process instead.

Fair warning, though, their discord (18+, sometimes nsfw) especially is large, and it moves quickly. It's a great place to ask for advice, but there are a Lot of people talking. This may be great for you, or it may be overwhelming! I'm fairly comfortable in there at this point, but I'm an asocial dweeb and it took me a while to get comfortable talking.

https://renegadepublishing.dreamwidth.org/

https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/11JyVxeRS8yEWgCYrNMUPlNrEbR5AAD3Z2aDP-QXEP3Y/mobilebasic

Then, a second community! The r/bookbinding discord (sfw). I think they got their start with the reddit group, but they aren't affiliated these days, the name is there for clarity and continuity. The group is focused on general bookbinding, and though fanfic is welcome, it's not a focus. It's a quieter place, which makes it much easier to follow conversations without being constantly online. This one also maintains a list of resources, and they also have channels for newsletters and for youtube uploads from the major bookbinding channels. It's a lovely place as well, people here are nice and helpful

https://discord.gg/thbraMNn

I think that's what I've got for now! My personal recommendation remains to pick a project and throw yourself in, and to deal with any speedbumps as they come up. But SeaLemon is a good starter educational resource, and these two communities are both used to helping newbies through figuring out the process. I hope that helps!

#spock replies #long post/#crafts #bookbinding

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pittdpeaches · 3 months

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Hi there! Sorry if you’ve already been asked something similar to this haha-

Do you have any writing tips? Anything you wish you’d known earlier? Things you would suggest avoiding?

I’m also curious how you plan your fics if you don’t mind sharing haha

aaaaa hello hello! Apologies for not getting to this sooner, I've been in the process of going to study abroad, but I have some time to sit down and answer this properly. I'm not sure if I have things I wish I'd known or advise you to avoid, but I can share writing tips and fic processes.

Way back in like, october 2022, I made a huge google doc with like 12 different fic ideas I had. I go back to it now and again and add some ideas, or work on others. If I'm particularly inspired by something, I may even make it into a bigger doc. Usually I have an idea of what story I'd want to write and a handful of scenes seared in my head, and it's just a matter of adding scenes in between to get to the Big Stuff. A lot of the time, the story I start with shifts from there in order to justify getting to the original scenes I've planned out.

For example: Genus Datura was supposed to be a sickfic/intoxication fic where Red Son got so fucked up he started genuinely believing MK was his husband, because there was No Way this was real, he had to be dreaming, while a very real, *not* married MK tried to take care of him. The main scenes in my head were the hair washing scene and Red Son throwing up all over MK, but it was a matter of stretching it out into a bigger plot. I wasn't sure *how* Red Son would get into that state, so I did some research and found out jimsonweed is a very poisonous plant that causes hallucination and even death.

This bit of research was great because I could use an element from the actual show in the fanfic, but it also changed the story's tone. It wasn't a silly fic about Red Son spilling his affections to a very real MK-Red Son gets genuinely poisoned, and believes MK is proof of that. It also changed the reason why Red Son was working with the crimson jimsonweed-Princess Iron Fan needed him to work on it, which meant this was to some degree, Princess Iron Fan's fault.

Sometimes, it's less a matter of research changing the fic and more stream of consciousness? I didn't plan for the car scene between Red Son and MK in Genus Datura, but it just sort of poured out the more I wrote, and I went along with it.

While I do sometimes play with the idea of writing the sillier genus datura, I'm really happy with how it turned out. I enjoyed the writing process for it immensely.

I have a pretty spastic writing schedule-I'll do huge 5-8k chunks of writing over the course of a couple hours or a single day, and then just *not* write for a couple days or even a week. I wouldn't say it's the *healthiest* schedule per say, but it works for me and I'm overall pretty content with it. That being said, if you can stretch your writing out over the course of several days rather than jamming it into one, I'd recommend that more to others lmao.

So, here's some advice:

Firstly, make an outline. I'm not a big outlining person myself, I usually just have the chapter number and like, a short blurb about what I want to happen, but that alone is good enough. There's nothing worse than having a scene in your head and then completely forgetting it when you sit down to write three days later.

Take your time writing! Schedules and deadlines you create for yourself are handy if you want consistency, but life isn't consistent, and sometimes you need to be lenient with yourself. Write what you can, and if you can't some days, don't.

If you're stuck on something, genuinely go outside. Or stay inside, doing something completely different. Work on something else. The brain is fascinating-it works on things even when we don't really think about them. Give yourself some time away from your story and eventually, it'll come to you.

Play around with your ideas, even if you don't expect them. You might change something you thought was an integral aspect of the story at some point, and you might switch it out for something you'd just came up with on the spot. And that's okay. If this is where the story wants to take you, then go along for the ride.

Most importantly I think is that no matter how silly or stupid you think your writing is, someone out there will love it. Even if you don't get as many views or likes or comments as you'd hope, someone out there keeps your work close to their heart. You've worked hard on something, and you should be proud of that :D

Hope this all helped!!! It's a VERY long response, sorry about that rgurithjn.

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