#if anyone else asks about this maybe i'll share some snippets of the ~friendship~ bits | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

zyrafowe-sny · 4 months

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writing ask game: 16 and 19!

from this ask game

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

Umm... It has been A While since I've regularly read physical books (mostly read on Libby/other phone apps these days), but I've done the usual random scraps of paper in the past.

When I was a kid obsessed with Narnia in elementary school, I made special friendship bracelet bookmarks for my set that matched the colors of the covers. Some might still exist at my mom's.

I also remember buying bookmarks that looked like castle tapestries.

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

When I was a kid, I loved stories and reading and daydreaming and playing pretend (mostly on my own, as others aged out of it). I enjoyed my elementary school creative writing assignments, and started writing poems and stories in my free time too. That continued through high school, and around high school I also got into fanfic (mostly as a reader, but I wrote fan poems, short snippets, and a ficlet/one shot or two that I never shared with anyone else).

In early college, I finally posted a tiny bit of fanfic (on website that thankfully no longer exists), but I had an unfinished WIP that hung over my head for years and years. (It wasn't even that long a story! It just became an impossible task.)

And then there was over a decade of basically nothing. I wrote for college/grad school and for work, but papers, memos, PowerPoints, emails, etc. are not exactly creative writing.

The Owl House rewired my brain, as they say. It started out as a show I started watching mid 2022 while folding laundry, but in October 2022 I started bingeing in earnest. I was still finishing Season 2B when Thanks to Them dropped, but once I caught up... oooph. Immediate rewatch. I read some fanfic, but for the first time in over a decade, I was itching to write. I started with one drabble — 100 words seemed like a realistic goal — which turned into a drabble sequence. Then I posted a one shot a few days later, then another one shot, and... After having an AO3 account with zero posted words of my own from August 2013 to mid October 2022, I now have over 50k up and more in drafts.

These days, I consider myself a fanfic writer in it for the long haul. I know that life responsibilities/health/etc may interfere with writing from time to time, but I've found my way back before and I am confident that I can do it again. I am a little anxious about having multiple multi-chapter WIPs up on AO3 — there was a reason I initially intended to stick to one shots/one shots in series — but fanfic writeblr helps immensely. When in doubt, I write drabbles.

I am in zero rush to focus on writing original fiction, but I have decades of life yet. Who knows — maybe I'll write a short story collection or a novel someday for fun, but I'm not nearly as passionate or dedicated (or talented!) as my friends/acquaintances who are writing/making art professionally. That's where I am with music too — I love being part of a community choir and I hope music will always be a part of my life, but it's a hobby. And as much as I desperately wish we supported full-time artists better, I also wish more people could just "dabble" in creative/artistic endeavors (time and money being big gatekeepers for hobbies too).

#thanks for the ask!#sometimes I write #ask game

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mikaharuka · 1 year

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7 Snippets, 7 People

So, I noticed this new tag game that @late-to-the-fandom posted, and decided to jump on the open tag, because why not? From what I've seen, the concept is seven snippets with a common thread

I'll tag (no pressure): @tsunderewatermelon, @udaberriwrites, @mrsmungus, @sliebman10, @writingpotato07, @oceangirl24, @danceswithdarkspawn, @kayedium-writes, @sarahlizziewrites, @axolotlsupremacyowo, @alpaca-clouds, @frostedlemonwriter, @aohendo, and the open tag for anyone else interested.

For my seven snippets, I figured I'd capture the evolving friendship between Beau and Mike, over the 14 chapters of Apricity that are up.

1 - Amethyst Impasse (Ch 3)

While Mme. Allaire took attendance, a hand tapped lightly on his desk. Beau looked over to find a conventionally cute, slightly baby-faced blond guy. “Are you Beauregard Swan?” “Yeah, though I go by Beau. And you are…?” “Mike Newton.” He nodded at the half-Korean boy. “Looks like you already met Eric.” “He helped me find the room in time.” Beau looked at Eric. “Thanks again.” “All good!” Eric grinned at him. “By the way… what classes are you taking?” Beau put his schedule on his desk and motioned at Eric and Mike. “Honors student, huh? Definitely not me… we might share lunch though,” Eric said. Mike looked at the schedule. “We share a lot of classes… but in different blocks. We have AP Bio together after lunch, though. Did you need help finding the rooms?” “I think I can find them, but I’ll be sure to ask if I need help.” Mike nodded at him. Right then, Mme. Allaire called out another student for texting in class. Mike and Eric quickly turned their attention forward, not wanting to get called out. Beau was secretly grateful; though he appreciated their kindness, he needed a quick breather. He wasn’t used to that level of interaction or attention yet - hopefully that would change soon.

2 - Cerise Blossom (Ch 6)

Mike was only a few yards away from Beau when everything went down. Maybe he could help him make sense of things? Beau would have to ask him later, but for now, he read Mike’s messages. Mike: ‘Beau. Just wanted to check in’ Mike: ‘Hope you're feeling a bit better’ Mike: ‘Reply whenever works. No rush’ Mike: ‘Make sure to rest though’ Beau appreciated the space Mike offered, but he wanted to ask him about the accident. Or should he? He wasn’t exactly in the best state of mind. Maybe, Beau could give himself a few days. Beau: ‘On my way home now. Everything’s good’ Mike: ‘Glad to hear. We were really worried about you’ Beau: ‘I bet the gossip mill is running at full speed’ Mike: ‘More like it's working overtime lol’ [...] Mike: ‘Should I tell the others if they ask?’ Mike: ‘About the accident, I mean?’ Beau: ‘Sure, tell them whatever’ Mike: ‘Will do. Go home and get some rest’ Mike: ‘I’ll try to keep the others away for now' Mike: ‘We’ll figure out the notes and homework’ Beau: ‘Thanks Mike’ Beau: ‘I'm ready to call it quits for the day’ Mike: ‘See you when you get back’

3 - Jade Challenge (Ch 8)

It would be really useful to see Mike’s brain pick the hospital mess apart, but… “I… err…” Beau flushed slightly. “If you don’t want to say, that’s fine. Other clues will show up.” “No, it’ll be better to get everything on the table now.” “Are you sure? You’re looking a bit… err…” “It’s fine. It’s just… this is going to sound really stupid, but… uhh…” “Beau - we’ve already sailed well past stupidity into outright supernatural conspiracy.” “Oh my god. Mike! We’re full-blown conspiracy theorists now!” Beau cackled loudly. Mike put his head in his hands. “What even is my life right now?” “You sure you want to ask me that?” “Point. I can’t imagine what that feels like.” “Well, it became your problem ever since you overslept and ran late that day.” “Oh come on! I was just trying to do some last-minute studying for the midterm!” “And where did that land you?” Beau asked smugly. “...point. Again.” Mike shook his head. “So… what was your idea?” Beau sighed. “It’s a long story.” Oh well. In for a penny, in for a pound. [...] “I know everyone makes eyes at the Cullens, but wow. That’s certainly… uh… intense.” “Hey, you’re the one who asked!” Beau exclaimed. “I know, I know, thanks for sharing.” Mike appeased him, holding his palms up. “I do see why you think it’s related, though.”

4 - Azure Mystique (Ch 11)** [**this takes place in Agni: Nakshatra, Ch 3's fire/star phase]

The two boys stood frozen for several moments before Mike broke free first, tapped on Beau’s shoulder, and led them both outside. Once the door closed, Beau addressed him. “Dude, what the fuck,” Beau said in a rush. “That’s… one way to put it.” “How the fuck is this getting so complicated?” “You’re asking the wrong person, dude.” “No seriously - what is this? Some kind of cosmic joke?” Beau asked more rapidly. Mike looked Beau over and furrowed his eyebrows, deep in thought, before grabbing his free hand and leading him back to the coffee shop they visited earlier. “Let’s get something to eat before we head back. We should still make it back by nine,” Mike looked back at Beau. “Besides, it looks like you could use a strong mint tea.” “Huh?” Beau paused for a moment before he snorted. “Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks.” Beau looked over the other boy, deeply grateful for his steady presence through the entire mess they were caught up in. Mike pulled him along before Beau picked up the pace to match his stride. “What about you? It must be pretty crazy for you too.” “I just need some time to think over that info dump before Saturday. That’s all.” Beau really hoped that was the case, for both their sakes.

5 - Sapphire Precipice (Ch 12)

“Wait.” Beau narrowed his eyes at Mike. “What were you thinking about just now? And don’t say ‘nothing’. Because I know something had your attention just now.” Ah… well, shit. This was awkward. Beau continued a bit sharply. “You have this subtle, far-off but focused look when your mind runs off. It’s hard to spot, but I noticed it after spending the month with you.” Of course he did. Beau was more observant than most people, with only a slight delay in reaching the conclusions Mike did. If anything, this was inevitable. Mike really should have known better. “I…” Mike faltered. “Honestly, given everything that’s happened so far, I doubt you’d faze me much.” Beau’s lips quirked slightly. “I mean, this is me we’re talking about…” Beau wasn’t wrong - he owed him the truth, considering the situation. Still, he’d have to watch himself closely going forward. “I…” Mike forced himself to continue. “I didn’t plan on hiding anything. I didn’t want to, really. It’s just that things kind of got out of hand, and somehow…” Beau’s face softened slightly. “I get it, dude - trust me, I really do. But at this point, we need everything on the table to make the most of today’s trip, right?” Of course he was right. Mike sighed and resolved himself. [...] “Would you have said anything, if I hadn’t asked just now?” “Yes. Later today, to be exact.” Mike met Beau’s eyes. He needed- no, wanted Beau to believe him at least on that count. [...] Beau paused, turned around, and gave him a smile. “Earlier, you said that part of why you kept quiet was because you were worried about me. That goes both ways, you know? So you’re not off the hook yet… but thanks. For helping me. For being around in general. I’m not sure how I would’ve reacted or handled any of this without you around… so yeah!” Beau finished before speeding off to the red sedan. How was Mike supposed to respond to that?

6 - Sangria Totality (Ch 13)

“You’re exactly as he described you,” Mina said as she met Mike’s eyes. “What?” Mike turned to Beau. “Hey, do you gossip about me during your little sauna sessions?” “Obviously not, you idiot. Why would I even do that?” Beau retorted. “She’s clearly talking about Edward.” “Huh? That makes even less sense! We barely even talk outside of AP Bio - what is there even to gossip about?” “Don’t ask me, dude,” Beau shrugged before considering him more thoughtfully. “Hmm… though now that I think about it, he has mentioned you quite a few times.” “Of course he has, dumbass. We’ve been bugging him this entire time about this mess of a mystery, and you’re the one who talks to him all the time outside of school.” Beau snorted. “Obviously that's true, but he also mentions you when-” A sudden burst of laughter interrupted them. The two boys turned to face the gold-eyed girl who was trying and failing to stifle her laughter and keep a straight face. “Sorry, sorry,” she said after calming down… though that smile never left her face. “He’s right about Edward, but that’s a completely different issue.” No? No it wasn’t? What the hell was going on this time? [...] “You didn’t talk to your dad after the bonfire last weekend, did you?” “Of course not!” Beau looked at Mike like he thought he was stupid. “What would I say to him? ‘Hey Dad, did you know that the Cullens are vampires and that magic is real and this strange mark showed up on my body? Of course I didn’t say anything to him!” Mike sighed. “At least your dad knows, so this won’t come out of the left field for him… but my family has absolutely no idea about any of this.” Mike turned back to Izumi and Mina. “That’s why I can’t stay here. I have to get back to Forks tonight.” “You don’t have to worry about that either,” Mina spoke up. “Charlie told your parents that you’d be staying with him and Beau in Seattle tonight and they seemed fine with it.” His parents went along with that story that easily? Hmm… to be fair, though, his parents had no reason to think that Chief Swan was covering for him - after all, Mike spent quite a few nights at the Swan residence over the past month. Besides, it wasn’t like Chief Swan lied about anything.

7 - Midnight Freefall (Ch 14)** [**this takes place in Prakriti: Nakshatra, Ch 6's prime/star phase]

“Err… the situation turned out okay in the end, but Beau got this tiny scratch near the mark. Don’t worry though - it was quite minor and Mina looked it over. He’s doing fine now, probably off doing his own thing in peace,” Mike concluded rather quickly. “That certainly explains a lot. I am relieved to hear that Beau is doing okay. However…” Carlisle took a few steps towards him and Mike would be lying if he said that his first instinct wasn’t to step back - though he held his ground in the end. “I believe I asked after you, Michael. Are you faring okay, or at least well enough at the moment?” Why was the doctor asking him that? [...] “You don’t know what’s going on, then?” “There are a lot of mystic phenomena out there and I could make a few educated guesses with enough time, but no. I do not know very much right now.” “You…” It was Mike’s turn to look away awkwardly. “You know you have to talk to Beau at some point, right? You say you don’t know much, but he knows even less than you do, so I’m sure he’d appreciate any information… considering the circumstances.” “Yes, I am aware,” Carlisle said with a somewhat resigned tone. “I will speak to him and do what I can to resolve the circumstances as quickly and efficiently as possible.” [...] He… he really knew nothing at all. It wasn’t just the lack of control, but also the lack of foresight to even look within himself. Just stumbling in the dark, thinking he’d made sense of the hand he’d been dealt, only to find out he’d been doing it all wrong - wasting his time and energy and whatever else until a few hours ago. And even then, it wasn’t Mike who initiated the breakthrough - it was Beau and his throwaway comment. ‘Because it’s harder to see things when you’re in the middle of the mess.' Beau said that to him, but it wasn’t like the other boy was distanced from the mess. Hell, he was right in the middle of it! Even deeper than Mike was! Yet Beau still had that presence of mind, that way of pointing Mike in the right direction and sending him off. Really, Mike was an idiot for not talking to him about the colors before that morning.

#my excerpts #beau swan #mike newton #bellisle #carlisle x beau #winter light #apricity #twilight #life and death #gay twilight #tag game #my tag games #mizuka's rambles #my writing #twilight fanfiction #twilight rewrite

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