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actual-changeling · 6 months

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my brain's kinda dead after therapy today but has anyone ever thought about when aziraphale started writing diaries?

in 1827 he says he is on volume 603. now, we COULD simply assume that he uses one diary per year, which would put our starting date in 1224. however, there's two things that bother me about that line of thinking. it is a very late time to start writing diaries considering that paper and writing have been around almost as long as he has plus over six hundred volumes - that's some fucking dedication right there. he LOVES books and thus probably loves preserving stories in general, so the second he heard of diaries being thing he started keeping one. or maybe he even invented them.

on top of that, crowley and aziraphale do not perceive time like we do, and after almost six thousand years memorable events have probably become a bit rarer.

which leads us back to the question of when he started documenting those events.

we have to entirely guesstimate this but let's say the average diary he uses has 200 pages (notebooks have a big variety of page numbers and this one's easy to work with) and he writes a minimum of one entry a month across 4 single pages. we see him NOT use the backside of a page and his handwriting is quite large.

but he probably doesn't always have an entire story to tell and we do have one other entry that really isn't very long (which can be found in the bonus section of episode 3).

so if we go with 4 pages per entry on average we'd have 50 entries per diary. divided by 12 makes around 4 years contained within one volume.

4 x 603 = 2412

1827 - 2412 = - 585

585 AD is pretty damn early and doesn't really ring a bell and that's when we use some very generous numbers and assume he writes a lot.

but.

what happens when we loosen up a little?

let's say he doesn't write 12 entries per year and that the average is less than 4 pages of writing - let's give him some more time to fill 603 volumes which. again. is quite a fucking lot and there is the very real question of where he keeps them and if crowley has seen them.

anyway. more time. paper around 3000 BC but also heaven and hell don't stick to human developments and crowley had paper in heaven.

have you guessed where i'm going with this yet?

tell me beloved tumblr bestie, do you remember the first time we get to see writing on paper that isn't celestial sketches on celestial paper?

if your answer is "job in 2500" then congrats, you won!

the conclusion to this rambling is that there's a good chance aziraphale started keeping a diary after the entire job incident. when he was exposed to earthly pleasure. when he had to start keeping track of what happened and what crowley did vs. what he SAID he did. when having a record like the god/satan contract became important.

however i want you to consider the funniest possible answer to the question "why did aziraphale start writing diaries" - he and crowley fucked and had incredibly mind blowing sex in that cellar and when aziraphale realised he had no one to talk to about it he sat down and invented diaries.

#alex talks good omens #good omens #ineffable husbands #crowley #aziraphale #good omens season 2 #go2 #aziracrow #crowley x aziraphale #ineffable divorce #the final fifteen #good omens metak #bildad the shuhite #bildaddy #i hope this makes sense im this close to passing out

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burningvelvet · 1 year

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random excerpts from lord byron’s diaries that feel like tumblr posts from the 1800s

“My mind is a fragment.”

“I am too lazy to shoot myself.”

“Here I am, alone, instead of dining at Lord H.'s, where I was asked—but not inclined to go any where. Hobhouse says I am growing a ‘loup garou,’ a solitary hobgoblin. True.”

“Sleepy, and must go to bed.”

“Whether ‘Hell will be paved with’ those ‘good intentions,’ I know not.”

“Got up—redde the Morning Post containing [..] a paragraph on me as long as my pedigree, and vituperative, as usual.”

“I wonder what the devil is the matter with me! I can do nothing, and fortunately there is nothing to do.”

“Last night, party at Lansdowne House. Tonight, party at Lady Charlotte Greville's—deplorable waste of time, and something of temper. Nothing imparted—nothing acquired—talking without ideas:—if any thing like thought in my mind, it was not on the subjects on which we were gabbling. Heigho!—and in this way half London pass what is called life. Tomorrow there is Lady Heathcote's—shall I go? yes—to punish myself for not having a pursuit.”

“What a strange thing is the propagation of life! A bubble of Seed which may be spilt in a whore’s lap – or in the orgasm of a voluptuous dream – might (for aught we know) have formed a Caesar or a Buonaparte.”

“Oh that face!—by te, Diva potens Cypri, I would, to be beloved by that woman, build and burn another Troy.”

“I have found increasing upon me (without sufficient cause at times) the depression of Spirits (with few intervals), which I have some reason to believe constitutional or inherited.”

“I shall soon be six-and-twenty (January 22d., 1814). Is there any thing in the future that can possibly console us for not being always twenty-five?”

“Past events have unnerved me; and all I can now do is to make life an amusement, and look on while others play. After all, even the highest game of crowns and sceptres, what is it?”

“Redde a little—wrote notes and letters, and am alone, which Locke says is bad company. ‘Be not solitary, be not idle.’—Um!—the idleness is troublesome; but I can't see so much to regret in the solitude. The more I see of men, the less I like them. If I could but say so of women too, all would be well. Why can't I? I am now six-and-twenty; my passions have had enough to cool them; my affections more than enough to wither them,—and yet—and yet—always yet and but—‘Excellent well, you are a fishmonger—get thee to a nunnery.’—‘They fool me to the top of my bent.’” (Quotations from Hamlet)

“I wish I could settle to reading again,—my life is monotonous, and yet desultory. I take up books, and fling them down again. I began a comedy, and burnt it because the scene ran into reality;—a novel, for the same reason. In rhyme, I can keep more away from facts; but the thought always runs through, through ... yes, yes, through. I have had a letter from Lady Melbourne—the best friend I ever had in my life, and the cleverest of women.”

“As to opinions, I don't think politics worth an opinion.”

“Tells Dallas that my rhymes are very popular in the United States. These are the first tidings that have ever sounded like Fame to my ears—to be redde on the banks of the Ohio!”

“This journal is a relief. When I am tired—as I generally am—out comes this, and down goes every thing. But I can't read it over; and God knows what contradictions it may contain. If I am sincere with myself (but I fear one lies more to one's self than to any one else), every page should confute, refute, and utterly abjure its predecessor.”

“Mr. Murray has offered me one thousand guineas for The Giaour and The Bride of Abydos. I won't—it is too much, though I am strongly tempted, merely for the say of it. No bad price for a fortnight's (a week each) what?—the gods know—it was intended to be called poetry.”

“I will not be the slave of any appetite. If I do err, it shall be my heart, at least, that heralds the way. Oh, my head—how it aches?—the horrors of digestion! I wonder how Buonaparte's dinner agrees with him?”

“If I had to live over again, I do not Know what I would change in my life, unless it were for not to have lived at all. All history and experience, and the rest, teaches us that the good and evil are pretty equally balanced in this existence, and that what is most to be desired is an easy passage out of it. What can it give us but years? and those have little of good but their ending.”

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lyralit · 4 months

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4.1.24 - the importance of learning new things

As much as I think academic & work focus is incredibly important going into the new year, one of my other goals is to practice doing more: to learn all of the things I want to do, in addition to work, in addition to writing. I want to know how to do thousands of little things, and I think the longer we wait, the less likely we are to do them.

Picking up a new hobby doesn't have to be buying a dozen textbooks and spending hundreds of dollars on lessons because you might have the slightest interest: it can be from whatever you have here, now, and you'll never learn if you don't get started.

Some of the things I've been getting into (as I've mentioned before) are baking & crocheting. it just feels so cozy and nice & I love the idea of comfort.

here is a list of things I want to / you should try that's new!

learning a new language. fifteen minutes a day, I kid you not. I'm learning latin on duolingo and I don't ever think about it, but when I do it (25 day streak 💪🏻), I'm starting to notice my improvements

consuming good media. and that's not scrolling for half an hour on tumblr. it's books—deep ones and silly ones and ones about romance and dragons and apocalypses. it's movies! I watched keira knightley's pride and prejudice twice in the last few months, and also three men and a baby which is something I never thought I would watch, but it was quite funny I think. and I learn from it: I cannot write humour or romance for the life of me, so it's basically studying to write (is the self-gaslighting too evident?)

learning to crochet. I made a silly little headband today, after scrolling through pinterest and desperately wanting one. I started crocheting in december to give as gifts (I completed none of my wips, much like when I write) and used the tools I had around me: an old rainbow loom hook and whatever string I could find. now I'm proud to say I can read somewhat fluently crochet acronyms.

baking. I keep saying this. I know. but when I tell you a two years ago I was exploding cupcakes in the oven and last month I made bakery-style cookies...I made bread! a loaf of bread! (in a bread machine, but it's so good and I instantly made another. there is one in the bread machine right now). honestly it just made me feel that much better about improvement, and trying new things, and that is the mindset I want for the new year.

learning to code. in all honesty, I never thought I was a compsci - engineer kind of person. then this year, out of sudden (masterminded) urges, I joined a bunch of tech and robotics initiatives, and maybe it's the sense of community (I can rejoice in finding another nerdy group) but now I am happily chauffeuring myself to these meetings 4h a week. I'm looking into pursuing more into the fields of eng and science. and I'm learning some code from one of the friends I've made!

starting a blog. ...I know most of the people who linger around my blog stay for the writing content (the last posts have turned this writerblr into a digital diary, and I'm only half sorry for that). but since I've joined tumblr (almost three years ago now!) I've got to meet so many wonderful people (including you!) and want to try so many things.

and I get it. it's overwhelming. so here are some starting goals that maybe I'll try also.

start doing art. -> make a card for someone as a gift.

learn a new sport & start exercising. (I'm trying out track & field in the spring, so stay tuned to figure out how that goes) -> see if someone will come play ball with you. do 1 or 2 youtube workout videos a week.

film videos of your daily life. it doesn't need to be for posting! -> edit together clips you've taken for a last year recape.

start a scrapbook. -> print out photos and dig up construction paper. decorate a page.

make a poetry journal. -> go on pinterest to read poetry! pin styles you like and set fifteen minutes to writing.

make a regular journal! -> write once a day. just try: goals for the day in the morning, or a recap at night.

try your hand at gardening. -> research plants that grow well in your region. see if any of the seeds you may have at home are useful. water your lawn. buy a plant and try to keep it alive (set reminders, leave it in front of your sink)

learn to make candles. -> watch a youtube tutorial. see if you can play around with candles you already have.

play chess. -> see if someone will play chess with you. no? chess.com is right there. go make an account. go find a stranger.

learn to play an instrument off youtube. -> maybe you have a piano sitting around, or a guitar you've never touched. you don't even need to master it. pick a song you like and google that. no instrument? maybe there's a way to play drums with home items.

go for a run. -> once a week. a set time. just shoes and the outdoors. too cold? go to a gym and use a treadmill. maybe that's not possible? skip rope.

start / join a book club. -> just you, or some close friends, or people online. a book a month. talk about it.

** on that note, would anyone like to join a tumblr book club? slide into my asks and maybe we can get a blog list!

thank you for reading again <3 until next time.

#lyralit #writerblr #blog post #creative writing #writblr #writing prompts #writing ideas #writers block #writing #writers #mental health #taking breaks

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ratllu · 2 years

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ADHD TIP!!!!!! hw :,)

1. make timelapses on your phone of u doing your work. this helps so much i cant even BEGIN to explain. it feels like im a little youtube with my life together, and i love the idea/aesthetic of people having video diaries so. it also helps me stay on task because ik that id hate to rewatch my videos and see that i was super unproductive, so it’s almost like performance anxiety but in a good way and it’s satisfying to see !! if u want i will post some of them

2. SEPERATE YOUR BROWSERS! i use opera for my fun stuff (it’s basically just google marketed “for gamers” and it kinda slaps ngl) and ive got a rule that when im on chrome, im not allowed to use any of my time-sucking things (pinterest, tumblr, quora).’

3. when writing an essay, change the font and line spacing consistently. helps my brain by adding variety and avoiding the thing where u gotta reread the sentence 8 times only to forget it and read it again only to forget it and rea

4. when you have a writing assignment (can u tell im doing my english final rn) START IT ON PAPER. u gotta sit down with your notebook and the intent to write the draft of the essay on paper. ive found that pretty quickly, my hyperfocus will kick in and my brain will catch the drift of what we’re doing, which ends up prompting me to switch over to my computer. ive got so many pages in my book rn that are just the first paragraph of a paper that end abruptly as i get into the flow of things

5. when typing, wear fingerless gloves. it helps man, trust me. it feels like all of my typing and writing energy is stored in my hands and the fingerless gloves kinda contain that energy. does that make sense. do you guys get that. i feel like u get it

6. templates. something i struggle with is not really knowing how or where to start things, which templates have seemed to help with. for example if im writing a biography about someone, ill google biography templates and there will be an outline that works as the perfect guide. this tip is pretty universal and can benefit everyone, but it took me a while to figure out pls. outline = good

7. work in the dark/at night- though im sure a lot of us do this regardless, working in a situation that imitates/is nighttime is genuinely helpful for us. for me, working at night feels like a choice that i made on my own and without instruction from superiors, which is motivating for some reason. people with adhd (i think this might apply to other forms of nuerodiversity but im only certain about adhd) have circadian rhythms that naturally skew later, so working later instead of in the daytime might be the most productive time for u.

also, i get that it’s good to avoid doing work in bed because associating a place of comfort with an activity of strain is probably Not the best, but sometimes, working in my bed is just what works best for me. it’s important to know yourself and trust what you need!!

#adhd #nuerodivergent #nuerodiversity #adhd hacks #productivity #studyblr #autism #self help #advice #writing #homework #online school #redtips

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thebluestbluewords · 4 months

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mal apologist 4 life babey

I know that I talk a lot here on thebluestbluewords dot tumblr dot com about how Mal is my favorite, and I truly believe that she thought she was making the best/only choices available to her throughout the Descendants movies, even when those choices are objectively pretty stupid and bad. (this is the setup, I swear)

I’m reading Mal’s Diary for the first time, and every other page is hitting WEIRDLY HARD with how much Mal is a child who was never really given an option outside of what her mother wanted. Which, okay! That’s relatable for a lot of kids, even if their parents aren’t the Mistress of All Evil. A lot of young kids feel like they don’t have agency in their lives, because their parents do have a lot of control over what they can do and believe, even if they’re not…evil about it. And seeing that echoed in a movie where the main theme is about choosing good no matter who your parents are, and making your own path, is great!! It’s a solid message and execution of the theme.

As an adult….it makes me REALLY REALLY sad for Mal that she basically goes from being trapped under her mother’s power, to trapped under the weight of every royal expectation of what she “should” be doing. I know these books aren’t supposed to be that deep, but just….hear me out here.

Mal is a child who was mistreated by her mother for the first sixteen years of her life. Her mother holds all of the power here. Mal doesn’t have a choice in the matter. She can’t run, she can’t hide, and she can’t refuse to leave. Her mother is using her, and Mal knows it, but she also doesn’t have an alternative. Maleficent wants an heir, and she has the power to punish her daughter for the rest of her life if she doesn’t comply. Mal doesn’t start out the movie with any real agency, because her mother has cut off all of her options.

She’s been raised by a mother who will not miss her. Maleficent took ZERO convincing to send her daughter off to boarding school with no gaurentee that she’d ever return. Maleficent was the one convincing the other three parents to send their children off the isle. She doesn’t see Mal as a person, she sees her as a tool. Mal might know that she’s valuable to her mother, but she’s valuable in the same way that a hammer is valuable, as a tool. If Mal messes up, she’s grounded for the rest of her life, and I don’t think it’s too far of a reach to assume that Maleficent does truly mean that. A woman who is prepared to put a curse on a baby that won’t activate for sixteen years has the patience to lock her daughter away like a broken toy, and from the way Mal talks about her in the book, I don’t doubt that she’s go through with it. To her mother, Mal is valued as a tool, not a human person with independent thoughts and feelings.

A couple of pages later, Mal is writing about her future. She spends one line on what she might have wanted to be, and then outright says “it doesn’t matter”. Her own desires don’t matter, because her mother wants a mini-villain of her own, and she’s groomed Mal since birth to step up and take on that role.

Even in her own diary, Mal’s only just starting to think that it would be nice if she wasn’t just her mother’s pawn. She’s not seriously considering other options for her future. She doesn’t see those other options as a choice that’s available to her, but she’s finally able to think that maybe, it would be nice if she HAD that choice. Sixteen years. It took Mal sixteen years to get to a place where she’s starting to think that it would be cool if her future wasn’t owned by her mother. She’s only just now in a place of physical safety where she can even wonder if she has options outside of her future being controlled by her mother. Is it any wonder that this girl makes some bad choices as soon as she has any agency?? She’s never had the OPTION to make bad choices before, because all of her actions, every part of her future, was planned out by her mother.

(Why yes, I think about stage mother Maleficent AU all the time. Pushing her daughter to be the best, the most competitive, and most ruthless performer?? Having a vendetta against the rival stage mothers with their daughters who could never be as talented or as Worthy Of Trophies as hers?? Projecting her own glory days onto her daughter?? It’s basically the perfect AU to explore the parent-child relationships of this movie through a more focused lens).

#descendants #mal bertha #mal descendants #the girl wasn’t even given her own NAME #her mother doesn’t want a child #she wants a mini-me who she can control and use to extend her own power #and that’s really clear in this book #I will be posting the funny parts later!!#this just made me sad for these kids all over again

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raining-tulips · 3 months

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hi! i just found your blog :) love your commonplace book scans! if you don’t mind me asking, could you give a more in-depth explanation of what commonplacing is exactly and what your process is? i’m intrigued and considering getting into it but i wouldn’t even know where to start! thanks a lot xx

Absolutely! So my commonplace is specifically all movies, qoutes, articles, tumblr/Instagram posts, book excerpts, etc. that either resonated with me or I think I'll want to reference later. That is the heart of what common placing is - saving things for later physically rather than digitally.

Some of these just pop up in my feed, and I'll hit the like or save button. If it's an article, it usually first pops up as a preview on my Instagram and I'll open the full article on my desktop than bookmark it in a specific folder for common placing.

Sometimes, when I want to actively find something out (say, about if perfume is really bad for the environment, or I want to look at author interviews because I just loved a book) I will go out and search for that information.

Then, usually once a week I compile everything I'd like to print - i print the sources bc my handwriting is messy - into a word document formatted for two columns. I try and hold off printing until i have a full page worth, or two full page worth.

For images, I have another word document (these are printed in color, and i usually have to jigsaw to fit as many images on the page as possible, so different word document). Same thing, I try and wait until I have a full page to print. Usually x2 a month. I sometimes will print with an HP sprocket but the quality is really bad and the pictures are thick so, it's for when I'm out of printer ink or I think a photo will look okay with a sorta...uneven look.

I use just a Staples brand journal, TruRed. Cheap and easy. I draw a line at the top so I can write the date, and in the future if I want to tag it with a colored sticker or something, I can. My layouts usually include divided space on either the left or right of a page. The article goes in the bigger open space, and then the source (always write your source!!) and any commentary goes in the smaller margins.

Commentary is usually why I wanted to print it, what it reminds me of or makes me think about, etc. What I think the argument was missing, etc. Can be as little or as much as you like. As emotional and deep or as plain-jane as you like. There are no rules!

I trim printed text and images with a 12 inch trimmer bc I've got wobbly hands, but some people just use a little (blanking on the name) exacto knife? Any 12 inch trimmer will do mine is expensive but I also scrapbook so I use it all the time.

I paste things in using a tape runner (again, because I scrapbook and found a tape runner and my mom sells scrapbook supplies they're very accessible to me). Some people use tape, washi tape, glue sticks (liquid glue I've never seen).

And yeah, then I just decorate and play around. It doesn't have to be pretty. It can be really pretty if you want - I'm motivated by aesthetics, so, I like mine to be a little pretty.

If you'd like to see how I actually put it together and why I print certain things, my YouTube channel is the place to go.

Some people tape in movie tickets, receipts from where they shopped or ate, pictures from daily life. Some people mix common-placing and journaling, so including diary entries about their day or about a topic they love, or their thoughts and feelings (I keep mine in a separate journal, explained in this video). Some people mix common-placing with bullet journal or planning. Some combine all three!

At the end I just use a printer scanner (HP Envy 5500, cheap) and post them online that way bc I love the look.

People who have other styles you might try and look at are @petite-gloom (an OG who inspired me and many others) @fakelavender , @teddybearsticker .

#answered #commonplace #commonplace book #commonplace journal #journaling #journaling community #stubyblr

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retellingthehobbit · 3 months

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I went to read your comic on Ao3 and I noticed you'd started back in 2020. Aside from your clear and beautiful art progression, what can you tell me about the timeline of your comic?

Thank you! And yes, started this webcomic in January of 2020. “I sure hope nothing bad happens in 2020 that will hamper my ability to focus on a large personal project!” — me in January 2020 with all the naivety of youth. Top ten images taken minutes before disaster. This comic is like a deeply personal diary of my mental state, complete with the long empty hiatuses that are sort of like that part of Twilight where months of depression are represented by blank pages.

One of my favorite things about webcomics is how you can often see an artist’s style grow organically over time. I think it’s something that’s getting lost in the age of “Webtoon Originals,” where people are starting to expect webcomics to be produced by an actual production studio with a team of artists behind them and to maintain a consistent highly curated art style throughout. These professionally funded comics are fun, but they do lose the messy personal organic growth that used to separate webcomics from traditional print comics? But i could go on a whole tirade about webtoon haha 😂 !

The Hobbit is partially a story about someone learning how to express themselves. Bilbo starts the story as this stuffy little guy who is repressing a lot his own personality; he ends the story as a skilled artist writing elaborate prosy poetry about his adventures. I deliberately chose to start drawing the comic before I went to college, knowing my art style would change a lot of over that period!

Anyway here's the timeline as I remember it: Pre-development: I was working on sketches of the comic itself as early as 2016. Chapter 1 (A Bedtime Story/Tooks and Bagginses): (Posted on Tumblr in January 2020, on Ao3 later): Published shortly before I went to college. I was drawing in Paint Tool Sai, and hand-writing all the words instead of using a font. I set out to adapt at least the Unexpected Party chapter, but thought I'd probably adapt the entire novel within a year or two. ("It's a webcomic Michael. How long could it take? twelve months?") Chapter 2: (A Very Respectable Hobbit): Posted like a week after Chapter 1. This was when I still thought I could post a ten page chapter every week, haahahahahahahahahaha Fs in the chat.

HIATUS #1: DANCE BREAK: TIME FOR A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. The exact timeline of 2020 is a blur for obvious reasons, but I do remember the updates became very sporadic over this period. Chapter 3-5 (Very Old Friends and An Unexpected Party chapters): there’s a global pandemic. During Spring Break my college abruptly kicks us all off campus and sends us home. I keep looking at the “post dates” on these chapters like what??? Really? I posted that at thAt time? But there was a global pandemic happening and I was so busy and overwhelmed with college???? When did I have the time? I have no memory of drawing these. My memories of all 2020 are so blurry. I think these chapters just manifested spontaneously.

The weekly/biweekly update schedule has been tossed to the wind, never to return. Alas. Chapter 6 (An Enormously Important Dwarf, aka Thorin’s intro): I was back “at college” during our “hybrid” year, so in practice I was extremely isolated. this was posted during a year after the first chapter, in 2021. I would never have found the motivation to continue if I wasn't so excited to draw Thorin! I also joined a "comic club" at my college which was comprised mainly of awkward video calls with like three people. On a weirder note, this chapter was posted a few weeks after the January 6th attempted coup. I was drawing in a a weird headspace.

DANCE BREAK #2: IT’S TIME FOR A YEAR LONG HIATUS:

I've started to often dislike the word “burnout” when it’s applied to art. It implies that the problem is that you were drawing too much or that you can’t find inspiration, when often the problem is much bigger than your art-- it's wider economic anxieties and social circumstances outside your control. It is very hard to think clearly and create things when you are worried about your future, about work, about housing, about a global pandemic, about constant demands on your time, and about being extremely isolated. In hindsight, I wasn’t “burned out”— I was in a situation where I could not think clearly or produce anything. Chapter 7 (The Lonely Mountain): posted a full year after chapter 6. For a while I considered having this be the “last chapter” of the comic!

Changing art styles was a thing I was really motivated to do, and was my last “bucket list” item for the comic.

HIATUS #3: I get really busy with junior year of college! I grow more and more disillusioned with Tolkien as I learn more about The Hobbit Law crushing labor unions and worker's rights in New Zealand, and how Amazon takes advantage of that. The Tolkien Estate also releases a statement saying they disapprove of any unauthorized use of Tolkien's works for profit or not, which isn't really legally enforceable but is also just an act of pure contempt XD. Chapter 8 (A Tangled Web): I get sent to the emergency room in an ambulance for Reasons and begin drawing this in the weeks after, as I realize I don't care about the Tolkien Estate or Amazon or Warner Brothers or whatever hollow marketable products they produce under the tolkien brand. I think this is the weakest chapter of the comic, both in writing and art, and in hindisght think the comic works better without it pacing-wise. However!!!! I was drawing it in a weird mental state, so. XD

Also, at this point I am drawing entirely in Photoshop. Chapter 9 (Ash and Smoke): Back at college for senior year— time for dragon! The comic starts updating with something that resembles a "regular schedule!" this year had more and more people on campus in person, and I started to slowly make college friends :). Also, at this point I am the President of the comic club, and we are now meeting in person and rebuilding our comic empire. Chapter 10 (The Heart of the Mountain): Some funky bits of writing I'd like to revise at some point, but I enjoy the art in this chapter. Chapter 11 (Polite Nothings): If I were to do this all again I'd shorten this chapter and combine it with chapter 12. One important note is that originally, I tried to keep all chapters under ten pages. This made it easier to post them to Instagram and Tumblr, because tumblr still had a “ten image limit” at the time. However at some point I realized that was more trouble than it was worth, and really made the pacing difficult/slow as I struggled to split the story into ten page chunks.

A lot of webcomics often fall into what I call a “wheel-spinning” phase, where the author is so focused on finishing smaller updates that they lose the pacing of the larger narrative—- and so the story stalls out. I feel like I dealt with a lot of “wheel-spinning” while I was at college, both in my life and in my comic XD. Chapter 12 (The Quest): My internship company gives me an offer to work full-time, which I accept. in the last semester of my last year of college, I take the most helpful elective class I have ever taken: a class on using 3D models in blender to aid with blocking out illustrations. This is the first chapter where you see one of those backgrounds! From this point on my background art will improve dramatically. I also have lots of internet friends and college friends!

As I grow more confident in my art I also make the decision to change the character designs, something I’d wanted to do for a while. Chapter 13 (The Necromancer): I graduate college! It's time for some Lotte Reiniger art. I stay in my student housing until my lease ends. The art starts to grow more elaborate as I have more time to spend on it. Chapter 14 (Terms and Conditions): my summer is free, so I spend it drawing gay little hobbits. I move up North to live with my grandmother until my work start date. This is the very last “normal-sized” chapter of the comic, where I hold myself to keeping it under 10 pages. I also think this is where my new more elaborate character designs actually start to look a lot better XD.

I was finishing up apartment-hunting at this time, so both Bilbo and I were goin over contract terms. Chapter 15 (Unattached): summer free time!! More gay little hobbits. I move into my New apartment and sleep on an air mattress for a while. I have a lot of time to draw and the art gets far more complex; this chapter was also twice as long as my usual chapters. I am still proud of this chapter, honestly, even though it's gotten less attention than Chapter 16/17-- it's one I'd been excited to draw for a while. A lot of this chapter was drawn on my beautiful powerful beloved air mattress. Air mattress, my beloved. Chapter 16 (the Song of the Lonely Mountain): I start my new job! I get a BED. Lots of exciting things are happening. I was really excited to draw and post this chapter, because it’s one id been dreaming about drawing from the beginning-- it was surreal to see it "posted" because part of me never thought I'd get this far. I even started a tiktok and posted the chapter there, certain that people would enjoy it. However, tiktok basically ignored it, alas! This is why tumblr is the only social media site. Chapter 17: I continue my new job. My roommate surprises me with the news that they will move out at the end of our lease, making me realize that months have somehow passed. I make a post asking for anyone looking for roommates in Milwaukee to contact me via dms (that offer is still open, if you’re looking to move here in early June.) I privately am very confused about why anyone would ever want to leave a comfortable settled home to go off on an adventure and then realize that I am behaving exactly like pre-quest Bilbo Baggins.

Chapter 18: the chapter I am working on now!!! Another chapter I have been excited to draw forever!! It’ll feature studio-Ghibli-inspired backgrounds, exciting landscape art, and so much fun! I’ve also started a Patreon where, if you want to see “one page a week” instead of “twenty pages every Mystery number of Months” you can subscribe there. (The first page of Chapter 18 has already been posted!)

But yeah! The TL:DR:

I think the moral of all this (to me) is that it’s hard to make art if you’re just not in a position to do it, and you have to allow yourself time to grow and change as a person XD. Sometimes you need to spend a few years thinking and getting better before you're ready to go on an Adventure. I started this comic when I was very Young and Naive to the Ways of the World. The quality (and dips in quality) reflect my wildly fluctuating mental/emotional states while trying to draw each chapter in the midst of a global pandemic. My art has improved a lot lately, and I think a large part of it is really just being in a situation where I *can* improve— having a decent job, not being in the middle of a global pandemic with no vaccine in sight, not needing to live in constant fever-pitch anxiety, having friends, etc etc. I am completely different person now than I was while drawing chapter 1.

Not to be dramatic, but I think you can see there’s a lot more joy in the recent chapters than there is in some of the older ones. It's weird to look at your art and realize you've gotten happier. XD

#thanks for the ask!!!#and sorry it took so long to respond #I am Treebeard-core when it comes to responding to asks #just like I am Treebeard-core when it comes to posting this comic #it takes a very loong time to say anything in oooold entish #and we never say anyythiiiiing #unlesssss #it is worth taking #a long #time #to say #the hobbit #the hobbit comic #retelling the hobbit #lotr #lord of the rings

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choicesficwriterscreations · 11 months

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CFWC Writer of the Month - June 2023: peonyblossom

Each month CFWC highlights one of our talented fanfic writers, and this month’s writer of the month is @peonyblossom We hope you will enjoy learning more about them and their work below! The writer is selected at random. More info can be found on the navigation page.

Quick Links:

Tumblr Blog: peonyblossom Blog Masterlist AO3

How do you want to be known on Tumblr? Peony, Jay, or Ethan

1- When did you start playing Choices? What was the first book you played?

I started playing Choices when it was first introduced after I saw the promos on HSS and HWU. Ofc the first book I played was High School Story!!

2- When and why did you join Choices fandom?

I joined the Choices fandom because of Thomas Hunt LMAO. After playing the Thomas dates in HWU, I looked him up on Tumblr to see if there was any fan content, and there was (HUGE shoutout to @lovealexhunt and @gutsfics because their works were the first ones I saw). Through following a few Thomas Hunt fan accounts, I found some other stuff in the fandom, like CFWC, and decided to read some other really popular stories, and it just snowballed lol.

3- How did you pick your blog name?

I wanted something that wasn’t fandom-specific so I could post content for any of the many fandoms I’m in. And peonies are my favorite flower!

4- Pull up the first post in your archive, and tell us about it!

The first first post in my archive is a reblog of a One Direction fanfic. My first original post was about the show Miraculous Ladybug.

5- How long have you been writing fanfiction?

Ooh. A long time. Sixth or seventh grade, so nine or ten years?

6- What is your favorite Choices book, and what is your favorite Choices book to write about?

My favorite Choices book is America’s Most Eligible, but my favorite book to write about is Red Carpet Diaries/Hollywood U. I think I just like reading and writing about stories in the film industry since that’s what I do, lol.

7- Share the first fanfic you wrote with us. Do you still like it, or would you change it if you were writing it today?

Waiting Game / peonyblossom / AO3

I still like it! But, if I were writing it today, I would probably make it third person instead of first. It’s still cute, though!

8- What is your favorite fic that you’ve written?

Okay, probably a tie between What If It’s Now? and Love Lost.

9- Do you have a fic that you didn’t expect to be well received, but it was? What about one you expected to be but found could use a little more love?

I think there are a few I thought would’ve gotten a little more attention when I first posted them, but by now, I don’t really think that anymore.

10- If you could write only angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

FLUFF. I mean, I pretty much only write fluff right now; I just love it so much!

11- Do you ever recognize yourself in any of your MCs or in your writing?

Oh yeah. I think I see myself the most in my RCD/HWU MC, Jackie. In the HWU Universe, she’s a film student, like me, and in both universes, she’s an actor, like me!

12- What element of writing do you struggle with most?

Finding the time to do it 🥲 Other than that, probably just get started. I tend to psych myself out, especially with bigger projects.

13- Do you have any neglected work you really want to finish?

So. Many.

14- If someone you know in real life (who isn’t involved in fandoms) asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first?

It depends on who it is, but I’d probably let them. As for what I’d recommend, it also depends on the person. Honestly, might just send them my AO3 and let them decide ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

15 - Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing?

Probably more than I know! I’m sure there are plenty of authors who influence me subconsciously. But, I would say I tend to be influenced by classic novels like The Great Gatsby and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

16- Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series?

Forever Sounds Perfect! I would love to just watch Ethan propose to Sydney 🥺

17- Do you write original fiction?

Yeah! I mostly do screenwriting, but I also do fiction and poetry writing.

18 - What other hobbies do you have?

Hiking, reading, and yoga!

19 - What’s your favorite emoji?

🥰 or 🫶

#choices fic writers creations #cfwc writer of the month #playchoices #writer of the month #peonyblossom #june 2023 #choices fanfic #playchoices fanfic

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ferociouslycreativemystery · 6 months

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I just finished the Button House Archives and it's SPECTACULAR. Here are some personal highlights:

I love Alison's additions and comments in lots of places. She is fighting tooth and nail to stay on those hinges, and we love to see a character with spunk!

Mick's facial reconstruction could be the most horrifying thing I have *ever* seen

Mary's bits are some of my absolute favourites. Her speaking/writing voice is just delicious

Pat was just a terrible group leader wasn't he XD the arrow was really just a matter of time. He should have gone orienteering with them first, then he might have lost the kids before they could kill him

HAH I unwittingly picked Kitty's "character quote" to use in my video edit :P I feel validated

Thomas with his painfully literal complaints about other people's poems OMG rip bestie you would have loved tumblr (I haven't listened to the audiobook yet but I swear I can hear his "counted them, did you?" through the page)

I really like the way you can glimpse parts of later documents around the edges of earlier ones (like with Pat's folder, where the layers are removed one at a time, p. 22-23, 40-41, etc)

Hang on, just gotta go put on One Night in Bangkok for Robin (wait, now I need to hear him say that out loud)

Cap's munitions requests and personally penned operations with their TERRIBLE hand drawn maps that he keeps sending to actual Southern Command; I am fascinated by your mind sir. I believe he suffers from the same affliction I had in school where a combination of the dunning-cruger effect regarding general knowledge and teachers not talking to you in person about what you write in hand-ins causes you to just sort of assume everything you do is brilliant and that then it simply disappears into an unknowable void, and therefore you feel basically free to confess to murder in writing without ever thinking of the consequences. Embarrassment and second thoughts are very much face-to-face kinds of emotions (as he. ahem. would come to find out). Like, is written communication even real? Did it ever really leave your head?

Also: his war diaries were published? 1) who chose to publish them and 2) did Havers ever come across them by any chance? (plus: love to see a fellow tiny handwriting person. Cheers!)

The hand lettering on everything is so well made!!! I know a little (heavy emphasis on 'little') about palaeography, and the writing styles are recognisably of their eras, if many of the letter forms have indeed been updated to be readable for modern audiences. Compare for example Arthur Pinhoe's writing from 1575 (p. 8-11) with this actual letter from 1547. Also this actual 1700s writing to Kitty's diary entries from 1779 (p. 70-71 etc). (These samples are in Swedish but minus åäö they're all the same letters.) The writing also follows the pattern of older script being generally more rigid and standardised, while the closer to present day we get the more individual the handwriting becomes, which is a great opportunity for additional characterisation—which has also been very well implemented I think. I'm devouring every page of this, line by line!

REST IN BRIEFS (also the sly tail of the 'y' from the Daily Mail title just visible above the only compassionate headline lmao)

The reason I cannot talk to people is that Fanny's etiquette rules on conversing take over my entire mind from the moment I see another person.

Oh Kitty, I am coming to pick you up—you can be my sister instead of Eleanor's. It was nice to read her final entry though; finally the trick backfired and she got something good out of it while Eleanor suffered. Bieetch.

FANNY. SINCERELY. YOU ARE INSANE. I already knew about the letter where she demands reimbursement for the unsunk 7/8 of the Titanic's journey that she was cheated out of, but to SIGN IT OFF WITH "Would be survisor/victim of the RMS Titanic". Unbelievable.

Pat write a legible word challenge

I have a slight suspicion Julian might have had something to do with the designs for the Boys Adventure Club badges...

The "pictures of the ghosts" will make excellent reference photos for the various rooms, I appreciate them very much (should we make a game out of copying them and filling in the ghosts? There is a lot of potential there)

Humphrey, my guy... do you need a hug? (Sorry.)

FLOOR PLANS FLOOR PLANS FLOOR PLANS THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH I WILL TREASURE THESE WITH MY LIFE

Robin's constellations are impeccable I say we officially replace the zodiac with these no more superstition only bum

Julian's final email was really well written; a single page yet it's oozing with character and story

The behind the scenes pictures at the end are heartwarming. I am slightly alarmed at my ability to pinpoint the precise scene in the specific episode many of them are from though... is it maybe time for a break?

No. Never!

#I did it! I read a book in a day!#not a very wordy book but still. I'm a very slow reader #bbc ghosts #button house archives #maddie's ghosts tag

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raisin-shell · 1 month

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What kick-started your love for TMNT.

For me it was just some random Thursday I was camping and asked myself "if the 2014-16 turtles had to camp how would the each of them be of use." and like when I came home I started to watch all the TMNT films cartoons movies.

I FREAKING LOVE READING YOUR PAGE WHEN IVE HAD IFFY DAY OR JUST NEED SOMETHING TO PASS THE TIME! AND I GOT MY NOTIFICATIONS TO TELL ME WHEN YOU POST SO I CAN BE THE FIRST TO LIKE IT <3 <3

Stay Swaggers

Firstly THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! You’re making my heart flutter with happiness! The serotonin I got from your ask is just MUAH *chefs kiss* Thank you ❤️

As for the kick-start… many moons ago, back in 1990 I was taken to see the ninja turtles first live action movie with a male friend of mine. It was actually my baby sitters son who I became friends with. He LOVED NINJA TURTLES. I was 8 years old. I instantly fell in love with the turtles and even had one of my first crushes… Donatello. I was HOOKED. I had all the comics and watched all the cartoons in the 90’s. I’d grab anything with turtles on it. I remembered fondly of TV Guide having the turtles featured and I cut out Donatello from the pages, plastering him all over the pages of my diary. I had a plethora of toys, plushies, the Nintendo games… you name it I had it. That’s right. I’ve been on this crazy tmnt train for a LONG TIME. I’m now about to be 42. I’ve watched every iteration and have been an avid tmnt collector for years. I first found out about tumblr on accident. I clicked a link that led me to a persons blog where they had written some fanfic about the boys. I WAS HOOKED. I told myself “I gotta do this!” And I started my very first RP with @queendice98 and that’s what birthed my blog. I’ve been on Tumblr now for 7 years. It’s had its ups and definitely had its downs but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You guys are the best part of our fandom and I’m truly thankful I found my people.

#teenage mutant ninja turtles #answered asks

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itoastedsiopaox · 9 months

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CHEERS TO ANOTHER YEAR 🥂

It's been a week since I turned 25, and I'm finally taking some time to write on Tumblr again. This platform has always been my diary, rant page, and place to share my interests. I've tried my best to keep it updated with my life events, especially the most significant ones.

Looking back, I realize how busy I've been in the past few years. I feel like I need more time to catch up on everything. I haven't been able to see and talk to a lot of people that I used to be close to. I hope they don't think I've forgotten about them. I haven't. I think about them all the time and I wonder how are they doing, even the ones I only had a brief interaction with.

I also realize how much I've accomplished in the past few years. I've worked hard on my career, prioritized my mental health, focused on my relationship, and traveled to new places. I've also learned a lot about myself and the world around me.

I'm so grateful for all the opportunities I've had, and I'm excited to see what the future holds. I'm 25 now, and my biggest achievement so far is being happy and at peace with myself, my surroundings, and my choices.

08/17/23 | 1:46 am

#personal #lezaj #happy birthday to me

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dominic-sessa · 29 days

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life update!!!!

hi hello friends good morning good afternoon good evening its that time of the month again! this isnt really a big life update like the last time bcs i just thought id list down a bunch of things ive had on my mind.

first of all, im very happy to announce that i was able to watch 16 movies last march !! exciting!! i know ive said the last time that i quit the bingewatching thing but HONESTLY im in a work from home setup and the only way to keep me inspired is by watching a movie ... i am yet to find other ways to stay inspired so watching movies will just do for now... ALSO im gonna try to update my newsletter for the first time this year and itll probably be about the movies that i saw this march that i liked ! im now comfortable with turning the newsletter to be more about movies bcs nothing major has been happening in my life lol . so pls stay tuned for that newsletter post if ur interested!

another thing is ive decided to make this blog more personal! for the past year ive made this blog to be more about movies and gifs and stuff, and as much as i love getting the notes and reading ppl's tags, im going to try and make this blog work for me this time :) hope it doesnt get annoying or something... im also in the process of fixing my about pages and tags and all. ive used tumblr since 2012 so im still struggling with the setup. LIKE yes i want to maximize the fact that you can edit html pages and its cute and lets me be creative but at the same time, im on my phone majority of the time . and i dont like being on my laptop after work because ive literally just been using a laptop the whole day. for work. im rly shy to post some stuff about me (bcs i havent done it before fr insert the tom hanks dialogue from joe vs the volcano abt doing some soul searching and coming to the conclusion that hes just boring so he stops doing it) so if u see me doing it as an attempt to fix the personal pages on my blog, im sorry! AAAND as for the gifs thing, im thinking of changing my film diary tag, one thing i really enjoy is taking note of dialogues i love from a movie so i might just do screenshots. i really miss making gifs even though most of the gifs i end up with are LQ , but it just really isnt feasible now . (also some movies are just so tempting to gif LIKEEE valley girl and everytime we say goodbye 😭😭 it physically hurts me that i cant gif josh whitehouse and tom hanks in those movies....)

ALSO im really very very happy that ive gained new followers recently. i enjoy chatting with you guys and get so happy whenever i get the notif that someone sent me an ask/message!! ive been idle on stan twt/fandoms in general so its been a really long time since ive actually... talked to people... it makes me really happy talking to u and im sorry if my happiness doesnt show in my replies/posts. as i said, its been a while since ive done this and i usually go on here as soon as im off work (when my brain is semi-fried and the words are not wording anymore) . i hope i dont come across as bored/uninterested :(

and it isnt just about fandoms too, im genuinely insterested what u guys are up to lately and all... (in a non stalker way). it just feels nice to have friends in general ^__^

SO YEA, i think thats about it :) if u've read this all until here ilysm! thanks for ur interest and lmk how ur day was! or just send me something u want to talk about !

have a nice day :)

#maybe i should start a formal tag for posts like this too heheh #*

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bahllinsqrews · 4 months

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⚠️ NOTICE⚠️

My source has come to me with some information, based on the BeLift statement about fan behaviors.

I would love to say that first off, I would like you guys to stop trying to use something that has nothing to do stories, against my works. I've already explained that my page is strictly fanfiction and just for fun and filled by the requests of others. I have already stated that my content does not violate the community guidelines and that if you do not like it, to leave and block me. You have the block button for a reason.

This is where my comment in a reposted blog came back into play saying at least we're not actively acting out these stories. That statement was made because someone went out of their home to harass an idol and make them feel unsafe, or broke a rule and found where they were filming despite the location not being told to the public. It's for the people who are forging passes to go and meet the idols. That means that it's happened so many times to where they're sick of it.

Enhypen has little to no time to themselves unless the directors and managers say they're off for who knows how long and even then it's short lived because they have to work on the next song. They have no time to scout out all of Tumblr for stories and even if they did, they wouldn't be finding that because they wouldn't know where to go. And why look up what you don't wanna see in the first place?

To the hate messages saying 'Enhypen wouldn't want you as their fan.' They would prefer smut stories that they know will NEVER happen, over their "die hard fans" telling others to commit influenced mass genocide by telling them to *OFF* themselves! They wouldn't want someone who makes a comparison between a small fake smut story to a r*pe from a family member.

To those who used the statement against me in hopes to take down my stories. It's not working and you're wasting your time. This means you either didn't read the pages well enough to catch any of the offenses that were made toward the idols, or you did and thought it would be a good idea to add what wasn't there in the first place.

I'm gonna name this clear, I am not a person that watches Kpop groups continuously. I don't watch the diaries and I don't watch the En-o'clocks(sorry if I got it wrong) or anything that shows their lives like that. Niki has been trying to grow up for the longest time and grew into the age of 18 only to find people still treating him like a child. Those Tik Toks aren't a mandatory thing to post and even if they were, I don't think the company would make you do dances that would show off. That's all for now, I hope you guys can reconsider your terrible asks one day.

#kpop #smut #enhypen nishimura riki #enhypen riki #enhypen #nishimura riki #controversy #enhypen niki

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bloodmoths · 1 year

Note

Your neocities page is amazing! Sorry if this is a silly question, but do you have any tips? I want to make one of my own but it's a bit daunting to me for some reason

thank you so much! :D it means a lot to me that you checked it out! ❤

not a silly question at all. coding your own site really can be daunting, especially if you're only familiar with html basics, i tend to assume most "veteran" tumblr users are at least a little familiar tweaking html/css. but it's 10x more rewarding once you get the hang of it.

but, assuming you haven't looked at the internals of neocities yet, it's 100% coding. neocities reads the site data from files that you, the host/webmaster, have to manually edit. there's no built-in site builder like you'd see with carrd or other site hosts (a lot of those hosts only offer coding as a paid feature). the good news is, resources for html/css learning are abundant and everyone who knows about it is more than willing to share tips & help other people learn.

that being said, for beginners or anyone re-learning it, my advice would be not to try to build your site from the ground up, but to use a pre-built layout and tweak it to your liking to familiarize yourself with how things work.

another thing is, neocities is somewhere most people use as a "hub" for their own creations, thoughts, etc. you'd be hard-pressed to find a neocities that doesn't have an art gallery or some variant of a journal/diary. some people host information on their OCs, which is really cool. i've seen others use it as a log for things they collect, games they've played. or shrines to their favorite media/comfort characters/FOs, etc. of course, this is just a handful of examples of what many people use the site for.

sadgrl.online is one of the first places I'd recommend when it comes to resources and guides for neocities. they actually have their own layout builder! their HTML cheat sheet is also very helpful and simple and has tidbits of coding that explain what they're for.

when it comes to the coding process itself, I personally love the program Brackets (or its in-browser variant) - it shows you what your webpage looks like while you're editing (as opposed to edit code, save, refresh page in a separate tab, repeat.) i'd even say this program is a must with people new to site-building.

if you need help with anything specific, feel free to message me (preferably on discord, if you have it!) because there's too much to really go through in a single post 😖

here's another post to check out

#neocities

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raaorqtpbpdy · 1 year

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Death by Exposure

Written for the Phic Phight Prompts: At first Danny had been worried sick that Wes had figured out that he was Phantom, but when no one believed him it had sort of become funny. Still, after the anti-ecto act, and the GIW, and his own parents very public very violently vitriolic screeds against ghosts, Danny had to wonder what he'd ever done to Wes that the guy would risk exposing Danny to all that. (from @hpwotters-blog, or at least I think that's you're tumblr.), and Wes Weston wakes up to find an injured Phantom on the fire escape. (from @half-deadmagicperson)

With how much time he spends on basketball and his delusional conspiracy theories, no one would ever suspect that Wes Weston has another secret hobby… (from @kadziduo)

Another prompt that will be included in later chapters but isn't as of this one:

And Wes has been spending more and more time around Fenton and Co. lately - hey! he’s only trying to get some much-needed evidence against them, not trying to get all buddy-buddy with them. And anyway, they’re an entirely annoying bunch, so he wholeheartedly blames them for the fact that he’s currently being monologued at by the ghost holding him hostage. (from @a-closet-emo)

Chapter 4: Expositor

AO3 Link

[Warning for mentions of blood and violence]

Danny used a damp washcloth the clean off what was left of the blood and ectoplasm from his skin before changing, first from ghost to human, and then, once he was back in his own clean clothes, into the pajamas. When he returned to the bedroom, Wes was gone.

Danny didn't really wonder where Wes had gone because he didn't really care. He was completely wiped from everything that had happened that night, and he just wanted to get some sleep. Crossing the room, he flopped face down onto the bare bed. Without any kind of sheet or comforter, the mattress was lumpy and not very comfortable. Danny hardly noticed.

He adjusted himself so he was laying near the edge to make it easier to breathe and was just about to drift off when his arm slipped off the mattress and brushed against something hard. Not wanting to open his eyes, Danny felt around blindly until his fingers closed around something flat and solid wedged between the mattress and the bed frame. It was a close race, but his curiosity one out over his exhaustion and he pushed himself into a sitting position to see what it was.

In his hands, Danny held some kind of journal. At first, he thought it was Wes' diary, and that he should put it back because even if it was Wes, Danny wasn't enough of a jerk to read someone's diary; then he considered the far more likely possibility that it was filled with Wes' evidence of Danny's dual identity, and he should check it out, for his safety. What Danny actually found when he opened the journal was the last thing he would have ever expected.

Birds.

Each page had a photograph of a bird, along with some writing, in Wes' own hand, about what the bird was, and where and when he had seen it. Danny stared at the pages in absolute shock as he flipped through them. Danny almost laughed out loud when he read a clearly very excited entry about a bird called the Red Knot which was apparently endangered in Illinois, but that Wes had spotted out at Lake Eerie over the summer.

"Sorry, it took longer than I thought to wash all that shit off my hands. They still smell like rubbing alcohol," Wes said as he came in. "Make yourself comf—why do you have that?" he interrupted himself when he saw what Danny was holding. He stomped over and snatched the journal out of Danny's hands, snapping it shut.

"You have a bird watching journal?" Danny asked incredulously.

Wes opened his desk drawer, tossed the journal haphazardly inside, and slammed it shut again. "I like bird watching. Is that a crime?"

"No it's just," Danny laughed at the absurdity of it all, "Between basketball and obsessively stalking me and trying to expose me as Phantom, I didn't think you had time for–" he snorted, and brought a hand up to his mouth to cover the amused smile there–"bird watching." He couldn't hold it in anymore, Danny burst out laughing, interspersed with winces as the action irritated his injuries.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Wes said, crossing his arms with a scowl. "I have a life outside of you, you know. You think I got binoculars with adjustable magnification just to watch you? Don't flatter yourself."

"Ouch! But, seriously, bird watching?"

"It's peaceful and relaxing!"

"You're such a nerd!"

"Well what do you do when you have free time?" Wes demanded indignantly. "Let me guess, you spend your time playing video games, right?"

"You mean a normal hobby that most teenagers engage in?" Danny pointed out. "Yeah, I do."

"You'll rot your brain."

"Whatever, nerd!"

"Shut up." Wes pouted. "You just got shot four times. Shouldn't you be resting or something? Go to fucking sleep." He crouched down to lay out his bedding on the floor.

"When do you even find time do go bird watching?" Danny asked laughingly.

"I thought I told you to go to sleep!"

"Alright, alright!" Danny laid down again and Wes got up to switch the light off before climbing into his makeshift bed on the floor. For a while, Danny stayed quiet, but he just couldn't help himself. "What's the rarest bird you've ever seen?"

"Shut up!" Wes groaned and whacked Danny with a pillow.

"Fine!" That lasted all of seven seconds. "But what is it?"

Wes sighed, but Danny could hear the smile in his voice when he finally answered. "I saw an island scrub Jay once, when my family took a vacation to Santa Cruz a couple summers ago. They're so pretty, and they're like, one of the rarest birds in the states; it was pretty awesome. They literally only live on Santa Cruz Island and nowhere else, because they're non-migratory. I spent the whole trip looking for one. Kyle and Easton spent the whole trip making fun of me for it."

Danny laughed again. "Nerd."

"If you don't wanna know, don't fucking ask!" Wes whacked him with a pillow again and he sputtered momentarily. "Go to sleep already."

"How did you even get into bird watching?" Danny asked. "That's not a normal hobby for a kid to have." Wes sighed again.

"If you're just gonna call me a nerd again, I'm not gonna tell you."

"I promise I won't call you a nerd."

Wes didn't answer right away, probably not trusting the promise, but just when Danny thought he'd decided to just go to sleep he answered.

"My mom's a flight attendant, so when I was little I used to watch the sky all the time and keep an eye out for planes, try to guess which one she was on, you know?" he explained. "Turns out, when you watch the sky all day, you end up seeing a some cool-looking birds, so when I was seven or eight, I asked for a camera for my birthday so I could take pictures of them, and it sort of spiraled from there."

"That's... kinda sweet, actually," Danny said.

"Whatever."

"You know, I do like video games, but actually, I'm also really into astronomy," Danny said.

"And you called me a nerd."

"Hey, bird watching is way nerdier than stargazing," Danny defended. "I mean ask literally anyone. Stargazing is, like, romantic and crap, bird watching is full-on nerdy."

"Sure, space geek," Wes said. "What's your favorite dwarf planet?"

"Haumea," Danny answered immediately, without even having to think about it.

"Knowing any dwarf planet besides Pluto is well into full-on nerd territory."

"Haumea spins so fast that gravity makes it oblong instead of round; tell me that's not cool!"

"Okay, it's a little cool, but you're still a nerd. Go to sleep."

They ended up staying a little later, swapping fun facts about birds and space, eventually falling asleep at almost five in the morning. Thankfully, spring break afforded them the opportunity to sleep in as long as they wanted. When they eventually woke up, Danny didn't leave Wes' place right away.

Wes brought him a sandwich for breakfast/lunch, and helped him change his bandages. Although, it unsettled Wes to see the difference in blood composition between Danny's two forms. It would be a couple more days before the wounds fully closed, but the bleeding had stopped. As long as Danny was still healing, his ecto-signature would be stronger, even in his human form, which meant going home was a no-go.

"What do you mean your house will attack you?" Wes asked, horrified.

"My parents have a very sophisticated anti-ghost security system," Danny explained. "I can pass through in my human form well enough as long as I don't use any of my powers, but if I so much as have my ghost sense go off, it activates and I have a dozen anti-ghost weapons in my face. It'll definitely target me with my enhanced healing working, but I can't exactly turn that off."

"Alright, fair enough," Wes said. "But you can't stay here. My dad's not that observant, but Kyle will definitely notice if you stay any longer, and neither of us wants that, trust me."

"That's fine," Danny said. "Tucker's house is empty right now, and I know where they keep the spare key. I'll camp out there for a few days. And, uh, once I can get into my house again, I'll bring you some of my parents' Fenton Detergent that'll work on ectoplasm stains so you don't have to buy new towels."

"Good, because I couldn't really afford to anyway," Wes said, his shoulders slumping in relief. "I'll come check on you at Tucker's, just in case."

"You will?" Danny asked, surprised.

"Of course," Wes said. "I won't be able to sleep if I don't know you're okay, not after, you know, everything." Ah, so he felt guilty. Alright, that made sense.

"Okay, well... thanks," Danny said, face splitting into a smile, "for, you know, everything." He started to climb out onto the fire escape, ready to leave.

"Yeah, no problem."

"And good luck with the bird watching," Danny tacked on as he transformed into Phantom and jumped off the fire escape.

"Oh, fuck off!" Wes shouted, running to the window to flip the ghost off while he laughed, turning invisible to keep the patrols off is tail as he made a beeline for Tucker's place to lay low.

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#phic phight #phic phight 2023 #fic #things i wrote #dp #danny phantom #danny fenton #wes weston #death by exposure

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