Super Secret Writing Blog

calling all stricklake fans…! ヾ(*´∀｀*)ﾉ in celebration of this summer’s release of rise of the titans, as well as the return of our favorite doctor/changeling duo, you are cordially invited to stricklake month 2021!

what is stricklake month?

just like last year, stricklake month 2021 is a month-long, unmoderated appreciation event for fans, new and old, of barbara lake and walter strickler. now that the movie is here, fans of the ship have brought back this event for a second year as a fun, laid-back way to look back on and show our appreciation for the tales of arcadia series!

what’s allowed?

the event is open to any stricklake-focused fanworks centered around the following prompts:​

week 1 (august 1-7): the past / the future

week 2 (august 8-14): magic / mortal

week 3 (august 15-21): enemies / family

week 4 (august 22-28): roleswap / ruined plans

fills can be for as few or many of the prompts as you like, following as broad or narrow a reading of the prompt as you wish. we are also open to fanworks of any kind (fic, art, photo edits/manips, amvs…) and there are no “minimum standards” or hard deadlines. our only request is that you follow common tagging and warning courtesy, especially for suggestive content—even if it’s hosted off tumblr (on ao3, ff.net, youtube, etc.). 

how to participate:

reblog this post and spread the word! and we’ll have weekly reminder (and roundup) posts once the month begins, but those who’d like to get a head start are welcome to do so in advance of august 1. ;)

tag your fills with #keenswimmers2021! @nightrosebud has generously volunteered to post weekly roundups for fills tagged on tumblr; i’ve also included it on this post, if you’d like to track the tag directly.

and, lastly: support your fellow fans with comments and reblogs!

I was annoyed that this scene felt kind of cut short… so I spent several weeks of my life drawing a fan comic, because I’ve never been known to make smart decisions. :’)

Hey, guys. 

So… my situation right now is pretty rough. A lot of you know about it. Some of you probably don’t. But - my mom is very sick right now, like life-threatening levels of sick, in a long-term acute care hospital. And I’m pretty much living up here with her, looking out for her, trying to help her get her strength back up and fight this thing…

And in the meantime, a lot of the rest of my life is falling apart. I’m not able to work the way I need to, to pay my bills. My husband is working, but his hours were recently cut. :-/ And now my Mom is obviously not working anymore, which means that I’m having to try to pay some of HER bills too (like her mortgage, utilities) so that she does not lose her house. 

So… if any of you could find it in your hearts and within your ability to help with this pretty desperate situation, it’d be much appreciated. 

I’m more than willing to do commissions for those who can donate. My prices on commissions have recently gone up a little, just because I’ve realized how much time it really TAKES lol (though this will NOT affect those whose commissions I’ve already agreed to do at original rates). 

I’ll write 5000 words for $40. Smaller commissions are possible also, basically $10 per 1000 words, with a little discount if you request a 5000-word fic. 

If you’d like to make a donation, please use my ko-fi here: 

https://ko-fi.com/dreamsofspike

If you’d like to request a commission, please DM me on here and we can make arrangements. :) 

Thanks, guys. I really appreciate your love and support, it means more than you know <3 <3 <3 

*hugs*

All I want for Christmas is you~~~

Patreon  

When the new cologne is Not Good:

Everyone should know that snake tongues aren’t hanging out inside their mouths the way a human’s does, there’s a special opening under their glottis (the hole thing in their mouth that they breathe through) which hides their tongue entirely. I dug around so you could see the two different bits:

What I’m saying is that the reason snakes can swallow prey that takes a long time to swallow whole is that they aren’t blocking their trachea (the hole that is the glottis connects to the trachea), because the glottis sits at the front and bottom of their jaw and is kind of floppy such that it just gets pushed to the side a bit to let them keep breathing through it as needed. Turns out you can put a lot of big things in your mouth if you don’t have to worry about it blocking your breathing tube. I’m just gonna leave that here for no reason.

In additional knowledge for the day, the jacobson’s organ (also known as the vomeronasal organ) is located on the roof of the mouth. Interestingly, snakes are not the only ones who have one! Ever seen a cat sniff something and then make that Face? You know the one.

That’s called the flehmen reaction, and it’s basically a way for them to get All The Scent quickly to their vomeronasal organ. They go dazed for a few seconds because when they get that much scent at once, they’re suddenly left with a TON of information to process (like WAY more than a human, they have receptors we should envy), and their brain does what your computer does when you give it too many tasks- it prioritizes and does the Important ones first.

Interestingly, humans ALSO have a vomeronasal organ, but ours is vestigial. But there’s no reason why Crowley’s would be, given he is, at least in part, a snake.

So, what I would like for you to imagine Crowley, with his snakey anatomy helping his humanish anatomy along, walking around doing the blelelele the way a snake would, until he finds the scent, and then doing the mammal open-mouth version of sniffing and just. face going slack, mouth hanging open, eyes going blank as he just blue-screens while he processing what he’s sniffed.