#inkovert

That's exciting! I love watching writers try out new things!

I personally use the "Sprinto Bot" on Discord if you have your own server you can add it to, but literally any App or Clock can work for you. Just set the timer for 15, 20, or 25 minutes and just write. And then give yourself a break before doing another one, or call it done for the day if you just want to slide in something, yah know.

(25 minutes working, 5 minute break, is known as the Pomodoro Method, but as I mentioned in the other post I find 25 minutes too long, I start picking up my phone and getting side tracked. On bad days I also find 5 minutes too short a break. So it might take a few tries until you find a specific number combination that works for you)

Ultimately though, it may not work for you at all, but everyone I've talked into trying sprinting has at least found something from it to incorporate into their own specific writing toolset <3

When I was in middle school, I wrote fanfiction with my friends. I didn't post it and I didn't finish any of it, but it was a fun hobby for me. Until it wasn't.

At the time, there was someone in my life who mistakenly tore those of us around them down to deal with the pain in their life. I don't blame them because we were kids and kids do dumb things, but their actions have had a lasting effect on my writing hobby. I developed an inner critic so strong that I've shied away from writing for years now.

But recently I was inspired to write a new fic. And I've spent the last seven months writing it. (We're on chapter 19 of 21!)

It's been a lot of work. Pushing past an inner critic that decides to hate the words you wrote just a paragraph ago is very difficult. But I've come to the conclusion that I can't let it control my life anymore. So I'm writing, even if it's shitty, and telling my inner critic that it can come back and talk to me when I'm editing.

But there's other things in the way, too. I've been dealing with undiagnosed medical issues for the past 4 months that have put chronic pain in the joints on my hands. In month 3 of writing the fic, I was told to stop writing by my peers for fear I would make the problem worse. I've ignored them.

I've decided I can't live a life where the only thing I do with my hands in a day is work to get a paycheck. I'm allowed to have hobbies that use my hands. In fact, my mental health requires it.

So I'm restaking my claim over my writing hobby. My inner critic, born from the residue that unkind person left on my life, is no longer allowed to drive. I'm in the driver's seat. The critic is allowed to come out a bit in editing, but it is not allowed to halt me from working on my WIPs.

Life's top fucking short to steal your hobbies from yourself out of fear that it won't turn out as intended.

So what if my writing is shitty. It's allowed to be; I'm still a novice. If I want to rewrite the damn thing when I have more skills and knowledge, there's no rules saying I can't. What matters right now is getting something, anything, on the page. What matters now is doing a thing that makes me happy.

Hi! This ask was so unexpected but I appreciate it so much, it made me smile!

So when it comes to initially designing the character, I actually just tend to gather little tropes and concepts that I enjoy like a borrowing animal building a nest. Like for Sugi, she's just:

Knife Lesbian

Possessed by a God

Feral Forest Gremlin

Special Child (kinda, she's 19)

Lone Wolf Who Desperately Wants Friends and Pretends Not to

Burdened With a Purpose She Rejects

Hunted by the Government/Authorities

Snarky Healer

These are all bits inspired by either Tumblr posts or other existing characters. As I write, the characters develop themselves and seem to let me know where they want their personality and story to go. Their appearance also usually pops up once I have a general feel for them. Sugi started off looking like this (but with a slightly deeper, more coppery skin tone):

And has eventually ended up a lot grungier. Dark undereye circles, messy hair, bony body, dirty cloak... she doesn't care about her appearance. Basically, as long as she feels like a cryptid, she figures she's safe.

In response to this ask.

Oh yeah I totally know what you mean! All of the overwhelming and difficult events happened in the last few months of 2022 for me, and so those left a major impression. But so many good things happened in between that and before that, even if it's easily overshadowed by the bad sometimes.

I'm glad that you were able to realize those good moments again and hold onto them!

I'm probably not going to be actively posting many of my sketches on my blog. The internet can be a vast, scary place and I don't think I want even well-intentioned, gentle criticism right now. My interest in drawing is still tenuous, fragile, and something to nurture rather than try to improve by seeking out feedback.

But thank you so much for asking, I really appreciate your willingness! Maybe I'll sneak some future sketches into your DMs since you're nice enough to ask, and I've known you for a long tme!

For now, I've included the first real attempt at drawing something in 10 or so years underneath the read-more. I was surprisingly happy with it and it turned out much better than I thought it would. But for anyone curious enough to click and see it, please keep in mind that I am an absolute beginner 😊

Thanks for the ask!!!!!! I would like to apologize in advance for the infodump that is below.

So the thing with Enna & Anne is that their mother didn't know their dad was part celestial when she married him (Which was awkward when she found out. Then he disappeared, a whole lot happened, and 40 years later they find out).

The relationship between the Elves & Celestials is definitely weird, since the Elves firmly deny the existence of Angels, which is the specific brand of Celestial that Enna & Anne are part.

The Elves are mostly ageless, aloof, and all the subraces hate the other subraces. Except the wood elves. They don't hate the other ones, they're just fed up the other ones because they're all fools. The various sub species are: Wood Elves, Moon/Gray Elves, Sun/bronze Elves, Twilight/Dark Elves, and Sea Elves.

The Celestials are a varied group, since they technically include Angels, Gods, and various minor Celestials such as unicorns and weird flying snake creatures that are actually really nice. Devils & Demons are also technically Celestials, at least the most powerful ones, because those were Angels once.

Oh, this is an interesting question! Sorry I took so long to get to this.

[Fruit Ask Game!]

(Thriving: Destiny)—

"I wanted to spend my life with him, as much of it as I could. And then his brother murdered him. He took his head right off his neck. I went after the brother and killed him. Mainly because it was my duty as a Protector, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't partially because I wanted to." He made eye contact with Warren. "You probably think I'm a monster."

"No," Warren said. "I think you're deeply hurt. But so am I."

"Yes," Thrive said. "I determined that when we met."

"Who was the fourth?"

Thrive nodded. "My last partner was Oruna'polae. As per our laws, we were given permission by the Leaders to produce children, and we did. And you know what happened after that."

A muscle worked in Warren's jaw.

"So you can understand why the notion of getting close to you," Thrive said softly, "is absolutely terrifying to me. I can't let myself feel the things I want to feel when I'm this close to losing you."

Warren's heart clenched. "I'm sorry I made you kiss me."

Oh boy, you pushed the button, prepare to die >:) I won't kill you, just "make" you read like a thousand words of text. Okay, here we go.

First of all, a WorldAnvil article I made several months ago (incomplete) with some of the basics of the Stacked Deck's structure: https://www.worldanvil.com/w/the-fracture-inscrutablecoy/a/the-stacked-deck-organization. Go ahead and read it (you might want to click the Queen of Diamonds sublink as well), I'll be here when you get back. Done? Awesome.

The Jack of Clubs is also head of facilities, the Ace of Spades head of operations, and the Queen of Hearts head of personnel, though as usual most of the practical duties of that position fall to the Ace of Hearts.

The head of facilities is responsible for the care of the building and the people who take care of the building (referred to as cook and clean staff or C&C); he's good at fixing things and keeping track of the maintenance schedule for the whole 200,000 square-foot building.

The head of operations takes care of missions for the Deck. Heists, protection details, smuggling of goods and people, if the Deck does it, she is the one saying how and when.

The head of personnel takes care of the people. The two of them together are responsible for the Deck and staff's emotional and physical needs: food, supplies, salaries. They make sure the Doctor (yes that is the character's name, yes they are an actual medical doctor, no they do not have a non-suspended medical license) has what they need, and also keep track of leave (in conjunction with operations).

To answer your actual question, what it takes to become a Card is mostly to have a spark inside of you, something that reminds a Suit of themselves and why they do this. They scout prisons mostly, and keep an eye on the homeless and orphans. Ember was found in a magistrate's prison for attempted assassination, Ace saw a hunger and a bright fire to bend the world to her whim, and so took the teenager in in the hopes of both encouraging that hunger and decreasing the megalomania (which is just bad for business). Eleven was a runaway that Jack found on a mission to another city. She was an excellent thief and he saw a need for belonging, for family in her. Prue got in by literally breaking into the compound and the Suits just kind of found them amusing enough to keep, any kid that would just do that must have courage in spades and a considerable mischievous streak.

If you're selected for the recruitment process, there's about a six-month training and evaluation period in which you're given the basics of combat and thievery and evaluated to see how much potential you have regarding it. The contract you sign before being allowed into the compound states that execution is the consequence for failure or betrayal, but in reality, failed recruits usually just become C&C staff (they can't really leave once they've been taught how the Deck works and the usually didn't have anywhere else to be). If you do pass, there's an initiation ceremony, you get your division's tattoo, and you're officially a member of the Stacked Deck.

Uh, hopefully some of that was interesting/answered your question! I love talking about this so anyone can feel free to send more, haha, I would rather do this than pack for school.