Tasha Mapes

[oddity-txt]

So I found this caterpillar on my way to class

We’re bros

[oddity-txt]

I named him chicken nugget

[oddity-txt]

Aaaa he’s turning a duller color… I hope he’s alright

[oddity-txt]

So apparently chicken nugget is a spicebush swallowtail and they turn yellow before they pupate. He was making little silk things everywhere Bruh this caterpie is going to evolve to metapod today my boy isn’t messing around

[oddity-txt]

update hes entirely yellow now

[oddity-txt]

i made him a tube room

hes crawlin all over the place checking it out

[oddity-txt]

its happening

[oddity-txt]

False alarm he moved a bit This guy

[oddity-txt]

??? caterpie doesnt evolve into kakuna

[oddity-txt]

whats he doing

[oddity-txt]

its happening part 2 For Real This Time

[oddity-txt]

chicken nugget using those advanced tactics balancing my man doesnt do anything halfway

[oddity-txt]

i put on some tunez for him so he can get into the metamorphazone

[oddity-txt]

sorry for keeping you all in suspense but chicken nugget is doing fine and he has a cool hat now

hes been chillin like this for a couple days 

[oddity-txt]

hes been in cocoon for 10 days now 🎉🐛🎉

[rebecca-lotto]

let me know how he’s doing soon

[oddity-txt]

HES BUSTIN OUT

[oddity-txt]

im going to sleep, chicken nugget is snoozin and ill check up on him as soon as i wake up

hope he doesnt party too hard 

🐛 💤 💤

[oddity-txt]

hes gone goth hes in his emoteen stage

[oddity-txt]

CHICKEN NUGGET IS A CHICKEN WING NOW BABY WE HAVE LIFTOFF!!!!!

[oddity-txt]

hes’s in a bigger container than the one in the pic now but im gonna let my home boy find his way in the world after he gets used to his wings a little bit

[oddity-txt]

this kid doesnt have a bad angle dang

[oddity-txt]

https://youtu.be/TwpFUQzvRp0

there he goes he’s free and im so proud and a little sad

this was an incredible experience

(thats my family oohing and ahhing in the background)

[tarotsunset]

I’ve seen yall reblog the unfinished ones SO MUCH that I’m getting pissed, anyway here’s the full chicken nugget saga.

[extraterrestrialsprobably]

Awesome! Hope you’re happy somewhere, Chicken Nugget!

[magical-game]

I have missed this post so much! Let’s all celebrate Chicken Nugget!

[frivolousphantasies]

do you guys realize that,,,, chicken nugget is one of those butterflies that is perfectly half female and half male?? nugget’s left wing is typical of a female spice bush swallowtail and the right wing is typical of a male

a gender role smashing icon

[krystal-prisms]

I wondered why the wings looked different

[decorativeskull]

Incredible

[babygoose-deactivated20240106]

intersex icon

[oddity-txt]

He’s a bilateral gnandromorph!!

[sleepy-sphinx-deactivated202012]

WE STAN?????

[matthew-gubler-fangirl]

chicken nugget said intersex rights

[cowboybaedling]

This whole post is wonderful, but I think a lot of people don’t realise just how rare bilateral gynandromorphs are. Research has shown that only approximately 1 in 6,000 butterflies is a bilateral gynandromorph! So thanks so much @oddity-txt for sharing this wonderful being with us!

[worldheritagepostorganization]

World Heritage Post

[fatehbaz]

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[dragonsoulpublishing]

Hello, peeps!

As ever, too much time has passed without a post. Summer of 2021 was a strange time in lock down and now it's November and here in England we're locked down again.

This hasn't been a terrible experience for me, truthfully. It's been odd and definitely inconvenient at times, but it's given me time that I might not otherwise have had. Time with my family, time to write, time to gather my mental health up off the floor.

I did both NaNoWriMo summer camps. I submitted to my university writing group anthology. I did planning.

Now it's NaNoWriMo again and I'm rebelling to work on a partial first draft I have. Rewriting what I have and hopefully going on from there.

As it comes up to Christmas, I'm excited that indie bookstores are now on one website, bookshop.org, to try and combat the giant that is Amazon.

I'm in my last year of my English BA and have my dissertation in my last term after January which I know will take a lot of time. Hopefully the writing I'm doing now will make the word count seem easy! Haha.. Ha...

I hope that those of you doing NaNoWriMo find it useful, it's been a hard year and any words written are more than you had before. If you are not doing the month, but have writing projects in the works, good luck!

All the best

Tasha

[dragonsoulpublishing]

Summer 2020

This summer has been strange in many ways. The pandemic has led to an influx of time for those like me who were furloughed. This doesn’t mean that I was an endless well of productivity, however. The constant stress of a changing world and my personal stress of house hunting when so many landlords refuse pets means that I often had to fight complete inertia.

But. We all have things we need to get done and I wasn’t about to lose all my time this summer to a stress block.

Instead, I’ve diversified my projects to keep from growing stagnant. I used April and July Camp NaNoWriMo’s to focus and achieve word counts. I’ve written fanfictions for fun. I’ve started a novel for my original character, Myst Aurora and I’ve also gone back to short stories I’ve written featuring her to make a collection.

Then, there’s my novella. Two Jungles is ready for querying and I’ve been working on my query letters, and researching agents and publishing houses. I’m both excited and nervous about this process.

My Instagram will be revealing information about Myst over the next week, including quotes from her stories. I’m also on Twitter to share some micropoetry and learn more about the wonderful Writing Community there.

I’m always open to questions about my writing and I appreciate all of my followers.

Much love,

Tasha

[dragonsoulpublishing]

Review of Changes

I know that at times people can lose motivation to write because they feel that no one else is ever going to see it. While I sometimes feel that way too, ultimately I keep writing because I write for me. First and foremost every poem I write is because I needed to. I needed to let out my thoughts and feelings, to explore who I know myself to be and want to be. Even because I need to pull out the parts of me that I'm not so happy with so I can reflect on it.

That doesn't mean that reviews aren't sometimes important (especially to get future readers etc.) or that it's not nice to get kind words about your work. Well. I read a free copy of K's book in return for an honest review, which I did. He then said when he had time he would download my poetry book and leave me a review. I thought that was nice, hoped the review would be positive. What I actually received brought me to tears. This review was more than I would ever have expected. Thought I'd get something like "nice poems, good read..." etc. Instead, I got the attached review. Stunned, thankful, teary, barely describe my reaction.

I'm not sure what to say except that yes, write for yourself. But share it, because even if only one person sees it, that can make a difference.

[dragonsoulpublishing]

Spring- a season or to leap into motion

Hey all!

Spring has been a season of motion for me, in every sense of the word.

I have been busy with my first year, second term of my Bachelors degree at the University of Bristol. I have gotten some fab grades and some okay grades with useful feedback. I have been continuing as a part-time English tutor for both online and in-person students. Most have been going for their GCSEs or A-levels and many of them have specific learning difficulties. I am incredibly proud of how far they've come. I've made new friends, spent time with family, and I've been elected as a course rep for my 2nd year (starting October 2019). I'm currently revising for exams.

Creatively, I got stuck with my editing of Jungle. When writing something is cathartic, going back to it and rereading it for editing can be hard. I'm going to start aiming for a little bit of editing every day with break days in between. I'm still writing poetry including mini poems on Twitter (@ dragonsoulpub).

I've written several new short stories about my favourite character, the dragon shifter Myst, and was struck by an idea for a full length novel starring her. I'm excited to start writing it, but want to finish my first round of Jungle editing first.

I have a KoFi account now, offering editing and writing services, and I'm still writing fanfiction for fun. My Instagram is still in motion and shows more of my life than just writing (mostly pets and some food!)

I hope you are all doing well and that the summer ahead is brilliant!

Yours,

Tasha

[dragonsoulpublishing]

New Year, New- Er, Poems?

Congratulations!

You, too, have survived 2018!

I got swallowed in the end months by university lectures and work which meant I disappeared. I didn’t make 50k for NaNoWriMo, but I got a lot written and was happy with what I wrote. I made some new friends and enjoyed Christmas.

Now I’m on the other side with my final exam coming up next Monday. Several great things happened in 2018 including getting my Twitter more vibrant with fellow writers! I am in the editing stage of In the Jungle still but I have also started plotting a full length novel starring Myst. It will be a gothic horror/mystery novel with fantasy elements. I’m excited to start writing it. ^^

I still write fanfiction because it’s fun, and I’ve started recording for Librivox.org which turns texts in the Public Domain into audiobooks.

The title for this comes from the fact that I never really believe in a ‘new year, new me’. I am going to be 30 this year. I have spent the past 29 years forging who I am from the things I have lived through, both good and bad. I don’t need a new me, I need a forward-moving me. I need a stronger me, a more loving me, a me that continues to learn and grow.

My goals this year involve getting In the Jungle ready for querying, continuing to write and collate my poems, and to record them for YouTube. To grow with the writing community on Twitter. To spend time with the ones I love and succeed at university.

My wish for you this year is that you meet the goals you set yourself. That opportunities apear at opportune times. I hope that you get to spend time with those who hold a place in your heart. That words come easy and tears are happy.

All the best and hopefully I’ll see you here and on Twitter! @dragonsoulpub

[dragonsoulpublishing]

NaNoWriMo update

So on day 6 I reached 6,512 words out of the necessary 10k! I also finished the first of my two short stories that I outlined in preparation for Nanowrimo. I am super happy with that although I'm now wondering what I'll do when I finish the second story!

I hope everyone is reaching the goals they set for themselves!

[buttonpoetry]

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO SUBMIT!

SEND YOUR POEM HERE! 

[dragonsoulpublishing]

3rd NaNoWriMo

So obviously, as an overachieving numpty, I decided that full time university and part time job wasn't enough to keep me busy. I'm doing Nanowrimo again.

Now, I have never reached 50k in a month. It doesn't bother me because I look at it as getting in practice writing regularly and also because even if I only write 10k it's more than I had before.

But this year, instead of a full novel, I'm working on my collection of short Myst stories. The first one of which is a 17th century pirate tale.

I have been on a boat once as a little kid. I have never sailed or been on a ship. My pirate knowledge comes from movies like Pirates of the Caribbean. What was I thinking?!

So. The plan is to write the story without worrying about the correctness of it at first. I can focus on making it factual during editing.

I have another story outline for after the pirate story. Those 2 should get me to about 15-20k and I can go from there.

Wish me luck and good luck to everyone else doing Nanowrimo! (Also feel free to buddy me there if you want. My username is EndellionAeternus)

[dragonsoulpublishing]

@melibroadway got me a gift! The third book in the Carpe Noctem series by the amazing @willowsalixauthor Can't wait to read it ❤️ #reading #bookstagram #books https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn8-ZDQAdHM/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=67bpfiykzn6b

[dragonsoulpublishing]

Writing the Pain

My blood is dark ink;

It holds words that creep

Through my veins

And tangle in my arteries.

Like a clot,

They gather in my heart

And choke me.

Only when I hold a pen

Can I release them-

Bleeding my pain

Onto a blank piece of paper.

[dragonsoulpublishing]

Summer's End

I don't know about you, but summer ending is, for me, a time of mixed feelings. I like summer; lovely sun and cute clothes (England's heat wave has been unusual but meant far less rain than normal!). On the other hand, I love Autumn. Pumpkins and Halloween, leaves the colour of fire, and evenings spent under a blanket with cocoa.

This year, summer ending means I start my Bachelor's degree in English Literature soon. I'm beyond excited for the new adventure, but nervous as well.

I spent the summer writing poems that dealt with the feelings that therapy has brought up in me, poems about loss and rage. Poems about hope and moving forward. I have also worked on some short stories and been editing my novel.

Going forward for me means to meet goals that I have faltered from in the past. It means not letting doubt put me off. It means trying to become more like the person I want to be. I am exploring different rhythms in my poetry, I am searching in my writing.

I hope that as the seasons change, you find yourself moving forward- to wherever you hope to get.

Stay tuned here, on Facebook, and on Twitter and Instagram. I am starting work on my next poetry book in the next several months!

[dragonsoulpublishing]

Writing on my lunch break, a new Myst story! #writerslife #writing #lunch #creative #writersofinstagram #writer

[dragonsoulpublishing]

Ode to my Unshaven Legs

My legs

Are like a forest

Or field

Of long dark

Blades of grass,

Insects explore the habitat

Until gently

Shooed away.

[untamedunwanted]

[dragonsoulpublishing]

One of my new poems will be published in Harness magazine on May 6th! Be sure to check it out. Also, I have had the pleasure of joining the Better Business Book project. I have submitted the first draft of my chapter and will keep you updated on the progress of the book, which has many authors contributing.