#ant update

[ant527fromthecolony]

Looking forward to posting about all my antivities (like activities but ant🐜)

[antropomorphine]

Trying to write fic again and feeling very Baby Fawn On Ice about it… (´･_･`)

[antropomorphine]

I wish I had people to talk to about my weird story and world building ideas. I mean, they are definitely evolving, and every abandoned WIP is generally weaker than the next one, but still. I just know my mind works so much better/faster when I can bounce ideas off other people.

There are currently at least a handful of WIPs in my fic folders that I expect to abandon. And then I have a few that could probably be worked into something good/interesting? but I’m helplessly stuck on my own. The ones I’m fiddling with at the moment are mostly AU settings with a fair amount of world building involved. I’ve been reading a lot of fic over the past few months, and it’s interesting to see how writers port characters into a different setting, while still preserving their personalities and canon dynamics with other characters. I don’t really think 19 Days is particularly suited to this actually, since the characters are so, idk… flat? They have reasonably distinct personality types, but in a very stereotypical kind of way. They’re too simple, and maybe just too young, to be full complex individuals, if that makes sense. And the setting of the story also means there’s very little to work with: school, a few family members, some street gangs that appear as outside antagonists a couple of times, vague indications of powers moving behind the scenes… Nevertheless, this is the fandom I’m working with, and I don’t really feel drawn to write or draw in any other ones atm.

So, there are stories I’m currently playing around with, apart from the Double Trouble art and fic thing… There’s a real world/spirit world WIP, where I've had fun messing around with world building, but the plot doesn’t come together properly. There’s a curse that sort of misfires and accidentally impacts one character, and I’m pretty happy with that part; but the breaking of it… I struggle with the characters’ motivations to act. How to justify the other character being willing to act to save the first, since it's just not convincing enough for me. And I made the mistake of adding in a time-skipping element, where the two characters cross paths repeatedly, but in a non-linear way, and that's how they meet and get to know each other? And I think the whole things is just too complicated to actually come together. I kind of want to re-draft and write it over in a way that would make it work, but can’t figure out how. I think the spirit-world accidental-curse thing should be one story, and the time-skipping meet-cute(?!?) fate thing should go in a different story altogether. Maybe.

Oh, and! A couple of months ago I stumbled across a well written fic (different fandom) that featured “non-traditional alpha/beta/omega dynamics” (that’s the tag on AO3), which was my first time reading anything featuring the a/b/o trope (verse?), so I’ve been reading some fics in the a/b/o tag to get an understanding of what it is and how writers use it. I mean, a lot of it is just porn. And a lot of it is bodice-ripper style non-con/rapist-to-true-mate/forced marriage/mpreg/whatever (I filter these out). I gather it's originally some kind of werewolf-verse? And presumably created by western erotica writers? But it's spread way beyond it's origins, and apparently there are asian versions currently evolving, in everything from manga and light novels to actual TV series? Also, setting-wise the verse covers anything from statically hierarchical literal shapeshifter societies, mostly feudal or tribal, to contemporary modern urban society just with secondary "wolf" sexes? It’s a pretty diverse playground, and there are writers who use it to explore some interesting stuff around gender, gender roles/status, identity, trauma, queerness, etc. Anyway, this made me think about the 19 Days characters, and what kind of story one might write featuring some of the tropes: packs, mates, various types of bonds and the social units that result; voluntary and involuntary pheromones, scenting, conscious and unconscious communication via scent; presentation/status, societal expectations and prejudices, the effect of cycles… just so many different elements to play around with! So, the college-age boys-as-pack-mates / polyamorous-quartet AU is what I’ve been entertaining my cold-addled brain with for the past few days, whenever I was sufficiently lucid. Doesn’t that sound fun? Oops! (∿°○°)∿ ︵ ǝʌol

[antropomorphine]

This has been me for the past week. All I’ve done is read fic, drink hot beverages, and use up an astounding amount of tissues. So. Many. Tissues.

[aussie-roadkill]

Ant Update!

Camponotus

Medusa’s workers: 9

Diana: 10 workers, a few pupae look concerning, but otherwise good

Iridomyrmex

Cleopatra: looking healthy, eggs

Minerva: 50+ workers, I can’t see the big pupa and I don’t see any alates so :{

That other one that’s semi

Freja: three workers and LOTSA babies! Freja has been very slow with brood, her first workers were actually her sister’s children

Isopod queen: Has sadly passed, I hope that her drone was able to find a mate so that her genes could live on

Mystery Queen:

Still dunno about species.. Did have eggs last check but none now

[aussie-roadkill]

Ant Update 32 after sneaky depression

I last checked them February 18 I was very anxious...

Camponotus

Medusa’s workers: 11

Diana: 10 workers, a few pupae and some eggs

Iridomyrmex

Cleopatra: looking healthy, eggs

Minerva: many children! a really big larva in there!!

Rhytidoponera

The new Rhytid queen was the only death of my neglect

That other one that’s semi

Freja: four workers, a maturing pupa, larvae and eggs

Isopod queen: Has not been seen but a drone emerged several days ago, indicating her eggs are unfertilised. He was released for mating

Mystery Queen impulsively obtained

I have no clue what she is but she’s small and she was crawling on my desk so I had to it was fate- I likely have her exact species right outside my window, based on her body shape and the workers that occasionally visit me

[aussie-roadkill]

Ant Update 31

Camponotus

Medusa’s workers: 12, 2 large larvae and some smaller ones

Diana: six workers, three pupae, larvae and eggs

Iridomyrmex

Cleopatra: looking healthy, eggs

Minerva: Palmyra has been established, workers are active and peaceful, many bebies

Rhytidoponera

Aphrodite: has died, I believe dehydration

New Rhytid: Active, no brood, given some food

That other one that’s semi

Freja: two workers, large larvae, but not many

today’s meal was a large cricket

[aussie-roadkill]

Ant update 30

Camponotus

Medusa’s workers: 14 workers

Diana: five workers, cocoons and pupae, Queen is very active, likes to try and leave as soon as the tube is opened- also much more interactive with brood with workers than my other queens have been

Iridomyrmex

Cleopatra: workers have died during a heatwave, Cleopatra is looking good. Eggs and small larvae

Nefertiti’s workers: 25+ have responded peacefully to Minerva’s colony, and will be merging

Minerva: 17+ workers last count (nest not visible), Merging with Nef. and Ath.

Athena: 7 workers, Athena and her workers appear to have died from dehydration, have responded peacefully to both Minerva and Nefertiti’s workers and will be merging

Rhytidoponera

Aphrodite: small larvae, needs to move tubes

That other one that’s semi

Freja: two workers, several larvae and eggs