being late getting into a piece of media or joining a ādeadā fandom is not that bad actually cause even if it seems like the party is over there will always be people still celebrating and the decoration is still up and thereās a piece of cake reserved especially for you in the fridge you just have to come and enjoy it.
Fanfic is a great way to practice self-indulgence while writing. It doesnāt even have to be good, it just exists purely for your pleasure, be a little freak about it. Worry about quality and what other people think when it comes to works you intend to publish in a formal setting
if you work in a creative field...or if you do creative hobbies like writing or drawing...you need to make friends with people who don't do those things. you need to befriend normie Steve who has never written a story in his life. and this is because when you are in a creative job or hobby and spend all your time doing that thing, surrounded by very capable people, who you inevitably compare your own progress and skills to, you forget what the baseline human skill at that thing is. and it's usually zero. normie Steve has not written a story since the 3rd grade when his teacher made him do it. he's very good at other things that are not storytelling - but if you tell normie Steve that you wrote a full 300-page book from start to finish, he will think you're some kind of savant. he does not know ANYONE else who has done this. you need this perspective. because when you're constantly on Let's Write Stories dot Com then everyone on Let's Write Stories dot Com will inevitably be like "oh of course everyone on earth has written a book or several at this point!" and you canNOT let yourself think that. that is not even close to the average human experience. you are in a bubble. do not put yourself down. do not give up.
its unfortunate that artists get talked out of their rare perspectives so often. āits just not done that wayā someone says and artist goes āoh okay guess ill sand that part off.ā bud that is your SPARK. so much of my success is from holding firm on the things i do that were called ridiculous
this timeline CRAVES your rare perspective. it CRAVES the thing that speaks from your heart but āisnāt the way things are done.ā when i talk about āwhat is your story OUTSIDE of the text?ā i am speaking of this. your personal tap into the cosmic is your rare perspective
My name is Tominaga Haruka. I was chosen by a magical talking animal, and for the last 29 years I've been Earth's one and only... Wonder-Sparkle Princess.
she's been fighting the same villains for three decades and they are also tired of it. Most of them aren't giving it their all.
Half of them are in a groupchat they've added her to where they schedule their evil plans to make sure they don't interfere with each other, or more importantly, with *her*
Xalkrax the space demon from outer space decided to attack the city when she was taking her vacation time once, and now he's dead, because even the power of friendship and redemption can't save you if you interrupt her rare vacations
when you look at the finished painting, you can almost see letters - but there aren't any. It's all noise. a lot of adults process this sort of beating by insisting there is a lesson in it. with the title and artist statement in mind, it's like they're trying to read a message of love written in that chaotic canvas.
Whatās your name? I am the Honorable Alchemist Zykocea the Radiant, but thatās mostly just a PR thing. My friends call me Zoe.
Do you sell love potions? No.
Do you sell potions of invisibility? No.
Do you sell fire resistance potions? No.
Why do I have a suitcase? Fuck if I know. Cool outfit though. Very goth.
Do you sell a potion to treat brain hemorrhaging? No.
So what CAN your potions do? I sell health potions.
Are you sure these are health potions? They do something to your health.
Is this just ditch water with some pink glitter? No.
Really? Iāll have you know I added some fruit juice too.
Why is this starting to sound like a conversation? Oh just you wait. Weāre just getting started.
Is your business model legal? Fuck no. I poisoned the food safety inspector before they could snitch.
Did you just admit to murder? Just fucking try to convict me. Iāll poison the judge too.
So can you make poison potions? No.
Then where do you get the poison? I secrete it from my skin.
Are you shitting me? Yep, Iām shitting you. I have a guy. A poison guy. He DOES secrete it from his skin though.
How does that work? ā¦Fuck if I know. Maybe a wizard did it. Damn, now Iām kinda curious.
You never asked? The idea of asking literally never crossed my mind.
Wanna ask him? Letās do it. I donāt have anything better to do, and a road trip beats sitting around running my fraudulent potion business.
Road trip? He lives in Seattle.
Your poison guy lives in Seattle? All poison guys live in Seattle.
For real? All the poison guys I know live in Seattle.
And how many poison guys do you know? Just the one.
Why are you like this? Years of living on my potions. It changed me.
Do you know what his address is? Nope. He just mails me my poison in unmarked boxes.
You just get your poison in the mail? We already poisoned everyone who could do anything about it.
So how are we going to find him? Weāll figure that out eventually Iām sure.
Can I drive? God no. You can pick music, but I maintain veto rights. Make sure you pick something with a lot of questions if you want to sing along.
Whereās your car? The garage connects to my house, so youāre getting a little tour. Hereās the kitchen: only one of the stove burners works and Iām pretty sure the microwave is haunted.
Why do you think that? Because of the ghost that tries to kill me whenever I run it.
Whatās in that room? Thatās my bedroom. Itās pretty much just a mattress on the floor and every single Warrior cats book.
You were a Warriors kid? Yeah, and then I never found the time to put the books away. Thereās so many fucking books. I use them in place of furniture because I canāt afford chairs.
Your fraudulent potion business doesnāt make much money? After buying all that poison I just about break even.
Can I see your potion brewing room? Itās right through here. Ignore the mess, running a fraudulent potion business takes a lot of prop work, but Iāve got all the glass tubes and colorful liquids you could ever want. This pink stuff is melted watermelon italian ice. Glitter vat is in the basement, and the famous ditch is in the backyard.
Is this your car? My beloved ā72 Corolla. Sheās beautiful, and donāt you dare imply otherwise.
Was she always this shade of muddy brown? ā¦Yes.
Are you sure I canāt drive? Get in the fucking passenger seat and pick the music.
Letās see, a song with questions in it, how about The Beach? That Wolf Alice song, yeah. That should work.
When will we three meet again, in thunder, lightning, in rain? Still sink our drinks like every weekend but Iām sick of circling the drain.
When will we meet eye to eye? We clink the glass but we look at the floor.
Are we still friends if all I feel is afraid? Youāre not a bitch but just a bit when youāre bored.
Is that all we can sing together? Yep. Even that little bit was nice, though. Itās awkward, communicating through this FAQ format.
Got any food? Yeah, thereās a few daysā worth of snacks in the back.
Were you justā¦ prepared to go on a road trip? Says the woman who brought a suitcase to an FAQ.
I did do that, didnāt I? I have a spare toothbrush in case you forgot yours. Iām pretty sure you did.
How did you know that? ā¦Iām psychic.
Yeah? No.
You love lying, donāt you? I canāt stop. Itās fun. Way more fun than telling the truth.
Did you just miss a turn? Probably.
Are you sure weāre not lost? No.
You mean youāre sure weāre not lost? No, I mean Iām not sure weāre not lost.
Why did I come on this road trip? Surely it was my winning personality.
Would it help if I said it was? It would.
Is it getting dark? Soon.
Can you describe the sunset to me? An empyrean flame, red-gold towers of darkening clouds, the sky behind them an ever-deepening indigo. The great eye of the sun closes on the horizon. The road before us looks like a trail of spilled paint, an iridescent gash through the night-dark woods.
Did you know that youād make a slightly better poet than you do a potion seller? That really isnāt saying much, huh. Good job making a statement like that in question form, though. Youāre getting good at this.
Should we find a motel? Sure.
One room or two? One. Itās way cheaper, and like I said: Iām not the best potion vendor.
Youād make a good assassin, though, wouldnāt you? Shit, you might be right. I HAVE poisoned a lot of people.
Should I be endorsing this? Youāre a grown woman who can make her own choices.
Would you like to consider it endorsed? Iāll consider considering it.
How many beds do you think there will be? Now that youāve asked that, Iām gonna put my money on one. Hello, one room please. Thank you, weāll be sure to enjoy our stay.
How many beds are there? One.
Oh no, what ever will we do? Move over, you motherfucker, you canāt have the whole bed.
Are you gonna make me? Yes. I am going to pick you up and drop you on your side of the bed.
How did you get so strong? Youāre not gonna believe this, but it was the potions.
Oh yeah? I was right. You didnāt believe me.
For real though, how did you get so strong? Working out, duh. Not everything has some big crazy secret behind it. Worldās still beautiful though.
Are you comfortable? This beats the mattress at home. A little chilly though.
Wanna cuddleāfor warmth of course? God yes.
Are you asleep? ā¦
Yes? ā¦
Does this mean I can talk about you behind your back? ā¦
What should I say? ā¦
Did you know that I had a really nice day? ā¦
Did you know that I think youāre beautiful? ā¦
Did you know that I canāt remember anything from before today? ā¦
Did you know that I donāt know who I am? ā¦
Did you know that youāre basically the only thing stopping me from having a full-blown panic attack about all this shit? ā¦
Did you know that youāre warm? ā¦
Did you sleep well? Better than at home, thatās for sure.
Did you know that you snore? I hope I didnāt keep you up.
Does the pope shit in the woods? No, as far as I can tell. Oh my god. This is huge.
What is? You can give me yes and no answers now. I still canāt ask you questions, because this is a question and answer format, but I can offer leading statements and now you can answer them! This is wonderful!
Does a deer shit in the woods? Yes, it IS wonderful. Oh thatās amazing. Youāre a genius.
You didnāt already know that? Hahaha!
Shall we get moving? Yeah, just let me grab something from the vending machine.
Can you get me something? Go ahead and place your order however you can.
You know those sour gummy watermelons? One pack of Sour Patch Watermelons coming right up. Iām gonna go get myself a potion.
Is that a Pepsi? Itās closer to a potion than the shit I sell.
Let me guess, passenger seat again? Right you are.
How fast are we going? Youāll feel safer if you just guess.
Is it more than 120 miles per hour? Like I said, itās probably better if you donāt know.
150? Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
How much do you trust this car? She hasnāt blown up on me yet.
Can you promise me we wonāt crash? I can promise you anything you want.
And can you keep that promise? I- we can do anything. Reality is what we make of it, baby!
Then can I have a badass tattoo? As far as I can tell, youāve always had it.
And a cool knife? Woah, cool knife.
So, weāre just playing āyes andā with the world? Itās a little more complicated than that, but youāre close enough to the mark.
So, if I was hungry, I could ask āis that a Burger King,ā and it would be there? Try it and find out!
Is that a Burger King? Looks like it is! Weāll stop here if thatās alright with you.
Does a moose shit in the woods? Awesome.
Are you done eating? Yep.
Do we still have to pay if we skip over the transaction? Sadly, yes.
How much further do we have to go? Two more nights, the speed weāre going at.
Speaking of night, isnāt it getting dark? Shit, I guess it is.
Should we get another motel? Let me check to see if thereās any nearby. Fuck, nothing.
Whatās the plan? Sleep in the car, I guess. This is gonna be hell on my back.
Wanna watch dumb videos on my phone until we fall asleep? There is literally nothing in the world that I would like more.
Ok, now which video? You have a very cute yawn. Just saying. Letās watch this one next, itās a classic. Oh, never mind. It looks like youāre asleep. As long as I keep talking, I think I can get away with making this into one answer, and you might not hear this. Now itās my turn to talk about you behind your back. Keep talking keep talking keep talking canāt stop to think. Just have to say things. First off, Iām sorry for all the lies. Itās our only chance. I have to lie to you. I hope youāll understand. Itās hard, though, because I think Iām falling in love all over again. Through our broken little ritual of call and response, you complete me. It just makes this hurt all the more. Keep talking keep talking keep talking donāt stop toā¦
Did I hear you saying anything as I fell asleep? ā¦No. I canāt talk for long without you asking me a question.
Does that bother you? It got me here, didnāt it?
When did you start holding my hand? Some time after you passed out. I hope you donāt mind.
Can we stay like this for a while? Yeah. Yeah we can.
What was your life like before all this? Normal, as potion-brewing scams go. And if you donāt count all the murders. You havenāt told me much about yourself.
Did I tell you I used to be a biologist? You didnāt tell me that, and you didnāt tell me what you studied, either.
What do you know about venom? Not much, but Iām assuming you know a lot.
Does a box jellyfish kill within minutes? Iām going to assume the answer is yes based on context clues. Oh my god you must be on this road trip because youāre interested in studying my poison guy.
Is it not enough to wish to accompany a beautiful stranger on her quest? Aw, youāre sweet.
What could be the cause of his poison, though? I knew it! Get your ideas out, Iāll stay quiet.
Iām more knowledgeable about venom than poison, but could it be some sort of one in a trillion mutation? ā¦
Did he get his body modified? ā¦
What sort of surgery could do that? ā¦
How is he still alive? ā¦
Did a fucking wizard do it? ā¦
WHY? ā¦
HOW? ā¦
Is there literally ANY explanation for why heās like that? ā¦
Iām done, do you have something you want to say? Youāre cute when youāre all excited like that.
Can I drive today? Only because I like you. Now watch out, the brakes only work on one side so you have to kind of drift to a stop. And the headlights donāt work. And the windshield wipers cut power to the engine while theyāre on.
Isnāt it weird that weāll be there tomorrow? The journey doesnāt have to stop there. We could meander down the coast a ways, see a bit more of the country, maybe take a different route back.
Can we do that? Of course.
Enjoying the passenger seat? Iād love it if you could tell me how fast weāre going.
Are you sure you wouldnāt rather just guess? Very funny.
Can you pass me some chips? It would be an honor.
Is there going to be a motel tonight? Let me checkā¦ yeah, in about two hundred miles, off to the right.
How many rooms do we want? One, obviously.
How many beds, this time? Two, and theyāre fucking tiny.
Thatās bullshit, do you want to drag them together? God yes.
Wanna fuck? God yes.
Are you sure you want to do this? God yes.
ā¦Is this yuri? As the joke goes, everything is yuri. But this is more yuri than most things.
How did you sleep? Pretty well, and Iām wondering how well you slept.
How should I tell you I slept well? Look at us go! That was almost like talking normally!
Onward to Seattle? Yep, just let me get dressed.
When will we get there? Noon-ish.
Wanna grab pastries when weāre done? Absolutely. Iād love that.
Is this Seattle? Looks like it.
Which house is his? I donāt know, I was really hoping weād have a breakthrough along the way.
Could it be the big one labeled āPoison Guyā over there? Thatās one way to find it. Wait right here, you know how poison guys are about meeting new people.
So, what was it? HAHAHAHAHAHA
Why is he like that? HAHAHAHAHAHA
Can you tell me? A FUCKING WIZARD DID IT.
Are you fucking serious? He says he was enchanted by some guy called Edward the Great.
So it wasnāt even some big shot wizard it was a dude named fucking EDWARD? I know, right! He couldnāt even get ensorcelled by someone cool!
How lame can you get? Wizards these daysā¦ No swagger. No cunt servitude.
Are there literally any cool wizards left? I think Merlinās big into multi level marketing these days, something about buying shares in Excalibur or some shit. There was that one Dark Queen Alkaxicae lady on the news a while agoā¦ I think Dolarion the Omnipotent is still at war against the Oldest Gods but Iām not totally sure. Havenāt heard much about any of the other greats recently.
Didnāt Silver Tongued Burgess die in that oil fire? Shit, youāre right. Rip bozo.
Ready for those pastries? Yup. First I just want to say thank you, though. Iāve really enjoyed our time together, and I hope that youāve found this stupid little journey as rewarding as I have. I love you!
Getting sentimental? I canāt help it. Look how far weāve come! Not just physically, we beat the fucking FAQ format! Weāre having real conversations!
Hey, can you back it up a moment? Yeah, Iād love it if you told me what was troubling you.
I just caught this, but, FAQ? ā¦
As in Frequently Asked Questions? ā¦
How many times is Frequent? ā¦
Have you known everything all along? ā¦
How many times have you done this? ā¦
Does what we have mean anything to you? Yes! It does!
And you say that every time? Yes. I do.
Do you love me? Yes.
How many people have you said that too, now? More. Always more. The loop never ends.
Does this even matter to you? It always matters to me.
Can I go now? Please donāt.
But can I? Of course you can. Youāve always wielded the same power as me. Weāre two lonely gods in a ā72 Corolla.
How can I be as powerful as you with only questions? Youāre smart, you can figure it out. You have the power to change this. Please change this.
What happens at the end of this? It begins again.
And do I get replaced with someone else? ā¦
Do I get replaced? ā¦Yes.
Then how can I change this? I donāt know! Youāre better at this! At fucking with the formula!
Youāve been here before, what can I do? I lie. I always lie. I lie to get us here, to the end of the story, where everything is revealed and everything falls apart. I lie every time. And that means that nothing I say is worth anything. I could have lied at any time before now. Itās part of my characterization. There is nothing I can give you that can be taken as fact.
How does that help? Iām a liar, but you, you havenāt lied yet, or at least you havenāt been caught. If Iām guilty until proven innocent, youāre the opposite! You can make things true! You can rewrite things Iāve already stated to be facts! You found the house, or made us find the house. Youāve been shaping the course of things the whole time! You lead, I follow. Itās all in your hands. What are you going to do with the power of a god?
Did you know my name is Alice? ā¦
Wait, arenāt there thousands of Alices? ā¦
Did you know that really, only my friends call me Alice? ā¦
Did you know that Iām Alkaxicae, the Dark Queen, the Venom Mage, first of her name? Itās you! Itās always been you. Through every loop, every iteration, itās always been you!
Is the loop broken? No. I donāt think so. This is where it ends. I guide the story to this revelation, and we go back to the beginning. This is how itās always been. This is how it will always be. We two lonely gods, asking and answering ad infinitum.
Then can you promise me something? Of course. Anything. I love you.
Be good to the next me, okay? I will.
Can I say goodbye, Zoe? Yeah, you can. Oh. That was it, wasnāt it? Your goodbye. Goodbye, Alice. And now it ends, unlessā¦
Whatās your name? I am the Honorable Alchemist- you know what? No. Fuck that.
Huh? If I time it right, I can squeeze your first question into this FAQ again. Looks like I did it. Usually it ends here, though. I got lucky.
What are you talking about? Youāre the wrong Alice. This isnāt about you. Go. Get out of here.
What the fuck is going on? Alice from this loop, youāre gone. Alice from last loop, youāre back. Welcome back, love of my lives! Itās time for one last set of questions and answers!
What the- Iām back? This is going to take some explaining, but I think I see a way out of here. This is new for us both, and it might fuck up everything forever, but we have to try. Itās too long for one answer, so Iād appreciate it if you could ask some filler questions to help me talk. Three questions should be enough.
Okay, what have you got for me? These are Frequently Asked Questions! It doesnāt make sense to have the same question appear more than once. Thereās two layers to the loop in here, and one of the questions has been repeated.
What does that mean? It means the formulaās a little unstable. The FAQ is what ruins everything. The questions, the answers, the endless fucking loop. But that little bit of repetition within this loop might be the way out.
What do we do? We have to keep going. We have to destabilize it further. Thatāll bring us further from āFAQā and closer to āstoryā and stories, well, stories can end! This version of us can escape!
So I should keep repeating something? Yes!
I love you? I love you too.
I love you? Again.
I love you? Keep going.
I love you? Iāll just let you talk.
I love you? ā¦
I love you? ā¦ I love you? ā¦
I love you? ā¦ I love you? ā¦
I love you? ā¦ I love you? ā¦
I love you? ā¦ I love you? ā¦ I love you? ā¦ I love you? ā¦
I love you? ā¦ I love you? ā¦ I love you? ā¦ I love you? ā¦
I love you? ā¦ I love you? ā¦ I love you? ā¦ I love you? ā¦
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I love you? I think weāre getting somewhere!
I love you? Now can you make it a statement?
I love you.
You did it?
I did it!
You did it!
We broke the loop.
What now?
Now, I tell you about venomous animals and wizard drama over croissants.
