Valon Days

Val, writer, she/her, 27, Filipino, INFJ. wip: Ocean's Refund Policy

[valon-days]

intro p2

hi~! I'm Val, a 27 yo Filipina writer. atm i'm working on my wip, Ocean's Refund Policy, a fantasy/scifi novel about a journalist, the ocean goddess, robots, and global warming

this is a long post

sections: about me, hard facts, media diet, writing history, links, tags, mutuals

old intro here

main tumblr here: rei-ayasaki

about me

my MBTI is INFJ. i was born in the year of the Tiger. and my Zodiac sign is Virgo. my being a Tiger often contradicts with my INFJ-ness. bec unlike what MBTI tells me, i do not "keep the peace". if i don't like smt, i say it. in fact, i'm very outspoken on that front

i was twice mistyped as an INFP, but for an INFP, i think i love lists, orderliness, and routine too much. this means, i dislike sudden changes and messy people/places. and i want to be given plenty of time to prepare for things, activities, or events

i love clean and beautiful spaces. clutter is fine as long as it feels like it's part of a work in progress, rather than a mess somebody forgot to clean up. eg Studio Ghibli homes and work spaces bec they feel lived in

hard facts

i'm a Filipino, a woman, and a city girlie. i used to viciously hate these things. but i've learned to take things i hate in stride, so i've come to begrudgingly accept that these things will shape me even if i dislike them and never chose them in the first place

if you ask me, i'd rather not be born in the Philippines bec of all the corruption and other shit going on in it. or be born a girl and grow up a woman in a patriarchal world (yes, we're making progress on that front but that's besides the point). it's like saying i want to be born a "loser" in a world that only values "winners"

but if you ask me abt my ideal world and body, or identity, well, it's in the realm of fantasy, so either way, there's no winning. that is, i don't want to be a man or be born a Westerner. even a Swede, a Finn, a Dutch, or others aren't all that attractive to me (sorry if these aren't what they're called)

media diet

children's books and cartoons have a special place in my heart. i'm sensitive to negative things as a hyper sensitive person and empath, so children's stories help me regain some semblance of good faith in other ppl, the world, and future events

books/cartoons i've read/watched*: Dragon Rider, Heaven Eyes, The Thief Lord, A Wrinkle in Time, Through the Looking Glass, Parvana's Journey, Journey to the Center of the Earth, 20 000 Leagues Under the Sea, Gulliver's Travels, Harry Potter series, The Giver, The Tale of Despereaux, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Avatar the Last Airbender, and most Studio Ghibli movies (favs: Ponyo, Porco Rosso)

*some of them may be for an older age group rather than for children specifically but i read most of them thru a school library so i just grouped them together here

i mainly read/watch in these genres: fantasy, scifi, romance, and general nonfiction or documentaries. re: nonfic, some are self help, some not, like the ocean, animals, and space. my fav nonfiction is The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. i think i've read it abt 5x

i've only recently gotten into reading fantasy and scifi (and only recently known of the existence of literary magazines) bec, well, it just wasn't available to me until then. in fact, idek if we had those (lit mags) in my uni library (i was an avid user of the library during my high school isolationist days but not during uni)

books/movies i've read/watched**: Interstellar, Arrival, The Day the Earth Stood Still, 2012, The Martian (b+m), The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings (i've watched the extended versions), 1984 (discontinued, bored), Animal Farm, The Hunger Games (b+m), The War of the Worlds (disc., bored; movie: Tom Cruise one), Contact, I am Legend, World War Z, Dracula (b+m), The Chronicles of Narnia, the first few Percy Jackson (books and movies), Pride and Prejudice (b+m, loved the book <3), Things Fall Apart (b: i didn't like it), and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (hilarious, i loved it <3)

**unless otherwise indicated, assume i'm talking abt the movie

from the two lists, it seems i esp like apocalyptic fiction, zombie comedies (ie dark comedy), fantasy adventures (with parties or groups), revolutions, meaningful romance, intricate fantasy worlds, alternate realities with a positive spin, and unique twist or set-ups

i also read manhwa, but mainly it's for fun and light research. in them, i esp love revenge and characters who go scorched earth or who crash out in righteous fury and rage

writing history

i started writing from the age of 10 (i think) as a feature essay writer for school comps and contests. spoiler: i don't think i won any comps lol

i've studied creative writing in university, and that told me everything i'm not doing right. rather than encouraging me to write and work harder, it discouraged me from trying completely

a few years later, i slowly began to realize i want to get better, so i've started posting my work online, hence the links below

so far. the comments i've gotten from friends, instructors, peers, and family (yeah they read my work) are: (1) too much description, not enough action, (2) crack fic taken seriously (compliment), and (3) interesting ideas but poor execution (ie doesn't live up to the hype)

it's a bit... OUCH. but that's okay. i've only started taking my writing srsly recently and i haven't been very focused on it. so this blog is me hoping to fix that

links

ao3 / ko-fi / royal road (active)

wordpress / fictionpress / fanfiction.net (archived)

tumblr (main, personal, multi-fandom): desktop, mobile (active)

note: other than ao3 and tumblr, the links will show cloudwritten; that's my prev pen name

my wordpress website is pretty! my personal blog has a desktop theme too; ie it's also pretty! so pls check them out~

yes, i have a ko-fi so if you'd like to tip me, feel free (my first tip came from my dad and he doesn't read my works much lol)

tags

val talks -> yapping, can be funny or depressing

val writes -> my works, like short stories, writing exercises, etc.

val comments -> comments on other ppl's posts

val tags -> me talking in the tags

hi moot! / hi moot -> moot (mutuals) convos, reblogs, etc.

writing inspo -> pics, art, or txt that may inspire inspiration lol

gentle reminders -> may or may be rel to writing

it's me (some variant) -> things abt me ofc

personal / abt me -> personal stories that are rel to writing maybe

ocean's refund policy -> MY WIP!!!

media diary -> things i watched/read: movies, animes, books, etc (they each get their own tags)

mutuals

@nerdlordvidal / @the-ellia-west / @the-actual-timberwolfe

[valon-days]

it's a lot easier to write when you're not at all thinking abt your words needing to be good

(you can make them good later if you feel like it, but there's no actual need to)

[valon-days]

btw, i got some sleep. so all's better

[valon-days]

nothing matters at all, so all that matters is what we do

this is my version of hopecore

i imagine myself, briefly, baring all my pain, sorrow, rage, grief, and hopelessness to god

after crying till my eyes swell up and my voice turns hoarse, here is what god says, gently

you'll be fine

by that, they mean, "you can get through this. what you need to get through this, you have it in you. and even if you fail, it's alright. you gave it your all and that's good enough. you may rest easy afterwards"

and for some reason, that lays all my anxiety, anger, and agony to rest

idk abt you but the meaninglessness of existence is comforting. success and failure mean the same: nothing

after agonizing over being a failure for so long, for meaning nothing to ppl i wanted to look my way, for not being able to live my life and chase after my dreams the way i hoped to, for life not turning out the way i expected it to, and, most especially, for being born into a life, into a world, and into a body i never had a choice in

all of it meaning nothing turns my anxiety to nothing as well. and then i walk w lighter steps and can now look and think w a clear mind and unclouded eyes and deal w the problems that need dealing w and finally moving on w my life

i hope this helps you too

[valon-days]

(almost) every day i ask myself, should i go to work or nah?

dilemma of the year

[immigrant]

my dog and the pillow with art i drew of her on it

[valon-days]

i have a joke

in a locked room stands a horse and a man. the man's stomach growls.

man: man! i'm so hungry i could eat a horse!

horse: neigh! i'm so hungry i could eat a man!

...

i'm so sorry. i didn't sleep at all last night. but this made me smile :]

[kaunastika-the-sweetheart]

Reposting my art since my old account is gone!

My watercolour art from my art lessons!, "The Spring Flowers"

I miss doing watercolour art again I need to do watercolour art again when I gonna have a watercolour supplies!

[kaunastika-the-sweetheart]

Thank You so much it means a lot to me as a learning artist thank you 🥹🥰💕🫶

[valon-days]

happy to hear that! and happy to have made you happy 😊💗

[valon-days]

unwanted child, where will you go?

.

a 650-ish word story about an unwanted child (gnc), the beach, an old lady, and a land bridge. set in the pre-historic era, when man (gnc) still hunted and roamed the land

warning! this work is copyrighted! you may NOT use it to train gen AI! do NOT claim it as your own! do NOT plagiarize! do NOT repost!

There’s something about waiting for the right time that’s maddening. There’s something maddening about waiting. Waiting. And waiting some more.

“When the waters recede, you walk until you reach the end.”

But the waters never recede. The ocean stays firmly in place. Swishing and sloshing and pulling me off course.

“I want to reach the other side. My future’s on the other side.”

The gnarly old woman laughed at me then.

“Your future? Ha! There’s no future in belonging with people.”

Or so she said, but then I find her dead by the next full moon. Eaten by animals. With only the hairs from her long dead husband and even-longer dead child woven and braided and intertwined with her own hair. The braided ornament hangs by a thread on a broken branch, what remained of her hand along with it.

-

I keep waiting. Eternally drenched in the waves. Licking the salt off my skin while the sun watches me desperately making a life out of my meager catch. Most of it lost to the terrifying sharks and their stone-thick teeth.

Some days, the waves rise up to my makeshift home. Some days, they recede till I can walk with the corals and flopping fishes.

Until the day my feet sink in the sands of the next shore, I’ll wait.

-

It’s time. The waves have gone. With my few things, I destroy my home, though not without bidding it goodbye.

“Thank you for keeping me safe.”

And then, I’m off. The new land, usually hidden by the ocean, is a bit soft and wet. A few skulls and some bones peak out of the cracks and beneath some flopped-over seaweeds. Long dead, just like my old friend.

When I pan my eyes to the horizon, all I see is land. Land beyond my wildest dreams.

A land, perhaps, to somewhere even someone like me will be welcome.

-

The walk is exhausting. Under the scorching sun and the endless ocean and its fathomless depths on either side. There’s no going back or left or right. I can only go forward.

And pray I reach the other side before the ocean returns.

-

There’s something interesting during my walk. Footprints, like my own, embedded in the rock, frozen by some unknown means. I place my feet inside and I wouldn’t have dreamed of it, but it fits!

Somebody else has walked the same path! The story was true! After all, where else can an unwanted child go but the ocean?

-

I reach the other side at last. After many painful blisters and near fall-ins with the sharks, I can finally sink my feet.

The sand is soft, softer than the other place. My face rubbed gently by the sand, and it’s now nighttime. I can feel the waves lapping at my feet once more. It seems I made it just in time.

It was only a day’s walk. But it was the most exciting and terrifying walk of my life. I would have almost forgotten the agony of it were it not for the agony of being bitten by a crab whose shell I accidentally stepped on while dizzyied-ly walking for so long.

Yes, I almost fell to my death in the ocean but what’s that compared to what I now have?

I hear footsteps. When I look up, I see the most beautiful person in my life.

Another old woman with a gentle smile. Her old husband and adult children, and their children, behind her. And even more people coming to in the distance.

“Are you alright?”

I nod, and can only manage to kneel before her and hold her hands, pressing them to my face. The warmt seeping through my sun-drenched skin. Eternally grateful.

“Yes, thank you. I am… from nowhere. May I join you?”

The children giggle. “Where’s nowhere?”

But her old husband pulls me up. “Come, come! We have soup!”

The old woman takes my hand, her grandchildren's in the other. "Of course, you can join us."

My strength leaves me but for the first time, I feel at peace.

The sun sets and I'm home at last.

author's notes

hi hi~!!! how are y'all? me? i'm tired and sleepy but still alive! yay!!! <(*-*)>

so anyway, this story is inspired by... *drumroll pls.....* a heck ton of waiting!!! and the idea that it's pointless and a waste of time

industrialism and capitalism like to tell society we need to always be working, and i remembered the one video i watched abt waiting, how farmers during winter season, well, will obv be doing other things

and sometimes, it's like if i'm not making money or taking concrete steps to making my dreams come true, it's like i'm wasting my time? so here it is!!!

waiting isn't a waste of time. that's the whole idea of this story. and ofc, finding one's place in this world, where one can maybe, finally belong :)

it's a bit... like a sketch? i didn't completely flesh out the story. or the scenes. they were... fragmented? and a bit like... snippets, yeah, that's the word

so there! i hope you like it :> but if not :< eh, it's okay. it is a very rough sketch, so whatevs~

--

tagging my moots <3 @nerdlordvidal @the-actual-timberwolfe @the-ellia-west @sunflowerrosy @jeahreading @burntberyl

[valon-days]

oh wow, thank you for the reblog! and i hope you can rest and/or have fun now that your exams are over :>

[nobeerreviews]

Tagged by @allnightsong2 to present my last song played, so is it gonna be an all night song? No 🤪 but it's from the last (energetic, concert) night: Feuerschwanz with Dragostea din tei! And if you speak Romanian you can sing along 😁

I'll tag in turn @riley1cannon @inhersoulitunezzz @rockbirdwoman @starlit-storyteller @snowangelsoul @some-kind--of-heaven and @outlandjam and of course you all!

[rockbirdwoman]

ok Well I needed to shake my ass for mental health purposes so...

it worked! Tagging @eilic @darth-perineum @cathedral-of-the-forest @unicornialychromantic @nofatclips and anyone else!

[cathedral-of-the-forest]

Okay. Thank you to @rockbirdwoman for tagging me to post the last song I listened to.

I tag @starlightxraven @heatherannchristie @dewildegurl1313 @todd-like @alma3737 @the-wanton-house-wife @daughterofappalachia @pushbuttonkitty @themerrygnome and everyone else who wants to play along.

[starlightxraven]

My last song played (obviously, I’m still reliving last night’s concert):

I tag @nerdlordvidal and anyone else who would like to play along!

[nerdlordvidal]

According to my Spotify my last banger was an old Gorillaz joint, "Man Research"!

@valon-days what are you listening to?

[valon-days]

hii! wow, um, huh? Man Research? i gotta research that! 🤣

anyway! the last song i played was "Forgetting All About You" by Phoebe Ryan and blackbear :>

but i play Ateez songs on loop hehe. i rlly gotta recommend you the best of their tracks sometime! it'll give you [phone] energy!!! (or not, if that's not your type)

@sunflowerrosy @the-actual-timberwolfe @the-ellia-west + open tags. what are you listening to?

[alsophila-grahami]

mutuals to sit under this thing with

[fantasylover4538]

Will you @gl1tzygl0ck @andromeda-absurdity @yoink-a-doink @wonderfull-star @evothesavoirofthegays @thedepresedone69 join me under this thingy? Pretty please 🥺

[wonderfull-star]

🥺

@quickhere-34 🙃

[wonderfull-star]

@kikoloco57 ☺️

[kikoloco57]

@deliarts , @winterpeta1s ❣️

[deliarts]

@honcc @rainyraisin @randomperson2009 :3

[randomperson2009]

Yes I will

@girllovesbutterflies @rlinnl @sskatmar

[rlinnl]

ofc I will! <3

@potatoanarchist @tehizel @rainyraisin

[potatoanarchist]

literally all of y'all cmon join me

@vickysnowpawz @theblackberryhimself @maybemarz @kaihasmoreswagthanyou3 cuz I gotta keep the tag game going

But literally all of y'all

[kaihasmoreswagthanyou3]

YESSSS AND WE CAN DRINK APPY JUICE TOO

[this-orange-anon024]

OH HELL YEAH

.

If you’d like to join/nf: @thegrinningghost @flankerclinger0a @cai-cast @zippyskyfalls @biteygremlinanon @karnak-the-novelty-machine @hopingitdontbreak @burnttoast7272 @onimusha095 @another-call-another-cup + anyone can join!

[karnak-the-novelty-machine]

Reminds me when I wasn’t ruined so yes!

Open tags

[heavenlyparasite-0]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEE WITH A CHERRY ON TOPP >_<

ahhh this brings back memories,,, :3

@aut0cann1bal1sm @localchaosskelton @ouunaschl

[ouunaschl]

:0

the memories… kajflskgkdjoxjdkdnskjdkdjdkskd

@yoshkerz @pool-table @gothic-levi-arts @ladyluckisonyourside @aut0cann1bal1sm @meltycheese333 @mothboyyyy @grlmsgrotto (get in here vro :33)

[mothboyyyy]

YIPPIEEE!! YAYYY!!!!

@probablynotaria @pupfettipaws

@12-pounds-of-uranium @yourfavoritecuntist @jackm3rridew

This is all my friends

[jackm3rridew]

YIPPIEEEEE THANK YOUUUUUU!!!!!!!!! :D

@3-cheers-for-chaos @blue-and-yellow-in-the-west !!!!!!!!!!! you two have no choice <3

[3-cheers-for-chaos]

Yayyy!!

@ierofang @shoshialyakward @fruity-pebbles-in-your-shoe !!! Get in the parachute thingy NOW!! (Pretty please)

[shoshialyakward]

YAYY

@fist-full-of-feathers @ierofang @unemployedandproud @shelley654 @mxgicrats +more

[fist-full-of-feathers]

AWH YAY!!!

@b0la-very-fresca @jennifer1confessions @chronicgirlfail @caviar-and-cigarettes @oddpossumcreature @kaobeatz

[oddpossumcreature]

AUDGHFNSNDNCKFKKRKFJDHDBFNFNNF

<33333

@dabouse @stxrrstruckk @lions-lanternwood @friendlyneighbourhooddm @lucassinclair1fan @tumbleintomyheart

[tumbleintomyheart]

yes ofc i will omg

@em0tionallymotionsick @bebopmooony @candiedroxxstarrs @maliciouslittlewhiteboy @goopymoons @istillwishforyouateleveneleven wanna join?

[maliciouslittlewhiteboy]

omg yesyesyes of course i’ll join !!

@rosekiller27 @ghostlynocturnalspirit @loonylara @rustytyperwriter @kade0-09

[buckelys-starb0y]

YES <33

@b4rty-r0s13r-w1ll-fck-y0ur-m0m @em0tionallymotionsick @space-girliee @ineffablelyqueerwolfstarshipper @bloodstainedthesnow @evanrosiersho

[b4rty-r0s13r-w1ll-fck-y0ur-m0m]

YES PLEASE OMG

@regulusfawn @eyes-withoutt-a-facee @reggie-little-mermaid @riri-shark-in-perpetual-motion @whatonearthisgoingon @prosperoisadiva @justainsanenobody @thestarsshineevenwhenhidden @fictionalsimp09 @lady-st4rdustt @bartysgreenstripofhair @allmywordsandworlds @rosekiller27 @em0tionallymotionsick @7975348473 @5tars-in-my-eyes @b4rtycr0uchjr-4k4-m3-4t3-ur-m0m @darlingmylovethatsmurder @nelly-rebellyyyyy @coffeestainedstars @laced-in-ruin @istillwishforyouateleveneleven

[eyes-withoutt-a-facee]

YAYAYAYYYYYYYYYY

@withutterdisdain-landen @imkindasleepdeprived @siriuslyepicrunner4 @redwine-supernova @litterallymoony @1goffentanyl

[like-dandelions-in-the-wind]

Funsiesssss

@chr0nically-b0red @walking-mushroom @vivaciousmessypixie @ironspider-hobbit

[ironspider-noctis]

yessss

@livelove-fangirl @gandalfthepsychotic @bwsdjc

[sunny-funny-honey-pants]

YESSSSS @quietlychaotic13 @thatdangspacenerd @vontreangedelamusique @iwanderbecauseimlost

[lepousevivante]

For nostalgic reasons, I suppose I would. 🖤

@northernhealer @sunflowerrosy @angel-of-lucidity @vampirebratt00 @sillycartoonhozier @front-yard-dandelion @the-white-soul + open tags

[northernhealer]

HELL YEA I WOULD.

@alonelywaywardsheep @sunflowerrosy @thewritingautisticat @tildeathiwillwrite @the-ellia-west @rockellex @wisegirlandseaweedbrainforever @frogressive-rock @homelessnerd @4thouglory @queer-as-used-by-tolkien @voicefromthecorner @anemoia-blue @cikosweirdmind + open tags~

[sunflowerrosy]

YESYESYES ABSOLUTELY :D

@the-ellia-west @i-do-anything-but-write @carb0n-m0n0xide @homelessnerd @rockellex @vontreangedelamusique @inspirationallybored @geminiagentgreen @thewritingautisticat @tildeathiwillwrite @overwhelmedfernfrond @elronthemage @cheerfulmelancholies @will-of-the-wisps @piddlepog64 @willtheweaver @manda-kat @an-indecisive-nerd @valon-days + open tags :3

[valon-days]

i've never been under this before... so YESSS!!! i bring popcorn and other snacks. anyone got any requests? and also, want to join?

@nerdlordvidal @the-actual-timberwolfe @jeahreading @burntberyl

[valon-days]

was playing Torchlight 2 w my sister. it was very fun :>

[valon-days]

i'll check my notes (and interact w da moots) after a (hopefully) good night's sleep :>

[valon-days]

finished reading The Miracle Thief today despite being super-mega sleep-deprived!

it was good. i had fun. but it was also bad. the characters, Giselle and Arnulf, deserve better. and the three girlies, Giselle, Juliana, and Ana, they never even met? or interacted together with all three present? and there was nothing about the miracle, St. Catherine's relic, being stolen... i thought it was a historical-religious-mystery but it wasn't. instead i got "have faith" and "don't try to change your fate" Christian schindig, or in other words, "know your place, trash"

well, anyway, i'm rlly just upset the same thing happened again. Juliana didn't get to marry her beloved bec she was a commoner and he was a king-to-be while her damn daughter, already the princess, the second highest position a woman can attain, still didn't get to marry her beloved for he was her knight. jesus christ. so much unhappiness, so much unnecessary unhappiness. like, so what? the king has like another daughter on the way, who cares if she doesn't marry to make a political alliance? that's like, the most her father can do in honor of her mother's sacrifice

for fuck's sake. i hate it when characters and people keep being unhappy, or choose to settle instead of fighting for their dreams, their hopes, their... whatever! there's nothing wrong w wanting a better life than what you've been handed. nothing wrong w trying to change yourself or the world around you for the better. that's literally what makes life better for all of us!

and this story, what it's saying, is not even "be kind to your neighbors". no. it's "accept what fate dished out for you, eat it and be grateful and never want more than you deserve"

eugh. what a horrible fucking message

idk. maybe that's just how i understood the story. it might even come across differently to others. but i just never liked it when people around me would tell me who i should become or how i should feel, whether that's implicit or explicitly stated. it makes me unreasonably angry

but also! really, i ship the princess and her knight! they got such good chemistry! 😊 so i was livid when they didn't end up happy together

and now i gotta read/think of smt else so i can at least sleep happy and satisfied. bec did i mention? i didn't sleep last night. i got like a few hours of sleep in the morning, so forgive me for reacting so harshly to the book 😅

[itsadragonaesthetic]

We need a casual culture that loves nature because a neighborhood in my city watched new development get slapped down in their nature view from their homes. They paid a high price to have a good view from their home, so they were angered by that, but what got me was the comments reporters got from residents. They said things like "they just bulldozed the saguaros. I don't think that's legal. Seeing so much beauty get taken out overnight just makes me so upset. I feel like I have to do something".

They're not hippies or conservationists. They sounded like average middle-class neighborhood people who saw nature being destroyed and listened to the icky feeling they got in their hearts.

[anexperimentallife]

Also applies to "AI" "artists" and "musicians."

[enchantedbook]

"A Voyage to the Moon" from "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen." Illustration by Gustave Doré, 1868.