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theothershin · 13 days

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Am I still a pussy regarding this? Yeah. Did I read the moments the demons came instead of reading them? No. (I forgot...) Do I still think that you shouldn't listen to the audiobook? NO! Listen to it and be terrified! It's among the reasons why I love the first book the best!

Advice for you here

Just some friendly advice, if you're going to try out The Demonata, don't listen to the audiobook. Maybe the first thirty minutres or more might seem not too scary, but then it just goes downhill.

And I mean DOWNHILL.

Sure, it's really interesting when the character's life is completely ruined, but that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying it's creepy as heck. You know, this is about demons and you know Darren Shan is the master of horror?

This certainly speaks for itself. It's probably creepy enough reading it, but hearing those voices... I shiver every time I think about it, and I wonder how they made those voice sound so evil and realistic...

But anyways, I listened to the first hour, and I only got through the whole hour and a little past that because I wanted to know what was going to happen, but I was just horrified. I was terrified for myself. It was just too much, so I'll just get the book in person.

I'm having awake-terrors every second I'm existing...

Although, if you think you're up for the challenge, don't let me stop you! It's just a warning, so no one regrets listening to it like me. I mean, I could never doubt that Darren Shan is the master of horror now.

Edit: a day has passed and I'm going back to the audiobook, but I swear, I'll read the moments the demons come instead of listening to them, because I still don't have the courage.

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theothershin · 13 days

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What about it - Shark and Timas navigate the world post apocalypse?

#shark the demonata #the demonata #post apocalyptic #apocalypse #post apocalypse #post-apocalypse #The Demonata 6 - Demon Apocalypse #Demon Apocalypse #Timas Braus #They have been living rent-free in my head for a bit #And I think it's time they must pay #by way of a little angst #rereading #Rereading parts of Demon Apocalypse #Rereading all of Wolf Island #And right now...#fanfic ideas have been circulating through me like blood #seriously

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theothershin · 13 days

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It's really telling that Tyler's tombstone says "eldest son and brother", while Dale's has "beloved brother and son". It's like, Tyler's the eldest Holt - that's his whole tag, his whole life. Consider it: you forget his name and only his personality, and you think, "The eldest Holt - what was his name?" That's all he is and all he ever was. That's his job. And the fact that even his tombstone never shows his true self in and out of the role he was assigned, is just tragic! But you die the way you live, and if you were never truly acknowledged in life, it probably won't happen when you're dead - the facts are all true.

Tyler is the most unique character, that he's the only one whose character is just mostly implied. He was shown as a semi-belligerent person(and it was only mentioned that he isn't usually like that, but most people wouldn't remember that one line over everything they're shown about him), and only every now and then we see the love he has for his family; the dedication and care he exhibits in front of his Ma, but also the helplessness he has around her; and the cage that's been built all around him. Here and there, in bits and bobbles and pieces, you get an implication or a small, sidelined piece of proof that he's more than it seems. And the tombstone is one of those proofs of that.

It's really telling that there's a big difference there - replacing "beloved" with a synonym for variety seems normal, or something else that's simple enough - but "eldest"? At first it seems just considerably normal, but if you've caught those bits and pieces, it looks wrong. And that fact that it's the only change at all except for the wording?! What else is there to say - Tyler Holt is a tragic character, whose thread will always have a black sheen wrapped around it, who will never escape his invisible-but-existing cage of torture, not in any of his endings, nor in his death.

#as dusk falls #tyler holt #writing timeline #adf #dale holt #jay holt #shanon holt #bear holt #Holts #“Sometimes I forget you're a Holt.”(Does that also say something to you in a total different sense?)#On the same subject #Timeline chap 2 is going to be edited and published by next week - thank goodness I didn't have to go into May #because that almost happened #anyways #it makes me so sad #i swear

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theothershin · 17 days

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Shark is a darling 💀

#shark the demonata #the demonata #just remembered this #just remembered it #Shark really was something #He was just different

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theothershin · 17 days

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More Fic Writer Asks

(Using it for original works and fanfics, since OP said that's okay)

the last sentence you wrote "Raising his hands in surrender, Gunther said, 'Take me to Arthur.' " - Heroically Foul

a character whose POV you’re currently exploring "And so he was loved because he was good at operating the kingdom, but only we know his black heart and dark ambitions." - Preservation of Those Three: Tybalt Arthur Verrell

how you feel about your current WIP Confidant. I feel like I'll get this done in a year or two, and well. There'll need to be rewrites and edits, but not much. Excited to put my thoughts down and share it with the world.

a story idea you haven’t written yet What if Romeo left Juliet, and she decided to marry Paris, and discovered he isn't all that bad after all?

first sentence of the fifth paragraph of an unpublished WIP "But how to get to him?" - A Dream, a Heroically Foul side story

the word that appears the most in your current draft (wordcounter.net can tell you) More, been, and one. Not very interesting, but then again, I just barely began.

your preferred writing fonts Lobster for titles; Bad Script for chapter titles; Architect's Daughter for narration.

if you had to write a sequel to a fic, you’d write one for… Help, video game fandom Aragami 2. it's a very in-depth and detailed version of one of the quests in the game where you play the main character, Kuro, or Warrior, going mad with anger and the desire for revenge - but you have lots of freedom. I took away that feeling of freedom, to show that he was doing what he was doing automatically, out of obligation, rather than because he really wanted to. I would write a sequel and even prequel cuz the game has great moments that would be great if narrated.

start to finish, how long did it take you to write the last fic you posted? A little under a week, I believe.

what is the longest amount of time you’ve let a draft rest before you finished it? Years. Let's leave it at that, yeah?

a WIP you’d like to finish someday Previously called My Lord, now renamed A World of Shadows, and more names pending, the fic is for the fandom, The Saga of Darren Shan/Cirque Du Freak, by tween Master of Horror Darren Shan. In the original book, two sides are fighting a war, and the fate of both sides lie with the main character, Darren Shan(has the same name as the author), and his friend, Steve "Leopard" Leonard. Darren, warned that his victory would eventually cause him to stray from righteousness in arrogance, sacrifices himself to kill Steve. In my fic, he kills only Steve - not himself. It explores Steve's mentor, Gannen Harst, as he tries to deal with his friend's death, his allegiance, losing the war, and his own brother - all while Darren slowly begins to lose himself to the dark side.

a trope you’re really into right now Medieval power struggle. Yes, I know. I told my sister just the day before writing this, "They're annoying in real life, but..." and then realised that isn't true. Sure, they can be annoying, but they interest me. Look into the morality/psychology, especially when there's sour kings who've gotten the wrong hand and are right but also wrong.

a fandom you’re thinking about writing for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The lore is vast and endless, and in a story where the main character's personality doesn't already exist yet they aren't just a blank-looking person and there's space to build a unique personality for them and act on it, there's lots of space for a fanfic.

where do you get your inspiration? Everything - literally.

favorite weather for writing Spring weather - it's ample time to sit down and write, but the weather itself is lovely. The birds are chirping in the sky, and sometimes they swoop down for a few seconds to grace you with the sight of their feathers; the ocean waves(I especially would love to write by the waves) crash against the rocks and sometimes splash on your face - but that's okay, because it feels good, and the bright, warm sun dries your book - and the sounds of nature helps you think.

favorite place to write I'm generally not allowed to sit and write when we're out and about, so on my desk. There's the most privacy, and I've written there so much that there's a vibe.

talk about your writing and editing process It changes over time and depending on which story it is and what type of story it is. I write fanfics between my originals - in school, between chapters, during writer's block for a specific story - and for originals, I write them every chance I can. I write down ideas for them whenever I can and have the notes stored away. When the time comes, I take out the notes and pour over them, changing them according to what I believe should be different and so on... I write down most of the events(then gradually all of them) and write them out of order(choosing from writing prompts), then put them together and read them in order. Then I edit them in order.

if you keep them, share a deleted sentence or paragraph from a published fic I don't keep them, though it would be cool to be able to look back at it. I sort of keep originals, but I haven't published any yet.

the most interesting topic you’ve researched for a fic Prison. In my fanfic, Timeline, the main character goes to jail and rots away there until the end of his life.

in what year did you publish your first fic? 2021

when did you publish your most recent fic? 6 Jan 2024

do you ever worry about public reaction to what you’re writing? how do you get past that? Sometimes I worry, sometimes I don't. I write for myself. I got upset by some hateful comments once upon a time, and told my sister about it after following the criticism that they were saying, and she told me that they were wrong, and that they were only being hateful. I realise that since then, if the comment isn't nice, I block the comment and decide whether I'll adhere to it or not. I'm not a popular writer so I barely get comments and/or kudos, but when I do, it strengthens my resolve to be a great writer, but I don't let it affect me beyond that.

pick three keywords that describe your writing Messy but Organised

how do you recharge when you’re not feeling creative? Organise notes. Read stuff. Play games. Do anything but be creative.

besides writing, what are your other hobbies? Reading novels and non-fiction. Playing games.

are you able to write with other people around? No. I don't know why. but the words fly away from me.

your favorite part of the writing process When everything's clicking together and my creative drive is never-ending and I get into flow.

your least favorite part of the writing process When the creativity dries up.

how easy is it for you to come up with titles? Not easy at all. I do it as I go along, but usually I get the right one when I'm done writing it.

share a fic you’re especially proud of Talk, for the novel series The Demonata by Darren Shan. It was inspired by Zukos_Honour and it's simple, to the point and savours the slowburn-one shot feels.

#writing #answering author questions #author questions #answered #originals x fanfics

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theothershin · 25 days

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The American Dream is not dead now. It just never was alive. That's the problem. That's what Of Mice and Men is about.

#the american dream #of mice and men #but really

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theothershin · 1 month

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hey, dorothea- do you ever stop and think about me? down in the park, honey, making a lark of the misery. dorothea, dorothea. hey, dorothea- do you ever stop and think about me? skipping the prom just to piss off your mom and her pageant schemes. damn dorothea, they all wanna be ya, but are you still the same soul i met under the bleachers? dorothea, dorothea, dorothea.

btw.

#King Tybalt Arthur Verrell #not that anyone cares #or even knows

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theothershin · 1 month

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Oh no. Scrolling through Tumblr now is starting to feel like scrolling through Twitter. How annoying. Tumblr is becoming like Twitter and Youtube is becoming like TikTok? Can I not have any social media platform that isn't going to mess with my brain?

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theothershin · 2 months

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To be honest, there are two originals I'm working on, and they've been going really good. I thought I could fit Timeline in the background, but it's not doing good in my mind. I'll still work on it, just chap. 2 might come out after April, unlike what I promised.

Timeline

I realised I've never posted this yet. So at about the beginning of 2024... I finished organising! I believe it'll have about 13-15 chapters, though that might vary quite a bit. In any case, sorry I took so long to get the news out.

#as dusk falls #tyler holt #writing #writing timeline #timeline #timeline fanfic #adf

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theothershin · 3 months

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Okay, interest is a great way to say it. Twilight's canon has been torturing me since I read it. I don't love it the same way most people like a fandom, but I'm constantly fascinated with the different ways I can twist and turn it to make it better. Anyway, if you're not really an avid fan, you might be a bit confused with some stuff I talk about since it's pretty fresh in my mind(I read it a month or so ago, around the time I was ranting about it on tumblr), so if you need some clarification, I'd be happy to do it for you.

My favourite thing about them I love how caring Bella is. Despite how whiny and annoying and bratty she is almost all the time, she always seems to put others before her. She's always thinking she has to take care of Charlie (which is strange because a father is supposed to protect his daughter instead of the other way around), she never wants to pull the Shapeshifters into what she thinks isn't their business, and she always worries that Edward and Jacob will get hurt when fighting. It's something that can be annoying, since she really exaggerates, notably when she pulls Edward out of that fight in Eclipse. But it can also be really sweet, when you consider the intention.

Least favourite thing about them Her obsession over Edward. I get that Bella's infatuation with Jake and his with her was the whole Renesmee-Shapeshifter-vodoo-magic thing, and it goes away once the hybrid in question is born. That's understandable, though a little annoying. It feels like a cop-out made just to give Jake a good ending. He originally wasn't going to be very big in the story when Meyer was writing Twilight(bk 1), but she and her editor liked him and she made him more important in New Moon. But anyways, then there's the whole Ed thing. Now, I'm not going to go into anything too deep because you've prob heard that stuff before, but basically, they started at 11 in true lusty teen fashion that never lasts too often in real life. But we're supposed to expect that it does last because he saves her from being killed(time and time again) and she became a vampire for him. I just really don't like that dynamic.

Favourite line "I've never given much thought to how I would die. But dying in the place of someone I love seems like a good way to go. So, I can't bring my self to regret the decisions to leave home." I regret it, Bella, because none of the boys you're interested in are worth it, but it sounds nice.

sisOTP I am an avid believer that if BrOTP is a thing, sisOTP should be as well. But Bella doesn't get along with all that many people. I think her sisOTP would be Bella & Emily. Those moments where both girls could worry together in New Moon were heartwarming until it ended.

OTP Jacob/Bella(as friends)

nOTP Ol' Ed/Bella(I know it's the main ship.) and Mike/Bella

Random headcanon I headcanon that Edward did absolutely nothing but flit around when he left Bella in New Moon(maybe it's obvious).

Unpopular opinion Jake and Edward suck, and so does the girl they're fighting over, but Jake would be a good friend to her if he never liked Bells in the first place. + Everyone sucks in Twilight, but the idea of the supernatural creatures is sort of interesting and that's why I stay here.

A song I associate with them I Love You So, by Maher Zain. The song may be talking about God, but it could remind you of Bella I suppose.

Favourite picture of them

...that was a pretty comical moment.

Anyway, hope that was beneficial somehow.

and would also like to see bella swan for the character list too !

Ooh, it's Bella Swan! I'm not sure you want to see my take on this series. Twilight is Twilight, after all. I have a whole note where I've answered all of them, but confirm it for me please.

#Bella Swan #Twilight #edward cullen #jacob black #the twilight saga

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theothershin · 3 months

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and would also like to see bella swan for the character list too !

Ooh, it's Bella Swan! I'm not sure you want to see my take on this series. Twilight is Twilight, after all. I have a whole note where I've answered all of them, but confirm it for me please.

#Bella Swan #Twilight #Do u really?

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theothershin · 3 months

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my first draft of this post had me sounding like an utter maniac, so this is take two, where i’m going to attempt to not sound as absolutely insane as i am actually on the inside. so the as dusk falls promo trailer took over my life a few weeks back and i managed to stop myself from obsessively (and i mean obsessively) rewatching it for a while, but then i rewatched it twice in the last few minutes and barely resisted the urge to start open-mouth sobbing. because it makes me emotional! and so as not to repeat the mistakes of my last draft i will end that line of thought right here.

there are a lot of things that make me scream cry throw up etc about this trailer, but i am going to talk specifically in this post about the thing that i am MOST composed about and LEAST prone to start vomiting about. which is jim.

it feels wrong to start out with this post, since i haven’t actually talked yet about how masterfully composed this trailer actually is. but tl;dr: everything about this promo is fucking phenomenal and it makes me violently ill (mentally physically spiritually etc). but the one thing that’s really relevant about the composition of the trailer here is the shots they chose for it. and again there’s a lot to say here, but let me just put it this way:

the promo trailer is for whatever game was being advertised in this poster. the only character on this poster that is not featured prominently in the trailer is joyce, and i can kind of get why that is. but it’s important and striking to me that bear and jim are neither on this poster nor are they ANYWHERE to be seen in this trailer. (sidenote & tangent i’m so relieved that bear is not present in any promo materials that i know of, since his inclusion in the story is one that i think was always meant to be shocking and jarring, and having bear in the promo stuff would sort of cheapen that impact. people should not be going into this game going omg sam douglas!! they should be entering this game invested in the story and the characters and then sam douglas jumpscare like a freight train) this is especially true for jim, since there are a lot of scenes in the promo where we know that he’s supposed to be there, but he’s purposely obscured from us. when zoe’s voiceover says “we were on our way to start a new life”, it shows her and her parents in the car, with no indication that there is a whole ass joe biden behind vince.

then, in the trailer, when the family’s approaching the motel, we get this shot:

vs. in the game, where that shot is actually…

… cutely including jim’s ass. and then here, we get:

where the trailer frames it like vince is alone, when in reality, dale’s already knocked jim to the floor. in the scenes where we see vince’s family, it’s always heavily focusing on vince, michelle, and zoe, who seem to be the three main characters of the walker family. (similarly, and this is why i wanted to make the main characters post before this one, but we live and we learn, the holt boys are shown in the promo trailer to be the three main characters of the holt family.)

so jim is just like casually missing. he’s just not there. and that is intentional, imo. because i remember the heart attack this man gave me when vince and zoe are going back to the car and we just see THIS:

jim FUCKING jumpscare. now okay, let me backtrack a little because this is IMPORTANT. when i was first obsessively watching this trailer, obviously the first thing i noticed was this little ditty, set to jay’s voiceover of “it was a long-forgotten secret buried in the dark”:

now obviously my first reaction is (beyonce meme) JIM1?!?!?!??!?!?! because i’ve already played this game and i know that jim admits to being the reason why the desert dream happens. jim clearly has a history with the desert dream and with two rock in general: paul recognizes him right off the bat and slowly remembers him as being a “travelling salesman” that went to sharon’s bar fifteen to twenty years ago. jim also, when he hears jay say that his mother is coming inside, immediately reaches for a cap to obscure his face. if the player chooses to send jim out instead of zoe, jim also stumbles to the ambulance specifically because he doesn’t want dante to see him. and when jim is concussed, if you ask him where he is, he calls the desert dream by its former name. so it’s made really clear that jim’s been to two rock before and that he’s interacted with these characters before. and he’s clearly afraid of being recognized by these people, always dodging questions about him looking familiar and doing everything in his power not to interact with key players like sharon and dante.

and something i have always noticed about jim is that whenever he’s outside, the shots he has usually include the water tower. and i noticed this because… well <3 the sniper that shoots at dale is on the water tower. so it was interesting and important to me, so seeing it in the background of, like, every jim shot was a little interesting. they are not really subtle with it! like, we see it in a bunch of different places for jim. we obviously see it in the jim jumpscare, and then we see it again when he’s approaching the desert dream:

and then if you decide to go talk to jim instead of michelle, you get this shot right after vince and jim walk out of the motel room:

and i can’t find a playthrough on youtube where someone lets jim go, but i have a feeling they include a shot of the water tower there too. so when im seeing that person digging something and they’re kind of tall and lanky and the water tower is in the background, i am like. that has to be jim walker right. like it has to be. but then im looking at this picture and i’m like … no wait that TREE. i recognize that TREE too. and what do you know! right after zoe finishes her opening monologue in book one, what is the FIRST shot we get?

TREE.

WATER TOWER.

i’m like oh my GOD. the rest stop. the FUCKING rest stop on route 66 that weird ass abandoned little rest stop.

in the GROUND?!?!?!? under a TRE???e?!?

JUST TOT THE THErEE?!?!?!

and then. and t. AND. look at this. these are the shots from the trailer.

tell me why the tree is so emphasized. tell me why the water tower is there. do you know what we get in-game? do you KNOW?!?!?!?!

NOTHING. NOTHING. THEY PURPOSELY PUT THE TREE AND WATER TOWER IN THERE TO SIGNAL TO YOU THAT THE TREE AND WATER TOWER ARE A WALKER CURSE. AND THEN THE FUCKING WATER TOWER CAN KILL DALE. THE WATER TOWER IS LITERALLY A DEATH OMEN. IT IS L.

like my personal theory is that jim killed someone and he is digging a grave in the trailer. like he does offhandedly mention to zoe that he had a car he really loved and he just got rid of it one day, and as dusk falls experts (aka bluffmotel dot tumblr dot com) have theorized like okay maybe he moved the body in it so he had to scrap it. and it would make sense since it parallels jim to bear, since bear um … killed someone! and then buried him alive! or at least tried to. like idk it says something TO ME that the only two characters who must die in every playthrough of as dusk falls are dale and jim, and both of them are heavily defined by the water tower. IDK! i think jim killed someone. and that something related to them is buried under the tree in two rock by the rest stop. and idk who the stalker is. maybe it’s eddie.

#this was fun #by far the best examination of ADF I've seen #so far #and yes #the Holt boys are hot #and by that we mean Tyler #as dusk falls #jim walker #vince walker #zoe walker #michelle walker #tyler holt #dale holt #jay holt #You'd better believe you're lucky you tagged those tags despite un-relevance #because I found it on the Tyler tag #Like I don't usually look at tags specifically anymore #but today I was and this post was just THERE IN MY FACE suddenly.#idk what else to tag

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theothershin · 3 months

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tyler holt for the character list! if that's alright!

I don't see why you'd come to me for this, since you're clearly more versed in Holt language than me, but of course it's more than alright! Admittedly, I've been re-blogging this sort of thing and waiting for someone to ask me, and at last here it is! So yeah, I'm a bit thrilled.

Anyway:

My favourite thing about them You know, I've always loved this guy, but I never stopped to think about why I really like him. I guess if I had to say, it would be his relationships with his brothers, especially Dale. I've always been a sucker for familial relationships enduring through hard times, but Tyler's relationship with each member of his family is unique. And everything is made even more tragic because these relationships do not persevere throughout the hardship they all go through. No matter what, Dale dies, his body eternally lost in the destroyed motel as it goes up in flames. No matter what, Jay is scarred as a teen, only until Zoe pays him a visit, if she chooses to forgive him. But even after that, he's still alone for the rest of his life. Sharon and Tyler are together at first, but Sharon decides it's best to leave. She's either left alone, or is stuck in a life with a man who loves her, but whom she doesn't love. Tyler is now alone in jail or in a hard life where he must now work for himself, or he's dead. His relationships are all shattered. Tyler's story doesn't end well, and even though it doesn't exactly end with a big, terrible bang, it's really not a good ending. And to make things worse, he's alone. So that's a really interesting part of his character

Least favourite thing about them Tyler doesn't panic all too often, but when he does, he loses his temper easily. He gets mad and exaggerates what he really means, and gets really mean. It's annoying sometimes and sometimes tiring, but everyone has flaws and everyone has to endure their own and others' flaws.

Favourite line "This will all be over when we win. Remember that, and do your part." This can be used in so many situations, namely war. Not that war has anything to do with ADF.

brOTP Vince and Tyler. They're both so similar within their own lives, and their roles within the whole Desert Dream Motel Mistake-Massacre. They may not be bros as in friends or bros at all, but they are parallels of each other.

OTP I don't think I really have an OTP, but I don't really mind the Vince/Tyler ship.

nOTP I don't know. There's not really many ships in this small fandom. But I guess I would never ship something like Joyce/Tyler. That's a recipe for disaster.

Random headcanon I headcanon that Tyler is a very neat and organised guy.

Unpopular opinion Jay is kinda mid compared to Tyler. I have nothing against Jay, he's just not as interesting.

A song I associate with them Endless Confusion by Faisal Latif.

Favourite picture of them I saw a post of a picture of the part when Tyler was picking up the phone to call someone(we never learn who that is, but I suspect it's Shanon. After all, she shows up when she learns that everything has gone wrong, and she shows up later on in chapter 3. Plus, who else is Tyler gonna call? We don't know any friends who show up or anything remotely similar). And there was a text underneath which said, "Give me some time to think and I'll probably come up with something that sounds coherent." Or something like that. That was my favourite picture of Tyler, but honestly I don't know how to get my hands on that one, so I'll just bestow you with this picture:

I'm not sure if I've told you anything new really, but I hope you enjoy it anyways!

#as dusk falls #tyler holt #still organising Timeline #adf #Tyler Holt - list of character-questions #currently working on #the Bella one #but it prob won't get done for a while since I've got some other work today.#maybe tomorrow

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theothershin · 3 months

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Put their special attack in the tags

#i can't choose #I love them all #But is I HAVE to #I would choose Stephen King #He's a good role model #because he's the most contemporary of the list #creative writing #fiction #writing #poll #words

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theothershin · 3 months

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I better hop onto this train as well.

send me a character and i’ll list:

favorite thing about them

least favorite thing about them

favorite line

brOTP

OTP

nOTP

random headcanon

unpopular opinion

song i associate with them

favorite picture of them

#ask me any character

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theothershin · 3 months

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Timeline Chapter 2 Info

Timeline chapter 2 was originally planned to come out maybe a month or two after chapter 1 did, but chapter 2 was where things really began to happen, and as it turns out, I'm not yet ready to begin writing things happening. This doesn't mean I'm not gonna write chap. 2 - just not yet. I just want to finish the notes for the whole story, and then work out how many chapters there'll be, what'll happen when and how and why, and then I can begin writing. Plus, I need to use the family tablet, and that's being used most nights, which means I need to wait. Haven't really been getting much progress on the notes yet, but good news is this Friday-to-Saturday I have almost free reign on the tablet.

Long story short, the update is gonna take a while. I'll get to you before March or April.

#tyler holt #adf #as dusk falls

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theothershin · 4 months

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The thing about writing advice is that most people who are in a position to give it don't really know how they do what they do.

It's like playing Hamlet: an actor can talk about the personal processes that help them to interrogate the text and get into the character's head, and they can talk about the experiences they've had that prepared them for the role, and they can talk about what they want their performance to convey and maybe even reflect on why they make certain choices. But they can't give you a ten step guide to playing Hamlet. It fundamentally doesn't work like that.

It can be frustrating. Sometimes the advice you get from authors you admire, authors whose work you relate to in an unspeakable way, is just not a good fit. It can be discouraging (why can't I see the world like they do? why can't I be up and awake and produce 2000 words before breakfast?) or it can even set you back (I mustn't use adjectives. I have to plan every page. I can't get started until I know the protagonist's grandmother's maiden name). You have to learn to see it as the individual talking to themselves, rationalising a largely automatic process in terms that can only ever correlate, never fully explain.

Only one piece of ageless advice has consistently held true for generations of good, bad and happily mediocre writers, probably since the dawn of society: steal time from your day job.

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