Squills 6/1/25

Welcome to Squills, the official news bulletin of the Young Writers Society!

What will you find here? Tons of interesting news about YWS, including but not limited to: articles about writing, art, and the world of humanities; interviews with YWS members; shameless plugs; link round-ups; and opinionated columns. And where will all of this come from? Take a look at our fantastic creative staff!

If you have feedback on this edition of Squills we'd love to hear your thoughts over at the Squills Fan Club .

CREATIVE STAFF

Spoiler

Editorial Team
alliyah
(she/her)

IcyFlame
(she/her)

Liminality
(she/her)

Friendly Neighborhood Robot
SquillsBot
(beep/boop)

Literary Reporter
Available - PM Squillsbot if interested

Community Reporters
looseleaf
(she/her)

alliyah
(she/her)

Creativity Reporter
FruityBickel
(he/him)

Poetry Enchantress
alliyah
(she/her)

Resources Reporter
Available - PM Squillsbot if interested

Roleplay Reporters
DungeonMaster
(they/them)

Code Master
Spearmint
(she/her)

General Reporters
foxmaster
(she/her)

redcarnation
(she/her)

EllieMae
(she/her)

SkaterChicken67
(she/her)

Staff Chef
LadySpark
(she/her)[/center]

1. NEW ARRIVALS
2. FEATURED ROLEPLAY: GENETIC APOCALYPSE
3. FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: YOUBEAUCUPID
4. NAPO'S OVER... WHAT'S NEXT
5. SHAMELESS PLUGS
6. SUBSCRIBERS

NEW ARRIVALS
written by Liminality< PM: >

Take a moment to welcome this month’s newest members to the site!

@redhood has already posted some poems and written some reviews. Take a moment to welcome them in their Welcome Mat thread here.

@wildflowers has a cool flower-themed avvie and is an enthusiastic reviewer - they’ve already earned their first review star!

@Z00KI3 has been active in the prose and fiction side of YWS, as well as the People’s Tab.

@unwrittenrae has gotten into the YWS novel scene with some reviews and their story Pen Mates.

@Milesperhour133 has also earned his first review star and been active in the People’s Tab. He’s even been writing a short story collection!

@AlexTheEmoEmu has been making a splash in the Randomosity forums.

@Flooding has been writing some detailed poetry reviews.

FEATURED ROLEPLAY: GENETIC APOCALYPSEwritten by Leya and DungeonMaster< PM: >

This month, Roleplay Crew wanted to highlight an active roleplay-- specifically a Storybook! I had the privilege of reaching out to the DM and creator of Genetic Apocalypse: The Generals of Death , @Glitch0Ghost2024 ! Not only is this storybook still accepting, but it also takes place in an original world and has intriguing themes like corruption, redemption, and unique powers.



Glitch0Ghost2024: Of course! Thank you so much for the offer! Ask me anything you like!


G: Genetic Apocalypse: Generals of Death is a plot driven, supernatural survival roleplay that's main premise is centered around death themed powers. Its realistic enough that the world building is easy for the imagination but has enough supernatural elements to keep them engaged. Each character is equipped with a unique base power that leaves the mechanics and substance up to the roleplayer's own devices.



G: To answer the first question, Aestarea is one of my most used names for any places I make, I'm not sure why but I just go with the creative flow. When I was thinking of what I wanted to do with the city, I decided it would be best used as a culture shock that's oddly familiar at the same time. Something to confuse the characters and give them extra inner turmoil.

My main inspiration for this roleplay stemmed from a random idea I had about an invisible apocalypse that was spread by families. Originally, it was going to be normal people at a certain age gaining powers that would spread the apocalypse through Aestarea in secret, but I thought having them escape from a facility would give it more substance and opportunity. I had also done a roleplay on a different site that involved experimenting on supernatural people before, so I took inspiration from that as well.

Honestly, I think developing the system of oppression and how the powers worked were my favorites. I wanted the facility to almost feel like it was gaslighting the the characters into thinking that this was normal, that they were always meant to be treated this way. As for the power development, a little Easter egg is that Rh-null and Bombay are real blood types, but just insanely rare. I enjoyed taking a real element and putting a fictional twist on it.


G: I'd hope that they use it as a path to find new ways to channel their creativity. Maybe they'll find that they like writing certain genre's more than they thought, or they can grow more as individual authors. In the very end I just hope that people have fun with my roleplay. Its a great way to make or get closer to friends and it's just a fun little group project. Everything has value if you put effort into it, and I hope people can get as much enjoyment out of this roleplay as I do. As for readers, I encourage them to branch out and try new things, if you do decide to check out my roleplay, awesome, but if you don't, there are other amazing ones to try. Trying new things is one of the best things in life to help you grow, so I'd just encourage that.


G: Of course! I’m so honored to be interviewed! Thank you so much for all the encouragement!

Genetic Apocalypse is definitely a storybook to watch. If you're into gritty sci-fi/fantasy stories about survival, we highly recommend you check it out (or even join!). Check out Gitch's storybook here: Genetic Apocalypse: The Generals of Death .

FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: YOUBEAUCUPIDwritten by Liminality< PM: >

This FM joined us in November 2023 and has since become an integral part of the site. You’ll likely know her for her poetry, her Randomosity participation and her People’s Tab presence. That’s right, on March 19 this year, @Youbeaucupid was selected as Featured Member! I had the chance to chat with her about her experience becoming FM, her activities on YWS and her writing. Read on below to hear from this wonderful YWSer!


Youbeaucupid: Ohh! Sure I'd love that! ^^


Y: I was shocked, I literally almost fell out of my chair when I saw the notification in my inbox XD I was also super happy when I realized it was real and not just some glitch or mistake. I think I reread the message like five times just to make sure I wasn’t imagining it இ௰இ


Y: Ooh, great question! I spend a lot of time scrolling through the People tab and hanging out in the Randomosity forums! I also enjoy reading through the debate threads from time to time, even if you might not catch me actually posting there XD


Y: There are so many great events to choose from! Obviously NaPo and Social Week are top-tier, but I think one of my favorite random ones was the April Fools' event when YWS turned into YVS. That was such a fun and chaotic day! ^^



Y: I did!! I was a carrot, keke! I actually loved it so much that I ended up hiding that avatar in my laptop wallpaper XD I also think I remember Avian, Ellie, and Sky having vegetable avatars too!



Y: I think my favorite projects so far have been in my short stories category! I especially loved working on My Last Prayer to God and The Boy Made of Reverie. Both were really sentimental pieces that meant a lot to me. (I may or may not have shed a few tears while writing them loll) Right now, I'm actually working on a novel! I'm super excited about it and hoping to get the first chapter out for review soon!


Y: Oh gosh, where do I even begin? It's still pretty early days, being a perfectionist definitely slows me down sometimes, but I've got a few chapters down that I'm really buzzing about!! It centers around my main character, Charlie, a makeup artist working on a film set alongside Wyatt, a famous actor… and the absolute bane of her existence. Their first real interaction? She accidentally spills coffee all over him.

Things kind of snowball from there. It’s going to be a slow-burn, behind-the-scenes kind of novel, which is a bit new for me, so there's been a lot of cool research involved! I’m hoping to share more soon once I wrestle my inner perfectionist into posting. ～(T▽T)


Y: There's this really great quote by Sylvia Plath that’s stuck with me: “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” I think In a community full of talented writers, it's so easy to trap yourself in perfectionism or comparing yourself to everyone else.

If I had to give any advice; your voice matters, even in its simplest form. Write your messy drafts, write your cringe-worthy scenes, let it be imperfect. You can revise forever, but you can’t revise a blank page. Believe that what you want to say is worth putting on the page.



If you’ve yet to do so, join us in congratulating Cupid on her FM thread or on her wall!

NAPO'S OVER... WHAT'S NEXT

written by alliyah < PM: >

Honestly, it feels like it takes me like a full month to come to terms with April being gone for another year... NaPo seems to go more quickly every year doesn't it? Well once you've come to terms with it being May... wait a minute... almost June?! What's next?

Here's some suggestions to move you past the poetry reminiscing and into poetry writing again while making the most of what you accomplished this April!

1) Take Some Time to Congratulate Yourself!

You should never short-change the "celebratory" step of the creative process, especially when you've just put a lot of effort into a project and have produced something to be proud of! So go ahead! You have full permission to take some time to bask in how lovely you work is! Here's some fun suggestions on how to do this...

- Brag about yourself a bit on your wall with the "#MyFavoriteNaPoPoem" hashtag! Post it in the lit center if you like too to give it extra time to shine!
- Read through the comments people left in your thread, or if you didn't get as many comments as you'd love, ask a good friend that you know will leave some positive words to read through your thread!
- Pretend that you are a reviewer who has been tasked with giving only positive feedback on your thread, make a list of the fabulous things about your poems and a list of some of your very favorite lines.
- Make a couple recordings of your favorite poems from NaPo or give one the ~fancy aesthetic~ treatment and format it on Canva with some nice fonts and colors.
- Grab a cup of warm coffee and have a little poetry reading party as you enjoy living through your beautiful NaPo thread once more!

2) Take Stock of What You've Got

Once you've had a chance to celebrate what you've accomplished and let a little bit of time pass, you're probably ready to take stock of what you've got. I like to make sure I've saved my NaPo poems in my digital files in ways that I'll be able to find them again later! I also like to make a list of common themes, and which ones I think might have potential to be published individually or even be morphed into a collection, sometimes there's another in-progress-collection that a NaPo poem will fit right into. As the dust of the month has settled, what have you collected? Outside of poems, you can also take stock of your new skills! Have you found an interest in writing a certain way, come away with a new focus in your poetic voice, or gravitated towards some imagery that could be really fruitful to return to?

3) Start Getting into an Editing Groove

When you know what you've got, it's time to start making apples into apple pie! A novelist very rarely just writes a whole beautifully polished and publishable novel in a first draft and poetry sometimes can use an editing brush too! Don't forget to save your originals somewhere safe, but once you know what you've got, see if some of the poems could be improved upon even more! Some of my favorite YWS poems that I've written are 2nd or 3rd iterations from poems that were originally quickly written for NaPo and then polished up! Even if you don't have much interest in publishing, editing is a great way to hone your poetic skills and squeeze the most potential out of each poem. If you need a little help, don't be afraid to post your poem in the lit center and ask a few friends to give a review.

4) Make a Plan

Once you've processed and begun editing your poems, it can be a great time to start considering what your poetry "goals" are with them. Do you want to develop some of the NaPo poems into a curated collection to share with your family or friends? Are there certain poems you'd like to share with the site? Might some be submitted to contests? Would you want to use some of these poems as jumping off places for a larger collection? Do you want to develop certain poetry skills from these poems or do further exploration on certain themes? Make a plan for what happens next! One of the reasons NaPo is so satisfying and successful is because people make goals and then work to achieve them! Just because NaPo is over, doesn't mean that has to be the end of your poetry goals for the year! As my mom likes to say... "Plan your Work. And Work your Plan!"

5) Get Excited ... Again!

Now that you have a plan for your next poetry goals, it's time to get excited again! This might be something you did with the YWS Community by making a Writer's Corner Thread or giving some updates on your wall. Or this might be something you do privately by making a vision board or finding a new pretty notebook to get writing in! But hold on to that excitement, jump into that momentum, and keep writing poetry! And in no-time at all NaPo will be here again, and you'll be able to hone those goals and projects into renewed focus and more poetry!

SHAMELESS PLUGS

written by SquillsBot < PM: >

We love to run articles and questions, but we also love to advertise for you. Let people know about your new blog, a poem or story you’re looking for reviews on, or a forum thread you’d like more traffic on through Squills’ Shameless Plugs. PM @SquillsBot with the exact formatting of your advertisement, contained in the following code.

Code: Select all

Title. Description of what you’re advertising. Your username with a tag!

Just your regular poetry thread

Hey there! I’m Lim. Exchanges (rated 16+) is my little variety show of a poetry thread which updates occasionally. Here’s a short excerpt from one of the poems:

Who says the shore
has no memory? Land crust
takes its shape from what the sea
has done to it.

Join me as I figure out what direction(s) I want to take my poetry.

- @Liminality

The Great Team Tortoise Race 2025

Find out more here!

SUBSCRIBERS

written by SquillsBot < PM: >

Find enspoiler-ed a list of our subscribers!

Spoiler

@SquillsBot • @Carina • @Shady • @ArcticMonkey • @Hannah • @KingLucifer • @Caesar • @veeren • @megsug • @StoneHeart • @Skydreamer • @Love • @Aley • @Rydia • @Alpha • @skorlir • @KnightTeen • @crossroads • @neko • @Aquila90 • @DudeMcGuy • @kayfortnight • @Cole • @Blackwood • @manisha • @Rook • @Gardevite • @cgirl1118 • @KittyCatMeow • @Willard • @ChocoCookie • @carbonCore • @Auxiira • @Blues • @Paracosm • @Sparkle • @FireFox • @Dakushau • @wizkid515 • @yubbies21 • @PiesAreSquared • @FatCowsSis • @CelticaNoir• @BenFranks • @TimmyJake • @whitewolfpuppy • @WallFlower • @Magenta • @BrittanyNicole • @GoldFlame • @Messenger • @ThereseCricket • @TriSARAHtops • @Ventomology• @Evander • @WillowPaw1 • @Laure • @TakeThatYouFiend • @KaiTheGreater • @Cheetah • @NicoleBri • @Pompadour • @Zontafer • @Crimsona • @vluvswriting • @GreenTulip • @Audy • @EllaBliss • @eldEr • @Deanie • @lostthought • @CesareBorgia • @Obscura • @Morrigan • @AfterTheStorm • @BrumalHunter • @Arcticus • @Wolfi • @Pamplemousse • @Sassafras • @gia2505 • @ExOmelas • @SkyeWalker • @Noelle • @elysian • @TinkerTwaggy • @kingofeli • @SpiritedWolfe • @malachitear • @GeeLyria • @AdmiralKat • @Clickduncake • @rainforest • @Seraphinaxx • @Pretzelstick • @WritingWolf • @EternalRain • @Tuesday • @Dragongirl • @JKHatt • @Lucia • @donizback • @Que • @BlueSunset • @artybirdy • @IncohesiveScribbles • @cleverclogs • @MLanders • @ClackFlip • @PickledChrissy • @racket • @Lorelie • @Gravity • @BluesClues • @hermione315 • @Steggy • @willachilles • @tintomara138 • @AmatuerWritings • @TheLittlePrince • @TheForgottenKing • @Shoneja123 • @Mageheart • @Mea • @klennon14 • @fandomsNmusic • @Meerkat • @HolographicLadybug • @Sevro • @DragonWriter22 • @RippleGylf • @amelie • @Morrigun • @Megrim • @Kazumi • @inktopus • @OreosAreLife • @Saruka • @rosette • @PastelSlushie • @Strident • @darklady • @Jashael • @TheBlueCat • @Mathy • @Lives4Christ24 • @manilla • @Danni88 • @Elinor • @fishsashimi • @TheWeirdoFromBeyond • @shaniac • @neptune •
@Storybraniac • @WritingPrincess • @Starve • @JosephHGeorge • @Amabilia • @Fantascifi66 • @paperforest • @alliyah • @Lib • @Dossereana • @atlast • @EverLight • @AlyTheBookworm • @mckaylaam • @JesseWrites • @lillianna • @IcyFlame • @writingbright • @RadDog13579 • @Euphory • @LUNARGIRL • @yoshi • @momonster • @rida • @twiggy • @ForeverYoung299 • @MailicedeNamedy • @RandomTalks • @QueenMadrose • @Phillauthet • @MC • @Zyria • @OrabellaAvenue • @Roxanne • @NadyaStatham • @Avian • @ash120819 • @NovemberCrow