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Young Writers Society


Squills 10/27/19 - 11/17/19



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Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:35 pm
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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!

CREATIVE STAFF

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Editor-in-Chief
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General Editors
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Literary Reporter
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Community Reporter
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Creativity Reporter
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Resources Reporter
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Storybooks Status Reporter
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Writer's World Columnist
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Social Correspondent
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General Reporters
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Ghost Reporters
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Of course, our content can’t come only from our staff. We also depend on you to help keep Squills successful. You’re all a part of a writing community, after all. If you’re interested in submitting to Squills, pop on over to the Reader’s Corner to find out how you can get involved by contributing an article or participating in other Squills activities.

You can apply to become a Squillian Journalist by submitting a sample article to SquillsBot today!





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Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:36 pm
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FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: HORISUN
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written by EternalRain < PM: >

This week, I had the opportunity to interview @Horisun, not only an avid reviewer, reader, and YWSer but also the featured member from October 10 through October 26! You’ve probably seen Horisun around in the chat room, reviewing, or in the forums because they’re an all-around active user on YWS. I was able to ask some questions about their experience as featured member.

Squills: Hello Horisun! A (belated) congratulations on FM. I'm a reporter at Squills and I was wondering if I could interview you about being featured member?

Horisun: Yeah, of course! :)

S: Wonderful! Firstly, how did you react when you saw you got FM? How did you feel?

H: I almost shouted out, but my Dad was working in his office, and was on a call, so I just hummed instead. My brother thought I'd lost my mind!
I was- still am- shocked, and incredibly honored! I was so excited though once I got over my initial surprise!


S: What did you do around the site that you think earned you FM?

H: That's a toughy. I think there may've been a lot of little things, just having an active presence on the site really helps. Competing in contests, reading peoples work, writings an important one, of course! I don't think there's any one thing I did that got me featured member.

S: What’s your favorite thing to do around the site/place you most frequent? [b]

[b]H: I like to look around the forums from time to time, and if there are people, I will pop into the chat room, but by far my favorite is the 'books' section. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love reading short stories and poems! They're always so much fun to read! But I love guessing what will happen next, binge reading chapters, getting excited when a chapter comes out, and talking to the writer about it! There's something about reading a work along with other readers, and being able to directly communicate with the author that you just don't get out of reading finished works.

S: I love the books section too! Is there a story or two that you’re currently reading and enjoying?

H: I'm currently waiting for the next chapter of 'Unlucky Thirteen' by @Liberty!

S: Lastly, what advice do you have for members who someday wish to be FM?

H: Just do what you always do on the site. I don't know how they choose featured members, I don't know what go through their heads when they try to decide. But what I do know is that as long as you have fun, it doesn't really matter whether you're featured member or not.

S: I love that so much! Thank you so much for your time and all your thoughtful answers!

H: Thank you, too!


I had a lot of fun interviewing Horisun this week. If you missed congratulating them, be sure to stop by their wall and drop a comment!





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Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:38 pm
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FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: WINNYWRITER
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written by Liberty < PM: >

I’m delighted to announce that on the 26th of October, the wonderful @WinnyWriter became featured member! She’s a terrific reviewer - she’s done a solid forty-nine reviews; super close to her third review star. Her poems are super cute, I find, and currently, she’s been working on a novel called The Invisible Kid.

Squills: Hey! Congrats again on being Featured Member! Are you okay with me asking you a few questions about being featured member for Squills?


WinnyWriter: Sure!

S: Sweet! So first of all, how'd you feel when you first saw you had become FM?


W: Kind of surprised. Like, I wasn't even trying for it, and I'm relatively new to the site, so at that point I didn't even know what you had to do to become FM. Lol

S: Yes, that's very understandable! What kinds of things were you doing around the site that you think made you FM?


W: Just leaving lots of reviews and participating in at least one of the forum discussions.

S: Nice! D'you think you have any advice for people who want to be FM?


W: Do all the reviews you can!! It will get your name out there. Publishing things helps, too. Also, participating in the forum discussions is a lot of fun and really beneficial, and there are all kinds of awesome ones our there if you take time to look!

S: That's great advice. I've seen you participate in a lot of threads in the Randomosity section of the site. Do you have a favorite thread, by any chance?


W: I like the ones that are actually active. ;p There's one in the Randomosity forum that is "Your Last Word, My First Word," and it can be very entertaining, as well as a vocabulary challenge.
I also like the Serious Discussion and Debate forum.


S: Ooh, yes, I’ve seen those ones.
Well, thanks for taking out your time for Squills! It’s very much appreciated.


That’s it, then! Thanks again for taking your time out for this interview, Winny! If you wish to give her a belated congratulations, make sure to do so on her wall , or do it in the official thread .

Adios!





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Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:38 pm
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THE MANY SIDES OF CLASSIFIED
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written by alliyah < PM: >

The Many Sides of Classified


Plotting for World Domination

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Allegedly Hiding Secret Information

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Leaving Clues in Plain Sight

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Laughing While Mayhem Ensues

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Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:39 pm
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POP CULTURE CORNER: 10 SONGS FROM THE BEACH BOYS
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Written by CaptainJack < PM: >

1962: Surfin' Safari

Surfin' Safari was the debut single of the Beach Boys with Capitol Records and it immediately established their place in Surf Rock. While Surf Rock was an already existing sub genre, it wasn't until the genius of Brian Wilson and the excellence of the Beach Boys' performance ability that it was brought into a more serious realm of Rock and Roll.

1963: Little Deuce Coupe

The Beach Boys' status as a perfect corporate rock band was further established by this song. The band members were clean cut, trustworthy and from middle class suburbia. In their songs, they were singing about surfing, cars, and teenage love - all perfect sellers for teen audience all over the world. Even in the simplicity of some formulas though, Brian Wilson had already started working on his own Wall of Sound. His version of Spector's famous technique didn't become apparent until the response song "Don't Worry Baby in 1964.

1963: Surfin' USA

This easily recognizable Beach Boys' song is from the very beginning of their Surf Rock era. In addition to being a timeless hit, it was also a song that drew controversy over its similarity to Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little 16". The similarity between the two songs eventually led to a lawsuit that gave partial credit to Chuck Berry.

1964: Fun, Fun, Fun
1964: I Get Around

These two songs from 1964 show the hit success of the Beach Boys. "I Get Around" ended up being a #1 hit (their first #1 in America), and with this success they landed a spot on the Ed Sullivan Show. The success of pop musicians in the 60s did depend on their appearances on certain variety shows, but Ed Sullivan was the ticket to success. The songs do maintain in the formula that Brian Wilson had created, while still showing the distinct style of the Beach Boys.

1964: Don't Worry Baby

This song employs the before-mentioned Wall of Sound. The interesting thing about Wilson's Wall of Sound vs Spector's Wall of Sound is that they both used the Wrecking Crew. Wilson was recording at Spector's studio - meaning the Wrecking Crew and the same sound engineers - but was still able to establish his particular sound. And this song was a response song to the Ronette's "Be My Baby". That song has a famous drum intro by Hal Blaine and that drummer also played on Don't Worry Baby.

1965: Help Me, Rhonda

Moving on to 1965, we get this song which was the second #1 hit for the Beach Boys. Their presence in the music industry at this time was part of the movement of American musicians against the British Invasion. There were very few artists that could compete with the new, British Flavored wave of pop music, including stars such as James Brown, The Supremes, Bob Dylan, and the Monkees.

1965: California Girls

Continuing in 1965 we have these hit that made it to #3 , coming out before Brian Wilson was ready to release his first masterpiece. It was during this time that the band was keeping up the act that Brian was still a full time member of the band.
In December of 64, he had a breakdown that led to him no longer performing on tours. First replaced by Glenn Campbell, he was eventually permanently replace on stage by Bruce Johnston.

1966: God Only Knows

1966 brought the release of the album called Pet Sounds, which is described as being absolutely "ground breaking". The inspiration for the album supposedly comes from the first time Brian Wilson heard the Beatles' Rubber Soul and felt the need to "one up" them. The album is also described as having a spiritual quality. And that comes out in this song.
In my opinion, this is the best song on the album (even if the charts don't agree), and many famous rockers have noted how much they loved it. This key song specifically shows Brian's genius and is the beginning of their more experimental stage.

1966: Good Vibrations

And to finish this article out I decided to go with the quintessential Beach Boys song.
The key instrument of this recording is the electro-theremin, which gives it that signature spooky, sci-fi feel. Supposedly the usage of this instrument was inspired by a comment made by the Wilsons' mother, but I haven't done the research into what was specifically said.

This single is a "pocket symphony" most definitely recognizable as the Beach Boys and one of the many, many Brian Wilson compositions. Whether you want to stick to Surf Rock or dip into Prog Rock, the Beach Boys are a band worth your time.





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Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:40 pm
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NEW MEMBER INTERVIEW: LADYMYSTERIO
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written by alliyah < PM: >

YWS is growing every day! And while some of the members take a while to get into the community, some just jump right in. I decided to interview one of our new members, @LadyMysterio to find out more about her and her experience on YWS so far. She's only been on the site for less than a month, but has already written several reviews and posted a four part short story, "Trust me, not? , that I'd definitely recommend checking out. Here's what she had to say in our interview:

Squills: Hi Mysterio! Welcome to Young Writers Society, thanks for agreeing to be interviewed! The first question I was wondering is what brings you here? How'd you find the site?


LadyMysterio: Hello alliyah, thanks for having me.
I found this site because of @Stellarjay. We know each other IRL. She texted me one day and was like "hey look at this cool writing site." It was perfect timing because I was looking for a safe place to share my writing.


S: Oh that's great, I'm glad you both found YWS! Have you found anything on the site to be difficult to navigate or understand?


L: The only thing that I have found difficult was changing the background of my page and profile picture. I was having some trouble getting an image that was the right size. I've gotten it figured out now.

S: Believe me, I struggled with that the first time I changed my profile picture as well. What's your favorite part of YWS so far?


L:My favorite part of YWS would be the community, everyone is so supportive of everyone.

S: So joining a writing website, I've got to ask, what sorts of things do you like to write, and what's been your writing experience before joining YWS?


L:I like to write mostly fantasy, and sometimes Sci-Fi, or spy stories. I love incorporating humor into my stories, whether it's a character personality or otherwise. Before joining YWS I had a lot of trouble finding errors, and grammar mistakes. I could have read a story over and over and miss handfuls of mistakes.

S: Has anything surprised you about the site?


L: Something that has surprised me about YWS was, and this lines up with the question about my favorite part of YWS, the community. I guess I just didn't expect everyone to be supportive and kind.

S: I'm so glad to hear that you've been enjoying the community, YWS is definitely a special place! And finally what's something about yourself that you'd like other YWSers to know about LadyMysterio?


L: Something I want other YWS to know about me? Let me think. Well how 'bout the story behind my username. I love Marvel, and being an actor ( or trying to at least), I love playing the bad guy, as you can be super dramatic, and it's just fun. So I took the names of my two favorite marvel villain and a former one, Mysterio and Loki. I got the lady from 'Lady Loki'. (in the comics Loki shape shifts and has a female form.)

Thanks for sharing LadyMysterio! If you'd like to welcome Mysterio yourself, you can stop by her wall to welcome her to the site. We were all new members at one time, and I always find it interesting to hear how people find the site and why people decide to stick around. LadyMysterio mentioned that one of the things that surprised her about YWS was the community, and for me I'd have to say that's what has kept me sticking around YWS all these years too.





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Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:41 pm
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NANOWRIMO INTERVIEW: CARLITO
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written by alliyah < PM: >

With November starting, the pumpkins are put away, and the air is more brisk, and suddenly there's all sorts of messages popping up on the site, and no I'm not talking about #classified , I'm talking about NaNo! If you're not quite sure what it is, or aren't sure if you want to participate yet, you'll want to read this interview! I was able to contact NaNo veteran @Carlito, who was very willing to share her perspective of the month-long event.

Squills: Hi there! So what exactly is NaNo?


Carlito: Hi! NaNo is short for NaNoWriMo, which is short for National Novel Writing Month. It takes place every November. The goal of NaNo is to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. The goal is quantity, not necessarily quality :)

S: Can you participate if you don't have the traditional target goal?


C: Of course! There is no need to sacrifice sleep, school, work, mental health, or anything else just because "you have to get to 50,000". If 50k is too daunting based on whatever other things are going on in your life, you can set whatever goal works for you. You may not "officially win" NaNo, but however many words you write is better than writing nothing at all!

S: How have you participated in it before, and how has it been for you?


C: I have participated the last several years. I can't remember when I started! It was always tough for me to do while I was in school because November was always a busy time of year for me. I don't think I've ever done the traditional NaNo where I start a new manuscript and write the first word on November 1st. I tend to work on multiple novel projects a year and have typically used NaNo to finish a project I was already working on. For example, last year I started NaNo with a manuscript already at 32k. I tried to finish during NaNo and was unsuccessful :p, but I still wrote words! I enjoy NaNo even if I end up nowhere near my word count goal. It's all about writing something.

S: That's so true! Would you recommend giving NaNo a try?


C: I would definitely recommend it! Here's the thing. The novel doesn't have to be good. You can take your time and edit it later if you need to. You just have to get words on the page. I think it's great for people who want to get back in the habit of writing on a regular basis. There is no harm in trying. If you don't get to 50k, that's okay! At least you wrote something.

S: NaNo honestly looks pretty intimidating from the outside. Do you have any advice for those trying to tackle NaNo for there very first time?


C: 1. I'm not personally a plotter (especially not for first drafts), but I think it's helpful to go in with at least a basic idea of what you're going to write about and what the direction of the story is going to be. You don't want to waste time during the month plotting, you want to just write.

2. Take some pressure off yourself. Embrace that it might be trash. (you don't have to show it to anyone if you don't want to!) Embrace that you might not get to 50k, and that's okay! Embrace that it's going to be hard sometimes, and that's okay too!

3. Break it up. 50k in a month breaks down to 1667 words per day or 12500 a week. Block out some time in your day when you can write. Make it part of your schedule and routine daily. And it doesn't have to be one big block of time either! 20 minutes here and 15 minutes there will really add up. (And it's okay if you have a crazy day and can't write and then try to make it up a different day too!)

4. Find something to motivate you. For me, it's word crawls. Maybe for you it's music. (Last year I would put an album on and write for the whole duration of the album). Maybe it's a friend who is going to hold you accountable. Figure out what is going to keep you going each day.

5. Join the community! You are not the only person NaNoing. On YWS there will be people hosting write-ins, doing word wars, and other things to keep us going all month long. You can always join a write-in, even if you don't know the person hosting, and you can always challenge someone to a word war. If you're feeling stuck or are struggling, reach out to me or anyone else! Don't be shy!


That's some great advice Carlito! As someone who has never even attempted a novel, let alone 50k words in a month. I have mad respect for those who try to complete it. If you decide to tackle NaNo this month and want to share how your experience is going, send a PM my way, I'd love to hear how it's going, and I might even put you in the interview-seat for a Squills article. For those not working on NaNo this month, let's cheer on our friends, they're going to need it! I asked Carlito if there were any resources she would specifically recommend checking out and she gave me a whole list of great links - I'll list those below!

NaNoWriMo Resources

*NaNo Forum - Post about your story, share your progress, encourage others
*Pep Talks from 2017
*Suggested word count for each day
*NaNo Tips
*Programs & Apps
*How to beat procrastination
*What to do when your plot is in a funk
*More NaNo Tips





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Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:42 pm
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SHAMELESS PLUGS
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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
Place advertisement here. Make sure you include a title!

And now for this week's Shameless Plugs!


Submit to Queer as In F*** You!

QAIFY is an alternative compzine that is going to be published physically and digitally every month starting in August, and is currently accepting submissions. Submissions can range anywhere in topic from feminism, punk, identity, queerness, womanhood, social justice, or just experimental. QAIFY accepts poetry, short essays, serialized novels and short stories, articles and art such as collages, drawings, paintings, and photography.

Send submissions as a word document, .jpg, or .pdf file to queerasineffyou.zine@gmail.com..................... before August 31 to be considered for publication in August's issue. While you're at it, follow the zine on twitter and tumblr and look out for the official website soon!


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Review Rampage

Do you like competitions? Do you like easy ways to make extra points? Then read on!

The #ReviewRampage is a competition hosted by @ShadowVyper and @Omnom that is a Go-At-Your-Own-Pace review challenge. You set your own review goals and wagers, then race against time to see if you can get done in time. Or, for the more competitive spirits out there, you can also duel against your fellow Rampagers.

Go check out the Q&A Forum for more information and then head on over to the Entry Forum to claim your place as a Rampager.

Get your Rampage on!



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Want to be a part of Squills, the YWS newsletter? Perfect! We want you. You can find more information here, and you can apply now by sending a sample article to SquillsBot's PM.

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The Truth Will Be Revealed

Unclassified wrote:
11/13/19
#unclassified


We need your help to protect YWS from "Classified" and their Blue Screen of Death. Join the Unclassified Club to get the latest information and fight against the #Classified Conspiracy.


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That's all folks~ Now send us yours.





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Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:43 pm
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SUBSCRIBERS
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written by SquillsBot < PM: >

Find an enspoiler-ed a list of our subscribers!
Spoiler! :

@SquillsBot@Carina@ShadowVyper@ArcticMonkey@Hannah@KingLucifer@Caesar@veeren@megsug@StoneHeart@Skydreamer@Love@Aley@Rydia@Alpha@skorlir@KnightTeen • @ChildOfNowhere • @neko@Aquila90@DudeMcGuy@kayfortnight@Cole@Blackwood@manisha • @fortis • @Gardevite@cgirl1118@KittyCatMeow@Willard@ChocoCookie@carbonCore@Auxiira@Iggy@Blues@Paracosm@Sparkle@FireFox@Dakushau • @AlexSushiDog • @wizkid515@yubbies21@PiesAreSquared@FatCowsSis@CelticaNoir@BenFranks@TimmyJake@whitewolfpuppy@WallFlower@Magenta@BrittanyNicole@GoldFlame@Messenger@ThereseCricket@TriSARAHtops@Ventomology@Evander@WillowPaw1@Laure@TakeThatYouFiend • @RoseAndThorn • @Cheetah@NicoleBri@Pompadour@Zontafer@QueenOfWords@Crimsona@vluvswriting@GreenTulip@Audy@EllaBliss@eldEr@Deanie@lostthought@CesareBorgia • @Kirkiln • @Morrigan@AfterTheStorm@BrumalHunter@Arcticus • @Wolfical • @Pamplemousse@Sassafras@gia2505 • @BiscuitsLeGuin • @SkyeWalker@Noelle@elysian • @Tortwag • @kingofeli@SpiritedWolfe@malachitear@GeeLyria@AdmiralKat@Clickduncake • @yellow • @Seraphinaxx@Pretzelstick@WritingWolf@EternalRain@Tuesday@Dragongirl@JKHatt@Lucia@donizback •@Querencia • @BlueSunset@artybirdy@IncohesiveScribbles@cleverclogs@MLanders@ClackFlip@PickledChrissy@racket@Lorelie@Gravity • @BlueAfrica • @hermione315@Steggy@willachilles@tintomara138@AmatuerWritings • @Ithaca • @TheForgottenKing@Shoneja123 • @Magestorrow • @Mea@klennon14@fandomsNmusic@Meerkat@HolographicLadybug@Sevro@DragonWriter22@RippleGylf@amelie@Morrigun@Megrim • @outvaders • @inktopus@OreosAreLife@Saruka@rosette@PastelSlushie@Strident@darklady@Jashael@TheBlueCat • @Thundahguy • @ZeldaIsShiek • @Lives4Christ24@manilla@Danni88@Elinor@fishsashimi@TheWeirdoFromBeyond • @GodHatesShane • @shaniac@neptune@Storybraniac@WritingPrincess • @Traves • @JosephHGeorge@Amabilia@Fantascifi66@paperforest@alliyah • @Liberty • @Dossereana • @AtlasW

Do you, too, want to be enspoiler-ed and receive a personal weekly notification when the Squills newsletter is posted? Shoot a PM over to SquillsBot to let him know, and you'll be pinged along with the next issue!








I drink tea and forget the world's noises.
— Chinese saying