prysmcat

I think it's very unlikely anyone was in the middle of reading any story I left on WP until now, but if you were, check https://prysmcat.com for where to find them. Unpublished here doesn't mean they're unavailable.
          	
          	Better still, drop by Scribble Hub! I'm posting new fun short-ish stories that are LGBT feel-good magic fluff along with my longer projects. :-) https://www.scribblehub.com/profile/57217/prysmcat/
          	
          	If you're looking for me, you can look at either place above or catch me on Discord at prysmcat#7948 or my very quiet little server at https://discord.gg/2HWQwG2GEj
          	
          	Between the repeated sleazy attempts at doing self-serving things and claiming they're for the good of users, the repeated content thefts they do nothing about, the data breach in 2020 they didn't bother to tell users about, and that underhanded thing they tried to do with this year's ONC... I have no further desire to be associated with this site at all.
          	
          	I will not be checking messages or anything else on Wattpad anymore.

prysmcat

I think it's very unlikely anyone was in the middle of reading any story I left on WP until now, but if you were, check https://prysmcat.com for where to find them. Unpublished here doesn't mean they're unavailable.
          
          Better still, drop by Scribble Hub! I'm posting new fun short-ish stories that are LGBT feel-good magic fluff along with my longer projects. :-) https://www.scribblehub.com/profile/57217/prysmcat/
          
          If you're looking for me, you can look at either place above or catch me on Discord at prysmcat#7948 or my very quiet little server at https://discord.gg/2HWQwG2GEj
          
          Between the repeated sleazy attempts at doing self-serving things and claiming they're for the good of users, the repeated content thefts they do nothing about, the data breach in 2020 they didn't bother to tell users about, and that underhanded thing they tried to do with this year's ONC... I have no further desire to be associated with this site at all.
          
          I will not be checking messages or anything else on Wattpad anymore.

prysmcat

Wow. Dropped back in just to check on things, and found out that old friends (I've sadly lost touch with) are also leaving WP. You've probably screwed up as a site if your writers aren't feeling safe or appreciated - not great as a long-term strategy. Glad I already found an audience elsewhere. Think it's about time to start looking at taking down the few I still have here... just want to make sure I can save the comments somehow.

prysmcat

@MMicheleWilly Good to know, thanks, and I suppose I should have checked that. :-) I may delete them entirely at some point, because my trust in WP security is dropping, but that gives me time. It isn't like anyone is reading, or can find, them! I'm off Discord for a few days (feline health crisis taking most energy) but I'll drop in and say hi soon, and maybe catch up.
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MMicheleWilly

@prysmcat Hey! Good to hear an update from you. I'm glad you found a platform that works for you <3 If this helps: if you only unpublish the works instead of fully deleting them, you can go into your drafts and click "Preview" on a part and all of the comments on that chapter will still be visible to you!
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prysmcat

@CRNedd The one thing I miss about WP is some of the people - but removing the forums messed with that anyway. I tried Royal Road for a while, found it too disapproving of my kind of writing although lots of people do well, and switched to Scribble Hub as a last-ditch attempt - only to find that I'm actually doing well enough there to be happy. Different authors, different platforms, right? :-) Hope you're doing well!
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prysmcat

Hope everyone's doing well.
          
          So, um... I'm basically done with Wattpad.
          
          I'll leave Yin-Yang, Black Wolf, and Shaman available here (they're also on my website and on Smashwords). I'm going to remove everything else and look for a better home for them.
          
          Basically, since the forums shut down, my views have dropped to virtually zero. (Yes, I'm aware of the independent forum site that was set up, but since it's separate from the site, it's not exactly easy for the average reader to find.) Trying to get noticed on a site with completely dysfunctional genres and tags was difficult before; it's clearly just about impossible now. I don't mean I'm just getting fewer views; I mean _none_. And I know from previous experience that even if I were posting chapters like clockwork, it wouldn't help.
          
          I know I've done nothing on WP for a while. Like lots of people, I've been finding this a difficult year. I'd like to get back to writing. I'm not going to get any motivation to actually complete and polish anything here.
          
          Shame - it was looking so promising until the forums shut down, despite my priorities being different from many here. I met some wonderful people and wish all of you the best success and happiness possible.
          
          And if you want to reach me, always happy to hear from you - just PM me or drop by my website. I'm intermittently on Discord: prysmcat#7948

DomiSotto

Tapas has by far friendlier audience, Royal road is pretty much old boys club @prysmcat
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prysmcat

@DomiSotto I've looked at Tapas. I don't think it'll work for me. The slant is towards very short chunks of text, and my chapters average 3000-4500 words that don't always break up easily. I think I'm going to give Royal Road a shot, it looks active and as near as I can tell, the trend is towards long works. If that doesn't work out, I'll go back to looking. I can still put novels on Smashwords, after all. I just really need a home for serials, since more and more of my recent work seems to be drifting that way. :-) I hope you're having great luck on Tapas.
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prysmcat

@SamanthaMarkle92 Other forum is, um... Wacky Writers or something, if I recall correctly, founded by some folks from here after the forums closed down. I'm not a fan of Facebook, it tends to be very bad for my mental health so I avoid it (and Twitter) as much as possible. I'm really glad it's working for you. :-)
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prysmcat

Hey, folks? I just got an email from a site called HaveIBeenPwned.com (which I have all my email addresses signed up on) informing me of my email address being included in a massive Wattpad data breach in June 2020.
          
          You might consider changing your password to something strong and unique, eh? Not that it will help with all our data now being accessible on a hacker forum. It might have been nice for Wattpad to, oh, let users know and suggest changing passwords.
          
          Reportedly, they gained access to something like 270 million accounts - "Bios, Dates of birth, Email addresses, Genders, Geographic locations, IP addresses, Names, Passwords, Social media profiles, User website URLs, Usernames" 
          
          but according to Wattpad NOT financial information, stories, private messages, or phone numbers.
          
          https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/wattpad-data-breach-exposes-account-info-for-millions-of-users/
          
          You might also consider spreading this around to friends, since Wattpad hasn't bothered to do so.

prysmcat

Yeah, it is - the dark side of life online, I guess, but it still gives me the same kind of sick feeling any other violation of privacy does. I only know because I signed up for HaveIBeenPwned after a breach on another site ages ago. Responsible sites generally, y'know, _tell_ their users when there's been a breach. I haven't been around much but figured someone needed to say something.
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ToriHope-

@prysmcat Thank you for informing us o.o I never knew about this before. That's really terrifying tbh.
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prysmcat

Heya, folks! Still alive. Still not feeling very social, unfortunately, and my ability to concentrate on writing is finally coming back but that doesn't necessarily mean the ability to focus on a single project for very long, so we'll see how that works. It's frustrating, how much of an impact external circumstances can have on escaping into internal realities.
          
          Between losing a cat May 1, one of the others promptly developing health issues that the vet believes were stress-induced and directly related, the flaky weather here in Ontario Canada (heat still on in mid-May, hail in late May, and currently we're in an extended high-humidity heat wave that's turning our apartment into a sauna), and the city ripping up our street which means so much noise all day it's hard to think,  on top of the general state of the world these days, I've honestly been spending more time on computer games than anything else, just trying to escape. Above all else, in self-defence, I have been diligently avoiding social media and the news and anything else that's going to make me choke on just how bad humanity can be... you know the stuff. 
          
          But the characters in my head are persistent and will only tolerate so long without attention before they get extremely vocal. So we'll see what, if anything, I manage to produce!
          
          At the very least, I can go back to releasing more chapters of Transposition 2 or 3 times a week. Moonblood's rewrite remains on hold, and everything else I've put on Wattpad so far is completed. With any luck, I can concentrate on writing more of Transposition, getting into the second major arc - I want to see what happens and where it goes!
          
          Anyway, I hope everyone is staying safe and taking care of yourselves and your loved ones. <3

prysmcat

There's going to be a hiatus of currently-unknown length. I won't be posting new material reliably and I won't be replying to comments and such.
          
          We had to take our 16-year-old cat Trick for one last vet visit on the first, so she could help him get free from a body that was failing. I know it was the best thing, we bought him as much extra time for love and cuddling and pampering as we could but it was time. That doesn't mean my heart isn't broken. I've never met a cat so adamant that he had to be involved in absolutely everything, or so reluctant to miss any chance to meet new people and get admired. He's going to leave an enormous gap in our lives, and that's going to take time to heal, even with two other cats needing extra attention. Animal-lovers will get that.
          
          I was already struggling with writing and socializing, ever since the pandemic thing started. (Honestly, my read counts are so low and sporadic that I'm not sure anyone noticed anyway.)
          
          I'm not going to abandon Wattpad or anything, but I'm probably not going to be very responsive for a while, and new material might be a bit erratic.
          
          Everyone look after yourselves, okay?

aerys_the_mad

Oof, that’s heavy stuff but I understand how much love our pets can give us and how much we love them in return. I know it’s a huge loss but it’s good to cherish the time you spent with little Trick and I’m sure he appreciated that as well. Rest In Peace little guy. And take all the time you need because I know it’s going to feel different and empty. But it’s good to take solace in the fact that he isn’t suffering  anymore. ❤️
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ccstarfield

@prysmcat I'm really sorry to hear about Trick. Take all the time you need. We'll always be here whenever you're ready to come back ❤️
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prysmcat

Hi, folks! Hope everyone's hanging in there in our currently weird and high-stress world.
          
          Just a quick update on the various ongoing projects. 
          
          The last chapter of Yin-Yang will be posted tomorrow, so I can mark that Complete. (If you've been waiting for that before starting, then feel free to have at it!)
          
          I have one other finished novel I will bring here eventually, but it won't be right away.
          
          The revisions on Moonblood have come to a screeching halt - I'm having some serious trouble concentrating on writing anything right now. (It's very odd, I have most of my depressive-episode symptoms except the actual mood drop.) My apologies to anyone waiting for the appearance of the trans and demi main characters in the next adventure. It'll be much  better in its improved form, just as soon as I can focus.
          
          All I'm going to be doing for the immediate future is releasing a couple of chapters a week of Transposition.
          
          I haven't even been active in the forums at all, even in my favourite hangout thread (hi, Dumpstars!). Just not feeling very social. I have a lot of reading that I really want to get to, but that trouble concentrating is spilling over. But we're doing okay here, better than lots.
          
          Everyone take care of yourselves and each other. <3

AloofFloof

@prysmcat Hey, take care! <3  In these times, it's so natural and valid to find trouble with concentration. I feel it, too. Do YOU, be good to yourself, and stay strong. ^^
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prysmcat

This is not writing-related so I'll keep it short. In roughly an hour and a half I'll be joining my roommate/best friend on her Twitch stream to check out the new Two Point Hospital DLC - as a fundraiser for Direct Relief's efforts to provide more personal protective equipment to US health care workers. We're doing a lot better here in Canada than just south of the border, and we have friends down there we're worried about. (I know, it's everywhere and affecting everyone... we had to pick one!)
          
          Normally I would never announce something that isn't writing-related, but these aren't really normal times we've been catapulted into!
          
          https://twitch.tv/indiediva

prysmcat

Hi, folks! I'm trying an experiment. I'm going to use my roommate's Twitch gaming experience and read one of my stories live on Twitch, starting roughly 12:30 Eastern (a bit over 90 minutes from now. I'm not sure whether I'm completely insane or possibly wasting my time, since I have no audience base to speak of, but let's give this a shot.
          
          I haven't decided yet on Shaman or Black Wolf, and I'm open to opinions on that. Actually, I'm open to opinions on all of this.
          
          I'll keep Discord up as well. I'll drop links in a reply to this as soon as we sort out the tech side.
          
          For those not familiar with it, Twitch allows gamers and others to stream live to an audience. Anyone can watch/listen. With a Twitch account you can leave comments in a live chat box on the page.
          
          Will this work? No idea. But I read out loud all the time to my roommate and I have in the past to other friends, and right now, if I can offer one more way for people to feel less alone, it's worth a shot! I imagine I'll persist for a few days at least to see what happens.

prysmcat

That went pretty well, really. Same time, same place tomorrow! And if anyone wants to give it a shot, let me know, we'll do what we can to help!
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prysmcat

Just adding my congratulations to all the folks who made it to the next round of the ONC! 
          
          And my condolences to those who didn't. You're still one up on me if you submitted something - I tried and couldn't get a story to work under those conditions. Keep writing!

prysmcat

@DomiSotto Thanks. It's possible that I might return to it at a better time of year and without the restrictions, but I'm not currently sure how to convince the characters to come to life for me. It's not *bad* as it stands, just... not as good as I know I'm able to do. Messing around with transformation and gender stuff is sorta writing as usual for me. :-)
            
            Told you you'd get through the first round! <3 :-D
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DomiSotto

@prysmcat I am still a bit sad you cut it... I thought it was a cool start!
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