Congrats u/ApocalypseOwl! I have some questions!

1. Do you have any tropes, wether reading or writing, that you are particularly drawn to?

2. What story from r/WritingPrompts are you most proud of/is your favorite?

3. How long have you been writing and what got you started?

I look forward to all your answers!

/u/ApocalypseOwl ayy congratulations dude! Questions: what's your favorite genre of fiction to read and write? How do you find the time and motivation to write while juggling life responsibilities like a job or school?

Favorite tv show? Favorite anime?

Thank you kindly(how did this happen though???), I shall answer forthwith.

1: Well, I have to say that I am quite fond of xenofiction, as in stories that have the unique perspective of a non-human POV. They are much harder to writer, and thus provide a far greater challenge(and possibility for improvement in terms of writing). In terms of reading such stories, I find that they are nearly universally interesting, though also harder to understand, in comparison to your average human POV story. There is just something inherently fascinating in seeing the world through the eyes of a robot, an animal, or an alien.

2: Hard to tell, there are a lot of good stories, from a lot of good writers on here. (I like Lady_Oh, but she doesn't post much anymore, sadly) My favourites, as in those I personally liked writing the most, are those like the Sunrise City where I can just go absolutely feral and write something nuts, but I am also quite fond of the more emotional stories; Like Risen Angel or a more recent one, about a sweet bioweapon. Gives me some delightful feelings.

3: Hard to say just how long I've been writing. Under the ''ApocalypseOwl'' name, I have written for about 8 or 9 years, but I've been active on various sites since I was quite young; I guess since about 2004 or 2005, that was when I started. It was naturally not great, and like many people in our age, I got my start in fanfiction along with original writing. Good thing that the hard drive from back then has been completely destroyed. It definitely isn't up to mine or anyone's' standards.

I guess I just started because I felt like it? Due to a variety of complex reasons, I was a bit of a lonely kid who read a metric tonne of books. And I was constantly running out of books. I wanted to see if I could write some stories to increase the possible amount of fiction in my vicinity while I waited for books, and it turns out the answer was yes. Still, took a lot of training to get half-way decent. And I've still got some way to go.

Hope that answered your questions.

Thank you, I am very surprised.

Answers: My favourite genre to write is probably Sci-Fi, due to the sheer flexibility and how many different forms this genre can emerge as. I can write a journey to the uttermost end of reality, a tale of cybernetic wonders, a mythos of robotic lifeforms, or a story of human and alien friendship, and they'll all be a joy for my mind to create. From Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, to William Gibson's Neuromancer, they are all good. I have written quite a number of these, and despite the ludicrous snobs who dislike it, I will not stop writing them. To read, well, that's a bit different. Fantasy. Dresden Files, LOTR, The Chronicles of Prydain, Earthsea Cycle, so many others. The fantastic tales of otherworlds, full of might and magic. To read those, are indeed very relaxing, very pleasing to me. I have to give an honourable shout-out to the genre of Bildungsroman, because I've always enjoyed those as well.

I find the time and motivation through discipline. If I truly want to write, then I will make the time; and because I must write, I will write the stories, no matter the time to spare. Both those you see here and those that are elsewhere. It's about setting yourself into a properly disciplined cycle, that there are days when you must write. You force yourself to open the dam in the mind and let the words flow like a tidal wave unto the page in front of you. Even if it isn't comfortable. Because if you break the discipline, then you break the cycle, then you stop writing, and frankly it takes forever to get going again if you stop. (In my experience, I have to spend some time working myself into the ol' gears again before I get up to an acceptable standard again, if I've stopped for a while.) It helps that my job is pretty good with the whole ''once you're off the site, you're not working'' sort of deal. If I'm not in the lab, I'm not working. That gives me some time to write, though not as much as I would like. (Those who remember that time I answered +80 prompts during the Covid quarentine period in a month knows what I am talking about. I really want to write mooooooore.)

I guess my favourite TV-show is Columbo? It's a very good show, with an excellent premise. Great main character, powerful story-telling. Old though. But not all old things are bad. Forgive me, this isn't a question I can say much about; I just don't watch a lot of TV, due to not owning a TV, and I refuse to get any streaming site subscriptions for secret reasons.

Hm... Anime. Hard question. For sheer bloody action, I'd say Hellsing Ultimate. Vampires vs nazis vs crusaders, lots of cool action scenes, there is a werewolf, a guy turns into a monstrous thorn-bush; what's not to like? In terms of comedy, I'd say Space Dandy(he's a dandy guy, in space), which consistently makes me laugh quite uproariously. Good, self contained, stories. Very versatile characters, with a lot of options for fun, but also philosophy(never expect to have to ask myself about the concept of ''self'' as much as I did, from a comedy). Drama, maybe Beastars? Bit odd, but I like that it takes the premise (carnivores, herbivores living together) and delves into the ramifications of that without pulling stops. Maybe it also refers back to what I answered to another question here, Xenofiction, at least somewhat, and I am fond of that concept.

But overall, I'd have to say Naoki Urasawa's Monster. Politics in post-cold war Europe, a horrifying look into the psyche, relatable medical setting, a constant wrestle with Nietzsche's ''Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster'' concept, and how to handle the experience of being all alone in the world. All of it speaks to me, and I find myself hooked. If I start to read it, as a manga, I find it nearly impossible to stop. If I start to watch the anime, I'll suddenly realize that it's 03:00 on the digital clock and I'm going to work in five hours.

I hope this was sufficient in so far as answers go.

My dad loves watching Columbo. I watched a lot with him as a kid lol. "Just one more thing..." was his catch phrase before he nails them with a pointed question if I remember correctly. Thanks for answering

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Owl T_T <3 that's so sweet of you! And now I feel guilty for not writing as much anymore on WP haha, but also motivated to get back in the game here, you are a treasure, congrats on the spotlight, and know that I still lurk;) when I have more free time again I will definitely come back!!! Until then I will count on you to write and will continue to read your stories:) [Now with the right profile lol, sorryXD]

Awesome! I'll have to come back and read the stories you linked. And as to how this happened, you were nominated by a person on the subreddit who has enjoyed your stories and you got the Spotlight! I've read through a handful of them too and equally enjoyed them. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.