So as the one or two of you who still pay attention to this account may have noticed, I've been gone for a hell of a long time. A lot has happened in my life that led to this absence - changed degrees, little bro started university, got myself a boyfriend, got myself an editing job, and so on - as well as a few less pleasant things that I don't feel like talking about. Anyway, I finally find myself in a position where I'm comfortable enough to return to my writing again. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be staying on FA.

FurAffinity has been great to me over the few years I've been a part of it. It gave me my first platform to share my art and indulge my hobby of creative writing as well as introducing me to so many amazing people who share my passions. Sadly, though, my more recent experiences with it have been... less than stellar. I won't waste your time or mine listing all my gripes with the new site but I have a feeling some of you will know what I'm talking about when I say that the current owners of FA seem to be caring more about ad revenue than artists of late. Add to that it's lax security in recent months and I've just lost confidence in the site.

Anyway, while I've been gone I've been exploring different options. I haven't decided on just where I'll end up staying yet and might end up trying a bunch of different avenues before settling down. It's a bit up in the air for the moment but all I know for sure is that I won't be staying here. For now, I'm going to try my luck with SoFurry - from what I've seen so far it seems to have a large community, is well run, and seems to be more artist-focused than FA is at the moment. I'll post all my old stuff over there as well as any new content I come up with from now on. Feel free to check out my new profile if you want (I'll include a link at the end of this journal).

So to all of you who actually took the time to read my rambles, thank you for being so good and welcoming to a newbie like me and for the support you all gave. I wish you all good luck with the future and hope you are all able to continue following your dreams. Until we meet again.

My new account: https://inkswitch.sofurry.com/

So I've been gone from FA for nearly two months now and during that time, something happened that I haven't experienced for ages: I did not write for the entire month-and-a-half. I'm not just talking about the next Bastion chapter, either. I didn't even write so much as a quick paragraph. I tried a few days ago to get started on Chapter 10 of "A Town Called Bastion" but when I sat down to write I felt... nothing. It's not that I couldn't figure out what to write next (though that was a problem) but I also didn't feel any desire to try. Maybe it's just remaining ennui from being gone so long, but I've never left a story hanging so long before and it's worrying that I can't work myself up to finish it.

A group of Syrian refugees wandered into a furry convention — and magic happened. (by Upworthy)

https://www.upworthy.com/a-group-of.....appened?c=ufb1

So in the spirit of the new year, I finally announced my homosexuality on Facebook for my entire family to see. I have to admit, it wasn't until I posted my speech that I realised how heavy that secret had been for these last few years. Thankfully, my family has been incredibly supportive over the last few days. I'm just glad that I can finally be open with everyone and won't have to hide anymore.

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good December holiday!

Over Christmas and New Years, I'm going to be spending time with family and will not be able to work/visit FA. I will be back after Jan 10. Happy holidays and lots of love to all of you ♥

Since being gay (let alone a furry) tends to be problematic where I live, I've decided to turn to the solver of all problems - the internet. Can anyone recommend some good dating sites for furries that I could try?

After two long weeks of exams, I've finally come home for December. Looking forward to catching up on all that sleep and writing I missed on account of having my nose buried so hard in my study notes that it looks like I've got a year's worth of philosophy tattooed across my face.

after a ridiculously long case of writer's block, i've finally started to put pen to paper (so to speak) again. i never realised how much i missed it until i started again. best part is that the new bastion chapter should now be ready soon. fingers crossed

"Korea, eat a snickers."

"Why?"

"Because you think you're Japan when you're hungry"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG_e_PSBknA

I hate the end of term. It's nothing but an endless stream of essays, tests, and more essays. On top of that, we have our normal work to do as well because who needs a social life anyway? And then there's the end of year exams coming up, which means I can look forward to a lot of late night study sessions in my immediate future. [sigh] at least the end of 4th term also means the end of the year and i can look forward to the December holidays before starting it all over again

Hey, you!
Have you ever wondered why it isn't legal to fuck your household pets? Have you ever looked at Fido and thought to yourself: 'I would tap that so hard'?
What's that? You haven't? Congratulations! You are a completely normal person!

Now our dear friend, Peter Singer, on the other hand...

http://www.utilitarian.net/singer/by/2001----.htm

I finally managed to get myself a new computer. Thank goodness - all that time away from FA and the internet in general was starting to give me the shakes ;p

It's a pretty sweet Dell laptop, leagues better than my old one (though that wasn't that hard). Also, since it came with Win8, I was allowed to upgrade to Win10 for free! I then promptly went back to Win8 because Win10 is shit.

Anyhoo, the important thing is I can start writing again, which hopefully means I can finally continue my Bastion story-line, which I feel like I've painfully dragged on for much longer than it should have taken

Welp, it's official - the ol' girl has run her lap! She's passed on! This computer is no more! She has ceased to be! She's expired and gone to meet 'er maker! She's a stiff! Bereft of life, she rests in peace! 'er processing capabilities are now 'istory! She's off the twig! She's kicked the bucket, She's shuffled off 'er mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible!! THIS IS AN EX-COMPUTER!!

Of course, this now means I have to find some way to pay for a new one... goddamit

So last week, my computer crashed for the fourth time in a month (thankfully, it happened AFTER i managed to upload the latest Bastion chapter). Took the IT shop nearly a week to fix it.
Granted, it is nearly seven years old - guess it's finally starting to show its age. Looks like I better start saving for an upgrade :(

About a month ago, I wrote a journal saying I was going to get back into my writing and post more "Bastion" chapters. Obviously, that hasn't happened. Here's why:

Soon after I posted that journal, a close friend of mine (who also suffers from serious depression) went through a major relapse due to a small group of soulless c**ts on Twitter ganging up to constantly harrass him. Even worse, they eventually decided to dox him "for the lulz" and he's basically had to go into hiding for the last two weeks while it all blows over.

I was helping him during this nightmare and, understandably, it took up all of what little free-time I still had. Thankfully, those pricks have been reported/blocked and the worst of it seems to be over. I might be offline for a bit longer, just until I'm sure my friend is okay, but again it seems that the worst is behind us.

With luck, things should be back to normal in about two weeks and I'll be able to get back to writing the next "Bastion" chapter (which looks like it might be one of my longest ones yet). Until then, take care of each other and thank you so much for being patient with me.

Love to you all,
Inkswitch

[fangasm intensifies]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyKWUTwSYAs

If you have (or will be) upgraded to Windows 10, you might want to check this out:
Windows 10: Here are the privacy issues you should know about
http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/201.....7/29/wind-nos/

Thankfull, RPS has posted some handy tips on how to circumvent some of the worst of the privacy-invasions
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/201.....vacy-settings/

Hi everyone! Just want to apologise for being offline for so long (holy crap, a whole month!?) I started exams around the 15th of June, so I couldn't do anything then, and immediately afterwards I went on a long vacation with my family where I was without internet access (the horror!)
Anyway, as my notification bar shows, I have a lot of catching up to do. I have finally finished the third chapter of Bastion and will be posting it shortly after this journal. I am also working on a collaboration with  Bittdye so I'll keep you posted on how that turns out (fingers crossed).
So, sorry again for the long absence, I promise I'll try and make up for it.
Stay wonderful, you all!

Drugs. Lots and lots of drugs (go figure)

7 Great Works Of Literature (Written While Wasted)
http://www.cracked.com/article_2246.....le-wasted.html

That's right, I'm officially 21 today! Woot!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t1vaF50Ks0

That is all
http://www.amazon.com/Billionaire-D...../dp/B00MCVVH6G

Ah, finally! I''ve handed in all my work, packed up my bags (almost) and am heading home tomorrow... can't believe the first term is over already.
You know what this means? I'll finally be able to actually do some writing! Woot! I'll be dedicating my free-time to that Western I've been talking about, which I had to put on the back-burner because of varsity work. With any luck, I'll even have a first chapter out by the end of my holidays. Fingers crossed!

https://www.flayrah.com/6017/imvu-b.....y-fans-respond

I'm too new to FA (and don't know much about IMVU), so I'm not quite sure what to think about this. Maybe some of you are more informed.

With my mental health being what it is (ie: completely f**ked), I've been forced to step down as Arts & Entertainment Editor of my campus paper. I know I should be grateful for all the free time I suddenly have but... [sigh] I guess it's for the best. I wasn't able to do my job effectively, so it's better is someone who can takes over. Still, I'm really going to miss it...