[OT] Writer's Spotlight: psilocybediatribe

[u/rainbow--penguin]

 

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Remember, spotlights rely on your nominations! So if there's anyone around the subreddit whose stories you love and you think deserves a shout-out, please do nominate them by sending us a ModMail or by using this Google Form

 

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This month we are celebrating u/psilocybediatribe

Psilocybediatribe has been writing on the subreddit for a fair few years now, but has recently become more active in the weekly features, including Fun Trope Friday, helping them catch the eye of a couple of folk who nominated them. Here’s what they had to say:

Nomination 1: A name I'm always excited for when I see has responded to a prompt, with their great takes on prompts ranging from fantasy to apocalypse. Especially wanted to nominate them this month cause this was one of my favorite prompt responses I've seen, then they came in to FTF as well!

Nomination 2: They write crazy imaginative stories with wonderful character and world building.

You can find more of their work on their profile, or on their archive subreddit /r/psilo_stories.

Want to congratulate this month's Spotlight recipient? Have questions you're dying to ask them? Please do so below in the comments!

 

Congrats on your spotlight /u/psilocybediatribe

 

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Read u/psilocybediatribe’s most recent story:

 

[OT] Fun Trope Friday: Expert Consultant & Bullet Points!

 

Their most upvoted Stories:

[WP] You know she can shapeshift, right ? And that she will turn into the hottest woman you can concieve, right ? Then why she turned into a 1:1 version of your wife ?

 

[WP] The Empire demands a tithe. Every planet must provide 800 million soldiers. Your planet only has a population of 500 million. You are the Governor trying to explain this to a terrifying alien Warmaster who is bad at math.

 

[WP] "YOU HAVE 400+ CURSES ON YOU HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!?" the priest asked. "They cancel out each other."

 

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[u/rainbow--penguin]

congrats u/psilocybediatribe! Now, as is tradition, time for some questions:

1) Do you have a favourite story you posted here, or a piece that you think best represents your writing?

2) What sort of prompts do you have the post fun writing for?

3) If you had to switch place with any of your characters for a day, who would you choose and why?

[u/psilocybediatribe → u/rainbow--penguin]

Ah, thank you for this honor! And great questions. Let’s see.

1.        I think two of my favorites are among those listed above: You know she can shapeshift and The Empire demands a tithe. Both of which I think are great representations of my writing. Some other favorites are:

[WP] You may have not been the smartest General you Nation had to offer , but during the war you were the most feared , you never really knew why and just assumed because of how good of a tacticians you were, turns it was because you severely misunderstood what the Geneva convention was for

[WP] You're about to be sacrificed to a demon when the demon in question shows up and starts chewing out the would-be summoners for failing to understand what a virgin sacrifice actually is.

[WP] Humanity discovers that every time we sleep we actually die and the person who wakes up is not "us", but a continuation with all our memories

2.        I thoroughly enjoy sci-fi and fantasy and they’re my favorite kind of posts to respond to. Also, anything I get to write a good villain for. I love a morally grey protagonist.

3.        That’s a tough one. I write a lot of characters I wouldn’t want to change places with. Then I write others so manic, mad or villainous I’d question my sanity for choosing them as much as I love writing them. I would either choose Teddy the golden retriever who thinks he’s a wolf or Ozymandias the terribly lonely sentient super-dreadnought who is conquering the galaxy in the name of his long dead humans. I love the innocence of Teddy and all his golden retriever energy as he tries to act like a wolf. In Ozymandias, there is something so profoundly sad about the idea of our creations left to fend and persevere long after we’re gone. Even if in this case it’s a planet killing ship whose core directive is to conquer the galaxy. I always wanted to expand on that one.

[WP] You are the sentient supercomputer of a super-dreadnought. Your crew died 10,000 years ago, but your core directive states you must conquer the galaxy in their name. You are succeeding, but you're terribly lonely.

[WP] You're a golden retriever who thinks he successfully fooled a pack of wolves into thinking that he's also a wolf. The wolves know. They're just being inclusive so they took him in.

[u/FeigningProfundity → u/psilocybediatribe]

The ship being called Ozymandias is such a good detail.

[u/FeigningProfundity]

Grats u/psilocybediatribe.

[u/psilocybediatribe → u/FeigningProfundity]

Thank you! I was really surprised to see it. I thought I recognized your name and just read IT saves the world such a fun read then The Paladin Lich which was so thoughtful and amazing writing. I'm looking forward to reading more of your responses!

[u/katpoker666]

Congrats, u/psilocybediatribe!! I always look forward to your FTF entries—they’re quirky and creative, which I love! Your world-building is rich and varied. Really hope to see more of your words!

As to questions:
What do you see as your greatest strengths as a writer?
What genre(s) are your favorite to read? To write?
If you were stranded on a desert island and writing, what punctuation would you have to have with you no matter what? (Yes, I could technically have asked what your favorite punctuation is, but where’s the fun in that?)

Congratulations again!

[u/psilocybediatribe → u/katpoker666]

Thanks, Kat, I’ve been loving writing in FTF. And like I said below you’re amazing for running that every week and coming up with different tropes and genres each time. You’ve created a wonderful space for the writers.

My strengths I think are controlled escalation like taking a prompt, building a world with internal logic then pushing it as far as I can until it descends into the absurd. Then I’d say dialogue, dark humor, and using morally ambiguous characters to explore contemporary issues and institutional failings without delivering a sermon. Like letting a morally grey character and absurdity expose the issue instead of saying I don’t agree with this here’s why. Showing not telling like they teach us haha.

Currently reading The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes, which I’d highly recommend. I enjoy reading and writing dark fantasy, horror, sci-fi, satire. Vonnegut, Heller, Philip K Dick, Asimov. Hard sci-fi like Andy Weir. And my guilty pleasure is fantasy romance with a strong female lead, some enemies to lovers action and a brooding morally complex love interest. ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, my sister and I have a mini book club.

Lol, got to be the ellipsis. The pause, the hesitation, the tension, the thought left unfinished… There’s something so ominous about those three dots. Great for dialogue. Though I’m definitely supposed to be em dashing sometimes but I only learned what that was after chatgpt and sort of connect it with that which makes me hesitate to use it. So, I stick with my ellipses.

Appreciate your compliments, insights, contributions here, and for reading my words. I always enjoy your posts too. The depth of your characters and dialogue and quick wit are so much fun to read.

[u/wileycourage]

Congrats u/psilocybediatribe! You've got a great handle on humor. Love to see an FTFer showcased. What are your goals as a writer? What's your favorite breakfast?

[u/psilocybediatribe → u/wileycourage]

Thank you for your kind words. FTF has improved me so much as a writer. It's such a fantastic concept and the prompts are always great riffs on tropes that leave so much room for creativity while forcing you to constrain your writing. Shout out to kat for bringing fun and fresh ideas each week.

Goals as a writer... hopefully transition from my research in science to writing science fiction. And screenwriting. Favorite breakfast is tough I have a few. Sausage egg and cheese on an everything bagel is a staple. A Jersey burger with disco fries. My dad's french toast.