#because they SHOULD win and they SHOULD hit all these milestones and then at the last minute they just...don't

[eyes-above--the-waves]

While we’re talking hockey...how the HELL did the Leafs end up 13 points ahead of Tampa?!? Please don’t get my hopes up like this, I’m already fragile. 

#everything the leafs do is the embodiment of 'three times a bridesmaid never a bride' #because they SHOULD win and they SHOULD hit all these milestones and then at the last minute they just...don't #what is the reason? #ANYWAY the Playoffs are happening next week and i am FRIGHTENED! #toronto maple leafs #hockey

[hypergamiss]

I have the opposite situation. Im 25 and I feel like a teenager because I haven’t hit major milestones yet. I struggled with mental health issues and that really held me back. I know the only way out is through and I’m sure once i get my degree and get a good job ilk feel better about my situation. It’s just so hard to not spiral into self pity and negativity. Do you have any advice on how to stay positive and motivated?

I hope that your journey with your mental health issues is in a better place! Working on those will definitely help you move forward with your life. I think most people don't realize that 25-year-olds are actually still teenagers. I didn't stop growing or developing until I was 25, our prefrontal cortex is barely developed at that age too you know? Even men tend to have their last growth spurts at this age. I honestly think that you shouldn't put that much pressure on yourself in your 20s. As long as you are working towards improving every day, things are bound to work out. You have this idea in your mind that you will be happy once you get the degree and the job. You're in for a lot of disappointment if you think you'll be happy then. It would be best to find happiness in the present moment because you will be chasing something that you will never find otherwise. After you get your degree and job, life gets really boring if that's all you identify yourself with and slave away. Experiment and find out what your passions are (we all have multiple) and immerse yourself in them. The only pressure you should put on yourself is to improve what you can control. As far as staying motivated, motivation is a myth. There is only discipline. Here is an amazing book that I recommend to really understand what it takes to achieve your goals through discipline and understanding that motivation is a temporary feeling. Don't forget that small wins are still wins and that you deserve to celebrate yourself through all the smaller milestones as well.

#hypergamous lifestyle #heaux advice #heaux tips #heauxheauxheaux #heauxlife #hypergamy #level up #high maintenance #spoiled heaux #spoiled gf

[lavenderstobins]

in the stars | part 1

robin buckley is four years old when she hears her prophecy for the first time.

it had been later than expected. another delayed milestone, she’d hear her mother say when she’s older. most children heard theirs by age three.

still. far too young to hear how she’ll die.

most prophecies, she learns, aren’t straightforward, and even less speak openly of death. usually they’re vague, open for many interpretations.

robin can’t think of another way to interpret “you will give your life for a man who loves you”.

it’s a heavy weight to carry. her family keep it quiet. her parents, in particular, seem to take it upon themselves to mourn her in advance. saving themselves future heartache, maybe, by not getting attached. they don’t have anymore children. she hears her father’s whispered fears that they’d lose them, too.

robin, in truth, grows up mostly okay. she doesn’t share her prophecy, even without her parents warning her to keep it to herself. it’s hard enough to make friends as it is.

she is, however, resentful. she thinks it’s fair enough. her life is to be stolen from her. by a man, no less. she doesn’t even like men. when she realises that she likes girls instead of boys, that she’s a lesbian, it’s just one more layer of resentment.

dying for a man who loves her. what a joke.

the only consolation is that it must be a distant tragedy. no men in her life love her, and with how she keeps to herself, she doesn’t see it happening anytime soon.

then she starts working at scoops ahoy, and her world is turned on its axis. steve harrington confesses to her, and she feels sick, but he understands. time continues on, and steve ribs her for her taste in women, and it’s… it’s nice. nicer, still, to know it’s not him. she doesn’t tell him about her prophecy. he doesn’t ask. she doesn’t ask about his, and he doesn’t tell her. she wonders if his life is signed away, too.

the corruption in hawkins comes back, because it always does, steve tells her. they fight for their lives again. they don’t win, but they don’t quite lose. they survive, though not without casualties. they keep struggling on.

max’s prophecy, dustin tells her in a quiet voice one day, said that she would know love blind. a sick joke from the fates, seemingly. he tells her about his. when he was two, his mother was told that he would fix things without knowing they’re broken.

robin thinks of steve, and how dustin helped him find himself. of eddie, and how dustin’s fierce loyalty protected him. of max, and how dustin unknowingly brought her back into their fold of friendship and love.

true enough, she thinks.

he asks about her prophecy. she… hesitates, in truth. it’s been a long time since she’d spoken the words. she trusts him, though. she tells him what she was told all those years ago. dustin frowns, and she shrugs awkwardly. then, he says that they’ll just have to fight men away from her, won’t they? she laughs at that. his optimism is a welcome breath of air. she asks that he keep it to himself; it’s not something she chooses to share often. he nods, glowing with pride of being chosen. they don’t talk about it again. sometimes, she sees him side-eyeing boys around her.

then they’re thrust into the fight again. the earth opens up, belching out endless monsters, and they fight tirelessly. they split into groups. she and steve are together, as always, side-by-side. they’re joined by nancy and lucas, a party of four to defend their home.

she should have seen it coming, she thinks. it had been staring her in the face and she had closed her eyes.

steve, ever the self-sacrificial fool, had risked his life for them, taking on monsters alone, and she had moved without thinking. she had dived after him. she had followed him—she would have followed him to the ends of the earth—and when he had taken a hit, she had cried out, begging the universe: not him. please, not him. the universe said nothing. and then it dawned on her; the universe had already answered her.

when steve collapses, wounded, she steps over him, separating him from the swarming monsters. she holds her weapon high and makes herself his shield. you will give your life for a man who loves you, she had been told. it never mentioned she’d love him. that she’d give it gladly.

when she takes the hit, the slashing claw meant for steve that burrows into her abdomen, she almost laughs. she’d been so blind; it never said the love would be romantic. of course it had been steve. steve, who would give his life for everyone else in a heartbeat. she had been born to keep him alive.

it’s an almost comforting thought, and it sticks with her as she beats back the monsters, as they finally collapse around them, no doubt after the real villain is brought down by el. as she sinks to her knees, as steve starts cradling her.

“robin,” he says, pleads, and he’s crying, his teardrops hitting her face like rain. she takes his hand, unable to stop a whimper escaping her, and he sobs, pulling her closer. he starts babbling, repeating words like a mantra: not her, not her, please.

he’s shaking, she realises, clutching her in his arms, like sheer willpower can keep her alive. it can’t, she knows. nothing is more powerful than a prophecy, not even love.

“steve,” she whispers. his head snaps to her, almost hopeful. she cracks a small smile. “i love you,” she says, and his hopeful expression falls.

“i love you,” he says, tears falling freely down his cheeks again, and she knows. she’s always known, even before she’d realised.

she closes her eyes.

#my fics #my writing #robin buckley #steve harrington #platonic stobin #stobin #stranger things #dustin henderson #can u tell i've been on a greek mythology kick recently #the prophecies got to me... #there's two more parts to this i think. not sure yet #have fun #angst #major character death #st fics #stobin fic

[nandawrites]

The winning ticket

Written for Day 7 of @crazybweek: Found family. Short again, because of work, but I really wanted to do something with this prompt. Hope you all like it!

~~**~~

For Niki, it was a quiet acceptance. It happened on a day like any other when the bees were hanging out at Café Cinnamon and playing a game in one of the tables on the corner. They didn't have as little work as before, so they didn't have to do that, but they still ended up spending time together there more often than not.

Niki looked up at them from washing the dishes and, among thinking he should probably get them something to eat because it had been a while, he realised he knew all their favourite dishes. The way they liked their eggs. Or their tea. Their preferred sweets from the menu. Food was love for Niki, it had always been, something tied to life itself even more than to other people. He realised the day before, when they were shooting an MV on location, the other had taken turns asking if he was okay and offering things to eat.

It made him blush now, and feel warm all over. And smile as he thought they couldn't see him. He set to work cooking, to feed those three troublemakers that had found the way into his heart.

it hit Kohaku like sudden lightning. When it was over, he held himself with his hand on the wall, his thoughts racing more than his heart, shocked eyes looking into the distance without seeing. What had he done?

He had heard a group out on the street speaking ill of the members of Crazy:B, and had gone off on them on a murderous rampage. He wasn't even mad at what they had said about him, but their comments about the others had made his blood boil. He wasn't usually like this. He was a bullet pointed with accurate precision, not a loose cannon, then why?

The group was saying they were useless, vile and evil, that they should have been fired, that they weren't worthy. And he had lost his head, told them all about the kindness in their hearts and their strength and their dreams, and how bigger than life they were. They weren't anything like what they were saying, they were...

The guys had fled in fear, and left him rocked to the core for a while. Until he smiled, and shook his head. Oh, he was never letting on to them about this in a million years.

For Himeru, it was a slow-building wave, that crashed onto him with a sense of finality and guilt. He closed his eyes, and prayed for forgiveness, to the one that was supposed to be the only one to occupy such a space in his heart.

It happened when he was coming out of an interview, for once proud of the work that "he" had done and the milestones that "he" had achieved with this group that had never been in his plans to join, and the first thing that crossed his mind wasn't going to a quiet hospital room, to share his accomplishment with someone that couldn't answer, but rather the doors of a familiar café, with three familiar faces smiling back at him, to share into his victory with him.

Guilt split him in two, but his steps were taking him further and further away from the hospital, and into the arms of people that could really accept "him", as much as "he" was willing to give. That had grown into his heart like weeds, bit by bit pushing away the poison, until a corner table in a little café was the closest thing he could call as "home".

Rinne knew it first, of course he did, he knew his bees like the back of his hand. He had noticed and catalogued every minute change in their demeanours, storing them on a precious treasure chest inside his mind like a secret. As if he looked at it too long, he might break it. As if he looked at it too long, he wouldn't have the strength to do what he had set out to do.

A suicide bomber, Niki had called him. And yet, here he was still standing and living, due to the strength and grace of these three, and of countless other people he had never imagined would go to such lengths for him. When his self-destruction was no longer imminent, he had taken that treasure chest out to admire it, and taken pride in all the little moments he had been able to add to it since then.

He knew when Niki had stopped asking what they wanted to have, and when his eyes started sparkling when he served them his food. He knew when Kohaku's anger had slowly become more performative, and he had slowly but surely started relying on them, coming to them for guidance and help, and referring to them as a unit. He knew when Himeru's façade started cracking, just a bit, and he had actually started calling them a unit with pride, when he had started coming to them for support and to celebrate the little victories this thankless life of an idol had.

So his smile got brighter and brighter, and his voice louder and louder, and his happiness more and more contagious. Maybe their sharp edges would never fit quite right together, not like other units, but they had made an effort for them to fit as much as possible, and that was more important and meant more to him than anything else could. Nothing that came easy was worth it, as they say.

He would take the lady of fortune smiling down on him like this any day.

#crazy b #crazy:b #rinne amagi #niki shiina #kohaku oukawa #himeru #enstars #ensemble stars #fanfiction #mine #nanda writes #crazy b week #writings

[jahayla-parker]

Hii, I was wondering if you had any tips for us ADHD folks for focusing on tasks because I’ve had a horrible week with focusing on tasks even as small just doing the dishes and it’s really stressing me out. No pressure to answer this, I really like your Freddy fics btw, they are soooo comforting and your most recent was is PERFECTION.

Thank you for your question. I’m sorry you’re struggling! As a fellow ADHDer, I know how difficult this can be and that many people don’t understand what it’s like and that it’s NOT laziness or a lack of willpower.

I have put a readmore break for those not interested or otherwise trying to get to other posts. 💜

Sleep! Omg sleep is ssooooo important. I struggle with this so much! (If you need more advice on how to fix this lmk). But sleep is crucial otherwise the symptoms will get worse as sleep deprivation only increases adhd symptoms.

Write down notes/ideas as they come. Don’t try to make yourself memorize or remember things when you don’t need to. My iPhone notes are so random but helpful! This will help get take the pressure off and allow your brain to rest.

Focus on easy wins! I cannot stress this enough!!!! ADHD paralysis/executive dysfunction can make everything feel overwhelming. Breaking tasks into smaller and more manageable tasks seems simple (and in terms of application it is) but it helps more than you’d think! It takes the pressure off of each task. Don’t forgot in getting it all done. Choose one task. Then, chose the first step(s) of the task and set some time (what seems manageable currently not what “you should designate” to it) aside to do it. Then give yourself some rest (see ideas below). Then repeat as needed.

Unless you have to, don’t force yourself to stick to a strict schedule. You might want to choose one important task to schedule if needed (ideally still do it the way mentioned above though). But don’t map out your whole day if it can be avoided. This feels, looks, and in many ways is, far too much. Ideally plan a rest activity too if you’re going to schedule anything.

Rest and self care is super important. This can look different from person to person. Especially downing on what your triggers are or what type of stimulation is best for you. For me and many others (but not all) prefer/find calming stimulation to be easier/better aka grounding. Examples of common grounding techniques include: painting (I alternate between my nails and a color by number set personally), coloring, drawing (for some, not me personally though), reading (varies a lot on effectiveness for people), yoga, etc.

Physical activity can help too but is understandably hard to do when these symptoms hit. Smaller/shorter/less intensity exercises are typically better and easier to get done when it feels like this. The key is rhythmic movement as studies have shown this to help (can help with ptsd too!)

Rhythmic activities examples (both physical and otherwise): Things like a few minutes of yoga/stretching, rolling/bouncing/tossing a ball, (drawing/paint/color can be included here too), tap feet/fingers/etc at a calm but steady pace, find something that makes (or can make) a soft sound and initiate that sound in a calm steady pace, listen to meditation music, petting/brushing a pet, etc.

Don’t strive for perfection. This is a hard one for me too. But, aim to complete something even if it’s not perfect. The pressure to perform well can in itself make the task harder. In these times, completion (even of a tiny step within a task) is perfection!

Motivate yourself! Completion isn’t enough motivation, so don’t even try to argue that idea lol. Instead, reward yourself for reaching small milestones. Motivation is a great psychological tool to overcome this. It can be whatever is the most exciting for you (please consider your health as well. -mostly referring to avoiding substance and addictive behaviors)

Hopefully this helps!💜

#adhd #adhd tips #adhd advice #Jahayla gives advice 🦉 #jahayla checks her inbox 📫 #lovely little anons

[biaswreckingfics]

Hello loves!! I can't believe the time is here again. I've hit another follower milestone and it's my fifth writing anniversary!! 🥳🥳

For some reason, 3k of you have decided that I'm worthy enough for a follow?? I'm?? Thank you?? (I bow down to all of you.) To show my appreciation, I decided it was time to do another celebration event!! ❤️❤️

I'll be doing things slightly different this time around. There will be three different basic categories you can choose from OR you can create your own prompt!! Choose an idol x situation, idol x trope, idol x AU, or whatever your heart desires!! *This does not mean you need to choose one of each. This is also only for groups that I already write for.*

If you don't like any of these starter ideas and don't want to come up with one of your own, I will also be doing song inspirations. Choose a song and I'll write a story based off the lyrics or the vibes.

There's also a poll at the end 🤫🤫. Vote on which groups get a dedicated Soulmate AU series in the future!! I plan on doing a series for the group or groups that win where each member gets their own one shot based around a different type of soulmate pairing, so if you want any say in who gets a story, vote below!!

Situations:

Hugs that last longer than they should

Slapping each other's butts

Stealing glances when the other isn't looking

Almost kissing but being interrupted

Accidentally bumping into each other

Stumbling across the other sobbing

There's only one seat left on the train/bus

Our friends locked is in a closet together because they're convinced we like each other

Barging into the room because there's no way we're not talking about this

I heard a rumor

If you're not going, then I'm not going

Tropes:

Friends to lovers

Blind date

Mistaken identity

Office romance

Losing composure

Forehead kisses

Secret dating

A+ parenting skills

Fake dating

Miscommunication

Mutual pining

Roadtrip

Second chance

Snowed in

Spin the bottle

AUs:

Roommates

Mafia

Royalty

Neighbors

Firefighters

Vampires

Witches

College

Dancers

Beach

Link to the poll is here:

#follower celebration #celebration event #3k followers #if the moots wanna reblog. i wont say no 🥺🥺

[jonasiegenthaler]

hi! since the off season is dragging and i miss the devils - what are you favorite moments for each player (or select players) from this season, not just goals or plays but an interview, soundbite, off ice moment, anything

(missing pk big time because he always posted fun team content)

hiya anon, this was a fun one, thank you! this got, Long, so i'm gonna put it all under the cut (alphabetized, not ranked, and definitely not comprehensive)

kevin: 

not like one thing in particular but playing more regularly this season! especially the second half

yanking multiple guys around casually

this was more last season but there’s a bunch of guys in utica that, every time he goes over the boards for a shift, chant a call-and-response of “who’s out?” “bahls out!” and it is beautiful

nate: 

the video of him and johnny in seattle

this one of him nearly getting taken out by a football

also he’s seen the memes he loves the love

boqy: 

a lil cuddle, or two, or three

i’ve always said he’s the devils’ morgan frost so i’m just very glad he’s found some semblance of a role this season he’s very neat to me

bratter: 

hatty! 

big hat hat!

him and nico reaching milestones together talking about how special it was,

more cuddles

notably too cute to be good at chirping

gravy: 

carshield commercials - ïf you don’t call now, your wife should stop loving you.”

for some reason his goal in the oilers game early in the season stands out? keeping the winning streak alive!

smacking nico’s ass on a driveby

[30 seconds of uncomfortably polite staring as the sm admin waits for him to complete the heart]

dougie: 

the six flags promo, wild that that was this season it feels like ages ago. 

those few games where we kept going 4v3 in ot and dougie just kept scoring gwgs, iconic, showstopping. 

fully lifting bratter like a foot? off the ice? 

herding a flock of dudes 

signing off the camera with a “hi grandma”. 

floor time!

the movie re-enactments? wheres his oscar

haula: 

“this is where i want to be. this is my family” <3

single handedly bringing us timo.

getting hit with a chicken finger

facing the other way on the bench when we went to shootouts (one of us).

laughing curling up on the floor instant fetal position

nico: 

there’s. so much. because i’m nothing if not biased. 

“i’ve just got a good feeling” 

pumping up the crowd 

selke finalist! career high in goals, assists, points! 

being absolutely dominant in the rangers series. 

game 5 nico chants! 

[gestures vaguely at 1386 tag] 

having the time of his life with some kids toys

marner’s “i felt good until nico decided to take me for a walk” 

“siegyyyy! don’t worry everyone siegy is here!” <3 

“let’s not forget to have fun. stick together. whatever happens.” + all the pre/post game speeches during the playoffs. 

nate talking about how nico made him feel like he belonged + so much more

“he cares more about his teammates than probably does about himself”

timo facetiming him because he was anxious about the trade 

jack

“oh shit :d”

hatty!

devils win for hanukkah :) 

“yeah i knew that”

“those are quinn’s boys so--”

whatever him and pk were on at all-star weekend

“i want that record”

“we are off on our chemistry today, hey?”

looney tunes ass fall

[gestures vaguely again at 1386 tag]

nothing but respect for my lady byng finalist

the dance

all the hugs

luke

first goal! ot winner!

dream dinner guests: julius caesar and george washington + getting chirped about it by dawson

the entire exit interview, all of it - messy but working on it (lie, probably), doesn’t know what day it is, hasn’t retained a thought for more than 5 seconds, fidgety

marino

[looking at a children’s toy] look i’m not not saying this looks like a bong

him and gravy giggling after they pushed pally off the ice

dawson

the players tribune article

hatty!

setting the franchise record in consecutive games with a goal

the hair, it’s majestic

yegor

santagovich

a pet bird, named ham

throwing shit at sevo

messing with the camera lights during bratter’s interview

messing with tuna during his interview

vv

made friends with a bird :) 

consistently referring to himself as “the vitek”

every time akira makes a big save vitek gives huge taps over the board <3

#i feel like i forgot a bunch of stuff #so maybe i'll come back to this and update it who knows #asks #anon

[spiderrrling]

Z & Ellen's Writing Challenge Celebration

Hello everyone! Me and the lovely @uglypastels both hit some pretty significant follower milestones recently and we decided to put together a writing challenge for you all to enjoy!

Below are all our guidelines and our prompts, feel free to reach out if you have any comment, questions or concerns!

And thank you all so much for your continued love and support <3

Guidelines

Please make sure that you are following both me and @uglypastels

Please inform us about which prompt you wish to write for through one of our inboxes so we can coordinate

You can write for any Stranger Things Character/Character, or Stranger Things Character x Reader

No illegal or immoral combination 

You cannot participate in the smut prompts, or write a smut adjacent fic if you are under the age of 18

If you wish to be included in the finished collection fics must be turned in by the 4th of September and make sure you tag either of us in your fic and please use the tag #ZEllenWC9k

Fluff Prompts

“Seriously, how much charm do you have? Why is this so easy for you?”

“I have a feeling that we should kiss.” “Is that a good feeling or a bad feeling?”

“You make my heart do the thing, and honestly? It kinda freaks me out.”

“Can you please put me down, it is just a sprained ankle.”

“Can you stop flirting for just a second please.” “If you really want me to stop, you know what can shut me up.”

Angst Prompts

"If this is love… I don't want it." 

“The truth is that sometimes, I don’t know how to love you.”

“Do you expect me to wish you good luck or something? Because I hate this, I hate all of it."

"Why do you even give a damn about me?" 

"I wish things could have turned out differently. I really do."

Smut Prompts

“Y’know, car sex looks so much easier in the movies.”

“I know where it would look even prettier.”

“Now that I finally have you all to my lonesome…”

"And have you ever wondered what that would be like?" 

"Delicious."

Random Prompts

“But thank god that we are lost together.”

“Has anyone ever told you that your anger is proportionate to your size?”

“Isn’t this like… illegal?” “Probably”

“The person who wins your heart will be so lucky.”

“Graduate highschool? I am fully convinced you never graduated kindergarten.”

“Who wouldn’t be angry?! You ate all my cereal and faked your death for three days!”

“If you cry, I’ll end up crying and that won’t be fun for anyone.”

Trope Prompts

Fake dating

Best friends to lovers

There was only one bed  

Forbidden Romance

Second Chance 

Song Prompts 

 Poison by Alice Cooper 

She Bangs the Drums by the Stone Roses

I Think He Knows by Taylor Swift

Miss Missing You by Fall Out Boy

Fresh by Artist vs Poet

Happy writing!

Some mutuals below the cut <3

feel free to ignore <3 @catastrofhe @eddiemunsonbrxinrot @eddiemunsons-girl @mypoisonedvine @loveronlineee @creme-bruhlee

#ZEllenWC9k #stranger things #stranger things fanfic #stranger things fanfiction

[pettyrevenge-base]

SIL insulted my kids so I exposed her lies.

SIL is the kind of mom that always has to one up other kids. She constantly talks about how her kids are smarter, taller, faster etc than her friends' kids. She literally bragged about them peeing more than her friends' kids when they were babies lol.

It was worse when my husband and I had our twins. Suddenly everything was a competition (that her kids always won). One of my girls rolled over at 4 months, her son had rolled over when he was just a week old. The twins both took their first steps around 13 months, her daughter was RUNNING at 4 months. (She didn’t actually start walking until around 16 months). She even changed the weight of her kids’ birth weights which makes them both heavier than the current heaviest newborn in America. It’s so weird that she feels the need to tell such obvious lies, especially to people who know she’s lying because they were there when her kids were small.

I got annoyed when she went from lying about her own kids to telling me there is something wrong with mine. The girls are a few months shy of 2 and they’re both healthy, on track and hitting their milestones. SIL has become OBSESSED with the idea that there is something wrong with them because they’re not speaking in long sentences. Of course they’re not, they’re not even two! They’re both developmentally on track but she insists that her children were speaking in 5-6 word phrases by 18 months. (Spoiler - they were not). Honestly, her son is almost 7 and I can still barely understand a word the kid says.

My husband and I ignored her but she took it too far when I got a call from her friend who works in Early Intervention who was under the impression I was very concerned about my children. We talked and her friend confirmed that yes, they are on track and no, there’s nothing to worry about.

I finally lost my patience. Hey, her kids are breaking almost every record there is and that should be celebrated!

We had dinner with my husband’s family on Saturday (kids were in another room) and I decided it was the perfect time to give her my gift - a booklet I had printed and laminated called the ‘White Claw Book of World Records’. I printed all the supposed milestones of her kids, complete with photos and info of the actual world record holders now that they had been pushed to second place. She flipped through the first couple of pages, went beet red and called me an asshole. Her husband took it from her and got through the first page before laughing hysterically and asking her why the hell she was still lying? Apparently it was not the first time they’d talked about her lying about their kids.

She stormed out but texted me later that night and asked why I’d humiliated her when all she’d ever tried to do was help me get my kids the help they needed, but if that was how I wanted to treat her then she’d stop.

So I guess it’s a win for me!

Source: reddit.com/r/pettyrevenge

#pettyrevenge #lol #omg

[victorluvsalice]

-->When Victor got a call on his phone. From one Emilia Ernest. Asking if he wanted to duel her on the dueling official grounds of the Magic Realm.

Well, how the hell could I say no to a rematch? :D I had Victor tell her “OK!” and head over to the Magic Realm, bringing Alice and Smiler along once he arrived. He flew off to the dueling grounds right away, eager for battle –

Only to have to wait quite a while for his opponent to show up, because Emilia doesn't own a broom and thus had to take the long way around. She did eventually arrive, however, and the two commenced their epic magical battle! :D Both took a few magical blows from the other, but in the end, Victor was triumphant once more! Yay!

...and I found out that dueling the same person more than once does not count toward the “win three duels” goal in the Spellcraft And Sorcery aspiration. Boo. *sigh* At least he proved to Emilia he’s the more powerful spellcaster, I suppose. And got a well-earned nap on the bench nearby afterward. :p

-->Anyway – while all that was happening, how were Alice and Smiler getting on? Well –

Alice had some mushroom conserve as a snack, then took a feral run over to Caster’s Alley before transforming into her beast form again and going out for a proper hunt. And when she returned from that, belly full of found meat, she did a little bit of scavenging and found a fossilized udder and a Yuki MySims statue. Unfortunately both duplicates of stuff we already had, but well, what can you do. Even if they're dupes, they're good for the werewolf XP!

Smiler, meanwhile, hit up one of the local fishing spots and caught a perch, a sturgeon (worth $192! I mounted that one), and a pufferfish. They then took a moment to feed the local cowplant (yeah, the Magic Realm reno I downloaded apparently includes a secret cowplant! Guess I shouldn't be surprised, it is from LilSimsie) before going to play some chess. Gotta keep that Logic skill going in the right direction and all! Plus it's something a little different from having them play video games while they're here.

-->However -- I came here to try and get some progress made on one of Victor's spellcasting aspirations for his New Year's resolution, and I was determined to do that. So after he woke up from his nap, I had him grab a mote for later consumption (since he's now got the Mote Hound perk and can just see them always), then got him to transportalate himself back to the main building. My INTENT was for him to do some more tome browsing and maybe find a new potion book for the Purveyor of Potions aspiration, since he seemed to be doing better with that one than the other...

But, who should be in the room he found himself in but one Morgyn Ember! Who was once again available to ask for a potion recipe! :D Even better! Victor thus did so, and got the Potion of Nausea – great for your enemies, not so much for customers in a grocery store. :p But it was another potion recipe regardless, bringing his total known up to five, and thus completing that goal on his current aspiration milestone! Now he just has to brew up two more potions, and he is set!

#sims 4 #the lazy save #victor van dort #alice liddell #smiler always #yeah I was not expecting Emilia to call him up and go 'hey hear you're a great duelist wanna spar?' #especially after he kicked her ass the other day XD #but yeah always up for a handy little rematch >:D #which would have been MORE handy if the game counted repeated duels against the same person towards the S&S aspiration #I thought it might be one of those 'win three duels period' ones #but nope it's 'win three separate duels against three separate people' #which Victor PROBABLY could have done but #as noted he was a lot farther along on the Potions aspiration anyway #so easier to just fulfill that #would have preferred NOT to get the Potion of Nausea but #well he just has to know it he doesn't necessarily have to brew it #more than once anyway #but we'll cover THAT later #queued

[pepsitwist]

double or nothing predictions

i am. completely utterly uncertain about so much of this. these will be my worst predictions yet mark my words. also these aren’t (for the most part) the ones i WANT to win, just who i think WILL win. idk. i’ve been so bad with predictions lately

BUY IN the hardy’s & hook vs the gunns & ethan page - the hardy’s & hook take this because. obviously they do. this is a no brainer

House of Black vs TBA - House of Black. whoever it ends up being, it’s gotta be hob. they only just started the house rules stuff and there’s so much they can do with it.

blackjack battle royale - come on man there are 21 of them… the chances of choosing the right guy are so low… i would say ricky, but i think ricky will get taken out by jay and juice. jay and juice won’t win because they’re in a thing with ricky and therefore won’t have time for a new title. swerve, cage, keith, and dustin will take each other out. neither of the lucha bros need this win. honestly? it feels like either orange retains or kip sabían wins. im lukewarm on kip but he’s got nothing else going on right now, and he’s kept up his issues with orange on twitter and stuff. plus he has butcher and the blade on his team to keep best friends off his back. but honestly, this whole match feels like a toss up. and i don’t want orange to lose his title tonight, because losing it in a battle royale is stupid lol

adam cole vs chris jericho - again, a toss up for me. i’m not confident about a lot of this. it’s hard to imagine them making cole lose his first feud back, but also, it’s chris jericho. we all know what usually happens when we pray that jericho loses lol. no idea, could go either way. but just because I don’t know, i’ll say cole because that’s who i WANT to win.

jade cargill vs taya valkyrie - this is the first time i’ve ever thought someone might beat jade. they’ve built taya up super quickly as someone who is, for the first time, a genuine threat. jade just hit her milestones. but it also feels so odd to just have taya come in all of a sudden and win the title??? idk. originally i had taya down for this but i’m changing it to jade.

ftr vs jay lethal & jeff jarrett - ftr. if ftr doesn’t win i’m putting my hand into my garbage disposal. if i have to see lethal and jarrett walk around with titles in this company i’m gonna lose my fucking mind i would rather die

jamie hayter vs toni storm - i heard hayter is actually injured. so. i’m going storm. just so jamie can heal. which really sucks because i really enjoy jamie as champ, i think she really deserves it.

the elite vs blackpool combat club anarchy in the arena - honestly as hard as it is to say, i’m going elite just because. it’s their first match back together. bcc is the team that makes the most sense to win, but from a writing standpoint, the elite are finally back together and they should be stronger again now that they’re a unit. but i can see it going to bcc obviously as well!!

wardlow vs christian cage - christian cage just because. luchasaurus intervening seems very likely. and wardlow’s tnt champ reigns have been. shaky and quick.

mjf vs jungle boy vs darby allin vs sammy guevara - mjf. come on. any other option is ridiculous lol

[cantthinkofausername]

some thoughts

I just watched Hannah's Gadsby's show Nanette and I cried at the end because it reminded me of something that happened between me and my dad.

So once we're on a train together (my mom wasn't with us) and the man sitting in the seat behind me had been kicking my seat for 10 minutes. So I turned around and told him to stop kicking my seat. And he just kept denying and said it's my hallucinations. My dad, at the time, stood up for me and argued with those men (the one kicking my seat has formed a pack with the two other men sitting next to him, I'm not sure if they knew each other). I was grateful at the time. Last week during a family dinner, my dad brought this up again and said I never should've provoked those men, because I obviously wasn't going to win since they had 3 people and they're men. I was stunned and I was trying to argue back but I couldn't find the words and then something worse happened -- my eyes started to tear up. It's kind of a reflex for me; every time I get really emotional I would start crying, and I never found a way to control this reflex. When I started crying my dad said "oh here she goes again" and he thought crying was just an act for me to win pity from the rest of the family and to victimize him and portray him as the bad guy. I guess he's not completely wrong because crying would help me get my grandparents on my side, but also no one would take my rebuttal really seriously because they started to think of it as an "act." But it's not. I used to say that the reason women don't get equal pay is not because the company is misogynistic, but because often times women are less assertive so they're less likely to ask for a bonus or raise than men in the same positions. But if you really think about it, if we could spot a pattern of women being less assertive than men, what's the driving forces behind that pattern? What shaped women to be less assertive? I think it's because people in positions of power (my dad, for instance) are telling women that they shouldn't "provoke" people with more power, so we learn this pattern of thinking and eventually we can't speak up for ourselves because it's "provoking" the priviledges of other men. Even if stopping that priviledge (the leg kicking) brings them no direct harm at all.

I kept thinking about this as I rode the elevator downstairs (I live in an apartment) to get my delivery. My dad always said I should never be 怂 (which is a chinese word that basically means "afraid to speak up/talk back), but what he's really saying during the family gathering is that I should be 怂 if I'm the weaker one. Which contradicts the whole point because no one would ever be afraid to speak up if they're in the dominant/powerful position (which does NOT in and of itself equals to being correct). My dad really hates the government and sometimes he talks shit about it at home and say how corrupt it is. But he's never really done anything to fight against the system that he so vehemently detests. In fact, he's still a member of the party (I'm afraid my dad will get arrested but you know what party I'm talking about -- not the fun one). He said the reason he hasn't done anything is because he's afraid they'll come for me and my mother. That they'll find a way to hurt the his family if he rebels. But the thing is -- he never asked if we're ok with him trying to rebel. Honestly I'm willing to get in trouble since it's for a good cause. So that's why I think those are just excuses. My dad likes to tell people to not be 怂 because deep down, he is, but he doesn't want to be perceived that way. When I told him this he yelled at me and hit me on the day of my 18th birthday. I had to leave the city on the next day for school but I guess my dad didn't care. what's the point of 18th birthday, anyway? It's not like 18 is an important coming-of-age milestone in someone's life and basically saying they're adult now. No. He just wanted to express his rage. He just had to get it out in the moment because he's just so incapable of keeping his feelings bottled up inside him. So yeah, I got beaten by my dad on my 18th birthday. How fun is my life!

[tdcloud]

2022 Retrospective and a Look Ahead to 2023 (blog#12)

And now it’s December, and we’ve reached the final blog post for the year. Somehow I managed to keep this up for a full twelve months! I’m as shocked as you are, though I have to confess it took me a while to decide on a topic for this last installment for 2022. There are so many things I could and will talk about, but what tripped me up was the notion that this entry needed to be special, something different. I wanted to reward us all for reaching this milestone. It took some time to figure out what would work for that, but just like December hitting us full force with terrible Christmas music and present-buying anxiety, it came to me in the end, so here we are, and here we go.

The topic du jour this month is 2022 and 2023. It’s both a look back at what I’ve done this year as well as a sneak peek ahead at my goals and writing schedule for the next year. Now, anyone who knows me knows I’m not good at praising myself. I’ve written all these books, published and unpublished, and yet nothing ever feels like an accomplishment. It’s been my New Year’s resolution so many years in a row, and it’s one I consistently fail to address because… well, I just don’t know how to fix that. I went to Yougei asking him what I should write for this, and he immediately said “Do a reflection on all you’ve done this year.” I then responded, “All that would be is me complaining about not doing enough.” It’s a problem, that sort of mentality. I’m recognizing it here, and despite my knee jerk reaction that a topic like that wouldn’t be worth doing, I’ve decided to do it anyway. Because I have made strides! I have accomplished things! Let’s talk about them!

I think most obvious and present in my mind when it comes to accomplishments right now is Carnival, my October novella event winner. It’s done, it’s posted, and by and large, it seems to have been a success. I always stress over these events specifically because it’s… you know, a pretty huge undertaking. I have so many people who ask me if I do NaNoWriMo and I just stare at them like… first, I don’t need a month to write a novel, I do it on the regular, and second… That’s literally what October is for me every year. I bite off a lot to make this event happen for my patrons. The story may only be 5-6 chapters, but they average these days anywhere between 70-90 pages. I’ve stopped trying to write them all piecemeal in October—when I only wrote them to be around 4-5 chapters, that was more doable, but anymore, I need some extra time to prepare, plan, and get a head start if I want the end product to be the best it can possibly be given the circumstances under which it was written. I don’t tend to feel proud of myself when I finish writing something, but I do feel satisfied when these projects come to an end. It’s me testing myself on my flexibility, creativity, and perseverance. If I come out with time to spare, it’s a huge win, and this year, I managed to do just that with Carnival. A lot of the time, I’m still writing into October.

But beyond the obvious and most recent thing, what else have I accomplished this year? Well, I’m unreasonably negative towards myself when I fail to publish something. I’ve got so many things active and ready for it, but I can’t always get my way when it comes to finding an artist with time to spare, or if my editor is bogged down with their own projects. A lot of things conspired to throw a wrench in my plans this year, but I did manage to prepare two stories for publication—all I’m waiting for is art. When I’ve got that locked and loaded, all I have to do is send out for proofs and hit publish. I managed this year to prep so much content. Even if nothing managed to come to fruition for 2022, I’ll be able to hit the ground running in 2023. We’ll have a few rapid-fire releases that way, and I’ll be in a great position to finish some high-profile projects and get ahead for once in my never-ending schedule.

Given how much I work and put on my own plate, I’m not always in the best position to help out other people with their own projects. I was able to help Sun, one of my dearest and most valued friends, with her new A Little Rain Oracle Deck, and honestly, that’s probably the accomplishment I’m most proud of. She asked for help during my busiest month (September, when I’m in the deepest of hell-deadlines for the October novella), and I managed to completely rewrite and revise her guidebook with time to spare for her own deadlines. She’s announced and ended her pre-order, but there’s still time to check out this beautiful deck and see how to grab a copy for yourself. Help support Sun by checking out her website: https://ambisunart.com/shop/

Beyond all of that, I’ve made great strides in my ongoing projects. My Patreon serial, my monthly novella rotations, and all the other projects I’m working on in the background have progressed on schedule. I’m not behind in anything beyond Hiraeth (more on that later), and I’m actually finishing up the last few chapters of Apotheosis this month so I can get a head start on my next serial early, thus allowing myself even more time in the future for things not on my monthly rotation list. It’s hard to do double-chapters for large projects each month, but I’m trying to view it as an investment in future-me. The more I can churn through now when I’ve got some holiday downtime, the more I’ll be able to take my time in the future when I need to take my time. If I prep and stockpile chapters now, I’ll be in a better position when I inevitably get sick, go to conventions, or have a bad productivity month later on. 

And I do plan on doing more conventions. This year saw me attending and tabling at my first long-distance convention. I flew to Minnesota and tabled with my lovely friend Jack, something I never thought I’d be able to do given the logistics of transporting heavy books via airplane. I made it happen, and it worked! I reached an entirely new audience who hadn’t been privy to my work, and I intend to do it again in the future. I’ve reached new horizons and tested the boundaries of what I thought was possible when selling my work in person. It’s an accomplishment for sure, even if it’s not an obvious one in terms of publication or writing. What I do is considered a small business. I’m not just the talent—I’m the salesperson, the marketer, the graphic designer, the agent. Pushing the boundaries of where I take my business is so important, and while Covid is still very much a thing (y’all better still be masking!) conventions are reaching a state of equilibrium again. I’m excited to try my hand at new conventions I’ve never been to before. Hopefully, I’ll get to meet more of you while I do it!

But what about next year? I know I’ve teased a lot of future projects over this past year, but I haven’t been able to give too many concrete dates or time frames for a lot of them. Most of you don’t really know how I schedule or plan out my projects when it comes to publication timelines. I’m very organized, as you can imagine (sarcasm) and I have it all on a sticky notes app on my desktop.

This is sort of my tally chart on how projects are progressing, how much more is left on them, and it gives me general goalposts to aim for as I move forward. I also have a sticky note just for my monthly commitments as well.

This is more a to-do list that gets deleted as I check things off the list, and then the chapter tally is updated on the main screenshot from before. I’ve also got an actual paper schedule notebook where I schedule out my weeks in terms of what project gets worked on when, and when stories conclude, when they go on pause (like in the case of October, every project tends to stop updating except for the novella event offering), and when new stories get to begin. 

Of course, I’m always running behind. In an ideal world, I’d keep to my schedule exactly and finish everything in the least amount of time necessary, but I get sick sometimes, or a family member gets sick, or my convention schedule gets hectic and I lose entire weeks to prepping and traveling and recovery, or holidays happen and my family monopolizes me, or any other numerous setbacks that happen when you live your life. In an ideal world, I’d publish 2-3 times a year. In 2022 alone, I wanted to publish Infaust, Ossuary, and even if there was time, one of the vigilante books. Unfortunately, this year was a busy, hectic year. My usual artists can’t drop everything for me, and I wouldn’t expect or ask them to. When you work independently like this, you just have to get used to having your self-imposed deadlines break. 

But when I’m in a lean year like this, I don’t stop working towards publication. If anything, I do even more so that when I do have covers ready, I can hit the ground running. I do all the formatting. I pre-make promotional material. I spend money I would’ve earmarked for cover art on commissioned character art to generate interest, and I dedicate time I would’ve lost in publication hell towards other projects. Do you see how many things I’ve got in my Edit Block up there? I’ve been able to finish and stockpile so many completed manuscripts over the course of 2022. My editor, NIL, has already recreationally read at least half of these offerings. We’ll be able to start 2023 in a great position when it comes to the vigilante series since we’ve both spent so much time poking around on the documents as it is, and Nil’s has already been able to give me a head start on my personal edits for Lambent and Carnival as well, so when we get around to working on those titles seriously, a lot of the bigger issues will already be taken care of.

So, what does that mean in terms of what to expect in 2023? Well, the delightful and supremely skilled AmbiSun (illustrator and graphic designer behind The Tempest Series) will be returning to make Ossuary, the cursebreaker witch/elder vampire erotic horror novella, a reality! She’ll be sending me thumbnails this month and we should have a completed cover before we hit March. Expect a spring release on that title, and more information and teasers around then!

I know I’ve been teasing Infaust over the past few months, and this book is just a good representation of how my intense work schedule doesn’t always translate well for others. I’ve got an insanely talented artist on board for this Pied Piper inspired dark romance, but working around our schedules and fitting things into our busy lives has proved challenging. I’d wanted to release this book back in June, but it’s looking now like it’ll be a 2023 release, perhaps before Ossuary, but maybe after it. We’re playing it by ear, and that’s fine. I will tell you guys that I do have some fun publication plans for this book when it does drop! I really want to do more for pre-orders, and I’m working right now on making a pre-order book release bundle that will hopefully become the norm when I release full books (not novellas, though we may do something fun for compilations like the vigilante trio.) The goal is to have a cute themed box of goodies to go along with the new book. This will likely involve some character manjuu, a sticker sheet, mini prints, and perhaps even acrylic standees or charms! All of the merch will be available for individual purchase after the book drops, but we may have some exclusives just for early birds. 

Here’s where we get a little indulgent and pretend that I can concretely deliver on three releases in one year. Following these two books, my publication team and I are planning on going all in when it comes to the vigilante novella trio. If you haven’t read my vigilante teaser blog, go do that now so you know what you’re waiting for! Like I said in that blog, I’ll be working with @skelefarts (or Skeletal Creature, as I think Linden told me she wanted to be known as for the book credentials) over on Twitter when it comes to art. The current plan is to focus on editing all three novellas, starting with Pride/Stray (still using the working titles for ease of the team). Once NIL and I are done editing it and have it all formatted, Linden will do her art while we set in on the next manuscript, leap-frogging it like that so we’re always editing, drawing, and publishing until we’re through with all three novellas. Usually, I have to stop everything when I’m working on late-stage publication, but we’ve all spent enough time with these novellas that it shouldn’t take too much focus to get them out. If we’re lucky, expect Pride/Stray in late 2023 and the other two in early-to-mid 2024. A merch box for all three titles may follow the final publication, but that’ll be dependent on how the Infaust box does.

I would say this is all you can expect currently when it comes to physical releases, but that’s not all you have to look out for. My Patreon is always chock-full of so many ongoing digital releases to tide you over in between physical publications. My current Patreon serialized novel Apotheosis, the prequel to Letifer and the second installment in my Dark Vagaries vampire series, will end by April of 2023. It’ll likely be a 2024 release and be given high priority since it’s part of my main ongoing series. I don’t expect its publication deadline to move around much, barring some major life event occurring or my DVerse artist, Y. Dan (Yougei) needing more time to get the cover out. Either way, you can read it on Patreon right now for just $5 a month. In fact, you can read literally all of these stories right now on Patreon if you’re too impatient to wait for physical releases XD Their first drafts are up, and while they may be missing a chapter or two here, they’re still good representations of what you have to look forward to as my team works on publication.

Since Apotheosis ends in April, May will start off the next serialized work, a rewrite of Aubade, a Norse fantasy story. I wrote up a blog post about this story a couple months back, so if you want a teaser on what to expect from it, I highly suggest checking that out. The current goal right now is to finish writing Apotheosis before New Year’s so I can spend January-May churning through my rewrite portions of Aubade (the first eight or so chapters). The following 4-5 new, additional chapters will be written monthly, thus allowing me to schedule most of the book to auto-release on Patreon while I dedicate my time to finishing other projects I normally wouldn’t have time for while balancing a monthly serial like this. I’m also excited to announce here that a really talented artist will be working with me for this Patreon release! He’s asked to be kept anonymous, but I’ll tell you that he’s a huge fan of Aubade, has been for a long time now, even though I really don’t like the fic version much these days. He’s been champing at the bit in hopes of me picking the story back up and, as a show of his diehard love of the story, has offered to make illustrations for every chapter of the Patreon release, as well as a Patreon cover for the story, too. It’s going to make for a very immersive, very thoughtful exploration of this book, and I really can’t wait for January to come so we can begin our collaborative rewrite of this emotionally challenging story.

I also do a monthly patron pick poll on Patreon, one where I keep up a monthly rotation of several different short story/novella concepts that update based on my patrons’ tastes. We’ve currently got three on rotation, a Gladiatrix/Noblewoman lesbian romcom that will end after one more chapter, a spiritual sequel/tie-in to a previous novella poll option currently titled The Raven King involving courtship through mutual story telling and folkloric creatures beyond our ken, and one with the working title Courtly Love, another romcom set in a pseudo-Arthurian setting with a romantic, hesitant troubadour and the inexperienced prince determined to get this guy to make a move before it’s too late for either of them to act on the flirtations they’ve been exchanging for close to a decade. The latter two won’t begin until next year—everyone has really been feeling these sweaty Roman lesbians—and a third option will likely be added then too, since I like having three on rotation. I haven’t yet decided what I’ll add to the poll just yet, but it’s always a banger and always a ton of fun. 

Similar to the patron poll options, my October Novella Event for 2023 will come as it always does, and voting on the story will begin around May or June, just to give me some extra time to plan and get a head start on things. As of right now, the poll options for that event will include the two losers from this year, a sequel to Ossuary named Reliquary that is pretty dead dove XD and another, final installment in the vigilante-verse involving a milfy they/them ditz of a villain and a young, yandere-in-the-making hero who enjoys being held hostage a little too much, a sort of pseudo-horror romance involving the ringleader of a carnival of the dead and a denizen of Limbo who refuses to fall victim to his whims (kinda Corpse Bride-meets-Mushishi flavored, if that gives you some vibes to consider), and something else I haven’t come up with yet. I’m sure I’ll do more teaser blogs about these and other works once I get closer to actually working on them. Just fun stuff to keep in mind, and hopefully you’ll be enticed enough to join us in October for the big reveal!

And finally, the last project I want to discuss is the one I keep getting grilled on: Hiraeth. The final installment of The Tempest Series has been a thorn in my side for several years now, and I’ve offered about as many excuses as I can on why it still isn’t done yet. I just want to reiterate that I WILL finish this story. It will not be scrapped or canceled. It’s going to be published. As you can see in my sticky notes, it is on my radar and always, always, ALWAYS on my mind. The issues I’m having are namely of my own making, but as I said before, I’m always running behind, and with Patreon rotations that have to be published on a schedule, I’m forced to prioritize some projects at the detriment of others. Earlier this year I managed to squeeze in a chapter of Hiraeth into my monthly rotation, but as soon as I had to begin working on my October novella on top of that, something had to give. My goal is to keep Hiraeth on my schedule until it’s done or I’m forced to, once again, let something slide so I’m able to meet my monthly commitments. Given I’m so close to the end of this book, I think the former is more likely than the latter. The SECOND this story is done, it is going to supersede anything else my editor is working on for me. We’re going to beat it into shape and get it ready for publication, but when it’ll be published… I can’t say just yet. It’s going to depend on Sun’s availability, as always, but please know that this book will become my top priority the moment the draft is done. Until then, it’s always going to be the thing I push to the back burner because I have a monetary commitment to prioritize my Patreon offerings first, and while I did toy with the idea of making Hiraeth a serial on there, I opted to not since it’s too wrapped up in lore, previous installments, and context to work as a standalone for anyone on there who hasn’t read the whole series yet. 

Please keep in mind I work a full time job and update roughly 50-60 pages a month publicly and another 30-40 that you don’t see. I’m not annoyed or frustrated that I keep getting questions about Hiraeth—to be honest, I’m just psyched that people care and are that excited to finally get to read it. I’m more frustrated at myself for taking this long on something that should’ve been done back in like, 2019. I’m going to do it, though. My Aubade rewrite sprint at the beginning of 2023 will free me up significantly, and I intend to use that time wisely by prioritizing this book again as much as I’m able to. I don’t think I’ll be able to publish in 2023, but my ultimate goal for this work is to give you guys a release date for 2024, or at the very least, confirm that the book is done and that all we’re waiting on is clearance for art before we announce when to expect it. 

But that’s enough on that. You guys probably look at all these ongoing and future projects and think I’m insane, but honestly, this is how I work, this is how I update, and I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t give myself unrealistic standards and deadlines. I like having a full plate, and when I have lots of ideas, I don’t always like waiting years for their turn to come. Sometime I’ll show you guys more of my monthly planning strategies and maybe even show you guys how I format my physical schedule. To me, this is all very manageable so long as I don’t fall behind. It’s when I get sick or miss a weekend that things get stressful. Maybe that’ll be my next resolution for 2023—give myself even more padding for when things inevitably do happen to me, because even with all of these stockpiling tricks I’m pulling, it’s still likely to happen regardless.

Let’s turn to some questions now and see what else people are excited about for 2023. Questions come from Instagram and Twitter this time!

How do you do prior research and gather references to make your work more “real”?

More writing questions! Fun fun. Well, I mean, I read books and look for articles on the topics. It really depends on the sort of research you’re doing. If it’s something in a historical setting, you should be researching the fuck out of things—if that’s something you feel is important. There are plenty of people writing “historical” fiction where it’s just a setting, not anything more. Do you care about being accurate? If so, then read everything you can find about the time period itself. Find diaries, since those are great for actually hearing how people lived their day-to-day lives, and look for resources that can add flavor to your worldbuilding, like historical cookbooks or books/articles targeted towards taking you through the day of whatever class or group of people you’re writing about. You want to get boots on the ground, essentially, because just reading a history book won’t tell you how a person lived, just what they lived through. 

If you’ve got access to JSTOR, you’re a lucky bastard. Use it and download as many articles as you can. If you don’t, hit up your local library. There are reference librarians who can find articles and books for you via WORLDCAT or interlibrary loan, and I’d recommend being pretty upfront with them when it comes to what you’re trying to write. My mother is a librarian and you’d be shocked what sorts of goldmines they’re able to uncover once they get going. Also, when I was in college, I asked my professors LOTS of questions when I was writing stories set in their areas of focus. If you’ve got access to an expert in the field, use them. I’ve served as a historical consultant before for comic authors—though I’d hazard to call myself an “expert.” Just… don’t be too shy to tell someone like that what you’re trying to do. You don’t have to tell your Medieval History professor “Hey, I’m writing a gay erotica about a viking and volva, can you tell me more about things that pertain to that?” Have some tact, if you think they’ll care or whatever, but just tell them you’re working on a personal project and could use more context. They’ll tell you everything they know, or be a great resource when it comes to pointing you towards other resources instead.

I’d also suggest setting your story in a place you’re familiar with, if you’re basing it in a real world place. That’s not always possible though—and God knows I’ve never been to France XD—but if you don’t have real world experience in the location you’re setting a story in, you’re going to have to do even more research to level the playing field, because a reader who DOES know about that location will drag your ass for inconsistencies—I’ve got a European reader who corrected me for having two French characters drink tea with milk in it. Find someone who lives there or has a lot of experience being there to read over your work and tweak it for issues, interview people about their own experiences, and like, Google Earth is a thing. You can literally take a walk down a Parisian street to see what a character sees. I can’t tell you how many walking tours I watched on Youtube to get a feel for the public portions of the Catacombs as well. The more you know and have seen of your setting, the more authentic your descriptions will be and feel. 

Finally, while I don’t believe in only “writing what you know,” I still suggest you write within your wheelhouse. If you know nothing about the Industrial Revolution and you don’t really care to learn about it beforehand, maybe don’t set your story during that time if the setting itself is a big area of focus in the story. There’s no shame in giving your fantasy a historical bend to it. It gives you a lot more wiggle room and more grace in terms of the finicky little details that may give you away. I guess… just identify what your goal is in telling the story. Are you trying to make it accurate? Do you want people to come out of reading it learning new things? If so, put in the work. If not, then don’t sweat it, but also don’t sell it as accurate historical fiction.

Ultimately, what makes a story feel “real” can come from the setting, but largely, it’ll come from how realistic and authentic you make your characters feel. The more you demonstrate this person is a well rounded character with thoughts, feelings, and goals of their own, the more the reader will feel immersed and find the story believable. Don’t just write a character—write a person. The set dressing will help us understand them, but I’d ignore the presence of a tomato in 14th century Europe a lot easier if the character I’m reading about feels tangible.

Is there any trope in fiction that you love but might not have written yet?

Hmm well I’m pretty good about writing things that I like or want to try exploring, clearly XD But off the top of my head, I really want to do some noir inspired works sometime, as well as more detective stories. One of my favorite type of stories to read are locked door mysteries, the sort of mystery where someone is murdered in a locked room and you have to try to figure out who did it and how—sort of like Clue meets Agatha Christie. 

I’m also a fan of arranged marriages/political marriage tropes, and while I’m sort of satisfying some of those requirements with Apotheosis, I haven’t gotten to truly explore that trope just yet. I’ve also got a divisive relationship with isekai type stories, but I lowkey have plans I want to explore for a story involving alternate realities and a character being brought into a world that seems familiar but has a few marked differences. I’m toying with some story notes as we speak but I don’t have anything concrete enough planned for any sort of formal write-up or teaser just yet. 

What conventions are you going to next year?

Great question! I do try to keep my Events tab on my website up-to-date as I make plans and get into alleys, but as of right now, I’ll be at Anime Crossroads in February (Indianapolis), Anime Minneapolis in May (Minneapolis), Colossalcon in June (Sandusky), and Youmacon in November (Detroit). I’ll be for-sure tabling at the first three (Colossalcon likely just the traditional Thursday), with Youma still being a TBA. I’ve also applied for Matsuricon, ACEN, and will be trying for JAFAX, Anime Iowa, and perhaps a few other smaller Michigan conventions as well. One of my goals for 2023 is to try applying to more conventions outside my normal rotation. Wish me luck on all these lotteries and juries!

It’s been a great year, now that I’m reading over all of this. I’ve made new friends, worked with new people, explored new topics, and set myself up for some really great launches next year. I’m entering a new era of my business and creative life as I attempt new things and try different dynamics within my fiction, and I’m really excited to start offering more merch in new and fun ways. 

I hope you guys had a good 2022 despite, y’know, everything bad that’s done it’s best to stain it for everyone. We’re not living in easy times. We’re actively challenged every single day to get out of bed and keep our heads high, to move forward with what makes us happy while life around us conspires to drag us down. Fiction is an escape and always has been. It can be hard to get the words on paper some days with the news beating down on the back of my head, but it’s an escape for you guys, and for me as well. It’s… important. Silly little stories are important. If I’ve been able to give any of you some levity in darkness, I’m glad. It makes it all worth it, and I hope you’ll stick by me for another year as we continue to laugh and cry and shout at these stupid characters as they fall in love again and again and again.

Thank you for 2022. Let’s say hello again in 2023, and make it a good year, even if we have to do it ourselves by any means possible.

Until next time,

T.D. Cloud

#author blog #blog #2022 recap

[fandomwritingbit]

For my 1k milestone...

First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Wtf, I can't believe this has happened, but I'm certainly not complaining, I hope I can continue to make stuff that yous get along with.

Below I'm going to share a little of my interests by which I mean other blokes I mentally whore myself for, think of it like a watchmojo top nine of some of my shameful lustings. That and also me humanising this blog a little lmao.

no.1 Michael De Santa - GTA V

Like I'm not even lowkey obsessed with Michael it's and 24/7 365 full-time job at this point. I don't know if it's because he's a crook, or mid-life crisis age, or married, or violent, probably a mixture of all that, but yeah I'm addicted. I only recently got back into Gta V, I was a kid when it came out but used to sneakily play it on my mate's stepdad's xbox. We'd have to dig out the disk under empty boxes of L&B Blue lmao.

Reminiscing aside, Michael De Santa has been a fixation of mine for a long time and the lust is out of hibernation. I'd sell my soul, or whatever is left, to be his little bit on the side. If he was uh yk... real.

no.2 Rafe Adler - Uncharted 4

Oh my god, Rafe. Like they knew exactly what they were doing with his design and characterisation, he's just lush. A spoiled, rich boy with something to prove? With fucking bangs? Who FENCES?! What's not to like? I think he's got a little short man syndrome and I'm crazy for that shit lmao.

And bro, the climax fight scene where he's all sweaty and bloody is just otherworldly hot.

no.3 Capt. Boomerang/ George Harkness - (The) Suicide Squad.

Another crook, huh? He's just very nice, especially in the first(?) Suicide Squad (the one with Will Smith), bros got his biceps out and he's hairy and rough as a dog's arse. I mean Jai Courteney is just gajhdoifljkwjouhjlj. Also uh GOLD TEETH. He's so much fun too, the shafting of Slipknot just to see if the implants are real? The constant larger drinking? Gold. They should call me boomerang the way I bounce back to this guy all the time.

no.4 Johnny Cage - Mortal Kombat franchise

I'm always at a toss up between Johnny and Kano, I like both a lot but Johnny takes the cake. He's fun to play as, his lines are great. And he looks like that. The tattoo of his name on his chest, I just love men who are in love with themselves, ego for the win.

I've always been a Street Fighter lass but I'd turn coat for Johnny boy any day.

no.5 Mile Edgeworth - Ace Attorney

Ik I'm sorry, I just love the trilogy and he's so flamboyant and silly I just can't cope. I swear I'm not the kind of person who pashes on a bloke who unironically wears a cravat, but Edgeworth hits different. Also the reoccurrence of Ms. Oldbag makes me laugh too much. Ergo, Edgy-boy is making the list.

no.6 King Dice - Cuphead

The style, the pizazz, the showmanship; I LIVE. I just love him, the obvious nod to Cab Calloway is much appreciated, my nana used to listen to his old records all the time.

That wholesome bit out of the way, I'm a sucker for the era Cuphead is set in, all the fashion and music and early animation, it's still brilliant. And KD being the kind of guy who takes his coat off before he kicks the shit out of you with a designer shoe is just wow. Oh and moustaches are just fucking great, aren't they?

no.7 Tanner Grayson - Scrutinized

I love Tanner and his silly little jumpscare where he pops up in front of the camera. His character is the right mix of goofy and seriously menacing, just the lengths he goes to in the game are scary. Fuck syringes in general are scary. When he peeps around the corner before hiding in the cupboard- the first time that happened to me I was bricking it BIG time. But then he jumped on top of me/Luna and all was forgiven.

no.8 Frankie Donovan - Empire of Sin

Okay this might be an obscure one, ever played Empire of Sin? I found it on game pass a while back and was hooked, I tell you. 1920s prohibition gang life in Chicago, the history nerd in me vibrates with excitement. The characters are just smashing (literally sometimes), not just the bosses but the mobsters too. Frankie is by far the funniest boss to play as, he takes the piss out of everyone, swears like a sailor the whole time, he's just a ten out of ten experience. And the fact that he's always got scuffed knuckles and a bloody nose, just gets me going ngl. I wish I could be 'ina chara beag aige'.

no.9 Sammy Lawrence - Bendy and the Ink Machine

I sense an early 20th century theme here. Look, Ik nothing abut the game lore, I never played it, only watched Jacksepticeye and the like play the first game when it came out. But I do know a pathetic, screw-loose maniac when I see one, and I do here. The scene where he nabs the player and they wake to him monologuing about Bendy like he's some sort of god is brilliant and highkey turns me on.

All these are "gents" I've thought about writing for, but idk if it'd be any good lmao.

#1k followers #thank you so much #i've never done anything like this before i hope it reads okay

[captainmdhridoyhossain-blog]

[ad_1] In a move without precedent in Japan’s long baseball history, players from Oklahoma and Venezuela were inducted into the country’s Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday. For the inductees, Randy Bass and Alex Ramirez, the event was yet another in a long line of opportunities to exceed all expectations for players from the Americas in Nippon Professional Baseball.Bass, famous in Japan for his blondish beard and back-to-back triple crowns, led the Hanshin Tigers to the franchise’s only championship in 1985. Ramirez, who struggled to get playing time in Major League Baseball, is the only foreigner to attain 2,000 hits in an N.P.B. career, reaching the coveted milestone in 2013 with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.“The Japanese Hall of Fame was never on my radar growing up in that little town of Lawton, Oklahoma,” said Bass, who played only six seasons in N.P.B. but made an indelible mark on the game there. “I’m just grateful to the Hanshin organization that despite the way it ended, all these years later, they still consider me like family and I’m sure this honor wouldn’t be possible without them supporting it.”The road to election for Bass and Ramirez was complicated by a system of baseball in Japan that has, at times, been unkind to players born outside the country, particularly to those with no Japanese heritage.The sport was brought to Japan in the late 1800s, flourishing at the amateur level until a pro league was formed in 1936. And the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame opened in 1959. Since then, more than 200 people have been elected to the Hall, including the people most responsible for developing the sport there and those who excelled at it in N.P.B.But until now, the only player inducted who had no Japanese heritage was Victor Starffin, who was the first pitcher to win 300 games in Japan. Starffin’s family fled the Russian Revolution through Siberia, finding refuge in rural Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. Matsutaro Shoriki signed him as a teenager to pitch as an original member of his team, now known as the Yomiuri Giants, when a pro league formed in 1936.Starffin was Japan’s first inductee in the player category, in 1960.Lefty O’Doul, a Californian, was enshrined in 2002 for his help with the early development of Japan’s pro game and a year later, the Mainer Horace Wilson went in as Japan’s “father of baseball,” credited with being the first to teach the game in 1872.O’Doul and Wilson, though, were elected as builders, which had left Starffin as the only foreign-born player to gain induction with no Japanese heritage. That is a key distinction because early on most foreign players were second- or third-generation Japanese from Hawaii. Two such players, Tadashi Wakabayashi and Wally Yonamine, are Hall of Famers.Over the years, more than 1,000 foreign players with no Japanese heritage have played professionally in that country, but until this week Starffin stood alone in the Hall of Fame.“It’s nice to see Japan is opening up and perhaps they’re being a little fair now,” Marty Kuehnert, a longtime baseball and sports executive, said by phone from his home in Japan. “I think the way Ichiro was treated when he came to America in 2001 and was pitched to when prestigious records were on the line — that had an influence on people here about fairness and the way foreign guys should be treated.”Bass’s plight is foremost in Kuehnert’s comment. Drafted by the Minnesota Twins, Bass, a journeyman first baseman, played for five M.L.B. teams from 1977 to 1982, but he immediately broke out as a star after signing with Hanshin for the 1983 season. He led the Central League in 10 different offensive categories over his first four seasons, including the triple crown categories — batting average, home runs and R.B.I. — in both 1985 and 1986. He was named the most valuable player in the regular season and the Japan Series in 1985.For all his accomplishments, though, Bass is often remembered for the one he did not attain: Sadaharu Oh’s record of 55 home runs in a single season.

Bass had 54 with two games left in 1985. But the Giants, managed by Oh, refused to challenge him, walking him six times in his final eight at-bats of the season.The record was eventually toppled by another foreigner, Wladimir Balentien of Curaçao, who did it for the Yakult Swallows in 2013. Balentien reached 55 with 22 games left in the regular season, leaving opposing pitchers no choice but to challenge him. His total of 60 home runs stands as the record.Bass’s ascendant career, however, was cut short when he left Hanshin during the 1988 season to care for his 8-year-old son upon the discovery of a brain tumor (his son ultimately survived the tumor and now has a family of his own). Attitudes in Japan at the time prioritized work above all else and the Tigers eventually released Bass. He was hitting .321 at the time, but even so, no other team would defy Hanshin to sign him and his career in Japan ended abruptly at the age of 34.Despite such adversity from management and opponents, Bass won fans over with his perseverance and lack of condescension. He has remained highly respected and wildly popular 35 years later.His reaction to the news of his induction, in which he shared credit with the team that cut him, showed humility. But Kuehnert was more than happy to make the case that Bass earned everything he received.“Yes, he played only six seasons in Japan,” Kuehnert said. “But his career is kind of like Sandy Koufax — short but spectacular. He’s the fastest to hit 200 home runs in Japan history, he still holds the highest single-season average of .389 in 1986, and he’s one of only three players to have back-to-back triple crowns and the other two are already in.”Alex Ramirez had a far different story. Originally signed by Cleveland as a 16-year-old amateur free agent in 1991, he was regarded as a talented hitter who did not have a defensive position. He played parts of three M.L.B. seasons before signing with Yakult for the 2001 season, beginning what would become a 13-year career in Japan.Ramirez said it was his great fortune to have a baseball lifer, Charlie Manuel, as his hitting coach and manager in the Cleveland organization. Manuel himself starred in Japan for six seasons, outhomering Oh from 1977 to 1980 — 166 to 152 — despite playing 53 fewer games.“One day Charlie told me, ‘Alex, you’re a million-dollar player,’” Ramirez recalled. “‘But not in the States. Go to Japan.’” I said, ‘Japan? I thought that was for the players who are about to retire.’ He said, ‘No, no, with your ability to hit, you’ll get to play every day there and you’ll stay a long time.’ He was right and I’m so thankful to Charlie for encouraging me to go.”“Rami chan,” as he is affectionately known in Japan, retired in 2013 with 2,017 hits. With roughly 20 fewer games in a season than in M.L.B., Japan embraces 2,000 hits with similar reverence to 3,000 in America. As the only foreigner to reach the mark, Ramirez was voted in by writers in his fourth year of eligibility; Bass had his eligibility with writers expire and was elected by a special committee.Bass and Ramirez both hope their honor opens the door for other foreigners to gain entrance into Japan’s Hall of Fame. Among those they mentioned are the Americans Karl Rhodes (known by many as Tuffy), whose 464 home runs over 13 seasons are the most by a foreigner, and Leron Lee, who was a terrific hitter over an 11-season career in Japan and whose .320 batting average remains the highest lifetime mark in N.P.B. history. [ad_2] #Randy #Bass #Alex #Ramirez #Inducted #Japanese #Baseball #Hall #Fame

[sunupstarcom]

How to Plan a Road Trip Route: From Highways to Happiness!

Hello, intrepid explorers! Ready to hit the open road with your trusty crew of kiddos and fur babies? But wait, where are you going? And how are you getting there? Fear not, we've got the ultimate guide to planning your road trip route. So, if you're itching to plan a road trip, buckle up, it's time to plot your course to adventure! Whether you're a seasoned road warrior or a first-time road tripper, planning your route can be as exciting as the journey itself. It's the first step in your adventure, the moment when your trip transitions from a dream to a tangible plan. It's about charting your course, marking your milestones, and anticipating the memories you'll make along the way. So, grab your maps, your guidebooks, and your sense of adventure, and let's embark on the first leg of our journey: planning the perfect road trip route! Choosing Your Destinations: It's Not Just About the 'Where', It's About the 'Why' When choosing your destinations, it's important to think about what you want from your road trip. Is it relaxation? Adventure? Education? Maybe you're seeking the tranquility of a secluded beach, the thrill of a bustling city, or the awe-inspiring beauty of a national park. Whatever your goal, choose places that align with it. Consider the interests and hobbies of your travel companions too. If you're traveling with kids, look for destinations with family-friendly attractions. If you're a nature lover, opt for places known for their natural beauty and outdoor activities. And remember, the journey is just as important as the destination! Don't rush from one place to another. Take your time, soak in the scenery, and enjoy the ride. After all, some of the most memorable moments happen in between destinations. So, as you plot your course, remember to factor in the 'why' as much as the 'where'. It's not just about ticking off places on a map; it's about creating experiences that enrich your life and leave you with unforgettable memories. Planning Your Stops: Because Everyone Needs a Pit Stop When planning your route, it's crucial to consider where you'll stop along the way. Sure, your destinations are important, but so are the pit stops in between. Look for interesting landmarks, scenic picnic spots, or fun attractions that can break up the journey and add a dash of excitement. Consider the needs of your travel companions. If you're traveling with kids, plan stops at playgrounds or parks where they can burn off some energy. If you're bringing your furry friend along, look for pet-friendly parks where they can stretch their legs. And don't forget practical stops like campgrounds for overnight stays, gas stations for refueling, and grocery stores for restocking your supplies. Remember, a good road trip isn't just about getting from point A to point B; it's about enjoying the journey. So, plan your stops, but also be open to spontaneous detours. You never know what hidden gem you might stumble upon! Navigating Your Route: The Art of Road Trip Navigation In the age of GPS, navigating your route might seem like a breeze. Just plug in your destination and follow the instructions, right? But it's still a good idea to have a backup plan. Technology can fail, signals can be lost, and batteries can die. So, carry a physical map and familiarize yourself with your route before you hit the road. Understand the major highways, recognize key landmarks, and know the general direction you should be heading. It's also a good idea to learn some basic map-reading skills. Not only can it save you in a pinch, but it can also be a fun way to engage kids in the journey. Plus, there's something nostalgically satisfying about spreading out a map and tracing your route with your finger. So, embrace the art of navigation. After all, getting there is half the fun! The Pace of Your Journey: Slow and Steady Wins the Race When planning your route, remember that slow and steady wins the race. It's not about how quickly you can reach your destination, but about the experiences you have along the way. Allow plenty of time for each leg of your journey. Don't cram too many activities into one day. Instead, leave room for relaxation, exploration, and the occasional detour. Be flexible. If you stumble upon an interesting spot, take the time to explore it. If you need a break, take it. After all, some of the best adventures are unplanned! So, as you plan your route, remember to pace yourself. Take the time to soak in the scenery, immerse yourself in the local culture, and truly experience each destination. Because in the end, it's not about the miles you cover, but the memories you make. The Final Touches: Adding a Dash of Magic to Your Route Once you've planned your route, it's time to add a dash of magic. These are the moments that transform a regular road trip into an unforgettable adventure. Maybe it's a surprise stop at a theme park, a detour to a famous landmark, or a scenic drive along a coastal road. Perhaps it's a picnic at a picturesque spot, a sunset hike, or a spontaneous swim in a crystal-clear lake. These are the moments that make a road trip truly unforgettable. So, as you finalize your route, think about how you can add a dash of magic. Look for opportunities to surprise and delight your travel companions. Consider their interests, their passions, and their dreams. Then, find ways to bring them to life along your route. After all, a road trip is more than just a journey; it's a collection of magical moments that create a lifetime of memories. Ready to Roll: Final Thoughts on How to Plan a Road Trip So, there you have it, folks! Your guide to planning a road trip route. Remember, a well-planned route is the foundation of a successful road trip. So, plot your course, pack your bags, and let the adventure begin! But remember, a road trip is more than just a journey from point A to point B. It's about the detours, the pit stops, the unexpected discoveries, and the shared experiences along the way. It's about the freedom of the open road, the anticipation of what lies around the next bend, and the stories you'll tell when you return home. So, as you plan your route, keep an open mind, stay flexible, and embrace the spirit of adventure. After all, the best part of a road trip isn't arriving at your destination; it's the journey you take to get there. Read the full article