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mamuzzy-creates-stuff · 3 months

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"Go and raise hell" - Alpha-17 to Deadshot on his ARC graduation The ARC Trooper with armor clean as if he was a shiny, but his face is weary from battle scars, wrinkles screaming about years of experience, and there was certain sadness in his eyes only those had who faced the horrors of war before… only Deadshot didn't remember any of it. All he needed to know that he suffered amnesia due to an explosion and no one came for him after his rehabilitation. That's how he ended up the 501st after Alpha-17's ARC training program. All Deadshot knew that whatever the fucking galaxy is about throw at him, he will ENDURE. ENDURE. ENDURE. It's his mantra, sometimes whispered in his dreams, whispered when injured, whispered when Rex avert his eyes. Be strong and endure because if you fall behind once again, no one will be there to help you get on your feet. Endure and survive.

He is my everything. My precious babyboy. My miserable meowmeow. My emotional punchbag. If you have questions about this pretty little blorbo, don't hesitate to ask! He will try to answer as best as he can...

MASTERLIST TO DEADSHOT RELATED POSTS

「501 shenanigans」 [ART]

「Deadshot gets the love he deserves」 [ART]

03/08/2023 | OC: Deadshot | Sketchbook | He is a miserable blushy mess |

「Comfort a character: Deadshot」 [ART]

「Shattered」 [ART]

「Fives x Shots」 [ART]

CLONESHIP 23/10/2023 | OC: Deadshot, ARC Trooper Fives | They are in love, you honour |

「Mlem.」 [COMIC]

09/11/2023| OC: Deadshot, Clone Trooper Hardcase, Clone Trooper Tup, Clone Trooper Dogma, ARC Trooper Fives, ARC Trooper Jesse | Torrent barrack shenanigans | Boys being boys | Hardcase is a kind of friend who randomly licks your face |

「Stargazing」 [ART]

12/11/2023| OC: Deadshot | Deadshot loves watching the stars | Space art thingy |

「I've got a birthday gift from Corey!」 [ART]

「The captain isn’t entirely satisfied with the new ARC trooper」 [Comic]

「Deadshot has one of those days」 [ART]

12/12/2023| OC: Deadshot, Clone Trooper Tup | Sketchbook | Breaking down in 3…2…1… |

「Bruiser isn’t entirely satisfied with the 501st new ARC trooper either」 [ART] + Part 2 [ART]

「Deadshot has one of those days」 [ART]

12/12/2023| OC: Deadshot, Clone Trooper Tup | Sketchbook | Breaking down in 3…2…1… |

Skrunkly Shots[ART]

Skrunkle trooper!shots made by nuclearteabag |OC: Deadshot | Gift for me <3 |

「Deadshot has one of those days again」 [ART]

05/01/2024| OC: Deadshot | Character reacts to post | ith, you managed to get him feel something :DD |

「Deadshot has one of those days yet again」 [ART]

16/01/2024|OC: Deadshot | Deadshot has one of those days but this time he is pretty

「Deadshot reacts to Fives portrait」 [ART]

Fives x Deadshot (OC) CLONESHIP 16/01/2024 | Arc Trooper Fives, OC: Deadshot | Fives exists and Shots is melting |

#original clone character: deadshot #original clone character: kissar #arc trooper fives #captain rex #clone trooper tup #cloneship #fivesshots #clone trooper hardcase #clone trooper dogma #arc trooper echo

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max1461 · 1 year

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Ok, here's how my opinions shake out on a bunch of random, politics-adjacent cultural issues. I'll try to keep things as brief as possible, down to just a couple word summary per thing. The point of this post is to be needlessly contentious (fun) and also to confound and bother people who would like to sort me into various camps based on these opinions (also fun). Here goes:

Space exploration: good and cool, let's go to Mars (but we should be really careful about disturbing alien ecosystems)

AI safety research: probably important

The humanities: good and cool

Modern art: love it

Contemporary art: usually prefer modern, but it's cool sometimes

Traditional crafts and craftsmanship: incredibly important; terribly sad when they die off

Computer programming: god so boring

External world independent of perception: almost certainly exists

LEM: should be true by definition, intuitively speaking

(Scientific) materialism: absolutely

(Historical) materialism: mostly

AI art: love it

Marvel movies: largely suck ass

Fanfic: based, but I don't partake

Free verse: not really my thing

VR gaming: also not my thing

Genghis Khan: blorbo from my steppes <3

Lab grown/artificially grown meat: I'm so excited for this

Epic poetry: love love love we should start writing that shit again

Salads: unappealing because of their texture; I want whole vegetables I can really crunch on

#navel gazing #feel free to give your own opinions on these or other things as well

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msperfectsheep-posts · 6 days

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hm. for the character ask game. idolish7 protagonist bingo : -riku -tsumugi -hope -arme -momiji why not

SORRY THIS IS LATE. I did this earlier and accidentally closed my art program right as I was opening this ask so. Yeah. I'm going to put my thoughts below a cut like last time just to not flood any dashes <3

Riku Nanase: (IDOLiSH7, normal canon)

Riku's...really interesting to me in a few ways. Like, he is not my favorite by any means, but I think his character is one that I really enjoy digging into because of all of the small parts that go into making him him. He's been sick his entire life and wants to get past that and seen as a person rather than a weak little animal that's a burden, but he's also reckless and bull-headed. He starts fights and doesn't even realize it. He's selfish in a manner that is so innocent, and he's silly in a way that's deeply charming. I think he's a lot more than just the :D face you see him making a lot of the time, but he also is just very silly sometimes. And he can canonically see ghosts??? So there's that.

Tsumugi Takanashi (IDOLiSH7, normal canon)

Chitra this is your blorbo prime. You automatically won her a bingo square just by being my friend <3. Anyways! This is for anime/Rabbichat Tsumugi, since technically she isn't supposed to have much of a personality in the game and I think the anime does a lot for her character. She's really great! God is she fun! She's a workaholic freak that loves her boys dearly but man is there a lot more than just that. I would love to dig more into her as a character one day, but for now, I will just say BANGER female supporting character. I'm glad the boys are with her

Hope: (IDOLiSH7, Hoshimeguri no Kansokusha)

HOPE MY BELOVED. OH MY GOD. Well first of all, I'm not going to write a novelization of a story if I don't fuck with the main character. Like. I may not like them as a person, but I have to at least like them as a character. And Hope is just an excellent bildungsroman protagonist for this space fantasy adventure story. He's earnest and loving, and as the emotional core of the entire story, you NEED to understand why his personality is so integral to how things end up, and I think the writers did an excellent job with that in the original story. He's a deeply charismatic character in that I never want to stop writing things with him and all of his friends in it. I'm ill.

Arme: (IDOLiSH7, La Danse Macabre)

MY FIRST BINGO!! Arme my belarme. I roleplay him in one of my friend's multifandom servers. I have so many headcanons. He's a fucked up little creature and baby boy in a way both parallel and perpendicular to Haruka. I want to squish him and also watch him from a distance. The fact that you can choose his biggest decision in Danmaca is INSANE and speaks a lot to how his character progressed in the story without progressing too much. It's just. Ough. I know danmaca was long but honestly I would have loved it to be doubly as long just so I could see more of all the characters and more of Arme's development, especially post canon.

Momiji: (IDOLiSH7, Ayakashi Mangekyo Karatogaokuri)

I have to be real here. I have not read Karatoga in a recent enough time for me to remember a lot of Momiji's character. I remember thinking this was one of the weakest Kujis, but also, I'm not a big fan of tournament arcs and a lot of this Kuji is just one big tournament arc. I liked the central dynamic he was involved in and how a lot of Momiji's character background shared similarities with Sougo's in canon, but he's not really a stand out Kuji protagonist from what I can remember! If I go back and re-read, I'll reblog this with an updated opinion!

Thank you for the asks!! You should read Mechalala and LINK RING WIND now so you'll know all the protagonists :)

#ask game

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xxhappy-chickenxx · 1 month

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Fandom lads to get to know better ✨

tysm for the tag, @wretchedamaranth!!

3 ships you like:

VegasPete (Kinnporsche The Series): In a surprise to no one, these two have my whole body and soul. Just when I think their hold on me has passed, I see some fic/post/tweet/picture and I'm right back where I started.

Chen Yi/Ai Di (Kiseki: Dear to Me): This is a more recent obsession because I finally got around to watching the series and THEY'RE JUST SO GOOD I NEED MORE!!! I've been doing research here and there abt how to write Chinese names in fic since I don't want to fuck it up and once I get that down it's canon divergence time!!

Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian (MDZS/The Untamed): This is my longest-held ship (also shamelessly plugging my sideblog) and not to be dramatic but I will never get over them!!! I think they don't occupy as much 'active blorbo' space in my brain bc they had a more resolved ending, but if I'm thinking or talking about god-tier ships as a whole, they're always on my list.

First ship ever: Ever ever is hard because I feel like I've been shipping characters together since the beginning of time but I will say the first time I thought about characters interacting with each other outside of any 'canon' was Batman and Catwoman when I was like 12 😅

Last song you heard: Magician by Lexie Liu!! (Car crash and flashing/strobe warning for the mv!!) I'm so late to this train bc the song was released like a year ago but IT'S SO GOOD!!! The sound and story is absolutely captivating!

Favorite childhood book: My memory is horrible and I'm sure child-me could give you such a detailed answer because I was a huge reader! One of my favorite series was the American Girl Doll books, and I think Kit was my favorite.

Currently reading: Nothing beyond what's required for my grad program 😭 I'll get back into it eventually, and for now, I have fic!

Lately I've been obsessed with Not Lost, But Found and Tune of Discord by puckbaes, won't be pretty, won't be sweet by blue__jay, and It Was an Honest Loss by YourKnightOfRage!!

Currently watching: The original Star Trek! I know people ship Kirk and Spock and listen... I get it 👀 Might have to do some digging on AO3 pretty soon, but for now I'm enjoying the silly alien costumes and taking a shot every time Kirk takes his shirt off.

Currently consuming: Beef with scallions from my favorite Chinese restaurant 😋

Currently craving: Nothing right now, but I was craving allergen-friendly donuts yesterday and got them delivered 🤌 An expensive but satisfying decision!!

Tagging @thisautistic and @thisnightsrevels if you would like!! But no pressure 💗

#tysm for the tag!!!#one thing about me is i love sharing my opinions lol #tag game

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quinloki · 3 months

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okay first and foremost I want to say you're totally valid for saying law runs cold bc he gives me the vibe of someone who puts their cold feet on you under the covers and I love comparisions between the two doctors, they literally have a bday one day apart it's so cute

idk what really prompted my train of thought but I was thinking how jarring it would be for the difference in tempature if yall were involved at the same time like warm hands followed by cooler hands replaced again by the warm hands not so much tempature play (tho ace/sabo could def do that I feel) but just the initial contrast hands or other things >>

and now you've given me even more people to think about cause like…

all the hot cold combos that come out of ace/sabo/kid & marco/law are very very yummy so thank you for adding those two in there

okay but as someone who doesn't always handle heat well ace/sabo/kid probably need to be balanced out by one marco/law or I would probably die

like I need ace especially to stay far away from me in summer bc I just know he's clingy and I'm such a baby when it's hot outside already nvm that walking space heater being in close proximity just carry around a spray bottle to keep him away (useful in the winter tho)

OH ALSO I can't actually decide if no devil fruit sabo would run hot or cold. They tend to have him in cooler colors/tones I think to offset with ace visually but I feel like he'd run warmer especially around the scars but idkkkk I can't decide

man my brain has been so ping pong-y lately I just have so many blorbos rocking around up there at once it's WILD how do you deal with this T____T

Law puts his cold feet on you when you're both in bed, but the cool sensation feels good, and somehow he always manages to find some knot or tight place that could use it. Eventually the two of you even out on body temp from the contact and when you wake up in the morning you're tangled in his limbs. Whether you run over warm or not, you run warmer than him.

Ace Sabo and Kid.... hmmm now there's an interesting threesome. >.>

A nice thing about Kid is if he knows he runs too warm for you, he can just bring in and switch out cool (or cooled) pieces of metal to help keep you from overheating. (he's such a sucker for his love when he falls that I can see him making a prosthetic arm with a cooling system in it so he can hold you and help keep you cool.)

Poor Ace getting Sad Puppy because he can't snuggle, finally just tosses you into an ice bath until you're shivering and then hugs and snuggles you for a good hour and warms you back up. Not the most ideal way to cool off (Though I can see the Moby heading to a winter island if a particularly long number of hot days piles up on the crew.)

No Devil Fruit Sabo probably runs fairly neutral. I can see his scars feeling warmer, but not by too much.

xD Also I don't know how to respond to that last one, but I suppose I do have quite a few of these guys rummaging around in my brain. It's kind of like a computer though, there's only a couple active windows at a time, and the background programs are fairly easy to ignore until I switch my focus (for whatever reason).

#quin answers #kazieai

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zwoelffarben · 1 year

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Guess who's not done talking about They/Them

That's right, it's this blorbo enjoyer. Today, we're gonna be talking about Owen.

We'll start with an in depth at his opening monolgue, and how he fills his introductory speech with rhetorical strategies popular with gaslighters and weaponized progressive language to make the campers vulnerable because it's something I found deeply fascinating on my first watch: how he privately believe all kinds of monstrous biboted shit and then turn around and publically says all the correct well-rehersed words that nearly perfectly hide his cruel intentions.

"I can't make you straight. I don't wanna make you straight. Gay people are A-OK with me. If you're happy the way you are, then more power to you. "And I know what you're thinking. You hear the words "gay conversion camp," and you start to imagine all kinds of homophobic bullshit. Well, that is not what we're about here. And let me tell you another thing. "God… God doesn't hate you either. And any son of a bitch that tells you otherwise is a bigoted asshole. And that is officially the last time that you're gonna hear about the man upstairs. I promise you. "But I'm guessing that some of you are here because in some way you're not happy. Maybe you don't fit in. People make fun of you. Maybe you wanna find some new kind of peace, a new way of thinking about yourself. Well, you give us this week, and we might be able to help. And if not, just enjoy the sunshine, and work on your tan."

I briefly touched on its first section in my first analysis of They/Them here because it was marginally relevant to the discussion I had there on the symbolism of the establishing scene's composition.

But now I'm going to focus on the meat of this sections rhetorical strategy, which are the preemptively disarming statements (blue), progressive language (orange), presenting a false choice (yellow), and framing all his actions as being in the camper's best interest (green).

The main thing owen Owen does a lot here during his introduction, both here and throughout the other sections, is acknowledge the camper's expectations and subvert them. By acknowledging the expectations, he shows the campers that he understands what they assume about him, and then by presenting himself in a way that subverts those expectations, he disorientates the camper's initial guardedness, creating a crack in their armor. This is an important technique which can render people more vulnerable to gaslighting, which he and the staff use throughout the rest of the film.

He pepper's his speech with the kinds of language you expect from progressive person with a deep and nuanced understanding of gender, so far, the words "homophobia" and "bigotted" which he uses exclusively to imply that he doesn't hate gay people, but more notably later down in the monologue "safe space," and "gender normative lifestyle." While his language ain't exactly correct, oweing to the fact he doesn't believe a word of what he's saying to the campers and his real intentions and beliefs leak through just a bit, he's clearly studied and learned the language of queer progressives so he could easily weaponize it.

His rhetorical strategy is further enhanced by how he frames his intentions, as helping the campers find happiness, inner peace, or a new way of knowing themselves; he isnt trying to 'make them straight' but 'showing them their options' presenting himself as naively assuming that they might like being straight more than being queer, and that he might be able to help them get to that happiness. For some of the campers who came of their own accord, this works wholeclothe, and for others it doesn't work at all but it catches them off guard: and it's supposed to serve both those functions.

Lastly for this first section, we see him falsely promise the campers the ability to opt out of the program, reenforcing his rhetorical opening that he can't make them straight. By promising them the opprotunity to work on their tan, he gives them the false sense of security that if they don't like what he wants them to do, they can leave. Of course there's no real exit or opt out, but the promise of one is... disarming.

OK. Let me introduce you to my colleagues. They do all the real work. I just cash the checks. This is Dr. Cora Whistler. She is our licensed therapist, and as you might have guessed from the name, my wife. She who must be obeyed. Next to her is Nurse Molly who takes care of any little mishaps that may occur. Molly's new here, so take it easy on her. And that's Zane, our athletics director and a former student here. So, he knows all the ropes. And, boys, he's taken, so hands off. And that beautiful woman right there is Sarah, Zane's fiancé. She's our activities director, and she is going to keep you busy. Believe you me. And over here we have Balthazar. That's our handyman, all-around Mr. Fix it. Say hello, Balthazar! And that, finally, is old Duke. Duke is one old hound dog. So please treat him kindly.

In this section, we see Owen pulling and pushing his role as the camp's top-most authority. He very carefully establishes the authority of the camp verbally while offuscating the heirarchical relationship between the campers and staff from which that authority is derived.

Dr Cora Whistler is a liscenced Therapist who must be obeyed, Zane is the athletics director who knows all the ropes, Sarah is the activities director who'll keep them busy. Even Molly and Balthazar who're the weakest links in the structure are introduced by their titles to establish their place in the heirarchy.

But, contrast that subtle emphasis on the authority with what he not so subtlely asks the campers to do, which together with his 'request' that they please give him the opprotunity to 'help them,' are all he's asked so far in his interactions with them: take it easy on Molly and treat Duke kindly.

His joke about Zane's sexuality is carefully considered rhetorical point designed to disarm the campers and reenforce his first point that formerly "gay people are A-OK with [him],"

While he establishes his authority, Owen is playing a foot in the door salesman, peppering the group with innocuous requests to prime them to accept the larger demands both immediately as he makes his first demand and later on after he drops his established pretenses.

OK. I'm gonna need you to hand over all your cell phones and computers. As well as any medicines, narcotics, or cigarettes that you may have. Cell phones don't work out here anyway, and I'm glad to say that we don't have any Wi-Fi. So we are off the grid which will be a nice change, I'm sure. Molly, if you would. Thank you.

I'm gonna talk about the pink sections a little later in a reblog as it contrasts well with the first true dialogue we see in the film, and this first post is about Owen's monologue as a jumping off point for his character

OK. Let me tell you how the next week is gonna work. We have a number of planned activities and therapy sessions that we would like you to be part of. But other than that, you're on your own. We do have one hard-and-fast rule here. And it's about respect. We deal with some sensitive issues, and we expect you to treat your fellow students with care. And allow them their dignity. This is a safe space. For everyone. And this is the most important thing that I want to say to you. I know that many of you are here only because your parents made you. And while their intentions may be honorable, only you can know what's best for you. Because the idea of this place is not to come outmore straight or less gay. Of course we hope that through your time here you will discover a gender normative lifestyle that is authentic for you but… you must find your own truth. Let us help you do that. Please. Okay. So, uh, why don't you head to your cabins? Settle in. Unpack. We'll meet in the lodge in say, uh, a half hour and get started. Boys' cabin over there. Girls' cabin over there.

This section doesn't really have too much going on here that I haven't touched on before, as it serves primarily to transition smoothly from the heart of the monologue into the conclusion of the scene, but there's two interesting points left.

First, Owen admonishes the parents of the campers who were forced by their parents to come to Whistler Camp. It's again an example of a preemptive disarment (acknowledging their circumstances before they can state them), but more than that, he's planting the seed of the idea that he agrees with their intentions while disagreeing with their means.

The second interesting thing happening here that I want to draw attention back to is "Gender Normative Lifestyle." I touched on how it sounds like progressive language on the surface, and it does, but there's more to it than that: it sets up Owen's actual opinions, which will slowly be revealled to the audience as the mask comes off. Beneath the fauxcceptance he uses to introduce himself, he thinks he and his are normal, buys 100% into patriarchal cishetnormativity as the superior belief system (and the film will explore and flesh out his beliefs some), and think the campers are freaks that no one will care about when he hurts them.

Owen is the monster. He's just clever enough to appear well-dressed.

#they/them movie #film analysis #owen whistler

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aralezinspace · 1 year

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Writeblr Positivity Tag

was tagged by both @chromehoplite and @hangfiretales and haven't really had Brain to write so fingers crossed this helps get the juices flowing again xD Under a cut cuz I kinda went off with the answers xD

1. What motivates you to write?

Rereading my favorite stories, certain movies- I forget what Tolkien called it, but just the urge to create after seeing something beautiful that someone else has created. Also telling stories as a sort of release for the feelings/vibes/sentiments that I just don't have space to experience in my every day life.

2. A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

From one of Megan’s stories I’m starting to rework so it’s one cohesive thing and not a tumblr RP thread xD

The truth… Megan laced her fingers and leaned forward, resting her forearms on her thighs. Her hazel eyes stared without focus into the distance. How much of the truth to tell him, at least at this moment.

3. Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

Guardian Megan Samuels. Both she and her order were created for/in the Doctor Who universe, but I'm tweaking some of the concepts for a potential OW. Writing her adventures got me through a really horrible period of my life.

Megan is the embodiment of one of my favorite tropes, "character is done with x but x isn't done with them (because they're good at it)." She was plucked from her life and remolded into a warrior, yet despite being hundreds of years old and seeing untold horros (time war) she hasn't succumbed to cynicism.

She's kind and self sacrificing almost to the point of martyrdom, very protective of the ones she cares about, "you said pick my battles, I'm picking all of them", the hardened exterior of a warrior hiding the fragile, broken, vulnerable, and somehow still kind and optimistic person underneath.

Fuck I miss writing her. Might be time to dust off her old stories...

4. What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

The semi stressful feeling when the ideas and plot are forming faster than your fingers can type- and when the flow stops, going back and tweaking the whole ass story or scene that just popped into existence like Athena did to Zeus xD just watching the story unfold before you, sometimes in ways you didn't think it would

5. What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

How I write action, specifically fights. Pacing it and varying the language so it's engaging but also realistic within the world of the story, and also the thoughts and feelings of the characters while they're fighting.

Also how I can almost always find the right/specific words to describe the vaguest of vibes and feelings, so that the ephemeral mess in my head is understandable (prob cuz I had to do that a lot to get people in my life to understand how I was experiencing the world)

6. What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

Both the commiseration about how writing is wonderful and awful at the same time, and seeing normally eloquent writers have incoherent unhinged conversations about their blorbos xD

7. A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

Sticky notes and a notebook. I have post-its in the back of my writing notebook with all my ideas/prompts so that if I want to write something but don't know what, I can pick one. also specifically those notebooks with folders in them, they're the unsung heros of writers who just accumulate scrap paper with notes and ideas and want to keep them with their writing notebook (aka me) xD

8. A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

In the Doctor Who universe that Megan was originally created for, the Order of Guardians is formed of soldiers of different species from all over the universe, kind of like the Green Lantern corps but for Time Lords. Each Guardian is assigned a Time Lord to protect, how they go about that is their business (Megan is basically glued to the Doctor's hip, she gotta be xD), but their first loyalty is to Gallifrey. They are all enhanced to live as long as Time Lords but don't regenerate, they go through extensive training and schooling, are the elite fighting force of Gallifrey. Megan was the first human Guardian. I'm working on tweaking this whole concept for a potential OW, we'll see how it goes xD

9. What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

Write what you want to write, no matter what it is. Go to your sources of motivation, whatever makes you want to get lost in the magic of storytelling. and remember, it's okay to step away for a bit and come back to it in a few days or weeks or however long- give your brain the space to rest.

10. Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters.

Both Chrome and Ama who are already tagged (such amazing writers and so supportive of my multi chap that I've been working on for 3 ish years now) but also @griever-bit-my-finger @honeybeezgobzzzzz @7-wonders @just-french-me-up @just-some-random-blogger @roguelov @cuckoo-on-a-string @peachesofteal @undiscovered-horizon @just-some-random-blogger All of these folks have multiple works that I've read multiple times, and I enjoy them just as much every reread as I did the first time (No pressure to do the questions just my undying love)

#my stuff #writing things

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stonedregulus · 2 years

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September Reads

(Yes, I am very behind. My apologies.)

I read 12 books this month and 0 fics... Apparently I was in an Original Fiction mood. Oops! These are in the order I read them.

The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen

Summary:

Caleb Michaels is a sixteen-year-old champion running back. Other than that his life is pretty normal. But when Caleb starts experiencing mood swings that are out of the ordinary for even a teenager, his life moves beyond “typical.” Caleb is an Atypical, an individual with enhanced abilities. Which sounds pretty cool except Caleb's ability is extreme empathy—he feels the emotions of everyone around him. Being an empath in high school would be hard enough, but Caleb's life becomes even more complicated when he keeps getting pulled into the emotional orbit of one of his classmates, Adam. Adam's feelings are big and all-consuming, but they fit together with Caleb's feelings in a way that he can't quite understand. Caleb's therapist, Dr. Bright, encourages Caleb to explore this connection by befriending Adam. As he and Adam grow closer, Caleb learns more about his ability, himself, his therapist—who seems to know a lot more than she lets on—and just how dangerous being an Atypical can be.

Page Count: 352 Genre: YA My Rating: ★★★/5 My Review:

Okay, I had to work for this one. The plot was a bit slow—I feel like it didn’t start to pick up until around Chapter 20. I am also confused by and why the author decided to introduce new characters and start adding on a deeper plot with only a third of the book left. Those loose ends were not tied up at all so I’m hoping the author wraps it all up and answers questions in the 2nd and 3rd books. I think the story line was fine, and the it was written well. I related far too deeply to Adam. I love him and I just want to protect him from the world. LGBTQ+ rep, yay! TW: self-harm, depression, anxiety, homophobia, homophobic slur

Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Summary:

While the Iskat Empire has long dominated the system through treaties and political alliances, several planets, including Thea, have begun to chafe under Iskat's rule. When tragedy befalls Imperial Prince Taam, his Thean widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with Taam's cousin, the disreputable Kiem, in a bid to keep the rising hostilities between the two worlds under control. But when it comes to light that Prince Taam's death may not have been an accident, and that Jainan himself may be a suspect, the unlikely pair must overcome their misgivings and learn to trust one another as they navigate the perils of the Iskat court, try to solve a murder, and prevent an interplanetary war... all while dealing with their growing feelings for each other.

Page Count: 432 Genre: Sci-Fi, Romance, Space Opera My Rating: ★★★★/5 My Review:

Court politics, galactic treaties, murder, & slow-burn romance. Its like RWRB meets Star Wars. I’ve actually never read a space opera before but I really enjoyed this! Also hello arranged marriage trope?! Yes gimme gimme.

The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper

Summary:

As a successful social media journalist with half a million followers, seventeen-year-old Cal is used to sharing his life online. But when his pilot father is selected for a highly publicized NASA mission to Mars, Cal and his family relocate from Brooklyn to Houston and are thrust into a media circus. Amidst the chaos, Cal meets sensitive and mysterious Leon, another “Astrokid,” and finds himself falling head over heels—fast. As the frenzy around the mission grows, so does their connection. But when secrets about the program are uncovered, Cal must find a way to reveal the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him.

Page Count: 336 Genre: YA My Rating: ★★★/5 My Review:

This was really cute. I felt like every character was relatable at some point which was nice but I had a hard time grabbing on to one specific character to make my blorbo. Idk if that makes sense but I normally like to kind of latch onto one character and instead I felt like I was just kind of floating between a few. The MC is a bit whiney but it’s a cute story! I just felt a bit disappointed with the ending. It kind of felt like ‘idk how to end this sooooo uhm, the end?’

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

Summary:

Two boys, alone in space. After the first settler on Titan trips her distress signal, neither remaining country on Earth can afford to scramble a rescue of its own, and so two sworn enemies are installed in the same spaceship.

Ambrose wakes up on the Coordinated Endeavor, with no memory of a launch. There’s more that doesn’t add up: Evidence indicates strangers have been on board, the ship’s operating system is voiced by his mother, and his handsome, brooding shipmate has barricaded himself away. But nothing will stop Ambrose from making his mission succeed—not when he’s rescuing his own sister. In order to survive the ship’s secrets, Ambrose and Kodiak will need to work together and learn to trust one another… especially once they discover what they are truly up against. Love might be the only way to survive.

Page Count: 416 Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopian My Rating: ★★★★★/5 My Review:

This… This is going to be the book that I judge all books on for the rest of my life. Holy shit. No, really, holy shit. I don’t want to over-hype this but I cannot stress enough how good this was. You have got to read this. At first I was laughing because the humor was on point and then suddenly it turned into “Oh fucking shit, what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck?!” This book gave me an existential crisis. I just… wow. Okay? Just wow.

The Temperature of Me and You by Brian Zepka

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Dylan Highmark thought his winter was going to be full of boring shifts at the Dairy Queen, until he finds himself in love with a boy who's literally too hot to handle. Dylan has always wanted a boyfriend, but the suburbs surrounding Philadelphia do not have a lot in the way of options. Then, in walks Jordan, a completely normal (and undeniably cute) boy who also happens to run at a cool 110 degrees Fahrenheit. When the boys start spending time together, Dylan begins feeling all kinds of ways, and when he spikes a fever for two weeks and is suddenly coughing flames, he thinks he might be suffering from something more than just a crush. Jordan forces Dylan to keep his symptoms a secret. But as the pressure mounts and Dylan becomes distant with his closest friends and family, he pushes Jordan for answers. Jordan's revelations of why he's like this, where he came from, and who's after him leaves Dylan realizing how much first love is truly out of this world. And if Earth supports life that breathes oxygen, then love can only keep Jordan and Dylan together for so long.

Page Count: 416 Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy My Rating: ★★★/5 My Review:

This was good but… I dunno. It lacked a bit. Like the story line was fine but it just kind of felt like… Idk I felt like there could’ve been more. I wanted moreeeee.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Summary:

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him. When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

Page Count: 352 Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy My Rating: ★★★★★/5 My Review:

If you’re going to read only one book from this list, let it be this one. HOLY WOW. FANTASTIC TRANS REP!!! I felt so seen. I loved all of the characters and ughhhhh *feral cat noises clawing off own skin* It is SO GOOD. The story line is incredible. There’s just so much. I didn’t feel like there were any loose ends, everything made sense. I love Yadriel so much I would literally kill for him.

The Extraordinaries, Flash Fire, & Heat Wave by TJ Klune

Summary:

1) Nick Bell? Not extraordinary. But being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right? After a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City’s mightiest hero (and Nick’s biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he’ll do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, Nick's best friend (and maybe the love of his life). 2) Nick landed himself the superhero boyfriend of his dreams, but with new heroes arriving in Nova City it’s up to Nick and his friends to determine who is virtuous and who is villainous. Which is a lot to handle for a guy who just wants to finish his self-insert bakery AU fanfic. 3) Nick, Seth, Gibby, and Jazz are back in action bringing justice, protection, and disaster energy to the people of Nova City. An unexpected hero returns to Nova City and crash lands into Nick's home, upturning his life, his family, and his understanding of what it means to be a hero in the explosive finale of the thrilling and hilarious Extraordinaries trilogy by New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune.

Page Count: 400, 384, 384 Genre: YA, Fantasy My Rating: ★★★★/5 My Review:

The relationship between Nick and his dad is just *chef's kiss*. They're fucking hilarious. I laughed so hard through all three of these. Like constant laughter. I cannot even, so fucking FUNNNNNYYY. I love that the second two books really address the sort of weird cop hero worship of the first book and talked about the BLM movement in a great way. Overall a really cute superhero series with great LGBTQ rep.

What If It’s Us, & Here’s To Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

Summary:

1) Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it. Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things. But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them? Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated. Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited. But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third? What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough? What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play? But what if it is? 2) Ben has spent his first year of college working on his fantasy manuscript with his writing partner Mario, who is a great Spanish tutor, and an even better kisser. So why can’t he stop thinking about the fact that Arthur’s back in town two years after they called it quits? Arthur is in New York for a dream internship on Broadway, with a boyfriend back at home that he couldn't be happier with. But when he comes upon Ben cuddled up with a mystery boy, he starts to wonder if his feelings for Ben ever truly went away. Even as the boys try to focus on their futures, they can't seem to help running into each other in the present. Is the universe forcing them to question if they’re actually meant to be? Possibly not. After all, things didn’t work the first time around. Possibly yes. After all, the sparks are still flying. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and raise a glass. Here’s to celebrating old friends! Here’s to embracing new beginnings! Here’s to believing in second chances!

Page Count: 480, 448 Genre: YA, Romantic Comedy My Rating: ★★★/5 My Review:

These are cute rom coms. The first one had A LOT of Harry Potter and JKR mentions but it was published right before she was outed as a TERF and the second one doesn’t mention HP at all so that’s good. Over all an easy read if you need something chill.

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Summary:

An incendiary and utterly compelling thriller with a shocking twist that delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism, from an exceptional new YA voice. Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students' dark secrets to light. Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power. Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high-school game...

Page Count: 432 Genre: YA, Thriller, Mystery My Rating: ★★★★/5 My Review:

This is horrifying but depressingly plausible. I’ve seen so many reviews about how heavy handed this book is and how they didn’t like the “all white people are racist” theme. Guess what? All white people are racist. We have inherent racism, it’s been built into our minds for centuries and it’s our jobs to break down our internalized racism and work on being anti racist. Being anti racist is not a destination. It’s not enough to do a few anti racist things and mark off check boxes to say “I’m not racist.” It’s a journey that we will be on for as long as we live to continue breaking down all of the racist bullshit we’ve been fed throughout our lives. Two quotes from this book really stuck with me: “Growing up, I realized quite quickly that people hate being called racist more than they hate racism itself.” “I don’t trust white people like you do. I obviously don’t think they are all murderers, but I think they are all racist... racism is a spectrum and they all participate in it in some way. They don’t all have white hoods or call us mean things; I know that. But racism isn’t just about that—it’s not about being nice or mean. Or good versus bad. It’s bigger than that.” Most of the white people who are reviewing this book and giving it a bad rating will rant about how unfair and ridiculous it is to call all white people racist. Those reviewers are racist. Full stop. They’re so incredibly mad about being called racist instead of taking the time to evaluate themselves it’s insane, and sad, and they prove the book, which they’re so adamant about being wrong, right. Alright so now that I’m done ranting about stupid people: this book was excellent. So many twists, ones I saw coming and others I didn’t. It’s like Gossip Girl meets Get Out. Some moments are truly terrifying. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. There were just a few things that didn’t get answered that I really wish the author would have addressed by the end of the book because I’m left questioning what happened. I let’s set up nicely for a sequel, I assume it’s getting one, but I doubt my questions will be answered by one.

DNF:

A Marvelous Light, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

#book recs #book recommendations #book review #monthly reads #monthly reading wrap up #september reads #the infinite noise #winter’s orbit #the gravity of us #the darkness outside us #the temperature of me and you #cemetery boys #the extraordinaries #flash fire #heat wave #what if its us #heres to us #ace of spades

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tracybirds · 1 year

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🍉🍒🍊🍇?

Thank you! That's a regular fruit salad!! (yummy yummy)

🍉 Do you prefer to write short fics or long fics? Multichaptered works or single ones? Why?

In an ideal world I would write fics that were maybe 5-10 chapters long and about 10k in length, I think that's about right for me. Long enough to delve a little deeper into character, short enough to maintain my interest and attention, and with space for good build up and tension and cliffhangers and payoff and all that good stuff.

In reality, I'm impatient as hell and mostly write 1-3k length oneshots ahaha

🍒 What’s your favourite character dynamic to write? (Can be romantic or platonic, specific or general!)

ooooh this is TOUGH!! Can I just say yes??? I really don't think I can stake a claim ahaha

Let's put aside specific character and just focus on some general tropes and not think too hard about what they say about me :P Apparently I feel like talking romance so let me see... One combo I adore is one that's got a touch of melancholy in them. One is sunny but sad. The other is lonely but kind. But they find each other and they love and they love and they love. That sort of thing. (I'm not saying I just finished reading The House In The Cerulean Sea literally yesterday but that's also exactly what I'm saying)

🍊 Who’s a character you don’t write for that often, but keep meaning to write for more? (They’re so interesting! But maybe you have trouble pinning them down, or keep getting distracted by another blorbo…)

I love Brains and I have all sorts of different versions of him that I'd love to explore. Ranging from he was a close family friend of the Tracys long before iR and is actually Virgil's godfather through to John's mild mannered college boyfriend through to he escaped the Hood's employ as a young adult and lives on the island partially as a witness protection program type thing to yeah okay he really is just Some Guy that Jeff picked up at a conference in Paris

I just think it's fun to poke at him, he keeps offering up such fun possibilities.

🍇 Is there a particular scene/episode/book/etc that you want to just write a million fics about, over and over? Which one?

There's a handful of stories that focus on the beauty and wonder of the world around us. I love them all dearly but they can never quite capture the feeling but heck if I'm not going to keep trying and write that theme again and again and again in my life.

That doesn't quite answer the question though lol.... I think the scene that would inspire the most if I only got one would be Jeff's return. There's so much driving that moment, it's just a well of possibility

#ask games 😁💕

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vidukon · 1 year

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Programming Update

With the con just three months away, we’re preparing for a weekend jam-packed with vids, panels, activities and socialising! The full schedule will be released closer to the con, but we can now share some news about what you can expect to find in it. First of all, vidshows! Our vidshows for this year will be: 2013 Retrospective (such_heights) Antagonism (fray_adjacent) (This year's themed submission show following on from last year's Blorbo!) A Moment In The Sun (evewithanapple) Embodiment (frayadjacent) Eurovision (condnsdmlk) Festivids (findmeinthealps) How do you love? Like a fist, like a knife (nu_breed) In the spotlight (findmeinthealps) Kick Drum Beating in My Chest Again (FairestCat) Premieres (charloween) Vidders Choice (brokenmnemonic)

Look out soon for VJs calling for vid suggestions and possibly premieres. We’ll also have panels including: Anatomy of a Vid Aspects of Aspect Ratio Women Behind the Camera Year in Vidding A major update - this year we’re trying something new with the group vidding workshop! The workshop is a big part of the VidUKon experience, but our new hybrid format presents some additional challenges compared to a fully offline or fully online workshop. So this year, we’re taking the workshop back online, moving it to a pre-con challenge with a longer timeframe, and making some other changes that we hope will retain the chaotic spirit of the workshop while making both running it and participating in it a bit simpler. Watch this space for more detail soon. And finally, we’ve chosen a theme for this year’s vidder-submitted themed show! The theme is Antagonism. Whether it’s nemeses, enemies to lovers, villains or feuds, we want your vids all about hostility, rivalry, contention and opposition. More details coming soon on exactly how to submit. The deadline will be May 6. Premieres are particularly encouraged but back-catalogue vids are very welcome too. Here’s those deadlines again: May 1 - Vidder’s Choice submissions May 6 - Premieres submissions, Antagonism submissions, deadline for in-person registration May 25 - deadline for online registration if you would like a physical conbook or Premieres memory stick June 9-11 - con weekend!

#vidukon #fanvids #fanvidfeed #vidding convention #uk convention #programming update

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that-gay-jedi · 1 year

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pumpkin— how do you feel about horror movies? do you like psychological thrillers more or jump-scare oriented movies?

I prefer audio horror, but I like horror movies too! I used to watch so many I would get desensitized, take a break from screens to reset, and then watch some more lmao. I'm a bit behind these days because of full time job and my Star Wars obsession eating my whole entire brain forever.

I like practically anything except jump scare based (and the occasional jump scare but I get tired of them quickly and am picky about them lmao). Psychological horror's great, supernatural horror is great, old school monster flicks are great, pure mindfuck horror that plays with your sense of reality, psychosocial type horror like Jordan Peele, meta-horror (like the original Candyman or if Cabin in the Woods had actually been good), etc. I also like a lot of absurdist or existential dread based crap with horror-adjacent messages and themes (think Synecdoche, New York).

In terms of audio horror, I've listened to every free episode of The Nosleep Podcast to date and kept a written list of which stories were particularly good organized by episode and title so I can relisten. I've done the same with the Chilling Tales For Dark Nights podcast. For things that are more serial than anthology, I'd recommend The Orphans (space based scifi survival horror) and my newest obsession, the scifi character-driven drama Give Me Away, which I'm not sure I'd call horror but whenever I pitch it it has a very horror-sounding premise lmao. I also totally went insane for the worldbuilding in The Magnus Archives and made a note of certain episodes of it that are amazing as both standalone pieces and part of the larger story.

I've seen that Give Me Away has exactly zero fanworks on AO3 and someday I want to remedy that with a series of crossover shorts that would double as character studies of our favourite Star Wars characters through the lens of the "radical hospitality" of the alien rescue program from Give Me Away. How their screening process would go, their motivations for volunteering for the program, what traits the personality experts would look for in which prisoner to pair them with, etc.

I already have an Obi-Wan chapter and an Anakin chapter planned out, I'm working on a few of the clone troopers I think might be open to volunteering, and if I ever finish those I'd be doing Padme, Bail Organa, and several of the OT characters next. Eventually if I ever finish all those I'd do some of my Glup Shitto blorbos from sw books like Master and Apprentice, Jedi Trial, Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor, and the Jedi Quest series lmfao I'm fucking broken as a human being

It is my personal and extremely biased opinion that EVERYONE should listen to Give Me Away (I'm not being paid to promote this and I don't know any of the actors or creators I'm just autistic), it's only like 8 episodes and most of which are like half an hour long but it changed my entire outlook on life in a similar degree to the Star Wars prequels lmao.

#horror movies #the magnus archives #nosleep podcast #star wars #sw books #star wars prequel trilogy #star wars original trilogy #give me away #the orphans #blorbo from my movies #blorbo from my books #asks #autumn ask game #Suspicious-whumping-egg

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margridarnauds · 1 year

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Can I ask 3, 12, and 17? Thanks!

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

There was a lot of work I did this year that I was really proud of, even though I didn't have a large overall output, but probably..."Ce qui nous attire, nous sépare." I'm hoping to have a couple more WIPs published by the end of the year, but this one was very personal and very important to me in a way that isn't always obvious. I'd been working on it for a couple years, since I really started playing Assassin's Creed Unity during the pandemic, and it just kept being put on the shelf and kept being put on the shelf. And then...well, I've talked about what happened this year before, I'm not going to talk about ancient history again. It's done. Suffice it to say, something really bad happened to me that made me wonder if I could ever write again, especially for this fandom. Writing for this particular fandom was like pulling my own teeth out with Victorian dental gear, it was actively painful, it was bringing a lot of really bad memories, and I was in this really difficult space of "what do I do now? How do I move on from this? How do I make this *mine* again?" And I was doing that while I was going through a very difficult first year in my PhD program.

And then, this September, I was finally able to write something again. And it isn't my best, though I think it deserved a lot better than the number of hits it got, I kind of wish that people gave it a bit more of a chance beyond just seeing that it was an AC fusion and walking away, but that doesn't really matter, because what this fic *stands* for means a lot more.

I'm back, motherfuckers.

How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?

According to my last accounting, about 62, with one or two WIPs being added since then for a grand total of 64. Let's see if we can get it back to 62 for the New Year.

Your favorite character to write this year?

Honestly, I enjoyed a lot of what I put out this year, and I enjoyed pretty much all the characters I wrote for. I really enjoyed working with Mina again, she's always a delight and I was thrilled that people liked what I did with her because that was a fic I was terrified of writing; I enjoyed working with Eivor and Harald; I really enjoyed working with Bres again, especially since I think that a lot of my take on him has matured and crystalized in some ways in the last year, I'm really excited to see where we go with one another from here on out; I enjoyed Margrid and Orléans as always; I enjoyed working with the Resident Evil crew. The nice thing with being in a difficult place -- personally, professionally, etc., is that it meant that I was really in a very experimental place. There were a lot of things that I'd been putting off doing that I suddenly ended up doing. I was writing just about anything that would motivate me to write, and so a lot ended up published that might have been in the WIP folder indefinitely otherwise.

I would say that best in show was probably Lazare, which makes sense because he's kind of the Once and Future Blorbo, the Blorbo Eternal, next to Bres. Again, it was quite painful to work with him, it still can be, but it gave me the chance to work with him and Ronan in a way I'd never really been able to before, with a more mature, nuanced perspective. I feel, in general, that there was a very....nostalgic, melancholy tone to a lot of what I wrote this year, and it worked with the two of them, both as a couple and individually, because it meant that I got to write a version of them who've seen it all, done it all, and are settled but are still distinctively them and still distinctively dealing with surviving a revolution. I feel like, for the last...five years or so, a big hurdle with writing 1789 for me has always been me trying to figure out how to make these character relationships happen over the course of about three months, and now, I'm realizing that they don't have to, that we can extend this by decades if we want to.

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