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choicesficwriterscreations · 2 months

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March MC of the Month: Evie Ayana

Please welcome March 2024's MC of the Month! Each month, we highlight one MC or OC on our Meet My MC / OC List. They are selected randomly on the Wheel of Names, and eligibility requirements can be found here. We accept MC / OC profiles on an ongoing basis. Please feel free to send yours in!

This month’s MC of the month is…

@cadybear420's Evie Ayana!

More below...

1..In your own words, tell us what you like most about Evie.

It’s hard to choose a specific thing… but most probably her drive to keep moving forward.

Before coming to Berry, Evie dealt with social anxiety a lot in her old schools. She didn’t have many close friends, she struggled to talk to people she liked, she had a little more insecurity about joining certain social/group activities, etc. And she’d lived in the same house all her life up until moving to Cedar Cove, so she wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about moving up north from the Bay Area and leaving behind what friends and memories and familiar places she did have.

She does start out as a little more impulsive and “holding herself back” when she first comes to the school– unsure how to respond to Brian at first, unthinkingly introducing herself as “Emma’s wingman” to Caleb, gives Hugh a startled look when they make eye contact at the school assembly. She didn’t have quite as much drive for change yet and wasn’t expecting much from the school, but she was definitely going to stick with the few friends she did make (such as Emma).

But one thing she did somewhat hope for was that Berry High was a new change of pace. And as Principal Hughs said on the first day assembly in canon, “That’s the great thing about a fresh start. You can be anybody you want to be”. This was perhaps the core motivator for Evie to start changing things. Soon enough, she comes to realize that Berry is sort of this “fresh start” for her, a chance to find herself in a brand new environment. She wants to be someone who is sure of herself, someone who can get shit done. And a school that strives to be welcoming to all is the perfect environment for that. That’s kind of what the OG HSS Trilogy always was to me. High school, but if it were, y’know, actually good.

So, Evie is partly motivated by the fact that the environment at Berry is much more welcoming, and partly motivated because of the opportunity of a fresh start in a new town. And so she starts to push herself out of her comfort zone a little and soon becomes a lot more outspoken, protective, proactive, and helpful towards others. Evie becomes a lot more confident through her journey at Berry High.

One major motivator for Evie is that her first friend and the one who takes her under her wing when she’s lost and nervous at the start of her first day, is Emma Hawkins, a socially awkward wallflower. So right away, she has some companionship with someone she can relate to a bit. And not only that, but seeing someone as socially awkward as Emma have no problem extending kindness to her, kind of motivates her to do the same with others.

Another major green flag for Evie is also probably in her involvement in sports. In Evie’s old high school, she had considered joining football, but was nervous about it due to the team being all guys and not co-ed. Evie is fairly secure in her enjoyment of certain sports and wanted to join the football team at her old school, but was nervous about not being allowed to join and seeming like an idiot for trying to do so. She had heard that some schools might make exceptions for girls who wanted to join, since there generally wasn’t a girls’ football team, but she was still very nervous about the possibility of “sticking out like a sore thumb”.

But since she was most familiar with Caleb of all the people she saw in the cafeteria and knew him to be a friendly guy, I had her sit with him and the other jocks at lunch that day to maybe get the chance to know more about the football team. Much to both of our surprises and delights, the sports teams at Berry are all co-ed and Caleb and Julian encouraged Evie to join football. And the best part? As she was on football, basketball, and baseball, she was treated like yet another part of the team. Rather than being pathologized, patronized, sensationalized, or tokenized for being a female football player/jock on a team of mostly guys… she was just treated as normal (Sonic Boom Knuckles would be proud, haha). As per canon, Brian did make a few comments to her during that one mini-race, but Caleb nonchalantly shot them down.

And lest we not forget her beloved Aiden Zhou. He’s passionate and dedicated to his creative craft; but also shy, reserved, socially awkward, and afraid of coming off as a screw-up or a failure in social interactions. A major reason why Evie is so drawn to him (along with her finding him incredibly attractive) is that she sees a lot of herself in him, and she can relate to him. She sees how passionate he is, and that inspires her to do better herself. It inspires her to keep doing better. And as she works to improve herself and move past her own struggles, she can sort of connect with Aiden and help him with his struggles as well, as she understands to some degree what that sort of social anxiety feels like.

2...Do you feel Evie is like you at all? How are you alike or different?

Evie is very based off of how I am, especially when it comes to the little details. She’s a cat lover, she’s a picky eater and especially hates spicy food, she’s fairly into sports and writing, she’s obsessed with scented products and cute stuff, she’s pretty horny-on-main, and a lot more. I had Evie be a jock in each of the three books because I myself was involved in sports when I was in high school (though I was more of a track-and-field/runner and I didn’t really have a lot of experience in football, basketball, or baseball; meanwhile, Evie gets experience in each of those). I can’t play an instrument to save my life, and cheerleading is absolutely not my thing, and so the same applies to Evie.

But in a more general sense… Evie is partly based off of who I am, and partly based off of the kind of person I aspire to be.

When I was in high school, I sort of dealt with social anxiety a lot, and even now I still struggle with it a fair bit. I did get along with a fair amount of people, but it was on a very superficial level with most of them and so I wouldn’t exactly have considered myself “well-known” back then. So I’ve imagined the same for Evie.

The difference, of course, is that Evie is much more outspoken, social, and heavily proactive in the school community than I was when I was in high school. I mean, I was a bit like that myself every now and then. But with Evie, she sort of gets more opportunities to be that kind of person, and she had somewhat more drive for it. And that’s what allows it to manifest. That doesn’t mean her anxieties go away by any means, she just becomes better at managing them.

Though, one thing I’ve liked about generally being more shy and reserved is that it did sometimes help me stay a little more aware of boundaries, if that makes sense. Evie is much the same, and although she becomes a more confident person throughout her story, that doesn’t mean she also can’t be aware of boundaries– and that especially shows with how I had her approach her crush on Aiden in the first book.

Evie took a slight interest in Aiden when she first met him; it started out as superficial, but it developed into an actual more deep attraction when he invited her in to listen to him play. She’d sort of push herself to talk to him and hang out with him, but for the most part, she knew not to explicitly flirt with him (not that he’d really have minded in the game but yeah). Occasionally she’d be a little bit forwards with him by accident (see: teaching him how to do “sexy moves” at Brian’s party), but wouldn’t express explicit attraction to him until when he asked her to homecoming and admitted he did like her.

And once she knew that he liked her back, she was much more comfortable with explicitly making romantic gestures/moves onto him. I’d never gotten that far with any of my high school crushes, but if I had, I certainly would have been the same. (It’s also worth noting that the more I replay the series, the more I feel like Aiden and I both share similar qualities as well, so naturally I envision Evie as someone who can relate to him).

A final MAJOR way in which Evie and I are very similar is how very GNC we are. I’d say Evie is a lot more openly masc/butch leaning than I am, especially appearance wise (as much as I wish I did, I do not have defined muscles like Evie does, lol). She prefers to keep her hair short; she loves masc clothing like pantsuits, tuxes, boxers, and swim trunks, and she takes pride in her more masc body figure. Similar to me as well, there are a few feminine-associated things (for lack of better wording), such as flowers, glittery/sparkly patterns, heart shapes, general cute stuff, etc., that you can pry from her cold, dead hands. But there are certainly a lot of feminine-associated things she has a distaste for indulging in, such as wearing short shorts or high heels or doing cheerleading– not because they’re “feminine,” but quite simply because they just aren’t her thing. We also both have major bottom dysphoria and would rather die than ever get pregnant.

3.. What is most important to Evie? What is their motivation in life?

Stability.

Not just being sure that she can end up in a good point in life and nothing changes from that, but also being sure that if things do change, she will be able to manage it. Even when things are at their worst point, she wants to do what she can to fix the problem and make the situation better.

For a lot of her life, Evie has been very unsure about what specific thing she’d want to be doing in the future, and while she agrees with the “it’s okay if it takes a little longer for you to decide” sentiment that people tell her, she does also know that she can’t spend her whole life indecisive, and the fact that she’s still figuring things out frustrates her sometimes. And as I’ve mentioned before, her and her dad’s move to Cedar Cove was initially very hard on her. Even as she gets settled in Berry and Cedar Cove, she worries about anything that could possibly disrupt it.

A big contributor to her drive for stability is her parents’ history. After her dad Scott and Emma’s mom Julia had gone their separate ways with university as per canon, he’d eventually meet a woman in his year but with a different major. Her name was Rani, and he’d fall in love with and marry her after they’d both got their graduate degrees. Rani eventually became pregnant, but it was only a few months into the pregnancy when she realized she was not interested in being a parent.

Scott, of course, had always wanted to be a dad, but he respected Rani’s decision. So, due to this contrast of life goals, the two divorced on amicable terms. Rani was okay with carrying the baby AKA Evie to term (though Scott was okay with it if she wanted to terminate the pregnancy), and after that she’d simply take on the title of being Evie’s Auntie Rani. And it was heartbreaking for both of them because they were otherwise a perfect match.

Evie knew the full story growing up, and while she did not resent Rani at all for leaving, knowing that story had amplified her own cautiousness– particularly when it came to her own romance. She’d crushed on Aiden, wanted to be official with him, and fell in love with him long before he did with her for each of those points, but she didn’t want to push anything too suddenly onto him. Often, she’d wait until moments, such as when Aiden confessed to liking her after asking her to homecoming or when he confessed he loved her at prom, before she’d start taking things further. She wouldn’t express romantic gestures and attraction to him until after he said he liked her. She wouldn’t confess her love to him until after he confessed to her.

That doesn’t mean she’d never initiate, though. She’s the one who took Aiden outside to talk about becoming official, even though he ended up being the one to ask her to be his girlfriend. After their moment on Hearst’s rooftop, she had started making plans to ask him to be her date to homecoming (but of course, Aiden beat her to it). And she was the one to (as per my headcanons) dip him in their first dance at homecoming and (as per canon) initiate their first kiss during that dance.

And make no mistake, all those moments– learning Aiden liked her, having a steady relationship with him that year, to the point of them becoming official in late February and him confessing he loved her at the end of prom, and seeing Aiden become a more confident and self-assured person throughout their relationship… she was incredibly happy about all of it. But in the back of her mind, she sometimes couldn’t help but think it to be too good to be true. Sometimes she feared that they’d end up the same way her dad and her Auntie Rani did: a seemingly perfect couple at first, all until one singular but major area of incompatibility.

Later on in their relationship, she would start to become fussy over making sure Aiden actually enjoyed what he was doing with her, telling him she didn’t want to force him to do anything he didn’t want to do. This would become a point of contention between them, as Aiden would be a little upset at Evie not being fully sure in his choices. But in the end, they’d be able to work it out together. To this day she still isn’t fully sure about what she’d do if she and Aiden ended up separating, but she would become better at being able to manage any difficulties or disagreements between them. She would do what she could to better the situation. The two would eventually get married (Evie being the one to propose), having talked about it prior and both being sure that they were happy with each other.

As for everything else in her life? She does slowly become more welcoming to change. As of now, I don’t imagine her going through a lot of sudden changes in her life, but she does become more comfortable with the idea. A year after they marry, Aiden and Evie move out of Evie’s old house and into a cozy apartment in the Bay Area, and then move back into Cedar Cove but in their own home when they decide they want to have kids. Events like these where Evie does have a bit more control over the situation, do help her get used to the idea of major change.

4.. What are Evie's biggest pet peeves/dislikes?

Evie loathes gender essentialism, gender complementarianism, TERFs, and the like (Then again, any person with common sense would loathe those things, haha). But especially as someone who is very openly and proudly GNC, she just absolutely loathes them. She hasn’t experienced a lot of direct bigotry from TERFs herself, but to put it briefly, she’s been paying attention to their behaviors, and she’s not having any of their bullshit. Especially not with their blatantly two-faced behaviors towards GNC cis people (especially cis female athletes with even the smallest bit of “masculine” features, AKA people like her3). All the more reason why she sings her praises to Berry for having co-ed sports.

For something on a lighter note… she can’t stand spicy food despite her South Asian heritage. A bit of mild spice is alright, but very spicy food is just… she doesn’t get the appeal at all. She’s generally a very picky eater, even being averse to most South Asian dishes. And overly spicy food is probably the bane of her picky eater existence.

I imagine she just also dislikes… bullies in general. In her old schools, she would get bullied quite a bit, but she never quite knew how to stand up to them. So at Berry, she does try to change that, starting with standing up for her friends (like Emma) who get bullied. She aspires to be a protective girlfriend to Aiden and an overall reliable friend. It’s not always easy– such as when Isa and the hall monitors screw over Aiden and band and cheer, when band and cheer turn on the basketball team, or when Max and Kara frame her for sabotage. But she doesn’t let it stop her. She always tries to get through it, one way or another.

5.. If Evie could change one thing - anything - what would it be?

I’m not fully sure, honestly. I imagine there are lots of things she’d want to change.

Although it’s a bit more general, Evie would change… a lot of her past. She has way too many moments of “I look back on this thing I did in the past, and I fucking cringe at it.” She knows she’s grown from all that and has become a much better person, but it’s just hard for her to not feel bad about herself over her past mistakes.

For something that’s a little more specific, her parental situation is something she’s sometimes wished she could change. To reiterate, she does not resent Rani for leaving and understands why she did. But there have been times when she’s wished that Rani and Scott never separated. From what Scott had told her, Rani sounded freaking awesome to her, and she imagined she’d have loved having her as a mom, along with Scott as her dad.

Rani would sometimes visit them, taking on more of a title of being Evie’s Auntie. But she wouldn’t visit often because it could be very awkward knowing the past, especially so when she and Scott hadn’t fully moved past their feelings for each other.

Evie and Scott have had a very healthy relationship, but the situation with Rani has created some confusion for both of them. With Scott, he’s often feeling guilt. He’d told Rani that he was okay if she didn’t want to carry the pregnancy to term– Evie knows this and understands, but he sometimes feels guilty for having felt that way about Evie, even though it was before she was born. But he also sometimes feels guilty about giving Rani a pregnancy she ended up not wanting and seeing her carry that pregnancy to term even after realizing that, even though she had agreed to it at first and agreed to carry it to term anyways.

I headcanon a big part of why he’s extra sweet to Evie, on top of her being his daughter, is the fact that he sort of considers himself lucky to have ended up with Evie. Rani chose to carry the pregnancy to term, even though both she and Scott were well aware that she was in every right not to. He’s always wanted to be a dad, and he got just that. So he tries his best to not take her decision for granted.

With Evie, she’s certainly fine with having just Scott, but she’s known the story of Scott and Rani’s separation ever since she was very young and it’s hard for her not to feel like she missed out on having Rani as a mother figure. But she also sometimes feels guilty for feeling that way, knowing Rani did not want to be a mother.

At one point or another though, she does come to terms with her parental situation. Rani would come to visit more often when she could as she and Scott were eventually able to move on from each other.

6.. What is Evie’s favorite quote or song?

I don’t think Evie can really pick just one song, haha. Though Evie can't play an instrument for shit, let alone compose a song and a lot of the musical terminology Aiden uses is mostly just pure jargon nonsense to her… she's quite the enthusiast for good songs and soundtracks.

She excitedly raves to Aiden about her favorite soundtracks from movies, video games, TV shows, etc. Often, she'll even recommend a show or movie to him partly on the basis of it having a bomb-ass soundtrack and almost 100% of the time, he will enjoy it, and they'll rave about the best parts of the soundtrack together.

So it’s a little hard for Evie to pick just one song (or one quote, for that matter). Probably something Aiden composed for her, but I’m not sure.

7.. Is there anything else you’d like to share about Evie?

I guess I’d like to ramble a bit about how fun it is to build the character of my OG HSS MC, both within the game and outside of it.

In Choices, I generally tend to prefer MCs with a more open-ended backstory and especially choices in what kind of personality they have and how they respond/behave/act. I know even the most choice-based story can’t account for every single granular detail about what we want for our MCs, but most of the time I just like being able to decide *who* my MC is whenever fitting. I like being able to make choices for the MC, and create my own backstory for them that sort of informs said choices, maybe even make two different versions of the MC that feel like completely different people from one another. (Truth be told, I’m a fan of any MC that’s allowed to have a spine and be proactive in the story, but the ones that are flexible in their character score extra major points with me).

OG HSS is definitely a series that allows for stuff like that, which is part of why both the trilogy and the MC are my favorites of all Choices. There’s a lot of variety in the kind of story experience you can have, and probably only two or three moments where default dialogue made me go “Evie would not say that”. Honestly, I don’t think the series would have had nearly as much of an impact if MC had only one activity they could do, or one singular specific backstory for Scott and their mom and their old school.

Although I haven’t really played as a MC other than “Evie Ayana” in any of my 7 playthroughs, I have tried a couple of different choices and routes for her. Once I’ve had her as a band kid instead of a jock, and I loved all the extra moments she could get with Aiden. Twice I’ve had her romance Michael, and as much as Evie would be attracted to him, they do not have all that much romantic chemistry (and so I’m making a new HSS MC for his route). One time I’ve even had Evie try and side against her own team at the basketball game in Book 2… and oh my God, it was so puke-inducingly out-of-character for Evie that I had to scrub it from my HSS screenshots history.

Once I’ve deliberately made mostly bad choices for her (outside of her activity), and it was quite interesting to see outcomes such as losing the baseball game, losing homecoming crown and guest-of-honor-– and most notably, how she can lose her tryouts spot to her respective Hearst rival if she’s been mostly awful to the Hearst kids, even if she’s otherwise good at the actual tryouts. Like hello? I can make my MC not be nice? And face consequences for it? I like. I’ve sometimes seen the HSS MC get flak for being “too perfect” or “too much of a fantasy” or “not having much personality”, and I’m just like, “Honey, with all due respect… they’re only perfect because you made them that way.”

I’ll admit, with the most recent playthrough I did to record Evie’s official storyline, I did make the choices that would lead to the “good” outcomes. But with most of it, I was just making whatever choices felt right for the kind of character I wanted for Evie and then let things take their course. I wanted her to be someone who was fairly good at her sports. I wanted her to become someone who tries to step up and be a leader, and someone who is outspoken about her opinions and stays true to them, but also knows her boundaries. But sometimes she can act without thinking and that does make her very self-conscious a lot of the time, even as she becomes more confident throughout her time at Berry. Some of it was more intentional– I did want her to be fairly competent at her activities. But other stuff like the homecoming/prom crowns felt more like bonus things for her.

Fun Fact: during my most recent playthrough, where I was recording the official choices and outcomes in the story for Evie, I kind of wanted a way to represent her lack of experience in baseball since I headcanon it’s Evie’s first time doing the sport. So what I did was I just took my glasses off and backed away from the phone screen a bit when the minigame choices were in session. And Evie did miss a few of the throws, but performed mostly successfully in the end, getting the tryouts spot and winning the baseball game.

I’ve actually gone through a couple of different “canons” for Evie, throughout each of my 7 playthroughs of the story. I’ve tried different routes and options for the sake of trying them out, but there are quite a few choices I’d imagined as “canon” for her that are now different. When I first played the trilogy, Evie was actually named “Cady Heron” after the main character of Mean Girls, my favorite HS-based movie (Scott calling her “Cady-bear” all the time is how I came up with my username). She had the blonde beachy waves hairstyle in the first book, and was a bit more openly flirtatious with the characters she liked (Aiden, Michael, and Maria), she told Koh’s secret to Isa out of panic and thinking that it would get Isa off of Koh’s back. I imagined her having figured out clear goals for herself by the end of the first day: take down Brian and Zoe, and get with Aiden+Michael+Maria.

But upon developing her character, I was sort of trying to make her a bit more like me. With that in consideration, Evie would have been someone who wouldn’t be so openly forward and would take secret-keeping pretty seriously. In my “Evie’s official choices” playthrough I did have her slip the secret to Isa, but it felt so wrong, and so I had to restart the chapter right after the choice in order to choose otherwise.

And I am planning to make a couple more OG HSS MCs too. One will be a male MC named Alan Parke, a cheerleader who is a total diva– he’ll romance either Maria or Emma, and he’ll be very flirty, preppy, and pompous. Book 3 would be a sort of a character arc for him where he may have to set his self-aggrandizing habits aside as he comes to sympathize with fellow male cheerleader Kieran, with whom he’s competing in tryouts. Another will be a female MC named Violet Jones, the one I’ll have to romance Michael. She’ll be a lot more suave and no-nonsense– she hates self-policing and is a lot more quick to call people out on their crap whenever she can, and will certainly have a lot more romantic chemistry with Michael than Evie did.

And I’m definitely gonna have one or two MCs that are utter screw-ups at everything in the game– crap at their activities, they don’t win the dance titles, they’re cold to the Hearst kids. And I also wanna do a couple of playthroughs that switch activities between books. Some that are more slow-burn in their romances. I’m even planning an “AU/alternate timeline” playthrough where Evie tries band (and is mostly crap at it). Agh, there are so many route combinations I wanna do in HSS!

Bottom line: it’s just really fun to give my MCs their personalities and make them feel like my own, and it especially applies with Evie. It brings me joy to build her character and share/discuss it with the fandom here (as well as seeing how others build their MCs too)!

#cfwc mc of the month #high school story #cadybear420 #meet my mc #choices fic writers creations #playchoices #choices stories you play #march mc of the month

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jokeroutsubs · 3 months

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[ENG translation] Joker Out at Eurosonic 2024: an interview with Kris for Val 202 radio station

Today, 22.01.2024, Slovenian radio station Val 202 broadcasted an episode of their 'Glasbena zgodba' ('Musical Story') podcast about the Eurosonic 2024 festival that happened last week. Eurosonic is an annual showcase festival and music conference in Groningen, The Netherlands, where emerging European acts perform for industry professionals and festival scouts. Joker Out performed there this year, so today's podcast featured a short interview with Kris Guštin. You can find the original post here or listen to the original audio in Slovenian in the embed above. Here is the translation of the interview, translated by a member of Joker Out Subs and proof read by @flowerlotus8.

Host: The first group we mentioned, Joker Out, performed twice during the festival. First on Wednesday on the MAAS main stage, and the next day, on Thursday, in the Platosonic record shop, where The Strokes also performed in the past. I invited Kris Guštin, who talked to the fans there in Dutch, in front of the microphone.

Kris: Well, my great-grandma and my grandpa's entire side of the family, who are from Indonesia, live in a place called Assen, which is 30 minutes out of Groningen. It's actually the closest big city for them.

Host: Joker Out haven't performed at many showcase festivals, Kris counts Eurovision and the PIN festival in Skopje among them.

Kris: Showcase festivals are maybe not that important or necessary for us anymore, but we still liked doing one or two, to experience it. It is, however… For performers who are really still looking for an international audience, and especially those who would like to present themselves to industry people from abroad, it's a pretty great chance. It's the same with MENT¹, for Slovenia, of course.

Host: Were you thinking about, or were you under any pressure, considering that there were many music professionals in the audience?

Kris: Not really. It's… We were aware that it would be harder to make a good show, because people wouldn't be that oriented towards us and our music, which is totally understandable. I have to say, however, that I was honestly surprised and happy that we had the first three rows or so of our fans, who really made the atmosphere more lively, otherwise it would've been pretty hard. I did, however, also see... The best kind of validation is to see these people who, at the beginning, are standing in the back and not participating in the concert, who are then bobbing their heads by the end. That's always a good sign of a good concert.

Host: The members of Joker Out, who will release a new single in February and go on another European tour soon after that, are currently living in London, where they are getting used to life there and, as Kris says, creating new music outside of their comfort zone.

Kris: But just as a fun fact, well, I will say that now that we are in London, we've made a song that is the most Balkan song we've ever made, so it's… it might have a completely opposite effect. We don't really have any idea yet where it will take us.

Host: In Slovenia, you made a living with music. Now that you've gone abroad and have all these concerts, is it as profitable as laypeople imagine?

Kris: I'll say it like this: if we stayed only in Slovenia, we would be making more money right now than we actually do. But we have, I don't know, some kind of a chronic flaw where we never know how to stop investing in ourselves, well, how to say it. Which is actually a great thing, but such... touring abroad is definitely not a profitable thing for a band at our level, but I will say that it is less of a financial burden than I thought it would be. We are lucky to have so many listeners that in the previous season, the previous tour, we sold out almost everything, which means that it did bring us some money, but with all the... plane tickets, accommodation, transport, it amounts to so much that in the end, we just managed to nicely finance all of it, plus maybe get some money for the album this year. Otherwise, it's not like we're making big money. If we had stayed in Slovenia, we would've just pocketed all that.

¹MENT Ljubljana is one of the leading showcase festivals and music conferences in Central and Eastern Europe and the largest event of its kind in the region.

#joker out #kris gustin #kris guštin

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ms-m-astrologer · 2 days

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Transiting Venus enters Taurus

Monday, April 29 - Thursday, May 23, 2024

Venus rules Taurus, and she loves being in her own sign. (Don’t we all?) She’s very powerful here, and is about to find many opportunities for growth and development.

Looking at her various areas:

Art - well, ceramics, certainly. We can make steady progress with our talents here (Ms M eyeballs her needles and hooks). We tend to go for pieces of art that make us relax.

Beauty - “a natural beauty, unaffected;” Prince had natal Venus in Taurus. Makeup to subtly enhance; natural fibers. Excellent for getting out to appreciate the beauty of Mother Nature.

Love - we want to make our loved ones comfortable! And cram them full of scones, rolls, cakes, etc. This isn’t a flashy, demonstrative love, more of steady reliability.

Money - sometimes splurges on “status” items, otherwise fairly miserly.

Although this transit gets off to a bumpy start, it is pretty much smooth sailing. Just don’t sleep through it!

Wednesday, May 1 - Venus/Taurus square Pluto/Aquarius, 2°06’. Problems with staying inside our comfort zones.

Saturday, May 4 - Venus/Taurus trine Juno/Vesta, 6°47’. This is a great vibe for working partnerships. We help each other out with practical solutions.

Friday, May 10 - Venus/Taurus sextile Vesta/Cancer, 13°26’. A pleasant time at work. This is also (weirdly?) very sexy for relationships.

Monday, May 13 - Venus/Taurus sextile Saturn/Pisces, 17°39’. Good for spending time with old people. We’re very disciplined with our artistic expression.

Thursday, May 16 - Venus/Taurus trine Ceres Rx/Capricorn, 21°32’. Nice familial/tribal relations; good for making our homes more comfortable.

Saturday, May 18 - Venus/Taurus conjunct Uranus/Taurus, 23°23’. If there’s any chance of busting out of any Venus rut, this is the time.

Wednesday, May 22 - Thursday, May 23:

Venus/Taurus opposite Pallas Athene Rx/Scorpio, 28°16’

Venus/Taurus conjunct Jupiter/Taurus, 29°23’

Venus/Taurus sextile Neptune/Pisces, 29°30’

This may be a very tiring time. Venus-Jupiter is always excessive; the opposition to Pallas Athene throws off our usual solid judgement, while the sextile to Neptune fogs us up. Gender identity may be an issue. We may bite off more than we can chew with artistic projects.

#Astrology #Transiting Venus enters Taurus #Ms M astrologer

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kakiastro · 1 year

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Astrology of Doja Cat

Using whole sign

Rising/Chart Ruler

Libra Rising with Chart ruler Venus in Scorpio 2h.

She’s a private person, she knows lots of people but very few people really know her. It may take awhile for her to open up in a vulnerable way. She may constantly be in the spotlight for her fashion choices. We all know she sings and raps which makes sense because Venus rules over music. Music may be healing to her. Also her chart ruler is in the 2h that’s rules the voice and vocal chords. If you listen to any of her music than you’ll know there’s lots of sexual themes but it comes out pretty and smooth because of that Venus 😅

Libra Stellium 1h

(Sun. Mercury, Chiron, North Node)

Sun- this indicates mass fame. Your constantly in the spotlight or people always have their name in your mouth. Now this can be good and bad.

Good because if you’re a creative or businessperson than you can get exposed easier. The sun will always shine on you(1h)

Bad because the sun is always you. Your mistakes is always being highlighted or people want to know every little thing about you and if you’re a private person like Doja; this can be a nightmare.

Mercury- your words will be remembered easily because it’s in the house of self. Now I see Chiron is conj here so she has to be careful because her words can get her in trouble or there’s going to be some backlash which has happened to her already a few times

Chiron- she may self doubt herself a lot and think she’s not pretty or good enough to be where’s she’s at but that’s not true at all! People who have Chiron 1h are some of the most beautiful people but they tend to self sabotage because they think they’re not good enough which isn’t true at all!

North Node- libra is all about relationships, business, balance, peace and harmony do with that being in her 1h, she needs to learn to let people in but also put boundaries in place while still being her own boss. NN is the toughest placement because the lessons we need to learn in order for our soul growth and that usually means stepping out of our comfort zones. Her NN ruler is in the 2h so creating a legacy whether it’s in fashion or music are the themes in her life. Her South Node Aries 7h tells me that in previous life times; she may have been selfish when it came to other people especially with friends and siblings with ruler Mars in the 3h. Also very stuck in her philosophical thoughts. This lifetime is teaching her about teamwork but still having your own individuality.

I also noticed she’s about to go through a Reverse Nodal return when Transit NN enters Aries this summer which will conj her SN Aries. This means she’s going to have lots of déjà vu moments because things from early life and pass life is going to show up. Wouldn’t surprise me if she’s start to get interested in certain time periods out the blue.

The Moon

(Virgo moon 12h)

Moon-her Venus his already a private sign but her 12h moon makes her super private!

Virgo moon are more so logical than emotional but being placed in the a water house; yeah she feels a lot and probably analyze every emotion, it doesn’t help that she has a 1h Chiron that probably makes her doubt herself already😫

She also has Cancer 10h with Leo Mc so her emotions are often on public display and may be seen as overly emotional or erratic 😩

Honestly; I think taking breaks from the spotlight is actually good for her health(mental, emotional and spiritual) her NN is conj her sun so learning how to be in the spotlight is her life lesson but that doesn’t mean she can’t take breaks from it and focus on herself from time to time.

Saturn Pisces

Saturn-I see she’s about to enter her return since Saturn just entered Pisces on March 7! She has Saturn in the 6h so health, daily routine, organizations, co workers, pets are the main things this house rules over. She won’t feel this return until transit Saturn get close to her natal Saturn degree which is 18°(Virgo degree) so in late 2024-early 2025ish we may see her on the news related to these things. I’m hoping it’s all positive though😊

Pluto Aquarius Transit

I see Pluto is about to enter her 5h of creativity, passion, children and dating. I predict she’s going to take a new direction in her music career! Maybe switching genres or collaborating with people you never would’ve expected her to collaborate with.

Pluto is transformation and Aquarius is the think out of the box sign

Asteroids

(Fama and Varuna)

Fama- known as “Fame”. Is in her 4h Capricorn.

I do remember her saying she didn’t like fame a few years ago on twitter and now it makes sense why because fame is in her house of safe spaces and home. She may feel like fame robbed her of that. There’s some resentment toward it for sure. The is also tells me she’s been famous in previous lifetimes as well; may have been from a famous family. 4h can show us past life stuff as well in case you’re wondering why I said that😅.

Varuna-indicates mass fame on a world wide scale. It’s in her 10h of public relations . I love how she has a song called “woman” and “ain’t shit” that was pretty popular and have a cancer 10h😅

I hope you all enjoyed this breakdown and don’t forget to check my other post in the pinned section

Thank you!

#astrology community #astrology #knowledge #astro observations #celebritybirthchart #love astrology #popcultureastrology #doja cat

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wrongpublishing · 4 months

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Increase Your Literary Body Count in 2024

by Mathew Gostelow.

"In my slut era," I whispered, sending the story out on its ninth simultaneous submission.

At the most recent count, I wrote 60-odd things in 2024 and submitted them a total of 202 times in all. 42 of them were published in some form. Along the way, I racked up 90 rejections. All in all, I published somewhere around 44,000 words in 2023.

I was whoring my stories all over, like some sort of village bike made of ink and shamelessness. I spent a year subbing sluttily. I had a blast doing it too. I got a fair few publications under my belt, made new friends, and learned some lessons as well. Here’s just a few of them…

Change horses midstream

I’ve discovered I work best when I’m juggling multiple projects at once. It sounds counter-intuitive and I guess it might not work for everyone, but I reckon everyone should try it.

The idea is to have several stories on the go at one time. Three feels ideal. I find that I will inevitably run out of steam on a piece – my interest or focus always flags at some point. Switching to something new acts as a vital palate-cleanser. I’m able to return to each project afresh, bringing new energy and perspective thanks to the time I spent away.

Follow the fun

Don't be afraid to mix it up. Move out of your comfort zone.

If your latest flash isn’t quite working, why not rewrite it as a poem? Or mash it together with another half-finished piece and see what happens. In a longer piece, it’s okay to jump straight to the scene that's exciting you in that moment. Fill in the gaps and the preamble later.

Try things out. Write flash, write microfiction, write a poem. Seen a shiny prompt? Go for it. Plunge into a genre that you'd normally avoid. You might have fun, you might learn something. You might even end up with a story worth submitting.

Lean into your weird

I'm not saying you're weird, but… you’re totally weird. The way you tell stories is uniquely yours. You understand the world through the filter of your own personal experiences. And you express those observations in wonderfully idiosyncratic ways.

One thing this prolific year taught me is that I love my writing more when I delve into those quirky parts of me. It could be sharing an oddly-specific fear in a horror story, or playing with words in a way that feels pleasing and musical to me.

Putting those unusual parts of yourself out into the world can be scary, but it's also fun. And I've found that readers and editors seem to respond to it as well.

Sim-subbing is addictive - but tread carefully

Simultaneous submissions are great. Is that one mag taking a bit long to decide on whether they want you piece? Send it somewhere else. Feel those sweet endorphins coursing through your veins. Oh yeah. That’s the stuff.

Here’s what I learned from a year of very heavy simultaneous submissions: Send a piece out to as many places as you like – but only if you're equally happy with ever possible outcome. That’s the important bit.

If you have your heart set on a specific home for a story then for gawd’s sakes don't sub it anywhere else until they have decided. Otherwise you risk tying yourself in knots if/when one of the lesser mags accepts it before your dream publisher has decided.

Play fast and loose!

Themed calls are great. They can be inspiring, sparking fresh ideas in our minds. Or help us to see our existing stories in a new light. But here’s what I learned this year: don’t be afraid to come at the theme from an obtuse angle.

Editors must get tired of reading 50 different permutations of the same story. Your off-kilter take could be just the breath of fresh air they're looking for.

And if you have a story already written when a call comes along and it feels like it's close-ish to what they're looking for, then you should throw it in the mix. What have you got to lose?

A true story from this year:

I had a story accepted after misunderstanding what a themed call was all about. I didn’t read the instructions carefully enough and subbed the wrong thing. I realised immediately after pulling the trigger and considered withdrawing my piece. For some reason, though, I didn't. (Slut era!) The editors saw something in my story and accepted the piece.

Moral: Don’t slavishly follow the theme. Go crazy.

Dilute the sting

Rejections can hurt, especially if you have your sights set on a specific magazine or anthology. But you know what helps? Rebound sex. Er… I mean, rebound submissions. Get that same piece back out there. Heck, send it to two places. Go crazy. You get closure by moving on. Also, the more you submit, the more rejection notches you get on your bedpost. And you know what, after a while you’ll find it starts to sting a lot less.

So there you go. Lessons from a promiscuous wordmonger. Why not try to up your literary body count in 2024? You might like it. Repeat after me: “Slut era”.

Mathew Gostelow (he/him) is the author of two collections; See My Breath Dance Ghostly, a book of speculative short stories (Alien Buddha Press) and Connections, a flash fiction chapbook (Naked Cat Publishing). He has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best Microfiction. @MatGost

#essay #submissions #writing #writers #writing advice #literary submissions #lit mags #publishing advice #publishing #horror anthologies

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bibisbooktalk · 2 months

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Book Review: Sinner by Sierra Simone

I read Sinner last month and I've been pushing back the review since then. But here it is! I will try not to spoil anything from the book for those interested in reading it.

Title: Sinner (book 2 in the Priest series)

Year of publication: 2018

Reading time-line: December 28, 2023 to January 6, 2024

Trigger Warnings: Loss, suicide, religious trauma, sexual trauma, death, illness

Content: large age gap between characters (they are both adults), explicit sex, religion (Catholicism), cursing

Age rating: Adult

Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶🌶.5/5

Review:

I was skeptical about this book at first. I found the audio book on Spotify first back in November 2023. I listened to the first few chapters, and instantly knew I had to get the book. I felt identified with the story for numerous reasons, most of them personal, so I won't delve too much into the why's. However, I will say, as someone having a hard time with religion, this book, ironically, made me analyze myself in many ways. Sean's spiritual battle through the book was beautifully written, and it was truly wonderful to see him grow as a person, not necessarily in a religious sense, but in the sense that everything led him to change for the better.

Sean's character is interesting, I liked that the story was told from his point of view, since I'm not used to reading books in men's POV. I loved how in love he was with Zenny the whole time, and he never denied it. It was refreshing to have a character fully and happily acknowledge his feelings and not be like "Oh no, I can't feel this way cus this and that". (I would write "SIMP" every time he said or thought anything romantic or sweet about Zenny. That man was respectful, sweet, dedicated, caring, hardworking, protective, the definition of husband material. I swear if Zenny told him "let's run away together" that man would have disappeared with her in a heart beat. He was head over heels and it was so freaking cute.)

I was able to form an emotional connection to Zenny and Sean, so I think in the sense of goals, description, backstory, interactions, and personality, both characters were well written. Both of their developments were great, and their relationship felt natural. They had wonderful chemistry from the moment they met, and I enjoyed their dynamic.

I think Sierra Simone handled the topics/themes presented in the story very well. I couldn't stop crying for like 3 hours by the end. The plot really resonated with me, and bet it will resonate with many others. The themes have the potential to be relatable, and definitely a reminder to readers that they are not alone in their struggles.

This book, like smut readers call it, is p0rn with a plot. The story really makes you think a lot, it is our of people's comfort zone since it does deal with many difficult, maybe even controversial, topics.

This book wasn't 100% perfect. I did think some things were odd like the fact that Sean is way older than Zenny (like girly is a college student in her early 20's while he is in his late 30's and a businessman). The fact that he was always hard, like why are these men always horny? Like Zenny would breathe, and my man was already ready to jump her bones. Like chill babes... I would have also liked to know a bit more about Zenny, mostly her point of view and thought process. There's other things, but they are spoilers, and most of them are just personal preferences rather than criticism.

Overall, I think I really needed to read this book. I'm glad I found it before Priest (that will be for another review...). It was good, it was definitely a new genre of tropes for me, and my first ever erotica. It's a relatively short (?) book (it took me a while because I ✨️procrastinate✨️) if you're looking for a quick read. I definitely recommend it.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Note: One day my reviews will improve 💀

#books #novels #books and reading #book review #book recommendations #romance books #book blog #bookish #Spotify

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theperiodpod · 3 months

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✰ EPISODE 001, SEASON 001. ⌇ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐃 𝐏𝐎𝐃. ও

﹆𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: DREYA HAMPTON AND SHANELLE “NELLI” WHITE. ━━ ◎ 2024. ◎ TALK & INTERVIEW. ◎ PODCAST SERIES.

in this special episode of new series 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐃 𝐏𝐎𝐃, co-hosts nelli and dreya, open up about their personal lives. then the two debate whether or not a city girl can be tied down, should people have sex on a first date, and so much more! tune in to this episode to find out if either of them could date a bisexual man! don’t forget to send in your questions via curious cat or tumblr askbox for dreya and nelli to answer in future episodes.

TOPIC ━━ OPENING REMARKS + PERSONAL UPDATES.

[ NELLI ] : wassup, everyone! welcome to the first episode of period pod. my name is nelli, *looks at dreya with cards in hand.*

[ DREYA ] : and it’s your girl dreya, the doll, *throws the camera a wink* and i’m excited to get into some things on our very first episode of Period Pod with my girl nelli!

[ NELLI ] : yes, sis! i’m so excited, i feel like it’s been a long time coming. before we get into these topics, what you been up to, suh?

[ DREYA ] : oh, y’know, i been on the road, suh! tour life’s got me feeling all kinds of inspired, soaking up vibes from city to city. i also been cooking in the studio, too, but you know i like to keep that under wraps for now. but enough about me, spill the tea, ms. nelli! what’s the word on your end? i feel like i’ve barely been seeing you.

[ NELLI ] : you know i’ve been seeing you on the socials with wassaname, but you know we won’t even get into that this soon! i love that for you though, friend. music been your thing since forever, so i’m excited to start hearing what you have coming for the gworls. me personally, i definitely been laying low but for good reason, girl. i’ve been moving my things to new york for a change of scenery. i feel like since we’ll be working in miami, i don’t wanna mix business and pleasure so i decided to step outside of my comfort zone and finally leave the 305. you know all the roads we take will lead us back here, but shit. i’m tryna be in the cityyyy!

[ DREYA ] : okay, period. ‘cause girrlll, i’ve been telling you to make that move to new york for the longest time! the vibes here are on a whole other level—the food, the cultures, the fashion, the parties, everything! we’re gonna take over the city, mark my words! but for real, i’m excited you’re making the move! now, you got any plans you wanna share with the gworls? like what can we expect now that nelli is in the city?

[ NELLI ] : i just feel like it’ll bring in more clientele because for those who don’t know, mother does hair! she’s a hair stylist, m’kay. i want to expand my business and really buckle down and focus on growing in that way. so, for the gworls who are living in the city, book with your favorite bitch, mwuah! now you ready to get into these topics sis?

[ DREYA ] : oh-kay! y’all better listen ‘cause nelli ain’t just talkin’, she’s the QUEEN of slaying a lace! i’ve seen her work, and let me tell you, she’s got the magic touch. like for real. and not just that, she’s the goat when it comes to keeping your natural hair flourishing under those wigs. all shade, ‘cause you know some gworls be looking like they lost a battle with they own wigs. so, if you want to keep your edges intact and your wig game tight, you better book with the best, and that’s my baby nelli, hands down! muah! but, yes let’s dive into these topics. what we got first?

TOPIC ━━ F*CKING ON THE FIRST NIGHT.

[ NELLI ] : wait, i wasn’t expecting all of this praise sis! you better chill because you know i have a praise kink- oh, my bad. in all seriousness though, i appreciate that, dre. you know it’s hard out here for us black business owners, so the love and support is always appreciated! but the first topic we have, i really wanted to talk about fucking on the first night because i just feel like it’s so fucking childish to put a time limit on when you want to fuck on someone. what do you feel about this topic, sis?

[ DREYA ] : well, you better get used to the praise, sis! i’m always gonna support you and give you your well-deserved flowers while you’re here. now, about this praise kink of yours, we’ll save that for another day. but on a real note, i feel you on this topic. i mean, be fucking real, putting a date on when you wanna fuck? that’s just playing games, and we too motherfuckin’ grown. now, don’t get me wrong, i get wanting to be careful with who you let near your body, but if you know you want to, why play games? what’s your take, boo?

[ NELLI ] : i feel you, for sure. i think the whole thought is so damn childish, literally. this is something the pick me’s look down on because they feel like if you wait to have sex it’ll keep the nigga around when in reality a nigga will wait a year to fuck and still leave you once you give it up. these mothafuckas don’t give a damn, you hear me? i think not wanting to fuck on the first night to be safe is understandable, but what i’m saying is holding out on sex to uphold an image is so wack to me. like you’re a loser if you think like that! do what you want with your body, i don’t give a fuck!

TOPIC ━━ DO YOU HAVE TO F*CK BECAUSE A DUDE IS TRICKING?

[ DREYA ] : oh, heavy on losers, sis! i couldn’t agree more. some bitches out here really playing themselves. i say, get you a little sample, see what you’re potentially getting yourself into, but don’t be stupid with it. like, imagine waiting to fuck a nigga and the shit is trash? just save yourself the time before you too far gone. now, this leads me into our next topic—does a nigga tricking on you mean you need to fuck? i don’t know, sis, this might be controversial, but what’s your take on it?

[ NELLI ] : you stole the words out my mouth because i definitely need to see what the D is hittin’ fa’ before he ever think he finna tie me down. as far as tricking goes, we some real miami bitches ‘cause we love us some tricks. my answer is no and it’s as simple as that. tricks need to learn they place, period! i hate when niggas splurge on me and think i’m handing the cookie over in return- uh uh, boy please. same thing with the last topic, i’m fucking if i wanna fuck and if i don’t want to, i won’t. i also just feel like tricks usually don’t care about fucking, they just like their egos stroked when they take us shopping. what you think, sis?

[ DREYA ] : bitches about to think we share the same brain, but all facts. just ‘cause a nigga’s spoiling you, taking you shopping, don’t mean you gotta fuck. trust, a lot of tricks don’t even be wanting that for real, like you’d be surprised. but, i can’t lie….a nigga spending on me do something for me, but every nigga that threw some change my way can’t say they fucked me, and that’s a fendi fuckin’ fact. to each it’s own though, i’m not knocking bitches. i mean, i don’t mind doing that because some bitches need it, but…

TOPIC ━━ DATING A BISEXUAL MAN.

[ NELLI ] : i think we just some real, raw ass bitches who always understand the assignment! like, shit we be saying be common sense most of the time. like we both said, tricks don’t always wanna fuck; but a nigga spending money will always make my pussy tingle i won’t even lie, dre! let’s be so fuckin’ for real, any bitch would fuck in our shoes. we just don’t have to and that’s the real gag, but hey! that’s neither here nor there. let’s get into this last topic before we have the shade room comments in shambles, chile. how do you feel about dating a bisexual man as a woman? what’s your thoughts, gworl? i have something to fuckin’ say!

[ DREYA ] : oh, we’re the CEOs of understanding the motherfuckin’ assignment, sis! yo ass is a whole ass ki’, chile. the tingling is real when that money’s flowing. and, girlllll. i’m crying. but, dating a bisexual man as a woman? i mean, if you’re making me happy, treating me good, and the sex is great? no shade, i don’t see what the problem is. i’ve done it before. but, i’m also big on, anything before me don’t matter too much; we focusing on right now. it’s interesting how folks don’t think like that, even some bisexual women themselves. but spill it, boo, what’s your take?

[ NELLI ] : hello! i know that’s right, like you really my good sis. i have to agree, i was just finna say you know i’m a big ass freak — like before the megan song even came out, chile. i feel like bisexual people in general are so much fun and bring a lot of excitement into the bedroom. you never really know where they’re going to take you and that’s the fun around being with a spontaneous ass bisexual man. i’ve never dated one before, but you know i’ve dabbled in a few different ponds and it’s definitely A+; highly recommend!

TOPIC ━━ CAN YOU TIE DOWN A CITY GIRL?

[ DREYA ] : a big ass freak is crazy, i’m crying. but, girl, but real talk, it’s not as common as people might think. i’ve heard some bisexual women say they couldn’t be with a bisexual man, which i find weird and a very backward. now, let’s dive into tying down a city girl. for those who might not know, a city girl, in my definition, is a bad bitch, who don’t give a fuck 'bout a nigga nor a bitch, and is in her bag but still knows how to have fun. i won't lie, i thought it was impossible, but it can be done—with the right person. what’s your take on taming a city girl, sis? and, what do you think are the requirements?

[ NELLI ] : i definitely think a city girl can be tied down, just not this one! i don’t fuck around, i don’t play. i want my chanel, i want some good ass sex, and i want you to get the fuck! however i do feel like it’s possible if the girl is put up and set for life. i just don’t think it would be enough for ME personally! how you feeling, lover girl dre?

[ DREYA ] : really? you don’t think anybody can tie you down, even the right person? lover girl dre is crazy, boo! be fair. it definitely takes a special kind of nigga to tie down a city girl. they can’t be insecure, they have to have something going on for themselves, and they have to be able to keep up. i’d say where i’m at right now, those things are being checked off. i wouldn’t say i’ve given up on the lifestyle, though. like, i’m very much a city girl, and the person i’m with now respects that, and i respect them, so it works.

TOPIC ━━ CLOSING REMARKS.

[ NELLI ] : i feel like i’m so in the city girl lifestyle that i can’t be handled right now, like i’m too hot, sis. i come with a lot in itself but i won’t completely cancel it out. i love the life i have right now and the city girl aesthetic is very much our thing, i thrive in that pocket and that’s just where i want to stay right now. maybe eventually it’ll change, but not now. but thank you for tuning in, take us out, dre!

[ DREYA ] : oh-kayyy, i heard that! now that i think about it, i can’t even imagine you be put up. we’re really in our prime for real. but, yes! ugh, thank you to everyone who’s tuning in and has been supporting us on this journey. today is finally here, and our baby is out to the world. expect more of the city girls in different spaces, not just the podcast world. also, leave your topics and questions for us on our curious cat page and here on our tumblr page. city girls out—MWUAH!

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donnas-dollface · 1 year

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"and i haven't seen you since winterbreak..."

last updated; Jan. 14, 2024

Requests: closed!

Works in Progress (RE Village)

time zone: (GMT -7)

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ִ ࣪⚝₊ ⊹˚about me; 17, she/they pronouns, demi lesbian - hi, i'm Kaylee(or Bear) but I'm fine with being called pretty much anything. I'm a self taught artist and writer, and a few of my other hobbies include playing guitar, sports, and drawing/writing in general. I love procrastinating and yapping so :'(

my blog; The Last of Us, TLOU 2, Red Dead Redemption 2, RE 8, Call of Duty MWII... - a couple of fandoms I'm involved in, and write for :) i may add more or remove a few depending on what changes, what I'm obsessed with, etc etc,.

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ִ ࣪⚝₊ ⊹˚personal rules: I don't mind adults(18+) interacting my blog and content, however i draw my line at DMS and private messaging. I also don't mind being friends/mutuals with anybody, though i would appreciate it if we kept flirting out it (i have a girlfriend whom I love dearly). I do apologize if I flirt, but most of the time I'm either joking or just being nice. i also don't mind clingy but understand i do get overwhelmed so cool it time to time. It's not to be mean, but i have my days where i want my space.

Blogs Rules;

THIS BLOG IS LGBTQIA+ FRIENDLY. if that makes you uncomfortable, it's best you just leave. i mean c'mon, I'm literally a lesbian.

I HEADCANNON CERTAIN CHARACTERS AS LGBTQ+. that makes you mad, no clue what to tell you lmao.

THIS IS A SAFE SPACE FOR ANYBODY (EXCEPT CREEPS) i promise I don't judge and I don't mind anybody venting to me. we're all human here and I'll do my best to make you feel welcomed.

DISCLAIMER; IT'S NOT COMPLETELY SFW HERE. i tend to be overzealous about things and sometimes the humor will show out

Tags;

.kaylee's yapping - feel free to block this tag!! this is where i ramble and just talk nonsense so if you don't wanna listen :3

.lovey dovey- me talking about my super amazing and beautiful girlfriend

.mailbox! - where i respond to anons/moots/requests/asks and anything under that category!! feel free to stop by and say hey time to time!

.moots<3 - my mutuals!! each has their own specific tag, and this is where we yap.

i cannot promise but I will TRY to tag all posts appropriately, but i apologize if I don't beforehand. I'm very forgetful and welp-

Requests Rules;

I DON'T TAKE REQUESTS ROMANTICIZING ANY SENSITIVE TOPICS; by this i mean I don't take requests romanticizing or glamorizing rape, domestic violence, abuse, suicide, self-harm, racism, homophobia, transphobia, pedophilia, and so on.

I DON'T WRITE HARD CORE SMUT; i don't write smut or anything with sex. i however don't mind writing make-out scenes or hickey scenes. do forgive me though, I may write it a bit weird(i have 0 experience) but I'm not opposed to criticism!

I DON'T WRITE ANYTHING INVOLVING; homophobia, transphobia, pedophilia, incest, pro-shipping, or yandere themes. like heavy heavy themes.

I ONLY WRITE FOR FEMALE CHARACTERS; i just really love and appreciate women, especially underrated ones like Donna <3

I WILL ACCEPT ANYTHING INVOLVING POLYAMOROUS RELATIONSHIPS IF YOU PLEASE; i don't mind it really I've done it before. just not like sibling x reader x siblings please.

I ACCEPT FICS FOR COPING WITH STUFF BUT PLEASE PUT A TW OR CW WITH IT; i get it, we love to imagine our favorite comfort characters comforting us with our issues, but a warning of knowing what I'm getting into is appreciated, cause i too have parental issues and trauma

I ACCEPT REQUESTS WITH MORE THAN ONE CHARACTER; but also for longer requests, i appreciate it if we'd limit it? i don't wanna burn myself out

I HAVE A LIFE TOO, SO PLEASE BE PATIENT WHEN REQUESTING; I'm a junior in highschool, and i do do extracurriculars sometimes after school, so please be patient with me. i also have familial issues, so sometimes it burns me out. In addition, I have seasonal depression and autumn makes it a littlee harder.

I'M LEARNING BOTH FRENCH AND ROMANIAN; I am learning French and Romanian, however i am by no means fluent, so i may require some assistance with wording abd everything

that's all for now. throughout my time here this will probably be edited so check in time to time, thanks.

- kaylee

#resident evil village #resident evil 8 #resident evil 8 x reader #re 8 village #re 8 x reader

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gentlebeardsbarngrill · 1 month

Text

03/20/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys; Samba BTS; Con; YouWear50Well; AdoptOurCrew; RhysRadness; FanSpotlights; Articles; LoveNotes; DailyDarby/Tonight's Taika

== Rhys Darby ==

Rhys Darby turns 50 today (the 21st, so technically tomorrow for those of us in the US)!! He graced us with some new Selfie's in Aotearoa!

== Samba Schutte BTS ==

Good Calypso Samba put a lot of videos up today. I made posts for them, so I'll link them here. Literally only 1 picture and 14 videos. The man is a lunatic and I love it.

Video 1: Dream Sequence BTS!

Video 2: "Any other burning questions?"

Video 3: Samba & Madeleine & Vico BTS!

Video 4: Leslie & Nat BTS

Video 5: Zheng Plank Scene Takes

Video 6: Explosion Explanation - Earplugs In!

Video 7: Zheng Planking Stede BTS

Video 8: Samba on the Zipline BTS

Video 9: Revenge Crew Running on the Beach

Video 10: Canons BTS: "Let's try doing away with the pull line, cause I think that's just going to be a fucking disaster"

Video 11: Canon Fire: No sound

Video 12: What Explosions Felt Like

Video 13: "That's How The Pros Do It"

Video 14: More Canon Fire / Plank Walking Stede BTS

= Con O'Neill =

Con's show, Happy Valey haws been nominated for a BAFTA! Bafta TV Awards 2024: The List of Nominations

== You Wear 50 Well ==

Rhys Darby's 50th! There were so many well wishes going around for our lovely captain's birthday! Several crewmates were kind enough to allow me to add their dedications to our captain to the recap tonight! @wanderingnomad @lucybluetiful @PaulineKnip @ourflagmeansfanfiction @eros_the_artist @kaddele

= Tumblr Highlights! =

Our tumblr crewmates had lots of dedications as well!

= @brainfugk =

= @bizarrelittlemew =

= @kiwistede =

= @snejpowa =

= @stjernegaupe =

== Adopt Our Crew ==

The votes are in! Anton vs Louise was darn close! Now it's the final round! Stede Vs Anton! looks like Stede's in the lead!

== Fan Spotlight ==

Our darling crewmate @iamadequate1's #MaxMadness replacement is down to the final round! We're down to Our Flag Means Death vs Coyote Vs Acme!

= Cast Cards =

Thank you our dear @melvisik for tonight's new cast card! Christopher Corbin, while only in the show for a very small amount of time, he made a huge impact! "I'm no prostitute, mate!"

== Articles ==

Coyote vs ACME Interview

= Love Notes =

Hey lovelies! Today's been amazing! Definitely been a lot of engagement and we're getting to celebrate our lovely captain! Soooo many people signed the 50th birthday Kudoboard that ended tonight ( and the Taika Kudoboard that ended yesterday). So many crewmates stepped out of their comfort zone and put themselves out there, and I just want to say how proud of you I am. I know it's hard to put yourself out there in case you can get hurt, but you still did it for the good of something / someone you love, and you should be proud of that! I hope you're getting some joy out of these days. I know it can be a bit of a double edged sword because we miss Stede and Ed and the whole Revenge crew so much. It's reminding a lot of folks of the gravy basket. Just a gentle reminder that things aren't over. Even if we're not fighting full force right now-- it's not over. It'll never be over. So many people are behind us, and so many other shows have gotten renewed later, sometimes years laters. I know you've heard it all before, but this isn't the end. If you feel up for it, take these days that are for celebrating, and even if you do it just with yourself, do something to celebrate the things and people you love. If you're feeling alone and have discord, feel free to join us on the #RhysDarbyFaction server tomorrow. We'll be doing a lot of group stuff to try and keep some of the love going. If you're not-- reach out to any of your crew. We're here, and we care and we want you all to be okay. Remember to lean on each other, you're all such kind, resilient, and wonderful people and kindness is what keeps this world moving in the right direction. Our crewmate @ourflagmeansfanfiction made a lovely picture that felt appropriate for tonight. You are strong, and beautiful, and we're all gonna get through this together. Night crew <3

= Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika =

Tonight's theme is microphones!

Daily Darby Courtesy of @celluloidbroomcloset Tonight's Taika Courtesy of @agaywithcoffee

#daily ofmd recap #daily ofmd recaps #ofmd daily recap #ofmd daily recaps #our flag means death #save ofmd #ofmd adopt our crew #taika waititi #rhys darby #you wear 50 well #youwear50well #samba schutte #con o'neill #ofmd bts

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dopaminepig · 2 months

Text

29th February 2024

This month, I’ve had a small setback in terms of my productivity and overall change of mindset. A couple of weeks ago my wife and I both caught a virus that makes you dizzy. It affected us in different ways; her feeling slight dizziness constantly and me feeling it moderately when I changed the angle of my head in certain ways. I had aches and pains as well as a dry cough to go along with it and it has lasted about 2 weeks in total.

(But!) I haven’t touched alcohol and that is the main goal for 2024, so, while I’m only just getting back to that place of hyper productivity and discipline just this week, I know that I can withstand the desperate cries that alcohol continues to throw at me. Even when I am sick and at a low point again.

Instead, I am proud of myself for pushing through to the other side of this virus, alcohol-free (AF). I have used the last 10 days of February to just start to focus on my health and wellness again. Running has commenced again, as well as ice baths, Wim Hof breathing, and rolling out any issue areas on the foam roller.

From a social perspective, I toyed with the idea of pulling out of a wedding for two of my wife’s friends she met in London. I resisted that temptation to stay in my comfort zone. What am I going to do, never go to a wedding again? That seems a bit extreme.

It was a great wedding, and there were AF beer options available for us. Yes, it was different being sober, but we replaced getting loose and dancing with deep and meaningful conversations with old friends, some of whom are going through rough times, as we discovered. I admit it was difficult to try and stay on everyone’s level towards the end of the night, but my wife and I did last until just before midnight when we were to be kicked out of the venue. Waking up fresh every day of the 4-day trip was nice, we even went hiking one morning on some trails of the Blue Mountains, NSW. All in all, what I thought would be a massive challenge to stay sober at a celebration such as a wedding of friends, turned out to be an amazing getaway where I personally got to know some of my wife’s friends on a deeper level. I’m certain I would not remember the conversations had, had I drunk throughout the weekend and particularly on the wedding night.

In my January blog, I wrote about my relationship with alcohol and how, over time, it had escalated into an unhealthy, downward-spiraling path that I was going down. I wanted to reiterate the fact that many users, whether it is consciously known to them or not, tend to spiral down these dark paths, all the way to what is commonly called ‘rock-bottom’ before they decide to (or are forced to) give sobriety a chance. This might be the loss of a job or relationship, it might be a knock at the door from social services, or, in more extreme cases, a driving under the influence situation that has led to an accident resulting in injury or vehicle damage.

Why do we have to wait to hit rock bottom before we make the decision? How much more torment do we have to put our partners or kids through? These were the questions roaming around my mind and I could never come up with answers that satisfied them.

I could feel myself spiraling down a path and I didn’t want to find the destination. I didn’t want to cross ‘that’ line, because once you’ve done so, and I’m talking severe rock bottoms here, your life has changed forever. The consequences people must face because of the poor decisions alcohol has led them to, can live on in the shadows for the rest of their lives.

But who the fuck am I to preach? I’m only 2 months in, out of about 25 years, on my AF journey. I am nobody. I’m just a guy that made the decision not to go all the way down to the bottom. I didn’t want to find out what was down there. I’m just a guy that made the decision to turn things around before the irreversible consequences of a stupid, alcohol-fueled choice I made one night, followed me around for the rest of my life. I know this might sound a little hyperbolic, but these are the paths people like you and I are heading down as you read this. Who knows? Maybe you’re heading down a similar path?

For me, it was all about making the decision. Once you make the decision not to drink alcohol, the rest of your decisions in life can be rearranged, reassembled, and remapped to suit. You might want to add on a physical goal or aim to rebuild a relationship. You might decide to take up a new hobby with all the free time you will have, not being hungover. These secondary decisions, goals or hobbies will find their way into your new routine, once the primary decision has not only been determined, but your new lifestyle has begun.

For me, my physical goal is to run a half marathon at the end of April. I’m consciously working on rebuilding trust in my relationship, by doing things that I say I will. And my new hobby is, well, this – Writing blog posts about my journey in the hope that just one person who is struggling with their alcohol intake will read this and be inspired to do the same. Please reach out if this is you! I’m only 2 months in, let’s help each other. I am NO EXPERT. I will need some motivation to keep going from time to time.

There are alcohol coaches out there that say, once the decision is made, that you should stop drinking that very day. Then there are others out there, like Allen Carr, who suggest continuing drinking until a certain point. Allen Carr suggests drinking while reading his book, ‘The Easy Way to Control Alcohol’. He implies that, by the time you finish reading the book, you won’t want to drink alcohol anymore. His book maps out all the reasons people think they like to drink, busting all the myths along the way about alcohol ‘benefits’. I highly recommend this one to get you started.

I have also paid for YouTube Premium to avoid ads, and have been hooked on podcasts about various topics, many more than simply ones relating to alcohol. I will drop a few of my favourite alcohol-related ones at the bottom of the post. Late last year, I took the Allen Carr approach, and was drinking while listening to these podcasts, with the intention of drinking all my dad’s spirits in time for New Year’s Eve at Midnight, when I could begin my sobriety. I had been given 7 1 Litre bottles on the 11th of December which gave me about 20 days to knock them off and start 2024 in a new light. Mission accomplished.

*****

I’ll be signing off on these posts with some of the benefits I’m experiencing from giving up booze. I mentioned last time that I’ve been bouncing out of bed at ridiculous times like 4am. Apart from when we were sick, that has continued. I’m finding I have more hours in the day and get a few hours to myself while the family sleeps. This month I wanted to point out that weight loss is achievable if that is one of your secondary goals on your journey. Without changing my workout routine too much (I am running a little more instead of HIIT classes), I’ve been able to drop about 6 kilograms in 8 weeks. The empty calories in the spirits and mixers are now gone, as are all the calories from the daily beers.

I will point out that I am still drinking AF beers, which do contain calories, so in time I’d like to not drink those at home through the week and aim to just enjoy them in social situations or perhaps the odd one or two on the weekends while pottering around the house, getting some chores done. I should also mention that in my first few weeks, I found I was eating more snacks, possibly out of boredom, so I do believe that my weight loss could have been more if I was to go on a strict diet as a secondary goal on this journey.

You may find that you’re eating more when you give up booze. Just like you would not have any alcohol in the house to avoid temptation, choose healthy snacks when grocery shopping and avoid having those calorie-dense, sweet and/or fatty options available to you in your pantry.

If you are just starting out on your AF journey, I’d love to hear from you. Reach out with your experiences or advice – I’d be keen to know your story. As Ben Lee would say, ‘we are all in this together’.

Peace.

#Alcohol #Sobriety #Dopamine Hit #Reach Out

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