#mostly because of this above journal entry

[gogandmagog]

“A love story with a psychological interest … a rather doubtful experiment with a public who expects a certain style from an author."

— Lucy Maud Montgomery, the Selected Journals of, on the subject of 'Kilmeny of the Orchard'

#the kilmeny read-along has been sooo funny to third-party #you guys are so genius #i always felt like kilmeny was maud’s ‘gotcha’ #mostly because of this above journal entry #it felt like a total satirical play on traditional fairy tales #right down to how we see kilmeny’s life truly begin and develop and the moment she meets her ‘prince’ eric #like #right after she meets eric things progress for her… she sees herself for the first time… she perceives herself… and in the end she speaks #all things she hadn’t or couldn’t achieve without him #so here we have our damsel in distress… given growth and a beginning by a man that only wants to really trap her again #say nothing of the way kilmeny is the titular character and yet it is ERICS story #with god all things are possible and with maud all things are intentional #this feels like maud (a huge lover of fairy tales in general) having a bit of a go at these old-timey stories #how easy it is to suppose she was poking some fun at the Way of the World then too #her own existence as a woman was about to transform at the time she wrote it… she was engaged to ewen in 1908 #ANYWAY that is my whole entire 2¢ #i’m about to go like posts and make it EVERYONEs problem so RIP to y’all’s notifs #lucy maud montgomery #kilmeny of the orchard

[greatkittydream]

The Creature from the dungeon. 1

"thinking"

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Journal entry 1

I've kept a collection of my thoughts to keep myself from going fucking insane and that if any sentient life were to find this they may be able to decipher it Leaving the basic letters of the alphabet above obviously.

okay let's recount the day me one Jacob Augustine, I was about to attend my first year of college to become an bioengineer, I just graduated high school with steady A's and B's and was planning to become an bioengineer. One in a medical field at that.

On the week before summer ended, I was making my way down to a convenience store a block away from where I live. mostly complaining that I feel like I'm wasting my life away, thinking of what else I can do to make sure once I die, I won't die with regrets. And then bam, I end up here.

Here being some.... have no fucking idea how to describe this biome, it has the floral density of a jungle yet not nearly enough insects or Wildlife to be a jungle it's more like a collection of plants than anything else. I have met sparse few insects in this jungle? It has animals, but oddly enough, no fungus.

Which is weird given the fact that they're the backbone of most jungles for recycling dead Organic matter. Not to mention, none of these plants show characteristics of jungle plants.

There are no waxy leaves to deposit water close to the roots, nor do they extend high into the sky or grow wide enough to collect any sunlight that bleeds through the trees.

The insects I have found are not poisonous or at least don't present any of the features of poisonous. No brightly colored features or camouflage.

They do follow the basic figure though of six limbs abdomen thorax and head. But they don't follow any other similarities. I found ants if you could call them that but their jaws were aligned in the opposite direction clamping up and down rather from side to side I've seen them used to great effect against Beatles?

if you could even call it that it's the closest approximation I have for a thickly armored insect, they clamped down, piercing the armor, and then ripped the thing to pieces.

I would be in heaven researching the new Wildlife After all, what self-respecting scientist even if this isn't my Specific area of biological interest wouldn't be in love with researching new things I have found right now. If it wasn't for the fact that I somehow ended up in a place against my will that behaves unlike any other ecological system I've seen.

I will somehow have to create a section in the back of my book detailing my research I have found so far. but that is for a later date. Why was I writing this again oh yeah because the fucking sun doesn't exist or the sky.

Allow me to explain to you dear reader, if you haven't already noticed if you somehow managed to find a clearing to where you can look up to the sky you will see not the sky what a collection of bright crystals somehow.

Illuminating this several mile long area as if it were the sun and it never sets. how do I know it's only several miles long easy I can see the fuckin walls. This illogical place pisses me off on so many levels. The biome I can forgive life does strange shit but the fact that this thing has no support structure whatsoever for Miles holding up.

what I'm assuming to be crystals weighing several tons each emitting a light similar to the effect of the Sun some how? do they go through nuclear Fusion or is it some other type of light emitting process which allows life to thrive down here? And if that's the case why does it look like the wild life/Flora belongs on the surface. to some degree life follows the most, well not efficient but the closest to efficient route it can find, not what looks good.

this is taking its toll on me. I have found myself doing my ticks more than usual. Oh yes, I suppose it may be best for me to explain myself a bit more.

self-report subject Jacob Augustine date of birth July the 13th 2005 age 18 state of birth Tennessee. The subject has autism. His ticks include snapping his fingers in a rapid motion, blinking rapidly, or rubbing the sides of his head. While on the low end of the spectrum he does exhibit his own issues such as his picky diet the way certain things cannot touch him or how illogical things piss him off to a absurd. degree we will see how he fares in this illogical hellhole that does not follow principles or Reason.

Okay, these are my findings for day one. I will update my journal if anything happens.

with a quick snap shut of the book, he looks up all around him. Okay, Jacob, you can do this. You're just in some illogical ecosystem. that does not appear to support a variety of life.

you have so far not identified any viable food options. So let's run through this normally. When stranded in the middle of a forest, you tie brightly colored cloth to branches and try to draw attention to your area for rescue squads.

but seeing as I'm in some confined space with no obvious human habitation, I need to start thinking of survival. In this case, I should climb to the top of a tree and look for a large water body that can support life.

And this will more than likely have some type of fish there that I can eat and water that can be processed to drink. However given the fact that this place is not running on normal principles of biodiversity there's a chance this may go horribly wrong. there could be Birds of Prey bigger than me.

There could be crocodiles that can run on land like its long extinct ancestor. alternatively, I could start clearing out areas and hoping that it rains as unlikely as that is. While cutting down a tree without any immediately available resources for such a task is unviable, it is still feasible given the amount of granite I have found in the area.

my current tools for my survival is my backpack, what was supposed to be a study notes book now turned into personal Journal, a packet of pencils a pencil sharpener, a school water bottle a pair of black Crocs a short sleeve t-shirt and gym shorts, I'm so fucked.

Okay, there are no obvious signs of precipitation that can accumulate off the bat, and cutting down trees would take far more energy than it's worth. so while it is a viable option, it's not one that's optimal. leaving only one other option that I can think of, not like I really have much of a choice. I just hope they have some type of fish I can eat without making myself eat it.

That would will make things a lot smoother. Standing up and looking for the tallest tree he can find in his immediate area he begins to climb. The idea of venomous snakes did not concern him from what he has seen so far there's no prey big enough needed for Venom or predators meaning in all likelihood he would be relatively safe from any possible Ambush predators.

Reaching the top of the tree, he saw vast fields of forest and vegetation. Luckily for him, there was a deposit of water fairly big one at that from what he can tell North words. it looked to be about an hour's jog from where he's at as well.

He was a bit of an introvert and not wanting to go outside more than strictly necessary preferring to spend most of his time with his online friends doing research and watching fun fact videos. But he did still do cardio in order to keep his body from getting health issues that could be easily avoided. he knows for a fact that he can run for about 2 hours, which in his opinion is fairly good with this in mind an hour jog with a 10 minute break in between.

He would arrive at his destination and about 3 hours while not as quick as he would like. This is his best option. With that he got to the lowest branch and hopped off. "it's a good thing I like clothing that allows me to breathe I would be fucked if this was winter clothing was that he began to jog".

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Aafje vo eldertree pov

Big sis please don't go, you promised to spend time with me. I know what I promised, but this is a big day because the raxs just got fully healed, meaning we have our tank in the party, and we can finally enter the lower parts of the dungeon. And it's important they have their healer with them. But can't you just hold off for one more day? You promised me this you're always down in that stupid dungeon. I'll have you know that stupid dungeon is the reason why the eldertree family is as influential as it is. We are nobility based around dungeon delving. pretty soon You'll have to start going as well. Now, hush up please I'm pretty sure my party's outside.

Aafje's big sis had turned around and started making her way to the front door. Currently moping and pouting Aafje was upset her big sister went back on her word but then a devilish thought came to her head: if she was supposed to be going down there soon, what's stopping her from going now? She was a genius considering herself, and she knew his sister would never allow this, so the answer was simple.

Don't tell her to make her way to where she knew her sister kept her supplies. she looked around for the bag that her sister took with her for long trips from what she recalled.

Her sister was going to drop straight down to floor 150 today with the rest of her party through teleportation Crystal and start going to the lower levels.

Having found the bag, she knew she couldn't just take stuff out and sit inside her sister could tell immediately. but what she could do was use a bag of holding too cold the stuff inside while she took its place. And so she did just this. Hearing her big sister coming ada, she immediately went into the bag, hurling stuff into The Magic Bag.

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Ada vo eldertree pov

Yeah, my sis was pretty upset about the news, probably in her room pouting and swearing to hate me forever. Until I come back home with some new toys or cool stuff for her. A gruff voice responded to her one Aafje recognized as raxs.

I kind of feel like a dick I mean, this is supposed to be a day for you two. You think she'd forgive me if I gave her something, what do elves like? Just bring her home a new toy and some candy and she'll be right as rain with you, now hurry up we need to go And I don't want to leave your green butt behind Mr I can stop a charging boss monster.

Please stop bringing that up, It was the 60th floor boss. I thought I could stop it on my own I learned my lesson I'm not indestructible please stop bringing that up. Yeah, well we're going to start heading down to the level we're humans start spawning, and as you well know an encounter with a human may as well be a death sentence. So please keep your wits about you, and don't let your ego take over.

walking over and grabbing her bag and swinging it over her back, she never noticed how uneven it felt. She was quite nervous today her party had actually set a record by making it to the 160th floor without encountering a human.

Meeting up with the rest of her party, her raxs, Stone. and Lionheart. a party composed of an elf, an orc, a dwarf and a Dragonborn. Not the weirdest part of you can see, but certainly, an odd one, most species tend to stay with each other. Making their way outside.

They see the great tower of the dungeon 10 miles wide in any direction, going uncountable numbers deep into the Earth. This was their destination. Walking through the bustling Street filled with all manner of species and Monday activities, in the great city of Carthage, anything could be found. The dungeon attracted all walks of life.

arriving at the dungeon management agency, a government-run facility in order to maximize profit and prevent loss of life though most of the time it just ends up being a bureaucrats dream job of having to not do anything. Most people aren't stupid enough to enter the dungeon unless prepared. Making our way down the street, I noticed something. There was a group arguing with the front counter.

"I had a feeling these were rookies". So she walked up to them and introduced herself. I am ada vo eldertree. I couldn't help noticing with the clerk here, I have a feeling you're new to the dungeon. A dark elf responded. How could you tell?

You're arguing with the clerk you never argue with the clerk They hand out the most recent information regarding migrational species in the dungeon updates to terrain and all sorts of other useful stuff but they don't have to give it out don't make enemies of the clerks may I ask what you were arguing about.

Me and my compatriots here, and I wanted to go to the lower levels and fight some of the higher tear of your monsters. we were former mercenaries. After all, we've taken up the adventuring business, specifically dungeon-delivers

I see how that could become a problem. What's your level and what floor were you wanting to go to.

Level 30, and we want to go down to Floor 110.

you wouldn't make it even if you teleport down to that floor, each floor increases by one level you're going to Face Off monsters at level 110 range. not to mention, although extremely rare humans have been known to spawn there on occasion.

We are dark elves, and we come from Noble lineages. Our level 30 is not the same as a plebeians. And why should I care about some monster type they all die the same.

This Comet pissed her off. well, normally monsters are around the same level of difficulty if you could call it that per level. but humans are something completely different. There were known as raid bosses, meaning that every one of their levels is the equivalent to 10 on a regular level. so a level one human is a level 10 standard, and this is for 110, they're level 1100.

Not to mention, there are special species stats that include Mana absorption from the air. or they're insane musculature and stamina. I don't think I need to continue. Just know that if you run into one hide and run, they don't have the best sense of smell.

"Fucking idiots we're going to die if they ran into a human. there's a reason why noble families founded on dungeon dwellers were so strong through generations of survival of the fittest."

Each one of their levels was equivalent to five levels higher and the standard and even they struggled against humans they were the kings of the dungeons you don't fuck with them.

Let's just get going. We don't want to get behind besides I think we can make it to floor 199 if we're lucky we do have a month to do this after all. then they'll start sending Rescuers and that's always a pain with paperwork.

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Lord Vect pov

Who the hell is that bitch think she is talking to me like that, that high elf scum should be kissing my boots that I even talk to her.

Lord, what do you think we should do?

Isn't it obvious we're going to liberate that fine gear from them while down in the dungeonWho knows she might make find slave work, whether it be in the brothels or a whipping bitch it does not matter money can always made on suffering of others.

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Jacob pov

You know this place is actually kind of lovely. Oh God, I'm talking to myself. I'm going insane already. Egh fuck it may as well make a Wilson while I'm here. After seeing the clearing up ahead, he knew that he was getting close to the water source, deciding to jog harder. and farther, he finally made it out of the clearing, and what he saw was beautiful a ring of sand surrounded. A large lake connected into the Great Wall surrounding this place surrounding that wall was purple crystals that were different from the light blue ones up above what surprised him the most, though there are other humans.

naked shortish about 5’4 for humans. But still humans it's not insane to think of nudist culture could pop up, and with how small this area is to live in, and it makes sense that they'd be shorter natural selection dictates with less nutrients available, being smaller is more advantageous.

I just hope they're not cannibalistic or violently aggressive to foreign things. HAY, HAY over Here. Quickly jogging up to the other humans, there were about 10 of them four female six male. They turn their heads to me in a lazy way before going back to what they were doing.

Coming to a stop to the closest one, a young guy, probably about 26, with brown hair and brown eyes and pale skin. Hey, do you know where we are… Do you speak English… I know Germen Wissen Sie, wo wir sind… um shit okay um. Fuck how do you say do you know where we are in Spanish again God damn it 16-year-old Jacob you should have paid attention in Spanish class more, okay. Um I know you don't understand me but you must understand I'm trying to communicate with you so “pointing towards self” I'm Jacob “ pointing towards the guy” you are?.. not even going to find me with an answer okay. Fuck you too asshole.

Looking over to my side, I noticed something peculiar. One of those Beetle things from earlier was walking by one of the shorter guys. He proceeds to squish it flat against the sand before shoveling it into his mouth. I felt a shiver go up my spine and disgust. "Well, at least they're not poisonous." Gags.

Looking around his immediate area, he notices something. The crystals form into the shape of that similar to a great door, thinking quickly, pulling out his phon clicking on the camera featur. And zooming into 10 times, he notices it.

It is a door! victory for vegeta or Jacob in this case i Miss Dragon Ball Z abridged. Well, no time like the present. Wait, how the hell am I going to get my shit over there without it getting wet damn it.

The electronics will be fine for the most part as long as I don't turn them off while they're wet. They should operate normally if dried off .my clothes will be a pain tho.

But given the aired temperature, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, but the weight might become a problem. And I don't see any shallow Banks leaning up to it. okay, let's think this one through. I could empty out my water bottle, filling it with air and then sealing it shut. That should add buoyancy, which should counteract at least a little weight. and then refill it at the door. The main problem is my journal.

After thinking it through for a good 10 minutes, he got an idea walking over to the tree line. and taking a few sticks, he throws them into the water to see what type of wood he is working with and if it will float or not. He's in luck it does. "Hmmm, I could work with this." Arranging the sticks into a Shape where they'll stick above the water and doing that again.

with three other sets to make sure his journal does not get wet he takes off his shirt and wraps it around the bundle. making sure it sticks together, setting it gently on the water to see if it will float. Or not stay together. To his luck, it does. This also means he can just put his backpack on there and the Crocs. Looking down at himself, he lets out a sigh. Well, not exactly fat, he's not skinny, either he has a healthy Pudge, he'd say a beer gut.

Making his treck across the water, he notices a large shadow following him. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuuuuck I forgot to think about water Predators. okay okay okay okay just don't panic you'll be fine panicking indicates you're afraid and Afraid means food. Ok, if this is a shark or um, oh, a shit God damn it why did i not go to zoology.

Just as the large shadow was approaching him at a rapid pace. Once it got into the distance to tell what the creature swimming was, it promptly turned around and swam for its life. Oh, good the things in massive pussy that or wasn't carnivorous now that i think about a creature that large being carnivorous.

And in this small body of water doesn't make much sense it could just be an abnormally large manatee. Or maybe some other new species. I wonder what type of characteristics force it to grow that size, though? maybe mating fights, but that's the case. Why didn't it get aggressive unless it's not as mating season and it was just curious? Questions for later.

Upon reaching the massive door, he knows the shallow sand pit, allowing him to walk up to the staircase, pulling his makeshift raft along with him. and promptly laying flat on his back onto the sand, letting out a sigh of relief despite that not being a predator.

There are so many things that could have gone wrong in that instance he could have lost all his supplies. It could have been aggressive.There could have been something else parasites bacteria, and lord knows what else lives down in the water. Now that I think about it this was a fucking stupid idea.

oh well, all is well and ends well. After waiting for his clothes to dry off enough to wear and putting them on, he walks up to the great door and pushing it open. surprisingly light for something that looked like it would weigh so much more, and what he saw was an expansive hallway stepping through the hallway he immediately felt better for some reason.

He started to jog down the hallway , and he noticed that he wasn't running out breath as quickly as he would normally. attributing it to the room just simply having more oxygen for some reason, allowing for cellular respiration to happen more, therefore slowing fatigue. He paid it no mind upon reaching the end of the hallway he noticed something a plaque above it reading 199 whatever the hell that meant taking in a deep breath and pushing open the door he saw a cave? lined with purple crystals.

\[Next\]

hey writer here I'm new to this so I have no idea how to link it next chapter which when it comes out I will also say sorry if the writing is bad I'm trying to write it from the perspective of what would you do if you were in this situation if you have any writing tips or World building you think would make a good fit to it feel free to private message me or comment it I'll see if I can include it.

#The creature from the dungeon #hfy #humans #humans are eldritch horrors #strong humans

[gertritude-art]

Progress Update!

As promised, here is a progress update on DemonVN!  This is just a general update of what I've done (or, at least, can remember doing...) over the past month or so.

GENERAL/MISCELLANEOUS STUFF

Character Sprites: I completely re-did all of Mordred and the Demon's sprites! They now have about 70-80 sprites between them, which is probably way too many, honestly.

^mordred and the demon reaction to this distressing count

Along with them, I finally attempted a Lillie sprite redraw, and am in the process of fixing the anatomy of Catherine and Mr. Li (there are. Issues). I will show those all off in the next progress report, probably.

Item Sprites: with the addition of a few new item sprites, I believe that these are 100% complete, minus any last-minute additions!  great news: demonvn now has feet in it

Mordred’s Journal Extras (Glossary, Journal Entries): I decided to add these in as a fun extra thing for the game!  The glossary covers in-game terms, and Mordred's journal entries detail some of his experiences moving to his new town. They're still in the process of being worked on, but we're getting there!

INTRODUCTION

In which Mordred tries to capture a demon, epically fails, and then gets himself possessed (shown above).

This section continues to be in development hell. Do not ask me how finished it is because I WILL start crying. The good news, though, is that I fully finished the section where Mordred has an evil monologue about much he wants to kill all his classmates! That doesn't seem like a lot, but it did involve a cg that took me way too long to draw for how simple it is + multiple new Mordred sprites.

I also am currently working on revising some of the opening backgrounds a little bit! They're almost done.

Anyway, all the rest of my progress has been tearing my hair out trying and failing to write some sections of this, so let's move on!

MIDDLE SECTION

In which Mordred is forced to search for a demon at his high school homecoming dance.  

This middle section is currently a MESS of half-written/mostly written stuff that needs to be fully cobbled together, but the good news is that it IS getting written. Shout out to Stephanie and Catherine for having the worst sections by FAR to write... You would think they would be easy, but nope!!!!!

I have implemented a lot of the items, at the very least! Some of the writing around their use/getting them is missing, but they ARE there.

Also, other good news: the DJ booth background + Mr. Li's section is all basically done! He has a shocking amount of dialogue, actually, considering you can get him to comment on all five students in the game. I also drew up some expressions for him, but more need to be added :^)

^Mr. Li pushed to his breaking point (looks mildly annoyed) after hearing Mordred verbally reenact a “i was born in the wrong generation” youtube music comment

Most of Rusty's writing is also complete!! Very happy with how he's being presented :^) Now I just need to work on those sprites...

^Who’s this mysterious stranger with such a good taste in media...?  Just kidding.  It’s Rusty.

CLIMAX

In which multiple different characters all come together at once in the stupidest way imaginable.

So, I can't really get into the details of the progress I made without spoiling stuff, but I did do some writing for this section! I made some changes to how I wanted the endgame to go, which have in turn changed certain parts of this section. Overall, I'm happy with how it's coming along! Cannot wait for the inevitable [REDACTED] call-out post as a result of their actions here

ENDGAME

In which Mordred must deal with the consequences of his actions.

This outline for this section has been fully drafted, finally!!! who knew that changing it so that [REDACTED] would solve all the problems I was having with this + in various other sections. However, it is - for the most part - unwritten. Here's a section of the outline though

Along with this, I started work on one of the endgame backgrounds + I drew some of the items I needed for this section! Obviously, though, I can't show them off.....

EPILOGUE

Hopefully self-explanatory, given the name.

I did a little bit of writing for this, but for the most part, I've left it alone. It will be completed at some other time...

IN CONCLUSION...

Demonvn is currently at a whopping 35,000 words long (oh geez), and I would not be surprised if it was upwards of 40-45,000 by the time I get finished writing and editing everything. I remember when I thought it would be 1500-2000 max...

At the moment, my development is still slow, but it's being going at a steady pace at least! I still have no release date plans, and I don't think I will officially announce any until I am actually forcing people to beta test it.

Anyway, I'll put out another progress report on August 1! Lots of little things I need to work on before then, but my big goal is to finish at least ONE of the main sections. Who knows what that will be. Until then, I'll try to stay quiet on what I'm doing, but we'll see how well I can stick with that.

Anyway, talk to you guys later!

#my ocs #demonvn #wip #gamedev #EDIT: ADDED TWO MORE SCREENSHOTS

[winniethewife]

You Can’t Always Save Everybody.

(Miguel O’hara x Spidersona!Scarlette Web)

Chapter 2

Last chapter ~ Next chapter

Words: 1129

Once Miguel and the others were finally free, they sent Gwen home, this was obviously above her level. Peter and Miguel went to Valentine's apartment only to find it mostly abandoned. Her things lay scattered all around, her books gathered dust, the kitchen empty, and all the blueprints for the gadgets she made for the spider society were torn and burnt around the edges.

“Miguel. Look.” Peter pointed it out, it was her old black and blue spider suit lay over the back of the couch left like she had gone on her last patrol as spider woman, only to leave again as Scarlett Web. Miguel held the fabric in his hand, his face a mixture of sadness, frustration, and anger.

“How the hell did I miss the signs? She needed me…” Miguel mutters mostly to himself. Miguel started pacing around Valentine’s apartment as if he could still find her there. It was a fruitless effort, but his head still refused to accept the reality before his very eyes.

“This isn’t true… not Valentine…” he whispered to himself, as his fingers held the fabric tightly the soft scent of her still lingering on it

They started to search the apartment for anything to help them find her. He was searching her bedroom while Peter was going through her computer in the other room. He about to give up before he found her diary. He flipped through it to try and see if there were any clues to where she might be. As he's looking through he is surprised to find several Polaroids of her and her Miguel, accompanied short journal entries.

A picture of her and Her Miguel dressed in typical gothic teen fashion in high school, He has his arm wrapped around her they’re both smirking at the camera.

“May 18th - Miguel has been calling me this really sweet nickname, Chiquitita. I really love it. I keep calling him Tiger, he thinks it’s funny.”

Miguel couldn’t help but feel his heart break as he read on. He looked at the few Polaroids, his heart dropping as he took in Valentine’s words.

“Chiquitita…” He hadn’t really thought about her relationship with her husband. She didn’t talk about it with him, but this other Miguel called her Chiquitita.

He flipped to a recent entry, no more polaroid pictures filing every page.

“August 4th- I don't know what happened today. Miguel wouldn't talk to me today. Barely looked at me. Did I do something? He's gotten really distant, and I’m trying to be understanding with everything that happened, but today he completely ignored me. I don't understand.” Miguel paused over the single sentence of the next entry. “August 7th- I must have done something terrible for him to treat me this way.”

Miguel could only stare at the page before him the guilt was eating him alive just from the thought of the pain Valentine must have felt.

“August 14th - This new tech I'm working on. It's beyond the ethics of the spider society. This stuff...is lethal. We don't kill people. At least not intentionally. Miguel hasn't been over seeing my work anymore he doesn't come to my lab anymore at all. I don't know why. But I know if he knew what I was working on. Wouldn't approve it anyway.”

“There might not be a way back for Valentine …” he whispered out loud, as he read on through the latest entries.

“September 1st- I don't know how I ever considered him my friend. Miguel went from ignoring me, to cruel side comments to, to this? Sending me on an anomaly mission entirely alone? No back up? I thought I was going to die. And I get back and he's just pissed I couldn't catch it. Yelled at me for like an hour. I've cried over him so often but this is too much. I can't cry anymore.”

Miguel remembers this fight. About a week before she left. Valentine had left because of their fight, where he had hurt her feelings. All of that time, and that was what finally broke her.

“September 9th- I killed a man tonight. I was walking home from the store. He tried to attack me. All I can think of is how Miguel would have reacted. Would he have wanted me to defend myself? Or would he tell me that I should have been more careful, and that as a spider woman I can't get away with things like that. I hate how much control I let him have over me.” At the bottom of this entry is a separate note, “APD-MERCY”

Miguel felt his heart sink when he read the last entry She killed a man. Valentine… Valentine was a murderer. This wasn’t a matter of getting Valentine back for Miguel. He failed at that, this was about stopping her. Peter came in the room with the laptop and a worried look on his face.

“you should look at this.” He says handing him the laptop. It was an article about MERCY, Miguel read it over.  MERCY was a type altering perspective drug or APD. These kinds of drugs are legal for recreational and medical use and are commonly available in this universe. But some kinds are harder to get your hands on. Depending on what kind you took for it would change your point of view. MERCY specifically was used in this universe's Military to help soldiers and veterans move past killing someone and to continue killing, it was unclear if the drug would convince someone who was unwilling to kill to do so, or just prevented the trauma that came with it.

“Dios Mio…If she’s using this…what kind of damage has she done?” Miguel wonders aloud

“I wish I could tell you, nothing like APD’s exists in any other universe we’ve discovered. We are going into completely unknown territory here.” Peter explains carefully, his eyes drifting to the diary in Miguel’s hands. “Mig…How are we going to get her back?”

“I don’t know if we can.” Miguel looks down at the diary again flipping back to the last Polaroid She ever took with her Miguel, they were at central park. It was winter, both of them wearing leather jackets with spikes and embellishments. Valentines raven hair pulled back under a beanie, a hoop in her nose piercing, she always wore a stud now, and a wide smile on her face, one he’d never seen before. This Miguel looked almost just like him, slightly slimmer, an eye brow and lip piercings, a hat pulled over his mussed up hair, he’s resting his head on top of hers, glimmering brown eyes, a smile that seemed most foreign to him on an identical face. He sighs. “But we’ll have to try.”

~

Masterlist

tag: @femmeanonymelives

#miguel o'hara #across the spiderverse #atsv #miguel spiderverse #astv miguel #miguel spiderman #angst #Spotify #miguel x spidersona #Scarlette Web #Valentine Foxx #spiderverse fanfic

[chaotic-archaeologist]

What does a week in the life of a grad student look like?

So the answer to this will depend heavily on what stage of research you are in. I'll give my answer as someone who is currently in pursuit of a Master's degree, because this is currently my only firsthand experience.

As a Master's student, I am expected to take a certain number of courses, usually about three a semester. Often they meet just once a week, for 2+ hours at a time, and they are discussions/seminars rather than lectures.

On top of that, I have my teaching assistantship, which is contractually for 20 hours/week, but can go above or below that depending on when students turn in assignments.

With that being said, here's a week in my life:

Sunday: A heavy work day, during which I do most of my reading/work for Monday's class, catch up on emails, run errands that didn't get done on Friday. I do not go onto campus.

Monday: In the morning I finish up my reading for class in the afternoon. Depending on how much I have left to do, I will also do administrative tasks for my TAship, or work that needs to be done for my own research. Right now that means filling out internship and fellowship applications. Class from 2:30-5:15, after which I come home and eat dinner. From 6:15-7:30 I do reading for Wednesday's class.

Tuesday: No classes of my own today! If students for the class I TA have submitted assignments, I will spend an hour(ish) working on grading those. I am responsible for grading about 100 papers at a time. I try to spend no more than 2 minutes per paper/quiz. The class I TA meets from 2:30-3:45. The professor lectures while I do work on my computer. I get home and do more reading/work for Wednesday's class.

Wednesday: In the morning I finish any reading/work that needs to be done. If I have been productive in the front half of the week I use this time to run errands or do my own work. If I have not been productive I am cramming for class in the afternoon. Class goes from 2:30-5:15. I come home, eat dinner, and then do reading for Thursday's class until 7:30.

Thursday: In the morning I finish the reading for class in the afternoon. Class meets from 2:30-5pm. I come home and give myself permission to not do any work because my brain is fried and I do not have class tomorrow.

Friday: No class today! I start the morning with therapy, and then this is my day to attend to personal errands. This is mostly grocery shopping, laundry, and tidying. In the evening I often go out with friends to things like hockey games and bar trivia. Sometimes I go to Friday night Shabbat services.

Saturday: This is my day to decompress. I sleep in and then spend most of the early afternoon doing nothing. I paint my nails, read for fun, or take my dog for a long walk. In the afternoon I'll do something social—most weeks this is volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Not pictured are daily activities that include, but are not limited to:

Checking email. Seriously, so many emails. I was not prepared for how many emails I would be getting in grad school

Classwork that I need to be turning in like paper abstracts, discussion posts, meeting with faculty

Doctors appointments

Cooking for myself. Trader Joe's frozen meals are a life saver

Attending talks/programs held on campus, usually in the evenings. These are prime time for networking

Hanging out with friends before class sometimes

Miscellaneous meetings

Walking my dog

Evening routines like Duolingo, journal entries, creative writing time, etc.

NAPS

Unexpected crises

Also, keep in mind that as someone living with a chronic illness/disability, I operate with less energy than some of my peers. But overall, my MA schedule is similar to my bachelor's one, but with fewer classes that each take up more time, and alongside working as a TA. My academic commitments with three grad classes are about the same as my undergrad semester when I took six classes.

As always, other people are free to chime in with their own experiences/observations.

-Reid

#he speaks #gradblr #reid goes to grad school

[knickynoo]

hi, i love your posts a lot and hope you're doing well!

you may have covered it before, but do you have any headcanons about the early years of doc and marty's friendship? i always find myself wondering how they went from a awkward employer and employee relationship, to the close bond we see them share in the films. i would love to know your thoughts!

Hello! Thank you; I hope you're also doing well :)

This kind of connects to an ask I had gotten a while ago about how long I thought it took Marty to fully trust Doc. My answer was: immediately, lol.

Basically, I don't think there was much (if any!) of an awkward period between them. In my head, it essentially went like this:

Doc *upon finding 14-year-old Marty had broken into his garage*: "Um. Hello, there. My name is Doctor Emmett Brown."

Marty: "Hey, I'm Marty."

Doc and Marty: *exchanging friendship bracelets*

I mean, in the comic book depiction of their initial meeting, Marty doesn't even care about discussing the pay Doc offers him. He says, "I'll be happy just to be the guy who knows Doctor Emmett L. Brown!" And. And! Doc's journals in the DeLorean Time Machine manual contain an entry written the day he meets Marty, where he writes, "I have a good feeling about the lad, and feel confident I can trust him." They are literally only hours post-meeting, and Doc has already put his full trust into this kid who snuck in through his window earlier that afternoon. Love it. Now for headcanons.

Obviously, Marty likes Doc from the get-go simply because he thinks he's really interesting and cool and smart, but I think--for Twin Pines Marty, at least--a lot of that initial connection comes from him being sort of starved for attention from a caring, adult figure. Every grown-up around Marty is dysfunctional. His father is oblivious and discouraging, his mother is a sad alcoholic, Biff is an abusive bully, and Strickland thinks Marty is a punk kid destined for a life of failure.

^^ I feel like this meme is fitting

Anyway, Marty then suddenly has this adult in his life who...likes him? Thinks he's smart and has potential? Doesn't talk to him like he's an idiot? I absolutely think that Marty was instantly like, "I am going to spend every possible waking moment here." Doc goes ahead and slaps the Flex Tape right over Marty's damaged self-esteem.

Those early first few months are filled with Doc slipping mini science lessons into all the time they spend together. Marty goes into the whole assistant gig with very limited knowledge, but he's eager to learn. Doc quickly figures out the best way Marty learns and absorbs information, and he gives him a lot of the basic facts and skills that he needs to be able to help around the lab.

I think it actually takes a while for Marty to open up about his family life. Doc has an inkling that home isn't such a great place, but he has no clue how to approach the subject and wonders if it's even appropriate to do so. They both dance around the topic for a long while until it all comes tumbling out of Marty one evening. Doc, having had his own unhappy relationship with his father, empathizes with his new friend, though I don't see Doc as being quick to share any stories of his own. He mostly avoids the subject when Marty tries to ask about his childhood (maybe just sharing stories of his mother). He does eventually talk about his father, but it's a tough thing to do.

Related to the above, I think Marty's little cot was an addition to the lab in those early few months of friendship. There were nights they were either working late, or Marty just didn't seem to want to go home, and Doc didn't want him having to sleep slouched in a chair or on top of a table. Marty walked into the garage one day, and there was suddenly a bed for him.

Contrary to the comics, I DO NOT headcanon that Doc gave that nickname to himself. Marty did, and it probably happened on day one or two of them knowing each other. He just went, "Yo, Doc," and Doc momentarily paused in brief confusion before going, "Huh, guess that's my name now." But Doc loves it because it's the first kind nickname he's ever been given.

From the moment Doc finds out Marty's a musician, he tells Marty he'd like to hear him play. Marty wants to be able to share his music with his new friend, but he's also really nervous. What if Doc thinks he stinks? Eventually, he builds up the courage and brings his guitar to the garage one night. He has Doc (and Einie's) full attention, and they both love his music. Doc is quite impressed with Marty's talent and encourages him to continue to build those skills and share his songs. Sometimes, Doc requests a certain song, and Marty does his best to learn to play it.

That's all I can think of at the moment! Thanks for the ask!

#asks #back to the future #bttf #marty mcfly #doc brown

[imaginedreamwrite]

Sometimes in hospitals they have like “point” systems. Where if patients do things they are supposed to do they get a sticker or something on their chart. And every like 10 stickers or so they get a reward. So like for example maybe one of Steve’s responsibilities is to pass out lunches, if he does that maybe he gets to eat outside with 2 friends and reader (obviously in the unit) or even he knows he has to keep his room tidy

1. How do you feel about that concept

2. Maybe could we have a Drabble or something

I think that’s great, and I think Steve would 💯 use that to his advantage (the series itself is gonna be set in the late ‘40s after the war, let’s assume they do this)

He was a good patient, most days.

He was a good man, most days.

They had quickly learned that if they wanted to do anything with him, they needed to lord you above his head. They had learned that while lost patients who had won rewards by using their point system wanted books or more outdoor time, he wanted you.

You were his reward and everything was within reason. He didn’t know if you were getting extra pay or how they had convinced you to be his special treat, but it worked. Steve was on his best behaviour to get you, and you were mostly accommodating.

It was nothing extraordinary, it was nothing compared to the dates he had wanted to take you on, but it was something. The time he had with you and you alone, counted in his mind as the lead up to your marital relationship.

He got two points for assisting with the lunch cleanup, something he would have helped with anyway. He got two more points for keeping his room organized and his bed made, something he learned early on in the military. He earned two points for a stay of days without violence against the males in the ward.

He got his last four points for taking his medication, for attending therapy with the psychiatrist and for sticking to his daily journal entries.

It was no struggle for him to work his way toward getting to spend time with you. It was no tumultuous strain on himself to act like he was good, despite wanting to break the doctors fingers whenever any of them had strayed where they shouldn’t have gone.

Steve would have done anything for you; to get you.

“You could have chosen anything else to do,” you spoke in surprise, completing one of the many tasks you had for the day, accompanied by Steve, “and you choose to help me do chores?”

“I like your company,” Steve grasped the bin of sheets from you, offering to fold them while you took to the blankets, “you’re calming.”

“You’re going to inflate my ego, Captain.” You were one of the few who called him by his rank, and every time you did filthy thoughts entered his mind.

Would you cry out his rank while he fucked into you in the marriage bed? Would you call him captain as he spread your legs on the kitchen counter of your home and sucked cream from you?

“You’re peaceful,” Steve was grateful that you couldn’t see his hard-on, “you treat me like I’m somebody.”

“You are,” you faltered and set the basket of blankets down on the wooden stand, “somebody, I mean. Just because you’re here doesn’t mean you’ve lost yourself. You’re still…Steve.”

“Do you like…films?” Steve wondered, creating a mental checklist of things he could do when you two were in your own home.

“I do,” you smiled small, “I didn’t watch many when I was a nurse during the war but I watched a few. A personal favourite was The Wizard Of Oz.”

“I like that one,” Steve hummed, vowing to take you to films later on in your relationship, “do you dance?”

“I’ve been to a few dancehalls.” You worked across from him, folding while you conversed. “I’m going to one on Friday. One of the nurses is trying to set me up.”

“Set you up?” His hands clenched beneath the sheets, his teeth grinding. “On a date?”

“Someone from Queens, a cousin.” You didn’t sound excited, and you shrugged it off almost.

“Are you going?” Envy shot through him, panic rose. Did no one know that you were his?

You were his girl.

“I am,” you frowned, “at least…to be nice.”

It wasn’t your fault. You were too beautiful and kind, you were too nice to know what beasts lay within men.

Steve had to protect you, he had to shield you from them all.

“Right,” he kept his seething tone down, “I’m sure you’re going to look beautiful.”

[mioritic]

Fave non fiction jewish books?

off the top of my head:

Mihail Sebastian - Journal 1935-1944: The Fascist Years

Sebastian was a great Romanian-Jewish novelist/playwright but imo an even more compelling diarist. He was mostly friends with the far-right/nationalist circle around Nae Ionescu (Mircea Eliade, Mihail Polihroniade, all of those people) and here he writes about his increasing isolation as a Jew who is 1) almost exclusively good friends with fascists, and 2) living in Bucharest during a long series of fascist governments. I've read it four or five times now and go back to it all the time not only because Sebastian is (to me, at least - some would disagree strongly) a very sympathetic character but because he knew almost every intellectual in interwar Romania and it's an incredible resource. The footnotes really suck though, so if you're not familiar with Romania's interwar intellectual scene you might be doing a lot of Googling or missing a ton of context.

Etty Hillesum - An Interrupted Life: The Diaries 1941-1943

Another diary, which I haven't read in years, but it made an impression on me and I still remember a few of the entries word for word. Hillesum was a Dutch Jewish woman living in Amsterdam who was killed in Auschwitz. This diary documents her life under German occupation and (if I remember correctly) her experiences working for the local Judenrat, but also her exploration of Christianity/Catholicisim.

Sam Waagenaar - Women of Israel

The actual text of this is, meh, whatever — but really beautiful photos of early Israeli statehood.

Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz - The Jew in the Modern World: A Documentary History

We used this as a textbook for one of my undergraduate courses and it continues to be very useful to me. Original documents, charts, tables, etc. stemming from the 17th century to the modern period. I have the 1995 edition, I think there's a new one from the 2010s which might include more recent documents.

Jacob R. Marcus - The Jew in the Medieval World: A Source Book, 315-1791

Basically the same as above but... medieval!

also:

Tadeusz Borowski - This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen

This is cheating for two reasons but I wanted to put it on the list as it left a deep impression on me. Borowski was a Polish, non-Jewish prisoner at Auschwitz and these are (semi-fictionalized) short stories based on his experience there. But a really tough read, probably the only book I've read where I felt like vomiting after finishing it.

That's what comes to mind... there are probably others that I can't think of at the moment (I kept thinking of novels or poetry while making this list). I hope that's useful to you!

#anonymous #ask

[silversiren1101]

🍄 🥀 for minovae!

Thanks for the ask!

🍄 What are your OCs favourite snacks? Their favourite comfort food which always cheers them up when they’re down? Favourite meal to make? Do they enjoy baking and cooking and are they any good in the kitchen?

I mentioned this recently, but one of Mino's very ganzi-like traits is she cannot stand bland food. When she wants a particular flavor, she wants it ALL the way. Salty foods must be SALTY. Sweet foods must be SWEET. So on and so on. She mostly prefers really bitter sweet foods and really spicy sweet foods, stuff in that line. She's not a big snacker because she's often busy, but her go to snack would be extremely salty fish jerky. Something not messy, easily portable, something she can chew on while she's thinking. Her favorite indulgent snack would be chocolate covered coffee beans which are hard to find in Mendev, but I feel someone would be able to find them for her and they wind up in her belongings some way or another.

Her favorite comfort food is whole fried softshell crabs with fresh lemon and lots of spices in the breading. Growing up poor in Westcrown meant eating a lot of 'peasant' food the nobility wouldn't touch, so worst catch of the day and ugly shellfish/seafood, fried and cheaply breaded to make it more palatable. She has cravings for it all the time. Really cheap whole fried oysters and mussels are also among her favorites, drowning in spicy sauce and grease.

As for cooking, I headcanon that all Hellknights sent to wilderness missions are issued basic survival and cooking manuals. Morale is important and subsisting off hardtack, while necessary in horrible situations, is also a morale killer. Really she is capable of what I call "dad cooking." Give her basic ingredients and some basic spices and she can make a hearty meal that's nothing fancy but delicious. Fried eggs with a bunch of paprika and pepper and salt. Thick, salty stews. Whole roasted fish encrusted in rock salt and a bunch of spices. Pancakes! That's one she's kind of proud of, is big dense pancakes haha.

When she becomes a mom I do imagine she learns a little bit more about cooking. Devotes a little more attention to it.

🥀 How would your OC decorate a notebook or journal? What kind of things are written in there? Could you give an example of a nice entry?

Mino does journal! Or did, at least. Her journals were filled with lyrics to songs and impromptu sheet music in the margins or in the back (working backward to the front), but this became rarer the longer she was removed from her previous life as a bard and joined the Hellknights. Her final journal before her capture and death when Areelu gets her hands on her for experimentation (Second Crusade) has very, very tragic and heartbroken rambling lines along the last few pages she managed to fill. The desperation of a broken woman.

"For in another life where I am yours and you are mine

I think I would even believe in lords above,

Those wings those halos, what azatas sing for

All that others call divine is unworthy in my eyes

For such a word is for yours and mine, the idea of us entwined

Because what is Heaven and Elysium without us there

But a mockery of paradise, sacrosanct made profane

Beauty turned twisted, turned horror, torture for me and mine

For that's a world, a life only in dreams

Far from this waking nightmare, truth unto reality

This bedroll the Abyss, this tent Hell

Only big enough for me and mine."

After the Crusade and Worldwound, she kind of scribbles down whatever comes to her, not really caring if it's "good" or "bad", just finding peace and joy in the act of creating because she has that luxury now. Very sappy romantic stuff is her go to, and it still takes her a long time to actually sing, so it's more like the idea of a song with lyrics rather than the real thing.

#silversirenwrites #oc: minovae arangeir #Mino is a talented singer and performer but not necessarily a creator if that makes sense #she can repeat things and put embellishments on things #she finds joy in the act of creation though - especially sheet music

[jewish-space-laser]

Ok journal entry incoming lol.

Guys I think this is the closest I’ve ever been to being in love and it’s terrifying because I honestly wasn’t sure if I was capable of like… letting my guard down enough to feel this way.

And sometimes it’s lonely but to be quite frank I fucking LOVE being alone, and things like having a kid or a house or whatever are never things I felt I needed to have a partner for. And I still mostly feel that way and it probably will never change completely but I have to admit it is really nice having somebody in my life who is like, romantic and makes me feel all floaty and nice all the time.

And it’s not like I haven’t dated and been in relationships before, but I feel that, at least on my end, things always felt very “surface level” or like I couldn’t fully be myself around them, and I always remember how excited If be to get home, after going on dates lmao.

But with my current dude I don’t really feel drained. And like, I can be myself around him!!! I’ve told him all of the feelings above and he feels the same about so many things. Before I even mentioned it, he told me he believes that couples should have their own bedrooms in a shared home. LIKE!!! YES!!!! I have always wanted that too. He loves having his own space, so do I. I understand when he needs to recharge his social battery and vice versa.

Anyway TLDR, I just needed to date another earth sign, I am potentially capable of love after all lmao

#I’m so high and somehow it helped me articulate this lol #i’ve been trying to pinpoint why this relationship felt different from the start #and i think it’s just that we have similar boundaries #idk man i lowkey think sometimes that i have a touch of the ‘tism and I am far too scared to seek a dx #but it’s hard to find people who actually understand what it means to need SPACE like real space #anyway i need to go drink water so bad holy shit my mouth is dry

[disneydeb1928]

PLL Original Sin - Intro Song

Time for - I hyper-fixated and overanalyzed the Intro scene with the Masked Man (Referred to as "MM" because I don't - like many - believe him to be "A"). Here, are a few things that I observed (Warning: It's a lot)

"MM" has a copy of Imogen's sonogram in addition to a picture of her. -> Implication: She is the only one of the girls who has something extra along with their picture.

“MM” has a missing person’s flyer for Mouse, which lists her DOB as 3/13/92, which is March 13th, 1992. -> Implication: If that’s Mouse’s real DOB, then she’d be 30 years old. The girls (who are 15-16 years old) would have been born in 2004/2005. Episode 1x07 has scene in 2012 and this episode is centered around Mouse. If she were born in 1992, she would be 20 in 2012, which doesn’t match up for being kidnapped. If she were born in 2004/2005, she would be 7 years old. Whatever this is supposed to mean, I don’t think it’s actually Mouse’s birthday. But perhaps, it’s in reference to something about Angela or “MM”. Because Angela was born in 1982, so in 1992, she would have been 9/10 which would make more sense.

There is a shot where "MM" is pulling angrily at some pears and there appears to be a small section of white skin peaking from underneath his sleeve (pictured below). -> Conclusion: "MM" is Caucasian.

The Briefcase Contents (Picture Below)

Top Left Lid: Picture of Imogen and her mother hugging each other. (Appears in 1x01)

Bottom Left Lid: Unknown photograph.

Top Center Lid: Mirror.

Top Right Lid: The Ticket for the Halloween Horror-O-Thon for "October 31" "Afternoon Matinee" "3:00 PM". (Seen in 1x05)

Bottom Right Lid: A note that says, “YOU’RE A BAD MOTHER” (that will appear in either 1x06 or 1x07) pinned using a safety pin.

Top Left Bottom: Old doll.

Center Bottom: Spirit Queen Crown (From 1x02)

Top Right Bottom: Pink diary/journal (Davies, from 1x04)

Then some jewelry randomly everywhere, mostly pearls

You can also notice, off to the side some other interesting things. For instance, Imogen's polaroid is clearly right above the briefcase. There is the bloody ballerina shoe from 1x01 and it's covering what appears to be what might be the news article that Imogen found in 1x03 about Angel's body being found. Also, a bunch of camera equipment (because it wouldn't be PLL without weirdness)

The Journal Entries - There are 3 separate journal entries seen throughout the intro. They are some of the ones I imagine Imogen found ripped out of her mother's journal (seen above)

Journal Entry #1: Is seen a few times throughout the intro. All together, it says, “October” “The girls-” “I have a new project” _ “Angela Waters” “_I got put in the same lab group as her today and she is just as tragic” _ “athletic dose of” “far away,” “something a(j)-” “-nd of…(” “-nd little wet” “innocent” “want to die _ she” “doesn’t (wise, she didn’t drink or smoke”. -> Implication: I would gleam that Angela and Davie first began to interact in October after they got placed in the same lab together. Which would make sense, since the girls' told her that Halloween was an "initiation".

Journal Entry #2: It says, “December 31 1999” at the top. “It’s the last day of the millennium!!!!! People on the news on(?) kids baggin cause they’re worried all the computers in the world might crash or something when the year starts. I don’t really ?_ but I guess ? lot.”

Journal Entry #3: Only has the date, "Jan 3, 2000". -> Implication: Depending on how you want to consider "2 days later", this could have been when Angela's body was found. No wonder Davie would want to get rid of it or "MM" would want it.

#pll clues #pll original sin #pll theories #pllos #pllos intro #masked man #pllos A

[inherhouseshewaitsdreaming]

Techo Kaigi 2023

2023 is drawing to a close and the new planners are sitting in my drawer, calling to me in all their pristine loveliness. But before I talk about 2024, how did 2023 go?

Pretty well, actually.

I started 2023 with the following planners:

Daily personal journal: Hobonichi Cousin

Daily carry: Hobonichi Weeks Mega

Commonplace book: Hobonichi A5 notebook

Writing journal: Hobonichi A5 notebook

Health journal: Hobonichi Weeks

Work journal: Hobonichi A6 Techo

Overflow/bullet journal: Midori Codex A5

By the end of 2023 (actually, by about mid-2023) only two of those got switched out for something else and one got added. Which is pretty good. There are, however, a few other changes I am making next year. I’m going to go through each in detail.

Were these the right journals for me?

Actually, yes. Although there is some reconfiguring, the basic principles of the journals above is going to remain consistent. I need a place to write personal journal entries that stays at home and a place to track things and make notes on the go. I enjoy both writing and commonplacing. If I want to focus on my health, having a dedicated journal helps. And I keep a separate journal for work because it may contain information that shouldn’t really go outside of work. And then sometimes I overflow into another space because I want to deep dive on something that doesn’t really fit in the others. None of this is changing.

Daily Personal Journal

The 2023 Hobonichi Cousin is going to move into … the 2024 Hobonichi Cousin. This book works really well for me. The finder details of how I use it did evolve a bit over the year, but I think I’m happy with where I ended up. I did consider moving into the Avec as my Cousin is fairly chonky at this point, but I prefer to have the book in English. I will use this in mostly the same way as last year as well:

3 months to a page view: I have no idea what I will do with this next year, but I had no idea last year either.

Monthly pages: I write a daily highlight on each day.

Weekly pages: I currently use these for planning, but this will move to the daily carry. So I am expecting this to become a space for gratitude/manifestation.

Daily pages: personal daily journal entries.

Daily Carry + Bullet Journal

Although the Weeks was nice, I found I ended up feeling things got a bit lost in the weekly view. I pretty much only used it for key dates. I had a Midori Codex as a bullet journal (briefly) but it never worked well for me as I really don’t like Midori paper (a discovery from this year) and it wasn’t something I could carry around. So I tried a Traveller’s Notebook, and again, the paper (which is the same, so I should have realised this would happen) was not to my taste. I solved both by getting a 240 page Sterling Ink TN notebook. This has worked well.

For next year, I wanted to consolidate these into one book. Although the weeks and the TN are smaller dimensionally, carrying both is quite bulky! I decided to get a Sterling Ink Common Planner (2 part book) in A5. I expect it to be used as follows:

3 months to a page view: seriously, I never know what to do with these pages.

Monthly pages: key dates and events

Weekly pages: time based daily planning - what do I do when. This will double as time tracking.

Blank pages: bullet journal which for me acts as a place to work when I’m out and about, as well as an overflow journal. I expect to also use it to write consolidated to do lists.

Creativity + Commonplace Journal

Last year was the first time I kept a commonplace book and this really suits my way of working. I have just about filled it. I did add a separate journal for writing learning, a Weeks Sterling Ink, but this is too small really.

I need somewhere to plan my creative activities, and also to plan this website! Especially as I have a lot of pre-planned content for next year that will need some serious planning to fully prep. So this will be moving into a Sterling Ink Common Planner (2 part book) along with my commonplace book. I originally brought this journal for work, but that ended up being the wrong choice. However, it ends up working out just fine as a combined creativity planner and commonplace book.

3 months to a page view: index.

Monthly pages: website and social media posting schedule. I want to be able to look back and see what got planned and what got posted.

Weekly pages: day to day creative planning - writing, the website, reading, etc.

Blank pages: commonplace book and creative ideas.

Bonus journal: A5 Sterling Ink 520 page learning journal

I will keep the learning separate. It makes it easier for me to re-read it and finding all my notes is going to be increasingly important next year for the content I have planned here.

Writing Journal

The Hobonichi notebook worked well last year as the smoothness of the tomoe river paper makes it a joy to write in. I really need the low feedback paper to write without my hands hurting. But, this year I want to focus on a daily writing habit, so I wanted a daily journal. And I wanted to use the new A5 Hobonichi Hon, but was a bit worried about how it would bulk up as my daily journal. So my new writing journal is the Hobonichi Hon A5.

3 months to a page view: actual daily ‘wordcount’. I want to be able to see the patterns of writing I manage to complete.

Monthly pages: I wanted a place to do mini doodle/zentangle art every day. As I don’t really need the monthlies for anything writing wise, I am going to use this space for that.

Weekly pages: responses to prompts, ideas - anything I feel the need to capture. This won’t really be ‘weekly’.

Daily pages: writing

Bonus journal: A5 Sterling Ink 520 page worldbuilding project journal

As my days vary quite a lot, I know I might not actually write every day. But I can write the equivalent of every day. The idea is to try and keep up with the days and that is why I am also recording the actual daily pages written. I also have a worldbuilding project planned and this will be kept in its own journal. Its an alternative history world so I will need to do a lot of research and then ‘adjust’ reality.

Health Journal

The Hobonichi Weeks was perfect for this. I recorded calories and activity against each day and then used the back pages for planning food shops. I am going to switch to the Sterling Ink Common Planner Weeks Compact for 2024 only because I think the vertical weeklies will be better than the horizontal ones (if I’m wrong, I can always get a Hobonichi Weeks).

Work Journal

It turns out I hate A6. I also think having a weekly overview is better. As is being able to keep my notes in the same book. I changed to a an Undated Sterling Ink Common Planner and I plan to stick with that. I got the ‘half year’ size so I can carry it around more easily.

Is everything Sterling Ink or Hobonichi?

Pretty much. There are two reasons for this that I can now articulate pretty clearly:

Tomoe River paper. I love this paper. Fountain pen inks never feather, even the wetter ones. Its incredibly smooth, and reduces feedback, which in turn reduces pain in my hands.

The grid size. This is perfect for me.

There are other companies out there who can meet this need. I did consider the Wonderland planner for a work planner. I also looked at Aura Estelle and I may get an Undated from here when my current work journal runs out (it depends how many of the note pages I end up using).

That is a lot of journals!

Its only 8. Well, 9 because I expect to use another journal as a record of a big trip I am taking next year. I know it seems a lot, but with the exception of the Worldbuilding Project journal, all of these were things I used last year. And most were filled (or will be full either by the end of the month, or when they come to their natural end). That being said, no one should feel like they have to have this many journals. I started with one - a single bullet journal. I ended up filling it very quickly, which is when I started to have more than one. You have too many journals if:

They are the ‘right’ journal, but you can’t fill them/keep up with them.

Keeping up with them is causing you stress.

Other than this, the correct number of journals is the number that help you function day to day, in all areas of your life. That bring you joy when you use them. I would find trying to cram everything into one book and running out of space stressful. This is what works for me, and in 2024, I will be sticking with it.

#techokaigi #journaling #2023journals #2024journals

[isfjmel-phleg]

All right, fine, I sort of wrote something. Another item from @fictionadventurer's list: In-character shopping lists.

Rachel (does not get regular pocket money or the chance to visit shops very often, so the list has to be brief and practical)

Hair ribbons (necessary to keep her mane contained)

Writing paper (mostly for letters to her father and brother)

Ink (see above, and also for lessons)

Black thread (for mending holes in stockings before her mother notices)

The new book The Princess of Yew (too expensive, never mind)

Rietta (means to be a good money manager but always fails--in this case she's determined to prepare for a long, boring train trip)

Lemon drops (her favorite)

Map of Corege (geography is important to her)

Hair pins (she's nearly grown-up enough to need them now!)

Hat pins (double as a weapon)

Magazine (to stave off boredom)

Pack of cards (see above)

Another magazine (in case she reads the first one too quickly)

Inane fidgety toy (why not)

Delclis (gets next to no pocket money as king and is perpetually annoyed about it--he's got a list of necessary supplies for when he saves up enough)

Seeds (a lot of them, dozens of varieties, he's got a whole itemized list)

Latest scientific journal (he wants to keep up with botany even if he's no longer able to be an active researcher)

Slides for microscope (the cells aren't going to examine themselves)

Mounting cards (for pressed botanical specimens)

Treats for Canis (who is a good boy)

Elystan (has probably never actually set foot in a shop, which is probably for the better since he has no concept of money management, but if he ever gets his chance while at school...)

Magazine with the latest Morrick Hopeley story (absolutely crucial, he cannot wait)

Puzzle game of some sort (he's bored)

Sweets (he's a child)

Phonograph record (preferably something ragtime, for maximum Josiah-annoyance)

Books (the more the better--he's bored)

Matches (to light asthma cigarettes)

Smelling salts (he has to carry these for fainting spells)

Printing paper (he owns a printing press. a small one. suitable for shenanigans)

Not listed: any number of random objects bought on a whim

Amarantha (dedicates most of her budget to Art, because she has Priorities)

Colored pencils (never can have too many, and she goes through them quickly)

Sketchbook (see above)

Charcoal (she's experimenting)

Cuff protectors (charcoal is messy)

Handkerchiefs (she also goes through these quickly since she uses them for art mishaps more often than anything else)

Tamett (has probably never bought anything unexpected or not on brand in his life)

Postcards (to send to family)

Comics (perfectly acceptable literature--he's practicing his Coregean)

New handball (lost the last one after it got stuck on a roof)

Typewriter ribbon (replacement)

Strawberry ice (from the school shop, as a treat)

Josiah (is a model budgeter, thank you very much)

Sheet music (for his music lessons and personal practice time)

Rosin (for his violin)

Violin strings (just in case)

Graph paper (for mathematics classes and extra credit work to impress the teachers)

Ink (for all the essays, letters, and journal entries he writes)

Chocolate creams (he keeps a stash, don't tell the others)

Comb (appearances are everything at Hollingham)

Pocket mirror (see above)

Political theory books (his father requires weekly updates on his reading material)

Military strategy books (see above)

Chocolate creams (...on second thought, he'll take two)

#The Blackberry Bushes #The Blackberry Bushes OC facts #Rachel Doncath #Rietta Valencourt #Delclis Phemister #Elystan Liddick #Amarantha Melbray #Tamett Lockridge #Josiah Callon

[pangolinheart]

I was tagged by @irisopranta so here's a little trivia!

Share your wallpaper: It's... just the default MSI wallpaper (I have commitment issues lol.) I could probably use a screenshot or a commission of a suitable dimensions, but meeehhhhh.

My mobile wallpaper is this Dragon Age Tarot-style commission from @needapotion

I've been thinking about changing it, but I'm not sure to what.

The last song you listened to: The Sharpest Lives by My Chemical Romance (I mostly listen to music while driving. Shockingly this song is not on any of my many playlists)

Currently reading: Uuuuhhhh I don't read as much as I should, but when I do I've been bouncing between: The Death and Life of Schneider Wrack by Nate Crowley, which I really enjoy but have been trying to finish for like a year and half (it's not long i'm just lazy). An inventive nautical zombie romp with a dash of social commentary.

Asian Ghost Short Stories: An Anthology of New and Classic Tales. The intersection of folklore, horror, and culture was the topic of both of my undergrad senior papers, though they mostly focused on Japan. I've already read most of the traditional Japanese stories in this book, but I don't know very much about ghosts in other Asian Countries, so it's been an interesting read! I was also drawn to it because it contains translations of new short horror stories by unpublished Asian authors. The Black Bestiary: A Phantasmagoria of Monsters and Myths from the Phillipines by Budjette Tan (Author), David Hontiveros, Kajo Baldisimo (Illustrator), and Bow Guerrero  (Illustrator). See above. This book is really interesting, because it's an illustrated compedium of myths and monsters, but the entries are written from the perspective of modern-day monster hunters recording their experiences in a journal. Apparently it's a sequel to a book called The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo, which I'll have to pick up sometime. The art is very cool. One of the illustrators, Kajo Baldisimo, is the main illustrator of a comic series called Trese that semi-recently received an animated adaptation with audio available in both English and Tagalog. I've been meaning to consume both of these at some point as well.

Last Movie: Uuuuuhhhhhh.... I'm not much of a movie person, so I don't really remember, but I guess maybe Dune?

Craving: Curry and rice (I'll make some the next time everyone else is out of the house >_>)

What are you wearing right now? Black leggings and a sweatshirt with the word "Catnip" over a collage of images of cats and slogans like "Cheap Thrills" in the style of an old-school Reefer Madness poster.

How tall are you: 5'4 (164.56 cm) (People always say "I thought you were taller!" Including someone i worked with in-person for more than a month-and-a-half.)

Piercings: Just the boring regular ear piercings.

Tattoos: None, sadly. See: fear of commitment

Glasses? Contacts? Neither.

Last drink: Ice water (I'm trying to drink more water, but I'd rather gargle metal shavings than drink room-temperature water.)

Last show: Hmm this one was also a while ago. I think it was Dragon Age: Absolution.

Last thing you ate: Pork roast (bleh) and potatoes for dinner.

Favorite color: This is a cop-out but I like lots of colors. I guess maybe green, orange or red? But I also like white, black, most shades of blue (navy can get fucked), purple, yellow, pink, silver/gray, etc.

Current obsession: FFXIV

Unrelated obsession: Dice! I love hand-made ttrpg dice sets! They're so pretty and unique! Sadly, not playing in any actual games has not put a damper on my bankruptcy-inducing dice habit.

Any pets: Two cats (Hansel and Gretel) and a dog (Isabella).

Do you have a crush on anyone? Nah.

Favorite fictional character: This one is really hard... There are probably so many I'm forgetting. The Justice of Toren/Breq from the Imperial Radch series, Matthew Swift from the Matthew Swift series, Alistair from DA:O, Anders, Fenris, and Isabela from DA2. Garrus from Mass Effect. Esteem from FFXIV, Alisaie from FFXIV (though I also really like Haurchefant, Y'shtola, Hilda, Ysayle, and Fordola.)

Honorable mentions to the characters I used to have keychains of on my pen case (I would try to encourage shier, nerdier students to talk to me by watching/playing things that were popular with high schoolers and putting my favorite character from the media on my pen case, which students would get very excited about): Chuuya from Bungo Stray Dogs, Childe from Genshin Impact, and Cu Chulainn from various Fate-related media.

The last place you traveled: Uhhhh I guess my last major trip was to... here (America)! My last "vacation" was to Sapporo (that was right before the pandemic.) I do occasionally take shorter day trips to towns around my area, but the furthest afield I've been recently is Grand Marais in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

I will be in Las Vegas for the FFXIV Fan Expo this summer though!

Tagging: I think everyone I interact with has already been tagged in this, but if you haven't done it and want to here is your unofficial tag!

#rambling #about auggie

[autumnalwalker]

Find the Words tag

Thank you for the tag, @dogmomwrites.

My words were assure, argue, previous, & halfway.

Passing the tag to @talesofsorrowandofruin, @void-botanist, @theimperiumchronicles, @writernopal, and the usual open tag for anyone else who may wish to participate.

Your words shall be harmless, literally, breakfast, & entrance.

Assure: The Archivist's Journal, Day 25

I broke the silence once again by telling her my name.  She told me hers in return.  Maiko, as I noted at the start of this entry.

I told her that next mist night I’d be sure to leave the door unlocked for her and that she was welcome to come inside when it rains instead of just sitting out on the porch.

She told me that she’d been doing this since she found the empty house last rainy season but had been afraid to since realizing someone else had moved in.

I assured her that I was harmless.  Half tripping over my own chair on my way to the sink as punctuation to this statement was only mostly intentional.

Argue: Empty Names - 4 - Prince In Gold

His friend smiles and shakes her head in long-suffering exasperation.  “I can’t argue with that now, can I?”

“I literally won’t let you.”

“Oh rea-”

“Nuh-nuh-nuh,” Sullivan cuts her off, “I said ‘literally’ and I meant it.”

This gets a chuckle out of her.  It’s been too long since Sullivan’s heard that sound.  A sound of old times.  Perhaps the past few years apart for them both to cool down truly was for the best.

“Fine, you win this round you, old rogue,” she says.

“I always do.”

“Only because you cheat.”

“And I say again, touché."

Previous: The Archivist's Journal, Day 95

They were both up before I was this morning.  What was left of the morning anyway by that time.  They seemed to be getting along well enough.  They’d already had breakfast (with promises to pay me back for it) and Maiko had helped herself to a bath.

Lin talked a bit about how strange it was to be back here.  All the same furnishings and decorations in mostly the same places as when the old archivist was living here.  I admitted that I really hadn’t done much to make it my own.  It all seemed good enough so it just didn’t seem worth the effort to go around changing things.  Even the minor rearrangement of furniture was due to the nature sprite messing with me and me trying to put things I hadn’t paid much attention to back from memory.

I asked if she found that strange familiarity offputting and she insisted it was fine.  Still, maybe I should redecorate so that I’m not just living in the shadow of the house’s previous occupant so much.

When I asked if Lin needed to be getting back to the Village and what the note she’d left her parents said, she shrugged it off.  Said she wasn’t in a hurry to get back and that it didn’t matter what the note said because they probably wouldn’t believe it anyway and would assume she was out meeting with some man.  With a laugh she added that’d probably be a relief for them if it was true.

With a glance at the towel-wrapped Maiko coming out of the bath I said it wouldn’t be too far off the mark, and was rewarded with Lin spraying the tea she’d been drinking across the table.  An insult and apology followed in the same breath once she finished coughing.

Maiko asked if everything was alright over there.  Eager to change the topic, Lin quickly insisted everything was great and asked if Maiko wanted to talk about what all she found on that island.

Halfway: Empty Names - 7 - Gathered Here Today

The entrance foyer is dominated by a grand staircase leading to the upper levels whose balconies wrap back around to look down on the visitors.  Above the landing where the staircase splits and turns halfway to the next floor hangs a portrait of a woman in a blue dress of a style as antique as the house’s.  Her smile at the viewer is playful.  Playful in the same way that a cat is playful with a mouse.  Several closed doors line the walls on either side between the entrance and the staircase, although those seem a background detail compared to the small pile of black crates and out of place chairs in the center of the hall.

#tag game #writeblr #my writing #writing tag games #find the word tag #manuscript search tag #The Archivist's Journal #Empty Names

[eriellesudario]

The Idea of Watermarking (and how to do it)

As an aspiring photographer, there is a small (and optional) rule that we follow and that is to watermark your work. This is so that people will know who originally took it (if the logo is identifiable) and to prove that you own the photo.

I’ve done it a few times and you can see them mostly the events gallery because those pictures were hard to take as they require me to go outside and talk to people (and I’m introverted af!).

But what if there is a photo you took and you need to post it immediately? How will you watermark it? Is it even worth watermarking?

This post will answer that!

If you follow me on social media and you’re part of the Phandom, then ya’ll should have seen this photo being circulated all over Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram during the last two days.

This my fellow readers is my meet and greet photo with Dan and Phil during the Cool For Summer Festival in Sydney Olympic Park in 2017. I got a Platinum VIP pass so it means not only I get to meet Dan and Phil but I also get first priority entry. I was supposed to be second in line but I swapped places with my friend Tani and I became third in line.

This is basically what happened during the meet and greet:

So I walked in and gave Dan and Phil a hug. But before that, I played Hello Internet and Dan wanted to walk away. Yup… I actually had bluetooth speakers on me and blasted Dan’s first video before hugging them. But Dan wasn’t upset, he laughed. He said that playing that was ‘iconic’ then we hugged. (And if you’re concerned, I only played ‘Hi my name is Dan’ then stopped the video).

I hugged Dan first then Phil. After hugging they signed my book and talked about TATINOF then told them about my journalism assignment that I used the tour for it and got a B+ on it and they told me to give a shout out to the journalism teacher.

Then came the pose. I told them ‘well, since you’ve been talking about Lazytown in your previous live streams, I want to do the iconic sportarobbie pose from season 3’

I showed the the pose on my iPod and Dan then asked who is robbie rotten. He first suggested me but i said i wanted dan to do it. We did the pose i wanted and surprisingly, that pose was reposted multiple times on Instagram and Tumblr.

I told them about the Philippine phandom and they also told me to give them a shout out well. Sadly couldn’t be recorded.

I then said thank you and left happy.

As stated above, the photo was reposted multiple times on social media and spread like wildfire, gaining 3k+ likes as I’m writing this post right now. TBH, I pretty much expected that to happen since the pose is just soo good!

Since I knew that this photo will eventually spread, I’ve decided to watermark my image. I was reading a few comments about this in both Twitter and Instagram about my decision and only a few people were butt hurt over my decision. They think its problematic and just a stupid of me to do it. But I don’t care since it’s my photo + I told my family and friends about my decision and they think it was a good idea, that it was smart of me to do so.

I’ve seen my fair share of mass repost of meet and greet photos and they were used in edits, videos and etc that it’s a thing in the phandom to crop the fan out. TBH, I don’t care if I get cropped out but I do care when they claim the photo as theirs without crediting the original owner. I’ve seen people who were literally upset when this happened to them (from m&g pics to art edits) and it sucks.

I didn’t want to watermark my pictures in the first place but unfortunately I posted a pic from TATINOF last year and people used it, making it look like its their photo. I wasn’t credited whatsoever (and it was a hard photo to take btw).

The photo I’m talking about is this:

It was a scene from TATINOF Sydney that I took using my iPad and not only people were mad at me for taking this photo, but used it in their ‘oh it’s been x months since TATINOF’ and stuff like that. And I needed this photo for my journalism assignment btw!

So after I took my meet and greet photo, I went to sit somewhere less hectic  and began to watermark my photo. I posted it and the jokes just keeps on flying about the idea of me watermarking it. Despite most of the comments were about how cute the pic was, how I was a genius for doing this and how Dan is falling towards Phil is just phan goals, but the messages about the watermark hurt me a bit… like 1% damage.

My pose, people can easily crop me out, I’ve seen a few that did and once again… more comments about my decision. Most common is something around the lines off ‘Can’t crop this b*tch out anymore’ and something related to that. So I’ve released a statement on Instagram (where I first shared the pic) and there was lots of support about my choice and people understood why I did it.

Some have also told me that thanks to what I did, they also intend to watermark their future meet and greet pictures as well if they know it will go viral.

The purpose of the watermark is to show/prove that the photo is yours and no one can claim it’s theirs. Its permanent and unless you’re really good with photoshop, it’s hard to get rid off.

When it comes to my professional work, I usually watermark the bottom part of my photo as I want a clear shot of my pic as well as to easily identify that I took it.

Normally, I use Adobe Lightroom to watermark my works but when it comes to meet and greets, you need to upload them fast… Like the first 1 hour fast!

So how did I do it?

A few people asked what app I used to create my watermark. For those who ask, it’s called Enlight and it’s like Photoshop on your phone. It cost $5.99 AUD (but I got it for free when it was App of the Week 2 years ago)

It’s a really good app! I love to play around with it from time to time and IS REALLY USEFUL to fix really bad selfies like this one:

​(Hi Pat if you’re reading this… sorry if this selfie is being used for a blog post about watermark advice)

I needed to edit that on the spot! I didn’t want to do it at home! Also this was two selfies, just layered on top of each other and made it black and white cuz the coloured version looked like shit and made it obvious that it was edited.

But asides its use for fixing bad selfies, it’s also good for watermarks. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the PNG file of my logo on my phone so I just wrote my username.

Enlight is really handy and is good for last min edits or quick access to watermarking on the go. It’s also good with edits but that for another post.

Please note I’m not being sponsored by Lightricks Ltd. (the makers of Enlight). I just love the app. Glad I got it for free during App of the Week.

Now, every repost of my pose has my username at least spotted in the photo. You can crop me out but my name will still be seen… unless you’re a fan of Dan’s legs… then I have no control over that one.

But yeah… that’s my reason why I will now watermark my phan meet and greets and how you can do it on your mobile!

Happy watermarking!

#2017 #blog #advice #Instagram