#ralston family

[letterboxd-loggd]

Ready or Not (2019) Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

July 10th 2023

#ready or not #2019 #matt bettinelli-olpin #tyler gillett #samara weaving #adam brody #mark o'brien #andie macdowell #henry czerny #melanie scrofano #elyse levesque #kristian bruun #nicky guadagni #john ralston #family ritual

[fetchmearum420]

Hehehehhehe

#1776 musical #family feud #meme #no I’m not calling Thompson dumb #david ford #charles thompson #john hancock #Ralston hill

[news-tey]

Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk reportedly rekindling romance, considering second child

Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk reportedly rekindling romance, considering second child

Bradley Cooper and model Irina Shayk — who called it quits in 2019 and have one child together — could be getting back together with an eye on having more kids, a source exclusively tells Page Six. The couple — who co-parent 5-year-old daughter, Lea De Seine — posted a picture from their tropical family vacation this week with an insider telling us they could be rekindling the romantic flame. “It…

View On WordPress

#Anthony David Weiner #Bradley #bradley cooper #Child #cooper #Getty Images Inc. #irina #Jamie McCarthy #Lea De Seine #Mark Ralston #real family getaway #rekindling #Reportedly #Romance #Shayk #silver lining #Sports Illustrated

[news-folds]

Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk reportedly rekindling romance, considering second child

Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk reportedly rekindling romance, considering second child

Bradley Cooper and model Irina Shayk — who called it quits in 2019 and have one child together — could be getting back together with an eye on having more kids, a source exclusively tells Page Six. The couple — who co-parent 5-year-old daughter, Lea De Seine — posted a picture from their tropical family vacation this week with an insider telling us they could be rekindling the romantic flame. “It…

View On WordPress

#Anthony David Weiner #Bradley #Bradley Cooper #Child #COOPER #Getty Images Inc. #Irina #Jamie McCarthy #Lea De Seine #Mark Ralston #real family getaway #rekindling #reportedly #Romance #Shayk #silver lining #Sports Illustrated

[hometoursandotherstuff]

This 1929 French style ivy covered castle house in Hillsborough, California is pricey at $15.750M. It has 5bds & 6.5ba.

The most dramatic feature in the entrance hall is the full-size niche.

Very formal living room lined in wood with built-in shelving and a large niche for a console.

Love the conservatory with the floral ceiling inset.

Lovely sunporch with a glass ceiling.

The family room is open to the dining room and kitchen.

With the coffered ceiling painted white, the dining room has an outdoor garden look.

The kitchen has a stunning copper exhaust hood that I would not to polish. The floor lends an interesting contrast to the plain whiteness of the cabinetry.

The billiard room has a lovely fireplace and a built-in bar.

A lantern style fixture is suspended from a wrought iron-decorated skylight.

They currently have a desk in the large principle bedroom, but you could fit a whole living room set in here.

Large, elegantly French en-suite.

The home is situated where there's a wide expansive view.

Around to the side of the house is a patio.

Further down the property is a pool.

A yard and garden are below the house.

2 acres of sloping property full of trees.

The home's proximity to San Pablo Bay.

#castle home #french style home #houses #house tours #home tour

[duckprintspress]

Meet Some of Duck Prints Press’s Transgender Authors!

Today, March 31st 2024, is Transgender Day of Visibility! We’re celebrating by shining the spotlight on 11 trans authors who’ve published with us, and three more who are contributing to projects that are in the pipeline. Duck Prints Press works with many trans creators, but we never disclose such information without explicit permission – there are way more than 11 trans folks working with us, but the people highlighted in this post all opted in to be included: they’re here, they’re trans, and they’re happy for y’all to know that about them!

Most of these authors have published more than one work with Duck Prints Press; we’re mostly highlighting one story each for this post, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more to read!

Aether Beyond the Binary is our most recent anthology (Kickstarted in January, expected to go up for sale in late spring or early summer). About half the contributors are transgender or genderqueer, including four who volunteered to be included in this post!

S. J. Ralston, who contributed the story Razzmatazz, about a dystopian Hollywood where robots of long-dead stars are forced to make movies, and about the non-binary mechanic who services them.

Kelas Lloyd, who contributed the story True, about a non-binary teen going to a remedial camp to help them learn to channel aether.

Catherine E. Green, who contributed the story To Hold the World Close, about an established non-binary couple working together to try to take down a corporation that’s trying to control access to the world-wide aether network.

Zel Howland, who contributed the story Flower and Rot, about a world where channeling aether causes human bodies to sprout plants, and about the people who sprout fungi instead.

Meet the other contributors, too!

All of our anthologies have had trans contributors; highlighted here also is And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” contributed to by Adrian Harley (a character study of modern-day Benedick’s coming out as a trans man) and Nickel J. Keep (a wlw historical story about the characters returning home after serving in World War 2).

You can read about all the contributors to Aether Beyond the Binary here.

And other works by our trans authors…

Of Loops and Weaves by Catherine E. Green: a trans woman works on a knit for her crush.

Sarisa by N. C. Farrell: a bigender he/she mecha mechanic navigates the challenges of a new pilot arriving on the ship. (N. C. Farrell also contributed to our anthology She Wears the Midnight Crown.)

Whispers of Atlantis: A Tale of Discovery and Belonging by Neo Scarlett: a family subjected to bullying because of their mixed elvish/human heritage seek a new places to live.

Chrysopoeia by Zel Howland: what happens when a witch is trapped with her personal demon…

Many Drops Make a Stream by Adrian Harley: one of only four novels Duck Prints Press has released so far, Many Drops Make a Stream introduces the shapeshifter Droplet as she and carpenter Azera search for Azera’s kidnapped friend.

A Shield for the People by Puck Malamud: a trans Jewish man uses his powers to protect the common people from the creatures of the night. (Puck Malamud also contributed to our anthology Add Magic to Taste.)

This Treatment for Chronic Pain has an Unbelievable Side Effect! by Xianyu Zhou: a man gets more than he bargained for when he participates in an experimental treatment plan for his chronic pain… (spicy!) (Xianyu Zhou also contributed to our anthology Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers.”)

LA Photographs Itself by YF Ollwell: a steamy erotica story set in 1970s LA, about an encounter between a photographer and a trans actor.

And we’ve got upcoming projects featuring even more trans authors!

Our next anthology, Many Hands: An Anthology of Polyamorous Erotica is slated to Kickstart in April or May and includes several trans authors, including YF Ollwell, Cedar McCafferty-Svec, and Alex Bauer! Cedar also has a story coming to the Duck Prints Press Patreon this coming week. Meet all the contributors to Many Hands.

The third installment in our Queer Fanworks Inspired By… series, A Truth Universally Acknowledged: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” also includes creators who chose to participate in this post: May Barros, who is an artist, and Xianyu Zhou!

So come check out Duck Prints Press, an indie press that works with fancreators to publish their original works, and support some awesome trans creators this Transgender Day of Visibility!

#duck prints press #transgender #transgender day of visibility #tdov #trans pride #transgender pride #transgender authors #transgender creators

[nightmaretherabbit]

☠️

☠️ - How They Died

Charlie Emily:Stab wound,bled to death outside of Fredbear's Family Diner's back alley after her "Friends" shut her out

Susie Williams: Decapitated, was thrown against a wall and hit her head, went unconscious and William wanted to make sure she wouldn't get back up

Gabriel Ralston: Throat slit and left leg broken so William didn't have to worry if he had strength to run while he went after the last 3 kids.Blood filled his lungs.

Jeremy Edwards: Impaled with a rod of an animatronic Endo through the heart when he wouldn't stop kicking, punching,and biting at William preventing him from stabbing Jer,so he got Impaled.

Fritz Baker: stabbed in the abdomen by William when he tried to run then had eye plucked out and arm sliced off

Cassidy Ralston: Strangled and mutilated by springlocks in the Fredbear model 2 suit(Golden Freddy) after William put them inside

#ntr talks #five nights at freddys #five nights at freddy's #fnaf mci #fnaf missing children #fnaf missing kids #fnaf gabriel #fnaf susie #fnaf jeremy #fnaf fritz #fnaf cassidy #fnaf #fnaf charlie emily #fnaf charlotte emily #charlotte emily #charlie emily #fnaf charlotte #fnaf charlie #fnaf au #my au #change of heart au #tw death #tw child death #tw murder #tw child murder #fnaf ask game #ask game

[vintage-every-day]

Esther Ralston was an American movie actress whose greatest popularity came during the silent era.

Ralston started as a child actress in a family vaudeville act which was billed as “The Ralston Family with Baby Esther, America’s Youngest Juliet.” From this, she appeared in a few small silent film roles before gaining attention as Mrs. Darling in the 1924 version of 𝑷𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑷𝒂𝒏.

In the late 1920s she appeared in many films for Paramount, at one point earning as much as $8000 a week, and garnering much popularity, especially in Britain. 

#vintage #old hollywood #golden era #esther ralston #silent film

[scotianostra]

On the hour leading up to midnight on Hogmanay, 1811 and into New Years day a riot occurred in Edinburgh, now knowns as the Tron Riot.

Edinburgh in the early 19th century was a time of heightened tension between the crowded Old Town and the wealthier New Town, founded in 1767. This architectural separation made the division of classes more pronounced. Conflicts, riots and social unrest were common in Scotland at the time.

The Old Town was home to many youth gangs, one of which was the Keely Gang (also known as the Niddly Gang), led by Hugh McDonald and Hugh McIntosh. The police were given more powers, which was particularly hostile to the poor. Petty crimes committed by gangs like the Kelly family were increasingly suppressed by the authorities.

It was a tradition for New Town residents to come to the Old Town to celebrate Hogmanay in the streets around Tron Church, a tradition that still existed until recently then at the time The Tron was the parish church, and the bells there brought in the New Year.

After midnight, crowds moved through the area, heading to a friend's house as part of a fast-footing custom. According to later trial testimony, the Keeley Gang planned to take advantage of the wealthy crowds of the New town Hogmanay during the final weeks of 1811 while simultaneously attacking the police.

On December 31st, members of the Keeley Gang began attacking passersby. - On the streets of the Old Town from around 11pm. Victims were surrounded, threatened, and in some cases knocked to the ground and robbed by young men with wooden sticks. A town watchman named Dugald Campbell was attacked by a group of young men at Stamp Office Close off High Street. He was beaten with a stick and left to die. Apparently Campbell was known to the gang, and they hated him. It was later claimed that they planned to "lick him on the last night of the year if we could catch him." Campbell was taken to the Royal Infirmary and died of his injuries on January 3rd.

A bounty of 300 guineas was offered by the town council for information leading to the arrest of the attackers. Victims and witnesses described many of the rioters as "boys" and "young people." By the end of the month, 68 youths had been arrested, none of them over the age of 20. They were described as "a band of lazy apprentices". The primary perpetrators are believed to be John Skelton, Hugh McIntosh (16), Hugh McDonald (18) and Neil Sutherland (18). Skelton was convicted of attempted robbery, and McIntosh, McDonald, and Sutherland were convicted of planning a riot and conducting a raid. McIntosh was also found guilty of the murder of Dugald Campbell. All four were sentenced to death along with James Johnston, who was never arrested.

Skelton's sentence was later commuted to life transportation due to his previous good character. On April 22nd, McIntosh, Sutherland, and MacDonald were hanged near the stamp office. Mackintosh's body was sent for autopsy, and Sutherland and MacDonald were buried in Greyfriars Church.

According to historian Andrew Ralston, the Tron riots sent a strong message about juvenile delinquency and were used to deter other would-be criminals.

In addition to the three people sentenced to death, several of the lesser offenders of the riot received relatively harsh sentences for their crimes. Lord Gillies hoped that these punishments "would not affect the youth of the city, but would be a means of making them disgust with acts such as those recently committed here."

After the riots, authorities quickly took steps to reorganize and strengthen. police force. Later that year, the Edinburgh Police Act 1812 was introduced, greatly increasing the number of police officers patrolling the city.

#scotland #scottish #history #edinburgh #Hogmanay #New year #Riot #murder

[arthistoryanimalia]

Jamie Wyeth (American, b. 1946) Portrait of Pig, 1970, oil on canvas seen at Brandywine Museum of Art

life-size portrait of Den Den, who became a beloved family pet 🥰

Jamie & Den Den c. 1970 by Peter Ralston

interview quote from Irish Edition (1996 date is either an error or may have been referring to another painting of Den Den)

#Jamie Wyeth #American art #contemporary art #20th century art #1970s #pig #farm animal #pet #pet portrait #painting #oil painting #museum visit #life size #animals in art

[morbidology]

Kevin Madden, 16, was a habitual school truant. He typically skipped school with his best friend, 15-year-old Timothy Ferriman. The two boys lived in Toronto, Canada, where Timothy was nicknamed “Vampire Boy” due to his penchant for claiming he drank human blood. Despite his evident issues, Kevin’s, 12-year-old brother, Johnathon Madden, completely idolized him.

Johnathon loved Beethoven, especially when his Uncle Luke played the tune on his flute. His favorite foods were tacos, curried chicken, shepherd’s pie, grilled cheese and starfish. He enjoyed watching basketball games and playing video games with his brother. Among his circle of friends, he was known as the joker and could always be seen with a grin on his face.

On the 25th of November, 2003, Kevin, Timothy, and another unnamed friend, skipped  school and went to Kevin’s home on Dawes Road in the east end. Here, they drank alcohol and smoked before completely trashing the house with baseball bats. At the time, Kevin and Johnathon’s mother, Joanne Champagnie, and their  stepfather, Ralston Champagnie, were at work and Johnathon was at school.

That afternoon, Kevin told his friends that he planned on killing his family when they returned. Timothy subsequently called his girlfriend to brag about what he and his friends intended on doing. His girlfriend became worried and called back and recorded a conversation between the three teenagers boasting about their murderous plan. Afterwards, she called the police but it was already too late.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞:

https://morbidology.com/killed-by-my-brother-johnathon-madden/

#true crime #young killer

[funnyfooddatabase]

Urkel-O’s

Food

Type of Funny Food: Tie-In Product

Introduced: 1991

Location: Supermarkets

A tie-in cereal meant to bank on the popular Family Matters character Steve Urkel, Urkel-Os was a strawberry and banana-flavored cereal made by Ralston.

The boxes offered a number of prize opportunities over the course of its limited run, including a chance to visit Washington DC, and an opportunity to "meet Urkel" in Hollywood.

#funny food #food #tie in #supermarket #tv

[triviareads]

Any good nurturing heroes towards the heroine you recommend in HR?

I defined "nurture" pretty broadly but here we are:

Glory and the Master of Shadows by Grace Callaway: The hero Wei is Glory's shifu (teacher) so he literally does, uh, nurture her talents before they get together. He's also genuinely so kind and patient and a GREAT teacher and that's so hot of him, I think.

When a Duke Loves a Woman by Lorraine Heath: Thornley helps Gillie serve patrons at her tavern and then HE BATHES HER and I don't say this very often, but that's such a romantic ideal.

Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas: I joke a lot about Gabriel St. Vincent (Gabriel Challon ik ik) trying really hard to be daddy but real talk, he does provide a safe, judgement-free space for Pandora, who has never really known a healthy family dynamic until relatively recently, was brought up super isolated, and is also likely on the spectrum and a lot of other people dismiss her because of it. So all things considered, some of his less impactful lines like "have you been a good girl today" can be forgiven.

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean: Ralston is genuinely so supportive of Callie's quest to discover herself by doing "scandalous" things without being condescending, and he's just suuuuper obsessed with her which I appreciate.

The Lady Gets Lucky by Joanna Shupe: I feel like Kit really brought out Alice's confidence during the course of their flirting/sex lessons and he unwittingly gives kinda great pep talks.

Wayward One by Lorelie Brown: Nurturing from afar....? Basically, Sera finds out that the mysterious benefactor who paid for ten years of schooling and ensured she would want for nothing is a crime lord of the London underworld.... who intends to marry her.

#grace callaway #lorraine heath #sarah maclean #lisa kleypas #joanna shupe #lorelie brown #historical romance #romance novels #ask #book recs

[melissak2802]

And my favourites of Agatha Christie's non-antagonist non-investigator non-comedy characters:

The Lee/Crackenthorpe sibling trio consisting of:

Alfred Lee, Emma Crackenthorpe. The loyal and most stable sibling, who perfectly balances the trio with the vulnerable sibling and the sassy sibling (below). The rational centre of the family that both Alfred and Emma learn to be.

David Lee, Brian Eastley. The vulnerable sibling/sibling-in-law of the trio, who spends the story looking for himself and learning not to dwell fully on past.

Harry Lee, Cedric Crackenthorpe. The sassy sibling, optimistic, adventurous and moderately chaotic. Grows to understanding or showing more responsibility.

Other than that:

Pilar Estravados aka Conchita Lopez. She's also likeably chaotic and a dark horse who turns out to be a better person than most thought.

Roger Leonidis. (I thought and decided not to include Philip after all because of him becoming a neglectful parent himself in addition to being victim of neglect, but I still find him interesting.) Roger is one of the first characters by the author I realized I could strongly identify with, so it's personal. But all Leonidis, like most of the author's family mystery characters, are psychologically interesting.

Lydia and Hilda Lee. Both unpretty, both in established relationship (happily married), both strong people (one creative and free-spirited, the other rational and motherly), both work perfectly well with their spouses in a good form of "opposites attract". Same goes for Clemency Leonidis, but she's described as more obsessive/fiercely devoted, while in Lydia and Hilda everything is fully healthy.

Gerry Wade and Ronny Devereux. Characters in a novel that wasn't meant as psychological or anything, just an adventure mystery, but they kind of transcended it for me. Two boys who wanted to play detectives or heroes and thought everything will go as easy as in their stories.

The young Boyntons. These are so real in how they and their issues are written and need their recovery so much.

Mollie Ralston. Overcoming trauma, fixing a past mistake of lack of attention by looking out to help a lost person in the present.

Leslie Casewell. Cannot say anything unspoilerific but she's also admirable for reasons.

Sarah King. I'll put her in the main list after all. Intelligent, professional and caring, occasionally maximalist (as, like Dr Gerard said, is normal for a young person).

Honourable mentions:

Rosaleen Cloade aka Eileen Corrigan. Another likeable impostor who didn't commit any more serious offence, but this time a tragic one. One of the most sympathetic "accomplices".

Frances Cloade. Probably she should have her own spot here. Or share it with Clemency Leonidis, I'm not sure. They feel similar as people, except Frances did overstep a law for the object of her devotion, unwittingly triggered a disaster and remorsed bitterly. I feel sorry for her.

Lucy Eyelesbarrow. Enthusiastic, competent, compassionate. Has no complexes about specializing proudly in a "lowly" field. Didn't get a higher spot in the list because of maybe a bit too good at everything/not given fashioned-out weaknesses to feel more real?

#agatha christie

[mzannthropy]

🎄🎄🎄Merry Maudmas 🎄🎄🎄

The Josephs' Christmas

In the Joseph household, the month of December passes in planning and scheming. They're a poor family and so the buying of Christmas gifts always involves most complicated mathematical calculations ("How can I get a ten-cent present for Emmy and a fifteen-cent one for Jimmy out of eighteen cents?"). Luckily, the oldest, Mollie, who is fourteen, is there to help out at any time, with anything. Mollie, a true representation of an eldest daughter is, as the author literally puts it, weighed down under an avalanche of responsibility (Luisa Madrigal says hi). There are in total eight Joseph children, the youngest is four year old Lennie. They live in a little log house on the prairie, so we can add another location to our little Christmas stories collection.

This Christmas, things are harder--the crops failed in the summer and the family have been struggling, but that doesn't mean they get discouraged. The planning and scheming is still going on, even if the presents are the tiniest of knick-knacks. On Christmas Eve, heavy snow starts falling. After the kids go to bed, Mr and Mrs Joseph sit in front of the fire. Mr Joseph bemoans that they couldn't get better presents for the children, especially a "real live doll" for little Maggie. To which his wife says next year will be better, and she has at least made a big plateful of taffy. And then, there's a knock on the door.

On the doorstep are two snowed-up figures--Mr Ralston, a wealthy merchant, and his wife. They ask for a shelter for the night, as they're unable to continue with their journey in this weather. They're on their way to town, to spend Christmas with Mr Ralston's brother and his family. Mrs Ralston is carrying a big basket, full of presents and snacks for their nephews and nieces.

I think you can all see where this is going. The Ralstons, seeing how poor the Josephs are and how feeble their presents to each other are, decide to empty the basket and leave everything to the little Josephs. They put it on the table next to the other presents and cover it with a tablecloth. They hope they can get out in the morning before anyone notices. And they do.

The Joseph children are overjoyed with their gifts (and little Maggie gets exactly the doll she wanted), but they have as much love for their original presents. And as Ted says about his mother's taffy:

It was just as good as the candy in the box and had more 'chew' to it besides.

This one might be a bit of a cliche but I don't it against the writer. Everyone's allowed to indulge at Christmas. This is the second appearance of a Christmas basket--I wonder if this was inspired by one from LMM's real life?

#l.m. montgomery #lmmblogging #merry maudmas #christmas #mypost

[duckprintspress]

Meet Aether Beyond the Binary Contributor S. J. Ralston

We’re entering the final week of the Kickstarter campaign for Aether Beyond the Binary, an anthology of 17 aetherpunk stories starring characters outside the gender binary, and we’re still going strong! As I write this, we’re $3,700 shy of our goal – an amount we definitely can raise, but the more help we get spreading the words about this project, the more people will know it exists, and truly that’s the single biggest barrier to hitting our goals: effectively spread the words. So, if you believe in this project, whether you’re a backer or not, we’d really appreciate you taking a moment to share/reblog/retoot/reskeet our posts about it!

Bluesky

Facebook

LinkedIn

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Thanks for all your support! Now, let’s introduce another of our contributing authors…

About S. J.: S. J. grew up in a distinctly weird, distinctly southern hometown, then hied out West for grad school before landing in Texas, where they currently work as a planetary scientist. They’ve been writing original works and fanfiction since they could hold a pencil semi-correctly, and continue to write both whenever possible (as well as still holding a pencil only semi-correctly). In their clearly copious spare time, S. J. enjoys hiking, tabletop RPGs, jigsaw puzzles, and enthusiastically crappy sci-fi.

Link: Personal Website | Tumblr

This is S. J.’s first time writing with Duck Prints Press. You can read another example of their writing by visiting their website to check out Anglerfish, a horror sci-fi story. 

An Interview with S. J. Ralston

How did you pick the name you create under?

It’s a line from the opening of the Aeneid that’s stuck with me ever since AP Latin in high school: “On account of the mindful wrath of cruel Juno.” It’s a synchesis, where the adjectives have been swapped from where you expect them to be; it’s Juno who is mindful and her wrath that is cruel, but rearranging them in such a way elegantly implies the relentless, vindictive onslaught that is to follow.

What do you consider to be your strengths as a creator?

Dialogue and dread.

What do the phrases “writer’s block” or “art block” mean to you?

The state of wanting to create but not having the intellectual raw materials to do it.

Are you a pantser, a planner, or a planster? What’s your process look like?

I would consider myself a plantser. Typically I start with an IDEA, writ large, center of the page. Then some key scenes will populate around it–dramatic moments, fun bits of dialogue, cool setpieces. At that point I get out my corkboard and red string and start trying to piece everything together, and if I’m lucky, the shape of the story will reveal itself to me. Sometimes it’s the classic parabola of rising and falling action, other times it’s been a ring, a tri-fold posterboard, a descending spiral, or a series of concentric circles. Then I fill in until the structure is complete and hope like hell that I can stick the landing.

What are your favorite tropes?

Found Family, Robots With Feelings, Enemies To Lovers, Destructive Romance, Kirk Summation/The Man In The Room

What are your favorite character archetypes?

Brooding Loner Secretly Just Lonely, Lying For Fun And Profit, Badass With An Obvious Dump Stat, Too Old For This Shit, Taciturn But Bizarre, Himbo

Do you like having background noise when you create? What do you listen to? Does it vary depending on the project, and if so, how?

I make a playlist for almost everything I write that’s longer than a few thousand words. Sometimes it’s for listening to while I’m creating (in that case, it has to be primarily instrumentals or I’ll get distracted), and sometimes it’s just for daydreaming to (in which case, the vibes must be correct, so I can construct AMV’s in my head).

Share five of your favorite books. (You can include why, if you want!)

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett – Eerie, funny, and poignant in equal measure; a police procedural done right.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke – Lush with joy, curiosity, and love, yet still remarkably dark, with an ending that will nestle in your brain forever.

Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer – Fourth in the series and the absolute pinnacle thereof. A master-class in shit hitting the fan. 

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu – Everyone, down to the most momentary background character, behaves more like *people* than any I’ve ever read before and it’s *disastrous* and I *love* it.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson – The classic of classics. The horror of horrors. The transgenderism of it all.

What are your goals as a creator? 

(1) To write something that’s better on the second read-through than it was on the first, and (2) To write something that stays with the reader.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

When you finish a first draft and you *know* you’ve got something really good, put it down. For a month, six months, a year; until the glow fades, or you’ve fallen in love with whatever you’re writing next. Then come back and re-read that first draft. Take extensive notes, diagram the plot, profile the characters. Notice the holes, redundancies, missed opportunities, and inconsistencies. Then open up a blank document and *start over.*

S. J.’s Contribution to Aether Beyond the Binary

Title: Razzmatazz

Tags: bipoc, body horror, butch, character injury (non-graphic descriptions), classism, dehumanization, eye horror, horror, humans are the villains, mechanic, minor character death, misogyny, murder (accidental), non-binary, non-human character, past tense, sentient construct (magical), third person limited pov

Excerpt: 

The thing was damn near unrecognizable, not just as Marilyn Monroe, but as human. People had tweaked the proportions through the years—amateur artists who couldn’t put down the paintbrush. That kind of thing was bad enough on paper, but seeing it in person made Skipper’s butthole clench.

The dress and the curls were Monroe. The rest was something else.

“Shit my ass off,” Skipper said under his breath.

“Yeah,” said Charlie.

“This gets up and walks around?”

“She does.”

“Shit my ass off.”

Maybe it was a trick of the light, a too-heavy head on a too-thin neck, but the Monroe wasn’t staring across the aisle like the others. It seemed to be looking down at Skipper. It put out waves of dare-you-to-start-some-shit energy.

“Is it because they messed with the proportions?”

“Huh?” said Skipper, pulling out of the Monroe’s tractor beam.

“The reason she moves around so much. Could it be because of…” Charlie gestured to its whole body.

“Hell, maybe,” said Skipper.

The Monroe loomed like a landslide, just waiting for the rain. Skipper had a hammer on his belt. He felt like the Monroe was staring at it. If he broke the case, what then? 

#duck prints press #s. j. ralston #aether beyond the binary