#those other 3 questions i need the actual book for and i can't just use my notes

[uglyducklingofthe2000s]

can I please request one where yn brings home a stray cat? like max(verstappen) can’t stop showing people pics of her and the cat(s), and either talks about the races or her(and the cats) but nothing else during the interviews lol love your writing!! <3

We've Got The Space - Max Verstappen

The start begins with Max on a stream but I don't actually know anyone he streams with so I'm going to try and avoid using names but if I just randomly make up a name that isn't right, don't hold it against me.

Max is famously known for the fact he has many pets, but he does in fact love his cats the most. He thinks they really are the best pets and his girlfriend agrees without a second thought about it.

Now y/n knows really they shouldn't add to the amount of pets, but when on her way back from Nice airport that she stops the taxi after seeing some reflective eyes in a cardboard box on the side of the road.

"Max! Maxie! Babe!" Y/n exclaims walking into the apartment but when she doesn't get a response she decides she has to burst into his gaming room. "Max!"

"I thought I heard someone-hey-what's that...?" Max questions as she places the scruffy looking box on his floor. He's by no means a neat freak, but he's also not overly fond of her bringing a dirty box into the house.

"I brought back some new little babies to add to the family." Y/n beams pulling out two tiny kittens, one a ginger ball of fluff and one an all white ball of fluff. "Aren't they so cute? I'm going to keep them away from the others till I've got them bathed and book them in for shots. They might have flees or something."

"Do you want me to help?" Max asks making her shake her head.

"No. I should be alright. I'll shout if I do need any help but they both seem pretty chilled out." Y/n smiles then cooing at the two kittens. "Aren't you guys? You're so chill."

Y/n disappears making Max smile and shake his head, returning his attention to the stream who immediately ask what was happening since he muted himself.

"Y/n's just brought home a couple stray kittens on her way home from the airport. So she was showing me them and letting me know." Max explains while the rest laugh at him.

"Does she do that a lot?"

"No. No, she hasn't before but I'm sure I'll get a good reason as to why she had to take them." Max smiles shaking his head a little before they get back into the game.

He does cut it shorter than he had intended, though he would've cut it shorter anyway knowing she had returned home even without the kittens.

After saying goodbye he moves through the apartment looking for which room y/n has decided to convert into the kittens safe place.

"Can we please keep them? They're so chill and honestly they were just dumped on the side of the road."

Max sighs knowing really the last thing they need is more cats, but equally it's not as if they can't afford it and knowing that y/n would almost definitely be upset if he said now. The answer is obvious.

"Yeah. We can keep them." Max nods with a laugh. "They need names though."

"Yeah, so I thought of that. The little white guy is Ghost and the little ginger one...I think we have to call Ginger Spice."

Max almost chokes on his breath knowing that he will have to inform Christian of their cat being named after Geri.

"I love those names. Can I hold one?"

"Yeah, you hold Ghost...oh my gosh, I want to get some pictures."

Safe to say y/n is the excitable type and while to some people cats are awful and the worst pet. She just loves them and the fact that they're Max's favourite animal also adds value.

-

After Max introduced the two kittens on his following stream and told the world their names after y/n shouted that he had to let the world know about Ginger Spice. The world has been eating up the content and while Max isn't active on social media, his girlfriend is.

So the world has been fed so much footage of the kittens, and most specifically the kittens with Max when he's been home.

"Max, unrelated to F1, but I think we all need to know. How are Ghost and Ginger Spice?" The journalist asks making Max and the rest of the drivers laugh since Max has been showing everyone who will listen (and even those who don't want to listen) photos of the two kittens.

"They're very good, y/n is at home with all the pets. She wanted to make sure they were all being cared for while they're still so small." Max explains earning a nod from the journalist. "Also, the names were both her idea. Just a lot of people have been thinking I chose Ginger Spice, that was y/n thinking she was being funny."

"Oh wow, glad we cleared that up."

After the press conference, Max calls y/n to check how she's doing and no surprise to him, she's got Ghost curled up on her shoulder as she sits back against the sofa.

"Hi, Maxie." Y/n smiles tiredly then shifting the camera to show Ginger Spice is lying on her stomach and one of the other cats is nuzzled into her side. "I am the cat queen, they come to me and love me."

"I can see that." Max laughs before Christian appears looking over the world champ's shoulder. "She is the queen of cats."

"I can see that. You look very comfortable there, y/n."

"Trust me, this is the best group to cuddle with...aside from Max."

Max rolls his eyes knowing she's just saying it all to get him flustered. She's confirmed more than once to the world that Max's hugs are just as nice to receive as everyone thinks.

"I think we should take in more stray cats more often. They are clearly the best." Max jokes making her grin at him and suddenly he realises he may have just signed up for his apartment to become a cat sanctuary.

#f1 #fanfic #formula 1 #max verstappen one shot #max verstappen imagine #max verstappen fanfic #max f1 #max verstappen #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen x you #mv1 x reader #mv1 #mv1 imagine #mv1 one shot #mv1 x you #mv1 x y/n #mv33 #mv33 x reader #mv33 imagine #mv33 one shot #mv33 x y/n #red bull racing #red bull f1 #red bull formula 1

[stuckinapril]

Hi Cianna, just wanted to say I really admire your study ethic and general vibe on this blog (you inspire me to do better!)

Do you have any advice/tips for good study habits and staying focused? I find that I get some work done, but after a break I can't get back on track

Sorry for the long ask/ studyblr type of question;; what is your favourite hairstyle that you do with your hair! (I also have curly brown hair :)

Have a lovely day also <3

🌻🌻

hi! i touch on a lot of points in this other ask, but a few specific learning techniques i abide by are:

parkinson's law. parkinson's law states that work expands to fill the time. basically if you have an essay that's due in a week, it will magically take you one week to get it done, even if the task itself could've been done in one day. to counter this i just set artifical deadlines for myself--even if an essay is due in a week, my personal deadline has it due in two days.

prime your brain prior to learning. if you need to study a biology chapter, pre-skim it the night before. this is not the time to go into detail--it's the time to familiarize yourself with the overview of the topic, so you should only be making a quick scan of the chapter. another priming method is to make a concept map of topics before diving into a chapter. as you skim write down key terms haphazardly, google those you don't recognize, and draw a concept map linking them together. this is effective bc it requires you to actually put effort into connecting the topics, takes no longer than 15 minutes, and speeds up the learning process that follows. it doesn't matter if you find out you're wrong once you dive in; what's important is you're actively thinking of how these topics coexist, as opposed to mindlessly taking notes or highlighting only to forget what you learned a couple hours later. i'm also a fan of concept maps bc i get to go back and highlight stuff i'm weak in, which is always a plus.

if you like to take notes, use it as another means of active recall. don't just passively take notes as you go along. what i like to do is i read a paragraph, close the book, then try to take down notes based off memory alone. this helps me both phrase the topic in my own words and realize what my learning gaps are, rather than just passively summarize without putting effort into truly understanding/memorizing something. anything i get wrong i hammer into my brain until i can't get it wrong anymore.

take notes effectively. our brain does not learn in sentences and paragraphs. it learns in bullet points, diagrams, and figures--and that's how i like to frame my notes. first i ask myself if i actually need to take notes to begin with, or if there are online notes out there i can use to save time (which, as a stem student, there typically are). if i do decide to take notes, i never mindlessly summarize. i always condense the material into bullet points, diagrams, concept maps, or visual representations. i also like to phrase my notes as questions rather than just passive summaries, so that when i review them i'm already testing myself in a way. most people would not understand my notes bc they're either very low-yield stuff, stuff i'm weak in, or bare-bones fragments of information.

always prioritize weaknesses. if you're weaker at chapter 18 of your textbook vs chapter 1, maybe start with chapter 18. don't spend 6 hours taking notes on chapter 1 if you're already strong in chapter 1. always attack your weaknesses first.

practice practice practice!! so so important. i owe all my As to mock exams, quizzes i make myself, end-of-chapter questions etc etc. imo practice matters a lot more than passive content review.

interleaving concepts helps with retention. an example of this is i like to do biology and chemistry one day, biochemistry and organic chemistry the next day, physics and psychology the day after... i'm not just doing biology all day, every day. another thing i like to do if i'm in a massive rut is i hop between tons of different subjects on the same day, which keeps me from getting bored/helps me understand the subjects better through distinguishing their differences.

retrospective timetable. an example of this is if i find i'm pretty weak in a particular physics topic, the next few days will disproportionately focus on physics over other subjects. inversely, if i just breezed through a biology chapter, the next few days will have less biology than initially planned. i'm constantly going back and revising my study timetable based on my performance of the day, rather than relying on a rigid prospective timetable that doesn't take into account my progress.

less passive learning, more active. spaced repetition is a big one. i love anki for this bc there's an algorithm that dictates how often topics come up again based on how well you answer them. other methods include active recall, having friends quiz you, and trying to teach the topic to others (or the plushie in your bedroom haha). if you find you're struggling to simplify topics and explain them, that's a sign you don't understand them very well yourself.

#haha no worries <3 answering these asks helps ground me too so it's a pretty symbiotic relationship #and i'm always happy to help!! good luck :) #study tips #ask

[6mmad]

"There's something stuck on your butt" "What is it?" "My eyes ;-)"

Obey Me! Character Reactions

Lucifer

"There is? What is it?"

"My eyes ;-)"

Looks at you like you're an idiot

Questioning his taste in lovers because how in the world did he fall for someone so-

Won't admit that it was a teeny tiny bit funny but you definitely heard him blow air out of his nose

Master manipulator, he'd find a way to flip the joke on you

"Is that so? I suppose you might need me to check if your pants don't have anything stuck as well"

But in public he'd be mortified, especially if you said it front of Diavolo

Glaring daggers at you and will probably give you the silent treatment until you make it up to him

He would probably use the joke against you in the future to be honest

and use it as an excuse to cop a feel

Mammon

"Huh?! Why didn't you say anything sooner?! What is it??"

"My eyes, chicibaby ;-)"

Immediately flustered

Turns around and covers his ass with his hands

"You think you're funny or somethin'? Well I'm not laughing!"

Is actually holding back a laugh

If you two are alone he'll let out his laugh and tease you back

On the other hand doing it in front of his brothers would make him feel equal parts shy and cocky

He'll take up any chance to make his brothers jealous

But also way to embarrass him! Jeez! ....."you were only looking at mine right, mc?"

Is definitely a good sport about it though, next time you're both alone he'll try to catch you off guard by saying it back

Leviathan

"What! What is it? That's so embarrassing?!?"

"My eyes, bae ;-)"

Takes him a good moment to process what you said before he goes red in the face

"You can't just say those kinds of things!!"

He's so embarrassed, his crush just admitted to checking him out! Not just that, they were checking out his ass!

Overthinking it just a bit too much

Won't stop covering his butt

If you say it in front of his brothers, he'd genuinely run away from how flustered he is

"Uh...MC.... did you actually mean what you said..? ..........about my ass"

When all is said and done he actually finds it a bit funny, but don't count on him being able to handle the jest a second time

Satan

"Ah, really? What is it?"

"My eyes, baby ;-)"

Laughs a bit, only you'd be so bold with him

Is just a little bit embarrassed but he's flattered nonetheless, hyper aware of his own ass now

If you're both alone he'll definitely joke back and suggest that you have something stuck as well

"And here I thought your eyes were on the book I lent you, I can't say i mind though"

If it's in front of his brothers he'd be a lot more embarrassed but he'd be good at playing it off

Even though Belphie is 100% cough-laughing right behind him

Overall a fun little quip between you two, although he'd prefer you kept it between you both

Asmo

"Eh! What is it? Get it off!"

"It's my eyes ;-)"

Is probably one of the only brothers who genuinely laughs

Thinks it's super cute that you'd hit on him so blatantly

Will literally turn around for you and do a little pose

"Hehe! You can look all you want, Mc! Or touch, whichever one you prefer <3"

"Maybe I should check if you have anything stuck too!"

Cue a fun little tussle on his bed that he'll let you win, but only because it's you

Truly doesn't care about whether you say it in public or private, will respond accordingly either way

Ends up being on of his favorite jokes and will use it on you any given moment

Beel

"Hm? I do?"

"Yeah it's right there, Beel"

"What is it?"

"My eyes ;-)"

Stops walking in circles to check his own butt to stare at you

It takes him a moment to process that he didn't actually stain his clothes with something

Blushes about it but thinks it pretty funny

"Heh, you scared me, I'm glad there isn't actually something there though"

If you do it in front of his brothers he'd be a bit more embarrassed but he accepts all declarations of love, even the.. questionable ones

Any weird looks are simply ignored, he's happy to see you giggling at your own jokes

10/10 at taking the joke, he probably won't say it back though

Belphie

"Hmm? Take it off"

"I cant, it's rlly stuck "

"What is it?"

"My eyes ;-)"

Deadpans at your joke

Plays dead to ignore you just to be a little shit

If you manage to get him to crack an eye open he'd just huff

"So you've been staring at my butt while i sleep? Weirdo"

100% covers his face with the blanket to hide his smile

What can he say, it was a bit funny

If you say it in front of his brothers he'd be way more embarrassed

Would flat out squint menacingly and proceed to ignore your until his brothers are gone

Probably won't use the joke in the future but wouldn't be opposed to hearing it again

Solomon

"Ah, that's embarrassing, what is it?"

Patting himself down until you say "my eyes"

Laughs a bit actually, he's usually the aggressor in these situations so he enjoys being the one being taken aback for once

You don't have to say it in public because he'll find it so amusing that he'll talk about it in the HOL group chat

Next time he actually has something stuck on his butt he'll joke that it's your gaze that's stuck

Will absolutely say it back to you

Simeon

"Eh? I didn't notice, what is it?"

"My eyes, baby ;-)"

"what"

It takes him a moment to understand what was said but when he gets it he laughs

Definitely more of an embarrassed laugh than an amused one

"That was rather bold but I can't say i don't like you looking"

If you say it in HOL he'd cover Luke's ears, bless his heart

Would be a lot more embarrassed on account that he knows Solomon would never let him live it down

Doesn't really mind the joke all too much and would also be a bit more aware of how his butt looks to be honest

Ok maybe it flustered him more then he'd like to admit

Diavolo

"Really? What is it?"

Chasing his own tail trying to find it

"My eyes, handsome ;-)"

Laughs a bit too much, probably shoulder slaps whoever or whatever is closest to him

pray it's not you

"Is that so? I'll definitely take that as a compliment then :-)"

Knows you're being flirty but he just lives for stupid jokes, he can't help it

Will relay the joke to Barbatos and doesn't understand why he isn't doubling over in laughter

"Did you get the joke? It's as if their eyes were-"

He gets it, Diavolo, it's just not that funny

For your safety, there's no reason to repeat it in public setting

Will absolutely say it back as soon as possible much to Lucifer's dismay

Barbatos

Honestly he knows that you're gonna say it but for the sake of letting you have your fun he'll play dumb

"Is that so? What is it?"

"My eyes, Barbs ;-)"

Just chuckles, and keeps doing what he's doing

If you two are in private he'd probably use it as an opportunity to flirt back

"I see, let me check if you have anything as well, just to be safe of course"

Would do anything to see you get flustered or have a giggle fit

Can and will chase you around the kitchen

On the occasion that you try to say it in public, he'd put a menacing hand on your shoulder to stop you mid-joke

Cue the terrifying "I dare you to try it" polite smile

Surprisingly though, he'd definitely use the joke back if you're both in private

#obey me #obey me shall we date #omswd #obey me swd #obey me devildom #shall we date #otome game #om! shall we date #mammon obey me #obey me mammon fanart #obey me lucifer #lucifer obey me #levi obey me #obey me leviathan #satan obey me #obey me satan #obey me asmo #asmo obey me #obey me beel #obey me beelzebub #om! beelzebub #beel obey me #om! belphie #obey me belphie #obey me hc #obey me x gender neutral reader #obey me x gn!reader #obey me headcanon #obey me headcanons

[egophiliac]

This may seem a bit dumb question for someone who's main in en server. But I need to prepare myself before chap 6 is coming. Anyway, is chap/book Ignihyde gonna be THAT hard?? I've seen a lot people kept saying they're not ready for chap 6 or good luck for 'that' battle. Is it that difficult?

some preparation would be a good idea, actually! if you just want advice with absolutely no potential spoilers (even vague ones), then I'll say this:

the best thing you can do for yourself is -- for the later part of episode 6 -- try to have at least one SR or SSR card no lower than level 40 for as many characters as possible (specific ones at the bottom 👇👇👇). I've seen 40 as the minimum recommended level but honestly, go as high as you reasonably can, especially with your SSRs.

I'll try to keep spoilers to a minimum, hopefully it'll still make sense :')

SO! most of the frustration revolves around chapters 6-66 and 6-67, which are both split into subroutes with multiple subchapters/battles that follow three different groups of characters. you have to finish all three routes to get to the next chapter, and they force certain requirements that can make it a lot more difficult if you aren't careful:

you build your teams at the start of the chapter, and can't change them without resetting your progress. (if I remember right, you do get a chance to rebuild for 6-67.)

teams are built by character, instead of by card like they normally are, and each one has 2-3 required characters locked into that team. you can use any cards of that character, but you can't use multiple of the same character, or use them in a different team. also, no guest/friend cards.

they tell you what the element of the bosses are, but the other battles are just...whatever. if you can manage more than one 40+ card for a character, having good type coverage will help out a lot (why yes, I did get stuck for an embarrassing amount of time on a low-level rando because I got unlucky with type matchups, what about it).

there's a couple of points where you have to wait several real-time hours before continuing. this doesn't have anything to do with the team building, it was just annoying. c'mon. >:(

to be fair, I think some of the general frustration comes from how out of nowhere it was, so it's sure to be much easier if you go in with some idea of what it'll be like. (on my first attempt I tried to be cute and put everybody with their friends. it...did not go well.) I also had a particularly hard time of it because 1) F2P = less SSRs to carry me, and 2) I hadn't really focused on any cards outside of my special little garden of favorites, so not being able to use multiples of the same character for everything kinda left me boned. I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel great when I finally got through it though!

more specific info:

in 6-66, the bosses are a 5-turn survival battle; in 6-67, they're infinite battles (reduce their HP to 0 to win) and, subsequently, much harder to get past. personally speaking, the Wood one was the hardest for me because it heals itself between turns (and also I had literally no good Rook cards at the time). your mileage may vary!

Team 1 - required characters are Vil, Epel and Rook, boss element is Wood

Team 2 - required characters are Leona and Jamil, boss element is Water

Team 3 - required characters are Riddle and Azul, boss element is Fire

teams are 5 characters as per the usual, so make sure you have good cards of the required boys and at least six to complement them, plus a few more if you want to be careful. this is ONLY for those two chapters, which are pretty late in the episode (for JP it came out as part of the final episode 6 update) so you've got time to prep!

there's the obligatory overblot battle later on that is technically harder (stronger + more HP and all that), but it felt SO much easier in comparison just because it was back to normal Twst rules. really hoping that episode 7 doesn't pull its own shenanigans 💀

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland episode 6 spoilers #going overboard on the spoiler warnings i know #it really isn't much of anything #i know twst spoilers are SUPER hard to avoid though (especially main story!) so i've been trying to tag appropriately and all #and honestly if anyone's managed to dodge them so far then they are more powerful than i will ever be #who am i to tell them nay

[queerstake]

As a queer drawn to the faith and trying to deal with the messiness of entering into everything, I've been trying hard to read more of the Book of Mormon because I only have a very vague understanding of it's Whole Deal, but executive dysfunction, ADHD, and honestly, a million other excuses are making it very difficult. Are there any good resources for walking through the fundamentals? Childish but I feel like I'm disappointing the Lord if I'm not more on top of this.

Hi anon! I totally get it and yes, I can think of a few ideas!

If you're looking for ways to understand the BoM (or even just general doctrine) from more of a bird's eye view:

I hope you don't find this silly, but when I was a kid, the church published an illustrated children's version of the BoM that's obviously way quicker to flip through. It might be harder for you to find those exact editions I read as a kid if you don't have ready access to a church library, BUT I found this!! It's (almost) the ENTIRE BoM illustrated and summarized and it's online!

Looks like they put out videos too that summarize the BoM beginning to end. Here's a link to the video series. I haven't seen these, so I can't vouch for them, but they might be helpful! Similarly, there's a BoM in 60 seconds video you might find helpful.

If you'd benefit from a schedule, the church is currently studying the BoM in sunday school! The past few years, we've been using a study guide called Come Follow Me with weekly assigned reading chapters. I've actually been working on posts about CFM as they relate to queer mormon theology, but I haven't had much posted yet since I've been having a rocky start to 2024. As things improve, I'll be able to hopefully even establish a schedule on this blog!

I'm not sure if missionary lessons is something you're interested in at this point, and it's definitely not something you ever need to do, but the missionary lessons themselves are a pretty good doctrine intro if you're looking for just Mormonism 101 in a digestible way. The missionaries teach out a book called Preach My Gospel, which is available right here. You'll be interested in the lessons, which are found in Chapter 3. If you just scroll down, you'll see some of the links are labeled Lesson instead of Chapter--just click on those bad boys. And if you have any doctrinal questions, I'm always MORE than happy to talk about the church! You'll probably get a faster answer DMing me personally at @logans-mormon-blog, but I'll always answer asks here as soon as time permits.

If you're looking for easier ways to finish the BoM from beginning to end:

The BoM on tape. The church has an audiobook version available on the Gospel Library app and other audio apps like Spotify.

The Reader's Edition. If you can get your hand on a reader's edition, a lot of people find this is an easier way to plow through the BoM. What's special about this one is that it's formatted not like scripture but like prose, and it really does change the reading experience!

I don't know if this helps any, but I struggle with some of the same issues as you and I'm always bitterly disappointed when I'm not able to move mountains. If I had my way, I'd be the most well-read scriptorian of all time and this blog would be updated constantly. But life often doesn't shake out that way. I spend way more time than I want to with my brain entirely burned out of my head. So you're not alone, if that's any comfort. I think God gets it--he made our brains, after all, and knows how hard it is to wrestle with. It's easier said than done, but don't beat yourself up. God loves the both of us and he's the most perfectly patient person who's ever lived. He's not frustrated or disappointed with our efforts. Religion exists, in my opinion, to help improve and enrich our lives, not make them more challenging OR even to make them perfect if we only could just run fast enough. I too wish I could be more diligent and on it, but shit happens, right? And we're not on earth to be perfect, we're here to be happy and to learn. When Joseph Smith was translating the BoM, God told him "Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means provided to enable you to translate; but be diligent unto the end." D&C 10:4. We're doing our damndest, and that's all God even wants from us.

If anyone else has more resource ideas, please let us know!

-Logan

#queerstake #tumblrstake #lds #mormon

[ofbreathandflame]

Why you care so much about what feyre and her stans are doing🤔

you know, im actually very glad you sent this in anon, though i know it wasn't sent in good faith. when i say feyre 'stans' - i am being 100% sarcastic. my argument is that i don't believe the people who peddle the idea that they hold feyre to be first actually believe that ideal. i also believe they end up purposely derailing actual conversations about abuse, feminism, and racism bc they don't want to actual critique rhys, so they end up selling much more intentional bs to avoid the conversations all together,

as to why that matters - i can explain.

(1) i think a lot of people who work under the idea that they like feyre 'first' believe that a female perspective = feminist. in theory, i believe a lot of rhys stans subconsciously (or consciously) understand that his actions are villainous (to some capacity). like they do understand that there's only so far they can actually support sexual assault. i think a lot of people use feyre to circumvent this issue: if feyre agrees or even likes the abuse, then it cancels out the implication of the it. and this partially because the book flocks to do the same thing - it never introspects about what x character's actions say about them as a character. think about it - even if we work with the idea that rhys doesn't enjoy the abuse he put feyre through, going as far as to reiterate that he feels shame -- we have to question why the story responds to that with plainly stating that feyre actually enjoyed the abuse and/or felt genuine attraction rhys in those moments. because then it (a) removes the idea of moral-greyness; rhysand never has to reflect because the story always believes he secretly justified. (b) there should still be a conversation about what that means. the mating bond operates as both a justification and a rebuke of feysand's actions (c) it puts into question what the story is actually arguing about feyre's trauma from utm. if feyre always secretly wanted rhysand utm...so much to unpack there. we're not genuinely rebuking abuse. and that's fine if you're drawing a scene or simply entertainment - it becomes worrisome when we considered that there is a lesson being put forth.

(2) people who use feyre as the scapegoat to often time sidestep conversations. feyre's narration is only considered when it validates rhysand's abuse - other times, the idea that we should consider canon wholly (analyze the information we're given v. what we're told) becomes nonexistent. so even though feyre has reiterated her boundaries to rhysand (and even though rhys is already aware of those boundaries via his mental snooping), there still this need to 'hear things from rhys side' - even though we know what feyre choice would have been. we know that feyre would have never wanted that information kept from her. its literally been her only consistent trait- don't lie. and as i said in this post: even the act of creating the intervention undermines three books of feyre's narration cementing her boundary.

(3) 'feyre stans' often hijack the conversations; the conversation about racism (and rhys's absue) always stalls because -- AGAIN -- there's only so much analysis they can happen before you realize the problem is both sjm's ideology and her obsession w/ rhys. at some point they always end up defending sjm (and her racism and misogyny). there's a struggle between actual unpacking rhysand's action and what that means for him as a character. they do want to have the serious conversations, just not in a way that detrimental or all-encompassing. selective reading, plain and simple.

i also believe thats why there so much overblown hate for tamlin (that in my opinion, backfired terribly esp over the last three years) is merely insecurity about the problems w/ rhys's charcater. morally, there only so many conversation we can have before the weirdness rears it head. we can't argue tamlin is abusive and then in the same breadth argue for the neccessity of the same form of abuse. we can't argue that rhys is morally-grey and then ignore the greyness area. we also cannot say rhys grows as a character if we argue that he never grows from the person we met utm. we can't say that we 'recognize' he was wrong, but then constantly uplift those very moments as moments of love. we can't say sjm has racial/moral in her story and then remove how that effects more favorable characters.

#anti sjm #anti rhysand #anti feyre #anti feysand #anti acosf #(4) they're also always either in the anti tags or in my anons soo....

[sailingshellsgames]

Demo news ✨

I've been working a lot on chapters 1-7, and will be re-releasing them soon! (It's on ko-fi now for $1 and up, for those who want it now 😀)

Below is what you can expect in the new version. I hope you enjoy it, and that it serves as a good hold-over while I finish the game's last two chapters! The re-release will launch on 3/25 for tumblr, and on 3/28 everywhere else.

Notable Changes

Additions:

General

Introduction of auto-success more.

More weird dreams + strengthening of the subplot around what MC sees in them.

Introduction of the dream journal mechanic.

More dialogue choices throughout the entire demo.

More descriptions of environments: MC's living quarters, the Den Compound, desert terrain around Leas, and city architecture.

Rearranged the stats screen and added clarity for MC's reputation among the Fey via an opposed pair bar.

General editing (word choice, etc.)

Chapter 1

MC's favored weapon can now be a bow! 🏹

Choice added to set MC's skin color.

A few more dialogue choices around MC reacting to the vision Keo has in Chapter 1.

Clearer explanation of MC agent backgrounds. Each now comes with explicit statement of what stats will be increased upon selection.

Chapter 2

Option to specify MC's tattoos. There are 4 pre-designed options, or you can design your own! (or choose no tattoos, if that's not your cup of tea). This includes the ability to add/remove/modify tattoos via the stats screen.

Chapter 3

Define how MC and Keo became friends.

Relatedly, more content setting up the fact that MC can't remember the agent found dead in the warehouse in Chapter 2.

Virano and Adaan mini-catfight (is it me, the author? am I the drama?)

Bug fix where a character already in the room would enter that room.

Chapter 4

A new dream.

Conversation around Virano's family's role in the nobility.

A little bit of Fey-weirdness around the Ashaad.

Conversation around the campfire with the team, mentions some of why Wren came to Leas.

Chapter 5

An explanation of Chapter 4's Fey weirdness that kind of just raises more questions, but does answer at least one of them.

Chapter 6:

A new dream.

Determining which of the three paths to take in the wilds is now a skill check.

General editing.

Chapter 7:

Yet another revision of the waterfall dream/flashback scene. This one's taken so long to get right, but I'm finally happy with it. Victory screech.

Moved Wren's reason for coming to Leas into the main story, so the choice option that explored that on their date now allows MC to dig in to learn a little more.

More dialogue choices in the scene where Keo's heritage is discovered during Lasan (if it didn't happen in the wilds).

Another choice in Wren's date going into the legend behind Lasan more, and a little about Wren's family.

Removals:

Keo no longer goes into seeing the magic in a vision. Removing this was part of a consolidation effort on my part. Tldr; I had too many side plots and needed to scrap some of them. Keo still has a reason for wishing to pursue the magic, if MC tries to refuse Rin. I actually like it a lot better now, which is a happy coincidence.

In Chapter 7, going to the wilds to see Keo's mother is no longer an option. Don't worry: everything I wrote for it will be used in book 2 :) But for book 1 it created a weird imbalance where the three options were so different they didn't converge well back into the main route.

Removed the ability to give Virano a sample of the magic or not. With all the other potential endgame outcomes, this got scrapped to consolidate things. I was finding it didn't really have a meaningful impact on the larger story despite reading like a major plot point, so in the bin it goes.

#leas: city of the sun #demo #demo news #demo update

[markantonys]

what's wrong with book!Min (gave up on books right now because i can't anymore, i'm on 4th I think? she is just not there)

book 5 is exactly when she started sucking haha so you stopped at the right time! i do get into some spoilers here, though i tried not to say anything too specific that you wouldn't have already known from the first few books (such as the fact that rand has multiple girlfriends and min is one, which her viewing revealed in book 2). also, maybe you won't even want to read this if you'd rather let your opinion of show!min continue on untainted, because i will say that 90+% of the things i'm about to complain about are very unlikely to be a thing in the show.

basically she just gets hit with an abysmal case of Men Writing Women: out of the blue she decides to throw her whole life away to chase rand down and make him love her, she changes her whole personality and style to try to cater to what she thinks rand would find attractive (i'm all for wanting to look hot for your man, but min herself doesn't seem to enjoy her new clothes or find them comfortable, and that's a problem), she stops having any relationships or connections outside of rand, she barely has scenes with anyone but him and in ensemble scenes she's just there to cling sexily onto him while having 0 dialogue because she has nothing to contribute to the plot-relevant discussion going on, she has no storyline besides barnacling herself to his side and being on tap for sex 24/7, she has no narrative role or in-world obligations besides Being Rand's Girlfriend, etc.

and on top of all that, you have fandom calling her ~Best Girl~ and saying that she is the only one of the 3 women who deserves to be with rand because she Puts Her Man First like a Good Girlfriend should, and fuck the other two for having the audacity to have responsibilities outside of being his girlfriend. fuck them for actually being complex, well-rounded characters with independent storylines and character arcs, right? we only like female characters who exist to serve men's storylines!

and on top of all THAT, she DOESN'T EVEN serve rand's storyline! she literally doesn't do anything! she always makes me think of the "let me ask you a very fair question. what DO you do successfully?" vine. you could cut her out of the entire series and very little would change. min fans claim that she was integral to keeping rand anchored during dark times because min and rand claim that is the case, but the actual scenes between them in the text do not back up that claim. i can think of ONE scene where min actually makes an effort to have a serious conversation with rand about what's worrying him; every other time she just stops his doom-and-gloom talk by punching him or waving knives at him or distracting him with sex. and the way people put her up on a pedestal for taking care of rand at his worst (which she doesn't actually do anyway) is a romanticization of the shitty idea that it's a woman's job to be the sole emotional dumping ground for her male partner. i guess it could simply be that Dating Your Therapist is a romance trope i personally dislike, but ugh, i HATE that vibe of their relationship and especially of the way the fandom talks about their relationship.

and on top of all THAT, their relationship is totally logic-breaking at times because rand will go "i'm so isolated and alone! i'm going to go snuggle up in bed with my live-in girlfriend and think about how isolated i am." he will go "i am so dangerous, i have to push away everyone i love! come on min, i'm taking you into the most dangerous magical event of the age during which many channelers will show up to attack us, even though you're a defenseless civilian and there's no reason you need to be there." it feels like RJ wanted to give rand an isolation arc but also wanted him to have a sexy mistress on his arm at all times, and could not understand that those two things are mutually exclusive (unless said mistress is just no-strings-attached sex, but that was not intended to be the case here, although the cognitive dissonance often makes it feel like rand DOES see min as just no-strings-attached sex rather than a real person whose safety he needs to worry about).

her behavior about the whole romantic situation also drives me nuts because she is SO possessive and jealous, which i personally absolutely hate in romantic relationships, though some people do find it attractive, including min herself - there's a scene where she tries to make rand jealous because she thinks it makes the sex hotter and i was like girl wtf? get some dignity. actually "girl wtf? get some dignity" is my attitude towards all her behavior about the relationship because listen, i fully support girls being silly over their crushes, but christ alive the way min comports herself brings me so much secondhand embarrassment. she'll be like "i'm sooooo mature and worldly, i will never lose my head over a man like OTHER women do, because i am Not Like Other Girls, i'm superior to them" (the Not Like Other Girls vibes is another huge annoyance about her character & fandom reception of her character) and then she'll proceed to go plop down into rand's lap and dandle herself on his knee in the middle of a political meeting to show off to everyone present that he belongs to her. girl, you are a grown-ass woman! get some dignity! she also has a shitty attitude towards the polycule situation, i won't say more since the details of that are beyond book 4 and this post is also getting super long, but suffice it to say that, surprise surprise, possessive and jealous people do not work well in polyamorous relationships.

but most of the above is the fault of the author (or the fandom), not the character. i can't exactly separate the two while reading because "RJ is writing min badly" very quickly blurred into "i feel super annoyed every time she is onscreen" very quickly blurred into "i can't stand this character," but it does mean that the show has a good chance to fix most or all of these problems with her because they aren't necessarily intrinsic to her characterization, they're just symptoms of RJ's weird ideas about het romance and gender norms. the show making her a world-weary 30-something-year-old who takes no shit and who is GNC in a queer-presenting genuinely-doesn't-care-what-straight-men-think-of-her-looks way rather than a not-like-other-girls-tomboy-who-still-caters-to-the-male-gaze way is already a HUGE step in the right direction!

#anonymous #answered #wot book spoilers #anti min #anti the-way-rj-chose-to-write-min lmao

[ltfad]

So this is pretty wild but next year will be 10 years since we started writing Live to Fight Another Day (May 20th 2014 was when Chapter 1 was first published on Ao3).

Yikes. I can hardly believe it!

If I'd been able to continue the same momentum as I had when we first started writing it, book 1 would be done and we'd be well on our way into book 2, but alas, life is never that straightforward.

For those interested, here are just some of the major life events that have happened since LtFAD began:

5 job changes for me (including one entire career change) I don't know how many jobs for Cal actually 2 college degrees started and completed (an AA for me and a Master's for Cal) 1 Master's Program started for me just this year 4 surgeries total between me and Cal at least 6 moves (2 or 3 for Cal and 4 for me) 2 weird not-great-for-mental-health relationships beginning and ending

This isn't counting things in our families of origin such as deaths, births, weddings etc though those have also happened, some of them much more significant to us personally than others. The difference between being 24 and being 34 feels huge in some ways and not very big at all in others.

But I am definitely in a much different headspace than I was when I first threw myself into writing this fic. It's not at all an exaggeration to say that this story saved my life in a time when I was very lonely and still grappling with a lot of questions about what my life should be and why I was even alive. There were days when I literally thought to myself, I need to stay alive, I need to make it through this, so I can finish writing LtFAD.

It means the world to me that even now that I'm doing much, much better most days, this story continues to give comfort and a feeling of connection to other people even though it's unfinished. That's the best legacy I can hope for, for this story: connection, comfort... a feeling of knowing others' hidden courage in the hard times and feeling known in turn. Yes, I do still want to finish it. Or at least continue it for as long as I can, whenever I can. It feels like a friend I've carried with me (and been carried by) for the last nine years. I can't promise any sure timeline for its completion, but I just wanted to write this to thank everyone again for loving LtFAD, from the most active commenters to the quietest lurkers whose usernames I've never seen. Thank you so much for existing and for connecting with something we made.

-Rae.

[joyfulapostate]

Hi!!

It's very late where I am so this may not be as put together as id like it, however i dont want to forget (like i have the past four times already), but anyways.

I've been noticing a few contradictions in the bible, specifically in the new testament?

For example, just one out of the few that have been bothering me recently (months), Matthew 17:20, and Luke 17:6 both mention something along the lines of "if you have even a mustard seed of faith, if you command x to do whatever it may be, x will do it, because you had faith. However, what about James 1:5-7?

And another one:

Most believers (that I've met at least), say that if you accept Christ, you can't ever back out of it, once you accept him you can't go back on that decision and hes always with you. However, what about Revelation 3:14-17 I believe 0? I've brought it up to my mother and my (multiple) youth pastors (through the years) multiple times but I just get the same things related over and over and nothing actually explained.

Anyways I was just curious on your thoughts about that, I think it's interesting that there would even be question about it, given how often I'm told "the Bible is crystal clear, all you need to do is read it" when reading it frequently leaves me with way more questions than what I started with.

I used to believe that the Christian god guided the hands of the people who wrote the Bible as well as the hands of those who transcribed and translated it. But that belief did not stand up to the inconsistencies in the text. I used my faith to patch the holes, but it eventually spread too thin. It became impossible for me to perpetuate the illusion that the Bible was an inerrant work of a god. So what was it, then? I was at a loss.

Then I started reading Bart D. Ehrman’s book Misquoting Jesus. It gave me a lot of context about how the Bible came to be, including who changed it along the way and why. I recommend looking into Ehrman’s vast body of work. He is a biblical scholar and also an ex-Christian. He has several other books and a podcast also called Misquoting Jesus which is available on YouTube. His work really shows how the Bible is a collection of ancient writings from many authors with different intentions, which explains why it’s so inconsistent not only in theology but also in tone. It is such a relief to put down the task of trying to make the Bible make sense, especially when everyone is screaming at you that “it’s crystal clear” because it’s just not! It’s a complicated ancient text whose original is lost to time and has been copied and translated for thousands of years. With that in mind, it makes sense that you feel this way. Thanks for sending this in! I wish you the best of luck, I know this is a hard thing to contend with.

#asks #exchristian #bart is the best

[sunnyie-eve]

3 | No Filter

Series: Disastrous 

Paring: Felix Catton x Original female character!

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: none

| MASTERLIST |

~

"Wait, you're now just telling me that Oliver is staying here for the summer? The day he's supposed to arrive?" Juliette sits up in Felix's bed.

"I thought I told you already. The whole house knows. I invited him because his home life is shit, Juliette. He's mum's a drunk and he lost his dad."

"Well, you didn't tell me. And I get that, I feel bad for him. But remember what I told you a like two months ago? If you repeat what you did last year and bring a different friend home next summer..." She gives him a look getting off his bed.

"May I say he became a bit much? You saw how he started acting here." He says so she thinks it over.

"Just don't over do it." She whines so he kisses her then leaves the room.

After a few minutes pass Felix comes back with Oliver falling behind him, "Okay. Umm, my room. Basically Juliette's as well."

"Hi, Ollie." She gives him a smile as she looks up from her book.

"You'll be staying just next door." They continue through the bathroom to where Oliver would be staying.

As they were in the other room, Juliette gets up with her book going to join the others in the library. "I was wondering when you were to join us dear." Elspeth smiles.

"I have all summer to say in bed so I might as well get out of it now."

"Where's your puppy dog?" Farleigh asks meaning Felix because when they're home he never leaves her side.

"Showing Oliver is room still I reckon." She says as Felix walks into the room.

"Not anymore. I'm letting him settle in." He smiles kissing her cheek, "He'll join us when he's ready." Felix takes a seat in the floor in front of his father. "Come here. He pulls her to sit down on his lap.

"You two make me sick."

"You're just upset no one loves you like I love Juliette." Felix looks back at Farleigh, who rolls his eyes.

As Juliette watches the movie with James and Felix, she hates how Elspeth and Pamela talked about Oliver's home life out loud. Felix should have known better than to tell his family, who had no filter when words came out of their mouths. And the conversation only got worse before Oliver joins the group.

"Good luck, he doesn't smile much." Farleigh tells the women.

"Farleigh seems to think he's ghastly. Why are you friends with him, daring?" Elspeth asks Felix.

"Dirt poor, not attractive and his parents are drug addicts." Pamela adds.

"Oh my gosh you three! Seriously?" Juliette looks at them as Oliver walks in.

"And here he is now! We were just talking about you." Farleigh looks at Oliver.

"Don't be silly. Farleigh, you just make up the most awful things. Of course we weren't." Elspeth gets up to go to Oliver.

"I-I can't." Juliette gets up leaving the room.

She couldn't stand how fake Elspeth was. Yes, she was very kind and caring to her since her parents passed away, but everyone has a bad side and that was hers. She loved to help those that needed just to feel good about it but would talk shit about the person when they were gone. That's why Juliette felt so sad for Pamela. The woman was lost and needed actual help.

After sometime in Felix's room she hears Oliver in his so she walks over to him giving him a polite little knock before poking her head in, "I bet you felt like zoo animal with Elspeth?" She slowly walks into the room.

"Wasn't that bad."

"There's no need to lie, Ollie." She laughs, "I know how that woman is. I grew up around her. When I was younger she interrogated me all the time. Very different question but still the same thing. My questions were more about being new money rather than old money like them. She did the same with my parents. You work for all of this instead of being born into it? Passed down by generations?" She imitates Elspeth.

"I can't imagine how she was when your parents died."

"Oh, don't get me started." Juliette takes a seat on the bed, "I'm sorry for how they were talking about you before you came in. I know you heard them. They're quite loud when they talk with no filter."

"Oh, honestly I don't expected it a big. I do come from an entirely different background." He gives her a smile, "I appreciate you snapped at them."

"Of course! You don't deserve that from them. Plus you're the guest this summer to them. And you're Felix's friend so I consider you one as well." She says truly meaning it.

"You're very different from everyone else. Even Felix. A whole lot more kinder than him."

"It's how I was raised. Everyone has feelings and everyone is human. I'm no different or special compared to you or others." She says as Felix comes into the room.

"You apologizing for my mother's actions?" He laughs at Juliette.

"Yes, now you do the same." Juliette gets up leaving the room to find what to wear to dinner.

In one, of the many rooms, which was basically hers she never really spends time in. She was going through all her dresses.

"What one do I get to take off you tonight?" Felix takes a seat in the bed watching her.

"Excuse me? None because I can undress myself then go to bed." She laughs at him.

"You're no fun."

"I know but you'll get over it." She smiles back at him.

"Why don't you just move your entire wardrobe to my room? It's basically your room too." He lays back onto the bed.

"Let's see... Main reason is because you beg me to sleep in there so I never get to use my room. And when I do use my room it's because I'm mad at you." She walks over to the bed standing behind his legs.

"Well, whenever we get married in the future it won't be a problem for us since we share my bed already." He picks up his head to smile at her.

"I fucking love you." She crawls on top of him giving him a kiss.

#saltburn #felix catton #oliver quick #jacob elordi #desire #love #luxuries #murder #obession #rich #stalking #upper class #elspeth catton #james catton #venetia catton #farleigh start #felix catton imagine #felix catton x oc #felix catton smut #felix catton fanfic

[southernmermaidsgrotto]

Do you think love and light spirituality is toxic?

Definitely yes.

Now some of you will run away just from reading those two words, let me elaborate: It's not just toxic, it's actively harmful and racist, ableist, it's white cis hetero male supremacist in every way. Completely rooted in naz1 ideas from the very beginning of it. You just gotta look at the history of the whole movement and there's flaming red flags everywhere.

But even if you don't know the history and social context of how it came to be and popularized (which you should, do your research), just by looking at these people and how they move through life you can still clearly see the issues with it.

I have 3 main problems with the whole "love and light" thing that a lot of new age people spread, the first and biggest for me is spiritual bypassing. New Age "love & light" culture is not only completely incorrect (the dark is just as important, real and necessary for balance as the light, really, I'm saying it as someone with 10+ years of experience and a whole family background in ancestral traditions. The dark shit is Important and necessary, to understand all aspects of life, spiritual and not, to grow as a person and as a practitioner, to protect yourself and yours from both material and spiritual things and to fight either if needed.) but the whole "good vibes only" ends up being delusional at best and straight out abusive at worst, many times gaslighting people and denying racism, colonialism, oppression of all kinds, spiritual and physical illness, mental illness, basic history and science, all things that can have very real, physical consequences on people's mental health, overall health, and safety in general, not to mention the wider effects on society as a whole (having people running around with the emotional inteligence of a clam shell, scratch that, even clams are better than that lmao and spreading misinformation and harm like wildfire). The Second big mess is how much it promotes the complete lack of literacy and rational critical thinking. People will learn a new fancy thing and just run with it without knowing the full history and correct use of things and words, without questioning the source and context of the whole situation. Misinterpreting the little knowledge they have, either because it's something they overheard, or read in 1 book and never bothered to dive deeper into it's roots and history and true meaning, having the most shallow and incorrect "knowledge" of things, etc. It goes hand in hand with the 1st problem to create the 3rd issue: straight out willful malicious ignorance. They don't know any better and they can't be bothered to learn any better either. It's not just laziness or disinterest, it's straight out conscious denial of truth, repression of their own feelings and thoughts and identity even in some cases, to just be able to keep this facade of "love & light" that's killing them from the inside, hurting themselves and hurting anyone they come into contact with aswell, all to serve their selfish purposes and their own agendas.

All these three things feed off and enhance each other in an endless loop, that gets even worse in the kinds of conspiracy theory echo chambers these people move in. The ignorance and immaturity combined with someone who doesn't do any introspection at all and is straight out lying to themselves and others, either from a place of delusion, or in the case of most white people, priviledge. It's a huge system that only feeds white supremacy and keeps people of color disconnected from their true feelings and health, personal identity, culture and community, taking people away from any and every possible source of real power. It's keeping the priviledged in power and the disenfranchised in misery while denying the whole situation, spreading misinfo to confuse, divide and put the blame on the victims instead of the actual victimizer.

Priviledged people spread misinformation and lies because they don't know and don't care + actively benefit from keeping you in the dark, all while screaming from the top of their lungs that they have your best interests at heart and will "shine light on truths" while their actions are the complete opposite of that, then hide from the results of anything harmful they do under the "love & light positive thoughts only" thing to avoid conflict and consequences. It's bullshit. Call them out on their bullshit everytime.

#I love my people #but some of y'all got some serious undiagnosed mental illness going on and don't want to acknowledge it #got people thinking they're atlantean kemet aliens when their true african ancestors side eye and sigh #know yourself #know your people #know WHITE FOLKS WILL SAY THE CRAZIEST SHIT JUST TO KEEP YOU AWAY FROM YOUR TRUE POWER and SOME!! OF Y'ALL DEEPTHROATING THAT SHIT!!!! #without even knowing it was yt folks that made it up to justify racism and eugenics like !!! #and know mentall illness is a real thing that leaves you seriously exposed to these kinds of abusive environments #so keep that in check and stay in touch with reality thankyewww #seriously read some actual history books and even better: TALK TO PROPER ELDERS.....NONE of them is gonna mention anything like #what you hear from new age folks #cause all new age shit was made up less than 100 years ago and WE!!! GO BACK!!! 400+ years!!!! just as diaspora!!!! THOUSANDS as natives!!! #(american or african or else) #tap into THAT!!!!

[julieverne]

genuine question, how much of The Actual Show rizzoli and isles like, open to the idea of rizzles? Like I adore all of your fics, and I would watch *that* show, but how much of it is fanon vs queerbait vs subtext vs actual canon?

Season 1-4 it genuinely looks like they're headed for a Rizzles endgame. Season 5 is ok but they're taking a step back. Season 6 and 7 they're strangers that are sometimes in the same room. The showrunner changed then and only watched the first and last episodes of the preceding seasons - which were heavy on how much these two women loved and relied on each other, so I don't know why so much went wrong there.

Some of it's scripted, some of it's not. But it's not in the good-natured Xena way of 'oh they're together but the studio won't let us show that so we get around the censors' way. It's 'suburban housewives were our target audience but Sasha and Angie can't keep their hands off each other and now most of our audience is lesbians'.

There was a really great recap on AfterEllen but all the pictures have been taken down. But the genuine chemistry the actresses had in those first few seasons is worth watching. This is the ship that launched a hundred fics for me. In the first run people must have been watching and waiting for something to happen and it never did.

They didn't need to be endgame. They just needed to be something other than strangers in the last two seasons.

So it's a weird show; there's no series bible, no two seasons carry the same vibe, one season is straight-up slapstick. There's plot holes in the backstories and the pets get fridged. Watching Bones really highlights how seat-of-the-pants Rizzoli and Isles was.

But despite all that:

Totally Gratuitous, Totally Gay Touching

Righteous Ponytail of Justice

Sasha Alexander in every outfit

Angie Harmon not knowing what a tomboy is and just standing and sitting in the most homosexual of ways

Senior Criminalist Susie Chang is gold in every scene

Hurt/Comfort

All of the above are good reasons to watch the show, but the hurt/comfort is paramount. Terrible things happen to these women, and season 1-4 they generally end up alone at home together curled up on the couch comforting each other.

Quick warning: season 1 is darker and probably better in terms of plot and cohesion. I rank the show seasons 4, 2, 3, 1, 5, 6, 7.

And now, more evidence of the TGTGT:

I'm not going to try to convince someone to watch a 2010 show with no payoff in 2023 when we have better shows. But it has its place in the queer hall of fame for a reason.

And the show for its time did okay. They did have murdering lesbians, but they also had lesbians mums, and lesbian colleagues. They had a transgender judge that was treated with respect when they figured it out as part of their investigation. It hasn't aged poorly in that sense. The show had a lot of potential, and it flopped when they veered away from the subtext. But as a studio that was a risk they had to take - I doubt they had many male audiences and even now most shows still cater to that demographic. So for a show that really was about women - two women that were very close - to do so well, it had to do certain things. But the show had so much potential that never came to fruition.

One last thing - the books themselves are completely different. The characters share the same names and live in Boston, but that's about the end of the similarities. Tess Gerritsen herself seems very tickled and amused by the fact that this bizarre show exists and that she has a cult lesbian following because of it, and I love her for that and I love that for her. If you ever do watch season 7, she has a cameo in an episode which is precious.

#rizzles #rizzoli and isles #maura isles #rizzoli & isles #jane rizzoli

[heretolurkandnothingmore]

Another tag game! 15 questions for 15 friends.

Three beautiful people tagged me in this one (@cottonraincoat @somethingsteff @willameena) thank you, friends! I am having criminal amounts of fun with these)) Let's see...

1. Are you named after anyone?

Yes, actually! My great-grandma. My full name is a shortened version of hers, the same one family always used. We were like little Hertie and granny Hertie)

2. When was the last time you cried?

I get misty-eyed often, but my last full-blown wailing was weeks, if not months ago. Never could let my emotions out until they boil over.

3. Do you have kids?

None of my own, but it's complicated)

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

Not really any. Not a sporty person. But I used to have swimming lessons for years! If there was a way to swim without needing to just go in laps at a constant speed, I'd start doing it again, too.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

Not much in text, moreso in speech.

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Usually some sort of detail, like wild curls, bracelets or just the general vibe. I don't like making eye contact.

7. What's your eye colour?

Dark brown with greenish spots, maybe? The eye contact thing includes my own reflection)

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Are there any happy endings? Musical references aside, of course those. Horror is not my genre when it comes to movies)

9. Any talents?

Creativity, I guess? I mean, my art isn't half bad, that has to count for something. But then the desire to do art came naturally to me, not the skill itself.

10. Where were you born?

Same city block as mom and grandma, actually)

11. What are your hobbies?

Playing guitar, drawing, getting stuck in videogames. Reading books, when I manage to make my brain work.

12. Do you have any pets?

Two cats and a dog, yes!) All rescues. One of the cats is my dumb orange son. The other is an independent old man. The dog is a family pet))

13. How tall are you?

160-something centimetres, depends on how bad my slouching is at any given time.

14. Favourite subject in school?

Biology! I used to dream of being a scientist, but life went a different direction.

15. Dream job?

No idea. I hoped to be an illustrator by now, or dead in the ground. Worst case scenario I'll join the family legacy (teachers, the lot of them. for four generations straight) and become an art teacher.

So, this is it)) I can't in good conscience tag a whole 15 people! But anyone, especially my dearest mutuals, is invited to participate.

#tag game #hertie's text posts #personal

[eldritchamy]

I’m like 77% sure that Ash is the protagonist of Uneiverse so I’m here to ask — why her? What makes her a good protagonist? Like why does the story follow her instead of someone else?

This is an EXCELLENT question. Thank you so much for asking it.

One of these days I'm gonna have to think of a working title for the first book set IN the Uneiverse so it's easier to talk about. I've had a few working titles but one of them might actually get used so I can't really drop those. For now let's call it Story Mode.

Story Mode, in the strictest sense, has a bit of an ensemble cast. There are four characters in sort of a Major Protagonist role, and around 3-4 other Supporting Protagonists, depending on how you define them based on the amount of influence they have on wherever the finalized version of the plot ends up. I have strong ideas in terms of narrative structure and general Major Events, but there's a lot of connecting tissue yet to be decided.

You're not wrong to think of Ash as the most central protagonist, though. The narrative does basically frame her as such.

There are several ways I could answer why.

She's based on my first (and by far favorite and most heavily emotionally invested) DND character. The entire concept of the story sprawled out from basically alternate versions of her story as I imagined it without the limitations of tabletop rules. The story exists because Ash is the character I imagined the story for.

Ash has some ... complicated connections to the plot that are hard to explain without saying more than I want to. The tl;dr is that there are things happening in the Uneiverse, and Ash has the most reason of all of the characters to be drawn into those events, based on both her personality and her personal connections to the world around her.

If the story WASN'T following her, it wouldn't be the same story.

Whether she's a "good" protagonist is really more up to reader interpretation. I think she is, and I want her to be, but there's whatever work I put into the story, and there's how any potential readers will respond to it.

I think she's got potential because of how deep the brainworms have been digging for the last two plus years. I think about her CONSTANTLY. Different situations she could find herself in, how she might react to them based on changing circumstances, different ways SPECIFIC CONVERSATIONS could go based on how she relates to other characters and information, etc.

I've never had a more complete sense of who a character is than I have with Ash. I know her whole brain. How she sees and interacts with the world is just innate to me at this point.

That helps a lot with figuring out how a character moves through a story. She's easy to write because I know exactly how she'll behave.

Additionally, she's COMPLICATED. She has two things she wants very much, and those things are contradictory, which is good for driving character growth and conflict.

about 15 years ago, her mother (an extraordinarily powerful angel who was a very devoted and loving parent that Ash had a good relationship with) just didn't come home one day. And Ash is desperate to know both HOW and WHY. Her mother wouldn't have just left. And the thought of what could have KEPT her from coming home is a point of both intense curiosity, and fear.

Ash wants, more than ALMOST anything else, to just have a quiet and peaceful life with her wife. And other partners.

That ALMOST does a lot of heavy lifting. But there is a straw for this camel's back, and that straw is curiosity. She can be drawn OUT of her safe zone if you dangle the right thread in front of her. And that is critical to ... basically everything that happens.

Why does Ash have such an intense need to feel safe and stay out of danger? She spent her whole life with people she thinks are more capable and powerful than her (honestly, she's not wrong). First with her mother, then with Aria, an enormously powerful witch (specifically nature-based magic, so functionally similar to a high level druid) who became her girlfriend and eventually wife. Her most significant partner OTHER than her wife is their mutual girlfriend Cass, who is a very powerful vampire assassin that used to be in a bit of an adventuring party with Aria a few years ago. Lailah, Aria, and Cass are three people that NOBODY fucks with.

And therein lies the problem.

Ash has always felt PROTECTED. And that had the consequence of making her feel exposed without it. She feels like she NEEDS protection, because she never learned how to be the strong one. She has a lot more going on with her magic than she really acknowledges, but she's never felt like she was capable of protecting herself. There's always been someone there for her. One of her most important traumas/personality flaws wasn't formed by BAD relationships, it was formed because of GOOD ones. She does have some pretty rare and potent magical abilities, but because her social circle consists of ridiculously overpowered women, she doesn't really notice as much how she compares to the average person, especially given how she uses those talents.

She has this weird, almost paradoxical thing where she definitely feels like she's cleverer than most people (she is), so trying to call her out for being more capable than she thinks (she is) doesn't really WORK because she partly DOES feel that way, but she has a blind spot that's really hard to point out to her, and she just insists that she's not as powerful as other people she knows (which is hard to correct her on because she's not really WRONG, she's just comparing herself to the wrong people, because her wife is Superpowers Georg and her girlfriend is the most powerful vampire in the world, and her mom was a LOT more powerful than any angels she's ever heard of or been able to find books about).

There are reasons Aria is that powerful. Secret reasons.

(It's trauma.)

Cass is another DEEP point of interest for me (and may get her own book that's a much lower stakes young adult vampire romance novel, set in her backstory, nearly 130 years ago).

Her tl;dr is that she got super duper murdered by noble/mob family drama (basically, her dad sucked), and someone close to her who found out about the plot not-soon-enough had a naughty naughty ancestor who dabbled in some naughty naughty magic, and that person used a spell she didn't fully understand to "not let Cassandra die". What was meant to be a protection spell ended up being a LOT more powerful than she knew (for several reasons), and it created a kind of loophole in the universe that protected Cass from death, and raised her as an unusually powerful vampire.

Basic elevator pitch lore? She died. Her body no longer has life energy of its own, but she can survive by feeding off the energy of others. That energy is best transferred to her through blood, which is basically a magical substance that binds a soul to a body. The spell used to save Cass basically FUSED her soul to her body, (trapping that body in a state of immortality) and separating the two would be EXTRAORDINARILY difficult. The spell requires energy to maintain the link, which is why she needs blood. If she takes in more energy than she needs, she can basically store a reserve of magic energy that will be used as needed to fuel various powers she has. If she keeps well ahead of her needs (she does), hunger isn't an issue unless she REALLY pushes herself and spends a ton of energy.

Her body is more or less unchanged from the day she turned, including the basic needs of a human body. She still eats and sleeps and breathes like everyone else. If she forces herself to go without those things, she can do it, but that causes her to burn through energy a lot faster, which would make her need to feed a lot more. There are limits to how much she can feed AT ONCE, because there's only so much blood you can put in a human stomach before you're gonna throw up, so burning through way too much energy too fast is not a good idea. In practice all it means is she can hold her breath for a really long time if someone tries to, like, use a gas grenade on her.

There are other things about the kind of magic used that influence the exact mechanics of it, but that's the basics. She also doesn't burn in the sun, there's no holy water or crucifixes in this world but if there were they'd have no effect, a stake to the heart is just a stab wound that itches a bit longer (and only because of splinters), etc. If there's a hard limit to what her body can't survive, she hasn't found it yet. Decapitation would probably do it, but she hasn't been eager to try that. The biggest threat to her so far has been starvation, and she only got close once, under very unusual circumstances.

After 5 paragraphs of Cass you'd probably assume she was one of the Major Protagonists, but she's actually one of the minor ones.

Central cast:

Ash

Aria

"Maze" [pending finalization]

"Nat" [pending finalization]

Ash is really the first to get pulled into the Main Quest. Aria gets involved by association, then gets pulled into the Main Quest a lot harder around what you'd probably think of as Act 2. Maze and Nat get a similar invitation to the Intro Quest Sequence soon after Ash (Ash and Aria are probably chapters 1 & 2, chapter 3 & 4 are most likely Nat and Maze).

Cass is kind of a recurring support character who shows up to help at a few critical moments.

Ally, same thing.

Ella, a character tied to Cass' backstory, will likely make the fewest appearances as a supporting character.

There's more going on that I cannot be specific about.

Structurally, I expect chapter 1 should be an introduction to Ash as a person and her place in the world, as well as some insight into what kind of story this might be. Chapter 2 connects her to the world and establishes her conflicting interests (comfortable home life vs. curiosity and pulling threads). Chapter 3 introduces Nat and some interesting bits about the setting, which hopefully drives reader curiosity. Chapter 4 should be an introduction to Maze and the relationship between these two characters. I expect chapter 5 will probably be the four coming together for the first time and getting the plot moving more significantly. Cass might be introduced around chapter 6 or 7, and then some real interesting shit is gonna start happening, and everyone is gonna realize how much Bigger the Main Quest really is. The introduction to the first "god" character (a vast understatement) is likely what really kicks off act 2, and suddenly the stakes are a LOT crazier.

You will NOT be hearing much, if anything, about Act 3. The last quarter of the story lives in my head rent free. I'm very excited about the central ANtagonists.

Thank you so much for this question!

Please ask me more.

#eldritch ocs #uneiverse #Ash #Cass #Aria

[bookwyrminspiration]

Stellarlune B&N Virtual Event Summary

This contains no Stellarlune spoilers, only a few vague mentions of minor things, as expected of an event.

James Ponti accompanied Shannon Messenger and asked all the questions, including from him and from fans. Shannon highly recommends you check out his books!

Everything else is under a cut for space. Enjoy!

This event's theme is Stuffed Animal Palooza, so Shannon's brought a few. Behind her is Ella, the elephant Sophie's stuffed animal is based on. It's actually Ella #2, because Ella #1 is very worn from Shannon's loving her

She also has an elf stuffed animal behind her, which is apparently written into Stellarlune. She doesn't explain how or why, just says it's there.

James stole an elephant toy from his dog to feel included and meet the theme. If his dog attacks him at any point through the event, continue on valiantly without him

Why did Shannon decide to give stuffed animals to the characters? How did that come to be? Sophie is the origin of this; when Shannon was writing the scene in book one where she leaves everything she's ever loved behind, Shannon knew she was only taking a backpack that would probably be filled with boring things (like clothes), so she'd really only have one special thing she'd take.

She was trying to figure out what that would be, so asked herself what she'd bring and her answer was Ella, so she gave Sophie her own Ella.

As other characters went through stressful events, she decided they needed snuggle buddies, too. She's working her way through the cast of kids and is hoping that eventually, they'll all have one.

James thinks it's a wonderful message and relatable to the kids, telling them/us that it's okay to have this thing. These amazing, strong characters have stuffed animals and so I can, too.

Shannon gets letters from kids all over the world telling her about their own snuggle buddies, which she loves.

Shannon and James' first books came out on the same day, and since then he's written over 3 series and Shannon's still on one--so what's it like to spend over a decade with these characters? Bizarre and amazing. For her she's been with them since 2008

Did you know where you were going (in terms of plot) or did you discover it along the way? Both. From the beginning, she could imagine the story being at least ten books. But publishing is a business and she was debut, so there was no way she was getting a 10 book deal (she got 3).

The problems in her story stem from the world itself, not from any one villain. She spent a lot of time figuring out the good and the bad in the world, why it was broken, why rebellions existed, and that's how she knew it'd be so long. The problems of the world are so fundamental, so that's been consistent throughout the whole process

When she went to USC, she was told that "your first ideas are rarely your best ideas." You want to push beyond those because they'll be the most predictable, the more basic. So she left herself room to push and grow past her initial ideas in the series. Those things weren't planned from the beginning

Keeper of the Lost Cities Launched into the book world quietly, so there was a time when she didn't think she'd be able to tell the whole story. When she sold book four to her publishers, they were basically like...alright, we guess we can give you one more.

Now that KOTLC took off, she's very fortunate and grateful to be able to let the store itself decide how long it wants to be.

James' first deal was two books, and when he was worrying about whether he'd get another, he was told "Don't make it easier for them not to do another book."

Both James and Shannon went to USC and got the same degree in screenwriting, so does that film background impact Shannon's writing in any way? Yes, absolutely, because she was taught to be visual; she can't write a scene until she can imagine everything about it (where people are standing, clothes, time of day, etc.)

That's also why her writing is dialogue heavy, because scripts are very dialogue heavy and she uses that training.

A difference she likes, though, is that in books you can create basically anything you want. In a movie, you have budget constraints and the more expensive your movie seems, the harder it is to sell. Do you need 10 locations or can you get away with 5? Do you need 50 actors or can you get away with less? In a book, she can just make up what she wants!

James also still writes that way, too. When scoping out a place he's going to write about, he asks himself, "where would I put the actors?"

What can you tell us about Stellarlune, anything at all? (He then comments on how the heart reactions are going wild in chat!) It's hard to say anything without spoilers, but she can say that you can guess where Stellarlune starts based on Unlocked's cliffhanger. Someone Sophie loves has had to leave and she's done something very dramatic, so she's trying to figure out what the best course of action is.

Sophie realizes she needs to be focusing on Stellarlune because she knows it's connected to the villains and Keefe. She needs to look into it and find out what it is.

Stellarlune leads her to one of the secret's Shannon's been keeping for the entire series; she's been planning it since 2008. Actually, she tried to work it into an earlier book but it didn't work. There needed to be more pieces in place first, but now she finally got to write it, which was surreal.

James agrees--nothing like sharing something you're known forever. For his books, people will find out something in February

The other thing she can say is that this isn't the last book, so brace for a cliffhanger (cue shocked faces in chat)

Was Stellarlune's process different? Yes, because she's reaching the end and winding down. At this point, her job as an author becomes different. For the first part, she has to keep raising questions and bringing things in; now, she's on the other side and needs to answer those questions.

it's a lot more to keep track of, trying to make sure everyone feels like they'll have their questions answered and be satisfied with it

She's never written a ten book series before and doesn't know what she's doing--"I need help!" So her team of people came through and stepped up, helping her with outlining so the ending could be the best it could be

Shannon isn't an outliner at all because she things it sucks the life from the story, so she had no idea how to outline at the end. Her editor did, and they mapped out the last books in a way that still gave Shannon the room she needed to give the story life.

They met weekly for 3-4 months to troubleshoot everything and try and make things work--it was great to have some other brains on the project

Is book 10 going to be the end? Funny thing is, they announced book 10 would be the end because that's what they'd outlined. But as she wrote book 9 there were some things that didn't fit when they'd thought they would. So they're not 100% sure if 10 is the end. Maybe she'll be able to fit everything into ten, maybe not

If the story needs a book 11, she'll write a book 11. The one thing she doesn't want to do is leave unanswered questions. "I owe them answers, and I owe them good answers." (Solid red hearts in chat for book 11!)

Alright, famous Team Fitz, Team Keefe question. Shannon usually needs to sit back for a minute at live events for this question because it gets so loud. Her answer is that she works very hard to stay Team Sophie. She's in charge of plot, not the emotions and tries to treat her characters like real people.

She never pre-plans relationships because otherwise it feels force. Her naive hope is that whatever happens, people think it makes sense. And "Sophie may be like I'm sick of you all!" in the end, too.

James is Team Dex--not in an end result relationship way, but if he had to wear a jersey in support of a character, it'd be Dex. He relates to him best.

What's some writing advice you can share? She wants to talk about voice. People always say writers need to find their voice, but no one tells you how.

She found her voice by reading books she didn't enjoy. She bought a huge stack of books from the children's section and read through them, and she loved some more than others.

When she didn't love them, she asked herself why not? She asked herself how she'd write the scene if it was hers. Not enough humor, not enough dialogue, etc. That taught her that her style is a dialogue heavy, humorous style. That's how she found her voice

"Writers are readers, so you should be reading as widely as possible." Pay attention to the ones you don't like, because they can be more helpful than what you do

Shannon now throws this question back to James for his own advice. He likes to look through books he does like, taking say 15 books and rapid fire reading the first chapters to see what he liked about them, to see the foundation. The challenge is creating a new voice in a series for a new character, while keeping it still his

Shannon uses this as an opportunity to remind everyone that not all writing advice works for everything! She and James have opposite approaches, so there are a million different ways to figure out how to write a book. You don't have to do something just because a bestselling author does it.

What are some books Shannon loves? She loves James' series (the City Spies series is particularly fun), Amari and Night Brothers by B.B. Alston, Aru Shah by Roshani Chokshi is one of her favorites, Tristan Strong series by Kwame Mbalia.

James recommends The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat and Joanna Cacao, and says we're in the golden age of middle grade fiction.

Alright, what's the deal with the KOTLC movie? Hollywood is a really slow industry and you're not allowed to talk about it. There is stuff going on behind the scenes, but Shannon would get in trouble if she said anything. Everyone on the team is committed and she thinks it will be worth the wait. As soon as she can truly share something, she'll be super obnoxious about it!

At this point in the event, an interactive poll was share with viewers to answer, then Shannon shared her own answers afterward. It was a this or that style thing, and the options were as follows, so feel free to answer yourself and compare!

Fantasy or sci-fi? Pet imp or pet banshee? Gnomish vegetables or elven desserts? Pyrokinetic or talentless? Sword or throwing stars?

Shannon chose fantasy (James chose sci-fi). An imp, even with the burps and all that (James agreed). The vegetables because she could finally be vegetarian without giving up the foods she loves (James chose desserts). Pyrokinetic (James picked talentless because it "describes me"). And sword because she has terrible aim and would hurt people with throwing stars (James agrees, and thinks throwing stars would give him elbow problems)

The results from the fan poll were: fantasy at 96% majority, pet imp at 78%, desserts at 83%, pyrokinetic at 90%, and throwing stars at 53%.

Can you tell us more about the Great Gulon Incident? Yes, someday Shannon is going to tell that story, but it won't be in the actual books. If she wrote it now after 10 books and 8000 pages of teasing, it would be Sophie finally asking someone to tell her and like two paragraphs of explanation, and that would be it. Super disappointing.

Shannon has sold a short story collection about the Lost Cities, and the big one that will be in there is the Great Gulon Incident! Someday we'll get to know, and she 100% knows what the incident is.

How do you decide what scene gets features on the cover? Her series is weird because it's long and she's always super behind, so the covers are always done before the book is written. Covers are marketing, so they try to pick a scene that captures the book that they know for sure will be in the book even before its written

Stellarlune starts to get intense, so they went for bolder colors and a big scene. They also want covers to be unique, and Shannon had never had an all-girl cover before, so she finally got to do that!

Important question: is there a reason Fitz Avery Vacker rhymes with Ritz Savory Cracker? Shannon wishes she could say she realized that, but it didn't occur to her until readers pointed it out. She thinks is a hilarious happy accident!

Same thing happened with Tam and Linh and the ballad of Tamlin that has to do with water; fans asked if that was the inspiration, but she'd never heard of it before--a lovely coincidence

Where do you come up with names for places and magical things? Not an exciting answer, but she reads a lot of dictionaries and thesauruses to find words she likes, then mashes them together. Naming is super tedious, so first drafts always have fillers until she sits down and hammers them all out

For characters names, though, it's a lot of baby name websites

For James' book in Egypt, he looked up national football teams and stole them for his characters

How do elves manage living in different time zones? Shannon kind of addresses this in Stellarlune, but the Lost Cities are all one time zone. The elves are powerful enough, and even though they're scattered, it's one time zone

Last question, but if it doesn't fit everything, we'll add another! (referencing Shannon's book 11 answers)

When it does come time to finish the series, what will she do next? She doesn't know. KOTLC has taken up so much time she hasn't given other ideas serious thought. There are a few other things in the works, but she'd deep in Sophie's world right now

One more question: while writing the series, she became a mother. How excited is she to know that one day after she's finished, her kid will get to read these books? She's very excited, but cautiously so. The reality it her kid will probably be stubborn and refuse to read them.

Whether he reads them or not, she hopes he can appreciate it now or later and see that his mom did this thing--even while he refused to sleep through the night and made her job infinitely harder. "Appreciate it kid, are you listening?"

She dedicated Stellarlune to her son, and still gets emotions whenever she reads that

The hour is up, so Shannon and James thank everyone for coming and letting them do this.

Shannon hopes everyone loves Stellarlune, as she poured her heart into every page. "The fact I get to have a book 9 in this serious is because of you."

Happy reading! (clapping emojis in chat)

#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #idk about y'all but I'm particularly intrigued to hear more about this short story collection #anyway! here's the event information I learned :) #i hope you enjoy! #the cost of this is that I still don't have stellarlune #but I think the events are fun so. I don't really mind #i keep making jokes about it but it's chill