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Cornered 2 foreshadowing??????

(With a yummy paragraph treat below the cut :-) )

And then, he walked away. Ryou’s hands balled into fists and his face grew hot. He stepped into the doorway and quietly shut the door, watching Malik walk into the kitchen from his place on the welcome mat.

“What if I want to argue, though? You never want to argue.”

Malik scoffed. “Astute observation, detective.”

Ryou’s brow furrowed and his nose wrinkled at the comment. It sent him over the edge. Those weren’t words that came from someone who ‘didn’t want to argue.’

“Can you even hear yourself?” Ryou asked, stomping into the kitchen. He didn’t like how relaxed Malik seemed to be as he preoccupied himself with looking in the fridge.

“Can you please respect me asking not to do this right now?” Was Malik’s response as his eyes scanned the contents of the fridge with no intention of pulling anything out of it.

Ryou’s eye twitched. “No, Malik,” He shot back. “Because if we don’t talk about this now, it’s never going to come up again because you avoid everything that’s even remotely negative.”

Ryou took a quick breath, making sure Malik wouldn’t interrupt what he wasn’t finished with.

“And you have no fucking idea how horrible you not wanting to talk about this looks to someone who is supposed to be helping the police department solve a crime.”

While Ryou’s face became red, and his hands shaky, Malik remained steadfast in his outwardly calm appearance.

The kitchen went silent. Malik straightened himself up, placing a hand on his lower back as he did so. His face twinged as if he were in pain, but it was only for a moment.

“What,” Malik started, slow and steady, “exactly, are you implying?”

“I think if you’re asking me that question,” Ryou replied, “then you already know what I’m implying.”

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REBLOG if you are old enough to remember what a VCR is.

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IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION

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Reblog if you genuinely support asexuals

It terrifies me that there’s so much raging passion in the lgbt+ community that insist on marginalizing asexuals and implying that asexuals don’t deserve to have safe spaces. There’s still so much acephobia so I just wanna know which blogs are genuinely supportive and a safe space for asexuals

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Listen to your elders

So last week I posted abut the importance of downloading your fic. And then three days later AO3 went down for 24 hours. No one was more weirded out by this than I was. But while y’all were acting like the library at Alexandria was on fire I was reading my download fic and editing chapter eight of Buck, Rogers, and the 21st Century. And also thinking about what I could do to be helpful when the crisis was actually over.

So first off, I’m going to repeat that if you’re going to bookmark a fic, you really need to also download the fic and back it up in a safe place. I just do it automatically now and it’s a good habit to get into.

But let’s talk about some other scenarios. Last October I lost power for over a week after hurricane Ian. Apart from not having internet or A/C I did find plenty to do, I collect books so I had plenty to read, but maybe, unlike me, your favorite comfort reads aren’t sitting on a bookshelf. So let’s do something about that, shall we?

In olden times many long years ago around 1995 we printed off a lot of fic. It was mostly SOP to print a fic you planned to reread and stick it in a three ring binder. And that’s totally valid today too, but you can also make a very nice paperback with a minimum amount of skill and materials.

Let’s start with the download; Go to Ao3 and select your fic, we’ll be working with one of mine. This method works best with one shots, long fic tends to need a more complicated approach. Get yourself an HTML download

Open up the HTML download and select all then copy paste into any word processor. Set the page to landscape and two columns, then change the font to something you find easy to read, this is your book, no judgement. This is all you have to do for layout but I like to play a little bit. I move all the meta, summary, notes to the end and pick out a fun font for the title: 

No time like the present to do a quick proofread. Congratulations, you’ve just created your first typeset. On to the fun part.

Now you’re going to need some materials:  8.5x11in paper ruler one sheet of 12x12 medium card stock (60-80lb) scissors pencil pen or fine tip marker sheet of wax paper white glue two binder clips 2 heavy books or 1 brick butter knife

You’ll also need a printer, if you’re in the US there is almost a 100% chance your local library has a printer you can use if you don’t have your own. None of these materials are expensive and you can literally use cheap copy paper and Elmers glue.

Print your text block, one page per side. Fold the first page in half so that the blank side is inside and the printed side out:

use the butter knife to crease the edge. Repeat on all the sheets. When you’ve finished, stack them up with the raw edge on the left and the folded edge on the right. I used standard copy paper, because you’re only printing on one side there’s no bleed to worry about. Take the text block and line everything up. Use the binder clips to hold the raw edge in place.

Wrap the text block in the wax paper so that the raw edge and binder clips are facing out. I’m going to use my home built book press but you don’t need one, a brick or a couple of books or anything else heavy will work fine.

Once the text block is anchored down, take off he binder clips and get out the glue.

You can use a brush but you don’t need one, smear some glue on that raw edge.

Go make a margarita, watch The Mandalorian, call your mother. Don’t come back for at least an hour

In an hour smear some more glue on there and shift your brick forward so that the whole book is covered. This keeps the paper from warping. While glue part 2 is drying we’ll do the cover. Get out your 12x12 cardstock

Mark the cardstock off at 8.5 inches and cut it. Measure in 5.5 inches from the left and put in a score line with the butter knife (the back edge not the sharp edge)

Carefully fold the score line, this is your front cover. You have some options for the cover title, you can use a cutting machine like a cricut if you have one, you can print out a title on the computer and use carbon paper to transfer the text to the cardstock. I was in a mood so I just freehanded that beoch. Pencil first then in pen.

Take your text block out from under your brick. Line it up against the score mark and mark the second score on the other side of the spine

Fold the score and glue the textblock into the cover at the spine. Once the glue dries up mark the back cover with the pencil and then trim the back cover to fit with your scissors.

Voila:

I’m going to put this baby on the shelf next to the Silmarillion.

The whole process, not counting drying time, took less than an hour.

If you want to make a book of a longer fic, I recommend Renegade Publishing, they have a ton of resources for fan-binders. 

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lahore pigeons are some of the most visually appealing birds out there. like in terms of visual design. very minimalist, good contrast.

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Do you have any fic recs you can pass along to us? :3

Oh, wow. This is kinda a hard one to answer, but it all depends on what kind of fic recs you're looking for? I'll warn you, a lot of my recs come with their own fair share of TW/CW.

I have a TONS of fics that I absolutely love! Most are from the same authors too! I'm going to start by sharing a list of the authors I have on sub. Virtually EVERYTHING by these authors are well worth the time to read.

atlas_x - If you like smut, look no further than Atlas lol. I am addicted to their smutfics. Their recent zombie apocalypse fic Infected only has 2 chapters atm (and not as smut focused...yet), but I am absolutely in love with it.

BladeofM - The first work I ever read from BladeofM was Eldritch Encounter. Not only did this fic then introduce me to the indescribable awesomeness that is @andr0nap's art, but I fell in love with BladeofM's writing style. All I need to see is the name and I knwo it'll be good.

QueenBastet - You would have to be living under a rock to have not read any of QueenBastet's work. I can't pick just one AU by this amazing author.

Resuri - This is one author I will read new stuff at the speed of inbox notif! Everything they write leaves me wanting to smash that main keyboard row! I seriously need some plushies for the Conspire group, because I just need to hug them bitches every time I finish reading a new chapter or fic.

Those are just my main subscribed authors. Next I have a few fave fics outside of everything those authors write. These are 'longfics' in a sense. I, personally, love getting invested in longfics.

The Cornered Collection by YadonushiRyou. This AU has an alternative 'bad' ending that ripped my heart out and made me cry...and that's my favorite ending for some reason. If you love your fics in the same genre that Ryou loves his movies, then this is for you.

Role Play AU by Ninjam117. I have always loved fantasy, and this AU hits the spot. Filled with everything a fantasy fic needs: Magic, a Unicorn, battles filled with action, romance/smut, you name it.

The Last Puzzle - by Tenderwulf. I originally binged this over on FFN, and was so inspired that I took the leap and began writing my own longfic. If you've read 'Homecoming' by Fiver over on FFN, you'll love The Last Puzzle.

Philosophy of a Knife by crushedmary. Not really a longfic atm, but it's getting there. Their writing style is so poetic. I absolutely love it!

Kill Shot by MMMOTH- Another AU that I absolutely love. I am such a fan of immortality and magic in a modern setting. And of course, there's smut. Gotta have that smut in there.

Chained to You by SaijSpellheart. A post-season Zero setting where Yugi never learned about the Spirit of the Puzzle. This is another of those longfics that I originally binged over on FFN, and now have bookmarked on AO3.

Okay, I could go on and on, but then I would be here all night lol. Asking me for fic recs without giving me something specific that you're looking for is like walking into a library and asking what the librarian recommends without specifying a genre. You get trapped in the library lol.

Before I end this, I'm going to throw two self-recs onto this list. These are two fics of my own that I absolutely love to reread, and have gotten great comments on both.

Returned - Gemshipping fic where TKB comes back to life and catches a cold.

White Lady - Small look into my longfic AU, but can be read stand-alone. TKB is an immortal elemental that finds himself in an odd predicament.

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TKB 2nd chance Chapter 2 rewrite is done!

Also, good news (in case you didn't see my post earlier), I've come up with a title! Yay! (Let me know what you think)

Title: A Soul's Reality

Rating: Teen+ (going to try my hardest to keep from passing over into Mature rating)

Chapter Warnings: Referenced Middle East conflicts/ISIS-like organization (not sure if that needs to be a warning, but it's there just in-case)

Summary: (still a WiP, willing to take suggestions based on the few chapters so far)

Wordcount: 1241

Chapter 2 below the cut!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter 2: Bakhure ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Thief King awoke to a stabbing pain radiating from near his right eye. He rolled over onto his right side to bury that portion of his face into the pillow beneath his head. It was as though his entire body had decided that doing this was the only solution to make the pain go away.

“Here. These usually help.”

The Thief King’s unburied eye shot open, staring wide at the concerned Pharaoh holding some pills and a small glass of water. With his free hand he swatted it all away, causing the glass to shatter on the floor.

Atem sighed heavily, then walked into what appeared to be an adjoining bathroom, returning with a large towel moments later. He knelt down, silently cleaning up the mess. Once he’d finished, and everything properly taken care of, he leaned on the wall across from the Thief King, then slid down while burying his face in his hands.

“Bakhure…I can’t keep doing this,” he quietly choked out.

The Thief King sat up, gently massaging the scar near his eye. The pain had thankfully dulled to a much more tolerable low throb.

“Listen, I don’t know what this is, and frankly I don’t care. I just want to wake up from this stupid nightmare. I’ve dealt with enough bullshit over the past several millennia, and I’m not really in the mood to deal it with any more. So do me a favor, and use your stupid ‘Power of Friendship’ magic-crap to just send my ass back to-...to-…”

The Thief King paused to think. He knew he didn’t belong wherever here was, but he couldn’t recall where he’d been before. All that came to him each time he tried to remember was that place with a name that wouldn’t leave his tongue. He could clearly remember Kul Elna, the Millennium Items, Zorc, and fighting the Pharaoh. He also remembered being entrapped within the Millennium Ring, and a part of him becoming twisted by Zorc into something he barely recognized. He even remembered Ryou.

Atem leaned his head back to rest against the wall, his face streaked with tears as he lowered his hands and gazed tiredly across the room.

“I am so sick of having to repeat this. I’m not a magic Pharaoh. You’re not the ‘Thief King’. There aren’t any cursed relics made from the souls of murdered people.” Atem’s words came out as though he’d said them no less than a hundred times before. “You are Bakhure. I am your cousin, Atem. You were in a coma for five months after an attack on our family that occurred several years ago. The things you ‘remember’ are all part of a grief-related coping mechanism, because it’s easier for you to accept than what really happened.”

“You’re full of shit. You really expect me to believe that?!”

Atem closed his eyes and shook his head, appearing wholeheartedly defeated. “Believe whatever you want. I don’t care anymore. We’ve had this same discussion more times than I can count. You managed two weeks without a relapse, but instead of having everything all jumbled up this time, you seem to be back at square one. I can’t do it again.”

More tears streamed down his face. “I’m sorry…I just…can’t keep doing this.” He miserably choked back a sob.

A small, black feline walked up and rubbed against Atem’s side, ‘mrrr’-ing to get his attention. Atem picked up the cat and held it against his chest.

“Thank you, Sanura. You always have such impeccable timing,” he said as he rubbed his cheek against the feline’s forehead. Sanura purred loudly from the attention.

“Sanura?!” The Thief King’s eyes went wide as another fragmented visual from before he’d woken up came to him. He stood quickly, pointing a sharp finger at the cat.

“That’s not a cat! It’s a demigod! She’s the one responsible for why I remember everything and you don’t!”

Atem sniffled as he placed the feline on the floor. “Is this true, Sanura? Are you a demigod?”

The cat stretched a hind leg high in the air, then began to clean herself.

“Ah yes. Very ‘demigod’ like,” Atem stated boredly.

The Thief King plopped down on the bed in disappointment. “Do you honestly think a demigod pretending to be a cat would actually admit that they are indeed a demigod?”

Atem shook his head again in exasperation. “It doesn’t matter what I think. You will only believe what you want to believe. Your mind takes things from reality and warps it to fit your dissociative fantasy. Even if and when you start to believe the truth, in a week or so, something will trip you up and I’ll be doing this again.”

The Thief King…Bakhure…folded his arms across his chest. “So you’re saying that I created the massacre of my village in my head? I know I’m mentally fucked up, but that’s a bit much…even for me.”

“According to your therapist, it’s your way of processing the attack on our family. You are in complete control of the fantasy, meaning you can alter it in any way that you like.”

Bakhure took a moment to contemplate the information.

“What about the Dark God, Zorc? If my mind warps the reality around me, where did he come from?”

“ZORC is the acronym for the militant extremist organization that attacked our family back home.”

“Back home? So…we’re not from wherever here is?”

Atem slowly shook his head. “No. We come from Egypt. We’ve been living the past three years in the U.S. under political asylum. You came here first after being medically evacuated from overseas to the nearby hospital. The rest of us came not long after.”

“Why did I have to be medically evacuated?” Bakhure asked in earnest.

“You were badly injured in the attack on our family. A piece of shrapnel pierced just below your right eye. The doctors back home said removing it would kill you. My…father,” Atem choked the word. He took in a steadying breath before finishing the sentence. ”...he refused to accept that.”

Bakhure felt a portion of his chest tighten, causing him to look down and realize his posture had changed, and that he was now clutching his shirt right above where his heart was located.

He felt conflicted. What if Atem was right? What if everything he ‘remembered’ was only in his head? There were a few too many parallels for the things he’d just been told, compared to what he remembered, to be a coincidence.

Bakhure relaxed further as he decided to give into this.

“So…the people in my head…they’re all real…just now how I remember them, right?”

“Pretty much,” Atem replied. He appeared more relaxed as well, compared to his defeated behavior from before.

Bakhure nervously drummed his fingers while biting the inside of his lip. “The guy that tackled me earlier…Amir…does he have a brother that looks like him, but acts like a spoiled bitch?”

Atem chuckled as he wiped dried salt from his face and stood. “C’mon. I’m certain everyone has been wanting to get the reintroduction part done and over with. I can guarantee Rishid is probably having a fit that he had to delay dinner. I hear he had fattah planned to celebrate two weeks without any relapse. Maybe you’ll get lucky and he won’t change his mind.”

“Rishid’s a chef?!”

Atem just smiled as he opened the door and motioned for Bakhure to follow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prologue, Ch1

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48hr tumblr blackout proposal

tumblr mobile has seadily become near unusable these past few updates. not just from a user experience perspective (which is important enough in itself) but also from an accessibility perspective.

examples include the new way the image viewer works (if you can call it "working"), the tumblr live button replacing the profile button, and that newly created blogs will be forced to have their main dashboard tab be the 'for you' page.

the demands of the protest would be along the lines of:

reverse the recent image viewer update

scrap the new users 'for you' page default setting

let us turn off tumblr live indefinitely

increase efforts against spam / porn bots

make reporting abuse and hate speech as easy as reporting as reporting spam

let us go nuts show nuts again... for real this time

commit to improving usability and accessibility, and listening to users!

(suggestions welcome!)

to protest against these usability issues, and inspired by the recent reddit blackout, i propose a 48 hour blackout (where you don't use tumblr at all). preferably of both mobile and web (since web has problems too) but mobile is the focus here.

I suggest the 48 hours between the 30th of June to the end of the 1st of July.

this marks the end of pride month (for the "queerest place on the internet") and the start of disability month (since accessibility is a massive issue here).

tumblr office is in San Francisco, USA, so the times and dates will be calculated using their time zone (PDT).

you can find out the times and dates for your timezone here.

i can't afford to blaze this post so please spread it around as much as possible! protests only work if significant numbers show up!

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Reblog if you’re over 20 and still read/write fan fiction.

I’m curious!

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Tried linear perspective for the first time. I think I did it wrong because this was supposed to be a bedroom. I gave up the minute the desk turned in to a semi. I love how it turned out though!

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Two for me, two for my friends :D

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Drew a piece for the room of my family's newest addition! The theme was under the sea, so I worked on a sea turtle piece!

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Redrew a photo for a friend who adores the cincinnati zoo hippos! Love how the color of fiona's skin turned out. Next step, background studies.