coyotelaughingsoftly

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FanFiction has decided to be benevolent and start showing notifications again. Unfortunately, communication in that site is….crap. To the lovely people who left messages about A Quiet Mind, thank you! No, it is not forgotten. It is taunting me from my WIP file. Leering. Berating. I don't know when, but I hope to shut it up.

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Aaaaaand here’s the second part of why I had to postpone.

I’ve mentioned before that my mom’s health had taken a serious downturn, and along with starting my own business(es) I’ve been having to help her a lot. The good news is, after almost 40 years, doctors have finally diagnosed her with Ehlers Danlos and POTS. While there is no cure, and all of her damage to date is permanent, she’s very happy to finally have an answer, and to know there are at least ways she might be able to keep it from getting worse--no more than it will naturally, anyway. 

The downside to her diagnoses is that the doctor has also determined that my sister and I have those, as well, which he says is extremely rare--to which we then confused him by laughing hysterically. Honestly, this has been a relief; I had suspected I had POTS for the last few years, but the EDS had never been something I had considered. But it has explained SO MUCH! The constant, bone deep pain I’ve had all my life! The racing heart, nausea, and passing out, making me worried I was having a heart attack! The plan killing fatigue! Does knowing make any of that go away? No. But now I can do research, minimize things where I can, and have peace about the things that I just simply cannot do. 

I just got all of this news on Thursday, so thoughts would be appreciated as I process and make the life adjustments I need to for my health. And yes, In a few days I hope to post a few pics of the jewelry pieces I’ve made/am in the process of making. I’m also wondering if anyone will have any interest in Hogwarts Houses themed bracelets/and or/zipper pulls? Because I have ideas for those....(Although I have to tell you now, the Ravenclaw bronze will have to be replaced with silver, because the initial results did NOT look good, lol)

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Hey everyone! Some may have wondered what happened to the fest. I’ll discuss the first part here, then the second on my other page.

First, and most important to the fest, was the fact that Tumblr would not let me log in. At All. Nada. And then, Oh joy of joys, it did! Except it would not let me make posts, click on my mail, or really do anything useful whatsoever.

And then it locked me back out.

Things have….mostly been sorted, but I’m not sure how long that will last, and that in combination with my second issue means I’ll probably have to postpone the fest until a later date. I’m so sorry, everyone!

[coyotelaughingsoftly]

Romione Sin-Fest 2019

It’s time for the third annual Romione Sin Fest! Last year, you all might remember that an art category was added—something I definitely want to continue this year. And while there’s a lot of material that can be gotten from the main theme of 7 Deadly Sins, this year I’m adding a new twist; the 6 Virtues! For those that want something lighter of more positive—or that have an interesting twist they want to try out. The virtues are:

Honesty Strength Courage Kindness Sacrifice

I hope to get a lot of submissions this year! They’re open now, and I’ll be starting to post them on August 1st.

Just be sure to follow the rules below–and remember while smut is highly appreciated, all ratings are welcome! 1. These fics MUST be focused on Ron and Hermione. 2. Drabbles are allowed; minimum word count is 500, and there is no maximum word count. One shots, even very long ones, are preferred, although if you absolutely must split it into small chapters, it will be allowed as long as it is complete. 3. No abuse or rape submissions will be accepted. 4. Multiple submissions are allowed! You can do one for each sin, or ten for the same one; go wild! 5. While you DO need to stick to the spirit of the theme, there’s room for interpretation. You can be literal, choose a comedic approach, or twist things up in ways one wouldn’t ordinarily consider; for instance, not all smut fics must be in the lust category, and lust doesn’t necessarily have to contain smut. 6. Fics must be original and can’t be posted anywhere else until voting is completed–we’re keeping this anonymous! HOW TO SUBMIT Click on the submission link (Come in and Sin), and paste your work. At the top, before your fic, please give me 1. Your url, if different than the one you use to submit 2. A description of the fic 3. A rating 4. Whether it’s a drabble or a oneshot 5. Which category 6. Title (preferably have this in the title bar)

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News, Good, Bad, and Indifferent

Apparently Tumblr ISN’T dead yet, because my dying iPod just popped up with over 200 notifications. I thought only two weeks had passed since the last time I posted something on here, buuuut I’m guessing maybe the doctor wasn’t wrong about my memory/flow of time issues. But I don’t plan on telling him so.

I think I mentioned my mom in my last post? But if not, here we go; basically she has an autioimmune disease, and we’re still waiting for an appointment to figure out if it’s only one. Right now they’re leaning towards Lupus, with maybe one or two others that can be connected with it. Needless to say, it’s been a strain, and she can’t do nearly as much as she used to, which is extremely frustrating for her. I’ve been taking a lot of things over to make sure she rests, as well as helping my sister with her dog boarding business since she’s had a lot of things come up as well and sometimes gets overwhelmed. Most days, I’m just about to drop, and I’m extremely worried about my mom since she has horrible luck with doctors, and if this next appointment doesn’t go well she might not go back at all. Really not a good idea when you have something that can potentially attack your organs.

On the plus side, I’m working on opening a second Etsy shop focusing on jewelry! I’m busy working up a good stock (and deciding on a name, which is proving difficult) and I’ll try to post some pics later if anyone is interested in seeing what kind of things will be up. Aaaand I’ve had an idea that might interest HP fans, so once I work out the logistics, I’ll be making a post about that as well! I’m super sorry for not being on here as much, but I’ve just felt like I’ve been dog paddling in a tsunami. Thinking my seizure alert dog was going to die a week ago (he’s fine, the doctor says he’s in surprisingly great shape for almost 16 and almost definitely has a few more years left in him) really didn’t help much. I love and miss you all (and I owe you a long letter @diva-gonzo and I’ll try to get that to you before the weekend is over) so thank you for being patient with me! Oh, and I shoooouuuuld be making a post in the next week or two about the 3rd annual Romione Sinfest, so keep a lookout—I’m thinking of adding a twist!

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what is romione meant to you?

Hi anon! What does Romione mean to me? That’s an interesting question and one that I’ve been thinking over for the last few days.

Of course, just shipping in general can be fun—a surface ‘isn’t that cute’ appeal. But this ship goes deeper than that for me.

The problem I always had with any type of fictional romance was that it was so....romanticized, so to speak. There might be a bit of friction at first, but then everything was perfect. It was unrealistic and unappealing, an impossible standard to attain. Ron And Hermione were wonderfully different. Theirs was a relationship based in true and tested friendship. A friendship that had its ugly and painful moments.

And they weren’t individually perfect! Neither one was some flawless paragon. There was no ‘saving’ or reforming the other. Love didn’t suddenly erase flaws, or blind them to the other person’s faults. And I know it’s popular to say that if you love someone you don’t see those flaws, or that those flaws don’t matter, but....that’s wrong. The flaws are there. And if you plan on spending a life with someone, they very well DO matter, because you’re going to have to deal with them when life gets hard, and you’re tired and pushed to the edge, and things that were cute and fixable in the beginning are suddenly pushing you over the edge.

But that’s not a negative thing! A lot of people get their feathers ruffled when you bring up the less than perfect aspects of these characters, but they’re missing a major, wonderful point. Ron and Hermione have seen each other at their worst. They’ve seen all of the cruddy unpleasant bits that we all try to hide or minimize in the first stages of romantic interest. And even after all the frustration and hurting, even seeing the other’s darkest moments, they STILL see that person as valuable—as LOVABLE. They still want to make an effort to have a real relationship with them. A relationship that will endure through the hard times, where neither one will give up simply because things aren’t perfect and it might actually require some effort. And yes, I know they’re fictional, but when I read about them it makes me want to believe that there are still people like that out there.

I suppose, really, that for me, Romione is hope. Hope for an unblinded love that has the strength to pull together in the dark times rather than apart. And it’s a dream that someday I can find a love like that for myself

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Personal Update

Hey everyone! I mentioned before that I’m going to stay on Tumblr until they kick me off, but I’m also starting a nest elsewhere for that eventuality. I’m on Twitter at coyotelaughing7, and I’m also already on pillowfort as coyotelaughingsoftly, for those that made it before they cut off until they could get better servers to support the traffic, or if you’re waiting until later to join.

I’m still working on the Etsy business (now possibly two) that I’m hoping to get up in February, so I’m very busy! Which would be great, except....my mom is very sick. We don’t know what it is yet, we’re waiting on results, but there is a very good possibility that it’s Lupus or something similar. I’m having to do a lot of helping out, so please pardon me if I’m not very fast to respond on here—I’m just being pulled in a lot of directions at once, which even at the best of times, my own personal health isn’t great with, so I’m skating on thin ice right now. I’d appreciate being kept in thoughts and prayers, and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas/holiday/vacation!

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Important!

Hey everyone! I e been really looking forward to this fest, and I had hoped other people were too. I know I was supposed to start posting soon, but I’ve run into a problem and need help. With the recent Tumblr meltdown, things are getting deleted left and right, and I expect that to only increase next week. I also know that quite a few people are leaving tumblr—or at least trying to cobble places together to be once they are eventually forced to leave. So my question is: where should we go from here? Should I just start posting and hope it all turns out? Should I try to post somewhere else and hope that at least a few people get to see it? Wait until next Christmas (my least favorite option)? Please let me know what you think, especially if you are a contributing author!

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@callieskye My Twitter is CoyoteLaughing7. Same icon as here, so I should be fairly easy to recognize! 😄 Of course, I’ll still keep this blog till they finally kick me off, but it’s always better to have a backup instead of waking up one day and finding out you’ve already been deleted...

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Fave Female Characters Meme

I was tagged by @hillnerd Thanks so much! (It’s so hard to pick faves and they fly out of my mind when asked directly, so we’ll see what happens; I’m sure I’ll think of a ton after I hit post)

rules: list your 10 favourite female characters from 10 different fandoms and tag 10 people. Fun!

1. Bulma (Dragon Ball Z)

2. Kagome (Inuyasha)

3. Akane (Ranma 1/2)

4. Maka Albarn (Soul Eater)

5. Hermione Granger (HP)

6. Clair Randall (Outlander)

7. April Ludgate (Parks and Recreation)

8. Emma Swan (OUAT)

9. Angua von Überwald (Discworld)

10. Isabella Farrah (Two Monarchies Sequence)

Yes, I DID dig deep into old fandoms. I have no regrets. I’d tag people, but I feel like everyone is fleeing tumblr and too busy pulling their work. (In fact, I myself will be moving to pillowfort when I get my access key, and possibly dreamwidth. Follow me on Twitter for more updates on where I’ll be!)

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Thought for the day:

Ron. Hermione. Harry. Ginny.

Pumpkin carving contest.

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Has anyone seen season 2 of Snatch? How is it? Events keep conspiring to keep me from watching it! 😢 (and with my WiFi streaming on Crackle is gonna be a nightmare, lol)

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A Festive New Fest!

The holidays are quickly approaching, and what could make the season more joyous than a new romione fest? Nothing. But this just isn’t any holiday themed fest! No, this one has a THEME! (Getting fancy, I know.)

Ever wondered what it would be like if the Yule Ball had gone differently? Or sixth year Christmas? Well, now is the time to write it out, because this year our theme is Alternate Yule! For those who prefer canon only, I’m also accepting related missing moments, or ‘dream’ fics!

Here’s the rules:

1. This is strictly Ron/Hermione! They can only be paired with each other–aside from the obvious Lavender clause, naturally–but please nothing explicit in that regard–that isn’t what we’re here for!

2. No rape, abuse, or anything of a nature that might offend readers. 

3. When submitting, please include the title, rating (all welcome!), and category for your fic; Yule Ball, Sixth Year, Missing Moment/Dream, and summary. 

I’ll be accepting submissions starting now, and posting will begin on December 14; as with my other fest, I’ll accept fics as long as they keep coming in!

ALSO: Art, as well as media such as mood boards and gifs, are welcome! Very, VERY welcome!

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Hello! I just read your post. I trully hope that everything works out for you!! Think positive and all will be good in the end !! With love from a fan in Greece !

Thanks so much, anon! If I keep going at my current pace, I should be able to make it, at least get things started! Love right back to beautiful Greece!

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Thank you, everyone!

I only got to reply to a couple of people before the storms made me turn off my WiFi; once I can get back on without using data, I’ll reply to the rest—didn’t want anyone thinking they were being ignored!

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Author Announcement

This is a post I do not want to make. I’ve actually been fighting it for months. Some of you are aware that I’m disabled, and that this year I’ve been working on something that will hopefully supplement me with a little bit of income. 

While that aspect is looking hopeful, recently I’ve had a scare where I’ve come close to losing everything--still possibly could, to be honest, but things are now out of my hands and all I can do is wait. But it’s driven home the point that I HAVE to make this venture work. And I’m behind. I’ve thought of every other way possible, but I’ve come down to the inevitable conclusion that I’m going to have to put A Quiet Mind on hiatus. Yes, I WILL finish it--not finishing isn’t even a consideration. But I cant give it the attention it deserves while I’m trying to make a go of things in other areas. And really, As much as I love HP and romione, putting it ahead of my actual livelihood and well being is.....well, almost dangerously delusional. I will still continue to work on it, and may be able to release a chapter before the hiatus is over, but I can’t make promises or stick to a schedule. I’m hoping to get back on track by the end of January/early February. I wish it hadn’t come to this, but there is no other way. 

For those that don’t understand that real life is more important than being able to read fiction on the internet, hold your fire. I’ve already had every type of nasty message that one could come up with, so there’s really nothing left there to say. All it does is sap any energy or interest in continuing; this particular donkey isn’t motivated by the stick.

Thank you, to those of you who do understand. Your support and encouragement has been, and continues to be, wonderful. I’m hoping to at least post on here and maybe do an odd drabble or so for fests, so you’re not rid of me entirely!

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People have tagged me and mentioned this thread, so I’m wading in again. First, let it be understood that while I like Molly, she’s not a character that is ‘near and dear’ -- I feel no need to gallop to her defense out of some devotion to her. That being said, there’s a lot about this that people overlook. First, and this really can’t be underestimated: ‘Red hair, hand me down robes, must be a Weasley.’ In the books, the Weasleys are always described as dressing poorly. Why? Why on EARTH would ANYONE dress poorly if they didn’t have to? “You know what, hon? I think it would be a ginger keen idea to advertise our poverty by the way we dress!” Said no witch or wizard, EVER. I don’t know if there’s a magical law to explain why this isn’t possible, or if JKR wrote herself into a hole while she was trying to stress the fact that the Weasleys were poor. Either way, magic isn’t the fix all solution that everyone seems to think it is. Point two. The ball hadn’t been a thing for YEARS. Supply lists don’t seem to come out more than a few weeks before the school year starts. So unexpectedly, Molly is presented with the cost of four sets of dress robes. Those of you who have ever been on an extremely tight budget, I can feel you sphincters clenching in sync. There’s no way she had time to allow for those kind of purchases. And you know what? She probably went to every secondhand shop, every sales rack in the area (along with a ton of other witches) to find something. Raise your hand along with me if you were the kid who always wore a funny size. Funnily enough, the year or the YB was the year of my own Neon Plaid Atrocity. I was a very, very thin and tall child (sound familiar?) and when it was time for a swimsuit, nothing fit. Nothing, except the most blindingly awful neon plaid suit you had ever seen--at some of the color joinings, they were muddy and almost pee colored. My mother, bless her, not only took me to every store in town, but in towns an hour away. Oh, we did find one other suit that actually fit, but even at that age I knew that $60+ dollars for a child’s suit that would only be worn a few months was ridiculous. But there was no other choice and I wanted to swim, so I made do. As some have also pointed out, Molly doesn't have the best taste. Have any of you looked at prom and bridesmaid dresses from the 60s-80s? It’s not for the faint of heart. They are, for the most part, awful. But you know what? For every hundred or so comments making fun of them, there’s someone who wore them who still genuinely finds them attractive. The robe in question could have very well been something that Molly had seen prominent wizards wearing in her youth, and not see why it’s any big deal. We have all received articles of clothing from That Relative that will never see the light of day, no matter how lovingly given. Admit it, someone is saying, ‘But Arthur had dress robes!’ Sure he did. As a Ministry worker, he probably had to own a set for various events. And if you think that any spares hadn’t been scavenged by Bill or Percy by this point, you're kidding yourself. Also, while Ron is tall, he’s 14. Arthur is also tall, and even if thin he would be broader, so even on the off chance Ron got it, he would look like he was playing dress up in Daddy’s worn out robes. Not the look he was going for, and yes, he would have complained. Let’s also take into consideration that Ron would be holding them hostage for months, and as a 14 year old boy, there’s a better than good chance that he would ruin them, or wad them up and lose them, all in all not a really good decision. But she bought Harry nice robes! Yeah. She did. With HIS money. Which meant that she was able to buy it in a shop that wouldn't have anything really bad looking in it anyway. And no, she couldn't have used the money to buy something for Ron. That’s a misappropriation of funds, and it’s a big no-no when you're managing money for a minor and can come back as a lovely lawsuit years later. I get it, Harry wouldn't have done that, but I think I can safely say we’ve all been hurt by someone who ‘wouldn't have done that.’ I think the robes have been pretty much covered, so let’s move to her reaction when he complained. Do you honestly think that Molly didn't wish she could buy nicer things for all her children? Of course she did. She would’ve loved to have taken him shopping for robes for his first ball. And when you can't do things like that for your loved ones, you get frustrated a defensive, and complaints feel like an attack. But Ron didn't just complain. He complained in front of Harry. A guest. He pointed out their lack of money in a way that would not only be embarrassing to Molly, but to Harry as well--he was clearly uncomfortable in the book. Not only was a guest in her house made to feel uncomfortable, but he was also made to feel guilty over his own robes--he was robbed of his own chance to take pleasure in something that with his family, he had always been denied. He was made to feel like having something nice was something he should be ashamed of. And honestly, no mother would want her own child to make another feel like that. Ron should have gone to her privately to talk about it. Now, the Weasley kids are short tempered and sassy, and they didn't lick it up off the ground. Molly snapped and said something over the top, like any of them would have. And I know that those of you considering being mothers out there think that you'll be a wittier, more empowered June Cleaver, cooly dispensing wisdom and solving every problem perfectly, but you won't. That isn't a criticism or an insult, just a basic fact of human nature. At some point you're going to screw up royally, and I hope to heaven that people show you a bit more mercy and understanding than some have shown for Molly. And finally, let’s not forget Ron. Did he try to solve things himself? There was nothing to stop him doing some research into the subject. Did he? No. Did he ask for help? He didn't ask his family. He didn't ask Harry or Hermione. He didn't ask McGonagall. He shoved his problem in a trunk and ignored it, and then was mad when someone else hadn't solved it for him. And honestly, if you look at his character development, that’s so perfect! What does Ron do emotionally when he has problems? He represses them instead of confronting head on and dealing with them, until it gets out of control and explodes. Really, I think it’s a good illustration of where he was as a person, and how differently he would have handled the situation three to four years later.

I will never get over just how messed up the situation with Ron’s dress robes was because there was literally so many solutions to the problem.

First off, Molly is a witch, who studied transfiguration in school for years. She’s also an established seamstress.   So why not use transfiguration to fix up his robes, why not use her sewing skills to get rid off some of the lace and designs and extra stuff and make it something a teenage boy would want to wear?  Hell, She even mentions that Arthur has dress robes, why not let Ron borrow those since Arthur is described as tall and lanky like Ron and I’m sure he would fit them, and if he couldn’t they could shrink them instead of going out and spending money on terrible Robes that I know for a fact that Molly knew Ron wouldn’t like.

Why would she send her son out to  a formal ball, where foreign wizards and diplomats and important Ministry Officials would be attending, looking like a hot mess. Why would she do that to him? That is the equivalent of my mom sending me to prom in a sack.  Which she didn’t. My mom worked around the budget to get me a new dress and shoes, which is why I’m on Molly so hard for this because there is no excuse. She has magic. You do not intentionally send your child out to an important event like that looking like crap, especially if you have the means to fix it.

And what makes it even worse is that apparently none of the other Weasley kids went to the ball looking like something straight out of the 1800’s because you best believe Ron would have complained about it. We even hear about them from Harry during the ball and he doesn’t say anything about their robes being as bad as Ron’s so we can assume they had perfectly acceptable robes. There are some very unfortunate implications behind that.

And that comment on him going to the ball naked, and how it would be a good laugh was way beyond what is okay for a parent to say in that situation. It completely devalues Ron’s legitimate feelings of looking like a joke and feeds into his insecurities.

It makes no sense. I can’t think of any logical reason why Molly would do something so wrong.

Because at the end of the day Molly made a conscious decision to go out and buy those robes for Ron. At the same time, she buys Harry robes that she knows he would like, and that she put a lot of thought into getting apparently because she comments on how she got them, so they would match his eyes, while simultaneously sending her son out with horrendously ugly robes with no thought put into the embarrassment Ron would feel or about the environment she was sending him out to because she knew  exactly what he would be need those robes for and yet she didn’t stop to think ‘ well maybe since this is such a big event I could make them look presentable’. Molly didn’t even try for Ron.

I think  a lot of times Molly did the best she could in her financial  situation and I know she loves her kids, but the way she treats Ron sometimes makes me side-eye her pretty hard because it brings up some very uncomfortable implications that I don’t like.