#ARGH

[azeelafr]

argh.

are you five nights at fucking kidding me

[dduane]

Hi, *insert childhood adoration here* just got home from work and don't really have access to true coherent thought. Um. Okay.

Do you know why sometimes, books in a series, from the same publisher, will be in two different sizes? My sister and I figured out that sometimes the exact same book from the same publisher will have two different thicknesses of paper and so one will be slightly thicker, but we can't work out the height and width thing. Same cover design type, like, same edition. Just. One of them is bigger. Do you know why?

Thanks for the wizard books that first made friends of my cousin and me.

First: you're very welcome. I'm glad to have been of service.

On the size question, though: This is one of the Great Imponderables that drives books' writers at least as far around the bend as their readers.

Now there are some explanations that make at least some kind of sense. Sometimes, for example, even within a single edition of a single book, there may be difference-in-thickness issues for some concrete reason: the challenge is discovering which reason (assuming the publisher hasn't themselves told you about it, which is likely to be the case about 99% of the time). ...A common problem is when, for some reason to do with ongoing geopolitical crap or national/international crises, the price of paper changes suddenly. This will cause publishers to try to reduce costs on a book by (the next time it goes back to press) changing the paper quality for something thinner. One of these changes might come between volumes of a series, which is why you might suddenly get a difference between the paper quality of book 5 and book 6 of what's otherwise supposed to be a unified set.

(There's also a similar weirdness in which going up a level of paper thickness will allow your publisher to shove a book of a given length into a slightly higher price point. So, whammo, it happens, and no one bothers consulting you about this detail.)

Or alternately: All of a sudden, somebody at your publisher decides that your series needs to be packaged in a slightly different format that—for reasons that possibly no one in the field even fully understands—is becoming associated with better sales at some other publisher (or some other imprint at your own publisher). So, bang, between one book of a series and the next, the next volume to come out is a quarter inch taller or half an inch wider. And/or 15% thicker (because the pulp of the paper involved has had more air pumped into it than previously). And your books will continue to look like that until some other fad or trend at the packaging end affects them.

(Or alternately, it doesn't affect them, because your publisher's focus has changed in some inexplicable way—or the in-house accountants have crunched their numbers in some new manner—and they've decided your books aren't worth spending the format-change money on.)

(sigh) Tl:dr; There's no damn telling. (It's vanishingly rare that anybody tells us, anyway.) And I wish I had a clearer answer for you than this. Apologies. :/

[granadolis]

The Hero's Journey

[tojisprettywife]

{note: unedited as hell, not at all proof read. me being self indulgent again. i love thinking toji is the sweetest husband/ boyf when he actually falls in love hard. a drabble ig?}

warnings: suggestive?! lactation (nursing a baby), fluff?!

again, back with the same agenda, husband! toji who lovingly watches you nurse your baby boy. he’s so smitten, heart swelling with love as he sees the little one desperately suck on your nipple. your breasts full of nourishing milk for the younger one. as he watches this little bonding moment between you and the little one, a small smirk creeps up his face. as much as he loves and is smitten by this, by nature he’s a cocky man. he isn’t a girl dad, a boy dad through and through. he slowly inches his finger towards your breast, purposely unlatching your nipple from the baby’s mouth. he likes to get a reaction out of everyone, he loves teasing, that’s his love language. he sees the baby squirm in your lap, whining in frustration, almost crying. he smiles at this, you turn to toji. “toji?” he’s propped up on his elbow, having fun with this. then he let’s the baby latch back again, by removing his finger, which is holding back the nipple from his little mouth. the baby happily latches back on, kicking his little legs in delight, giggling. “sorry, little guy” he smiles lovingly at his son nursing from you. then he looks up at you “sorry, mama” he holds your hand, rubbing his thumb, over your hand in circles, smiling slightly. this man is knee deep in love, oh god.

[kafkaesquetwink]

something i really appreciate about the locked tomb is that there are so many little details that make it clear tamsyn muir wanted you to have even more fun every time you re-read it. like throwaway lines or descriptions that become tragic or funny or foreboding only after you’ve read them before.

[mecachrome]

dying at lando trying to give oscar a Meaningful GlanceTM and then quickly looking away when he realizes oscar isn't paying attention... when ur love language is exchanging silent judgmental looks etc. etc.

[hexjulia]

"Researchers found microplastics in soil deposits more than seven meters (23 feet) underground, which were deposited in the first or second century CE and excavated in the 1980s, a team led by researchers from the University of York in the United Kingdom said in a statement published Friday.

In total, the study identified 16 different microplastic polymer types in contemporary and archived soil samples, the statement adds.

[...]

“This feels like an important moment, confirming what we should have expected: that what were previously thought to be pristine archaeological deposits, ripe for investigation, are in fact contaminated with plastics, and that this includes deposits sampled and stored in the late 1980s,” John Schofield, a professor and director of studies in the University of York’s Department of Archaeology, said in the statement."

[...]

“Our best-preserved remains—for example, the Viking finds at Coppergate (in the city of York)— were in a consistent anaerobic waterlogged environment for over 1000 years, which preserved organic materials incredibly well,” he said in the statement.

“The presence of microplastics can and will change the chemistry of the soil, potentially introducing elements which will cause the organic remains to decay. If that is the case, preserving archaeology in situ may no longer be appropriate.”

[ashfae]

Edit on 5/2/2025: I have mixed feelings about aspects of this essay these days but have chosen to keep it up and pinned as I'm still happy with my analysis even if I'm furious at NG, who is mentioned several times. TW for that. Argh.

-------------

The thing about romance is, it makes a good story.

As soon as NG described season 2 as "quiet, gentle, romantic" I figured we'd be in for it, because as he's the first to point out, writers are liars. And the best way to deceive is with truth.

Season 2 is romantic. The trappings of romance are everywhere. Crowley tries to set up Nina and Maggie by trapping them under an awning during a rainstorm, a classic cinematic bonding technique. Aziraphale's chosen method comes from his beloved books: the ball, the dancing, appearing as a pair in public, hands held as you twirl gracefully with your heart thrilled and racing. If they can set up a sensational kiss that will unlock the happy ever after. They've lived on earth, they've studied the tropes, they know how romance works.

The problem is a story is only a story.

Nina and Maggie had the classic romantic setup completely by accident before Aziraphale and Crowley ever began trying to interfere with them. They get locked in Nina's coffeeshop. They can't escape or communicate with anyone else, they end up talking by candlelight because there's no electricity, Nina offers wine. Maggie mentions how she'd hoped for a chance to talk to Nina, and now here they are. It's every bit as much a standard as what Aziraphale and Crowley attempt to arrange. Blanket scenarios galore exist because of that starting point. We love that story. And there's nothing wrong with that.

But it's still only a story, it's not enough. Because once that moment of connection is over, however lovely it was, all the rest of the world comes flooding back in in the form of dozens of angry text messages. Nina's messy entrapping relationship hasn't magically gone away just because she and Maggie shared a romantic encounter.

And it's so tempting think oh well, that's easy. We'll just give them more romantic encounters and eventually those will overwhelm the rest of the baggage. Must do, because it'll make them fall in love, and once they realize they're in love that trumps all other considerations, right? So it'll be fine. Love Conquers All.

Neil also mentioned Pride and Prejudice.

Darcy knows he's in love early on and makes a disasterous proposal that shows that he has no understanding of Elizabeth's perspective, possibly hasn't even thought about it. They've been meeting in forest lanes for walks, conversing, had tete-a-tetes in the sitting room, danced at a ball. And while his turn of phrase isn't as flattering as he thinks, he's still offering her everything he thinks she wants and needs: affection, security, his good name, wealth, an escape from the embarrassments of her situation, the world. How can there be anything to object to? Why would anyone ever refuse so much of value?

Elizabeth quite rightly cuts him to pieces. He lashes back with a few hard truths of his own and they separate. During that separation, he thinks and he learns. He takes to heart the criticisms she offered, re-examines his assumptions, opens his eyes. Thinks about her perspective and how sometimes the only difference between pride and arrogance is where you're standing. He does the work. When they meet again he tries to demonstrate that he's learned--not in order to court her again (yet), but because the only real apology he can offer, the only one that would have weight, is to show that he's grown, he listened to her. He changed.

Elizabeth of course has her own journey, accepting that many of her own conclusions about Darcy were erroneous because they were formed without her having the full picture to hand, and once she's done that she has to apply it to her own situation as well. She loves her family, but they do place her at a disadvantage on a number of levels, leading eventually to full-out disaster as her younger sister carelessly ruins all of their reputations. It's hard to admit, it's mortifying, but Darcy was offering her a great deal she needs. His offer did have worth for all that she dismissed it as an insult. And as she learns to value his own character more highly, and then as she sees that he did listen to her even though she insulted him so thoroughly...well, she grows too. And when they do eventually come together it's not because of courting and balls. There's a big romantic gesture in his rescue of her sister but even that isn't why they'll get their happy ever after. It was just the catalyst for the conversation. They win because they've learned how to understand each other and how to communicate for the future. How they can strengthen and support each other, how to balance their strengths and weaknesses. The films leave them at the wedding, but the book shows a bit of their marriage too, and during it they keep learning from each other. Their relationship is held up as a superior love story for good reasons.

The end of season one was romantic too. Crowley stopped time rather than face a world where Aziraphale would never speak to him again, Aziraphale walked into hell to protect Crowley, they dined at the Ritz and toasted the world. But then they stopped. Sure they spent time together, talked, enjoyed each other's company. But if they were talking about important things would Crowley still be living in his car? They had a bit of respite but all that real world baggage that exists outside of the romantic moment hasn't been faced, none of it. Four or five years sounds like a long while but for beings who are quite literally older than the earth? That's just an intermission.

Nina's relationship ends, leaving her with a tangled mess; Maggie realises the sweet dream of love she's been longing for isn't as important as the real Nina. They talk. They plan. Nina will sort through her life, get closure, figure out what went wrong with Lindsay and what she wants from a relationship, learn how to ask for respect instead of just bending under her partner's demands. Maggie will support Nina the way Nina needs, which sometimes means helping her get oat milk for the shop and sometimes means giving her processing space. They're on the same page; they're going to do the work. That's why most likely they'll succeed. To quote one of my favourite fanfics: it's not happily ever after, but it's a chance. It's all going to be okay. (The Profane Comedy by Mussimm, who absolutely nailed this theme)

The romance is nice, it's lovely. We need it to keep ourselves going. To give ourselves the dreams that help us get through the days and nights. But it's not the relationship. It's not enough on its own. The wedding can be the grandest most beautiful ceremony ever with doves flying and sweeping music and bells ringing, but that doesn't guarantee the marriage will last.

Crowley and Aziraphale have had their romantic gestures, oodles of them. One wing raised to protect the other from falling stars, another from rain. Shared ground, shared interests, hands offered in friendship and held on a bus. They've tried to get to the same page, they really have. They just aren't there yet. The biggest most important things still haven't been talked about, and season 2 showed there are even more of those big important things than we'd realised.

The show paints Maggie as Aziraphale's foil and Nina as Crowley's, even to the point of Nina casually calling Maggie 'angel'. But Aziraphale's baggage is Nina's. The toxic relationship has to be processed and understood and closed, and it hasn't been, despite season one. Lindsay never really liked Nina very much, for all that they tried to keep her trapped; Heaven never really liked Aziraphale very much for all that he believed in it. They both let themselves be used. But Lindsay left Nina and went to their sister's, whereas now the head of Heaven has reached out to Aziraphale and said here, we can fix this, you can fix this, don't you want to fix this? Others are already writing about that and maybe I'll add to it later, not sure. And Crowley, like Maggie, has had a sweet dream that he has to set aside. Maybe he'll be able to pick it up again eventually, maybe not. But sometimes you offer support by buying oat milk or rescuing your beloved from the legions of hell, and sometimes you do it by standing back while they sort through their shit.

Quiet, gentle, romantic. It was.

But that's only part of the story. Now they have to do the work. They thought they had, but they were wrong, because there's so much they just hadn't touched yet and tried to cover over with relief and sleight of hand and alcohol and forgiveness. The apology dance doesn't mean much without showing that you listened and learned. They've faced so much trauma already and that should have been enough, we wanted it to be enough and so did they and it's such a blow for it to turn out that there's still more to do, that the baggage hasn't just gone away and can't be hidden under blankets or soothed with cocoa. The texts are still coming in and demanding answers.

But it'll be okay. It will. It's still a chance. And one that in the long run makes them better, builds something real that lasts.

The best stories, the ones that last longest and become classics, are the ones that don't end with the kiss under the awning or the blanket scenario or the wedding. They're the ones that heal us while the characters heal themselves. It's hard to accept that there's still more to do. Harder to imagine how it can possibly work out. And yes, bloody frustrating to wait and see.

And we'll get through that interim by telling even more stories. Because the story is never just a story. It's how we get through the work, it's what we tell ourselves so we can do the damn work. Stories are what we cling to and how we remind ourselves we're human and connect. A book is a person you can carry with you. We're not alone, none of us, stories connect us because we love them and see ourselves in them, which means we see each other.

Aziraphale's back up in Heaven to deal with his unfinished baggage; Crowley left his behind long ago and it's clearly going to come back and bite him in the arse however much he tries to go his own way. And they can't help each other with that. Not yet.

But they'll get there. So will we.

[castielsprostate]

eddie brock, in shock, wet and pathetic, carefully and gently cradling the tiniest, goopiest, little heap of symbiote, their symbiote, in his hands and venom looking at it with the softest, love-filled eyes

[randomdog]

Some draw some sketch.

[hacash]

Irving introducing himself simply as ‘John’ when all other pretensions and titles fall away. Irving nearly crying to meet the Netsilik. Irving describing the men he commands as ‘my friends’. Irving sharing a form of communion with the Netsilik. Irving wanting to repay their kindness. Irving taking joy from seeing his new buddies exploring his technology for the first time. Irving actually laughing. Irving bonding with people who are so distant from everything he’s been raised to believe.

Fuck. Me.

[cuterefaction]

Trektober Day 21 - Canon Event Fix-It. I have a lot of these (Dr Pulaski stays and has a rivalry with Crusher, Sulu is in all of season 2, Tasha survives the evil puddle, Ziyal lives and dates Jake, Julian goes to Cardassia at the end of DS9, etc etc etc) but this will always be my biggie.

Like, seriously. Miles. You are there. You literally saved a person that medical science could not save (albeit with Geordi and Data teaming up) only a few years ago. Did you not remember? Can you not tell Julian to put your buddy in stasis for a few hours while you reprogram a single computer?

This of course brings up a bit of a major problem with Trek. We've seen so many different issues be solved that when they crop up later we can look at them and go '... don't you know how to deal with this?' - especially when it involves the same characters.

I'm seeing Miles in my mind's eye being at dinner a decade later and suddenly just freezing up and slapping himself in the face.

Anyway. We could have double Dax. It would be EASY. Jadzia would be such a good and terrible influence on Ezri. People would be constantly so confused.

This was a bit of a bugger to do in one day for the challenge so I may draw it more coherently in the future.

[wickedtrio]

honestly the wicked thropple genuinely devastates me cause as much as they are made for each other, they equally are made to fall apart in tragedy. there is no happy ending with the three of them together, but there's also no happy ending that is without the three of them together. there’s no such thing as a happy ending that doesn’t include the three of them together, not for their characters and what they've searched for within each other throughout their stories. but that could never be, and there is no happy ending for them (and I don't know what came first in that circle of suck). and it all works to tell the story, sure, of a broken system that wears down the people trying to live and love and make things better. but, fuck, their "love triangle" is actually just a doomed ecosystem

[granadolis]

i want themboth

[q1ngqve]

fox! aventurine who lies about being inexperienced so you offer to teach him how to make a woman cum <3

fox! aventurine who pretends to not know where your clit is so you’d guide his eager fingers to your puffy clit, using the pad of his index finger to draw slow circles

fox! aventurine who gives you big bright eyes like a little puppy when you tell him his fingers feel good and he’s a natural

fox! aventurine who has to unzip his pants because his dick is hurting so badly from how hard he is when you let him put two fingers in you

fox! aventurine who asks if he can taste you when you cum on his fingers

fox! aventurine who sticks his tongue into you while his thumb plays with your clit instead of tasting you from his fingers which was what you thought he meant

fox! aventurine who makes you cum on his tongue in no time like a pro

fox! aventurine who can’t hold himself back any longer, pushes himself into you because you are just so fucking warm and innocent!

fox! aventurine who cooes into your ear telling you you’re taking him so well

fox! aventurine who laughs when you look at him with betrayal in your teary eyes, fingers coming up to pinch at your cheeks, asking you if your parents ever taught you to never trust men, much less a fox! hybrid

fox! aventurine who pumps you full of his cum as he apologizes, telling you he’s sorry for lying and he would a 100% do it again

[missowo]

Kris variant,,,

Doorrune kris and Bunny Player belong to me.

Angel game belongs to @angelsgame-au

Twinrune belongs to @akanemnon

Reconnecting - @purplebehittindifferent

Chara timelines - @lilybug-02