#Adam Conley

[beautifult999]

I just woke up at least I have the friendship of Adam Engelson and TJ to let me know that I’m pretty and valued as a friend

[ifourloveisdead]

Various bands at Bamboozle and Misshapes from Alternative Press Magazine, August 2006. The spine is still intact so it doesn't look the best.

[sapphicsukeve]

Eastenders 31/08

[the-noted-collector]

I've got some random OC thoughts so figured I'd make a post.

Here's some random fun facts about everyone!

• Luc can play a flute and paces the docks sometimes

• Adam always gets Samantha flowers whenever he's out and about

• Samantha often gives out food to urchins, and as such, is often left alone by their antics

• Endemannus is very old and hates London

• Conley enjoys weaving

• Edward is very new to the Neath, and came of his own will

• Gale has had many odd lovers and flings in their life

• Sal enjoys tapping their foot when she's still, and is a decent dancer.

[roosterforme]

Adult Education Part 7 | Hangman x OC

Summary: Jessica can't get enough of the comfort she feels around Jake, and he can't help but press her to define what they are doing. Everything feels heated and still sweet when they hang out for the day, and when she brings up the alumni event, he's immediately onboard.

Warnings: Fluff, angst, swearing, eventually 18+

Length: 3700 words

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Female OC

This story is part of the Beer Boy and Sugar universe but can be read on its own! Adult Education masterlist

Seriously, who let Jake on my masterlist!? Banner by @mak-32

Jessica couldn't remember the last time she felt this comfortable and confident around someone else. She had grown into the understanding that her own company was the best company for her, and especially for the past year, she had kept contact with most people to a minimum. Keeping them at a professional arm's length as much as possible. But when she was with Jake, she didn't feel like she needed to be quiet and keep her head down to survive. 

"I got pretty much every kind of snack for today," he told her as they stood in his kitchen. "Just because I don't know all of your favorites yet."

Yet. That was the second time he'd made her heart flutter like this. He also told her he was getting attached to her. And now his cheeks were a little pink as she picked up some chips and salsa.

"I told you I'm not picky as long as you have Sam Adams for me."

"I'll make sure I always have it," he promised as he took two bottles out of the refrigerator and followed her to the living room. "You relax and shout to me if anyone scores, okay?"

"Where are you going?" she asked from her spot on the couch as he set the beers down and left again. She noticed the stack of journals she'd given him were sitting near the corner of the coffee table. 

"Just going to add everything to the crockpot so we can have dinner later."

Jessica settled back into the cushions and watched him walk away, his shirt hugging his broad shoulders. He was perhaps even more handsome than Brian Conley, which was something she would have never thought possible. When she and Brian were sleeping together, she thought he was the most attractive man she'd ever seen. Ten years older. Gray hair mixed in with chestnut brown. Icy blue eyes. But now she was coming around to the idea of someone her own age, with lighter hair and pretty green eyes. 

When Jake returned a minute later and settled down right next to her, even though there was plenty of room, she asked, "How old are you?"

He took the jar of salsa from her hand and opened it as he said, "Thirty. I'd ask you how old you are, but my mom would be really disappointed if she ever learned that I did. So if you'd like to tell me, that's fine, but I'm not asking."

Jessica laughed as she opened the bag of chips and curled her legs up onto the couch so her thigh was resting on his. "How would your mom ever find out anyway?"

Jake scoffed as he scooped salsa onto a chip. "You don't think she's going to want to meet my girlfriend?" He shoved the whole thing into his mouth before grabbing more. "She'd get the information out of you somehow, I'm sure."

She sat there quietly and broke a chip in half before nibbling on it as she tried not to smile. She hadn't been in a relationship since right after grad school. Most guys didn't seem inclined to want to do more than sleep with her. Her brand of nerdy was a hard sell. She was smarter than almost everyone else, she was introverted, and she preferred playing Dungeons & Dragons or reading a book to going out. Well, excluding an evening at Chippy's. 

"I'm thirty one," she said softly with a grin. 

"Perfect," he replied, casually scooping more salsa onto a chip. "I also wouldn't be upset if you told me if you bought that green underwear you were looking at on your phone."

She started nibbling on the other half of the chip as Jake's arm rubbed hers. "Maybe." He was looking at her out of the corner of his eye before turning away from the football game completely to face her. "Okay... yes, I bought the set," she said, biting her lip. "You're missing the game."

"I don't really care about the game all that much. Like I said before, I think I've gotta be the world's worst Longhorns fan."

"You're terrible," she confirmed as he held out the jar of salsa for her. 

His gaze dipped down to her lips. "Why are you so far away?" he asked softly. 

She wanted to laugh, because she was practically sitting on his lap. Instead she leaned in and kissed his cheek as she said, "What was I thinking?" Jake's body was big and warm and cozy as he draped his arm around her shoulders. She snuggled in close to him with her cheek resting on his chest. She dipped a chip into the jar he was holding and teased him with it before she shoved it into his mouth. 

"Thanks, Baby," he murmured as he chewed it up. Then she took the jar and the chips and set them on the table and grabbed the beers instead. They sat cuddled up, sipping the drinks, and Jake was actually less annoying when the Longhorns scored than she had anticipated. She just relaxed into him as the condensation from her bottle dripped occasionally onto his jeans, but he didn't complain, so she didn't move. 

"You want another one now?" he asked, taking her empty bottle in the same hand as his and kissing her hair. 

"No," she whispered. "And don't get up. I'm comfortable."

"Okay," he replied softly, leaning forward just enough to let the bottles drop with a thud onto the area rug. 

Jessica pushed him back with her palm on his abs, and she bit her lip as she felt his muscles. "I said don't move."

"You're in charge, Reedy."

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

This was all wildly thrilling for Jake. He was with a beautiful woman who wanted to chill on his couch and run her hand back and forth across his abs while they watched football together. He never did this kind of thing. Ever. This was indulgent in a way he didn't usually operate. 

When Jessica looked up at him through her eyelashes, he reached over and adjusted her glasses. Then he felt her hand dip inside his shirt and come to rest just above his jeans, fingers stroking almost to the point of tickling. And he wasn't even watching the game. Maybe it was halftime. He wasn't sure. It didn't matter. 

Why did he suddenly want a girlfriend so badly that he kept thinking about it? He was thinking about how this could be a normal weekend for him. And how he could have Jessica curled up with him like this in bed. 

He was staring. He knew he was. But so was she. And her small hand was moving across his skin in the most addicting way. "Reedy," he whispered, and that was all it took. She planted her hand with her fingertips inside his jeans, and Jake groaned as she kissed him. When her hand slid up his abs to his chest and pulled his shirt up with it, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her until she was in his lap. 

In the deepest recesses of his brain, Jake knew he couldn't let anything too wild happen today. Just kissing. Just like this. But when he let his hand trail down to Jessica's round ass, he realized the fabric of her leggings was thin and that he could feel her thong through it. It felt lacy. He wanted to know what it looked like. 

He palmed her a little rougher, until she broke the kiss and rubbed herself against him. "Oh, Jessica," he groaned, taking in the sight of her wide eyes and crooked glasses. She was raking her fingers slowly through his chest hair while Jake squeezed her butt. He couldn't think straight as her lips met his again, and then his hand was up the back of her shirt.

Her skin was so damn soft, and Jake was not going to be able to conceal the fact that he was getting hard for her when her knee kept nudging him through his jeans. Her feather soft kisses were becoming more demanding as she brought her other hand up to ruin his tidy hair. And fuck if he could control himself. 

In an instant, she was on her back along the couch with Jake on top of her. She let out a surprised giggle as her head came to rest on the cushion. "This okay?" he asked, kissing along her jaw. 

Jessica responded by spreading her thighs so he could settle against her, and Jake had to keep reminding himself that this was a marathon, not a sprint. But her body was warm and inviting, and she was so responsive to his touch. Every gasp from her lips had him pushing his hands a little further up her sides and sucking a little harder on her neck. 

"Jake," she moaned, rolling her hips up against him. 

"Fuck," he gasped, one hand sliding between her back and the couch as he pushed himself against her this time. Her lips were parted, and she was digging her fingers into his shoulders. Jake moaned when she wrapped one leg around his hip. Her shirt was pushed up almost to her tits, and he wanted to taste all of her skin. But she pulled him close for another kiss, and Jake knew he had to pump the brakes. 

He slowed it all down, easing his hand up to her back instead of her perfect ass. He let each kiss taper off until his lips were barely brushing hers. And then he felt her leg slide down from his hip as she took his hand and guided it further up her shirt until he was touching her bra. She chased his lips as he pulled away from her, and now she looked embarrassed.

"Jessica. Not a horny quickie on the couch. Not for our first time together."

"Okay. Right," she whispered, her fingers tracing along his neck. "Do you want to go to your bedroom?"

He kissed her cheek and said, "I think we should save it for another day."

As he slowly let his hand trail down her tummy, she turned her face toward the TV and laughed a little awkwardly. "Is it that obvious that it's been a long time for me? I'm sure that's not the case for you."

He didn't quite know what to say. "No, it's not obvious. And no, you're not wrong," he murmured, his brow creasing as he leaned closer for a soft kiss. Had it really just been two weeks ago that he brought someone home from the bar? "But it has actually been a very long time since someone mattered like you do. So the pacing is kind of important to me."

"You're sweet." A pretty smile touched her lips, and then he let himself kiss her belly before pulling her up so she was sitting and looking at him. Her hair was a little messy, and her glasses were crooked again, and Jake was suddenly afraid he was going to fuck this all up. She adjusted her glasses with the backs of her fingers and leaned in to kiss him one time. 

It really was halftime now, and Jake watched her stand and look through the stack of journals on the table. Her voice was still soft and breathless as she glanced at him and asked, "Where's the one with my phone number? I wanted to show you something in the article I wrote."

Jake wanted to laugh or maybe cry. This woman thought he was smart. Well, he knew he was smart, but nobody else ever seemed to care if he was. "It's in my bedroom."

"It's in your bedroom?"

"Yeah," he replied easily. "I'm keeping that one for sure. You can have the rest of the journals back, but not that one. I worked hard for that phone number."

She giggled. "You really did. And you did great. Can I get it out of your room?"

He thought he was going to respond by telling her yes, but instead he suddenly asked, "Are you seeing anyone else?"

Now her expression was surprised as she came to stand between his spread legs, and he looked up at her. "Are you asking me if I'm meeting other men at Chippy's and during my office hours?"

Jake nodded and swallowed hard as she bent at the waist and let her hands rest on his knees. "Yeah. I'm sure Chippy would be delighted to see you with someone else."

"No," she laughed. "I'm not seeing anyone else. Are you?"

"Absolutely not."

"Good." Her hands slid up to his thighs as she kissed him, which was doing nothing to help him get rid of the awkward half erection he was sporting. "Is it cool if I grab the journal from your room?"

"Yeah," he grunted. "You'll see it in there."

When he watched her walk away, he groaned and sprawled out on the couch. He needed to pull himself together, or she would definitely be taking someone else to Chippy's soon.

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

To Jessica's immediate delight, she found the journal on Jake's nightstand. It was even folded open to the page with her article and phone number. She picked it up and headed back to the couch where he was sprawled out now with his head propped up on the pillow. Hot, needy sex had sounded delicious twenty minutes ago when he was grinding against her, but when she looked at him right now, she knew that's not what she needed. She'd had plenty of that in Brian's office and the backseat of his SUV. 

She didn't want to think about him. Not when Jake was reaching for her hand and pulling her down on top of him like she weighed nothing. He didn't even grunt or groan as she settled chest to chest with him. Her legs were tangled with his as he wrapped his arms around her, and she tried to keep the journal from getting smashed. 

"What do you want to talk about? I think I have the whole thing memorized," he said softly, keeping his attention on her even though the second half of the game was on. 

"I wanted to show you how I wrote about your Super Hornets," she said, unable to stop smiling now. 

"Yeah, I saw that. You know more about the damn things than I do, Dr. Reed."

She laughed. "I'm Dr. Reed again?"

"Jessica," he whispered in that drawl that made her heart clench as he rubbed her back. "You ever been up in one before? You wanna fly with me one day?"

She let the journal slide to the floor as she gaped at him. "Would I be allowed? I've always wanted to!"

He shrugged. "I can investigate it. Or I could always sneak you out onto the tarmac after dark so you can sit in the cockpit."

"That sounds scandalous."

"It would be," he confirmed with a smirk. "You could sit on my lap. I could show my throttle. Teach you how to use it."

Jessica felt warm as she kissed him, his hands heavy on her lower back. But it was sweet and intentional instead of rushed even though she was straddling his abs. She was always at least slightly turned on when she was around Jake, and she was starting to suspect he felt the same way. But his restraint was sexy. 

"I like this," she whispered between soft kisses as she ran the tip of her nose up along his. 

"Me too, Baby," he replied, and when she bit her lip and pulled away a few inches to smile, he looked like he was in awe. 

"What?" she asked. 

He shook his head. "I just can't believe you're into me."

She rolled her eyes. "You're handsome. Everyone is into you."

"That's not what I meant," he said with a laugh. "And you're obviously better than everyone else."

Jessica had to reel in her ridiculous grin as she threaded her fingers through his soft hair. "Hey, can I ask you something? And feel free to say no, because it's probably going to be really, very dumb, and I won't be upset if you don't want to go-"

"Yes."

She stared at him for a beat. "I didn't even ask it yet."

"I know. Whatever it is, I'm in."

Once again, he was making her feel warm inside. And he still hadn't looked at the game. "So you'll be my date for a posh fraternity fundraiser for alumni weekend?"

He pushed her hair back behind her ear and said, "I don't think posh and fraternity belong in the same sentence together, but yes. I'd love to be your date. Since we're exclusive now."

"Oh, that was smoothe Lieutenant." She found herself tracing the lettering on his shirt as her cheek came to rest on his shoulder.

"I thought so, too," he whispered. Then she dozed off on him. 

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

Jake held Jessica while she slept, her breaths soft on his neck while he watched the end of the game. He should really get up and stir the chili, but he didn't want to disturb her. If dinner wasn't edible, he would just order a pizza instead. No big deal. 

She finally seemed fully comfortable with him. She was letting him hold her while she napped, and she wasn't shying away from the idea of them dating. He knew there was more to the picture with the way she made him work for it and the rumors Bradshaw's wife told him about. But she was so fucking sweet, Jake didn't care about what anyone else said. And it honestly turned him on when she made him earn his privileges with her. 

She moaned softly in her sleep and wrapped her arm around him. He was going to have to ask Bradshaw or his wife what to wear to a frat party. That's somewhere he never thought he'd be caught dead, but he found himself wanting to make Jessica happy. So exceptions could be made. 

Suddenly she popped up with both palms planted on his chest. "I can't believe I fell asleep," she mumbled, and Jake smiled at the mark on her face from where her glasses had been pressing. 

"You want dinner?" he asked as she sat up straddling his hips. Her shirt had slipped a bit, and he could see the strap of her bra. And honestly, this position was enough to get him going, the way her breasts were clearly pressed together inside her A&M tee. When she nodded, he scooped her up as he sat and then stood. 

She slid down his body with a little giggle, and soon they were both sitting on the stools at his kitchen island. He watched her dip a tortilla chip into her bowl of chili and take a bite. "This is so good," she gushed. "I don't know how to cook anything. You just put stuff in a crock pot? And it just cooks it into a meal?"

"Yep," he replied, trying not to laugh at the look on her face. Now he was thinking about buying her a crock pot. What the fuck was wrong with him? She took another bite and closed her eyes like it was the most pleasurable thing she'd ever tasted. "Baby, has nobody ever cooked for you before?"

"No," she moaned. "Unless you include my mom, and I only get to eat that for holidays. If I can manage to get back to Massachusetts."

He stroked her cheek with his fingers and said, "You want me to bring you dinner again this week? When you have office hours?"

She moaned again and climbed onto his lap to finish eating. Which turned into her straddling him again while he ran his hands all over her perfect ass again. And once again he could hardly believe he pumped the brakes so hard earlier, because eventually her lips were on his neck and her glasses were pressing into his jaw. 

"If you come by on Tuesday, I'll wear something cute to work," she informed him, and his head tipped back. 

"You always look cute."

"Then I'll wear something sexy."

Jake grunted. "Baby, you always look sexy." A few more brushes of her lips, and he found himself asking, "Do you want to spend the night?"

"Oh," she gasped, but she kissed his Adam's apple before pulling her lips away from him.

"We could cuddle. Make out," he clarified, meeting her eyes as she adjusted her glasses. "I could make you breakfast."

She bit her lip and then said, "See, this isn't fair. Now you know that the secret way to get me to do anything is with food. And I don't know what your secret is yet."

"Apparently it's girls with glasses."

Now she was laughing as she planted her hands on his shoulders. "I have a lot of work to do tomorrow at home. I need to start making up midterm exam questions."

"I could help you," he murmured, only half joking. "I solved your problem correctly the day we met, remember?"

"Jake, I will remember for the rest of my life how earnest you were the day we met."

He smiled, and he found his heart swelling with pride. "So you'll stay?"

"Next time," she whispered. "Next time I'll stay. And we can do more than cuddle and make out."

Jake pulled her a little closer with his hands still on her butt. "Yeah. Let's do that."

Eventually he packed up a container with the extra chili and linked his fingers with hers. He walked her to her car and kissed her until they were out of breath, and then he let her leave. But he missed her warmth and her hands on him. He ended up rereading her journal articles and looking up a recipe to make for Tuesday while he imagined just how sexy her outfit might be.

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

They are exclusive. She ordered the green set. She's dressing sexy on Tuesday. I'm ready. Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 8

@blahehblah

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@cottagecori

[the-noted-collector]

Ok, here it is, sorry it's...long

Luc: I'd describe them as the closest thing I have to a genderfluid character that I can depict (I don't wanna directly call them genderfluid when I have no true connection to gender and how it changes in them). Of course, they keep to they/them and not being called either gender. Their sexuality is pansexual, and they enjoy embracing it. No REAL preference but in practice they sleep with more men then women when their partners actually care to identify. Grey-pan-romantic, in that romantic attraction would be extrememly rare for them (and hasn't happened) and it could be anyone. Luc describes their gender as 'what are you a cop?' 98% of the time, and they don't really care to describe their relationship with their sexuality and romantic feelings. They basically just sum it up as 'I'm having plenty fun and I don't care for broken hearts'.Adam: Adam's a cisgender man, and honestly is mostly that way due to not really exploring, though I imagine any self-exploration wouldn't change him but give him a deeper and more full connection to the fact that he's a man. He's bisexual and biromantic, and while in theory he holds no preference, in practice he's had far more men for partners then women. He's also polyam, however also perfectly happy to be in a monogamous relationship should he not feel affections to another party.Adam describes it as simply being a man. He doesn't think much of his sexuality and romantic identities, though being bi did stress him some earlier on. Nowadays it's sorta just..part of who he is in his eyes, no more notable then the fact that he has silver in his hair or that he wears blue often. The polyam part...he has discussed with Samantha about how he's had multiple partners at once in the past and the whole...poly relationship thing, and has stated he's ok with only being with her, because right now he only loves her romantically. She's alright with it should another come up, but the usual discussion things should go into place for it.

Samantha: She's a cisgendered straight woman. Once again, she never had much chance to explore, and I feel she might lean more towards being non-bianary or a demi-girl should she do so. She did actually experiment with her sexuality and romantic identities, but she's found she is both heterosexual and heteroromantic. Simply not attracted to women or other gendered people. Not too much to it.Samantha describes it as being a plain woman. She knows exploration is possible and has been debating it, but she has a busy life. She's quite accepting of the fact that she's straight, due to the fact that she did try out being attracted to people who weren't men, and it simply wasn't for her. Not much to it. While she hasn't personally tried to see if she's polyam, with Adam, she's willing to try if he did end up loving both her and someone else.Endemannus: He's honestly not meant to *have* one, and the closest I could put it is 'agender who prefers to be called a man if someone REALLY needs to identify them that way'. You just sorta gotta look at them and guess. They're also aromantic, and quite likely asexual (I haven't quite decided). It'd be in a way most similar to my ability to describe my own identity in those areas; for aro, being in a slight guilt for feeling a love that you realize isn't quite romantic in a place that puts love over all (quite *literally* in the Bazaar's case) and while not being capable of attraction to another's body, being willing to try knowing someone that way if you really feel like it. Likely he's cupiosexual.Endemannus doesn't really care to put labels on, so she's mostly...feelings. He's detacted from gender to the point of simply not caring anymore. They don't tend to think of sex or sexuality but do understand she doesn't feel that sort of attraction. Aromantic...well. He's not quite accepting of being that yet. They believe they have a romantic crush on the zee, but she knows in some deeper part that that's *not* what it is, and that scares him very badly.

Conley: ...intersex? Maybe? Their whole deal is weird and honestly putting a label to it requires jumping through more hoops then I care for. Their asexual and would only actually have anything more then cuddling in very specific scenarios, only really for power or manipulation then any real enjoyment. They're also demi-biromantic! Ish. To the extent that it can apply to any romantic feelings to devils.Conley more or less describes it as 'I am a threat and you should care more about that'. They don't even really care about human pronouns (my use of they/them is far more a simplification on my end and it's likely they'll get neopronouns in the future). They simply see sex as a act of power, a emotional tactic that takes energy and time to use for a varying reward. As for romantic...well, they did have a couple crushes before the Revolution to understand to a extent what they *are*, but nowadays they don't have any (they only have two emotional bonds that could reach that territory, and they don't have romantic feelings for either). So they don't really care.Edward: Ohhh boy, the disaster. I believe I've explained before the whole gender thing, but I shall again. The thing with Edward is that he's new to the Neath, and the idea of gender exploration is a entirely new concept to him that he wouldn't have the first idea how to do. And while he's currently a cisgendered man, I do have plans on him becoming bigender (he/she) at some point. He's homosexual and homoromantic, and has a conflicting relationship with it due to past tramuas and once again, being new to a area where it's ok to be that way. The fact that he's a diaster gay is just how he is honestly.Edward has...issues solidly putting himself as a man already. After all, there are (apparently) options! How can he call himself a man if he hasn't tried the options? For now he's ok with being called a man, but one day, one time, will push him more into exploring. As stated above, he has a complicated relationship with being gay. He's getting better at it over time, but there are days where he causes himself heavy whiplash with even the thought of being gay. It causes some...self-esteem issues, and his tramua isn't helping in that regard. He sometimes tries to pray to love a woman, only to get hit with even *more* whiplash, just religiously this time, because Edward was once Catholic and has since left the church all together. But that is another topic.

Gale: I'd put Gale firmly in questioning. Just all of it. They're throwing stuff at a wall and hoping it sticks. Thinking about past feelings they've had. Debating physical experimentation. Who knows! They don't! I don't (yet)! For now they use they/them in more 'I am a swarm of bees' sense then anything.Gale puts themself as just...they have no idea. They use they because they're a physical swarm of bees. They've had relationships with people who didn't care for gender, those who did as well. Whatever they are, they have no idea yet. They didn't think about it before! They didn't need to! Sal: She's a woman in the way like...you'd be punched if you called them a woman but they lean quite femininely overall, to the point where she does use feminine titles and pronouns. Just don't call them a woman. Sal's sexuality and romantic life is just sorta...I'm not sure I'd put it as a identity. Like, in *theory* she's bisexual and panromantic, but in practice she just likes Gale way too much.Sal would just put it as 'don't worry, darling :)', in a tone that would make you worry even more if it weren't for the fact that it was a response to their gender. She doesn't care as long as she isn't called anything and nothing masculine is used. She doesn't put much thought into sexuality and romantic identities nowadays, mostly just...being obsessed with Gale in a very bad way. She's *aware* they can be attracted to other people, she just doesn't care.

happy pride month!

question: how would you (their writer) describe your character's gender + sexual + romantic identity, and how would the character themselves describe it? fallen london is pretty welcoming of queer people, although their vocabulary for it is naturally very different from modern day

[duckprintspress]

Celebrate National Short Story Day with Queer Stories!

December 21st, the shortest day of the year in the Northern hemisphere, is also National Short Story Day! So if you’re up north, grab what sunlight you can and join us for a quick read, and if you’re in the south, you’ve got time to read ‘um all in one day! The contributors to this list are: Sebastian Marie, YF Ollwell, theirprofoundbond, Shadaras, Shea Sullivan, and Dei Walker.

O.1 by Gabby Rivera in A People’s Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers edited by Victor LaValle and John Joseph Adams

The Synapse Will Free Us From Ourselves by Violet Allen in A People’s Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers edited by Victor LaValle and John Joseph Adams

Harmony by Seanan McGuire in A People’s Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers edited by Victor LaValle and John Joseph Adams

In The Hills, The Cities by Clive Barker in Books of Blood, vol. 1

The Recondite by S. J. Ralston

Further Arguments in Support of Yudah Cohen’s Proposal to Bluma Zilberman by Rebecca Fraimow

Shaina Rubin Keeps Her Head Under Circumstances Nobody Could Have Expected by Rebecca Fraimow

Gitl Schneiderman Learns to Live With Her In-Laws by Rebecca Fraimow

A Fisherman of the Inland Sea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Mountain Ways by Ursula K. Le Guin

Navajos Don’t Wear Elk Teeth by Conley Lyons in Never Whistle At Night edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

Closer Than Your Kidneys by Ursula Whitcher

Self Care by Julian K. Jarboe

We’d love to hear about some of your favorite queer short stories – and where to find them!

[fallingtowers]

it's fun to watch house cause it's an american tv show made mostly in the aughts so there are a lot of actors in it who were also on buffy. you watch a tv show made in the present day and there's almost never a buffy guy on there. but on house there's buffy guys out the wazoo. off the top of my head so far i've seen michelle trachtenberg, adam busch, tom lenk, marc blucas, azura skye, caroline lagerfelt, felicia day, and jack conley

[novemberhush]

The rules of the game are to write one song for every letter in your URL, and then tag as many people as there are letters in your URL.

Thanks for tagging me, @sofancydancy !❤️

N - Never Be Ourselves by Savannah Conley

O - On & On by Longpigs

V - Vampire Empire by Big Thief

E - Everybody Breaks by Ivan & Alyosha

M - Marriage Ain’t the End of Being Lonely by Emily Scott Robinson

B - Battlescar by Adam Baldwin

E - Everlong by Foo Fighters

R - Run by Morgan Wade

H - Hurtin’ On Me by Chris Carmack (because Nashville was in my head today)

U - Under Pressure by Queen & David Bowie

S - Stay by Hurts (because of that ‘Siri play Stay’ post about Leo x Adam!)

H - Highwayman by The Highwaymen

Okay, that’s 12 letters so I gotta tag 12 blogs. I tag @smowkie @all-or-nothing-baby @guiltypleasurefandomface @slow-burn-sally @portlandwithyou @firemedicdiaz @fireladybuckley @zerokrox-blog @seylaaurora @siflovesbuddie @elysiumwaits @colourfulwatson and anyone else who wants to play. No pressure on anyone who doesn’t! I realise some of your URLs are quite long so no worries if you want to give it a miss. 😘

[greenelight]

victor   fits   strangely   well   in   his   arms   as   he   carries   him   over   to   the   couch   ,   wanting   to   make   sure   he   was   at   least   somewhat   comfortable   rather   than   sleep   on   the   floor   in   a   crumpled   heap.   that   most   definitely   won't   be   a   comfortable   way   for   him   to   wake   up   &   no   matter   how   annoying   victor   could   be   at   times   when   he   shows   up   to   his   place   unannounced   ,   he   still   wants   him   to   be   comfortable to some degree.   it's   what   anyone   would   want   for   their   friend.   it's   what   jodie   would   have   wanted   too   ,   but   no   need   to   dwell   on   that   right   now.   laying   out   his   friend   carefully   without   dropping   him   outright   takes   a   few   more   seconds   than   he   anticipated   ,   but   mason   manages   eventually   &   then   begins   to   grab   for   the   blankets he keeps on the arm of the couch for special occasions   ,   placing   them   over   his   body.   ❝   there.   this   should   be   enough   to   keep   you   warm   for   the   night   ,   ❞   mason   says   more   to   himself   as   he   tucks   victor   in   ,   clearly   focused   on   just   getting   him   ready   for   bed   than   anything   else.   he   doesn't   notice   victor   moving   in   closer   in   all   his   fussing   ,   so   when   his   lips   make   contact   with   his   forehead   out   of   nowhere   ,   he's   a   little   surprised   ,   stunned   even   ,   but   the   gesture   is   not   lost   on   him   &   soon   he   turns   to   his   friend   &   reacts   with   a   genuine   smile.   such   soft   &   gentle   affection   is   so   nice   to   feel   ,   even   among   friends.   even   if   the   gesture   was   done   to   make   him   less   frustrated   with   him   ,   well   ,   it's   working   ,   &   mason   can't   even   hide   the   smile   that   comes   out   of   him   from   such   a   kind   gesture.   what   can   i   say   ?   i'm   a   big   softie.

❝   what   ,   you   want   a   bed   time   story   too   ?   ❞   mason   chuckles   as   his   hand   moves   to   ruffle   victor's   hair   ,   though   it's   cut   short   when   his   cat   jumps   on   top   of   his   friend   to   join   him   ,   already   making   biscuits   on   the   blanket   as   she   sits   on   his   chest.   ❝   well   ,   clearly   i'm   no   longer   needed.   you   got   your   couch   buddy   right   here.   ❞   with   a   final   pat   to   bumblebee's   head   ,   he   moves   to   leave   victor   to   finally   sleep   ,   looking   over   his   shoulder   one   last   time   as   a   though   crossed   his   mind.   should   i   .   .   .      nah   ,   that   would   be   weird.   there's   only   so   much   affection   that   can   be   shared   among   friends   before   it   gets   to   be   too   much   &   considering   how   long   he   &   victor   have   come   since   they   first   met   ,   he   doesn't   want   to   fuck   things   up   ,   so   he'll   just   continue to smile at him & hope it suffices.   ❝   make   sure   bee   gets   so   sleep   since   she's   so   adamant   about   working   overtime   at   the   biscuit   factory.   ❞   he   winks   ,   smile   turning   a   bit   softer   ,   more   genuine   as   he   turns   to   head   to   his   own   bedroom.   ❝   night   vic.   sleep   well   ,   okay   ?   ❞   hopefully   he   does , even if he's sleeping on his shitty couch.   mason   only   wants   what's   best   for   victor & hopefully   things   in his life get   better   for   him   soon.   they   have   to   ,   otherwise   , who   knows   what   could   happen   in   the   future ?

˗ˏˋ     ᶤᶰᵗ·     mason’s   apartment   ﹕   [   supportive   ].   co   -   starring  @erebius  as   victor   conley.

[transthadymacdermot]

Hey hey! I'll let you pick the character for this operation <3

Copics: what is this character's most expensive habit or hobby? Do they ever feel guilty about the money they spend on it? Creation of Adam: choose one character that is not present at the beginning of this work. How did you introduce them into the story? Adhesive: when you write, do you usually "stick" to one character or story for a while, or bounce around various characters and ideas?

I'll talk about TNG because it's still infesting my brain 😐

Copics: what is this character's most expensive habit or hobby? Do they ever feel guilty about the money they spend on it?

I will talk about Conley for this... his most expensive hobby is gambling on horse racing. He doesn't feel guilty unless he thinks about it too hard and whenever he starts to think too hard about it he immediately starts doing something which takes all of his mental energy so that he stops thinking about it

Creation of Adam: choose one character that is not present at the beginning of this work. How did you introduce them into the story?

I'll talk about Paul my best friend Paul... Paul is a stranger from the far west of Ireland who arrives in ch. 4 of TNG and joins the main cast. He's introduced at a dance (one of the main forms of entertainment + socialising amount Irish peasants of the period. etc) where he sings a song and is quickly noticed by Sarah to not be from the area (because he speaks Connacht and not Ulster Irish, because he dresses slightly differently, because she straight up doesn't recognise him lmao). After she fails to pry his personal information out of him (I could actually talk abt how Paul lies and hides his identity for ages actually... someone ask me abt this sometime) he tells her he hates his job as a spalpeen; she offers to let him stay with her while she bullies Dolan into giving him a more permanent job... thus Paul joins the main cast

Adhesive: when you write, do you usually "stick" to one character or story for a while, or bounce around various characters and ideas?

I usually bounce around! Bounce around POVs in the same story, sometimes around stories, etc

Ask game

[beautifult999]

Adam Engelson and TJ told me that at a point, I would count so much money that I would be scared. And I did, at a point in my life

[sporadiceagleheart]

Happy birthday darling I have no presents and fantasy cake but I hope I make you happy with everything I made like this edit right here with all of your pictures in it Shirley Jane Temple Black 1928-2014 April 23rd 1928-February 10th 2014 and special rest in peace to those who passed away Bishop Rance Allen, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Lisa Loring, Bob Saget, Betty White, Heather O'Rourke, Judith Barsi, baby Leroy, baby Peggy Montgomery, Peggy cartwright, Darla Jean Hood, Jean Darling, Peaches Jackson, Mary Ann Jackson, Dorothy DeBorba, Mary Kornman and Mildred Kornman, Kenny Rogers, Patsy Cline, Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, Eazy-E, rest in peace Ana Ofelia Murguía December 31st 2023, Jim James Edward Jordan, Lucille Ricksen, Judy Garland, Margaret Hamilton and Terry and Pal, Eva Gabor, Geraldine Sue Page, Pat Buttram, Joe Flynn, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Richard Belzer, Richard Harris, Bernard Fox, Raymond Burr, Perrette Pradier, Jeanette Nolan, Larry Clemmons, Bing Crosby, John Candy, John Heard, John Fiedler, Beate Hasenau, Billie Burke, Roberts Blossom, Billie Bird, Bill Erwin, Ralph Foody, Jack Haley, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Frank Morgan, Jim Nabors and Frank Sutton, John Wayne, Clara Blandick,Charley Grapewin, Buddy Ebsen, Angelo Rossitto, Clarence Chesterfield Howerton, Bridgette Andersen, Dominique Dunne, Dana Plato, Robbie Coltrane, Lance Reddick, Betty Ann Bruno, Betty Tanner, Elizabeth Taylor, Helen McCrory, Ray Liotta and Tom Sizemore and Burt Reynolds, Zari Elmassian, Frank Cucksey, Vyacheslav Baranov, Vladimir Ferapontov, Carol Tevis, George Shephard Houghton, Irving S. Brecher, Richard Griffiths, Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, Joe Conley, Alan Arkin, Jerry Heller, Fred Willard, Mary Ellen Trainor, Morgan Woodward, Anna Lee and John Ingle, David Lewis, Ken Curtis, Ed Asner, James Caan, James Arness, Amanda Blake, Avicii, Jane Withers and Virginia Weidler, Milburn Stone, Natasha Richardson, Joanna Barnes, Cameron Boyce and Tyree Boyce, Cammack"Cammie"King, Denny Miller, Jane Adams, June Marlowe rest in heavenly peace to all of them actors and actresses this is Shirley Temple birthday edit of the year

[blogdojuanesteves]

UTOPIA > LUCAS LENCI

A relação problemática entre ambiente e o ser humano representada pela imagem fotográfica ganhou notoriedade em 1975 com a mostra New Topographics Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape, no museu de fotografia da George Eastman House, em Rochester, Nova York, com curadoria de William Jenkins, um importante papel na ruptura da história da fotografia e as representações não tradicionais da paisagem. 

A visão romântica e transcendente deu lugar às indústrias austeras, a expansão suburbana e cenas cotidianas, elaboradas por fotógrafos e artistas como os alemães Hilla e Bernd Becher e os americanos Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz (1945-2014), Joe Deal (1947-2010), Frank Gohlke, Nicholas Nixon, John Schott, Stephen Shore e Henry Wessel (1942-2018) que tomaram seu lugar na arte estabelecida. Sem dúvida um marco ao tratar desta relação na construção de uma imagética constituída pela apresentação conceitual e gráfica.

Utopia (Vento Leste, 2023) do paulistano Lucas Lenci é mais uma tentativa de transformar essa relação em arte pela reflexão projetada por uma topologia sentimental ora poética, ora cética, no embate entre a natureza e o urbano, um conceito atraente tanto visualmente quanto ontológico. Entretanto, a proposta procura ser mais ampla no sentido de anexar a ideia da construção digital em seu trabalho, quando produz uma clara dicotomia entre a realidade e a ficção em suas cenas. Embora ao observador mais atencioso ela seja evidente de início, a compreensão mais complexa pode ser lenta ao leitor desavisado, o que parece atingir a maioria imersa na confusão visual mais contemporânea, formatada pelo excesso de imagens produzido sistematicamente e difundido pelas redes.

Em um sentido mais filosófico, Lenci cria formas nas quais sua própria invenção e conteúdo em suas construções - na verdade, suas percepções e sensações que dão origem a este volume - são incorporados em sua execução e permanecem essenciais para sua eficácia. Os filósofos mais remotos já haviam notado que um evento deste tipo é de natureza altamente tátil, um momento- se puder ser medido, garantido no tempo cronológico- que pode de fato ser da mesma ordem. Assim, a etimologia de invenção, como descreve o filólogo americano Tom Conley em seu An Errant Eye (University Minnesota Press, 2010) explica como a topografia, a arte de descrever o espaço local é algo que acontece, ou aqui melhor dizendo, que o artista faz acontecer. Um evento que cria uma sensação de espaço e lugar porque exige uma consciência elevada de compreensão, que é, de contato com o ambiente de tal forma que as relações até então desconhecidas são feitas a partir da experiência das coisas apreendidas pelo autor.

Então vejamos o pensamento de Lucas Lenci: "Os conceitos de velocidade e distância foram distorcidos pela minha geração. Inebriados pela internet, abraçamos com paixão a desmaterialização de praticamente tudo: de produtos, serviços, informações e da própria fotografia. Agora uma foto viaja instantaneamente, transformando-se em dados e pixels, percorrendo distâncias antes inimagináveis." O fotógrafo nasceu em 1980 e é graduado em fotografia e desenho industrial. Iniciou sua carreira profissional como fotógrafo após atuar como produtor executivo de projetos comerciais, editoriais e culturais. Publicou o livro Desaudio ( Ed.Madalena, 2013) [ leia aqui review https://blogdojuanesteves.tumblr.com/post/116469317861/desaudio-lucas-lenci ], Movimento Estático (Editora Valongo, 2016) [ leia aqui review https://blogdojuanesteves.tumblr.com/post/153956336821/movimento-est%C3%A1tico-lucas-lenci ] e Still Life ( Fotô Editorial, 2020) [ leia aqui review https://blogdojuanesteves.tumblr.com/post/613665409938472960/por-mais-falso-que-o-assunto-seja-uma-vez ] entre participação em outras publicações.

Lenci revela que explora uma "geografia afetiva", uma reflexão acerca "das emoções que os lugares e os espaços que habitamos nos despertam." As fotografias, segundo ele, retratam endereços intangíveis, ao mesmo tempo que estão ancoradas em precisas coordenadas de georreferenciamento, na busca por capturar distâncias tanto físicas quanto virtuais. Imagens que buscam ir além das representações de cidades reais ou fictícias: "um interesse pelo simbólico, imbuído das experiências pessoais, da memória, da história, mecanismos que mostram os vínculos emocionais, entre o indivíduo e seu meio ambiente.

As imagens de Utopia nos levam para o pensamento do historiador Philip J. Edington, do Departamento de História da University of Southern California: "A posição “assimilativa” procura equiparar as fotografias a todos os outros signos num universo semiótico e derivar os seus significados principalmente deste contexto. Uma posição excepcional que sustenta que estes são signos indiciais que carregam uma impressão direta do mundo. Argumenta-se que as duas posições podem ser colapsadas numa espacialização radical do conhecimento visual, expandindo a tese do genial historiador da arte vienense Ernst Gombrich (1909-2001) sobre a “primazia do significado” para incluir os caminhos neurais através de mapas do campo visual.

Daí a importância de Lenci incluir as localizações exatas das suas tomadas fotográficas que compõem cada uma de suas imagens. "A mente exige que cada evento interpretativo, cada “leitura” de uma fotografia ocorra numa posição de perspectiva." Uma expectativa que o autor tem de distanciar-se da cartografia da plataforma geo-histórica (Hyper Cities), alimentada pelo Google, como um exemplo do mais recente conhecimento de redes na Internet hiperespacial, cada vez mais amplas em sua contextualização, que pode expandir o universo de significado interpretativo, ao mesmo tempo que aprofunda a sua inscrição nos locais terrestres da sua produção. Rejeitando o ceticismo radical da posição assimilacionista, o ensaio percebe as qualidades excepcionais da fotografia na circulação de signos que ancoram a interpretação à medida que constrói-se um conhecimento histórico, abrindo caminhos de uma perspectiva na topologia sem fundo e incorporada anteriormente pela semiótica.

O fotógrafo paulistano Tuca Vieira, autor do excelente livro Atlas Fotográfico da cidade de  São Paulo e Arredores ( Casa da imagem/Museu da Cidade de São Paulo, 2020) escreve um ensaio no livro sobre a fugacidade da imagem digital, em contraponto a elaboração complexa das imagens de Lucas Lenci: "A vida útil de uma fotografia pode chegar hoje a apenas alguns segundos de duração, e ela logo em seguida pode cair no esquecimento. Disso também decorre a diminuição dramática do tempo que dedicamos a cada uma delas, tanto no ato de produzi-las quanto de apreciá-las..." Para ele, então passamos a desconfiar das imagens. No entanto, diz ele, "há também os que se dedicam a estudar as características únicas da imagem como ela é hoje produzida, e que são capazes de extrair de suas particularidades a força necessária para reter nosso olhar apressado.

Para Vieira, "Lucas Lenci trabalha de forma criativa essa desconfiança, equilibrando-se cuidadosamente numa fronteira entre o crível e o estranho, o possível e o improvável. As imagens da série "Utopia" [Alpha Cities] conseguem provocar justamente esse segundo olhar, que retém o observador para além do encontro fugaz inicial. E isso não é pouco num mundo de experiências tão fragmentadas, marcado pela economia da atenção. Essa fotografia em dois tempos primeiro captura a atenção do observador (que desconfia do que vê) e depois exige um olhar mais atento, detido, na promessa de revelar seu enigma.

A posição do autor de Utopia, encontra alguns paralelos na nossa produção, caso do belo livro Repaisagem São Paulo (Porto de Cultura, 2011) do artista paulista Marcelo Zocchio, que mostra aspectos da história da cidade de São Paulo nos últimos 140 anos. Uma montagem de imagens suas atuais e outras antigas, com uma inclusão cartográfica dos anos 1897, 1930 e de hoje, imagens de consagrados fotógrafos, como as suíço Guilherme Gaensly (1843-1928), do carioca Militão Augusto de Azevedo (1837-1905) e do italiano Vincenzo Pastore ( 1865-1918)  entre outros, cujo resultado é um interação temporal da do espaço e vida urbana.

Aproximando-se no sentido gráfico e conceitual, inclusive no formato de Utopia ( embora com imagens panorâmicas), o livro Entre Morros ( Cosac Naify, 2014) da fotógrafa carioca Claudia Jaguaribe igualmente problematiza a tensão entre a mudança e a permanência. Com imagens produzidas por ela, faz uma revisão da relação tempo e espaço com a noção de lugar. Segundo ela, "Na série a nitidez está no todo e nos detalhes das imagens, captando a força da trama urbana. Vê-se, simultaneamente, perto e longe, dentro e fora, de cima e na encosta dos morros cariocas. O Rio dessas fotos, assim como as cidades idealizadas por Lucas Lenci, não existe em estado natural. Ele é uma construção feita a partir de seus contrastes urbanos. Natureza e cidade, riqueza e pobreza, violência e gente.

Em termos mais conceituais, no trabalho de Jaguaribe ( assim como nos de Lenci)  suas imagens estruturam-se a partir de evidentes elementos de contemporaneidade, como a simultaneidade de informações visuais que hoje permeiam praticamente todos os meios de comunicação, sendo em sua maioria construções digitais a partir de uma ou mais imagens, onde a perspectiva clássica e informação stricto sensu são por consequência fortemente alteradas, escreveu Sergio Burgi, coordenador de Fotografia do Instituto Moreira Salles ( IMS).

Trabalhos que, no dizer de Lucas Lenci, não são apenas "o testemunho desta era de desmaterialização, mas catalizador de novas jornadas." o que podemos enxergar como um manifesto que nos leva às ideias, guardada a distância, introduzidas pelo filósofo francês Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908-1961) no seu trabalho sobre o grande pintor francês Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), O visível e invisível (Ed.Perspectiva, 1984) (originalmente publicado em 1964, pela francesa Gallimard, que traz o conceito de visão topológica para descrever e explicar uma forma particular de ver que considera, no contínuo surgimento de uma imagem fotográfica, uma possibilidade de superar uma filosofia idealista que transforma tudo em pensamento, sem levar em conta o contato primordial com o mundo. O pintor ou aqui no caso, o fotógrafo não transforma o mundo em pensamento para fotografar e por isso, não faz uma representação do mundo em sua imagem, mas cria um mundo próprio, resultado da mescla entre o vidente e o visível, que possibilita por esse ato criador, a experiência com o Ser enquanto presença.

*Imagens © Lucas Lenci.    Texto © Juan Esteves

Infos básicas:

Vento Leste Editora: Mônica Schalka/Heloisa Vasconcellos

Fotografia, captação e montagem: Lucas Lenci 

Textos Lucas Lenci/Tuca Vieira

Edição bilíngue: Português/Inglês

Tratamento de imagens: Marcos Ribeiro 

Design Gráfico: Fábio Messias e Nathalia Parra [Zootz Comunicação] 

Coordenação editorial: Lucas Lenci e Tuca Vieira

Produção gráfica: Jairo da Rocha

Impressão: Capa dura, 500 exemplares em papel Alta Alvura:  Ipsis Gráfica e Editora 

Para adquirir o livro  ventoleste.com

[the-noted-collector]

General Blog Information

Hello there! Welcome to this place, however you may have found it. I am Lx/Moth, a storyteller and collector. Of what? Anything I find intriguing.

Under the readmore is basically just oc stuff. It will be added to and changed over time. Likely, I'll try at making masterposts as this blog grows to accompany many of my interests.

OC tags will be of their FL titles, and I will add tags here (both FL and otherwise) as I speak on them. For now, a masterlist:

Luc Buckingham- #The Opulent Enigma

Adam Buckingham- The Bloodied Knight

Samantha Buckingham- The Searing Appraiser

Endemannus Korabl'nikov- The Transformed Captain

Conley- The Elusive Cannibal

Edward Byrne- The Eccentric Host

Gale- The Buzzing Dockworker

Sal- The Venomous Lover

Mary Helianalis- The Once-Doomed Scholar

Grace Helianalis- The Radiant Poisoner

Eckil Portsmoth- The Arrogant Newcomer/The Arrogant Duelist/The Tormented Duelist

We also have many stories! These will be focused on one or two OCs, following their arcs and experiences in the Neath. These stories will be tagged with the story's name.

Endemannus: Former Glory (exploring West, a arc of past and tramua)

Edward: Radio Catalog (Presybterate!Edward arc, involves cult depictions and likely will have body horror and disassociation)

Eckil: Eckil's Tale (Eckil's personal thoughts as I play them in Fallen London)

I also do newspaper shenanigans, all found under 'the jewel post publishes'!

[the-noted-collector]

I'm open to answering any of these if only to help fill in for my inability to start my own rambles

(Quick name rundown: Luc Buckingham, Adam Buckingham, Samantha Buckingham, Endemannus Korabl'nikov (or just Ed), Conley, Edward Byrne, Gale, Sal)

Character Development Questions: Hard Mode

Does your character have siblings or family members in their age group? Which one are they closest with?

What is/was your character’s relationship with their mother like?

What is/was your character’s relationship with their father like?

Has your character ever witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? If so, does anyone else know?

On an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets?

Does your character have recurring themes in their dreams?

Does your character have recurring themes in their nightmares?

Has your character ever fired a gun? If so, what was their first target?

Is your character’s current socioeconomic status different than it was when they were growing up?

Does your character feel more comfortable with more clothing, or with less clothing?

In what situation was your character the most afraid they’ve ever been?

In what situation was your character the most calm they’ve ever been?

Is your character bothered by the sight of blood? If so, in what way?

Does your character remember names or faces easier?

Is your character preoccupied with money or material possession? Why or why not?

Which does your character idealize most: happiness or success?

What was your character’s favorite toy as a child?

Is your character more likely to admire wisdom, or ambition in others?

What is your character’s biggest relationship flaw? Has this flaw destroyed relationships for them before?

In what ways does your character compare themselves to others? Do they do this for the sake of self-validation, or self-criticism?

If something tragic or negative happens to your character, do they believe they may have caused or deserved it, or are they quick to blame others?

What does your character like in other people?

What does your character dislike in other people?

How quick is your character to trust someone else?

How quick is your character to suspect someone else? Does this change if they are close with that person?

How does your character behave around children?

How does your character normally deal with confrontation?

How quick or slow is your character to resort to physical violence in a confrontation?

What did your character dream of being or doing as a child? Did that dream come true?

What does your character find repulsive or disgusting?

Describe a scenario in which your character feels most comfortable.

Describe a scenario in which your character feels most uncomfortable.

In the face of criticism, is your character defensive, self-deprecating, or willing to improve?

Is your character more likely to keep trying a solution/method that didn’t work the first time, or immediately move on to a different solution/method?

How does your character behave around people they like?

How does your character behave around people they dislike?

Is your character more concerned with defending their honor, or protecting their status?

Is your character more likely to remove a problem/threat, or remove themselves from a problem/threat?

Has your character ever been bitten by an animal? How were they affected (or unaffected)?

How does your character treat people in service jobs?

Does your character feel that they deserve to have what they want, whether it be material or abstract, or do they feel they must earn it first?

Has your character ever had a parental figure who was not related to them?

Has your character ever had a dependent figure who was not related to them?

How easy or difficult is it for your character to say “I love you?” Can they say it without meaning it?

What does your character believe will happen to them after they die? Does this belief scare them?